The next night, the presence of pursuers outside the cave had largely diminished.
Tang San removed the restriction on the cave entrance and turned to look at Xiao Wu, who was recuperating behind him.
"Let's go, into the inner city. The Spirit Hall has spies on the outskirts; staying too long will only make us more vulnerable."
Xiao Wu opened her eyes, got up, dusted off her clothes, nodded, and followed.
The deeper you go into the cave, the stronger the stench of blood becomes, mixed with a damp, musty smell, like rotten wood soaked in blood, making your throat tighten.
She subconsciously channeled her Soul Power to protect her heart meridian, but out of the corner of her eye, she noticed that Tang San, walking ahead, had his back straight.
Even his breathing rhythm hadn't changed; clearly, he had completely gotten used to this smell over the past two years.
At the end of the passage was a heavy Stone Gate, with twisted, blood-red patterns carved on it.
Tang San pressed his fingertip on it, and dark red Soul Power spread along the patterns, causing the Stone Gate to emit a muffled rumble and slowly slide open to both sides.
Behind the door was a dim, reddish light.
The sky Slaughter City is always a murky, blood-red color; there is no Sun Moon, moon, or stars, only a perpetual blood mist floating in the air.
The buildings on both sides of the street were crooked and leaning, with blackened bloodstains splattered on the walls. Occasionally, a emaciated Soul Master would pass by, his eyes filled with numbness and ferocity, like a wild beast roaming in the shadows.
This is a vacuum of order, a slaughterhouse where the strong prey on the weak.
Tang San walked ahead, his steps steady, seemingly oblivious to everything around him.
Two wounded, Fallen Soul Master leaned against the corner of the wall, their eyes gleaming with greed as they stared at Xiao Wu.
Just as she was about to get up, she met Tang San's gaze and instantly felt as if she had been doused with ice water, freezing her in place and not daring to move.
There was no anger, no warning in his eyes, only the indifference of looking at an inanimate object.
It felt like even glancing at them was a waste of energy.
Xiao Wu followed beside her, her fingertips slightly tightening.
She remembered that when Tang San first came here two years ago, although he was also cold, he would still frown and show impatience with the senseless killing.
But now, he seemed to have completely melted into this blood mist, becoming the most natural part of this place.
The thought had barely crossed her mind when she suppressed it.
She told herself that he had suffered too much, and that he had become like this in order to become stronger and save her.
Once we've taken our revenge and gotten rid of the Spirit Hall, everything will be alright.
After walking through two long streets, Tang San stopped in front of a secluded courtyard.
The courtyard gate was made of mottled black iron, and it made a jarring creaking sound when pushed open.
The yard was very clean, with no weeds or bloodstains, clearly indicating that it had been regularly maintained for the past two years.
"This is where I've lived for the past two years." Tang San casually set up several barriers to isolate his aura.
"You can't find this place outside; it's safe."
The courtyard was small, with a main house and a side room. In the corner stood a rusty iron rack with several pieces of black iron for polishing on it.
It's clear that the owner of this place has almost no other life besides cultivation.
Xiao Wu entered the main room, where the furnishings were pitifully simple:
There was a stone bed, a stone table, two stone stools, and not even bedding.
The stone table was engraved with dense hammer marks of varying depths, and in some places, even fine cracks were formed by the impact of Soul Power.
She reached out and gently ran her hand over the texture, feeling the rough texture on her fingertips.
For two years, more than seven hundred days and nights, he spent his time on this stone table, repeatedly refining his cultivation techniques and honing his hammering skills, grinding himself from Soul Emperor to Soul Saint.
He never spoke of the countless injuries, dangers, and near-loss-of-control struggles behind the scenes.
"You should rest first." Tang San walked in and handed her a bottle of healing pills.
"When the earth's veins trembled, you suffered a backlash from breaking the seal; recover first."
"And what about you?" Xiao Wu took the medicine bottle.
"I'm going to the central square," Tang San said calmly.
"Go check on my great-grandfather's condition, and while you're at it, confirm the state of the earth's ley lines."
Xiao Wu pursed her lips and said softly, "I'll go with you."
Tang San paused, then turned to look at her.
"The killing intent inside is too strong. You've just broken the seal, and your Soul Power is unstable. Going there would make you vulnerable to corruption. Wait for me here, I'll be back soon."
His tone left no room for argument; it wasn't a discussion, it was an announcement.
Xiao Wu looked at him, and finally nodded. "Then be careful."
Tang San grunted in agreement, then turned and walked out of the courtyard.
The blood mist thickened in the night, and his figure quickly blended into the dark red light of the sky.
Xiao Wu stood at the door, gazing in the direction he had disappeared, her unease growing stronger.
He seems to have changed, yet he seems to have remained the same.
His protective heart hasn't changed, but his gaze towards the world has turned as cold as ice.
The blood mist in the central square was thicker than in the streets and alleys.
Tang Chen remained seated on the throne, surrounded by black mist, his mind shifting between clarity and confusion. Tang San walked down the steps and bowed in respect.
"Great-grandfather, I'm back."
The person on the throne slowly raised his head, a glimmer of clarity flashing in his cloudy eyes. "The person has been rescued?"
"Yes, everything is settled."
Tang Chen chuckled softly, a hint of self-deprecation in his voice.
"Okay... okay. You're better than me; at least you can protect the people you want to protect."
He paused, his gaze falling on Tang San, his brows furrowing slightly. "Your Asura essence is even more ferocious than it was two months ago."
"Yes." Tang San did not deny it.
"After breaking through to Soul Saint, my source energy increased rapidly, but... occasionally it became difficult to control."
"Even if we can't suppress it, we must suppress it." Tang Chen's voice turned serious.
" The Asura Power is a sword, and the one who wields the sword is a human."
Once you hold the knife the wrong way, you become its slave.
That's where I failed back then; you can't repeat my mistake.
Tang San lowered his eyes and replied, "I understand."
But only he himself knew that this was easier said than done.
Especially when Xiao Wu was by his side, the more he wanted to protect her, the more he craved greater power.
The more he craved power, the more rampant his Asura origin grew, like an unsolvable vicious cycle, pushing him step by step into the abyss.
Tang Chen could tell from his expression that he hadn't listened to everything, so he sighed and didn't say anything more.
You have to walk your own path; no amount of advice from others will change that.
" Bibi Dong has suffered a loss; she won't let this go easily." He changed the subject.
" The Rakshasa God Trial is nearing its end; she'll only go mad more. You can stay in the city, but don't go out easily."
"I see."
Tang San stood there for a while longer, inquired about some methods for condensing the Asura Origin, and then turned and left the square.
On the way back, some ignorant Fallen Soul Master tried to rob him. He didn't even have to use his hammer; he just released a wisp of his Divine Slaughter's Domain, and the other party immediately collapsed to the ground, trembling with fear.
Tang San didn't even glance at it and walked straight past.
Killing someone like that would only dirty his hands.
What he didn't realize was that he had become increasingly accustomed to this fearful gaze, and even vaguely felt that it was how it should be.
When I returned to the courtyard, there was a faint light shining from the main room.
Xiao Wu sat by the stone table, holding a clean cloth in her hand, wiping the Clear Sky Hammer that he had placed on the table.
The dark red patterns on the hammer swirled slowly in the dim light, as if they had come to life.
Seeing him return, Xiao Wu looked up and smiled. "You're back? Did something happen?"
"It's nothing." Tang San walked over and watched as her fingertips gently brushed across the hammer, her movements as tender as if she were handling some precious treasure.
A hardened part of my heart suddenly softened.
He walked over, sat down opposite her, remained silent for a moment, and then said in a low voice, "I'm sorry to put you in a place like this."
"I'm not wronged." Xiao Wu shook her head.
"Being with you makes me feel content anywhere. It's just..."
She paused, looked into his eyes, and said earnestly:
" Third Brother, strength is important, but you are more important. Don't push yourself too hard, and don't... let strength lead you astray."
Tang San looked into her clear eyes and his heart tightened.
He knew what she was worried about.
He raised his hand and gently touched the top of her head, his tone softening:
"Don't worry, I know what I'm doing. Nothing will happen."
He said these words to her, and also to himself.
He will stay true to himself, protect her, take her away from here, overthrow the Spirit Hall, and give everyone an explanation.
It definitely will.
Xiao Wu looked at him, but ultimately said nothing more.
She believed him.
Only when she occasionally wakes up at night, seeing the dark red murderous aura unconsciously overflowing around him, seeing his tightly furrowed brows even in his sleep, that worry hidden deep in her heart always lingers.
Meanwhile, at the mountain pass on the outskirts of the Slaughter City.
Ghost Douluo led a team of Soul Master and set up monitoring arrays at each entrance and exit.
They kept watch for a whole day and night, but didn't see a single person.
"Elder, there's no sound from inside. Should we keep guarding it?" the subordinate asked in a low voice.
Ghost Douluo stared at the black mist deep in the valley with a gloomy face.
"Keep watch. His Holiness the Pope has ordered us to keep a close watch on this place. He can't stay hidden inside forever."
He knew in his heart that venturing deep into the Slaughter City was tantamount to suicide, but he could not disobey the Pope's orders.
We can only wait and see.
Let's see who can outlast whom.
Meanwhile, hundreds of miles away in Ashen Territory, Chen Jieqi had already returned to the lord's manor.
He stood before the map in the council chamber, his fingertips slowly tracing the Western Territory border.
Along the path from the Slaughter City to Ashen Territory, he had already laid down three large purification barriers, one after another. Even if the killing intent overflowed, it could be weakened layer by layer, so as not to harm the people of the territory.
The supervisor below was reporting on the progress of land reclamation and resettlement, his tone filled with barely concealed joy.
He listened quietly, occasionally nodding in response.
After the steward left, he raised his eyes and looked in the direction of the Slaughter City, his brow furrowing slightly.
Just now, the aura of that blood domain deepened even further.
It was even fiercer and more intense than when Tang San first returned.
It's as if something is slowly awakening underground.
Chen Jieqi remained silent for a moment, then raised his hand and summoned a feather of holy light, infusing it with a wisp of Soul Power.
The feather trembled slightly and flew towards the direction of Spirit City.
It's not intervention, just a reminder.
A warning to the person within the legacy: the carnage has begun; be extra careful.
After doing all this, he withdrew his hand and looked back at the accounts of people's livelihood on the table.
Life goes on, and his duty is always to cherish the everyday joys and sorrows before him.
As for the impending storm, we'll try to block it if we can, and if we can't, we'll just have to face it head-on.
As night deepened, Tang San sat cross-legged on the stone bed in the courtyard shrouded in blood mist, cultivating.
Dark red Soul Power circulated around him, and killing intent overflowed from his pores, condensing into a faint blood-red mist around him.
His eyes were closed, and his brows were furrowed.
There was no light in the dream, only endless blood and slaughter, and Bibi Dong's cold face.
He clenched his fist so tightly that his knuckles turned white.
Not enough, not strong enough.
Only by becoming stronger can we protect everything.
Unbeknownst to him, in the shadows behind him, Xiao Wu, wearing an overcoat, had been standing quietly for a long time.
As she watched the increasingly thick crimson mist surrounding him, the worry in her eyes became as heavy as an impenetrable fog.
This city can hold back external enemies, but it cannot stop the abyss that grows from the depths of people's hearts.