"The Slaughter King flatters me."
Facing the Slaughter King's praise, Ye Yu merely gave a faint smile and replied calmly,
"May I ask what matter brings the Slaughter King to seek me?"
"Heh heh…"
A wicked smile curled on the Slaughter King's eerie face as he slowly spoke:
"Actually, the reason I summoned the Doombringer is quite simple."
"Our Slaughter City hasn't seen a talent as outstanding as you in a very long time."
"And I've always been someone who treasures talent."
"Passing through the Hell Road is no easy feat—it's a journey of nine deaths and one life."
"I can't bear to see a genius like you take such a risk."
"I am willing to break protocol and directly grant you the title of Slaughter God. From this day forward, you may enter and leave Slaughter City freely, unrestricted."
"Moreover, you would become a distinguished guest of our Slaughter City…"
"Your status would be second only to mine."
"What do you think, Doombringer?"
The Slaughter King's eyes blazed with anticipation as he extended the invitation to Ye Yu.
Ye Yu, however, wasn't surprised by this at all.
In the original story, when Tang San and Hu Liena achieved one hundred consecutive victories in the Hell Arena and were about to attempt the Hell Road, the Slaughter King had tried to recruit them in a similar manner—hoping to prevent them from completing the trial and claiming the Killing God Domain.
But that was because both Tang San and Hu Liena had powerful backers who made the Slaughter King wary.
Ye Yu, on the other hand, had none.
So, in Ye Yu's view, this summoning wasn't merely about recruitment.
If he refused, the Slaughter King might very well try to kill him.
But so what?
"Apologies."
Ye Yu directly refused, his tone light.
"I appreciate the Slaughter King's offer."
"But I came to Slaughter City for one reason: to challenge the Hell Road and obtain the legendary Killing God Domain."
"Even if the odds are slim to none, I won't give up."
Upon hearing this, the Slaughter King's expression darkened.
Ye Yu's answer was exactly what he didn't want to hear.
"Are you certain you won't reconsider?"
The Slaughter King's smile was now cold and rigid.
"Certain."
"If there's nothing else, I'll take my leave."
Ye Yu said flatly, then turned around, preparing to walk out.
But behind him, the Slaughter King's face turned grim, his eyes filled with icy killing intent.
With a cold snort, he unleashed a powerful burst of Spirit Power pressure and bone-chilling bloodlust.
"Doombringer, you're truly courting death."
"You chose not the path to heaven, but to barge into hell!"
At his words, a group of the Slaughter King's black-robed subordinates instantly blocked the exit, trapping Ye Yu inside the chamber.
"I'll give you one last chance."
"Will you accept the title of Honorary Slaughter God of Slaughter City—or die?"
The Slaughter King stood, unsheathing the Asura Demonic Sword, his voice laced with threat.
Ye Yu laughed, drawing out the Thunderous Hell Prison Spear, and said indifferently:
"When recruitment fails, you turn to murder."
"How fitting for Slaughter City."
"But… are you sure you're capable of killing me?"
Turning around, Ye Yu raised his Thunderous Hell Prison Spear and pointed it at the Slaughter King with a mocking smile.
Then with a thought, he summoned his Blue Silver Jade Tree Martial Soul, activating the Blue Silver Domain.
—
Beneath his feet, two purple, four black, and two red Spirit Rings—eight in total—rose in rapid succession.
"WHAT?!"
The Slaughter King's expression contorted in shock.
He couldn't believe what he was seeing.
This boy is actually a Spirit Douluo?!
And that Spirit Ring configuration—what kind of monster is this!?
A human Spirit Douluo's ideal configuration should be two yellow, two purple, four black.
But starting from the first ring, Ye Yu had thousand-year rings...
By the third ring, they were already ten-thousand-year...
And by the seventh? Directly a hundred-thousand-year Spirit Ring?!
What kind of freakish existence was this!?
—
As the Blue Silver Jade Tree Martial Soul emerged, Ye Yu took control.
Immediately, it began to grow wildly.
Its blue-crystal roots hardened at the tips, transforming into sharp Blue Silver Spears, piercing through the castle floor and burrowing deep into the ground.
Though Spirit Abilities couldn't be used in Slaughter City, Ye Yu's Blue Silver Jade Tree Martial Soul had been forged by absorbing Spirit Rings solely from plant-type Spirit Beasts with life attributes.
As such, it shared an exceptionally high compatibility with the Spirit Beast essences within those rings.
After absorbing their Spirit Rings, the Martial Soul didn't just gain new abilities—it evolved.
So even without activating Spirit Abilities, it retained the effects of the eight rings' powers—albeit weaker.
Later, by using his external Spirit Bone, Demon Willow Fluff, to absorb the bloodline essence of powerful Spirit Beasts, the feedback further strengthened the Martial Soul.
—
In the blink of an eye, the tree roots of the Blue Silver Jade Tree tore through the castle's foundations, burrowed into the depths, and began frantically absorbing nutrients and earth energy.
The trunk expanded rapidly, blasting through the ceiling and unfurling a lush canopy beneath the blood-red moon outside.
Simultaneously, countless branches extended like wild blue-crystal vines, twisting through the air.
They wove together into writhing Blue Silver Wood Dragons, roaring as they lunged at the Slaughter King.
"What the hell is this thing?!"
The Slaughter King, confronted by the relentless onslaught of tree branches and Wood Dragons, was both furious and alarmed.
He swung the Asura Demonic Sword desperately, trying to carve a path toward Ye Yu.
Unfortunately—
Although the Asura Demonic Sword was incomparably sharp, capable of slicing a Wood Dragon in half...
Because he was not recognized by the sword, the Slaughter King could only wield a portion of its power.
Even as he unleashed phantom slashes in fury, hacking down swarms of Blue Silver Wood Dragons—
He simply couldn't keep up with the regrowth speed of the Blue Silver Jade Tree.
Meanwhile, Ye Yu, while controlling his Martial Soul to bombard the Slaughter King, held his Thunderous Hell Prison Spear and turned his cold gaze to the doorway.
—
There, the Slaughter King's black-robed Spirit Master subordinates—who had blocked the exit—awaited orders.
With a flicker of movement, Ye Yu activated Triple Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track, and in a blur, appeared outside the chamber.
Spear in hand, he began a massacre.
Screams echoed.
Bodies collapsed one after another, bathing the floor in blood.
Though these fallen Spirit Masters were all at least Spirit Emperors, worthy of serving under the Slaughter King—
Without access to their Spirit Abilities, they couldn't even resist for a second in Ye Yu's presence.