City of Slaughter (2)

"Defeat me, and you may enter the City of Slaughter." The deep voice sounded extraordinarily cold, as though it had not come from a human mouth. The one speaking was the Black Armored Knight seated upright on his horse.

Qian Xunji did not look at him. Instead, his gaze fell behind them. What he saw was a black city. Its solid black City Walls were exceptionally broad—it truly was a city. Above it hung a Purple Moon. The moon hung low, seeming to be less than Five Hundred Meters from the ground. Looking higher, everything was black, like the very existence of night.

"Are you sure?" Qian Xunji sneered.

The Black Armored Knight's voice remained icy, devoid of any human warmth. "Defeat me, and you will be qualified to enter the City of Slaughter."

The long Knight Lance in the Black Armored Knight's hand slowly rose. The Black Armored Warriors on either side of Qian Xunji slowly retreated, clearing an open space.

"I am Terror Knight Scott."

The warhorse abruptly accelerated, and the Black Armored Knight charged straight at Qian Xunji with a savage aura.

A chilling presence spread through the air as fierce Killing Intent bore down on him head-on.

Qian Xunji frowned, as if sensing something. The corner of his mouth lifted as he said calmly, "Suppression by the laws? That could not be better." Qian Xunji suddenly recalled Spirit Hall's records regarding the City of Slaughter.

The City of Slaughter was the most peculiar place on Douluo Continent. It was a Mixed Bag, an ungoverned and unfathomable Gray Area with no ties to Soul Master forces. Here, strength was king. Whoever came here spoke with their fists; status and symbols were worthless scraps of paper. It was the Sinful Lost Paradise, an isolated Underground World divided into an Inner City and an Outer City. Those who lived within kept company with slaughter, their actions bound by no moral standards. It was a "paradise beyond the world" that ordinary people could neither accept nor endure, a haven for fugitives.

It had existed for more than a thousand years. Legend said it was a Domain Land left behind by a powerful Soul Master who had broken through level one hundred. Here, a Soul Master's power would be subject to Suppression by the laws, and all Soul Skills would become unusable. People could only survive by relying on instinct and their own strength, though Soul Power could still serve as a source of power. Sect Forces held no meaning here. It had no connection to Soul Master forces, and its existence would neither strengthen nor weaken the organizations outside.

Qian Xunji drew the Ancient Black Sword. Golden Soul Power poured into it, and the Ancient Black Sword hummed, seemingly drawn by Qian Xunji's aura and nearly flying from his hand. As his strength increased, Qian Xunji's understanding of the Way of the Sword had also deepened greatly, and he had already comprehended Nascent Sword Intent. The release and withdrawal of his Sword Moves depended solely on Qian Xunji's will. In other words, the sword was the embodiment of Qian Xunji's will.

Boom—

The warhorse let out a miserable cry, its immense momentum stopping abruptly. A Heavy Knight Lance four meters long shot into the air and flew far into the distance.

Terror Knight Scott was no longer on horseback. Like his Knight Lance, he had been hurled away by the immense Sword Qi. The warhorse had already been torn to pieces by the Sword Qi, vanishing into nothingness.

Terror Knight Scott slowly climbed up from the ground. The armor on his right hand, which had held the Knight Lance, had completely shattered and scattered. The same was true of the armor covering his entire right arm. Along with it, the muscles and bones in that arm had also shattered.

Qian Xunji walked forward step by step. Reaching Terror Knight Scott, he looked down at him with a meaningful gaze.

At that moment, Terror Knight Scott's helmet had fallen off, revealing a Fierce Middle-aged Face. Fear now filled his eyes as he looked at Qian Xunji. Clearly, he had never imagined that this young man's attack would be so powerful and terrifying. Seeing the meaning in Qian Xunji's gaze, he knew that he was about to die, so he slowly closed his eyes.

Yet after waiting for a long time, nothing happened. Scott opened his eyes to find that Qian Xunji had already walked away. He hurriedly asked, "You are not going to kill me?"

Qian Xunji said, "You followed the rules. There is no need for me to kill you."

Scott knew that if it had been anyone else, he would never have gotten off so easily. He quickly tossed a black plaque toward Qian Xunji, who caught it. A skull was carved onto the plaque, with a number beneath it: 8848.

"This is your proof of identity in the City of Slaughter. Please enter the city. Someone will receive you at the City Gate," Scott said.

Qian Xunji was speechless. Why did this number resemble an advertisement he had seen in his Previous Life so much?

Qian Xunji gripped the plaque and strode forward, looking up at the Purple Moon. City of Slaughter, I am here.

Watching Qian Xunji's gradually departing figure, Scott drew the sword at his waist with his left hand and swung it down fiercely, cutting off his right arm, which had been completely shattered. Scarlet blood spilled across the black earth. A Bloody Scent spread through the air.

The pitch-black City Gate gave off an intensely oppressive feeling. Above the enormous gate hung four large words: City of Slaughter.

Before the gate, two rows of Black Armored Warriors stood silently. Before Qian Xunji could show the identity plaque in his hand, a woman with her face covered by black gauze emerged from within.

"Welcome to the City of Slaughter." The Black Veiled Woman's voice was pleasant. She came before Qian Xunji, stepped aside, and made a welcoming gesture.

After entering the city, Qian Xunji saw a blue-purple world. The lamps hanging on both sides of the street emitted only those two colors. To his surprise, there were quite a few people here, and no one paid attention to him, an outsider. Aside from everything appearing so gloomy, at first glance, it seemed no different from an ordinary city.

"I am your Guide. You may ask me about anything you do not understand. For Twelve Hours, I will answer all your questions. After Twelve Hours, this will be where you live. You will also officially become a member of the City of Slaughter."

"What are the rules here?" Qian Xunji asked.

The Girl in Black Veil said calmly, "The rules here are that there are no rules. As a member of the City of Slaughter, you may do anything here. Even if Titled Douluo from the outside world come here, they will become weaker when their Soul Skills disappear. Under the rule of the Slaughter King, we have no need to fear them at all. In the City of Slaughter, so long as you possess sufficient ability, you can do anything you wish. But I must remind you that precisely because there are no rules here, you may face mortal danger at any moment. In a sense, this is Sinful Paradise."

"Sinful Paradise?"

"Yes. Many people come here because they can no longer survive in the outside world and have no choice but to enter. After arriving here, they no longer need to worry about being hunted down. Every member of the City of Slaughter receives the City of Slaughter's protection."

Qian Xunji did not care at all about this so-called protection. Since he had been able to come here through Violent Means, that meant any Strong Person could do the same. Even without Soul Skills, there was still Soul Power. A Titled Douluo was still among the strongest here. Were the Sinners here truly safe?

Dear readers, the City of Slaughter arc is about to begin. Please look forward to it.