Tang Hao Seeks Revenge

"Open the door," Duanmu Ci's voice was calm and unwavering.

The waiter's wiping motion froze abruptly.

"What did you say?" The voice carried naked threat. The rule of the City of Slaughter was that newcomers must first drink a cup of "Bloody Mary"—a "fine wine" made with the fresh blood of living people.

A hint of disgust flashed in Duanmu Ci's eyes. Drinking that stuff? It was simply a blasphemy against his senses.

"Open... the door," Duanmu Ci repeated, his gaze instantly locking onto the waiter's cloudy pupils.

"You..." Before the waiter could utter a word, his body suddenly straightened! His cloudy eyes instantly lost their spirit, becoming hollow and vacant.

"Yes... I'll open the door for you now..." the old man mumbled as if in a dream, his movements stiff as he bent down and fumbled in a very hidden corner beneath the bar. With a soft click of a mechanism, behind the bar, a heavy stone slab silently slid open, revealing a dark opening extending downwards, emitting a bone-chilling cold.

Duanmu Ci flickered and disappeared into the opening. A deep, dark corridor led to the City of Slaughter.

Footsteps echoed in the deathly silent corridor. Duanmu Ci's mental power spread forward like an invisible tide, but he was surprised to hit an invisible wall—what seemed like an ordinary stone wall actually contained some kind of strange rule power, firmly blocking his probing.

"A god's rule?" A hint of inquiry flashed in Duanmu Ci's eyes.

After the time it takes an incense stick to burn, a massive portal appeared at the end of the corridor.

The portal was tightly shut, exuding a cold, heavy aura that isolated everything.

The moment Duanmu Ci's footsteps entered the corner of the doorway—

"You—violated the rules!"

A deep voice sounded, accompanied by the clanking of heavy armor rubbing together, and the open space before the portal was instantly filled with a killing aura. At the entrance to the City of Slaughter, in front of the massive portal.

A full one hundred and one black-armored knights tore themselves from the shadows.

One hundred knights held giant greatswords as tall as a person, their cold blades flashing, forming a solemn charging death formation.

At the front of the formation, a black-armored knight whose aura far surpassed the others sat astride a warhorse clad in heavy armor.

It was the gatekeeper—the Terror Knight, Scott.

"I am the Terror Knight Scott," a declaration as heavy as thunder exploded from the horseback, shaking the air.

"You disregarded the rules and trespassed without drinking the 'Bloody Mary.' This is blasphemy! You shall suffer the punishment of ten thousand blades piercing your heart! If you wish to live, you must—defeat me to earn the right to enter!"

However, Duanmu Ci's gaze did not spare Scott, who was radiating killing intent, or the black-armored legion behind him, not even for an instant.

His gaze seemed to pierce through that cold, heavy black giant door, falling directly onto the desperate abyss beyond, shrouded by an eerie purple moon, known as the "City of Slaughter."

"I heard using Spirit Skills is forbidden here?" Duanmu Ci's voice was as plain as if he were discussing the light rain outside the window. "Let me try."

The moment his voice fell, within the depths of Duanmu Ci's pupils, an invisible power suddenly condensed and erupted—

"Illusion Technique—Eternal Samsara Mangekyo!"

"Fight," Duanmu Ci uttered two words softly.

The next instant, a horrifying scene that made one's scalp tingle and blood freeze unfolded!

"Kill—!" Scott suddenly let out a beast-like roar from his throat, abruptly turned his lance, and fiercely stabbed through the chest armor of the nearest knight beside him, the sound of cracking bone clearly audible.

The knight who was pierced did not die. Instead, he became like a ferocious beast that had been completely enraged, his eyes blood-red as he swung his greatsword, striking towards Scott's horse's neck with a desperate, suicidal madness.

The remaining hundred knights instantly fell into a complete, indiscriminate melee, greatswords slashing, lances thrusting, warhorses trampling. The sound of metal clashing, bones and flesh tearing, and the cries of the dying filled the entire space!

Inside the gate, a young woman in a black veil with a beautiful face stood trembling. She was the "guide" for the City of Slaughter.

She had personally witnessed the incomprehensible scene outside the gate, a scene that could shatter sanity!

One hundred and one powerful black-armored knights, including the awe-inspiring Lord Scott, had begun to slaughter each other without any warning, like puppets controlled by invisible strings, madly lunging at each other!

Although she didn't understand why, she knew with absolute clarity that the source of all this was that seemingly calm young man!

"Lead the way," Duanmu Ci's calm voice sounded in her ear, so cold it lacked any trace of worldly warmth, instantly pulling her back from extreme shock and fear.

The black-veiled girl trembled all over, her gaze towards Duanmu Ci like she was looking at a demon god from the abyss. Her voice was so shaky it was almost unrecognizable: "Yes... Yes! Sir... Please... Please follow me..."

The City of Slaughter, beneath the purple moon.

The eerie purple light draped a blood-red robe over this city of death, and the thick, unresolvable smell of blood was suffocating.

On both sides of the dilapidated streets, severed limbs were piled up like garbage, and dark brown bloodstains had already soaked every inch of brick and stone. In the distance, mournful screams tore through the silence.

"Sir... Sir... This... this is the Hell Slaughter Arena..." the black-veiled girl pointed at a huge circular gladiatorial arena ahead, her voice still trembling.

"New... newcomers... have a twenty-four-hour protection period... no... they won't be forcibly killed..." she stammered, "But... but you... surely... don't need it..."

"As for accommodation..." the girl pointed with a trembling hand at several towering, sinister buildings near the slaughter arena, "Those... those are the top positions in the inner city... closest to the slaughter arena... but... the occupants... are the most ferocious monsters... they... have at least... dozens of lives on their hands..."

Duanmu Ci looked up. Those buildings stood like tombstones, their outer walls covered in thick, dark-red grime that looked like solidified scabs. One of them was relatively "clean," but only relatively.

"Good, you can go now," Duanmu Ci's voice was still calm and unwavering.

The black-veiled girl felt as if she had received a great pardon. She bowed deeply, "Yes... Sir!" She turned and, like a startled bird, instantly disappeared into a dark alley.

Duanmu Ci walked directly towards the relatively "clean" tall building he had chosen.

His gaze swept over, and his eyes met those of several Soul Sages who were entrenched within, their auras fierce and menacing.

With just a few glances, these powerful individuals who could dominate a region in the outside world instantly lost all spirit in their eyes, becoming hollow and vacant.

Without hesitation, they cleanly chose to end their own lives, no longer clinging to the top positions that represented status and safety.

Duanmu Ci casually sat down in the mottled armchair, his fingertips rhythmically tapping the stained armrest as he fell into thought.

The City of Slaughter, the trial ground of the Asura God King.

A hundred bloody battles forge the name of the God of Slaughter, the Slaughter God's Domain… Only then would one be qualified to touch the Overgod sword that symbolized judgment and slaughter – the Asura Sacred Sword.

Every deity would leave a guardian in their place of inheritance.

The Angel had Qian Daoliu, the Sea God had Poseidon… and this place was guarded by Tang Chen, who was known as the strongest in this era, a Level 99 Ultimate Douluo…

A cold, playful curve lifted the corner of Duanmu Ci's mouth.

It's a shame… If it were Qian Daoliu or Poseidon, with his current strength, he would truly need to avoid their direct confrontation.

Although his strength had surged, the bottleneck of his Spirit Power had always restricted the perfect release of his power; he was still a step away from that barrier of a Level 99 Ultimate Douluo. Moreover, those two still had quite a few Titled Douluo under their command.

Perhaps, once he reached Level 70 Soul Sage and underwent the crucial transformation of his Spirit Avatar, it could bring about a qualitative leap, and then he could truly contend with Ultimate Douluo.

If he reached Level 90… and his Spirit Power transformed again, who would be his opponent then? A god?

Returning to the City of Slaughter, compared to Qian Daoliu and Poseidon, Tang Chen… was the strongest, yet also the weakest.

Possessing the strength of an Ultimate Douluo, he was nevertheless parasitized by the Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast, the Nine-Headed Blood Bat King, his consciousness submerged, making him akin to a puppet.

Even better, he had no organized Douluo followers by his side.

Wasn't this… another version of a Soul Beast Jinchuriki?

And a Soul Beast Jinchuriki… to Duanmu Ci, was merely… prey for a single glance.

However, there was no rush for now; he would go complete some slaughter matches first.

After all, these were the rules set by the Asura God King, and even he had to complete a hundred matches before he could leave.