Four years later.
Death Great Canyon.
Wang Zhong sat cross-legged on a smooth, large stone in front of a small wooden house, his hands clasped at his lower abdomen. The soul power within him circulated slowly, increasing by a minuscule amount at a time.
A quarter of an hour later, Wang Zhong's body suddenly jolted. The flow of soul power within him instantly more than doubled. Accompanied by a breath of turbid air exhaled from his mouth, he finally ushered in a breakthrough after four years.
For a full four years, Wang Zhong had diligently cultivated under Bibi Dong's tutelage. Even so, he had only just crossed the threshold of level fifty and stepped into the realm of a Soul King.
"Little fox, little fox, how much longer will it take for you to wake up?"
"My cultivation progress is like a turtle's. I've almost forgotten what a breakthrough feels like."
Wang Zhong slowly opened his eyes. His emerald green eyes were as bright and spirited as ever, but the tranquility and emptiness within them had transformed into profundity and serenity. Flashes of light occasionally flickered within them, bringing with them an astonishing coldness and pressure.
His face, now fully developed, had shed its childishness, becoming calm and steady. However, a thick sense of helplessness and sigh emanated from it.
Rising from the stone, he walked to the edge of the cliff. His long, dark hair cascaded down to his waist, tied at the nape of his neck with a jade green ribbon. Wang Zhong's physique was robust and strong, his back as straight and erect as a pine tree, giving him a rigid, spear-like posture.
His height of 1.7 meters was enough to rival some adults. Due to his soul power progression being limited by the little fox's slumber, Wang Zhong had dedicated most of his time over the past four years to the cultivation of Bajitian and the Eight Inner Gates. httpδ:/m.kuAisugg.nět
Bajitian required external environmental stimuli for continuous progress, which the Death Great Canyon could not provide. Wang Zhong had merely made the techniques he could currently control and execute more proficient and refined.
The Eight Inner Gates, however, had become extremely difficult to cultivate due to the strengthening of his body by Bajitian. If the previous Eight Inner Gates was merely pushing open a heavy stone door within the body, then the current Eight Inner Gates was like breaking through a massive dam. The difficulty of these two was immeasurable.
Pulling up his sleeve to reveal the soul tool on his arm, which shone with silvery white light, Wang Zhong sighed, "I actually didn't notice this before."
"Bajitian and the Eight Inner Gates are both opposing and complementary!"
"A strong body brings unimaginable latent power, but also extremely terrifying restrictions from the Eight Gates. However, once that gate is pushed open, the amplification and pressure brought by the Eight Inner Gates are extremely terrifying."
"Although I can only open the sixth gate now, the amplification is so terrifying that just a burst of soul power could make half of the Death Great Canyon tremble."
Recalling a scene not long ago, Wang Zhong's teeth felt sour.
He was truly too strong!
A Titled Douluo, struck by Wang Zhong in that state, might have been blown apart directly.
"A single weight of ten thousand jin is the limit of the soul tool. If it weren't for this limitation, perhaps I could have become even stronger!"
He let down his sleeve, his eyes filled with a deep regret.
"Perhaps, someday, I should ask Your Excellency for permission to go to Gengxin City! Let the so-called Divine Craftsmen there see if they can increase the weight further."
As soon as he finished speaking, an extremely excited shrill cry suddenly came from his mind. Fiery red soul power blazed on his right hand. A moment later, a small, nine-tailed fox suddenly leaped out.
Its red fur was bright and vibrant, soft and long. Its agile form was nimble and joyful, like an excited lark. It circled Wang Zhong for several rounds before pouncing into his arms, gently licking his face.
Feeling the wetness on his face, Wang Zhong held the little fox in his arms. A solid sense of weight came from his arm. Although its external appearance had not changed, its internal self had undergone some extremely mystical transformation.
Gently rubbing the little fox's fiery red fur, Wang Zhong felt its inner joy and was equally happy.
"Little fox, I'm very happy to see you again."
The fox's eyes narrowed into crescents, and it let out soft whimpers of joy.
The fox and the person nuzzled each other for a long time. The little fox reluctantly jumped out of Wang Zhong's embrace. Looking at the familiar yet strange place before it, it stood at the edge of the cliff and let out a long howl.
"Roar!"
Unlike the happy whimpers exchanged with Wang Zhong, the little fox now let out a king's roar, ancient and dormant in its bloodline.
It was earth-shattering and echoed through the heavens!
At this moment, in the Death Great Canyon, a small mountain violently trembled, and a gigantic beast head shot out of its shell like lightning.
Its enormous golden pupils held trembling and surprise.
After countless years of slumber, it heard such a roar, a king's dominion over the earth, once again.
How long had it been waiting? A thousand years, ten thousand years, a hundred thousand years, or even a million years? It didn't know. Time was too long, and it had long since forgotten.
Like stone pillars, its colossal legs stretched out from its shell. It strode with steady steps towards the source of the sound with determination.
In the Star Dou Forest, a massive ox head suddenly emerged from the lake, its deep blue eyes filled with an unresolvable terror and trembling.
"Er Ming, did you hear that sound?"
The deep, low voice carried supreme majesty and dread.
Beside the lake, the hundred-zhang-tall Titan Giant Ape appeared small before this enormous ox head.
The Titan Giant Ape scratched the back of its head and nodded heavily.
"Who is it? What creature's roar is this? Why do I feel a fear and dread emanating from my bloodline!"
"Fear from the bloodline! What is it?"
Its deep blue eyes were filled with endless thought and lingering fear, but there was no one in the entire forest to answer it. The Titan Giant Ape's cultivation years were insufficient, and it could not yet refine its epiglottis, so it could only use roars to convey simple messages.
Their fifth younger sister, that human-like little girl, had also left the forest to pursue cultivation.
In the distant deep sea, a colossal whale, as large as a continent, surfaced from the depths, its thousand-zhang body trembling slightly.
Its giant crimson eyes were now filled with deep joy and excitement!
It heard a sound, a call from its bloodline, the trumpet of an ultimate king summoning his subjects.
Although it didn't know why it felt this way, the bloodline that had been passed down from ancient times clearly informed it of this fact.
"The strong survive, the weak die! The victor lives, the loser dies!"
"Survival of the fittest, this is the eternal and unchanging law of nature!"
"Great White Shark!"
"Did you hear it! The king is about to arrive, and the entire world shall return to ancient times, reliving the savage era!"
"The strong rule, the victor is king!"
"Your act of seeking refuge under the Sea God and barely surviving will surely be met with retribution!"
"Hahaha! Hahaha!"
With a flick of its massive tail fin, its continent-like body slowly sank back into the deep sea.
On Sea God Island, a seductive woman with white skin and attire inexplicably fell into a panic.
Her originally beautiful eyes, with their peculiar allure, were now shrouded in terror.
Fear surged upwards from her bloodline, like a king's judgment!