Time flew by. A year had passed since Dugu Yan's agreement with the Asura God King. After she took full control of the City of Slaughter, her strength grew rapidly, and at the very last moment, she reached level ninety.
Her astonishing willpower and performance earned her the approval of the King of Slaughter, who officially chose her as his successor and granted her the Asura God Trial.
Because Dugu Yan successfully broke through level ninety, the King of Slaughter also generously bestowed upon her a God-bestowed Spirit Ring.
After absorbing it, Dugu Yan advanced to level ninety-one and became a titled Douluo.
Her physical power was immense, and her ninth spirit ring reached an incredible five-hundred-thousand-year level, granting her a perfect ninth spirit ability.
Having inherited the Asura God Trial, Dugu Yan now had both the confidence and strength she needed, so she took some time to return to the imperial palace of the Spirit Empire.
Besides her, Qian Renxue and Gu Yue had also arrived.
The three women had gathered for one reason,the position of Empress.
Nearly a year had passed since Oscar unified the continent. Countless people urged the Eternal Emperor to expand his harem and produce heirs to secure the imperial bloodline.
For this reason, Oscar allowed Dugu Yan and the others to return temporarily. Once the wedding was held, they would continue their paths toward godhood.
This would also help ease the hearts of his subordinates, ensuring their loyalty and devotion to him.
Inside the golden palace, the three women sat gracefully before Oscar, who reclined on the Dragon Throne.
All three were stunningly beautiful. Dugu Yan wore a high-slit cheongsam, her mature and alluring figure perfectly accentuated. Her bare feet were crystal clear, delicate and enticing.
She was the only one among them who had already shared true intimacy with Oscar, and their relationship was the deepest.
Qian Renxue was coldly magnificent, her angelic gown radiating divine grace. She sat like a holy seraph, her eyes filled with a mix of sacred majesty and alluring charm.
Gu Yue, dressed in silver, was serene and aloof. Her gaze remained still, her aura transcendent and peerless,like a goddess untouchable by the mortal world.
The three women exchanged cold glances, none speaking a word. Oscar, meanwhile, felt as if he were sitting on pins and needles.
After a long silence, Oscar sighed. "I never meant for things to be this way, but each of you is proud and unyielding, unwilling to see another above you."
"So be it. Today, the matter will be decided by battle. After today, there will be peace between you,no more division."
With that, Oscar released his powerful spiritual energy. The core of time and space within him activated, and all four vanished, reappearing in a boundless void.
This was a space constructed by Oscar through the power of space and his immense spiritual strength. As long as the three women didn't unleash power beyond the level of a demigod, they could fight freely here.
Oscar stood aside as a bystander in the void, while the three women's eyes locked on one another.
This battle would decide everything. The victor would be Empress,the first among all women of the realm.
Qian Renxue's eyes gleamed as divine light surged from her body. A beautiful angel unfolded her wings, sacred power filling the vast space. As her martial spirit manifested, eight spirit rings,six black and two red,rose around her.
Her terrifying soul power, nearing that of a titled Douluo, exploded outward. She had not been idle over the past year. With soul bones from Polusalino's dowry and support from Qian Daoliu's upgraded Angel God Set, her power had not diminished.
Through the Angel God Trial, she advanced swiftly to Soul Douluo level and obtained a hundred-thousand-year God-bestowed spirit ring, upgrading all her previous ones to ten-thousand-year levels.
Under the combined effect of the Angel God Trial and the Angel God Set, Qian Renxue had reached level eighty-eight, close to becoming a titled Douluo,a pace of growth that left others far behind.
However, Dugu Yan now also had the Asura God Trial, and her progress would soon accelerate as well.
The angel descended, gazing coldly at Dugu Yan and Gu Yue, as if she saw no equals before her.
Gu Yue remained expressionless as silver light burst forth. A colossal silver dragon encircled her,a hundred meters long, noble and elegant like a celestial dragon maiden.
As her martial spirit appeared, eight spirit rings rose,black, black, black, black, black, black, blue-gold, red.
The blue-gold ring made both Qian Renxue and Dugu Yan raise their eyebrows,it was the mark of a million-year spirit ring.
Oscar had such rings himself: the platinum ring from Tianmeng and the dark-gold one from the Deep Sea Demon Whale King, both at the million-year level.
That Gu Yue possessed a million-year ring at her seventh slot was astounding.
Oscar wasn't surprised, for he had witnessed Gu Yue absorb the Ice Dragon King's power to form that ring.
The Dragon Kings were beings on the level of first-rank gods; even a fragment of their power equaled that of a million-year beast.
Gu Yue had also absorbed the Ice Dragon King's million-year spirit bone. The dual absorption had propelled her to level eighty-five and allowed her to form another hundred-thousand-year ring using the soul spirit method.
Though Gu Yue was level eighty-five, her overall strength was not much weaker than Qian Renxue's. With her silver dragon bloodline and divine-grade spirit bone, she was no less powerful.
Now, the two super Soul Douluo stood against each other, evenly matched. Both turned to Dugu Yan, curious about the power of Oscar's closest companion.
Facing their gazes, Dugu Yan smiled slightly. Green light shimmered as a massive dragon's shadow,also a hundred meters long,coiled around her, its might nearly equal to Gu Yue's.
Nine dazzling spirit rings rose,yellow, yellow, purple, black, black, black, red, red, red.
The aura of a titled Douluo burst forth. Though her early rings were weaker, her overwhelming soul power made both women's expressions tighten.
A titled Douluo.
They had expected her to be on their level,but she had already surpassed it.
And that wasn't all. Two more dragon shadows appeared, joining the green-scaled dragon around her. Three enormous dragons guarded Dugu Yan's body,the Earth Dragon King and the Bone-Eroding Poison Dragon King, her two spirit souls.
If Gu Yue was the noble Silver Dragon Maiden, Dugu Yan now resembled the Dragon Empress herself.
Seeing this, Gu Yue frowned slightly. The suppression of her bloodline over Dugu Yan had weakened greatly since Dugu Yan's martial spirit had evolved multiple times.
With Dugu Yan's current power, she could even resist the Silver Dragon King's oppression.
All three were at their peak, eyes sharp as they searched for any flaw in their opponents.
They all knew that they now stood on equal footing. Victory could only come from absolute strength.
Dugu Yan's extra spirit ring and higher level gave her a slight edge.
Their spirit bones were roughly equal,Gu Yue had her Ice Dragon King bone, Qian Renxue had the Angel God Set, and Dugu Yan had a full set with three at the hundred-thousand-year level plus an external hundred-thousand-year bone.
Overall, Dugu Yan held a slight advantage, though Gu Yue's dragon bloodline balanced things out. The three were nearly in perfect equilibrium.
Qian Renxue's rings lit up. The Angelic Shield and Holy Sword appeared, transforming her into a battle angel.
Gu Yue summoned her Silver Dragon Spear,a divine-tier weapon formed from her own rib bone,and her Elemental Staff, symbol of her mastery over elemental laws.
Facing them, Dugu Yan activated her eighth spirit ring. A green-blue Dragon Spear appeared in her hand.
Seeing it, Oscar subconsciously touched his own storage device. Had Dugu Yan not possessed a weapon-based spirit skill, he would have given her the Asura Demon Sword he obtained from the King of Slaughter,a weapon once used by the Asura God himself, comparable to the Sea God's Trident.
Though incomplete, it remained one of the most powerful artifacts in existence, repairable only through completing the Asura God Trial.
Moreover, Oscar discovered that the Blood-Red Nine-Headed Bat King had not been completely destroyed,its soul fragment lingered inside that sword, much like the Deep Sea Demon Whale King's remnant in Tang San's story.
The King of Slaughter had likely prepared for this when he sacrificed himself into the Asura Sword. That explained why no Bat King spirit ring had appeared.
Had Oscar not possessed strong enough spiritual power and divine awareness, he might never have noticed.
If he had given the sword to Dugu Yan without knowing, the hidden soul could have harmed her.
Now, having discovered it, Oscar had secretly taken precautions. Outwardly, though, he acted as if nothing had happened, leaving it as a future trial for Dugu Yan,with safeguards in place to protect her.
The three women now held their weapons as their domains expanded.
Qian Renxue's Angel Domain could dissolve and purify all.
Gu Yue's Silver Dragon Domain suppressed beast-type martial spirits and drew upon infinite elemental power.
Dugu Yan unleashed multiple domains,the Killing God Domain, which reduced opponents' strength by thirty percent and was evolving toward the Slaughter Domain, as well as the Earth Domain and Death Poison Domain from her dragon spirits.
With their combined domains clashing, the space trembled with destructive energy.
Oscar's eyelids twitched. Whoever was hurt, he would feel heartache.
The battle erupted. None of the three held back or cooperated,they each sought victory alone.
The power of their clash rivaled that of three level ninety-nine titled Douluo.
They were true prodigies, each surpassing most of humanity. Only Oscar stood above them.
Dugu Yan refrained from using her poison offensively, employing her poison core only for regeneration and reinforcement. Her poison was far too lethal; even a trace could incapacitate her rivals instantly.
Though Oscar's second spirit skill could neutralize her toxins, she chose not to rely on that.
Qian Renxue and Gu Yue were equally strong, but neither had yet formed a true soul core, which gave Dugu Yan a key advantage.
Oscar had taught them the method, but they had only just begun to form theirs.
The three fought for seven days and seven nights, the heavens trembling from their battle, yet no victor emerged. When their soul power neared depletion, Dugu Yan's core regeneration allowed her to recover faster,and so, inevitably, she prevailed.
The other two, however, remained defiant, insisting that with fully formed cores, the outcome might have been different.
Still, defeat was defeat. Though they didn't say it aloud, both silently acknowledged Dugu Yan as Empress.
And since the Empress position was settled, they could still vie for the titles of Consort and Noble Lady.
As Gu Yue and Qian Renxue recovered some spirit power, they immediately resumed dueling to determine second place.
Dugu Yan returned to Oscar's side, ate one of his recovery sausages, and smiled brightly. "Well? Did I embarrass you?"
Oscar gently stroked her hair. "You're amazing, my queen. Come here, kiss."
Before his words had even faded, Gu Yue and Qian Renxue turned toward him with icy glares,the Silver Dragon Spear and Holy Sword slashing toward his face.
Oscar froze in shock. "What,trying to kill your husband now?"
Dugu Yan chuckled and stepped away from him, not at all interested in showing affection right then.
She understood their feelings well. After nearly fighting to the death for him, seeing him get affectionate with another woman would drive anyone mad.
If their roles were reversed, she too would have jabbed Oscar in the rear with her dragon spear.
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