The Angel Holy Sword

"Grandpa, have you named it?"

"No."

"Then let's call it the Angel Holy Sword."

"All right."

Qian Renxue slid the sword into its sheath.

She looked at the Angel Space-Rending Sword Divine Mark on the back of Qian Daoliu's right hand.

"Grandpa."

"This sword is far inferior to your Angel Space-Rending Sword."

"If you want, I can give you another one."

"I don't want another."

Qian Renxue shook her head.

"Grandpa gave me this sword himself."

"When I come out of Slaughter City, I'll give it back to you."

Qian Daoliu looked at her.

"It's yours."

Qian Renxue gripped the hilt.

"Really?"

"Really."

"Then I'll put it to good use."

The two headed west.

Several days later.

Outside Slaughter City.

A dilapidated town stood in the wilderness.

There were few pedestrians on either side of the road.

Everyone passing through wore a black cloak.

When they saw Qian Daoliu and Qian Renxue, they all moved out of the way.

Qian Renxue raised her head and looked into the distance.

A pitch-black city stood there.

Its walls towered high.

There were no flags above them, nor any other markings.

A heavy stench of blood drifted from deep within the city.

Qian Daoliu stopped.

"Slaughter City is just ahead."

"Aren't you going in, Grandpa?"

"If I went in, this trial would lose its meaning."

Qian Renxue pressed her red lips together.

"But I don't want to be apart from you."

"If you can't even adjust to that, you're not suited to entering."

Qian Renxue fell silent for a moment.

She lifted her face and looked at Qian Daoliu before her.

"I'll come out alive."

"Not just alive."

"You must make it through Hell Road."

Qian Daoliu said:

"The most important thing in Slaughter City isn't winning a hundred matches."

"It's Hell Road."

"Only by completing Hell Road can you obtain the Divine Slaughter's Domain."

Qian Renxue nodded solemnly.

"I'll remember."

Qian Daoliu took out a golden jade pendant.

A wisp of Angel Divine Power was sealed within it.

He hung the pendant at Qian Renxue's waist.

"If you face a danger you can't withstand, crush the pendant."

"I'll enter Slaughter City immediately."

Qian Renxue lowered her head to look at the pendant at her waist.

"Grandpa, didn't you say you wouldn't intervene for me?"

"I only said I wouldn't take the initiative to intervene during your trial."

Qian Daoliu raised his hand and straightened her collar.

"If you ask for help, of course I'll save you."

Qian Renxue reached out and hugged Qian Daoliu.

She pressed her face against her grandfather's chest.

"Grandpa, I'll miss you."

"I'll wait for you here every day."

Qian Renxue released him.

She stepped back and straightened her long white dress.

Her long golden hair hung loose down her back.

The angel markings between her brows emitted a faint divine light.

"Then I'm going."

"Go."

Qian Renxue turned and walked toward Slaughter City.

She did not look back.

Only the fingers gripping the jade pendant at her waist slowly loosened.

Qian Daoliu stood outside the town.

His spiritual perception remained enveloped around Qian Renxue.

Before Slaughter City's gates.

Two armored guards blocked her path.

"Halt."

Qian Renxue took out a Black Token.

A blood-red Slaughter Emblem was engraved on it.

This was an invitation issued by Slaughter City itself.

Upon seeing the token, the two guards immediately stepped aside.

The pitch-black gates slowly opened.

Qian Renxue stepped inside.

The gates closed behind her again.

Both sides of the street were very quiet.

When the passersby saw her, their gazes grew appraising.

White clothes and golden hair.

Strikingly beautiful features.

An outsider like this was uncommon in Slaughter City.

A black-robed man walked into the middle of the street.

"New here?"

Qian Renxue stopped.

"What do you want?"

The black-robed man raised his hand and took out a cup of dark red liquid.

"Drink it."

"Those are the rules for entering Slaughter City."

Qian Renxue glanced at the liquid in the cup.

"What is this?"

"Yellow Springs Dew."

The black-robed man said:

"Once you drink it, you'll be able to sense Slaughter City's rules."

Qian Renxue did not take it.

She pushed the cup away.

"I won't drink it."

The black-robed man's expression darkened.

He rapidly released his Soul Power.

But the moment his Soul Rings appeared, an invisible force forcibly pressed them back into his body.

The black-robed man's expression changed abruptly.

Qian Renxue raised her right hand.

The Angel Holy Sword instantly left its sheath.

Golden Sword Light swept through the middle of the street.

The black-robed man's body remained where it was.

A line of blood extended from between his brows to his chest.

The next moment.

The two halves of his body fell to either side.

Blood stained the paving stones red.

The surrounding passersby quickly backed away.

Qian Renxue withdrew her sword.

She looked toward the black castle in the distance.

"So these are Slaughter City's rules?"

No one answered.

An Enforcer clad in black armor came to the middle of the street.

He glanced at the corpse on the ground, then turned to Qian Renxue.

"The Slaughter Arena has made arrangements for you."

"Your first fight begins tonight."

"I accept."

Qian Renxue walked into the Slaughter Arena.

The doors closed behind her.

On the raised platform.

Nine contestants already stood in the center of the arena.

Every one of them exuded a heavy killing intent.

The host announced the rules.

"Soul Skills are forbidden within the Slaughter Arena."

"The last person alive wins."

Qian Renxue raised the Angel Holy Sword.

She did not release her Martial Soul.

Nor did she use Soul Power to suppress them.

"Begin."

All nine charged at once.

Flashing blades and iron hammers attacked from all directions.

Qian Renxue took a step forward.

She shifted her body half an inch to the side.

Her sword swept across the wrist of the man in front.

His weapon fell to the ground.

The blade changed direction again.

Golden Sword Light sliced across the man's throat.

The second man had already reached her from behind.

Qian Renxue did not turn around.

She thrust her sword backward.

The blade pierced his chest.

Blood ran down the blade.

The remaining seven stopped where they stood.

Qian Renxue raised her eyes.

"Continue."

All seven backed away at once.

One man took out a short crossbow and pulled the trigger.

The bolt streaked through the darkness.

Qian Renxue raised her sword to block.

The blade sliced the bolt in two.

The next moment.

She was already in front of the man.

Sword light flashed past again.

The short crossbow fell to the ground.

The man clutched his chest and collapsed.

The battle ended quickly.

Qian Renxue stood in the center of the arena.

No blood remained on the Angel Holy Sword.

Her first victory.

She walked out of the Slaughter Arena.

A Black-Armored Enforcer handed her a glass of Bloody Mary.

Qian Renxue accepted the glass.

She did not drink it.

"Where's the reward?"

"The victor receives a Bloody Mary."

"I don't need it."

Qian Renxue set the glass aside.

"Exchange it for plain water."

The Black-Armored Enforcer said nothing.

A moment later, a glass of plain water was brought to her.

Qian Renxue picked up the glass.

Only after finishing it did she return to her room.

The room was very cramped.

There was only a stone bed, a wooden table, and a dim lamp.

Qian Renxue sat at the edge of the stone bed.

She took out a white handkerchief and wiped the Angel Holy Sword.

The blade was still bright.

Yet her brow furrowed slightly.

"Grandpa must be waiting for me outside."

"I can't waste too much stamina in the very first match."

Qian Renxue sat cross-legged.

She practiced the Angel Meditation Method.

There was no energy of heaven and earth within Slaughter City.

But her body still stored the power provided by the immortal herbs, whale rubber, and Hundred Thousand Year Soul Ring.

Golden soul power flowed through her meridians.

The Angel Holy Sword lay quietly beside her.

The next day.

Qian Renxue entered the Slaughter Arena again.

The third day.

The fourth day.

She fought one battle every day.

In the first match, she killed nine opponents with seventeen sword strikes.

In the second match, she used only nine.

From the third match onward, her sword technique became increasingly simple.

She needed no soul skills.

She needed no domain.

The strength and speed granted by the Six-Winged Angel Martial Soul alone were enough to suppress most contestants.

The enemies in the Slaughter Arena gradually changed their tactics.

Some used poison.

Some laid traps in advance.

Others chose to join forces and surround her.

Qian Renxue never changed her way of fighting.

She would first observe her opponents' positions.

Then she would seek out the weakest point.

Every time the Angel Holy Sword fell, it claimed a life.

Ten matches.

Twenty matches.

Thirty matches.

Qian Renxue's name gradually spread throughout Slaughter City.

The blonde swordswoman in white became a target in many contestants' eyes.

New challengers appeared outside her room every day.

Qian Renxue never responded.

When it was time for a match, she entered the Slaughter Arena.

The rest of the time, she stayed in her room cultivating or wiping the Angel Holy Sword.

Occasionally, she would take out the jade pendant Qian Daoliu had given her.

The golden jade pendant shone with a warm, gentle luster beneath the lamplight.

Qian Renxue placed the pendant in her palm.

"Grandpa, I've already won thirty matches in a row."

"Are you doing well outside?"

Outside Slaughter City.

Qian Daoliu sat atop a mountain peak.

Golden spiritual power passed through the dark city walls and settled on Qian Renxue.

He could see her every movement.

He could hear her talking to herself.

Qian Daoliu took out a Communication Jade Talisman.

Golden light gathered on the talisman's surface.

Inside the city.

The jade pendant in Qian Renxue's palm grew slightly warm.

A line of small characters appeared.

"I'm here."

As Qian Renxue looked at the two characters on the pendant, her eyes brightened.

She picked up the paper and brush on the table.

"I'll complete my hundred consecutive victories as soon as possible."

"Don't worry, Grandpa."

The writing passed through the pendant and appeared before Qian Daoliu.

Qian Daoliu put away the jade talisman.

"Focus on your cultivation."

"Don't get hurt for the sake of victory."

Qian Renxue looked at the newly appeared writing and gently pressed her lips together.

"I understand."

She tucked the pendant safely against her body.

There was no daylight in Slaughter City.

Only dim lamps illuminated the stone walls on either side of the streets.

Qian Renxue could not tell the time.

So she counted the days by the number of matches.

After fifty consecutive victories.

She had gained an air of composed gravity.

It was not killing intent.

Rather, it was the battle instinct formed after dozens of battles.

She began to grow accustomed to walking past corpses.

She also began to grow accustomed to checking herself immediately after a battle ended.

If her sleeves were damaged, she repaired them with soul power.

If her hair came loose, she tied it back up.

If blood stained the Angel Holy Sword, she wiped it clean with plain water.

Qian Renxue did not allow herself to become disheveled.

After sixty victories.

A Soul Douluo appeared among her opponents.

The man did not unleash any soul skills.

But his powerful physique still placed her under tremendous pressure.

Two heavy axes descended at once.

Qian Renxue raised her sword to block.

Clang!

Her blade was knocked aside.

She retreated three steps.

This was the first time since entering Slaughter City that an opponent had forced her back in a head-on clash.

The Soul Douluo charged again.

Qian Renxue poured angel soul power into her legs.

She did not meet him head-on.

Her figure slipped between the heavy axes.

The Angel Holy Sword swept along his arm.

Blood splashed.

Qian Renxue turned immediately.

The blade pierced his heart from behind.

The Soul Douluo pitched forward.

Qian Renxue pulled her sword free.

She looked at the bloody cut on her arm.

The wound was not deep.

The Ice and Fire Golden Body activated on its own.

The wound beneath her skin soon closed.

"The sixtieth match."

The host announced the result.

Qian Renxue walked out of the Slaughter Arena.

She did not go to collect a Bloody Mary.

As soon as she returned to her room, she took out a jade vial.

It contained the medicinal liquid Qian Daoliu had given her before her departure.

There were only three drops inside.

Each drop could restore stamina and repair meridians.

Qian Renxue poured out one drop and placed it in her mouth.

Gentle energy spread down her throat.

The mark of the wound at the side of her shoulder vanished completely.

The jade pendant grew warm again.

"You're injured?"

Qian Daoliu sent a message.

Qian Renxue picked up her pen and paper.

"Only a minor injury."

"My opponent was a Soul Douluo."

"I've already won."

"Tell me how the battle went once you come out."

"All right."

Qian Renxue put down her pen and paper.

She sat by the stone bed and took out a clean cloth.

The Angel Holy Sword lay across her knees.

Qian Renxue lowered her head and wiped the blade.

"If Grandpa saw that a Soul Douluo had injured me, he'd definitely lecture me again."

Thinking of how Qian Daoliu usually looked when he checked her cultivation, a trace of a smile appeared on her lips.

"But he'd still prepare medicine for me in the end."

Seventy matches.

Eighty matches.

Ninety matches.

Qian Renxue grew increasingly practiced in battle.

She could already judge the direction of an attack before her opponent struck.

The paths traced by the Angel Holy Sword grew ever simpler.

After her ninety-ninth victory.

Qian Renxue sat in her room, tidying her long hair again.

She was not wearing a white dress today.

Her gold-and-white training outfit fitted her tall, slender figure.

The cuffs and hem had been mended several times.

Yet the golden patterns remained intact.

The Hundred Thousand Year Soul Ring circled her body.

Its scarlet glow shone on her fair cheeks.

Qian Renxue tied her long hair into a high ponytail.

She took out the Angel Holy Sword and checked whether the blade was intact.

There were no chips in its edge.

The six-winged pattern on the hilt was undamaged as well.

Qian Renxue slid the sword into its sheath.

"The final match."

The jade pendant grew slightly warm.

Qian Daoliu sent a message.

"Are you ready?"

"I'm ready."

"After your hundredth consecutive victory, don't open Hell Road immediately."

"I'll check your condition first."

"All right."

Qian Renxue tucked the jade pendant inside the front of her clothes.

She stood and pushed open the door.

Dozens of contestants were already standing outside.

These people had not entered the Slaughter Arena.

They were all waiting for Qian Renxue to appear.

Qian Renxue swept her gaze over them.

"You're blocking the way."

The crowd slowly parted.

No one dared strike first.

Qian Renxue walked through the streets and arrived before the Slaughter Arena.

The Slaughter Arena was unusually quiet today.

The Enforcer in charge of registration glanced at her.

"Your hundredth match."

"All your opponents have already entered."

Qian Renxue walked into the arena.

Ten contestants stood around her.

Two of them were Soul Douluos.

All the others had Soul Saint cultivation.

This was the final match Slaughter City had prepared for those seeking a hundred consecutive victories.

No one thought she could still win easily.

Qian Renxue stood in the center.

The Angel Holy Sword slowly left its sheath.

Golden Sword Light illuminated the dim arena.

"Begin the match."

All ten charged at once.

Qian Renxue did not retreat.

She raised her sword.

The first strike cleaved through a heavy hammer.

The second pierced a chest.

The third sheared off a saber wielder's arm.

Blood flowed continuously across the stone platform.

The two Soul Douluos attacked from her left and right.

Qian Renxue leaped into the air.

She flipped in midair, landing with both feet on one of their shoulders.

The Angel Holy Sword plunged down from above.

Its blade pierced through his skull.

She used the leverage to propel herself forward.

The other Soul Douluo raised his arm to block.

Golden Sword Light swept through his elbow.

His entire arm flew off.