When Xuan Ming returned from the mountain, Bibi Dong had already dealt with the matters of the Elder Hall. However, it seemed that something had gone wrong in the Slaughter City.
"What's wrong?" Xuan Ming asked.
"The logistics of the Slaughter City were supported by the Spirit Hall, but since the founding of the Spirit Hall Empire and the establishment of a confrontation with the two great empires, the Spirit Hall's supply to the Slaughter City has stopped," Bibi Dong said.
" Gui Mei reported to me that there seems to be some trouble in the Slaughter City these past few months. The King of Slaughter has even sent his enforcement team captain, a Titled Douluo, to contact the Heaven Dou Empire, requesting that the Heaven Dou Empire provide them with more people and logistical support."
"If the Heaven Dou Empire doesn't agree, the Slaughter City will cause trouble."
The Heaven Dou Empire busy preparing for war and dealing with the attack from the Spirit Hall Empire. If another troublesome Slaughter City were to emerge from behind, leaving them besieged on all sides and facing internal and external troubles, they would be in a truly awkward situation.
Therefore, faced with the threat of the King of Slaughter, the Heaven Dou Empire unsurprisingly chose to compromise. As for the specifics of what to provide to the Slaughter City, the spies of the Spirit Hall Empire had not yet found out, but they could roughly guess.
"You... you don't seem surprised?" Bibi Dong asked, puzzled.
Xuan Ming paused, "When I left the Slaughter City, I fed the Blood Spear with the blood pool of Hell Road. That thing is the foundation of the Slaughter City."
The blood pool on Hell Road is the core energy source that keeps the Slaughter City running and controls the Fallen.
Without this source, the production of Bloody Mary would inevitably decrease sharply, making it impossible to meet the needs of the entire Slaughter City.
Those Fallen, driven by bloodlust and the desire for Bloody Mary, would naturally descend into madness and chaos when their supplies were cut off.
To maintain the stability of the Slaughter City and secure his throne, the King of Slaughter either replenishes his power by acquiring large amounts of Life energy from external sources or directly conducts internal purges to reduce the number of "consumers."
Clearly, the King of Slaughter has chosen a two-pronged approach.
However, after the massacre, the city of Slaughter City was short-staffed.
What kind of king is he if he has no subjects?
In order to continue to maintain the dream of the twisted kingdom of the Slaughter City, the King of Slaughter can only try to acquire more resources and population as soon as possible.
On the Spirit Hall Empire's side, the King of Slaughter is someone they can't afford to offend. After all, if he dares to threaten Bibi Dong, the Slaughter City might have to disappear from this world.
However, in the Heaven Dou Empire, the King of Slaughter can still bully them a bit.
Chapter 357 God Level Battle Soul
After Bibi Dong finished dealing with some matters concerning the Spirit Hall Empire, Xuan Ming and the other two set off towards the Slaughter City.
Approaching the Slaughter City.
A faint smell of blood and an unsettling sense of oppression began to fill the air. The scene below gradually became desolate, with sparse vegetation and the earth taking on an unhealthy dark red hue.
On a relatively flat wasteland, a sizable army of the Heaven Dou Empire was slowly advancing, carrying large quantities of grain, supplies, and other necessities.
However, the most eye-catching group was a large contingent that was being tightly guarded by the army at the very back of the procession.
It was a dense, dark mass; I'd estimate there were nearly five thousand people.
They were ragged, emaciated, and their faces were filled with fear, confusion, and despair. They were neither Soul Master nor soldiers, but just a group of unarmed ordinary people. There were men, women, young and old among them, many of them supporting each other, staggering like lambs to the slaughter.
Xuan Ming's Spiritual Domain, like an invisible spider web, silently covered the ranks below. The refugees' whispers filled with fear and despair, and the soldiers' impatient shouts, all entered his mind clearly.
"... They said they'd find us a way to survive, but why are we going to such remote places?"
"Don't ask. Just being alive is good enough... it's better than being captured and enslaved by those demons of the Spirit Hall..."
"I heard there's a really eerie place up ahead; once you go in, you can't come out..."
"Could officials really be that kind? The way they look at us is no different than how they look at livestock..."
" The Spirit Hall Empire... it's all those damned invaders! If it weren't for them, we wouldn't have suffered such devastation..."
Listening to these desperate whispers, Xuan Ming roughly guessed what was going on here.
These people are all refugees displaced by the war between the Spirit Hall Empire and the two great empires.
They lost their homes and fled to the relatively safe territory of the Heaven Dou Empire, only to find themselves instead of receiving relief and resettlement. Instead, they were treated as "tribute" and sent to Slaughter City more terrifying than hell, becoming "raw materials" for the Bloody Mary that maintained the distorted order there.
For the high command of the Heaven Dou Empire, these refugees from enemy-occupied territories were both a burden and a bargaining chip that could be discarded. Using them to temporarily satisfy the greed of the Slaughter City in exchange for peace on the border was a worthwhile trade.
Xuan Ming frowned slightly. This was not the first time he had seen such a scene. He had already witnessed the cruelty of war on his way back to Spirit City from Sea God Island. The plunder and enslavement of the defeated by the victors was often more naked and cruel than the old aristocratic rule.
Newly rich individuals who have climbed up from the bottom often treat their former "fellows" more ruthlessly in order to consolidate their power and status, because they know the pain of losing everything and are even more afraid of falling back down.
Whether they are nobles or newly emerging Soul Master elites, there is no fundamental difference in how they extract value from the lower classes.
However, sending these war-displaced people as "nourishment" to Slaughter City is more disgusting than mere enslavement.
" The Heaven Dou Empire... quite the scheme." Bibi Dong's voice carried a hint of cold sarcasm. "They've dealt with the refugees who were difficult to resettle, reducing logistical pressure, and temporarily satisfied the needs of the Slaughter City, preventing its riots from affecting them. A double win, truly merciful."
As the Pope of the Spirit Hall Empire, she was all too familiar with these dirty political tactics. Sacrificing a few useless civilians in exchange for overall stability was a deal that was all the more worthwhile in the eyes of those in power.
Gu Yuena's silver-purple eyes swept over the crowd below, who were being herded like livestock, and her brows furrowed almost imperceptibly.
She had no interest in the infighting among humans, but this systematic Sacrifice of Life, purely for the purpose of maintaining a filthy place, touched her instinctive aversion as a half- Dragon God who wielded the laws of creation.
"Should we save them?" Gu Yuena asked Xuan Ming.
For her, dealing with these ordinary soldiers was as easy as snapping her fingers.
"Save them? How?" Xuan Ming's voice was flat, his gaze passing over the terrified refugees and wary soldiers, and landing on the distant mountains shrouded in a dark red aura.
"Winter is coming. Slaughter City, they'll starve or freeze to death... or be captured by the Spirit Hall Empire and forced into hard labor. Their fate might not be any better than it is now."
"Save them, give them hope, and then... let them be drained of their last bit of value in despair?"
"I don't care, this has nothing to do with me. How could I possibly get involved?"
Xuan Ming's voice was calm to the point of being cold, yet it revealed a cruel reality.
save?
What happens after the rescue?
Tell them "You are free"?
In this war-torn, resource-scarce land, where can they go after losing their homes and support? How long can they survive?
With winter approaching, without food, shelter, or protection, their fate is simply another way to die—starving, freezing, or being captured by other forces. Their end may not be any better than becoming raw material for Bloody Mary.
Isn't it another form of cruelty to give someone a fleeting glimmer of hope, only to plunge them into deeper despair?
A temporary rescue, if it cannot change the root cause, may bring even deeper despair.
Salvation should not be a self-indulgent consumable.
After a brief stop, Xuan Ming and the other two continued their journey towards the City of Slaughter City.
The closer you get, the stronger the stench of blood and Evil in the air becomes.
A dark red mist shrouded a vast valley in front of them. At the entrance of the valley, a massive portal made of pale bones and black rocks could be vaguely seen, emanating a chilling aura of death.
That's the new entrance to the Slaughter City.
Limbs and congealed dark red blood covered the ground, including the corpses of several recently deceased soldiers of the Heaven Dou Empire. Clearly, the previous "tribute" transport process was filled with violence and resistance, but the resistance only added to the number of dead souls in this place.
"How do we do it?" Bibi Dong asked.
"Should we just charge in?"
"No need. You all hide. I'll handle this." Xuan Ming flew into the sky, summoned the Blood Spear, and his aura suddenly became incredibly terrifying.
The crimson Slaughter Domain, like a boiling sea of blood, spread out from him and instantly enveloped the entire valley, including the pale bone gate entrance.
Immediately afterwards, his Soul Ring lit up one by one. The most eye-catching were his Seventh Soul Ring, a dark red, 500,000-year-old Ring of Slaughter with killing god patterns flowing over it, and his Eighth Soul Ring, Ring of Evil that exuded a deep Evil aura!
Two Soul Ring originating from God King level being shone brightly together. The domineering power of slaughter and the cunning of Evil, two completely different yet equally top-level powers, did not clash under Xuan Ming's abnormally precise control. Instead, they began to Entanglement and merge with each other in a mysterious way!
Buzz--!
The energy between heaven and earth surged instantly! Centered on Xuan Ming, a huge energy vortex, interwoven with dark red and black gold, appeared out of thin air, frantically devouring all the energy around it, even distorting the light.
Xuan Ming looked up at the sky, his icy blue eyes seeming to crackle with lightning!
Boom!
The sky, which was originally shrouded in a dark red Slaughter Domain, was suddenly covered by endless tribulation clouds that seemed to come from the depths of the netherworld! This was not ordinary heavenly lightning, but Tribulation of Destruction that Xuan Ming had triggered with God Level power and mixed with killing and Evil aura!
The tribulation clouds presented an eerie dark purple and blood red color, within which billions of lightning snakes darted wildly, emanating a Destruction will that could wither all things and make souls tremble!
Its power was far more terrifying than the heavenly Heavenly Tribulation that Xuan Ming triggered when he completed the First Trial; it had truly reached the threshold of God Level!
Below, Bibi Dong gazed up at the apocalyptic scene, her purple eyes filled with shock. But soon, a flash of understanding appeared in her eyes.
She understood Xuan Ming's intention.
Infiltrate? Fight? Cleanse step by step?
Too slow! Too troublesome!
For a malignant tumor like the Slaughter City, which is rooted underground, has a complex structure, and is filled with countless Fallen and filthy energy, the fastest, most thorough, and most permanent solution is to wipe it, along with all the filth within it, from this world from the outside with absolute power!
With God Level power, execute the final Destruction!
Chapter 358 Tang Chen Awakens
"Madman..." Bibi Dong murmured softly, but a smile involuntarily crept onto her lips.
This domineering and unreasonable style of doing things is indeed very much in line with Xuan Ming's personality, and... it also makes her feel an unprecedented sense of exhilaration.
Just then, the Destruction clouds in the sky reached their peak!
Xuan Ming's Blood Spear pointed directly at the massive, pale bone gate below. The terrifying energy, a fusion of the three God Level laws of slaughter, Evil, Thunderclap, seemed to have found an outlet, flowing freely under the guidance of his will—
Rumble rumble rumble--!!!
A Destruction lightning pillar, over a hundred meters in diameter and interwoven with dark red, black gold, and pale white, ripped through the sky like a divine spear of judgment, carrying the power to annihilate everything, and ruthlessly struck the entrance to the Slaughter City!
The enormous portal, constructed from countless bones and rocks and imbued with a powerful death restriction, was as fragile as paper before this fusion of divine lightning, instantly vaporizing without leaving even a trace!
The lightning bolt continued its relentless advance, pouring directly into the bottomless passage!
This is just the beginning!
Immediately afterwards, a second, a third... countless smaller but equally terrifying Thunderclap, each containing the power of the three laws, poured down like a torrential rain, precisely striking the entrance and any possible cracks or weak points in the surrounding area!
Even more terrifying is that the Destruction energy poured into the passage did not dissipate. Instead, it spread, infiltrated, and ravaged wildly along the intricate passages and spaces within the Slaughter City, like Destruction web with Life and will!
Wherever the Thunderclap struck, rocks melted, space distorted, and those Fallen succumbed to slaughter and desire, whether ordinary criminals or powerful law enforcement officers, were reduced to ashes in the lightning containing God Level laws before they could even scream!
The Thunderclap of slaughter roared and surged in the dark underground world, mercilessly cleansing every corner.
The piercing wails, the desperate roars, the deafening crashes of collapsing buildings... all these sounds were drowned out by the Thunderclap, Destruction roar of the thunder.
This divinely punishing Thunderclap attack lasted for nearly ten minutes.
As the last bolt of lightning gradually dissipated and the eerie storm clouds in the sky slowly receded, the valley where the entrance to the Slaughter City was located had been completely transformed.
The enormous, pale bone gate, along with the surrounding mountains, has vanished, replaced by a bottomless, crystalline crater. Within the crater, chillingly Destruction energy and Sisi of electric arcs still linger.
The air was filled with a mixture of acrid smells and strange ozone. The originally strong stench of blood and Evil energy had become extremely thin, almost imperceptible.
The filthy land that once occupied this place, absorbing countless sins and Life — the Slaughter City —along with all that existed within it, was completely wiped off the face of the earth under this ten-minute God Level Thunderclap baptism.
Xuan Ming slowly descended from the sky, his face slightly pale. At the same time, he activated and manipulated the power of three God Level laws, causing such a level of destruction that almost completely drained his Soul Power.
Just as the Destruction lightning completely dissipated, Xuan Ming, his breath slightly ragged and his Soul Power nearly exhausted, fell back to the ground—
"Roar--!!!"
A roar, filled with endless pain, rage, and madness, yet carrying a deeper and more domineering quality that was distinct from the previous pure chaos, suddenly erupted from the bottom of the unfathomable crystalline crater!
A streak of blood-red light, like the final counterattack of a dying Ferocious Beast, burst forth from the crater filled with an aura of Destruction and hovered in mid-air.
He is the King of Slaughter!
At this moment, however, he was in an extremely miserable state.
His once robust body was now covered in scorch marks and cracks, large patches of dark red skin peeled off, revealing writhing flesh and wisps Sisi black mist beneath. The aura around him, a mixture of Asura Divine Power and the filth of the Bat King, had become extremely unstable, like a candle flickering in the wind.
However, his scarlet eyes no longer held the pure chaos and savagery they once did.
Deep within, an extreme anger, humiliation, and murderous intent belonging to " Tang Chen," suppressed for decades, erupted like a volcano, locking onto the pale-faced Xuan Ming below!
"It was you... who destroyed this place... who destroyed my very foundation!!" The King of Slaughter's voice was hoarse and distorted, yet it carried a chilling clarity and hatred. "You stole my Blood Pool... destroyed my kingdom... you... damned madman!!"