Chapter 1254: Imperial Rune

The Nether Soul Domain was an ability exclusive to the Imperial Nether Clan. Apart from imperial nether devils, no other races could utilize this ability. As Xiang Shaoyun had demonstrated the Nether Soul Domain before so many Imperial Nether Clan members, the ability naturally hadn't gone unnoticed. If they couldn't even notice their own exclusive ability, they wouldn't be worthy of being imperial nether devils.

"W-what happened? How does he know our Nether Soul Domain ability? I'm not blind, am I?"

"No, you aren't. I sensed it as well. How else would he have instantly killed all five of the gladiators otherwise?"

"He is obviously human yet is emanating an aura that is the same as our clan's aura. What is going on here?"

"Is this a child of a human and one of our clan members that have settled at the surface world?"

"Just keep watching. That lord will give us an answer soon."

...

"Ten top-tier Sovereign Realm gladiators," Ming Cigeng's voice rang out once again.

Ten top-tier Devil Sovereigns were enough to kill even a peak Devil Sovereign. Would Xiang Shaoyun be able to survive?

Ten Devil Sovereigns appeared in the ring. Apart from the nether prison devils, there were some other rare devils among their ranks as well. Each of them possessed an incredibly powerful combat strength.

It was no longer possible for Xiang Shaoyun to defeat his opponents with only physical strength. Thus, he released his Nether Soul Domain yet again. He couldn't be bothered with limiting his usage in his current situation, as his life was on the line. He had to do his best.

The Nether Soul Domain had a suppressive effect on all opponents, especially devils. Any devil trapped in the domain would be able to clearly feel the gap between them and a superior species, a sensation that would greatly reduce their combat strength.

Despite the suppression, it still wasn't possible for Xiang Shaoyun to kill all 10 of them instantly. None of them wanted to die. They struggled with all their strength, trying to break free and escape. One of the devils was a firebird devil. With the terrifying flame it released, it could easily break all the chains around it.

That wasn't surprising, as these chains were formed of soul power. They weren't actual corporate objects. The firebird devil flew around in the domain, burning even the chains shackling the other devils and freeing them. It was obvious this firebird devil had maintained its intellect. It was smart enough to know that only by working together would they be able to survive.

Xiang Shaoyun naturally wouldn't give them a chance to break free. His saint soul personally stepped out and crushed the firebird devil with bare hands. The other devils weren't able to survive either. Before long, all 10 were slaughtered. As for the devil cores harvested from their corpses, Xiang Shaoyun tossed them all to the ghostrunes, allowing them to grow even stronger.

The 10 Devil Sovereigns were easily killed, creating an uproar among the Imperial Nether Clan members. They couldn't even begin to understand why Xiang Shaoyun's Nether Realm Domain was so powerful. It was also at this time that the rune fully formed on Xiang Shaoyun's forehead. In truth, this rune had appeared once many years ago after he consumed a drop of imperial nether blood during his previous excursion in the Devil Domain.

He had subsequently suppressed the rune and had never utilized it since then. With his astral energy sealed, he was forced to fight with only his physical strength. Unwittingly, the devil blood in his body was stimulated, allowing the rune to reappear. The rune was noble and profound, emanating an indescribable power. The surrounding Imperial Nether Clan members were alarmed at the sight of that rune.

"Th-this is the imperial rune! Heavens! This is a prince!" someone exclaimed in alarm.

𝒇𝒓𝒆𝒆𝙬𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝒎

"That's right. This is a prince. I can feel the suppression from his rune. No wonder his Nether Soul Domain is powerful enough to easily kill 10 Devil Sovereigns. He is too strong."

"Heavens, that lord actually tossed a prince into the ring? Wouldn't this create a big uproar if the royal family finds out about this?"

"Greet the prince! He is someone who has a chance at inheriting the throne. It has been a very long time since someone had awakened the imperial bloodline. The heavens are blessing our race!"

...

The Imperial Nether Clan was separated into classes. The lower class was the commoners, the middle class was those with extraordinary bloodlines, and the upper class was those with the imperial bloodline. Those of the upper class had a bloodline of the highest purity, allowing them to maximize the might of their abilities. They were also the ones with the strongest combat strength in the clan. From Xiang Shaoyun's rune, they could see that he was also someone with the noble imperial bloodline. It had been a very long time since someone had last awakened this bloodline.

Their shock was understandable. Even Ming Cigeng's face twitched upon seeing that rune. Bloodline was extremely important in their clan. He had not imagined that a mixed-blood descendant would actually awaken the highest class bloodline of their clan. This did not bode well for him.

"L-Lord, are we still increasing the number of gladiators?" asked someone from the colosseum carefully.

"Increase? Increase my ass," Ming Cigeng cursed.

Everyone sank into silence. Not a single person dared to make a noise. That lord had a rather high status in the clan, and he was also quite strong himself. With him being in a bad mood, nobody dared to provoke him.

The same high and mighty lord appeared beside Xiang Shaoyun. With a flattering smile, he asked, "A-are you fine?"

Xiang Shaoyun replied indifferently, "Still alive."

"Of course. It is only natural that you will be fine. Allow me to first remove the seal on you," said Ming Cigeng fawningly. He then hurriedly removed the seal from Xiang Shaoyun's body. Xiang Shaoyun might be someone with a human body, but now that it had been ascertained that he had the imperial bloodline, he would become their prince.

Facing a prince, even a Devil God had to show respect. After all, this was an existence above his class. Ming Cigeng finally understood why even the Nether Monarch's attention was caught by this human.

Xiang Shaoyun asked, "What else do you have? Bring it on. I won't blink even if I have to fight to the death."

"You must be kidding. I was only trying to ascertain your bloodline. I did not intend to offend you, prince. Let me bring you to the Nether Monarch," said Ming Cigeng courteously.

Xiang Shaoyun did not know why things would take such a sudden turn, but he was naturally unwilling to continue putting up a performance like a monkey in a circus. Thus, he nodded and went along with Ming Cigeng. Even if he was to die after this, it would be worth it as he would at least get the chance to meet an existence like the Nether Monarch.

"What's the rush? Let me spar with him. I'll personally verify his bloodline," a cold voice suddenly rang out.