Slaughter City

Jiang Mingyang followed the map Qian Renxue had given him to the town where Slaughter City lay.

His first impression of the town was that something felt strange. The atmosphere was far too unusual.

People came and went, yet the town felt bleak and silent. Everyone looked vicious, each one like an outlaw with nothing to lose.

Qian Renxue's map was detailed. Following it, Jiang Mingyang found a tavern in town and walked slowly inside.

In an instant, more than a dozen burly men in the tavern fixed Jiang Mingyang with sharp, distinctly unfriendly stares.

Jiang Mingyang frowned. A black-clad server with an impassive face came over and asked slowly, "What would you like to drink?"

Jiang Mingyang smiled and said with easy politeness, "A glass of Bloody Mary, please. Thank you!"

The server's expression shifted slightly. He seemed to want to ask something but did not dare, so he turned toward the counter.

The burly men who had been staring at Jiang Mingyang gradually looked away.

A short while later, a glass of murky liquid was brought over.

The liquid was dark red and gave off a strong reek of blood. Even Jiang Mingyang felt sick when he smelled it.

But Jiang Mingyang knew that if he wanted to reach Slaughter City, he had to go through this.

Suppressing his nausea, Jiang Mingyang downed it in one gulp. The moment it went down, his stomach churned, and bile seemed ready to rise.

Jiang Mingyang kept swallowing and somehow managed not to throw up.

Then Jiang Mingyang said slowly to the server, "Take me to that place."

The server clearly hesitated before saying, "Under the rules of Slaughter City, you must prove that you are qualified to enter."

Jiang Mingyang narrowed his eyes. "What counts as qualified?"

The server said slowly, "Slaughter City is a wondrous paradise of evil. You must prove that you are evil enough. Only then will you be qualified to enter Slaughter City!"

As soon as the server finished speaking, the burly men fixed their eyes on him. One of them said slowly, "Is that so? Hmph... Why didn't you say so earlier?"

The server immediately replied, "Slaughter City can only be entered on the first day of each month. Under the rules, we can only explain how to enter Slaughter City on that day!

"Today happens to be the first. You didn't ask, so under the rules, I was supposed to wait until after six this evening before explaining it to you myself."

The burly men paid no heed. They summoned their Martial Souls at once.

These Soul Masters were all at the Soul Ancestor or Soul King level. Then they began killing one another. After all, this was about evil! Slaughter would do.

Suddenly, a long sword thrust out from a cunning angle, aimed straight at Jiang Mingyang's neck.

Jiang Mingyang summoned his Martial Soul and turned his sword to block, catching the strike exactly. The attacker was clearly experienced; the force behind his thrust was just enough to sever the major artery in Jiang Mingyang's neck.

Jiang Mingyang immediately unleashed his fourth Soul Skill, Myriad Swords Return to the Sect, and began his slaughter.

Thud, thud, thud... Bodies fell to the floor one after another, and blood stained the tavern red.

The fierce fight was brought to an abrupt end. Before overwhelming strength, all resistance was futile.

The server was trembling behind the counter. Once the fighting stopped, he hurried out and said to Jiang Mingyang, "This way, please!"

The server then summoned his Martial Soul and used a Soul Skill to smash the counter. With a thunderous crash, a huge hole opened in the floor, and an icy wind blew up from below.

Jiang Mingyang remembered the description in the original novel. It seemed the way down lay beneath this very counter. Without hesitation, he leaped into the pitch-black space below.

Darkness swallowed Jiang Mingyang's body in an instant.

He dropped only a few meters before his feet touched solid ground. He needed no light; his powerful spiritual sense let him see everything clearly in the darkness.

After Jiang Mingyang walked for some time, a lit passage appeared ahead.

At the same time, a cold voice came from every direction. "Welcome to Slaughter City. This is the capital of hell, a world filled with slaughter.

"Here, you can obtain anything you desire. The price is your life."

Jiang Mingyang strode toward the passage. He could faintly hear a clamor, and when he emerged from the tunnel, one hundred and one people stood before him.

"Congratulations. You've passed the test. Go on in." The deep voice was icy. It belonged to the black-armored Knight seated on horseback.

A black plaque was handed to Jiang Mingyang, and he took it casually.

A skull was carved into the plaque, with a number beneath it: 9527.

The Knight said slowly, "This is your proof of entry to Slaughter City. Enter the city. Someone will receive you at the gate."

Jiang Mingyang nodded and went in, testing whether he could still use his Soul Skills.

Sure enough, he could not activate his first four Soul Skills. But because of the special nature of his fifth, he could still use it. Jiang Mingyang was delighted. Not bad!

As soon as Jiang Mingyang entered the city, a woman wearing a black veil came out to meet him. "Welcome to Slaughter City."

The woman had a pleasant voice. She stepped aside before Jiang Mingyang and gestured for him to proceed.

Then she said slowly, "I am your guide. You may ask me about anything you don't understand.

"For the next twenty-four hours, I will answer all your questions. After that, this will be where you live, and you will officially become a member of Slaughter City."

Jiang Mingyang nodded. "Then please tell me the rules and give me a general picture of Slaughter City."

The black-veiled young woman said calmly, "The rule here is that there are no rules.

"As a member of Slaughter City, you may do anything you wish. Even a Titled Douluo from the outside world would be weakened here by the loss of their Soul Skills.

"And under the rule of the King of Slaughter, we have no need to fear them.

"In Slaughter City, if you have the ability, you can do anything you want. But I must warn you: precisely because there are no rules here, you may face deadly danger at any moment.

"In a sense, this is a paradise for the wicked. Entry to Slaughter City requires passing a test and proving yourself through slaughter.

"There is one more thing I must warn you about. Entering Slaughter City is easy, but leaving is almost impossible.

"There is only one way to leave Slaughter City: become champion of the Hell Slaughter Arena, earn the right to challenge Hell Road, and fight your way through it.

"Every such champion is granted the title God of Slaughter. Slaughter City has stood for over a thousand years, and only eight Gods of Slaughter have emerged in all that time.

"Slaughter City has its own Law Enforcement Team. The Knight you met was only one of its members.

"The great King of Slaughter controls everything here. The true powerhouses of the Law Enforcement Team are Soul Douluo to whom he has granted the ability to use Soul Skills. Their captain is even a Titled Douluo.

"There is no currency in Slaughter City, and all food and drink are provided free of charge. Of course, they may be poisoned. Here, the dead are worth the most.

"The number of skulls a person possesses is a symbol of their strength. The blood and skulls of opponents you kill with your own hands can be exchanged for other goods.

"To live in Slaughter City, you must fight in the Hell Slaughter Arena once a year. You can also obtain the things you want through the arena.

"But everyone must undergo the Hell Slaughter Arena's trial. After all, the death rate there is extremely high.

"There is another way to survive in Slaughter City without fighting in the Hell Slaughter Arena once a year: contribute two glasses of Bloody Mary each month.

"We are now in Slaughter City's outer city, not the true Slaughter City. Only the inner city is truly without rules. Those who cling to life by contributing Bloody Mary can only move about the outer city, where killing at will is forbidden.

"Only warriors who survive the Hell Slaughter Arena are qualified to live in the inner city. The pleasures there are greater than those outside, of course, but you may face a test of life and death at any moment.

"The inner city needs no guards. Anyone from the outer city who has the courage may enter whenever they wish. Once inside, of course, they must bear all the uncertainties of that world. Those are the rules of Slaughter City."

Jiang Mingyang nodded. The rules were much like what he had read in the original novel.

Judging from the original novel, Slaughter City was likely the Asura God's place of inheritance on the Douluo Continent.

The Asura God's killing intent was righteous, yet Slaughter City was evil beyond measure. The Rakshasa God's corruption must have changed it.

So this was Slaughter City?

Slaughter City—the place where the Grand Ancestor raised his army, where a hidden dragon took flight.

"Assessment of Historic Sites"