Opening Hell Road

Their gazes briefly met in the crowd, then they each looked away.

Over the past month, they had occasionally crossed paths in taverns, on the streets, and in the arena.

Qian Renxue always took the initiative to greet him, and Luo Yun always responded with a nod, but that was all.

There was no unnecessary conversation, no deliberate attempt to get closer, and certainly no traveling together.

Qian Renxue knew Luo Yun didn't trust her, so she wasn't in a hurry.

In this place, patience mattered more than anything.

Three days later.

The Slaughter Arena.

The stands were packed with people.

No, not merely packed—they were jammed full.

Almost everyone in Slaughter City had come.

Hell Road, a grand event seen only once in a hundred years.

Many people waited their whole lives without ever seeing it. Today, at last, they had their chance.

The stands buzzed with voices as people discussed it excitedly.

"I heard there are strange phenomena when Hell Road opens."

"What kind of phenomena?"

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

"You two, stop arguing and look! The King of Slaughter is here!"

On the high platform in the center of the arena, a beam of dark-red light descended from the sky. It landed on the platform and coalesced into a tall figure.

The King of Slaughter wore a dark-red robe, and his dark-red hair fell loose over his shoulders. His deep-red, slit-pupil eyes stood out sharply in the crimson light. The corner of his mouth bore the faintest hint of a smile as his gaze swept over the stands, as though inspecting his subjects.

"Everyone." The King of Slaughter's voice wasn't loud, yet every corner of the arena heard it clearly. "Today is a day worth remembering."

His gaze fell on Luo Yun and Qian Renxue, and the curve of his smile grew.

"Frost Cloud King. Angel King. Two champions with a hundred victories, standing before me at the same time. This is an occasion the likes of which Slaughter City hasn't seen in a century."

Another wave of cheers rose from the stands.

The King of Slaughter raised a hand, and the cheers gradually died down.

"Frost Cloud King." His gaze settled on Luo Yun, his deep-red, slit-pupil eyes narrowing slightly. "I have a proposition for you."

Luo Yun looked at him without a word.

"Stay in Slaughter City." The King of Slaughter's voice held a bewitching power. "Become my deputy king. Second only to me, above tens of thousands. Whatever you want, I'll give you. Power, wealth, women—just name it, and I'll agree."

The stands erupted in an uproar.

A deputy king? The King of Slaughter had never invited anyone to become one.

This six-year-old child was the first.

Luo Yun looked at the King of Slaughter for two breaths, then spoke. His voice wasn't loud, but every word was crystal clear.

"No."

One word. No explanation, no reason, nothing more.

Another uproar swept through the stands.

He'd refused? He'd turned down the King of Slaughter's invitation?

The King of Slaughter's smile didn't change, but a fleeting chill flashed through his deep-red, slit-pupil eyes.

"Very well. I won't force you."

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

The corners of Qian Renxue's mouth lifted slightly, and she shook her head.

The King of Slaughter nodded. His smile remained flawless, but the chill in his eyes deepened.

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

He raised both 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. The dried blood in their cracks seemed to come alive, writhing, flowing, and gathering together.

The people in the stands were still cheering.

"Look! Hell Road is opening!"

"An event seen only once in a hundred years! Today's a real eye-opener!"

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

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

The man didn't finish speaking.

He suddenly felt dizzy and weak, as if something were draining out of him.

He looked down and nearly fainted from fright.

His hands were bleeding—not from any wound. Blood was seeping out of his entire hands, beads welling from every pore and joining into thin streams that flowed toward the platform in the center of the arena.

"Ahhhhh!"

Screams rang out from every corner of the stands at once.

Some people shrieked, some wailed, and some cursed.

The entire stands descended into chaos. People desperately tried to flee, but their legs had gone weak, and they couldn't run at all.

Blood was being drawn from their bodies, gathering into streams of dark red that flowed from every direction in the stands toward the central platform, joining the ever-brighter crimson glow.

"Help!"

"I don't want to die!"

"Let me go!"

The King of Slaughter stood on the high platform, watching the crowd writhe in agony with a faint smile on his lips.

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

No one thought it was an honor.

Everyone was screaming, wailing, and cursing, but no one could fight back.

Luo Yun stood at the edge of the arena, watching the crowd struggle in a frenzy. His brow furrowed slightly.

Yet he felt no stir in his heart.

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

Their deaths here were no injustice.

Qian Renxue stood beside him, watching it all with the same impassive expression.

The dark-red light on the platform grew brighter and brighter. At last, with a muffled boom, a fissure split open in the middle of the platform.

The opening wasn't large, about as wide as one person. Beyond it lay darkness so thick it seemed impossible to melt away; no bottom or edge could be seen. Gusts of fetid wind poured out, carrying the stench of death.

Hell Road had opened.

Luo Yun turned and glanced at Qian Renxue.

She looked toward him at the same moment.

Their eyes met for an instant. Neither said a word.

Then Luo Yun leaped into the dark fissure.

Hell Road

Luo Yun and Qian Renxue fell onto a road surrounded by lava, inside a cavern.

There was no sunlight here, only waves of heat bursting from the lava, scorching their cheeks with every gust.

"Cough, cough..."

Luo Yun coughed violently. It felt as if every bone in his body had shattered, and the pain was unbearable.

He looked at Qian Renxue beside him, who was still unconscious.

Luo Yun tried circulating the Soul Power within his body and found that he could.

"It looks like the restrictions of Hell Road no longer apply."

More than ten minutes later, Qian Renxue opened her eyes.

"Wake up."

"Hiss..."

A series of sounds came from the distance. Luo Yun furrowed his brow and said calmly,

"Something's coming!"

Hearing this, Qian Renxue dropped all pretense, got to her feet, and took up a fighting stance.

"It's here!"

Luo Yun summoned the Moon Eclipse Sword and fixed his gaze on the creatures in the distance.

"Bats!"

"These bats aren't rushing to attack. It's as if they can think!" Qian Renxue said.

"Mm."

Luo Yun nodded. Beneath the cavern they were in, the structures were full of bats secretly spying on them.