Opening the Hell Road

Their gazes met briefly amidst the crowd before shifting away.

Over the past month, they had occasionally crossed paths in the tavern, on the streets, or at the arena.

Qian Renxue would always take the initiative to greet him, and Luo Yun would always nod in response, but that was all.

There was no superfluous conversation, no deliberate attempt to get close, and certainly no traveling together.

Qian Renxue knew that Luo Yun did not trust her, so she was in no rush.

In this place, patience was more important than anything else.

Three days later.

Slaughter Arena.

The stands were full.

No, not just full—they were packed.

Almost everyone in Slaughter City had come.

The Hell Road, a grand event rarely seen in a century.

Many people would never see it in their entire lives, but today, they finally had their chance.

The stands were clamorous, filled with heated discussion.

"I heard that when the Hell Road opens, there will be strange phenomena."

"What kind of phenomena?"

"I don't know, it's my first time seeing it too."

"Stop arguing, you two! Look, the King of Slaughter is coming out!"

On the high platform in the center of the arena, a beam of dark red light descended from the sky, landing on the dais and coalescing into a tall figure.

The King of Slaughter wore a dark red robe, his dark red hair draped over his shoulders, and his deep red slit pupils were particularly piercing in the dim crimson light. A faint, elusive smile hung on his lips as his gaze swept across the stands, as if he were reviewing his subjects.

"Everyone." The King of Slaughter's voice was not loud, yet it could be heard clearly in every corner of the arena. "Today is a day worth remembering."

His gaze landed on Luo Yun and Qian Renxue, and the curve of his lips widened slightly.

"Frost Cloud King. Angel King. Two victors of a hundred battles, standing before This Seat at the same time. This is a grand event unseen in Slaughter City for a century."

Another wave of cheers erupted from the stands.

The King of Slaughter raised a hand, and the cheering gradually subsided.

"Frost Cloud King." His gaze fell upon Luo Yun, his deep red slit pupils narrowing slightly. "This Seat has a proposal."

Luo Yun looked at him without speaking.

"Stay in Slaughter City." The King of Slaughter's voice carried a bewitching power. "Become the Vice King under This Seat. One person above, ten thousand below. Whatever you want, This Seat will give you. Power, wealth, women—as long as you ask, This Seat will grant it."

The stands were in an uproar.

Vice King? The King of Slaughter had never invited anyone to be a Vice King before.

This six-year-old child was the first.

Luo Yun looked at the King of Slaughter for two breaths before speaking, his voice quiet but every word perfectly clear.

"No."

One word, no explanation, no reason, nothing superfluous.

The stands erupted in another wave of shock.

He refused? He rejected the King of Slaughter's invitation?

The King of Slaughter's smile did not change, but a flash of coldness flickered through his deep red slit pupils.

"Very well, This Seat will not force you."

His gaze shifted from Luo Yun to Qian Renxue. "Angel King, what about you?"

Qian Renxue's lips curved slightly as she shook her head.

The King of Slaughter nodded, his smile remaining perfect, but the chill in the depths of his eyes grew more intense.

"Since that is the case, This Seat shall open the Hell Road for you both."

He raised his hands, and dark red soul power surged from his palms toward the platform in the center of the arena.

The stone slabs on the platform began to tremble, and the dried blood in the cracks seemed to come alive, beginning to writhe, flow, and converge.

The people in the stands were still cheering.

"Look! The Hell Road is opening!"

"A grand event seen once in a century! I've finally opened my eyes today!"

"I wonder what the Hell Road looks like inside. Is it as terrifying as the legends say?"

"Who cares? Someone else is walking it, not me..."

The man did not finish his sentence.

He suddenly felt a wave of dizziness, his entire body turning limp as if something inside him was draining away.

He looked down and nearly fainted from terror.

His hands were bleeding—not from a wound, but oozing blood from every pore. Beads of blood seeped out, coalescing into thin streams that flowed toward the platform in the center of the arena.

"Ahhhhh!"

Screams erupted simultaneously from every corner of the stands.

Some were shrieking, some were wailing, and others were cursing at the top of their lungs.

The entire spectator area descended into chaos; people scrambled to flee, but their legs were too weak to move.

Blood was being drawn from their bodies, gathering into dark red rivulets that flowed from all directions toward the central platform, merging into the increasingly brilliant crimson light.

"Help!"

"I don't want to die!"

"Let me go!"

The King of Slaughter stood on the high platform, watching the struggling, agonizing crowd with a faint smile on his lips.

"To offer your blood for the opening of the Hell Road is your honor."

No one felt it was an honor.

Everyone was screaming, crying, and cursing, but no one could resist.

Luo Yun stood at the edge of the arena, watching the frantic crowd, his brows knitting slightly.

Yet, there was no ripple of emotion in his heart.

These people all had the blood of the innocent on their hands.

Dying here was no injustice.

Qian Renxue stood beside him, watching the scene with an equally expressionless face.

The dark red light on the platform grew brighter and brighter until, with a dull roar, a fissure split open in the center of the platform.

The opening was small, about a person's width, filled with an impenetrable darkness. It was bottomless and boundless, with only gusts of foul wind surging from within, carrying the scent of death.

The Hell Road had opened.

Luo Yun turned to look at Qian Renxue.

Qian Renxue happened to be looking at him as well.

The two locked eyes for a moment, neither speaking.

Then, Luo Yun leaped, jumping into the dark fissure.

Hell Road

Luo Yun and Qian Renxue tumbled onto a path surrounded by magma, deep within a cavern.

There was no sunlight here, only the scorching heat waves from erupting magma that stung their cheeks like fire.

"Cough, cough..."

Luo Yun coughed violently, feeling as though every bone in his body had shattered, the pain excruciating.

He looked over to see Qian Renxue still unconscious.

Luo Yun attempted to circulate the soul power within him and found that he could.

"It seems the Hell Road no longer has any rules restricting us."

After a dozen minutes, Qian Renxue opened her eyes.

"Wake up."

"Hiss~"

A sound echoed from the distance, and Luo Yun frowned, speaking calmly.

"Something is coming!"

Hearing this, Qian Renxue set aside any hesitation, rising to her feet and assuming a combat stance.

"It's here!"

Luo Yun summoned the Moon Eclipse sword, his gaze fixed on the approaching entities.

"It's bats!"

"This flock of bats isn't rushing to attack; they seem to possess the ability to think!" Qian Renxue remarked.

"Mm."

Luo Yun nodded. Beneath the cavern where they stood, many bats were lurking and watching them from the shadows.