Slaughter City

Tang Chen charged at the Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear.

But instead of meeting him head-on as it had at first, the bear began to dodge.

"Roar."

The bear's roar had lost all its earlier force. There was even a hint of pleading in it.

Tang Chen could not understand the language of beasts, but he could hear that its will to fight was gone.

So he stopped his charge.

Seeing that Tang Chen no longer meant to fight, the bear breathed a sigh of relief.

Tang Chen looked at the bear, now stripped of its fighting spirit, and felt disappointed. Finding an opponent who could fight him on equal terms was exceedingly difficult.

He shook his head in disappointment and left with Ning Zi and Tang Cen.

Seeing that Tang Chen was no longer heading deeper into the forest, Ning Zi asked curiously,

"Brother Chen, are we leaving?"

Tang Chen nodded. "Xiao Zi, I didn't come out this time to fight Soul Beasts. I came to the Star Dou Great Forest on a whim. Now I have something more important to do."

His voice grew grave as he spoke.

"Slaughter City."

Ning Zi was puzzled. She did not think she had ever heard of the place.

"Slaughter City? What kind of place is that?"

Tang Chen answered in a low voice. "Slaughter City is a place filled with sin, slaughter, and madness. It's where the fallen are exiled. Once people enter, almost none come out."

His explanation only deepened Ning Zi's confusion.

"Brother Chen, why go somewhere like that? And what do you mean, almost none come out?"

Tang Chen explained further. "It's a site of divine inheritance. I'm going there to become a god. To leave Slaughter City, you must first complete a hundred challenges, then pass through Hell Road. Only then can you leave and obtain Divine Slaughter's Domain. And only after obtaining that domain do you have a chance to inherit the Asura God's position."

In Ning Zi's soul space, the Love God's remnant soul explained, "Ning Zi, the Asura God is one of the Divine Realm's Five Great God Kings. He leads the gods who enforce its laws and has the authority to maintain order there. You could say he's one of the most powerful gods in the Divine Realm."

Hearing the Love God's explanation, Ning Zi admired Tang Chen even more.

Her Brother Chen was so exceptional. He was sure to become the next Asura God.

And then she would be a God King's wife!

The thought made Ning Zi blush.

Tang Chen took her hand, and they continued on their way.

As they traveled, he told her more about Slaughter City.

"Once you enter Slaughter City, you can't use any Soul Skills. Only Soul Bone Skills and domain-type abilities work there."

Ning Zi's eyes lit up.

"Then you'll have a huge advantage, Brother Chen! You have the Disorder Splitting Wind Hammer, the Clear Sky Nine Absolutes, and even the Clear Sky Domain among your Soul Skills. Losing access to your other Soul Skills won't make much difference to you. With your strength, it'll give you an even bigger advantage over everyone else."

Tang Chen nodded in confirmation.

"Of course. Your Brother Chen never does anything he isn't confident about."

"But becoming a god is hardly simple. What if the Asura God doesn't choose me?"

Ning Zi laughed aloud. Not choose Tang Chen? What a joke! Her Brother Chen was the greatest genius in nearly a thousand years. If the Asura God would not choose him, who could he possibly choose?

After several days of searching, the three of them finally found a secluded tavern in a run-down town in the Balak Kingdom.

The air inside was murky, and every decoration was black.

It was daytime outside, yet stepping in brought a cold, dark feeling.

A few people sat scattered about the tavern, giving off an unsettling air.

Tang Chen turned to Ning Zi. "Xiao Zi, go back with the Fourth Elder. Once I come out, I'll find you at the Clear Sky Sect."

Ning Zi grew agitated. "No, Brother Chen! It's too dangerous here. What if someone ambushes you? If I'm with you, I can at least keep you alive."

Tang Chen set his face in a show of sternness. "Xiao Zi, listen to me. Don't worry. I'll come back alive."

After some back and forth, Tang Chen finally persuaded her and instructed the Fourth Elder to take her back to the Clear Sky Sect.

Before they left, Tang Chen said to the Fourth Elder, "Fourth Elder, sorry for the trouble, but please tell my father I've gone in search of a chance to become a god. I'll definitely return within two years."

The Fourth Elder nodded to show he would pass on the message, then flew toward the Clear Sky Sect with Ning Zi.

Once they were gone, Tang Chen took a deep breath.

Then he strode into the tavern.

Three bald Soul Masters approached him as soon as he entered.

"Well, well! Such a young little thing. Come let your uncles have a good look at you."

The other two moved in as well, surrounding Tang Chen.

One of them was even drooling.

Tang Chen looked at the three repulsive men and closed his eyes for a moment.

In the end, he could not hold back. He summoned the Clear Sky Hammer and smashed all three into a mist of blood with a single blow.

"Ah, my strength must be waning. Those three wretches actually escaped through blood mist."

After seeing Tang Chen kill the three Soul Masters with one strike, the remaining patrons did not dare look at him. They turned away and pretended to be dead.

A server dressed in black stepped forward and cleaned up the blood Tang Chen had spilled.

At the same time, a bartender with a blank expression asked Tang Chen, "What'll you have?"

Tang Chen, who knew the original story's plot well, understood at once.

This was when he was supposed to ask for a Bloody Mary.

But he had no desire to drink a Bloody Mary. The stuff was disgusting! It also caused a strange dependence on blood.

Why not just smash his way in?

Tang Chen ignored the bartender and summoned the Clear Sky Hammer.

He drew back and struck, smashing a hole in the floor.

A pitch-black void lay beneath it: the entrance to Slaughter City.

When the remaining patrons realized the hole Tang Chen had blasted open led to Slaughter City, they eagerly jumped in.

Tang Chen shook his head. "Forget it. I'll go in first and think about it later."

Then he jumped into the opening too.

A long passage sloped downward beneath his feet, with a cold, clammy air drifting from its depths.

After Tang Chen had walked for several minutes, an icy voice suddenly sounded from every direction.