The Seven-Day Gate Opens

On the seventh day, it did not rain in Heaven Dou City.

The sky hung low and dark, like an overturned iron pot pressing down on the Imperial City.

Dusk had barely fallen when chaos broke out on the street behind the Auction House.

Three sealed carriages suddenly burst from an alley, their wheels rattling over the flagstones. Stifled cries of children came from inside the crates. Lu Heng led a squad from the Heaven Dou Spirit Hall Branch Hall in from both sides. Soul Rings lit up, sealing off the entire street.

At the same time, Xue Qinghe used his Crown Prince Token to seal three streets outside the Imperial City.

The reason was entirely respectable.

They were investigating the trafficking of young children.

No one would question His Highness the Crown Prince's benevolence. Nor did anyone know that the real danger lay underground.

In the Old Canal, Dark Red Array Runes lit up once more.

Bai Jin stood before the stone Gate, with Tang San, Dai Mubai, Xiao Wu, and Zhu Zhuqing behind him. Ning Rongrong and Oscar stood by farther out, while Ma Hongjun guarded the hidden passage. His Phoenix Flame baked the damp stone walls until they crackled.

The black remnant token on the stone Gate turned slowly. The White Ghost Mask seemed to come alive.

"At last."

A hoarse voice sounded from behind the Gate.

More than a dozen Evil Soul Masters emerged from the darkness, all wearing Ghost Masks. Their leader was a Soul Emperor with a bloodstained battle axe hovering behind him and six Soul Rings surging beneath his feet.

Tang San's gaze darkened.

This time, their enemies were not scrambling to defend a warehouse.

They had come prepared.

Bai Jin acted as though he had not seen them. He lowered his eyes to the formation lines beneath the stone Gate.

"Tch. What shoddy work."

The Soul Emperor sneered. "Bai Jin, do you think you can stop the Gate from opening?"

Bai Jin looked up. "Do you Evil Soul Masters all love asking stupid questions?"

As his words fell, the Soul Emperor roared and brought down his blood axe.

Dai Mubai was about to step forward, but Bai Jin raised a hand to stop him.

"This one isn't your lesson."

A black Soul Ring lit up.

Limitless unfolded.

The blood axe stopped three inches from Bai Jin. Its blade trembled wildly, but it could not descend another inch.

The Soul Emperor's face changed.

"Impossible!"

"There it is again."

Bai Jin sighed and flicked a finger.

The blood axe and the Soul Emperor flew backward together, shattering half a stone pillar. The other Evil Soul Masters lunged at once. Poison mist, bone spears, threads of blood, and black shadows like vengeful spirits surged in from every direction.

Tang San almost moved on instinct.

Then he saw Bai Jin glance back at him.

"Watch."

With that single word, a purple Soul Ring lit up.

Azure.

The air throughout the Old Canal collapsed toward Bai Jin's palm. Water flowed backward, stone chips rose into the air, and invisible gravity dragged the charging Evil Soul Masters off balance. Then a dark-red Soul Ring lit up.

He.

Repulsive force erupted.

Boom!

It sounded as though thunder had rolled along the ground deep within the Old Canal. More than a dozen Evil Soul Masters were blasted away at once. Pieces of Ghost Masks scattered across the floor, and the Dark Red Array Runes flickered wildly.

But the stone Gate did not stop.

The black remnant token rose from the center of the formation. Its surface split, and a wisp of Killing Intent so dense it was suffocating seeped through the crack.

That was no ordinary Soul Power.

The aura was cold, sickly sweet, and mad, like countless people swinging blades in the dark, or an entire city screaming without a sound. Tang San took one look and felt as if a blade had scraped across his mind.

Xiao Wu's face turned pale.

Bai Jin frowned.

"Get back."

This time, no one hesitated.

Tang San pulled Xiao Wu away. Dai Mubai moved to protect Ning Rongrong, while Zhu Zhuqing swiftly cut off both side routes. The coordination drilled into the Shrek Seven Devils through days of scolding finally meshed like gears.

Bai Jin stood before the Killing Intent.

His Seventh Soul Ring lit up.

Six Eyes True Body.

His Silver Hair rose without wind. The Azure Blue in his eyes was like the deep sea and the boundless sky. Soul Power surged from him as seven Soul Rings unfurled one after another: yellow, purple, black, black, black, black, black.

When Lu Heng reached the Old Canal entrance with his people, all he saw inside was an unnatural expanse of white.

Bai Jin raised his hand.

The black Soul Ring lit up next.

Unlimited Void.

In an instant, the Old Canal fell silent.

Drops of water hung in midair. Broken stones hung in midair. The terror on the Evil Soul Masters' faces froze in place. Those on the verge of losing control under the Killing Intent had their minds flooded with countless streams of information, and their eyes went vacant in an instant.

Tang San stood behind Bai Jin, seeing this move from so close for the first time.

He had not been caught in it, yet he still felt overwhelming pressure.

It was not killing intent.

It was absolute control.

A dark-purple glow appeared above Bai Jin's palm.

Azure and He collided, and space crumpled as though squeezed by an invisible hand. The sphere of light had neither dazzling flames nor a thunderous presence, yet everyone's heart sank sharply at the sight of it.

Hollow Technique: Purple.

The light pierced the stone Gate.

There was no explosion.

Only a silent line of emptiness.

The black remnant token, the stone Gate of the Old Sacrificial Treasury, the Dark Red Array Runes, and the Slaughter coordinate just beginning to take shape beyond the Gate were erased from the world by that purple light. Smooth cut surfaces remained in the stone walls, as though a god had measured them with a ruler, then rubbed everything between them away with a single stroke.

Only after several breaths did sound return.

Rumble!

The entire Old Canal shook violently.

Ning Rongrong was pale, but she did not cry out. She immediately bestowed her boosts on Dai Mubai and Zhu Zhuqing. Dai Mubai braced a collapsing stone beam, while Zhu Zhuqing darted into a corner and dragged out two unconscious children. Oscar frantically made Recovery Big Sausages, and Ma Hongjun used his flames to block the Evil Soul Masters who still tried to flee.

Tang San did not look at Bai Jin again.

He lowered his head and helped the survivors.

Because he knew Bai Jin had already shouldered the greatest danger.

Half an incense stick later, the Old Canal fell quiet again.

The Soul Emperor lay sprawled in the muddy water, with only half his Ghost Mask remaining. He looked up at Bai Jin, his voice trembling. "You're not a Titled Douluo... How could you possibly..."

Bai Jin crouched before him and smiled. "Guess."

The Soul Emperor tried to say more, but Bai Jin pressed a hand to his brow.

"Sleep."

Bai Jin's Limitless Soul Power pressed down lightly, and the man fell completely unconscious.

Just then, a faint hum sounded within Bai Jin.

All seven Soul Rings brightened for an instant.

He rose, his aura a shade deeper than before.

Level seventy-four.

Tang San saw it clearly, and the shock in his heart was beyond words.

Bai Jin merely looked down at his hand, as though he had picked up a Copper Soul Coin that was hardly worth anything.

"Not bad."

Xue Qinghe came from the Old Canal entrance. His face still wore the Crown Prince's gentle expression, but he could not hide the shock deep in his eyes.

"You broke through?"

Bai Jin crumpled his candy wrapper into a ball.

"I leveled up while doing a bit of cleaning. Perfectly reasonable, right?"

Xue Qinghe fell silent.

Ning Rongrong muttered, "Reasonable, my foot."

Bai Jin looked back. "I heard that."

Ning Rongrong immediately hid behind Dai Mubai.

Lu Heng brought over a captive fugitive. The man trembled all over, repeating the same words again and again.

"The real Gate... is in Slaughter City... You can't keep it shut..."

The smile in Bai Jin's eyes slowly faded.

Slaughter City.

Tang San had heard those words too. It felt as though something had tapped lightly against his heart.

Bai Jin turned toward the blank space at the end of the Old Canal, where Hollow Technique: Purple had erased everything.

"Can't keep it shut?"

He smiled.

"Then I'll tear down the Gate too."

In the distance, the night over Heaven Dou City grew quiet once more.

But everyone knew the real trouble had only just begun to show its face.