Public Opinion

The exit of Hell Road was located in a small grove outside of Slaughter City.

Nan Feng opened his eyes groggily, not knowing how long he had been unconscious.

Fresh air, the sweet scent of flowers and grass, the sound of flowing water—with a thought, Nan Feng shifted his body back from a small snake into his human form.

"Xiao Feng?"

Not far away, Bibi Dong turned her head upon hearing the movement.

Nan Feng walked toward the riverbank in a daze.

It was water! Motherfucking living water!

It wasn't blood!

There was no stench of corpses! No bloodstains! No chaotic, disgusting odors!

F***!!!

Goddammit!!!

He had finally made it out!!

"Xiao Feng?" Bibi Dong walked over, looking concerned. She crouched down beside him, watching as Nan Feng wept silently.

"Ah!!"

Nan Feng suddenly burst into loud sobs, tears streaming down his face uncontrollably.

He was just a clueless college graduate who didn't know how to do anything!

Screw this!

It was bad enough that he was a short-lived wretch, but they had to dump him in a hellhole like this!

Other people started off in Holy Soul Village or Martial Soul City, or at the very least, as some idiot prince!

Screw this! They dumped him in Slaughter City!

Did they watch The Shawshank Redemption too many times or something!

Giving him a Shawshank Redemption, Slaughter City style!

F***!!!

After crying for quite a while, Nan Feng finally stopped his tears.

Six years! Six years of living a hellish life!

God knows how he, a normal person, managed to survive in such a godforsaken place!

"Don't worry, you're out now..." Bibi Dong wiped away Nan Feng's tears, her heart aching for him.

In a hellhole like Slaughter City, she could hardly imagine how a child like Nan Feng had survived. If it weren't for that healing ability of his, he likely would have been torn apart and eaten as a snack by those Fallen Ones long ago.

There was no food in Slaughter City; soul power was the only source of life.

As long as soul masters possessed soul power, they didn't need to eat to a certain extent. The weak were required to regularly offer their blood to the strong.

As for children without the ability to resist, she had seen many infant skeletons in the corners of the streets.

Therefore, the fact that Nan Feng had survived... was a miracle in itself.

"How does it taste?"

Bibi Dong had simply prepared a grilled fish for Nan Feng.

"It's not good," Nan Feng said bluntly.

"No seasoning, the fishy smell wasn't removed, it's not fully cooked, and it's a bit burnt..."

Bibi Dong's expression slumped.

Are you really going to be picky now?

Feeling somewhat annoyed, Bibi Dong reached out to snatch the grilled fish from Nan Feng's hand.

Nan Feng quickly dodged.

"What the hell are you doing?"

"Didn't you say it wasn't good? If it's not good, then don't eat it."

"Have you never heard of being too hungry to be picky?"

"..."

After resting, Bibi Dong set off with Nan Feng.

Since the clothes on his back had been stripped from the dead, now that he had left Slaughter City, Nan Feng didn't want to keep a single thing from that godforsaken place on his body.

So, shedding my clothes, I turned directly into an oversized Golden Shorthair.

It was perfect; I could get used to this feline body. I'd likely have plenty of opportunities to turn into a small cat or a big cat in the future.

"Speaking of which, how did you end up in Slaughter City?" Nan Feng followed alongside Bibi Dong, shaking his head.

Don't give me that "training" nonsense. In the last thousand years, the total number of Killing Gods who have successfully left Slaughter City—including Tang Hao, who left a few years ago—is only four, according to Martial Soul Hall.

That kind of survival rate—you call that a trial?

Are you kidding me?

"My past is shameful. You wouldn't want to know." Bibi Dong's expression turned unnatural.

"Shameful?" Nan Feng grew even more curious.

"How shameful?"

"..."

Bibi Dong stopped in her tracks. "Do you really want to know?"

"Of course," Nan Feng said.

"We've relied on each other for survival in Slaughter City for three years now. Don't you trust me yet?"

"Perhaps after hearing this story, you won't be interested in me anymore," Bibi Dong said.

"Not interested? Don't tell me you used to be a man?" Nan Feng asked, puzzled.

"Did you turn into a woman for some special reason?"

"Or are you intersex?"

"..." Bibi Dong.

What the hell?!

"Or perhaps..."

"Stop!" Bibi Dong interrupted hastily.

"I'll tell you! Just stop guessing!"

What on earth was going on in this guy's head?

Not wanting Nan Feng to let his imagination run wild, Bibi Dong chose to recount her short life so far in concise terms: the awakening of her martial soul, joining Martial Soul Hall, displaying her talent at the Martial Soul Academy, being taken in as a disciple by the Pope, meeting Yu Xiaogang, the stirrings of first love, and then... being defiled by Qian Xunji.

That was the gist of it.

Then, three years ago, when Bibi Dong's daughter, Qian Renxue, awakened her Six-Winged Angel martial soul, that aura—which disgusted her so much—nearly drove her to kill the child on the spot.

Although she managed to hold back in the end, Qian Renxue was still terrified out of her wits.

As it happened, that scene was witnessed by Qian Renxue's grandfather, Qian Daoliu.

Qian Daoliu worried that if Bibi Dong were to lose her mind again, it might spell disaster for the pride of his Qian Family.

He wanted to kill her, but it wasn't convenient to make a move.

After all, a grandfather killing a mother—for a young child, that kind of blow would be far too much.

Ever since Bibi Dong gave birth to Qian Renxue, Qian Xunji had avoided laying a hand on her, also fearing that if Qian Renxue were to find out about this in the future, it would cause problems.

Therefore, after consulting with Qian Xunji, Qian Daoliu decided to send her into Slaughter City. Whether she lived or died would be up to fate.

It just so happened that Tang Hao of the Clear Sky Sect had only recently successfully emerged from Slaughter City, bringing great fame to his sect. If the Martial Soul Hall Saintess chose to enter Slaughter City at such a time, it would demonstrate that the younger generation of Martial Soul Hall was no weaker than that of the Clear Sky Sect.

Moreover, even if this endeavor failed, it would be considered perfectly normal.

After all, over the past thousand years, countless geniuses, including disciples from Martial Soul Hall and various major sects, had entered Slaughter City for training more than once. Yet, the total number of those who successfully walked out could be counted on one's fingers.

If she succeeded, it would be a massive boost to Martial Soul Hall's prestige. If she failed, it was expected, and Martial Soul Hall would lose nothing. It would also allow Bibi Dong to disappear in a legitimate way, ensuring no one would ever know that such a shameful incident had occurred within this holy Angel Family.

The Pope raped the Saintess? The holy and noble Angel Family committed such an act?

If this were to get out, what would happen to Martial Soul Hall?

What would happen to the faith in the Angel God?

In Martial Soul Hall's ten-thousand-year history, was this truly the first time they had done something like this?

Could it be that this was simply the first time everyone had found out?

How many other shameful secrets did this Martial Soul Hall, which prided itself on being righteous and upright, actually hide?

Once exposed, the blow to Martial Soul Hall would be terrifying. If others were to kick them while they were down, it was not impossible for this official soul master organization, which had stood for ten thousand years, to suffer a devastating blow to its foundations.

After all, Martial Soul Hall's slogan and faith were built upon the righteous and upright Angel God. They had positioned themselves as guardians of the world, enjoying the benefits brought by this image and reaping vast rewards. Naturally, when this image of righteousness shattered, the things gained because of it would also be lost.

"So, why don't you just expose this matter?" Nan Feng asked, puzzled.

"You want revenge on the Qian Family. If you expose this and manipulate the narrative a little, there would be no shortage of people willing to help you build a victim persona and attack Martial Soul Hall. In fact, since Martial Soul Hall is so powerful, you could use this opportunity to have the Seven Great Sects and the Two Great Empires you mentioned unite to challenge them with a legitimate cause."

"Facing the condemnation of the entire world, how many soul masters would actually stay in Martial Soul Hall? Humans, as a species, care most about their reputation once they have secured their interests."

"As long as the Two Great Empires and the Seven Great Sects you mentioned offer a few incentives, it would be entirely possible to cause the hearts of those in Martial Soul Hall to crumble."

The power of public opinion is terrifying, especially for an organization that has built such an extreme image for itself. Once the Bibi Dong incident is exposed, Martial Soul Hall's credibility will plummet, and the image they have spent so long cultivating will shatter in an instant.

Ever since Tang Chen of the Clear Sky Sect went missing, the balance between the Seven Great Sects and Martial Soul Hall had already tilted. Furthermore, Qian Daoliu, as the Grand Priest, was different from his predecessors; he harbored the ambition to have Martial Soul Hall annex the continent, and everyone could already sense the looming crisis.

Now, with an opportunity like this to establish a united front and seize benefits, those people would absolutely not let it slip by.

As for public sentiment, that thing was a joke.

Most people had no brains of their own and simply believed whatever they were told. Having witnessed countless instances of cyberbullying in his past life, he understood this point better than anyone.

Moreover, humans are social animals, and spirit masters have their own families. Martial Soul Hall was like a powerful corporation; once this corporation was exposed to a scandal, the employees working there, as well as their families, would also suffer from public vitriol.

And don't talk about Martial Soul Hall simply steamrolling everyone. Once a war begins, it means slaughter and death. Besides, when a war breaks out, who cares whether you are a commoner or a spirit master?

The spirit masters of Martial Soul Hall came from the Two Great Empires and various smaller nations. Would they help Martial Soul Hall destroy their own countries? Ruin their own homes?

Had they lost their minds?

At a time like this, the Two Great Empires and the Seven Great Sects didn't even need to offer higher benefits. As long as they offered parity, or even less, there would be plenty of people willing to jump ship.

Public opinion was a minor matter. The affair involving Bibi Dong was primarily a way to give other spirit master organizations, excluding Martial Soul Hall, a legitimate reason to unite.

A righteous cause—these four words were crucial. No matter how ridiculous it might be, it had to be invoked.