Blackening, Slaughter

He remembered now; this man was Old Zhao, one of his father's personal guards who had watched him grow up since he was a child. Every time he came sprinting back from playing outside, Old Zhao would chase after him, shouting, "Slow down, young master!"

Luo Yun turned and walked toward the city gates.

Spirit Hall.

He closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

A chill, rising from the depths of his bone marrow, began to spread outward from within his body.

Domain of the God of Slaughter.

Luo Yun's hair began to change color from the tips.

The original black shifted bit by bit into a dark purple, carrying an almost eerie luster.

Luo Yun slowly turned around.

Old Zhao's corpse lay at his feet, a smile still hanging on his lips.

Luo Yun lowered his head for one last look, then walked toward the city gates.

He had walked less than a hundred paces when a burst of noisy footsteps and voices came from the direction of the city entrance.

"Quick! Quick! Search carefully! His Holiness the Pope has spoken: we must see the person if they are alive, or the corpse if they are dead!"

"My lord, Frost Ridge City has been burned to this state; could that brat of King Frost Extreme still be alive?"

"Never mind whether he's alive or dead, there's a reward for finding him! Search!"

A squad of Spirit Hall spirit masters walked in through the ruins of the city gate.

There were about thirty of them, wearing uniform white standard-issue armor with the Spirit Hall's twin-sword emblem embroidered on their chests.

Leading them was a middle-aged man in a red robe. His face was sinister, a small goatee adorned his chin, and with his hands clasped behind his back, he walked with the posture of a proud rooster.

Behind him followed two rows of spirit masters; some carried weapons, others looked around, their faces wearing the flippant, careless air peculiar to victors.

The man with the goatee was the first to see Luo Yun.

A child, standing alone in the center of the ruins, wearing a black robe stained with ash, his hair a strange dark purple, his eyes...

His footsteps faltered, and his pupils contracted slightly.

The child's eyes were actually scarlet.

It was a scarlet that seeped from the depths of his eyes, carrying a murderous intent.

The man with the goatee froze for only a moment before his mouth curled into a grin.

It seemed this was the brat.

The Pope's bounty order had been written clearly.

Son of King Frost Extreme, six years old, black hair, outstanding appearance, suspected twin spirits.

Except for the hair color, everything about the child before him matched.

"Yo." The man with the goatee walked toward Luo Yun unhurriedly, hands still clasped behind his back, his chin raised even higher, his tone carrying a condescending playfulness. "Look at this, who might this be? Could this be the precious son of King Frost Extreme?"

He stopped three paces in front of Luo Yun, looking down at the child who only reached his waist.

He looked him up and down, then clicked his tongue twice and shook his head.

"He looks decent enough, it's just that gaze that's not very pleasing." He tilted his head, as if teasing an unruly puppy.

"Little one, where is your father? Oh, right, your father was chased by our Spirit Hall like a stray dog and ran off to the Far North. Tsk, tsk, tsk, a dignified King Frost Extreme, a level ninety-five Super Douluo, tsk, tsk, tsk."

He smacked his lips, his expression as if he had eaten something foul.

"Do you think he's still alive? That hellhole, the Far North, dozens of degrees below zero, can't even get a hot meal—he's probably frozen to death by now, right? Hahahaha!"

The spirit masters behind him also began to laugh.

The laughter echoed through the ruins, harsh, wanton, and unbridled.

Luo Yun stood there, motionless.

His hair grew more purple amidst the laughter, until it swallowed the last trace of black.

The next second, Luo Yun's body moved.

The laughter was still in the goatee man's throat when Luo Yun's face appeared before him, so close that their noses almost touched.

Those scarlet eyes stared straight into his.

The man's smile froze.

Before he could even summon his spirit.

Luo Yun extended his right hand, fingers splayed, and clamped them around the man's neck.

The Law of Destruction surged at his fingertips, and purple-black lightning poured into the man's body through his fingers.

Even though he tried to resist with his spirit power, he couldn't hold on for even a single breath against the Law of Destruction before it completely dissipated.

Snap.

A crisp sound rang out.

The goat-bearded man's head lolled to the side at an impossible angle.

He was no longer breathing.

Luo Yun let go.

The corpse collapsed limply, striking the rubble with a dull thud.

Fresh blood gushed from the corners of his mouth and nostrils, pooling into a jarring crimson stain on the grey stone slabs.

Luo Yun stood beside the body, his scarlet eyes sweeping over the remaining dozens of spirit masters.

No one moved. No one spoke. No one dared to breathe.

They stared at their captain—a dignified six-ring Spirit Emperor—who had been throttled to death before he could even summon his martial soul in front of that six-year-old child.

Fear spread among them like a plague; some felt their legs go weak and collapsed to the ground, others dropped their weapons with a clatter, and some turned to flee, but their legs refused to obey, causing them to trip and face-plant after a single step.

Luo Yun watched them, the corners of his mouth curving slightly.

The arc was so faint it was almost imperceptible.

Luo Yun spoke slowly, his voice low.

"Since you've come, none of you are leaving."

The Domain of the God of Slaughter unfurled completely at that moment, dark red mist spreading from Luo Yun as the center, unstoppable as a rising tide.

The moment those spirit masters were enveloped by the mist, their bodies slumped to the ground, pupils dilating and lips trembling. They couldn't even scream, their eyes filled with pure terror.

Luo Yun moved.

The Moon Eclipse Sword hummed joyfully in his hand, purple-black lightning dancing along its blade.

Sword light flickered, and each flash was accompanied by a head hitting the ground, a geyser of blood, and a dull thud of a falling body.

Under the suppression of the Domain of the God of Slaughter, the thirty-some men couldn't even muster the thought of resistance; like lambs to the slaughter, they fell into the pool of blood one by one.

Luo Yun sheathed the Moon Eclipse Sword and stood amidst the thirty-plus corpses, his robes soaked in blood, a few droplets splattered across his face, trickling down his cheeks.

His hair had turned completely dark purple, his eyes scarlet as blood. Standing there, he looked like a demon god who had walked out from the depths of hell.

In his mind, two voices rang out simultaneously.

One was deep and cold: "Destruction Nine Trials, Fourth Trial: Slaughter all remaining Spirit Hall spirit masters in Frost Ridge City. Leave none alive. Time limit: seven days. Reward: Spirit power increased by three levels, one God-bestowed Spirit Ring. Failure penalty: Erasure."

The other was gentle and clear, yet equally devoid of room for negotiation: "Life Nine Trials, Fourth Trial: Complete the Fourth Trial of the Destruction Nine Trials. Time limit: seven days. Reward: Spirit power increased by three levels, one God-bestowed Spirit Ring. Failure penalty: Erasure."