"Yes, Uncle Ning."
"In fact, I'm the one known as An Lan."
Facing the utterly shocked Ning Fengzhi, Sword Douluo, and Bone Douluo, Ye Yu gave a faint smile as he spun the Thunderous Hell Prison Spear in his hand with a flourish.
"This Thunderous Hell Prison Spear isn't my Martial Soul—it's a Spirit Bone."
"Everything I displayed on the Battle Arena back then wasn't Spirit Abilities at all, but self-created Spirit Abilities."
"That's why, even if I can't use conventional Spirit Abilities, I still had enough strength to survive in the Slaughter City, and even pass the trial."
"So please, Uncle Ning, tell me the location of the Slaughter City."
The revelation that Ye Yu was the same An Lan who had once stunned the crowd by defeating Feng Xiaotian in the Heaven Dou Great Spirit Arena left the three men reeling.
If all the "Spirit Abilities" An Lan had used back then were actually self-created Spirit Abilities…
Then Ye Yu's current combat capability—even without Spirit Abilities—was undoubtedly formidable.
Thinking back to Tang Hao, who had also entered the Slaughter City at the Spirit Emperor level and passed its trial…
Though Ye Yu's Spirit Power was slightly lower, he had multiple powerful self-created abilities, a Martial Soul—the Blue Silver Jade Tree—that could not use Spirit Abilities, and the rare weapon-type External Spirit Bone, Thunderous Hell Prison Spear..
Ning Fengzhi took a deep breath and nodded solemnly.
He agreed—and revealed the location of the Slaughter City to Ye Yu.
Armed with the map, Ye Yu left the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan.
In the next moment, he soared into the sky, transforming into a bolt of lightning and streaking toward the far north—toward the Slaughter City.
Slaughter City was located in the northern region of the Heaven Dou Empire, even further north than the Imperial Star Province, in the Snow Spirit Province—a land known for its frigid climate.
The trees had long since shifted from broadleaf varieties to cold-region conifers.
After flying across mountains and forests for nearly a full day, Ye Yu finally approached the coordinates marked on the map.
Nestled among the trees, a small town appeared on the horizon.
It was neither lively nor prosperous. The streets were eerily quiet. The people he saw—sparse as they were—gave off an unsettling aura, their expressions cold, their eyes sharp and distrustful.
Clearly, these were not good people.
And indeed—they were not.
Those who came to this town all shared one objective: to enter the Slaughter City.
Their reasons varied, but most fell into two categories:
Either they were criminals—murderers on the run from Spirit Hall's Enforcement Team, seeking refuge.
Or they were precursors to what would later be known in the Peerless Tang Sect era as Evil Spirit Masters—cultivators who used the blood, flesh, bones, and souls of innocents to rapidly boost their own strength.
Although Evil Spirit Masters wouldn't be publicly labeled until a later era, that didn't mean they didn't already exist.
Some Martial Souls were naturally inclined toward evil, while others became corrupted over time. These Evil Spirit Masters gained strength by devouring flesh and souls.
Their existence was inevitable—born from the very system of Spirit Masters and Martial Souls.
To claim that Evil Spirit Masters "hadn't appeared yet" would be as ridiculous as claiming "bad people didn't exist until the word 'bad' was invented."
After entering the town, Ye Yu located a tavern. In a crack of thunder, he descended in front of its doors.
He knew full well that entering the Slaughter City through the tavern wasn't the official route.
After all, Tang San had been "punished" by the Dread Knight Scott for entering this way.
But Ning Fengzhi only knew of the location—he had no details about the actual entry procedure. His knowledge came from ancient books, not firsthand experience.
So Ye Yu chose to enter as Tang San had.
If it came to a fight, well—he'd just beat the Dread Knight too.
As he landed before the tavern, Ye Yu kicked open the door with a loud bang.
Instantly, the stench of blood and stale, foul air hit him like a wall, causing his brows to furrow slightly.
His senses were too sharp—even the air here was offensive.
"Oi! Where'd this pretty boy come from? This ain't a place for you!"
A drunken patron sneered as he saw Ye Yu wrinkle his nose.
Ye Yu's lips curled into a cold smile.
He had come here precisely to find new targets for his External Spirit Bone, Demon Willow Fluff, so he could devour more Spirit Power, life essence, and bloodline origin to grow stronger.
So—he had been ready to slaughter everyone from the moment he arrived.
In one smooth motion, Ye Yu drew the Thunderous Hell Prison Spear from his spine, then activated Triple Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track.
With a flicker of shadow, he appeared right in front of the sneering drunk.
Before the man could even react—boom—he was pinned to the floor, the spear driven straight through his chest.
"You called me a pretty boy?" Ye Yu said coolly. "And I thought you were tough."
"Turns out—you're just weak trash."
He withdrew his spear with a squelch, then summoned the Demon Willow Fluff.
The External Spirit Bone latched onto the corpse—and within seconds, the body was drained of all blood, soul, and flesh, reduced to a shriveled husk of skin and bone.
The surrounding drinkers turned pale.
Ye Yu wasn't just a killer—he might be a Evil Spirit Master.
In the current Douluo Continent, Spirit Hall still maintained order.
Most of those who came to Slaughter City were merely criminals—Fallen Spirit Masters.
But Evil Spirit Masters were on another level altogether.
They were feared even among criminals—just like heavy felons are feared by lesser offenders.
After killing the man and feeding him to the Demon Willow Fluff, Ye Yu turned to the rest of the tavern.
He swept his gaze across them, twirling the Thunderous Hell Prison Spear with casual menace.
Then smirked.
"What's wrong? Cat got your tongues?"
"You all seemed pretty smug a second ago."
"What, now you're all quiet? Don't tell me he was the only real man here—are the rest of you just useless cowards?"
"A bunch of trash!"