The Changing Zhu Zhuqing

Hell Slaughter Arena

Jiang Mingyang was taking part in his thirty-third match. The full roster of contestants had yet to assemble.

"Kill! Kill!"

"Tricky Sword King, kill! Kill them, damn it!"

"The old era will fade, and a new God of Slaughter will descend!"

The battle was a crushing rout. Soon Jiang Mingyang was the only one left in the Hell Slaughter Arena. His thirty-third consecutive victory came easily, and the cheers in the arena grew louder still...

Jiang Mingyang strolled back to his usual resting place. Though bloodstains and scars marked his body, none of the people he happened to pass dared give him a second glance.

Slow as his steps were, he soon arrived. He sat down and began planning his next move.

Once inside Slaughter City, anyone who wanted to leave needed a hundred consecutive victories. That was the first and indispensable requirement.

The real problem came afterward. The King of Slaughter, possessed by the Blood-Red Nine-Headed Bat King, would surely have no wish to see anyone leave Slaughter City alive.

When the time came, Jiang Mingyang would have to face the Blood-Red Nine-Headed Bat King's subordinate, the Dark Gold Three-Headed Bat King, as well as the Ten Headed Fierce Yang Serpent along the way. That was the hardest part of escaping Slaughter City.

But if I remember right, Tang Hao was a God of Slaughter too.

Judging by the original story and its timeline, Tang Hao had become a God of Slaughter no more than twenty years ago. And from his reactions in the story, it seemed he had never encountered the King of Slaughter!

Then why hadn't Tang Hao encountered him?

The only possibility is that Tang Chen hadn't become the King of Slaughter yet. That would have made Tang Hao's passage through Slaughter City far easier.

Wait. If I remember right, Tang San entered the Soul Master Tournament at around fourteen. He finished it at fifteen, but didn't enter Slaughter City until he was nearly seventeen.

After that, Tang San spent about two years there and left when he was nearly nineteen.

But Tang San is only twelve now. That means he won't leave Slaughter City for another six years. Could Tang Chen still not have become the King of Slaughter?

Jiang Mingyang sank into thought, then abruptly caught himself. How could he rely so heavily on the original story and pin his hopes on Tang Chen not having become the King of Slaughter?

He had to hold his own fate in his hands. He could never stake it on hope.

With that realization, Jiang Mingyang considered what he would do if Tang Chen had already become the King of Slaughter. The method Tang San and Hu Liena used in the original story was far too dangerous, and it had taken both of them working together to get through.

Jiang Mingyang thought it over and could only stare in exasperation. What kind of difficulty is this? Only a child of destiny could make it through!

I underestimated it...

What Jiang Mingyang failed to notice was that the Imperial Jade Seal in the space within his mind was shining brighter and brighter, as though it were growing excited...

Within Suotuo City

A group was returning from the Soul Fighting Arena, heading toward Shrek Academy. Among them were Tang San and Xiao Wu.

Everyone was in high spirits and seemed remarkably united.

Zhu Zhuqing was among them. She was clearly in a good mood. Though she did not smile, she no longer seemed quite so cold.

Much had happened recently. What pleased her most was that Dai Mubai had left Shrek Academy.

She had originally come to the Heaven Dou Empire to find her fiancé so they could struggle together and break free of their fates.

Before arriving, Zhu Zhuqing had believed Dai Mubai had fled so he could better devote himself to growing stronger.

After all, because of their young age, the Star Luo Empire was effectively Dai Weisi's territory. They stood no chance of succeeding there. Zhu Zhuqing could barely understand why Dai Mubai had abandoned her and escaped.

What she had not expected was for him to be even more disappointing than she had imagined. He had secretly run off and left her behind, only to spend his days eating, drinking, and amusing himself instead of working hard. He had utterly neglected what mattered.

When Zhu Zhuqing compared Dai Mubai to Jiang Mingyang, whom she had met only once, she felt even more despair over him. He's still working hard. What gives you the right not to?

In the end, Zhu Zhuqing had joined Shrek Academy anyway.

If she faced Zhu Zhuyun and Dai Weisi alone, her chances of breaking free of her fate were almost nonexistent.

During that time, Zhu Zhuqing had felt utterly lost.

She did not know whether joining Shrek Academy had been the right choice.

When she first arrived in Suotuo City, Zhu Zhuqing understood that traveling for a while could help her grow stronger. Seeing more of the world would broaden her horizons.

But constant wandering made it difficult to grow stronger. Without time to cultivate, she would have no chance to improve.

So when she first saw Shrek Academy, shabby as it was, she had thought joining it would at least give her a place to settle instead of forcing her to keep wandering.

Zhu Zhuqing knew that if she did not join Shrek Academy, her identity could be uncovered by any reasonably capable academy. Then she would be in serious trouble.

She had also hesitated over cultivating on her own.

Zhu Zhuqing knew she was not an exceptionally gifted genius. The three who had joined Shrek Academy before her, however, were all extraordinarily talented. Competing with them would surely help her progress faster.

Thus, despite the presence of someone she loathed, Zhu Zhuqing had chosen to join Shrek Academy.

After spending some time there, she realized Dai Mubai was utterly unreliable. Whether he was there or not made no difference. If so, only one of them could stay...

Zhu Zhuqing openly revealed her relationship with Dai Mubai, making plain her frustration with his cowardly, incompetent behavior.

With everyone watching, Dai Mubai flushed scarlet. Feeling he had lost face, he buried himself in pleasures day after day.

Later, in the Star Dou Forest, a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast charged toward them. Dai Mubai, cowardly as ever, chose to flee.

His guilt toward Zhu Zhuqing turned to hatred.

Dai Mubai blamed Zhu Zhuqing's arrival for the string of wrong choices he had made. Zhu Zhuqing hated him just as fiercely, seeing him as a coward.

The atmosphere at Shrek Academy grew strained. With Ma Hongjun no longer there to lighten the mood, and Tang San unwilling to mend relations after Dai Mubai fled, nothing eased the tension.

All of Shrek Academy had changed. There was not a trace of unity among the students.

With Zhu Zhuqing and Dai Mubai so far apart in spirit, there was no hope left for their Martial Soul Fusion Skill, the Hell White Tiger.

After a while, Dai Mubai felt too ashamed to remain at Shrek and disappeared.

Flender and the others went to great lengths to find him in nearby Ten Thousand Willows City, but Dai Mubai refused to return to Shrek Academy.

The other students went to persuade him, saying they were all one team... But seeing how firm he was, they chose to respect his decision...

Without Dai Mubai, the atmosphere at Shrek Academy gradually recovered. The students grew united, and everything began to flourish.

The world spoke of Mingyang.

Dai Weisi, emperor of the Star Luo Empire, said, "The world does not know him.

In hypocrisy and cruelty, he is no less than the Heaven Dou Grand Ancestor;

in cunning and false virtue, he is no less than the Star Luo Grand Ancestor.

His schemes run too deep, his killing intent burns too fiercely, and his luck is too great.

All three steal from heaven's secrets. He cannot live long."

The next day, Divine Thunder descended, and the Star Luo Empire perished.

Everyone said, "Dai Weisi's words were false!"

History of the Star Luo Empire—The Fall of the Empire