Ch. 301The Transformed City of Slaughter
Chapter Summary: “The Transformed City of Slaughter”
Plot Points and Events
- Three years after Tang San’s previous visit, he returns to the outskirts of the City of Slaughter and discovers that the surrounding wasteland has become Slaughter Town, a populated lawless settlement filled with taverns, fugitives, and Evil Soul Masters.
- At the familiar entrance tavern, Tang San learns from the attendant that the City of Slaughter has become nearly deserted since the former King of Slaughter died. Without him sending new people inside, few are willing to enter voluntarily.
- Tang San realizes that the city’s decline makes his mission—destroying the City of Slaughter for Jinx’s trial—far easier.
- He enters the city, immediately revealing his status as a former survivor of Hell Road through his confidence and his powerful Divine Slaughter’s Domain. The Dread Knight and the accompanying guide recognize him as a Slaughter God and treat him with fear and respect.
- Instead of investigating the city, Tang San goes directly to the Hell Slaughter Arena. He learns that only a small number of people remain and that the arena is largely inactive.
- While preparing to destroy the arena, Tang San is struck by a red beam from the Slaughter Hall. It delivers a new divine trial from the Asura God: to cultivate the Slaughter Domain to its ultimate limit.
- Tang San is displeased by the unexpected trial and distrustful of the Asura God, especially since he already has ties to the Sea God. He decides to ignore the matter temporarily and focus on completing Jinx’s trial.
- Tang San breaks open the arena floor, exposing the magma passage beneath it, and throws dozens of Plus Thunderbolt Bombs—and then hundreds more—into the passage.
- The resulting explosions sever Tang San’s connection to the City of Slaughter. In the God Realm, a red-eyed, white-haired man realizes that Tang San has done something drastic and angrily calls him an idiot.
Character Developments
- Tang San is shown as more powerful, confident, and experienced than during his previous visit. His identity as a Slaughter God commands immediate fear from the city’s remaining servants.
- He demonstrates greater strategic thinking by targeting the magma passage beneath the arena rather than attempting to destroy the enormous city piece by piece.
- Tang San remains skeptical of divine powers and inherited Godhood. He views the Asura God’s sudden trial as intrusive and questions whether the Asura God represents a respectable divine legacy.
- The tavern attendant and city guides recognize Tang San’s danger and avoid questioning or provoking him. Their fear emphasizes how greatly his status has changed.
- The Dread Knight, once a gatekeeper of the City of Slaughter, is reduced to trembling submission when confronted by Tang San’s domain.
- The unnamed Asura God or red-eyed divine figure is introduced as someone closely connected to the City of Slaughter and deeply angered by Tang San’s destruction of it.
Significant Themes
- Decay and transformation: The City of Slaughter has shifted from a functioning killing ground into an almost abandoned ruin surrounded by criminal commerce, reflecting the consequences of the King of Slaughter’s death.
- Power and reputation: Tang San no longer needs to prove himself through combat; his title and aura alone force others to obey him.
- Divine manipulation: The Asura God imposes a trial on Tang San without consent, reinforcing the tension between mortal agency and the plans of higher powers.
- Pragmatism versus ideology: Tang San rejects the symbolic importance of the City and its divine inheritance, focusing instead on efficiently completing his assigned mission.
- Destruction as liberation or disruption: Tang San’s attack may destroy a corrupt institution, but it also threatens the divine system tied to the City of Slaughter.
Character Interactions
- Tang San questions the tavern attendant about the City of Slaughter’s decline, using her answers to assess the situation.
- The attendant realizes he may be a Slaughter God and shifts from casual service to fearful respect.
- The Dread Knight attempts to process Tang San as an ordinary entrant but immediately yields when Tang San releases his Divine Slaughter’s Domain.
- The accompanying guide follows Tang San under the city’s rules but becomes increasingly alarmed when he destroys the arena floor and exposes the magma channel.
- The Asura God indirectly confronts Tang San by sending him a divine trial, while the chapter ends with the god reacting furiously after Tang San’s explosions destroy contact with the City of Slaughter.