Chapter 145: City of Slaughter
Lin Gong watched as Yang Xiong walked away with a determined look on his face, unable to shake his head.
There was nowhere in the world that he couldn't protect Yang Xiong, but the City of Slaughter was an exception. Lin Gong was very aware that, with his age, he no longer had the strength to venture into the City of Slaughter.
Yang Xiong, however, seemed deeply fixated on the City of Slaughter, even to the point of recklessness. With the way things were shaping up, both the Body Sect and the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect had the potential to become one of the top three sects, with limitless future prospects.
After parting ways with Lin Gong, Yang Xiong walked alone through the town.
The entire town looked dark and cold, emanating a sinister aura that made Yang Xiong feel extremely uncomfortable, as if it had a strong dark attribute.
There was no sign of life, and everything appeared desolate, almost as if it carried an unbearable chill.
Yang Xiong paid no attention to these details, heading directly to the only tavern in the center of the town. The tavern was the only place in the town that seemed to have any life, or rather, it was the only place with any living people.
Inside, the tavern was sparsely populated. The air was thick and murky. The tavern had around ten tables, but only seven or eight people were sitting.
These people looked fierce, dressed in rough clothing, clearly not the kind of people one would consider virtuous.
Yang Xiong casually chose a seat near the corner, appearing very nonchalant.
"Waiter, I'll have a Bloody Mary," he ordered.
The waiter looked confused. "Are you sure, sir? A Bloody Mary is quite expensive."
Yang Xiong tossed a bag of money onto the table, glancing at the waiter. His eyes showed a glint of killing intent, looking almost like a wild beast.
The waiter, now intimidated, quickly left to prepare the drink.
Soon enough, the waiter returned with a glass of murky liquid. The liquid had a faint crimson tint and a strong, bloody smell.
Yang Xiong looked at the Bloody Mary with disgust. This was real human blood, a highly toxic substance, akin to the poppy in the world of Blue Star. Long-term use could lead to addiction or even madness, ultimately turning a normal person into a soulless monster.
Seeing Yang Xiong's reaction, many of the people around began to jeer.
"Kid, looks like you haven't even grown a beard. Someone like you shouldn't be here."
"Where did this rookie come from? This place is not for the likes of you. Go back home!"
...
Yang Xiong ignored the noise around him, a cold aura spreading from his body, emanating a killing intent that seemed impossible for someone under 20 to possess.
When he didn't respond and continued staring blankly at the Bloody Mary, a burly man nearby yelled, "You little brat, thinking you can come to the City of Slaughter? I'll send you to hell first!"
The man quickly summoned his martial soul — a four-ring Soul King. Unfortunately, his soul rings were one white, two yellow, and one purple, and his martial soul was a wild ox.
Before he could get close, Yang Xiong's figure flashed, and he swiftly appeared in front of the man. Ignoring his full resistance, Yang Xiong grabbed his neck with one hand.
Even though the man used his soul skills, Yang Xiong's strength was overwhelming. He broke through the ox's defense and twisted his neck with force, dropping the man dead to the ground.
The others who had been jeering earlier now looked on in fear. Even the man who had just died had a look of despair and disbelief in his eyes — a young man had just killed him in an instant.
Since his goal was to enter the City of Slaughter, there would be no mercy. Anyone seeking to kill was a target who deserved to die and be scorned by the world.
In just a short while, Yang Xiong killed everyone around him. Some had their necks broken, while others were struck with such force that their bones shattered. Not a single person survived.
The waiter, seeing the pile of bodies in the tavern, was trembling with fear. Though he worked at this tavern, he had never seen anyone as domineering and ruthless as Yang Xiong.
Yang Xiong calmly spoke, "Now that everyone here is dead, I should have the right to enter the City of Slaughter, right?"
The waiter quickly responded, "Of course. You're the only one going to the City of Slaughter this time. The slot is yours."
Yang Xiong picked up the Bloody Mary from the table. This drink was hard currency in the City of Slaughter, and it might have other uses in the future.
"Lead the way. I don't want to waste any more time."
The waiter swallowed nervously and led Yang Xiong to the back of the tavern.
They soon arrived at the bar counter. After a series of actions, the wall behind the bar began to move, revealing a black hole.
Yang Xiong used his spiritual power to probe the hole, but as his spiritual energy entered, it seemed to disappear without a trace. Clearly, this was a passage to an unknown world.
Without hesitation, Yang Xiong grabbed the waiter and tossed him into the black hole.
The waiter screamed, "What are you doing? I don't want to go to the City of Slaughter!"
After the waiter entered the black hole, there was no more sound. No more screams, no disturbance at all.
Yang Xiong leapt into the hole himself.
Inside the hole, it felt like endless darkness. There wasn't even a shred of light. Yang Xiong felt like he was falling, his body in a state of weightlessness.
Soon, Yang Xiong reached the ground. With his years of training in the Purple Extreme Magic Eyes and his powerful spiritual power, he was able to see a winding down-going passage in the darkness, though the waiter had completely disappeared.
After carefully checking that there was no one else around, Yang Xiong began walking down the passage.
After walking for several minutes, nearly a kilometer down the passage, a faint light appeared, indicating he had reached the end of the passage.
Suddenly, a voice echoed from all directions: "Welcome to the City of Slaughter. This is the capital of Hell, a world of killing. Here, you can get anything you desire — money, wealth, beautiful women — but the price will be your life."
Yang Xiong carefully listened to the voice, but couldn't detect where it was coming from. It didn't seem like it was from a normal person. Perhaps it was tied to the environment.
Using his Purple Extreme Magic Eyes, Yang Xiong could see that the end of the passage had an ancient-looking gate.
However, as Yang Xiong approached the gate, a woman's voice suddenly rang out: "Congratulations on reaching the City of Slaughter. Here, it will be both your paradise and your hell."
When Yang Xiong stepped through the gate, the entire world seemed to open up into a vast, eerie space. Ahead, there was an ancient city, with a blood-red moon hanging ominously in the sky.
The entire world seemed engulfed in darkness, with visibility so low that even Yang Xiong's spiritual power could only detect things within five hundred meters, as if it were a perpetual night.
Before him stood a woman in black, the one who had spoken earlier. Behind her were a group of knights, each riding black horses, their armor also black, with their faces concealed.
The black-clad woman looked strangely at him: "Welcome to the City of Slaughter. I am your guide. Feel free to ask me anything. For the next 24 hours, I will explain everything about the City of Slaughter. After 24 hours, you will officially become a member of the City of Slaughter."
After speaking, the woman took out a token and handed it to Yang Xiong: "This token is your proof in the City of Slaughter. From now on, you won't have a name, and this token will hold all your information."
Yang Xiong took the token. On it was a bizarre skull, with a number inscribed on the back: 8868.
Yang Xiong didn't dwell on it, putting the token away and speaking to the woman: "Let's go. Take me into the City of Slaughter. I'm getting a little excited."
The black-clad woman raised an eyebrow: "Mr. 8868, don't you have any questions?"
Yang Xiong smiled faintly: "The City of Slaughter is said to be the place with the least rules in the world. I came here to experience real killing, to experience a different world."
The woman's lips twitched slightly at his response. She had welcomed many people, but never had anyone answered like Yang Xiong.
Most people who entered the City of Slaughter had no other choice, either being wanted by the world, not recognized by society, or offending powerful forces.
After a year of brutal training under Sword Douluo and Bone Douluo, Yang Xiong's physical abilities had greatly improved. His combat abilities had also risen, and his personality had undergone a certain change.
If he had once been cautious, now he was more aggressive, with a stronger aura of killing intent.
The black-clad woman said: "Mr. 8868, as your guide, I must inform you of the rules of the City of Slaughter. The greatest rule here is that there are no rules. As a member, you can do anything you want."
"Under the leadership of the great King of Slaughter, all soul skills will be disabled. It's fair for everyone. Even Title Douluo-level experts cannot use their soul skills here, so you don't have to fear anyone."
Yang Xiong knew about the rule that soul skills couldn't be used in the City of Slaughter, but he summoned his soul rings, transforming his body into silver, which meant he could still use his martial soul.
However, to his surprise, all his soul rings had turned gray, and the energy of the rings seemed completely cut off from him. Even soul bone skills were useless.
Yang Xiong realized that in the City of Slaughter, his martial soul, with its unparalleled recovery ability, was his greatest advantage. It was different from others.
Unexpectedly, while soul bone skills were restricted, the energy from the soul bones themselves could still be used.
For example, the Xuanming Armor and the Ice and Fire Dragon Claw, though their soul skills couldn't be used, their natural characteristics were unaffected by the City of Slaughter's rules.
The right leg's 100,000-year Blue Silver Emperor soul bone, despite not being able to use its skill, still provided a huge enhancement to his body, especially its life attributes, which boosted his recovery ability.
The black-clad woman saw Yang Xiong thinking deeply and continued: "Mr. 8868, all newcomers to the City of Slaughter have a 24-hour protection period. During this time, I will stay by your side. However, you cannot provoke others, or your protection will be voided."
Yang Xiong, slightly confused, asked: "If I remember correctly, don't people have to go through a test to enter the City of Slaughter? Those Slaughter Knights earlier, weren't they part of the test?"
The black-clad woman smiled: "You are mistaken, sir. Your actions in the Slaughter Tavern have been recorded. Your coldness and killing intent were convincing. Even the Slaughter Knights found your aura terrifying, which is why you didn't need to go through the test."
Yang Xiong smiled: "It seems I underestimated the City of Slaughter, but I like it here."
(END CHAPTER)
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