To Lin Fan's surprise, Tang Chen actually nodded in agreement.
"Mm. You're honest. After all, with your current strength, there's nothing left to pursue in this world except divinity and eternal life."
"In this world, there were once many gods. But only the true Main Gods, upon transcending this world, could leave behind fragments of divine will to seek out successors."
"This Slaughter City was born from such a divine transcendence. So your pursuit is correct."
"This city, overflowing with killing intent, is a remnant left behind by two Evil Gods. One was the God of Shura, who governs slaughter. The other was the Rakshasa God, who governs wicked desires."
"At the time, I thought I had discovered the inheritance of the Shura God. I was ecstatic. The Shura God acknowledged my strength and granted me the Shura God's trials.
The early trials were simple to complete, for back then, I had already reached the peak of human cultivation."
"But just now, when I regained my clarity, I finally understood—the trial I underwent was never purely the Shura God's trial. It was tainted by the aura of the Rakshasa God."
"My transformation into the Slaughter King was due to the Rakshasa God's influence. Later, the Rakshasa's will left Slaughter City with Bibi Dong… but by then, I was already so deeply corroded by the Blood-Red Nine-Headed Bat King that I could not awaken without external aid."
Tang Chen exhaled softly. His gaze grew distant.
"My last wish now is to go to the place where I made a promise to another."
"So, after you mediate the conflict between the Clear Sky Sect and Spirit Hall, come find me. Then, you will receive the answer you seek."
"Bring with you the token I gave you, as well as Xiao'er, Hao'er, and Yuehua. Take them with you to Sea God Island to find me."
Having said this, Tang Chen suddenly shot into the sky like a crimson bird, soaring upward and vanishing as a blood-red meteor across Lin Fan's sight.
He moved so quickly that Lin Fan had no chance to react.
Though Tang Chen had little time left to live, his power had returned to his body. But that same body had already been fatally corroded.
The venom of the Blood-Red Nine-Headed Bat King had ravaged him for years. Even with such immense strength, his body could no longer withstand the energy within.
When he was still the Slaughter King, it was different—the Bat King controlled his body, and the energy within was relatively stable, allowing him to persist.
But now, after regaining his consciousness, his true strength surged back, along with a portion of the Shura God's inheritance. The overwhelming energy instantly began tearing his mortal body apart.
That was why Tang Chen's strength had reached the half-divine level—yet Lin Fan could not possibly catch up to him. Tang Chen's only thought was to return to Sea God Island, to see Bo Saixi one last time. Otherwise, his body would have collapsed immediately.
And of course, he carried with him the Shura Demon Sword, now fused as one with his being.
Lin Fan stared blankly in the direction Tang Chen had vanished, stunned.
"System, why is this mission harder than winning a hundred consecutive matches in the Hell Arena, yet the reward doesn't match the difficulty?"
"System, do you realize I just suffered one percent damage to my body?"
[Host is incompetent. What does that have to do with this system?]
"I even coughed blood!"
[Host is incompetent. What does that have to do with this system?]
"Six!" Lin Fan's hands trembled with anger. Once again, the system was mocking him.
He knew full well—Tang Chen's death was inevitable. Yet before dying, Tang Chen would surely entrust something to Bo Saixi.
Otherwise, he would not have asked Lin Fan to bring Tang Yuehua and the others to Sea God Island.
If Lin Fan were to trespass on Sea God Island recklessly, Bo Saixi might very well prevent him from claiming the Shura Demon Sword. Even if she didn't, if the sword were left to sink into the vast ocean, finding it would be no different from searching for a needle in a haystack.
Retrieving the Shura Demon Sword from Tang Chen would require more than just strength—it would require careful thought.
"Damn it! The Shura Demon Sword was right in front of me, and I just let it slip away!"
At that moment, Lin Fan felt like slapping himself across the face.
But he didn't—because it would hurt.
So he just grumbled to himself.
Looking back at Slaughter City's ruined inner sanctum, Lin Fan saw that the city was no more. Nearly all the fallen had perished, and with the Shura Demon Sword gone as well, there was no reason left to stay.
He turned and walked toward the outer city, soon arriving at the gates, where he found the unconscious Hu Liena.
Lifting her into his arms, Lin Fan stepped through the gates and left Slaughter City.
As for the surviving enforcers, they hadn't drunk the Blood Mary and thus weren't truly fallen. Lin Fan ignored them.
Not long after he left, the enforcer captain, Watters, was the first to awaken.
Staring at the ruins of Slaughter City, his face filled with confusion. Then, he quickly roused his companions, including Scott.
"Captain… the King… is he dead?" Scott asked blankly.
"Dead. All of them are dead. Everything is gone."
"Haha! Then we can leave Slaughter City at last. I've had enough of this dark, endless nightmare."
…
"Cough, cough…"
Hu Liena slowly opened her eyes, a faint firelight flickering in her vision.
Pushing herself up from the soft bedding beneath her, she realized she was in a small forest grove.
Lifting her head, she saw the night sky above, scattered with stars.
Forest. Starlight. Such things could never exist in the blood-soaked Slaughter City.
"You're awake."
Hu Liena turned toward the voice and saw Lin Fan seated by a campfire, roasting a rabbit.
"We… got out?" she asked in disbelief.
"Yes." Lin Fan nodded, his tone distracted. His mind was preoccupied, turning over how to bring Tang Yuehua and her brothers to Sea God Island. Before that, he would first need to ease the hostilities between Spirit Hall and the Clear Sky Sect.
Just the thought gave him a headache. He regretted ever telling Tang Chen about their feud.
Hu Liena, however, was more worried about her trial. "Then what about my trial? You just carried me out like this… what about my Killing God Domain?"
Lin Fan answered flatly, "Your trial can't be completed anymore. Slaughter City is destroyed. The fallen are dead. There's no one left to fight you in the Hell Arena, and no one left to open the Hell Road."
"This—!" Hu Liena gasped, remembering her last moments before fainting. Indeed, all the fallen had been drained by the Slaughter King.
"So… we're outside now. That means the Slaughter King is dead?"
"Correct. He's dead. Just report the truth to your teacher. She won't make things difficult for you."
As he spoke, Lin Fan tore half the roasted rabbit and handed it to her.
"Eat. Then get some sleep. Tomorrow, we'll return at first light.
Remember, cultivation doesn't always mean endless killing. Training the heart is also a vital part of the path."
He returned to his seat, chewing his half of the rabbit.
"Thank you."
At this point, Hu Liena could only express gratitude. With Slaughter City destroyed, her only choice was to return to Spirit Hall.