After using the Thunderous Hell Prison Spear to impale all nine Fallen Spirit Masters onto the Spirit Arena, Ye Yu once again summoned his External Spirit Bone – Demon Willow Fluff, and proceeded to devour all nine corpses in turn.
When the spectators saw the remains of the Fallen Spirit Masters—now nothing more than shriveled, skeletal husks after Ye Yu passed by—many among the audience, especially the watching Fallen Spirit Masters, felt a chill in their hearts.
Although the inner city of Slaughter City was built upon the concept of slaughter, and it teemed with all manner of twisted and perverse individuals...
At least with madmen, you could predict their cruelty.
But Ye Yu—who clearly displayed the ability to devour flesh and blood to increase his cultivation—was obviously a wicked Evil Spirit Master, and those were far more terrifying and unpredictable.
Such individuals were all notorious and difficult to deal with—even within Slaughter City, they were considered true monsters.
After consuming the bodies of the nine Fallen Spirit Masters, Ye Yu walked off the Spirit Arena stage and returned to the main hall of the Hell Slaughter Arena.
There, the veiled woman who had brought him in earlier was still waiting for him.
When she saw Ye Yu actually walking back out alive, she was visibly surprised.
"Contestant 4396, you're truly something else!"
"Even the newcomers who spectate the matches in the Hell Slaughter Arena for nearly a year—more than half of them end up dead in their first deathmatch."
"Yet you stepped onto the arena your very first day—and survived your first match right away!"
"Congratulations."
"I imagine, someday in the future, your name will be more than just your identification number here in the Slaughter Arena."
In Slaughter City, newcomers had no names—only a registration number for identification.
There was only one way to earn a personal "name" here: by achieving a long win streak within the Hell Slaughter Arena.
Once one's reputation became widely known, the other Fallen Spirit Masters—who revered strength above all—would give that person an official title.
And within Slaughter City, to have a name of one's own was the greatest of honors.
Since one could only participate in one deathmatch per day in the Hell Slaughter Arena, after completing his first match, Ye Yu returned to a small courtyard he had found in the outer district of Slaughter City to reside in.
From then on, Ye Yu made it a point to participate in the Hell Slaughter Arena each day.
Each match, he wielded his Thunderous Hell Prison Spear, unleashing overwhelming strength to slaughter every opponent, and afterward, used Demon Willow Fluff to consume their corpses whole.
Because of Ye Yu's appearance, demeanor, and noble bearing, he didn't seem like the typical criminal or fugitive being hunted by the Spirit Hall's enforcers and hiding in Slaughter City.
By the time Hu Liena saw Ye Yu for the second time at the Hell Slaughter Arena, her curiosity had been thoroughly piqued.
She wondered where he came from, and why he was here. Could he be, like her, here to temper himself in pursuit of the Killing God Domain?
After spending over two months in Slaughter City...
Surrounded daily by bloodlust, insanity, and bestial depravity—it wore on her, and she began to feel a deep sense of weariness and isolation.
So when she saw someone so different from the rest—someone who looked and behaved like a normal person, and even more so, was strikingly handsome and composed—she felt an irresistible curiosity.
She wanted to get closer to him.
Maybe... even become friends?
However, during one of Ye Yu's matches, after witnessing his power and feeling even more determined to reach out, she saw him devouring corpses like an Evil Spirit Master.
Her expression grew grim. That contestant—Number 4396—was he really an evil Spirit Master?
But his Martial Soul clearly exhibited thunder attributes—how could he possibly have evil properties?
Unless... he possessed an evil-attributed Spirit Bone, perhaps one related to devouring?
After all, she herself had a Spirit Bone, and with Spirit Skills suppressed in Slaughter City, it wasn't impossible to guess that he might be relying on a Spirit Bone like hers.
As Ye Yu continued to dominate in match after match, his strength began to draw fear and resentment from the other Fallen Spirit Masters.
After all, in a ten-person deathmatch, only one could survive.
With Ye Yu present, the others felt there was no chance to live.
As a result, several veteran Fallen Spirit Masters—those whose one-year time limit was nearly up and who had no choice but to fight—began conspiring in secret.
They planned to ambush Ye Yu outside the arena on his way home... and take him out together!
That day, after another victory in the Hell Slaughter Arena...
On his way back to his residence, Ye Yu was suddenly surrounded.
A group of Fallen Spirit Masters emerged from the shadows—red-eyed, weapons drawn or claws bared—and lunged toward him.
"Kill him!"
"Only by killing him do we have a chance to live!"
"Go all out!!"
Facing the ambush, Ye Yu sneered coldly and summoned the Thunderous Hell Prison Spear.
Activating Thunder-Magnetic Body and Thunderburst Step, he prepared to send them all to the afterlife.
At that moment, Hu Liena also caught up—hoping to finally approach and speak with Ye Yu.
But the moment she arrived, she saw a mob of Fallen Spirit Masters charging at him, weapons raised and shouting with bloodshot eyes.
Alarmed, Hu Liena cried out:
"Let me help you!"
She immediately summoned her Martial Soul – Charming Fox, and a golden fox tail—her External Spirit Bone—emerged behind her like a spiked club.
In a flash, she leapt forward to assist.
Meanwhile, Ye Yu, now cloaked in dazzling lightning, had already activated his body-enhancing Spirit Abilities.
Hearing her shout, he turned briefly.
Seeing Hu Liena rushing to help him, Ye Yu frowned slightly, puzzled.
"Hu Liena? I've already awakened my Blue Silver Emperor bloodline—my appearance is different now. She shouldn't recognize me..."
"And even if she did—aren't we enemies?"
"Why is she helping me?"
But there was no time to think further—the Fallen Spirit Masters had already surrounded him.
With a flash of thunder, Ye Yu surged forward like a lightning bolt, crashing into their ranks like a tiger among sheep.
Amid screams and blood, the Thunderous Hell Prison Spear danced wildly, arcs of violet lightning slicing through the air in a storm of slaughter.
One after another, Fallen Spirit Masters were pierced through the heart and pinned to the ground.
By the time Hu Liena arrived and managed to help take down a few—
Ye Yu had already wiped out the rest of them.
She stood stunned.
"This... this guy—4396—he's insanely strong!"