The Legend of the Shore Flower (2)

City of Slaughter, a dark and spacious room.

There stood an exceptionally massive chair, inlaid with blue and purple crystals. These crystals formed a drum tower shape. Other than this chair, everything here was dark red.

"Great King, the Succubus has been brought." A cold female voice rang out in the darkness.

"Mhm. Let her in." A tall figure sat down on that chair. His features could not be seen in the darkness; only his exceptionally lean, elongated build was vaguely visible.

The Succubus stepped calmly out of the darkness. Looking at the tall man before her, respect appeared in her eyes as she slowly said, "Greetings, Slaughter King."

"You may rise."

"Do you know why This King summoned you?" the Slaughter King said slowly.

"I know a little."

The Succubus wanted revenge as well. Thinking of the humiliation Qian Xunji had inflicted upon her, she gritted her teeth in hatred.

"Hm. This King can help you take revenge, but This King has one condition: you must kill Man Yao and make her remain in the City of Slaughter forever."

"Let her know the price of betraying the City of Slaughter."

The Succubus froze, then said, "But if I kill her, given that man's relationship with her, he will likely kill me to vent his anger and wreak havoc in the City of Slaughter."

"You need not worry about that. The strength of our City of Slaughter is plain for all to see. This King can protect you."

"The City of Slaughter has existed for so long because it has its own rules. No one may trample on them, not even him." The Slaughter King slowly licked the corner of his mouth.

The Succubus was completely relieved. Now, she had no worries left. If that man dared to kill her, the Slaughter King would step in and protect her. Once Man Yao was dead, Qian Xunji would belong to her alone. Thinking of that, the Succubus could not help but smile happily.

It had to be said that people like the Succubus were truly pitiful. She believed the City of Slaughter could protect her, but in truth, the Slaughter King merely saw her as a pawn, something he could discard at any time.

"Your ranking in the City of Slaughter is not low. Once you kill Man Yao, This King can allow you to reside in the Inner City permanently. You will not need to provide Bloody Mary, and if you perform well enough, you may even serve at This King's side." The Slaughter King continued to paint a beautiful picture, coaxing her along.

The Succubus was instantly delighted. She was so excited that she could barely contain herself and had already begun imagining her wonderful future.

"To ensure that you can kill Man Yao, I will give you a secret weapon. Do you want to know what it is?" The Slaughter King looked at the Succubus teasingly.

"Yes, I do." The Succubus nodded. Although she believed her strength was no weaker than Man Yao's, if she somehow failed, she would not even have a place to cry.

"I presume you have heard that Man Yao once tried to escape the City of Slaughter, but I discovered her. Later, I punished her by making her challenge the Area of Slaughter every day."

"But when I captured her, I had already placed a restriction on her. As long as you recite these few incantations, her body will be affected. Take advantage of that moment, and you can secure victory in one stroke and kill her. Hahaha!" The Slaughter King burst into loud laughter after saying this.

Afterward, the Slaughter King taught the Succubus the incantation. After reciting it several times, she had memorized it completely and smiled happily.

City of Slaughter, Area of Slaughter.

In the stands.

As Qian Xunji watched the faint cold smile flicker across the Succubus's corner of mouth, an ominous feeling flashed through his mind, and his hands clenched involuntarily.

Just then, the Succubus slowly rose from the dust, wiped away the blood at the corner of her mouth, and revealed a cold smile.

"You little bitch, do you think you've already won? Hahaha." The Succubus had gone completely mad, and hysterical laughter burst from her.

Man Yao looked at the hysterical Succubus, her brows furrowing almost imperceptibly, but she said nothing.

The Succubus's lips moved slightly, as though she were muttering something under her breath. This was the backup measure the Slaughter King had given her. She had originally not wanted to use it, but Man Yao's strength had improved greatly, and she was no match for her. She could only resort to this method. Otherwise, not only would she fail to take revenge today, she would lose her own life here as well.

Man Yao suddenly felt her body crackling. It became extremely stiff, and she could no longer control it.

Panic appeared in her eyes. She had no idea what had happened or what unexpected change had occurred.

It's over. I can't move, was Man Yao's only thought.

Man Yao slowly closed her eyes and searched for a way to break the situation, but no matter how hard she racked her brains, she could not think of anything. Was she really going to lose here? She was unwilling. She had yet to leave the City of Slaughter, had yet to see the outside world, had yet to say goodbye to Qian Xunji, and still had so much left undone. These thoughts slowly ran through Man Yao's heart.

The next moment, Man Yao seemed to recall something. After Qian Xunji had achieved Hundred Victories in the Area of Slaughter, he had whispered a sentence into her ear: "Hold fast to your true heart. As long as your will does not yield, nothing can defeat you."

Suddenly, a tiny Bat mark slowly appeared on Man Yao's forehead. It was dark red and exceptionally conspicuous. The mark trembled violently, as though it would vanish the next moment.

This Bat mark was precisely the restriction the Slaughter King had placed upon Man Yao to control her. Its violent trembling showed that Man Yao was desperately struggling against it.

Seeing the Bat mark flicker between bright and dim, the Succubus decided to strike first. She fiercely attacked Man Yao, and just as she was about to kill her, a red curtain of light suddenly blocked her attack and shielded Man Yao behind it.

At that critical moment, Man Yao opened her eyes. Yet their color had changed. Her originally clear black-and-white eyes, glimmering with lively spirit, had turned into red pupils that radiated a terrifying and powerful aura.

In the next instant, a fiery red flower, bewitchingly beautiful as flame yet bearing an extraordinary grace, bloomed and displayed its splendor before the world.

The flower rested quietly in Man Yao's right hand, tranquil and harmonious.

This was Man Yao's Martial Soul—the Shore Flower.

From the stands, Qian Xunji looked at the Shore Flower and recalled its legend.

The Shore Flower—the only flower of the underworld in legend, also called the Soul-Guiding Flower.

The Shore Flower bloomed upon Yellow Springs Road, where vast swathes of them grew. From afar, they looked like a carpet paved with blood. Because they were as red as fire, they were also known as the Firelit Road.

Legend said that its floral scent held magic, capable of awakening the memories of the dead from before their deaths. Since it mostly grew along country paths, riverside walkways, and cemetery woods, it was connected to places where the dead were buried and thus was also called the Dead Man's Flower. The three days before and after the spring equinox were called the Spring Shore, while the three days before and after the autumn equinox were called the Autumn Shore. The Shore Flower bloomed during the Autumn Shore. When flowers bloomed, no leaves could be seen; when leaves appeared, no flowers could be seen. Flowers and leaves never met, forever missing one another. It was said that this flower bloomed only in the Yellow Springs, the sole scenery along Yellow Springs Road. Yet it also had a white variety, which looked exceptionally pure and beautiful.

Legend said that the Shore Flower was the only flower in hell. It bloomed in the Yellow Springs, a guiding flower that grew only beside the Sanzu River of the underworld, on the far bank of the River of Forgetfulness. Its floral scent possessed magic and could awaken people's memories. Bright red Shore Flowers bloomed in vast fields along Yellow Springs Road, looking from afar like a scarlet carpet. They were the only color on Yellow Springs Road. This flower had blooms but no leaves, and leaves but no blooms; the two could never meet. Those heading toward the realm of death walked upon these mournfully beautiful blood-red flowers to reach the Hall of the Netherworld.

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