Chapter 147: Killing Intent
Yang Xiong's first Hell Slaughter Arena match proceeded quickly. After Yang Xiong consecutively killed two people, Bamboo Leaf Green killed one, bringing the total kills to three.
The other five participants were also engaged in a chaotic battle, with two attacking one person, while the other two were fighting one-on-one.
But no matter who they were, all attention was focused on the arena, since everyone in the arena was an enemy.
Bamboo Leaf Green gave Yang Xiong a half-smile and said, "Little brother, I see you're quite strong. How about we team up first and eliminate the others? After that, we can decide who wins."
Yang Xiong smiled slightly. "Alright. So, who should we target first?"
Bamboo Leaf Green said, "The fat guy being attacked is the strongest among us. He has already won seven matches in the Hell Slaughter Arena and is the most powerful here. Let's kill him first."
Yang Xiong thought for a moment, then nodded. "Alright. But don't try anything funny like you did earlier."
Bamboo Leaf Green smiled. "Of course not. That middle-aged man has bullied me many times in the past. I just wanted to get some revenge."
Yang Xiong and Bamboo Leaf Green exchanged a glance and quickly joined in the attack on the fat man.
The fat man roared, "Bamboo Leaf Green, you ungrateful wretch! If it wasn't for me protecting you back then, you wouldn't be able to survive in the City of Slaughter!"
Bamboo Leaf Green snorted. "Protecting me? You made me bow to you."
At that moment, the situation suddenly changed. Bamboo Leaf Green's short blade, which was aimed at the fat man, unexpectedly spun in the air and directly stabbed at Yang Xiong's shoulder. Bamboo Leaf Green's face wore a grin.
Meanwhile, the fat man with the large sword summoned his soul beast, transforming into a huge black bear, and charged toward Yang Xiong with all his strength, while the two attackers who had been focusing on the fat man now turned toward Yang Xiong.
Yang Xiong sneered and, gripping his long sword with his right hand, deflected the fat man's large sword, sending it flying toward the other two attackers.
With his left hand, Yang Xiong transformed it into a sharp claw and directly grabbed Bamboo Leaf Green's sharp short blade.
Bamboo Leaf Green, seemingly confident, didn't hold back and kept swinging the short blade at Yang Xiong. Just as the blade was about to strike Yang Xiong's shoulder, his five fingers gripped the short blade with immense force.
Bamboo Leaf Green scoffed, "I didn't expect you to be prepared for me. Unfortunately, you've still fallen into my trap. My short blade is coated with a deadly poison. Even skin contact would poison you."
Yang Xiong smiled slightly. "Is that so? Then let's see what kind of poison this is. When it comes to poison, do you really think you can outdo me?"
Before Bamboo Leaf Green could react, Yang Xiong's left hand tightened, and the short blade in Bamboo Leaf Green's hand was snapped in half.
Before Bamboo Leaf Green could react further, the half-blade in Yang Xiong's hand flew like an arrow and embedded itself into Bamboo Leaf Green's abdomen.
Just as she had said, a pool of dark blood spilled from Bamboo Leaf Green's abdomen. It seemed her short blade did indeed have poison, but it had poisoned her instead.
Bamboo Leaf Green looked utterly shocked. "How is this possible? Why did my poison have no effect on you?"
Yang Xiong ignored her and continued to battle the other three participants.
The fat man, though powerful, was no match for Yang Xiong. The difference in strength was too great. Yang Xiong's physical fitness and combat ability were far superior.
Soon, the fat man was pierced through the heart by Yang Xiong's sword. Even the large sword in his hand was broken.
The other two participants, seeing the overwhelming power of Yang Xiong, showed signs of despair.
However, they gritted their teeth and attacked Yang Xiong with all their might, only to be swiftly killed by him. One was stabbed through the neck, and the other was pierced through the abdomen.
Seeing the situation turning against them, the remaining two participants stopped attacking their original targets and turned on Yang Xiong. Unfortunately, they too were soon killed.
Of the original ten participants, Yang Xiong had killed all but Bamboo Leaf Green, who was still struggling to survive. It seemed her poison was something even she couldn't cure.
Yang Xiong raised his long sword, preparing to deliver the final blow.
Bamboo Leaf Green hurriedly spoke, "I know I'm done for, but can I die knowing the truth? The poison on my short blade was made from seven kinds of venomous snakes. Why did it not work on you?"
Yang Xiong couldn't help but shake his head. "I've been poisoned countless times since I was young. There's no poison in this world that has any effect on me. Perhaps I'm the most poisonous person in the world."
Bamboo Leaf Green, with a resigned smile, mumbled, "No wonder. Normally, anyone who even touches my short blade with their skin would be poisoned, but it didn't affect you. Turns out you're a poison user too."
Just as Yang Xiong was about to strike the killing blow, Bamboo Leaf Green, who had appeared to be on the verge of death, suddenly changed. A smile appeared on her face, and multiple short blades materialized around her.
The two had been very close, and Bamboo Leaf Green's attack came unexpectedly. It seemed she had used this move many times before.
But Yang Xiong smiled faintly, and his long sword flicked through the air, blocking all the short blades' attacks.
As Bamboo Leaf Green rushed toward him, seemingly for a final strike, Yang Xiong's left hand gathered energy and formed a Rasengan, which he slammed into Bamboo Leaf Green's body.
Bamboo Leaf Green, already unable to use soul skills, was completely unable to resist the force of the Rasengan. She was sent flying, and it seemed that every bone in her body was shattered.
Bamboo Leaf Green's eyes widened in disbelief. "I didn't expect you to be so prepared. Your self-created soul skill is even stronger than your swordsmanship. You were waiting for my final attack so that I would expose my weakness and you could kill me."
Yang Xiong smiled. "This is the City of Slaughter. No one trusts anyone else. Let's just say your tactics were a bit too low-level."
Hearing this, Bamboo Leaf Green's face twisted in frustration as she took her last breath.
The announcer, seeing that all nine other participants were dead, finally spoke. "Congratulations to the contestant, Xiong Ba Tian Xia, for winning his first Hell Slaughter Arena match. We look forward to your continued success."
Yang Xiong didn't pay much attention to the announcement. He quickly took the items from the bodies and prepared to leave the Hell Slaughter Arena.
Normally, when participating in the Hell Slaughter Arena, a nickname had to be chosen. Yang Xiong kept the name he had chosen, Xiong Ba Tian Xia.
After finding a vacant room in the inner city, Yang Xiong's originally calm expression suddenly turned serious.
"What's going on? Why didn't I feel this way when I first entered the City of Slaughter? After participating in my first Hell Slaughter Arena match, it feels like my killing intent has become stronger."
Yang Xiong could clearly feel that after killing everyone in the Hell Slaughter Arena, a certain power seemed to have awakened within him. The killing intent he had previously controlled now seemed more intense, and it was beginning to influence both his body and his martial soul.
Yang Xiong knew that normal people couldn't feel this kind of change. But his body and martial soul were special, especially after a year of brutal combat. He had begun to master killing intent.
At this moment, Yang Xiong felt that this killing aura was immensely helpful to him. It seemed to be gradually influencing his martial soul.
"This is interesting. I wonder if it's the effect of the toxins in the Hell Slaughter Arena, or if there's something special about the arena itself. The City of Slaughter seems to be even better for me than I imagined, its impact on me greater than I thought."
Before coming to the City of Slaughter, Yang Xiong had already prepared plenty of food and clean water. He had no intention of using anything from the City of Slaughter, especially the Bloody Mary, which he had made sure to avoid.
In the next few days, Yang Xiong spent his time alone in his room, thinking and adapting to the combat in the City of Slaughter. As for why he preferred to use a sword in the arena, it was partly because swordsmanship was a relatively efficient way to kill enemies, especially when there were no defensive soul skills to contend with.
Moreover, Yang Xiong wanted others to think of him as a sword master, so they would overlook his true strength. In reality, his real strength lay in his physical combat ability, or rather, his combat instincts.
...
Deep within the City of Slaughter, there was a massive room, and in the center of the room, on a throne, sat a mysterious man.
This person exuded a fierce aura that made it nearly impossible for anyone to approach. His face was covered in demonic patterns, making him seem far from human.
This man was the King of Slaughter, the true ruler of the City of Slaughter.
The woman in black suddenly entered the room. "Your Majesty, we've found out that the contestant Xiong Ba Tian Xia should be from the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect."
A strange smile appeared on the King of Slaughter's face. "This is interesting. This must be the first disciple of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect to come to the City of Slaughter. Could the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect have other plans?"
The woman in black hurriedly responded, "Your Majesty, although Xiong Ba Tian Xia has only won one match, he killed eight people in the arena. His strength is beyond imagination. Should we send someone to deal with him?"
The King of Slaughter pondered for a moment before replying, "For now, let's hold off. I want to see what's so special about this Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect disciple who dares to come to the City of Slaughter."
The woman in black said, "Your Majesty, this Xiong Ba Tian Xia is clearly not an ordinary person. If we don't deal with him soon, we may find him difficult to handle in the future."
The King of Slaughter snorted. "He's just a kid. I've already said not to worry about him for now. Besides, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect is the richest sect in the world, and its strength can't be underestimated. I'd rather not make an enemy of them unless necessary."
...
Back at the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, Ning Fengzhi and the others were shocked as they looked at Lin Gong.
"Elder Lin, what did you say? Yang Xiong went to the City of Slaughter?"
Lin Gong nodded. "I saw him leave personally. There's no doubt he's entered the City of Slaughter."
Ning Fengzhi immediately asked, "Elder Lin, since you saw his situation, why didn't you stop him?"
Lin Gong smiled bitterly. "Sect Leader, you should know Yang Xiong's character. Once he decides something, it's hard to stop him."
Ning Fengzhi sat in stunned silence. He never expected that his genius, who had just left to hunt for a fifth soul ring, would end up in the City of Slaughter alone. The City of Slaughter was a place where most people never returned. In nearly a hundred years, only two people had ever come back.
Sword Douluo suddenly spoke. "Fengzhi, I knew Yang Xiong was going to the City of Slaughter, and I agree with his decision. With his current combat ability and physical fitness, plus his various techniques, he should be able to return safely from the City of Slaughter."
"If anything goes wrong, I'll go to the City of Slaughter myself. I don't believe there's anyone who can stop me. If Tang Hao can do it, then I can too."
(END CHAPTER)
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