City of Slaughter

Xiaofei put on a mask and went alone to a small tavern. The air inside was extremely foul, and Xiaofei noticed that all the decorations here were actually black. Although it was daytime outside, the moment he entered, he felt a cold, dark atmosphere. About thirty percent of the seats were occupied. Despite the filthy air, hardly anyone spoke, making the place seem unusually quiet.

Xiaofei found a seat and sat down. A cold-faced person dressed in black walked over.

"What would you like?"

Xiaofei said, "Bring me a Bloody Mary."

The server looked astonished. "Are you sure?"

Xiaofei glanced indifferently at the server.

After a while, the server brought over a Bloody Mary. Xiaofei drank it in one gulp, and a scorching, pungent blood scent surged into his nose and mouth. He did not even blink as he finished the drink.

Xiaofei then summoned his Fire Phoenix Martial Soul and directly used his third Soul Skill. Before long, he had killed everyone in the tavern. The strongest person there was only a Soul Ancestor, so to Xiaofei, they were no different from instant kills. The server was killed by Xiaofei as well.

Xiaofei walked into the tavern, and powerful flames instantly burst from his entire body, burning the whole place to ash. A black hole appeared in the ground. Xiaofei jumped inside and continued forward along the dark passage.

Suddenly, a voice came from ahead. "Welcome to the City of Slaughter. This is the capital of hell, a world filled with slaughter. Here, you can obtain anything you want. The price is your life."

A burst of commotion came from ahead. When Xiaofei walked toward the passage, he found a whole squad of knights waiting there—101 people in total.

The leader rode over on horseback and said, "I am Terror Knight Scott. You have violated the rules. You must defeat me before you can enter."

Xiaofei summoned his Fire Phoenix Martial Soul, then transformed his right hand into a Phoenix Claw and struck directly at Scott. The Phoenix Flame seemed to inflict special damage on the people here. The Phoenix Claw was indestructible, and finally came to rest directly in front of Scott's throat.

Xiaofei said, "I should be qualified to enter the City of Slaughter now!"

Scott nodded and handed Xiaofei a badge. The number on it was 5888.

Scott said, "This is your proof of identity in the City of Slaughter. Please enter the city. Someone will receive you at the gates." Gripping the badge, Xiaofei strode forward.

What appeared before Xiaofei was a pitch-black city gate, giving off an intensely oppressive feeling. Four large words—City of Slaughter—hung high above the enormous gate.

Two rows of black-armored warriors stood silently before the gate. Before Xiaofei could present his identity badge, a woman wearing a black veil had already walked out from inside. "Welcome to the City of Slaughter." The woman's voice was very pleasant. She came before Xiaofei, stepped aside, and made an inviting gesture.

"I am your guide. If there is anything you do not understand, you may ask me. For twelve hours, I will answer all your questions. After twelve hours, this will be where you live. You will also officially become a member of the City of Slaughter."

Xiaofei looked at the veiled girl. "Then what are the rules here?"

The veiled girl said, "The greatest rule here is that there are no rules."

Xiaofei asked in confusion, "No rules?"

The veiled girl continued, "That's right. In the City of Slaughter, aside from the great King of Slaughter and some of his subordinates, no one can release Soul Skills. Therefore, even if you are a Titled Douluo, without your Soul Skills, you will be no different from an ordinary person."

"So here, you do not need to fear those so-called high-level Soul Masters. Everyone is equal here because no one can use Soul Skills. In the City of Slaughter, as long as you have enough ability, you can do anything you want. But I must warn you: precisely because there are no rules here, you may face fatal danger at any moment. In a sense, this is a paradise of sin."

"A paradise of sin?" Xiaofei asked in confusion.

"Yes. Many people come here because they cannot survive in the outside world and have no choice but to enter. After arriving here, they no longer need to worry about being hunted down."

"Is there any way to leave?"

The veiled girl said calmly, "There is only one way to leave the City of Slaughter. You must win the championship of the Hell Slaughter Arena, obtain the qualifications to challenge the Road to Hell, and then break out through the Road to Hell. Only then can you leave the City of Slaughter. Any powerhouse who accomplishes that will be granted the title of God of Slaughter. The City of Slaughter has existed for more than a thousand years, and only eight Gods of Slaughter have appeared in all that time."

Xiaofei said, "Enough. Take me to the Hell Slaughter Arena."

The veiled girl said in surprise, "Are you sure? Of the people who enter, fewer than one in ten can come out alive. It is also the place where the City of Slaughter loses people most quickly. Everyone is only required to enter the Hell Slaughter Arena once a year. As long as they can pass a single battle, they can live in the City of Slaughter for another year."

Xiaofei said indifferently, "That's unnecessary. I came here only to slaughter. Nothing else matters."

Xiaofei then followed the veiled woman into the Hell Slaughter Arena in the inner city.

Just as in the original story, all kinds of slaughter existed everywhere here, and everyone survived like beasts. Cruelty, pleasure, indulgence, and slaughter—these were the themes of the City of Slaughter, and they could be seen everywhere.

The people here reminded Xiaofei somewhat of the people in the zombie worlds of post-apocalyptic novels. They had no thoughts, only endless desires—especially their craving for blood.

Xiaofei knew this was because of the Bloody Mary. There was a toxin in the Bloody Mary, similar to the drugs of his previous life. It gradually caused people to lose their reason, eventually turning them into beasts possessing nothing but desire.

Suddenly, a trace of Soul Power fluctuation came through the air. Xiaofei quickly dodged to the side, and a person holding a curved blade actually launched a sneak attack on him. That person licked his lips and said, "A rookie actually came here. Your blood must be delicious."

The man charged at Xiaofei again. Xiaofei narrowed his eyes, and a flash of light appeared before him. The man from earlier was torn apart, along with his weapon, by Xiaofei's steel claw.

The veiled girl was somewhat surprised by this, but in the end, she still said, "Let's go. The Hell Slaughter Arena is just ahead. It is the core of the City of Slaughter."

Led by the veiled girl, Xiaofei saw a peculiar building. It was circular, or more accurately, an irregular cone. Its base was the widest, and it grew narrower the higher it went. It looked somewhat like an ancient arena.

"Are there no rules for fighting here?" Xiaofei asked.

The veiled girl said, "It's simple. After entering, register with your own identity badge. The entry fee is one cup of Bloody Mary. It can be your own or someone else's. Then wait for the match to begin. During the waiting period, fighting is forbidden. Each group entering the Slaughter Arena consists of ten people. No matter what method you use, as long as you are the last one alive, you win. Only one person from each group can come out alive."

One in ten. The City of Slaughter truly lived up to its name.

Xiaofei walked toward a nearby person. The man was holding a cup of Bloody Mary and seemed to be enjoying it. Xiaofei said to him, "Please give me the Bloody Mary in your hand."

The people nearby burst into laughter. The provoked man flew into a rage. "Where did this rookie come from? How dare you provoke me?"

Just as the man was about to attack Xiaofei, Xiaofei's right hand instantly transformed into a Phoenix Claw. Flames filled his arm, and the claw tore the man apart. This was the Self-Created Soul Skill—Phoenix Transformation that Xiaofei had mastered. The move instantly frightened everyone around them.

Holding a cup of Bloody Mary, Xiaofei walked to the center of the arena and registered for the arena match.