"Slaughter City is behind that gate?"
Without slowing their steps, the three passed through the gate. Hu Liena looked with slight surprise at the city walls that suddenly came into view beyond it, guarded by several hundred people. To her, Slaughter City really did look rather unremarkable, not even as imposing as Heaven Dou City.
At that moment, perhaps having heard Hu Liena's voice, one hundred and one guards clad in black armor, their faces completely concealed by helmets, stared fixedly at Yu Tianling and the two women as they gradually came into view.
One hundred of them held heavy swords. Only their leader sat astride a tall warhorse, and even his horse was covered in thick black armor.
As Yu Tianling and the two women sized them up, the black-armored knight seated on the horse spoke in an exceptionally icy voice that scarcely sounded as though it came from a human mouth.
"You have broken the rules! You must be punished! Defeat me, and you will earn the right to enter Slaughter City."
"You two go. Kill him. Don't forget that you can't use Soul Skills here."
Yu Tianling gave the two women beside him their instructions, then stepped aside, intending to quietly watch how Hu Liena and Zhu Zhuqing performed.
"Mm."
Both women nodded in understanding. They secretly gave it a try, and sure enough, their Soul Rings did not appear. Then each took her own dagger from her Storage Soul Tool and stood ready for battle.
"Damn you! You dare look down on me!"
Seeing the three's actions, the black-armored knight flew into a rage.
"I am Terror Knight Scott! You can all stay outside Slaughter City forever!"
The warhorse abruptly accelerated. Seething with fury, the black-armored knight charged at Hu Liena and Zhu Zhuqing, attacking with all his strength, intending to wipe out all three of them.
Having guarded Slaughter City for so many years, he was confident that even if he slaughtered the three brutally, the King of Slaughter would not blame him.
"Hah!"
Hu Liena and Zhu Zhuqing both activated Martial Soul Possession at the same time, then gripped their daggers and attacked, one high and one low.
As soon as they drew close, they saw several lights that clearly belonged to Soul Rings flickering over the black-armored knight. Although they found it somewhat strange, neither panicked in the slightest.
Having been cleansed by immortal herbs, the two women's physical strength was now extraordinary as well, and they complemented each other beautifully.
Although the warhorse's charging speed increased considerably once more, it still could not compare with the two women.
Clang...
A series of violent clangs abruptly rang out. In a single instant, the black-armored knight suffered multiple attacks from both women, and even his previously incredibly hard armor cracked under the fierce assault.
Boom!
Then Hu Liena and Zhu Zhuqing seized their chance and each abruptly kicked out, sending both rider and horse crashing to the ground.
"Attack! Kill these brazen invaders!"
Terror Knight Scott slowly climbed up from the ground. His armor had shattered completely, its fragments scattering in every direction. His chest was slightly caved in, and his faceplate was gone as well. Blackish-red blood kept flowing from the corner of his mouth.
Only then did Yu Tianling and the two women get a clear look at Scott's true appearance: white hair, ordinary features, a deathly pale complexion, and fangs in his mouth, just like a bat.
"So he really is another Soul Master controlled by the Bat King."
Seeing those familiar fangs, Yu Tianling could not help sighing softly. There was no need to think about the remaining hundred men; they were surely controlled by the King of Slaughter as well.
"Kill!"
Upon hearing the black-armored knight's command, the remaining hundred men raised their weapons and attacked the three, their battle cries shaking the heavens.
"Hmph! You spurn the face you're given. In that case, listen to your lullaby of eternal rest!"
Watching the men who seemed utterly heedless of life and death, Yu Tianling snorted coldly, then abruptly lunged forward to meet them.
The battle was an utterly crushing victory. With every punch and kick, Yu Tianling kept taking down enemies. Every man he knocked down struggled but remained unable to get back up.
Yu Tianling's physical strength was simply unimaginable. Probably even a Titled Douluo would not dare take his physical attacks head-on, let alone this group of weak lackeys.
Meanwhile, Hu Liena and Zhu Zhuqing did not stand idle either, mercilessly harvesting the lives of the lackeys who lay unable to rise.
Three minutes later, Yu Tianling and the two women continued onward with the tokens they had searched off their enemies. Behind them lay a heap of corpses, all as dead as could be. Black-Armored Knight Scott, so imposing just moments before, was among them, and beside him lay his warhorse's corpse.
Each of the three looked at the token in their hand. The tokens were entirely black, with a skull carved onto them and a number beneath it. Whether by coincidence or not, the token in Yu Tianling's hand clearly bore the number 9527, while Hu Liena's and Zhu Zhuqing's bore 9526 and 9528 respectively.
"9527!"
Looking at those digits, which seemed somewhat peculiar when put together, Yu Tianling felt a sudden jolt of shock. In the end, he could only put it down to heaven's will.
The three arrived beneath the city gate. The pitch-black gate gave an extremely oppressive feeling, and high above the enormous entrance hung the four large characters for Slaughter City.
Two rows of black-armored knights stood silently before the gate. Before the three could do anything, a woman whose face was covered by a black veil emerged from inside.
"Welcome to Slaughter City."
The woman's voice was very pleasant. She approached the three, stepped aside, and gestured for them to enter.
Having already seen what had just happened to Scott, the woman was extremely courteous, afraid that one of the three before her might suddenly stab her.
"Heh."
Noticing the woman's little movements, Yu Tianling could not help chuckling softly. Then he took the lead into Slaughter City, with Hu Liena and Zhu Zhuqing naturally following close behind.
Upon entering the city, the three saw a world of blue and purple. The lamps hanging on either side of the streets gave off only those two colors. There were quite a few people here, more even than in the town aboveground.
Apart from looking somewhat gloomy, everything else seemed no different from an ordinary city.
"I am your guide. If there is anything you don't understand, you may ask me. For the next twenty-four hours, I will answer anything I know. After twenty-four hours, this will be where you live from now on, and you will officially become members of Slaughter City."
Trembling with fear, the woman repeated the spiel she had used for years. She wished she could leave the three immediately, but this was her duty, and she could not leave.
"We have no questions."
Hearing the woman's words, Yu Tianling waved dismissively. When it came to Slaughter City, he dared say he knew it better than she did.
Newborn calves really have no fear of tigers!
The woman silently mocked them. Then, for some reason, she felt unusually charitable today. Even though Yu Tianling had said they had no questions, she went on of her own accord, "Within Slaughter City, there is a dedicated Law Enforcement Team. Lord Terror Knight Scott, whom you just met, was merely one of its members. The great King of Slaughter controls everything here. The truly powerful members of the Law Enforcement Team are all Soul Douluos whom the King of Slaughter has granted the ability to use Soul Skills. Their captain is even a Titled Douluo! You killed Lord Scott this time. Even if he was also at fault, there's no telling whether the Law Enforcement Team might act against you."
With that, without waiting for any response from the three, the woman hurried away.
Now that Scott of the Law Enforcement Team had died at their hands, she still needed to report it.