Slaughter City

Time slipped by, and the years flew past.

In the blink of an eye, five years had quietly passed since the upheaval that had shaken Spirit Hall.

Qian Qizhou had grown from a slightly green boy into a tall, straight-backed young man with a steady, composed presence.

His Soul Power Level had also astonishingly reached Level 61.

Over the past five years, he had tried every method he could think of, but he had never managed to enter the Plane of Euthymia again.

Ei had never responded to him either, as if she had never existed at all.

If he hadn't still had Engulfing Lightning in his hands, Qian Qizhou would have thought the whole thing had been just a dream.

Deep in Sunset Forest, beside the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well.

The exotic flowers and herbs still flourished, and ethereal spiritual energy filled the air.

Yet the atmosphere between the two people seated nearby was somewhat heavy.

Qian Qizhou wore a simple purple robe. Tall and straight-backed, with a steady, composed presence, he made no effort to conceal his cultivation as a Level 61 Soul Emperor.

But at that moment, he tilted his head slightly and gazed up at the sky, an unshakable melancholy in his eyes.

Dugu Bo looked at the young man beside him. There was less of his usual arrogance in his eyes now, and more helplessness.

After a long silence, Dugu Bo finally couldn't hold back a sigh. "You've spent these five years traveling far and wide, and you've made quite a stir. Have you still not found any trace of that person?"

The woman he meant was, naturally, Ei, whose whereabouts were unknown.

At his words, Qian Qizhou kept his gaze on the sky. The setting sun's afterglow fell across his sharply defined profile, outlining a faint loneliness.

It was a long while before he slowly lowered his head. "No. Not a trace."

Over five years, he had traveled across most of the continent, endured countless battles, steadily grown stronger, and stirred up more than a few storms.

Three years ago, Qian Qizhou had encountered a terrifying Soul Beast. When he was on the brink of death, Dugu Bo had saved him.

To repay him, he had found a way to resolve the flaw in Dugu Bo's Martial Soul.

After that, the two often visited one another. They had sworn brotherhood and become friends despite their difference in age.

But no matter what brushes with death Qian Qizhou had gone through over the years, Ei had never appeared again.

It was as if she had vanished from the world entirely.

Seeing him like this, Dugu Bo shook his head. "Don't dwell on it. From what you've told me, she's a god. She won't have fallen."

"She probably has her own business to take care of. Once she's done, she'll show herself."

At that, Qian Qizhou gave a faint nod. "I'll find her eventually, wherever she is, no matter how long it takes."

He stood up, brushed the grass off his clothes, and looked at Dugu Bo. "I'm off."

Dugu Bo waved him away. "Get lost, get lost. Stop coming here to mooch off this old man's medicinal herbs."

"Next time you come, remember to bring some good wine."

Qian Qizhou waved back. "Got it. I'll bring you some Realgar Wine next time."

With that, ignoring Dugu Bo's furious protests, he turned and became a streak of light, vanishing into the dusk of Sunset Forest.

Before long, Qian Qizhou went through another thrilling case of murder and plunder.

Only, this time, he was the one they wanted to kill, and the treasure they wanted to seize was the Engulfing Lightning in his hands.

After dealing with his enemies, Qian Qizhou unexpectedly caught the name of a place in the delirious muttering of a dying Soul Saint—Slaughter City.

He had a vague recollection of the place. It seemed to be a land of exile and depravity, tacitly sealed off and forgotten by all the major forces.

Spirit Hall seemed to dump the Evil Soul Masters it captured there. It was a prison for the continent, if he remembered right.

Curious, Qian Qizhou covered his tracks and changed course.

After several days of travel, he finally arrived at a desolate, silent gray plain, as if the world had abandoned it.

Qian Qizhou stared at the dilapidated, crude tavern in the distance, which looked ready to collapse at any moment, and frowned in confusion.

Where was Slaughter City? He had asked several people. This had to be the place, right?

His gaze swept around before settling on the filthy wooden door, which creaked incessantly.

"Just one tavern?" A trace of confusion flashed through Qian Qizhou's eyes.

Could this be the entrance to Slaughter City?

Trusting in his own strength, Qian Qizhou pondered briefly, then stopped hesitating. He reached out, pushed open the wooden door, and stepped inside.

"Creeeak—"

The hinges let out a grating squeal.

The light inside the tavern was dim and murky. The stench of cheap ale, sweat, and thick blood mingled in the air.

A few figures were scattered around several battered wooden tables.

Their clothes were tattered, their eyes savage, and most bore scars and bloodstains. When they sensed someone entering, they threw him a contemptuous glance, then lowered their heads again, as if nothing mattered to them.

Behind the bar, a voluptuous woman slowly wiped a filthy wine cup.

Qian Qizhou walked up to the bar. Without even raising her head, the woman continued wiping the cup at her leisurely pace. "New here? Want to get in?"

"Know the rules?"

Qian Qizhou asked calmly, "What rules?"

At that, the woman glanced at him and gave a cruel, mocking smile. "One Bloody Mary, and one life."

As soon as she finished speaking, the tavern's dead silence turned dangerous.

The customers, who had been either numb or vicious, fixed their eyes on Qian Qizhou like hungry wolves.

"Heh heh, a tender young thing. Looks like he'd taste pretty good..." A burly man with a face full of flesh and a scar across his cheek stood up and grinned as he approached Qian Qizhou.

"I'm thirsty anyway. Your blood's mine!" Clearly, he was a regular.

The other customers let out low jeers and mocking laughter, ready to enjoy the show.

In their eyes, Qian Qizhou was young, soft-skinned, and unfamiliar—a fat lamb that had walked right into their hands.

The woman stopped wiping the cup as well, watching with interest as she waited for a bloody performance.

Faced with the hostility all around him, Qian Qizhou's expression didn't change. He merely asked, "So the rule in Slaughter City is that the strong prey on the weak, right?"

"Damn right!" The burly man burst into laughter. He had already reached Qian Qizhou and swung his cleaver hard at his neck!

"Die!"

The blade swept in, carrying a thick stench of blood.

But just as the cleaver was about to fall—

"Whoosh!"

A flash of purple lightning flickered and vanished in an instant.

No one saw what had happened. The burly man's laughing expression froze on his face, his arm locked in mid-swing.

A tiny, charred hole had appeared between his brows. No blood flowed from it; only a thin wisp of smoke curled upward.

"Thud."

The burly man's massive body toppled straight backward and crashed heavily onto the ground, kicking up a cloud of dust.

His eyes were wide with shock. He died without ever understanding how he had been killed.

The entire tavern fell into absolute silence.

All the jeers and mocking laughter stopped at once.

The customers who had been watching the show went from amused to horrified in an instant, and one by one, they instinctively backed away.