King of Slaughter

"My King, ever since Death God and Slaughter God arrived in our Slaughter City a year ago, the population of our inner city has shrunk by more than sixty percent in just this short year!"

"If we don't take action, the strength of our Slaughter City will continue to decline!" the woman in black said, steeling herself.

"Are you questioning my decision?"

"This subordinate wouldn't dare!" Cold sweat streamed down the woman's face.

The King of Slaughter said coldly, "I naturally understand the harm Death God and Slaughter God have done to our Slaughter City. It's just that the young man codenamed Death God has an extraordinary background!"

"My King, does our Slaughter City really need to fear outside forces?"

"Fool!" The King of Slaughter snatched up a wineglass and hurled it at the woman in black.

The woman let out a pained cry, then covered her bleeding forehead and hurriedly begged forgiveness!

"I've been brilliant all my life, so why are all the people under me useless fools like you?"

"Please calm your anger, my King. Your strength is unmatched in the world; we subordinates naturally can't compare to you!"

The King of Slaughter calmed down and said coolly, "Pass down my orders. Fighting in the inner city is temporarily forbidden. In the Hell Slaughter Arena, only those who have reached the end of their one-year term and are required to participate may enter. Everyone else is temporarily forbidden from signing up!"

"My King!" the woman in black asked, "This will indeed greatly reduce casualties among the inner city's elite, but if we make such adjustments because of Death God and Slaughter God, where will the dignity of Slaughter City be?"

"Hmph!" The King of Slaughter scoffed. "There's a thing in this world called flexibility!"

"In Slaughter City, we are the true rulers. Unfortunately, there are two people outside who can genuinely threaten us! You know that those who make it through Hell Road will receive Slaughter City's gift: the Divine Slaughter's Domain! Within the domains of the two Slaughter Gods of this age, all Soul Masters can use their Soul Rings!"

"That Death God has a Slaughter God standing behind him! Though I fear no challenge, I also have no desire to make an enemy of a true Slaughter God!"

The woman in black hurriedly said, "My King is wise. This subordinate will go and convey your orders to the people at once!"

The King of Slaughter watched the woman in black leave, holding his forehead and sighing repeatedly. In truth, he really wanted to deal with the two of them himself, but the fate of Slaughter City depended on Spirit Hall.

Never mind the Seven Great Elders led by Qian Daoliu. Just Slaughter God Bibi Dong bringing several elders to Slaughter City would be more than he could handle.

Although the King of Slaughter had temporarily usurped the body of Tang Chen, the Level 99 Limit Douluo, he knew his true strength. Though Su Yuntao and Yang Wudi were arrogant, they were from Spirit Hall—and Spirit Hall was the one outside force he didn't dare offend.

From that day onward, Slaughter City grew peaceful. The Blood Slaves in the outer city continued to eke out a wretched existence, while the Fallen Ones in the inner city temporarily abandoned killing and fighting. The whole place began to look no different from an ordinary city.

At first, Su Yuntao and Yang Wudi didn't notice the many changes in Slaughter City. They continued to do as they pleased each day, until the rate at which their wins accumulated slowed more and more. Only then did the two of them catch on.

Time flew by, and another half a year passed. Su Yuntao and Yang Wudi had accumulated eighty-one and seventy-four victories, respectively.

It seemed they were very close to winning a hundred matches, but neither of them could even enter a Hell Slaughter Arena match once a month anymore.

Faced with such a situation, Su Yuntao and Yang Wudi discussed it and ultimately decided to start clearing out the Fallen Ones in the inner city.

"My King! That boy codenamed Death God is far too arrogant! He's killing off the people of my Slaughter City right now! My King!"

The King of Slaughter said coldly, "I already know. I'll deal with Death God and the other one myself."

"My King, if this continues, the two of them will slaughter every last person in Slaughter City. They're challenging your authority. Please act on behalf of the people of Slaughter City—"

Before she could finish, two streaks of blood-red light shot from the King of Slaughter's eyes. The air around them grew noticeably murky, and a dense, bloody stench spread everywhere.

The woman in black let out an unbearably anguished scream. Her curvaceous, graceful body went lifeless.

"Don't think that just because I favor you, you can speak recklessly!" the King of Slaughter murmured. "That Death God looks no older than twenty, yet he already has such strength. He's undoubtedly the most outstanding genius in Spirit Hall. If such a genius dies at my hands, Slaughter City will be doomed!"

"Why can't you understand such a simple truth, you shallow-minded woman? Sometimes, in this world, the good don't die, and the bad don't die either. Only fools die! The reason I've survived until now, besides my strength, is this brain of mine!"

Faced with the pressure tactics of Su Yuntao and Yang Wudi, the King of Slaughter began forcibly assigning Fallen Ones to participate in the Hell Slaughter. In return for the King of Slaughter being so accommodating, Su Yuntao and Yang Wudi naturally gave as good as they got, no longer clearing out the Fallen Ones at will.

Of course, if their wins started accumulating too slowly, the two of them would clear out another wave of Fallen Ones to remind the King of Slaughter.

Thus, relying on Spirit Hall's intimidating name, Su Yuntao filled his remaining quota in less than a month.

Three days later, Yang Wudi killed his final opponent and likewise achieved a hundred victories.

"Death God! Slaughter God! Death God! Slaughter God!" The Fallen Ones in the stands began cheering for the two of them, out of reverence for the strong.

"Congratulations, young Death God and Slaughter God." A low, shrill voice suddenly rang out from all directions. The Fallen Ones in the Hell Slaughter Arena instantly erupted with excitement, for a blood-red figure was descending from the sky.

"King of Slaughter! King of Slaughter! King of Slaughter..." The Fallen Ones shouted with all their might.

Su Yuntao carefully studied the King of Slaughter before him. The body was tall and imposing. Since he knew the story, Su Yuntao naturally knew that the body's owner was the previous Clear Sky Douluo, Tang Chen!

The King of Slaughter had managed to ambush a Level 99 Limit Douluo. His own strength was also beyond what Su Yuntao could contend with at present.

"Death God, Slaughter God, I'm very happy today. It's been decades since Slaughter City last produced a hundred-win champion, and I'm delighted that you two have achieved such a feat."

"Thank you for letting me feel that passion again. To reward you for your accomplishments, I've decided to make an exception and grant you the title of Slaughter God. From this day onward, you may enter and leave Slaughter City at will, and you'll be honored guests of our Slaughter City."

Su Yuntao and Yang Wudi exchanged a glance. "Respected King of Slaughter, you shouldn't break Slaughter City's rules on our account."

"We're willing to face the trial of Hell Road. We hope to rely on our own strength to leave this place and become true Slaughter Gods."

The King of Slaughter smiled. "It's good for young people to have ambition, but you can't imagine the terror of Hell Road. You only have one life, and I don't want to see a genius like you perish!"

Su Yuntao's expression turned a little strange. "Respected King of Slaughter, do you believe the words coming out of your own mouth?"

At those words, everyone present, including Yang Wudi, was stunned.

"Ahem!" The King of Slaughter coughed a few times. "Young man, listen to me. Hell Road isn't easy to pass."

"Thank you for the warning, great King of Slaughter, but I still want to take a walk along Hell Road!"

The King of Slaughter sneered. "So you're refusing the toast, only to drink a forfeit!"

Before his words had even faded, countless enforcement knights from Slaughter City surrounded Su Yuntao and Yang Wudi, their faces full of menace.

Yang Wudi watched the powerful fighters from Slaughter City, his expression grave. Among them, he could sense several who were at the same level as himself.

Looking at the scene before him, Su Yuntao said calmly, neither servile nor overbearing, "King of Slaughter, are you planning to violate the rules Slaughter City has followed for a thousand years? Are you going to wage all-out war against Spirit Hall?"

"Young man, I have no wish to make an enemy of Spirit Hall, but I fear no one who threatens me!"

Su Yuntao said coolly, "King of Slaughter, the two of us have already achieved a hundred victories. By the rules, we have the right to demand that Hell Road be opened. If you truly refuse, that's fine. The two of us will leave Slaughter City now."

Before his words had even faded, Su Yuntao strode forward, calmly motioning for Yang Wudi to leave with him.

"Very well. Since you insist, I have no choice but to open Hell Road. I hope you won't regret it when the time comes!"

The King of Slaughter sighed inwardly. Opening Hell Road would greatly weaken Slaughter City, but Spirit Hall was simply too powerful. He didn't have the strength to violate the rules.

"King of Slaughter, as long as you open Hell Road, even if we fail to make it out, what happens will have nothing to do with Slaughter City!"

The King of Slaughter didn't reply. Instead, he ordered his trusted enforcers to leave. Once his personal guard had gone, a red mist rose from his body.

What the King of Slaughter released wasn't killing intent, but a cold, evil aura so chilling it seemed to freeze the marrow in one's bones.

The sinister, icy red ripples slowly spread. In the blink of an eye, they covered the entire arena.

The Fallen Ones seated in the stands grew unusually excited, each hoping to see the legendary opening of Hell Road. But they had no idea that opening Hell Road would come at the cost of their lives!

As the red light descended, the Fallen Ones who had been cheering wildly gradually fell silent. Their eyes grew vacant.

It didn't take long. Once the red light released by the King of Slaughter had formed a massive barrier over the entire Hell Slaughter Arena, anguished screams rang out from those touched by it first.

Under the red light's influence, the Fallen Ones seemed to go mad. They clawed frantically at their own faces and bodies until they had torn themselves bloody.

More and more Fallen Ones underwent the same change. Before long, everyone in the enormous Hell Slaughter Arena except Su Yuntao, Yang Wudi, and the King of Slaughter had fallen into a state of utter madness.

Su Yuntao had been prepared for this, but when it unfolded before his eyes, the impact on his soul was still beyond measure.

He felt that death was the punishment these Fallen Ones deserved, but when thousands upon thousands of people began mutilating themselves right before his eyes, anyone with even a shred of humanity would have been shaken.

The blood of countless Fallen Ones spilled onto the ground and gradually began to gather. Great quantities of it flowed like little streams through inconspicuous, narrow pipes beneath the stands, making its way toward the arena's central platform.

"Corpses strewn across the land, blood flowing like a river!" Yang Wudi exclaimed.

The mass of blood didn't spread in a straight line. Instead, it gradually gathered on the ground, forming an enormous blood-red pattern.

Su Yuntao recognized the enormous blood-red pattern at a glance. It was the true form of the King of Slaughter—the Blood-Red Nine-Headed Bat King!

"Young Death God, good luck." The King of Slaughter spoke coolly.

Su Yuntao gave a cold laugh and instantly unleashed his full spiritual power, focusing intently on the changes around him.

Suddenly, a vast red light soared into the sky and enveloped Lin Chen and Yang Wudi in an instant. Neither of them resisted; instead, they focused all their strength on adapting to the changes in the light.

Gradually, Su Yuntao's powerful spiritual strength could no longer withstand the red light's intrusion and began to disperse. Everything around them grew blurry.

When Su Yuntao came to, he found himself on a circular platform about five meters in diameter.

Everything around him was a faint blood-red color, constantly trying to invade Lin Chen's mind. Beneath his feet, aside from the five-meter-wide circular platform, there was nothing but an abyss stretching down tens of thousands of feet.

Ahead lay a narrow path, less than half a foot wide and just broad enough for both feet to stand side by side, winding into the unknown darkness.

"Old Yang!" Su Yuntao shook Yang Wudi.

The next moment, Yang Wudi sprang up, Soul Breaking Spear in hand, warily surveying his surroundings. Only after realizing the person before him was Su Yuntao did he relax.

"Little Monster, how did you wake up before me?" Yang Wudi asked suspiciously.

"Old Yang, well, my spiritual power should be stronger than yours."

"Stronger than mine?" Yang Wudi scoffed. "A Soul King like you has greater spiritual power than me, a Soul Douluo?"

Su Yuntao nodded. In truth, his spiritual power really was stronger than Yang Wudi's. Though Yang Wudi was a Soul Douluo, his attack power could even surpass that of an ordinary Titled Douluo.

The price he paid for putting every last point into attack was that, apart from having decent speed, all his other attributes were only at the Soul Sage level.

Although Su Yuntao currently had only five Soul Rings, his spiritual power had been enhanced by an Immortal Herb and further augmented by a hundred-thousand-year Soul Ring and Soul Bone. Not only that, but the attribute boosts from his fourth and fifth Soul Rings were also considerable.

With one side boosted and the other diminished, Yang Wudi's spiritual power really was lower than Su Yuntao's.

"Old Yang, get some rest. We're about to face a true test of life and death."

Su Yuntao brought out a large supply of cured meat and rice wine. No matter how dangerous the situation, when it was time to eat, he ate. His motto for getting through life was: eat when you should, drink when you should, and don't let anything weigh on your mind.