At that critical moment, Li Chang'an suddenly placed his hand firmly on Mu Xi's shoulder, pulling her back behind him. At the same instant, a scarlet aura erupted from his body, colliding head-on with the old man's oppressive intent.
"Ugh!"
Li Chang'an grunted as he was forced several steps backward. His eyes flickered with surprise—this aura felt familiar, almost… kin to his own.
The aura of the Slaughter City!
The old man's turbid eyes narrowed on him. After a moment, he let out a dry chuckle.
"Well, well… little one, you carry the Death God Domain too? You walked out of the Slaughter City?"
His voice was rough, ancient, yet tinged with intrigue.
"To think… at such a young age, you've already braved Hell Road and claimed the Death God Domain. Such talent… even when the Slaughter City was first founded ten thousand years ago, none could compare."
Hearing this, Li Chang'an's heart stirred. He cupped his fists respectfully.
"Junior Li Chang'an greets… the First Slaughter King."
"Oh? Sharp indeed. You guessed so quickly."
The old man chuckled again, though a shadow of loneliness passed through his eyes. "How long has it been since I've seen the outside world? The stars must have shifted, the continent must have changed beyond recognition."
Once, when the Slaughter City was established by the will of a god, he had stood supreme as its ruler. His title as the First Slaughter King commanded awe across the land. His very presence deterred countless evildoers from stepping foot outside the Slaughter City, preserving peace in the Douluo Continent.
But that was the past.
Now, he was a prisoner, chained and bound for eternity. Immortal—yet suffering ceaseless torment with every heartbeat. Perhaps this was his karmic retribution.
"Enough. From you, I've learned that the Slaughter City still endures. That is enough for me. When you leave here, boy, remember to safeguard it for me."
The old man slowly rose to his feet. As he moved, the clatter of chains echoed all around. Even from the sound alone, Li Chang'an could tell—these shackles were no ordinary iron.
"Come. My trial is simple. If you can withstand a single sword strike from me, you pass. And this sword… will grant you great benefit."
His voice was calm, yet each word pressed like a weight on the chest.
He raised a withered hand. The air itself shuddered, converging toward his palm. Bit by bit, the surrounding space flushed crimson, condensing into a massive, two-meter-long greatsword of blood-red light.
Killing intent forged into a sword!
Li Chang'an's expression grew grave. He summoned his twin weapons without hesitation—Donghuang Bell in his left hand, Pangu Axe in his right. The ancient bell locked itself around him like divine armor, while the axe blazed faintly with a deep violet glow, emanating a timeless, primordial might.
Only a weapon can meet a weapon head-on.
He had no retreat. All he could do was pray he could endure.
"Come then!"
With a roar, Li Chang'an steadied himself. The old man leapt into the air—though his chains only allowed him to rise ten meters.
Ten thousand years honing a single blade—today, its edge is tested!
With a sweeping arc, his sword fell. Ten meters long, laced with killing intent, deathly aura, and pure sword essence, the strike seemed to drain all color from the world itself.
Li Chang'an clenched his teeth. Could he really block it? Doubt flickered in his heart—when suddenly, a surge of foreign power rushed into his body.
It was strong. It was pure. It was hers.
Mu Xi!
Behind him, Mu Xi's peach-blossom eyes shone with unwavering resolve. In her hand bloomed a delicate purple flower—her martial soul, the Purple Lilac. Though she could not unleash soul skills in this trial, her spirit possessed the unique ability to channel her soul power into another.
And so, she poured every last drop of her strength into Li Chang'an.
"Buzz—!"
"Boom—!"
The clash was deafening.
Li Chang'an's twin martial souls dimmed, their brilliance completely drained. Yet they held firm, unbroken. They had simply been emptied of power.
The old man, however, was not so fortunate. His sword shattered, his aura collapsed, and his cultivation plummeted—falling from Contra to a mere Spirit King.
He had lost.
"Hahahaha! Well done, young one! This old man concedes without regret… no, not unjustly at all."
The First Slaughter King let out a long laugh, his face alight with relief.
"The legacy of Slaughter shall be yours. My wish is fulfilled. Go on—to the next trial. May you seize the true inheritance."
His body trembled; his aura flickered unstably. He had little strength left.
Meanwhile, Li Chang'an's dual soul cores whirled rapidly within him, replenishing his drained energy. He gave the old man a deep nod, then stooped down, gently lifting the completely exhausted Mu Xi into his arms.
Without her… he doubted he could have survived that sword. His superior martial soul quality had given him a chance, but it was Mu Xi's soul power that made victory possible.
She had given him everything—down to the last drop.
And now, she had nothing left.
Li Chang'an fed his restored energy back into her, little by little. Every wisp of soul power that regenerated inside him, he shared with her instantly, without hesitation.
No treasure, no inheritance, could compare to her.
Still, the battle had not been without gain. That one sword strike had given him insights worth fifty years of cultivation in the Death God Domain.
By the time they reached the entrance of the third chamber, Mu Xi had recovered enough to walk again. Her peach-blossom eyes, bright yet shy, darted to the man who still carried her. They brimmed with tenderness and unspoken love.
The third chamber was the plainest of all so far. Barely eighty square meters, with dull, earth-toned walls. Nothing but ordinariness.
And yet—
A figure walked toward them.
It was a girl.
She looked only fifteen or sixteen, clad in a long black dress. Her face, shaped like a delicate goose-egg, was charming and pleasing to the eye. What stood out most, however, was her expression—open, cheerful, and unusually warm.
"You're finally here! Please, come in, come in!" she greeted, beaming.
Li Chang'an and Mu Xi froze on the spot.
Why… did this feel like the welcome of a tavern hostess?
"Senior, you are…?" Li Chang'an asked cautiously, not stepping forward. His instincts screamed at him—he couldn't sense her cultivation at all. That made her all the more dangerous.
"Oh, forgive me, forgive me! I was so excited I forgot to introduce myself." The black-dressed girl laughed awkwardly.
Li Chang'an's expression stiffened.
'Somehow… this didn't feel very proper.'
"Cough, cough. Let me start again. My name is Xiao Yu'er. I am my master's most beloved servant—and the examiner of the third trial." She straightened, her tone suddenly serious.
"Then, senior," Li Chang'an pressed, still unmoving, "what exactly is the third trial?"
"Well… since you insist, I'll tell you. I'm in charge of the heart's trial."
The trial… of the heart?