Hell Slaughter Arena: Hundred Victories (3)

The Shore Flower had similarly tragic and beautiful legends in Qian Xunji's Previous Life, and he had specifically memorized them.

It was said that, long ago, there were two people named Bi and An. Heaven decreed that they could never meet. Yet they cherished and admired each other, and one day, disregarding Heaven's decree, they secretly met. As the saying went, hearts that understood each other needed no words. When they met, Bi discovered that An was a beautiful Woman, while An found Bi to be a handsome Youth. They felt as though they had known each other for ages, fell in love at first sight, and pledged themselves to each other for a hundred years, vowing to remain together for life after life.

But the outcome had been destined. For violating Heaven's laws, their love was ruthlessly crushed. The Heavenly Court placed a vicious curse upon them, turning them into the flower and leaves of a single plant. Yet this flower was extraordinarily strange: when the flower bloomed, there were no leaves; when the leaves grew, there was no flower. Life after life, flower and leaf forever missed one another.

After countless reincarnations, Buddha came here one day and saw an extraordinary flower growing from the ground, its demonic red color like blazing fire. Buddha stepped before it and examined it closely. With a single glance, he saw through its mystery. Neither sorrowful nor angry, Buddha suddenly threw back his head and laughed three times before reaching down and pulling the flower from the ground. Holding it in his hand, Buddha sighed. "In your Previous Life, you longed for one another but could not meet. After countless reincarnations, you loved each other but could not stay together. Partings and reunions are merely the arising and extinguishing of fate. Heaven's curse is upon you, making your fate end without scattering and your bond perish without breaking. I cannot lift this vicious curse, so I will take you to the other shore, where you may bloom across the fields."

On the way to the other shore, Buddha passed the Three Paths River of the Underworld. The river water accidentally wet his robes, and the red flower he carried was placed there. By the time Buddha reached the other shore, the Fiery Red flower had turned pure white. Buddha pondered for a moment, then laughed and said, "Great joy is no match for great sorrow. Forgetting is better than remembering. Right and wrong—how can they truly be separated? A good flower, a good flower indeed."

Buddha planted the flower on the other shore and called it the Mandala Flower. Since it grew on the other shore, it was also called the Shore Flower. Yet Buddha did not know that, while crossing the Three Paths River, the flower whose color had been washed away by the river had dripped all its red into the water. Its mournful cries never ceased, and all who heard them were filled with sorrow. Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva possessed immense divine powers. Upon learning that the Mandala Flower had been born, he came to the riverbank, took out a seed, and tossed it into the river. Before long, a flower even more brilliantly red than before grew from the water. Ksitigarbha held it in his hand and sighed. "You have freed yourself and attained great liberation. Why leave this boundless hatred behind in this hell, already an endless sea of suffering? I will make you a guide, leading them toward reincarnation. Let this one color be remembered of you. There is already a Mandala Flower on the other shore, so you shall be called Manjusaka."

There were many tales passed down by word of mouth related to this, and Qian Xunji remembered one particularly interesting legend.

It was said that, long ago, an incomparably ugly ghost fell in love with a beautiful girl. Because he was ugly, the girl did not love him. Driven by his love, he imprisoned her. Later, a warrior rescued the girl, and the two fell in love. The warrior slew the ghost, whose blood splattered into a patch of wild grass. From then on, a red-and-black flower bloomed brilliantly there. Its name was the "Shore Flower." From that day onward, the Shore Flower bloomed in a place in hell called the River of Forgetfulness, where the dead forgot the bonds of this life before turning around to reincarnate into the next. Love was probably like that as well. Because two people loved differently, so much had to be buried away, and so much had to be forgotten. Thus, the Shore Flower became a messenger of love from the darkness, for it bore witness to a black death.

Qian Xunji looked at this Shore Flower from another world, his expression solemn yet dignified. He murmured softly, "Shore Flower—Manjusaka. A crimson flower, a sorrowful flower. The Shore Flower blooms on the other shore; only the flower is seen, never the leaves. It blooms for a thousand years and falls for a thousand years. Flower and leaf never meet. Love is not bound by cause and effect; fate determines life and death."

Qian Xunji did not understand love, but recalling the legend of this Shore Flower, he still felt a trace of longing for it. He could not help but wonder, What would I become like if I fell in love with someone someday?

Qian Xunji came back to his senses and shook his head. What am I thinking? The most important thing for me now is to increase my strength.

Inside the Hell Slaughter Arena, the Succubus stared wide-eyed at the vast red light curtain blocking her path, a trace of gravity flashing through her eyes.

She could not understand what kind of power this was. It was so powerful that it exceeded her comprehension and left her completely baffled.

Suddenly, with a crack, the dark red Bat mark above Man Yao's head flickered a few times before vanishing completely. Man Yao's body finally regained sensation and was no longer as rigid as before. She had once again regained control of her body.

She looked at her Martial Soul and fell into deep thought. Earlier, she had already felt that she could not hold on and had wanted to give up. But when she recalled what Qian Xunji had said to her, she struggled fiercely once more, constantly resisting the restriction the Slaughter King had placed on her.

Then, all of a sudden, she felt warmth spread through her body, as though she possessed endless power. Borrowing that power, she successfully broke through the restriction and regained control of her body.

She knew that it was her Martial Soul helping her. It seemed that her Martial Soul truly was mysterious and powerful.

Man Yao looked at the Succubus. "You lost. Death is your only destination today."

Man Yao's tone was firm and confident, like the judgment of the King of Hell. If the King of Hell ordered someone to die at the third watch, who would dare keep them alive until the fifth?

The Succubus instantly panicked. She could feel that Man Yao had become stronger than before, that they were no longer on the same level. This power made her suffocate.

"Impossible! I won't lose! How could I lose? I don't believe it!" she screamed hysterically, her eyes filled with venom as she glared at Man Yao.

She brazenly initiated self-destruction. Even if she died, she would make Man Yao permanently crippled and turn her into a useless wreck.

"Stubborn to the end. Let me send you on your way," Man Yao said.

With that, she gripped the black sword tightly. An eerie Red Light radiated from her entire body. In the next instant, Man Yao vanished from where she stood. No one knew when she had appeared before the Succubus. Looking at the Succubus's twisted face, she shook her head slightly and brought down her sword. Body and soul were utterly destroyed, and the Succubus vanished from this world forever.

Man Yao had completed her one hundredth victory in the Hell Slaughter Arena.

After walking out of the Hell Slaughter Arena, Man Yao took a breath of air. Being alive was wonderful.

Suddenly, she smiled toward Qian Xunji in the stands and shouted, "I did it!"

Qian Xunji smiled back and raised his thumb, encouraging Man Yao.

Their gazes met in midair, and Man Yao understood what Qian Xunji meant. After spending the past few months together, the two had developed considerable tacit understanding. She knew he was encouraging her, telling her that she had done wonderfully.

In the City of Slaughter, within a dark and spacious room.

The Slaughter King reclined in his chair, drinking Bloody Mary with abandon, wearing an expression of enjoyment.

Suddenly, the Slaughter King sat up from his chair and sensed something carefully. He began to grow furious, hurling the Bloody Mary in his hand into the corner of the room with a crisp smash.

"Trash! That trash Succubus actually let Man Yao succeed in her challenge! Even the restriction I placed on Man Yao was violently erased! Damn it!" the Slaughter King roared furiously.

The surrounding Maids trembled in fear and prostrated themselves where they stood.

After a long while, the Slaughter King calmed down again. Looking in the direction of the Hell Slaughter Arena, he fell into deep thought.

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