When Chen Yi achieved his first clear victory in the Hell Slaughter Arena and his figure disappeared behind the iron doors at the exit, a cold will quietly gazed into the deepest part of Slaughter City. The King of Slaughter was extremely interested in the boy who displayed strength far beyond that of an ordinary newcomer. Tapping lightly on the armrest with his pale fingers, he wondered if he wanted to see more of this uncontrollable youth.
However, the King's thoughts and plans were abruptly interrupted in the next instant. A figure dressed in a simple blue robe quietly appeared at the center of the room. It was the Grand Elder.
The King of Slaughter's burly body stiffened slightly. His red-glowing eyes narrowed, staring at the uninvited guest before him. This was Slaughter City, the place chosen by the God of Asura for inheritance and trials. If not for having the "Deathgod Domain," his powers would have been greatly suppressed here. Even Clear Sky Douluo Tang Chen, upon first entering this place, had been restricted in the same way.
Yet the man in green before him had actually broken through Slaughter City's suppression and appeared directly before him. The King of Slaughter couldn't help but squint his eyes at this mysterious method. In his impression, this person did not belong to any of the Deathgods.
Although the aura around the man in green was clearly suppressed, the spiritual power emanating from his body seemed to have undergone some essential transformation, allowing him to resist the suppression of Slaughter City. But what surprised the King of Slaughter most was that he sensed an extremely faint divinity emanating from the old man in green.
Had a human soul master nurtured his own divinity even without inheriting a godhood? Unheard of in the past ten thousand years!
The Grand Elder's eyes were fixed on the King of Slaughter, hiding a tangle of complex emotions deep within his calm gaze. Then he spoke:
"I wish to see him leave Slaughter City."
These words came without preamble or conclusion, but the King of Slaughter immediately understood what the Grand Elder meant.
The reason the Grand Elder had allowed Chen Yi to enter this perilous Slaughter City was not only because he trusted in Chen Yi's own strength, but also because his greatest hope lay in Chen Yi's recently awakened divinity.
After years of arduous cultivation and inheriting the legacy of the Ice and Fire Dragon Kings, his spiritual power had finally transformed and touched upon the divine realm. Although he had just entered this realm and could not fully unleash his powers under the rules of Slaughter City, his essence was already different.
Slaughter City could seal off soul skills and greatly weaken one's strength, but under the premise that the Asura God cannot directly intervene in the mortal world, anyone with divine consciousness is no weaker than the Deathgods—even if they're suppressed in this city.
However, when the King of Slaughter heard the Grand Elder's words, a crimson light suddenly blazed in his eyes.
"Are you threatening me?"
The King of Slaughter's voice was extremely domineering. "Human, since ancient times, it has been rare for anyone to nurture true divinity, but don't forget—this is Slaughter City!"
"This is the place where the God of Asura's inheritance is passed down!"
"If you unleash your nascent divinity here with full force, you will surely draw that one's attention. At that time, you will be punished by the gods and pay an unbearable price!"
The Grand Elder's voice remained utterly steady.
"You're absolutely right. Considering the rules of this place and the strength of your current shell, it would indeed be difficult to kill you."
"However, with the strength of my current consciousness, it would not be hard to forcibly awaken the original consciousness of your body."
The King of Slaughter's body suddenly trembled, retreating half a step as the deep crimson in his eyes flashed violently. A rival for control… he had indeed seen it! He understood that he was not the original owner of this body, and that the original consciousness had not been entirely erased.
The Grand Elder sensed the King of Slaughter's violent turmoil and sighed quietly. He had also watched the "Battle of Two Peaks" from afar. Even the great powerhouse Tang Chen of the Clear Sky Sect, a legend in his generation, had earned his respect. There had been rumors that Tang Chen had set foot on the path to godhood, but who could have imagined he would end up in Slaughter City, meeting such a fate?
King of Slaughter—or rather, the blood-red Nine-Headed Bat King—felt his heart storming. The Grand Elder's threat struck at his most vulnerable point. This body was the perfect vessel he had worked so hard to find. If the person before him truly used the power of divine consciousness to forcibly awaken Tang Chen's suppressed awareness, even a brief period of confusion and internal struggle would be enough to create a fatal flaw in his connection to this body.
What would happen then? As a thief, he would face direct resistance and rejection, and with Tang Chen's cooperation, he could be completely expelled. The one before him would indeed be punished by the God of Asura, but as for himself? Undoubtedly, he would die, losing everything!
This person was gambling—betting that he feared death even more than he did, and was even more afraid of losing this once-in-a-lifetime vessel.
Thinking this, the King of Slaughter's pale face twisted with intense emotion. After a long while, he squeezed out a sentence through gritted teeth, his voice hoarse:
"Very well… Very well! If that 9527 can achieve a hundred consecutive victories in the Hell Slaughter Arena by his own strength and gains the right to challenge the Road to Hell, this king will not stop him!"
"However—!"
The king's tone turned harsher, a cold light flickering in his crimson eyes.
"If he fails to achieve a hundred victories, falls along the way, or suffers an accident elsewhere in Slaughter City, you cannot blame this king."
The Grand Elder glanced lightly at the King of Slaughter.
"His path is his own. Whether he achieves a hundred victories or not is his own trial. Just remember not to overstep the rules."
"As for other matters… you need not worry."
After speaking, the Grand Elder vanished silently.
Only after confirming that the Grand Elder's aura had completely disappeared from the core of Slaughter City did the King of Slaughter return to his throne.
"A hundred victories… Let's see how far you can go, boy."
…
At this moment, the Grand Elder, who had already left the King of Slaughter's palace and appeared in the shadows on the outskirts of Slaughter City, let out a sigh of relief. In the conversation just now, he seemed to be holding the advantage, threatening to awaken Tang Chen's consciousness and force the King of Slaughter to yield. But in truth, it was a risky move.
Tang Chen's body had long been eroded by the Nine-Headed Bat King. Even if his original consciousness wasn't completely erased, it was certainly damaged and deeply intertwined with the parasite's soul. Even if he succeeded, given Tang Chen's broken state and the degree of entanglement, it was highly likely that his complete erasure would only accelerate, potentially causing the collapse of this powerful body.
And once things got out of control, no one could predict how the God of Asura would respond.
Moreover, Tang Chen was a previous-generation member of the Clear Sky Sect and once the strongest man in the world. Considering his pride and love for the sect, if he regained his senses and learned of the blood feud between the Body Sect and the Clear Sky Sect, would he purge the sect's enemies with his last strength?
Even a defeated Douluo on the brink of death, if manipulated by a remnant soul, could still cause immense damage.
From the perspective of the soul master world, Tang Chen's fall was truly a great loss, and the Grand Elder himself respected him. But respect is respect, and positions are positions. For the Body Sect, a Tang Chen ruled by evil and chaos was far safer than a sober Tang Chen with little time left.
"A dead Tang Chen is a good Tang Chen."
…