City of Slaughter!

Several days later, in the barbaric lands of the far west.

Qin Shiyuan appeared before the only tavern in a small town.

"If I remembered correctly, this should be the entrance to the City of Slaughter, right?"

"Hehe, I'm really looking forward to it."

Two soft chuckles came from behind the silver mask. Then, without further hesitation, he stepped into the tavern.

The air inside was extremely murky, and every decoration was a deep, shadowy black.

Though it was daytime outside, the moment one entered this place, an icy, dark feeling settled over them.

The tavern was not large, yet it was rather deserted.

It could hold roughly fifty or sixty people, but only around forty percent of the seats were occupied.

Perhaps because of the murky air, few people spoke. The tavern was extremely quiet.

Qin Shiyuan's arrival drew quite a few gazes, but most merely swept over him at a glance before moving on.

Qin Shiyuan paid them no mind. Under the curious stares of the crowd, he walked straight to the wooden bar.

"Please move aside. I need to head down there to take care of something."

Upon hearing this, the black-clad attendant immediately understood Qin Shiyuan's meaning, and his gaze gradually turned cold.

"If you want to go down, you'll have to drink a cup of Yellow Springs Dew first."

Before long, a cup of cloudy liquid was brought over.

The attendant gestured toward it and gave a slight nod.

"Please."

The liquid was a thick, dark red, carrying a heavy stench that assaulted the nose like blood.

Having read the original story, Qin Shiyuan naturally knew what this stuff was.

Put elegantly, it was a liquid containing the resentment left behind after humans died.

Put plainly, it was human blood.

And it was not ordinary human blood. It had undergone special processing before becoming the Yellow Springs Dew it was now.

Yellow Springs Dew itself was poisonous. This slow-acting toxin hid within the blood, causing people to become unconsciously excited.

Moreover, its special components complemented the trace toxins in the air of the City of Slaughter.

The more Yellow Springs Dew one drank, the faster one died. Once the poison flared up, a Soul Master's body would directly dissolve into bloody water, dying violently in an instant.

Since he already knew about all these drawbacks, how could Qin Shiyuan possibly drink this so-called Yellow Springs Dew?

More importantly, it was harmful aside from everything else. Drink human blood? He was not some bloodthirsty lunatic. That was far too disgusting.

"What if... I refuse to drink it?"

The moment those words fell, Qin Shiyuan's voice completely shattered the tavern's former silence.

The conversation between him and the attendant drew the attention of every customer, and mocking laughter immediately erupted.

"Where did this little chick come from? Go home. This isn't a place you should be."

"You don't even dare drink a cup of Yellow Springs Dew, yet you want to qualify to enter the City of Slaughter? Hahahaha! That's hilarious!"

"Hahahaha, you little brat who still reeks of milk, hurry home and go beg your mother for milk!"

"..."

All sorts of unrestrained voices filled the tavern. The drinkers seemed to have found an outlet for their pent-up oppression, mercilessly tearing into Qin Shiyuan.

Seeing this, the black-clad attendant not only failed to stop them, but instead stared coldly at Qin Shiyuan and said in an icy voice.

"Hm? You refuse to drink? Do you think you can do whatever you want here?"

"Drink the Yellow Springs Dew before entering the City of Slaughter. This has been the unchanging rule of my City of Slaughter for a thousand years."

"If you refuse, either leave immediately, or... remain here forever!"

"Oh? Remain here forever?"

Qin Shiyuan smiled disdainfully, his tone carrying a trace of mockery and amusement.

"With this bunch of trash?"

"You're courting death!"

A vicious-looking burly man in the crowd instantly saw red, slamming his palm down on the table as he rose to his feet.

"You don't know what's good for you! Kill him!"

The others refused to fall behind. Among the dozen or so people, eight swiftly released their Soul Power.

The remaining ten also drew their weapons without hesitation. Not a single one chose to flee.

"This is a test, a test the City of Slaughter has given you."

Just as the tension had reached its peak, the black-clad attendant behind the bar spoke as though he were enjoying the spectacle.

A sinister smile curled at the corner of his lips as he added fuel to the fire.

"Kill him, and you'll be able to enter the City of Slaughter."

The moment those words were spoken, everyone's eyes turned bloodshot. Like madmen, they lunged straight at Qin Shiyuan.

Of the eighteen people, only eight were Soul Masters. The strongest among them was merely a Six-Ring Soul Emperor.

Qin Shiyuan had truly misspoken. To him, these people probably did not even qualify as rotten fish and scraps.

Colorless ripples of aura rose up. As the Nine Abyss Sword Box dropped from midair, eight Spirit Rings silently appeared around Qin Shiyuan.

Purple, purple, black, black...

Red! Red! Red! Red!

Eight terrifying Spirit Rings emerged in silence, and the fifth red Spirit Ring suddenly blazed.

Fifth Soul Skill, Clear Rain Swaying Leaves!

In the next instant, the entire tavern was filled with a crystalline azure glow.

Above the tavern, azure illusory swords gradually condensed into shape.

Then, as if struck by some enormous hammer, they rained down densely, blanketing the tavern below.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

Countless piercing sounds rose and fell, as though everything had come to an end.

Even that Soul Emperor could not escape the fate of being pierced into a sieve.

Not a single body could withstand the power of Qin Shiyuan's Fifth Soul Skill, even though it was merely an area-of-effect Soul Skill with relatively low killing power.

One corpse after another, devoid of life, was left hanging silently in midair, impaled by the illusory swords.

Every one of them stared wide-eyed in terror, yet they could no longer make even the faintest sound. The sight was horrifying beyond words.

Only several breaths later did the illusory swords turn to dust and dissipate into the air.

With nothing left to support them, the corpses suspended in the air fell one after another with dull thuds.

Yet as Qin Shiyuan looked upon the river of blood before him, his expression remained utterly calm.

Surprisingly, the tavern attendant did not panic despite dozens of people having died.

He was just as calm as Qin Shiyuan, as though he had long since grown accustomed to such scenes.

"You think killing a few people is enough to enter the City of Slaughter? So what if you're powerful outside? Within the City of Slaughter, Soul Skills cannot be used."

"You're still not qualified!"

The attendant spoke coldly, showing no reaction whatsoever to Qin Shiyuan's blood-red Spirit Rings.

"You don't even dare drink a cup of Yellow Springs Dew. What gives you the right to enter the City of Slaugh—"

"Urgh!"

Shing!

With a soft sound, the sharp Chenshui Sword emerged from his chest in a flash of snowy white.

Qin Shiyuan did not turn around to look. He merely said indifferently, "Now... am I qualified?"