Chapter 149: Sendai, Culling Game?
Lin Xuan was stunned. His face was filled with bewilderment, and he even doubted if he had misheard.
"Say that again? What is the name?"
Seeing Lin Xuan's reaction, Ju Zi was also taken aback and replied cautiously,
"Sen... Sendai. Is there something wrong with the name?"
Lin Xuan fell silent. There was a huge problem with this name.
At this moment, it felt exactly like that time—it was too similar! If he didn't know for certain that he was on the Douluo Continent, Lin Xuan would have suspected he was starting a second playthrough and was about to go through the Culling Game all over again.
He took a deep breath, suppressing the absurd sense of déjà vu. He looked up and scanned his surroundings, feeling the deathly silent atmosphere.
This small town called Sendai definitely had a major problem.
Lin Xuan thought to himself as he asked the three in his Spiritual Sea, "Did you guys notice any anomalies?"
Electrolux's voice was the first to sound, his tone grave. "This old man was just about to tell you. I can clearly feel that this town is isolated by an invisible barrier. Judging by its aura, it should be a restrictive barrier that only allows entry but no exit."
Tianmeng Ice Silkworm took over, "I did a search and found that a spirit tool is hidden in each of the four cardinal directions of this town. Based on their energy fluctuations, they should be at the top level of Rank 8. Truly a grand undertaking..."
Lin Xuan nodded slightly. Now everything clicked.
This was an otherworldly version of the Culling Game. He wasn't sure what the situation inside the barrier was, but since four Rank 8 spirit tools were used to seal the entire town tightly, it likely wasn't anything good.
It was probably the work of Evil Soul Masters.
The Ice Empress then spoke, her tone calm, "Lin Xuan, are you leaving, or going in to investigate?"
She didn't try to persuade him. She knew Lin Xuan's personality; once he had an idea about something, it wasn't something they could change.
Moreover, with Lin Xuan's current strength, as long as there weren't several Limit Douluos waiting inside the barrier, there wouldn't be any danger.
Lin Xuan nodded and looked at Ju Zi and Ke Ke beside him.
"There are two choices now. One, enter this town and see what's going on. Two, act as if nothing happened and leave immediately."
He paused and continued, "Conveniently, there are three of us. Majority rules. Let's start the vote."
After saying that, he raised his hand directly. "I want to go in and take a look."
Ju Zi was a bit conflicted. She was already very close to her hometown and didn't want any unexpected complications.
But on second thought, this place was so close to her home; if something went wrong, it would likely affect her hometown.
In that case, she had even more reason to figure things out.
She took a deep breath and also raised her hand. "I want to go in too."
Ke Ke spread her hands, looking helpless. "Since you two have already agreed in unison, what else can I do?"
Lin Xuan said with a smile, "If you're afraid, you can wait outside. I'll release a Shikigami to protect you."
Ke Ke curled her lip. "Who needs your protection? Besides, I didn't say I was refusing. On a dark and windy night like this, I wouldn't feel safe letting the two of you stay together alone!"
Ju Zi's face turned red, and she gave Ke Ke an annoyed glare.
Lin Xuan smiled, and his expression gradually became serious. "Since we've made the decision, let's head out. Remember, you must stay close to me. If you find any problems, do not act on your own."
Ju Zi and Ke Ke nodded with serious expressions.
Then, the three of them walked towards the deathly silent Sendai Town.
When they were about a hundred meters from the town's outskirts, Lin Xuan could vaguely feel that there was something in the void ahead, like a transparent film—invisible and intangible, yet truly blocking the way.
As the three of them passed through this film, the scene before them changed abruptly.
Ju Zi and Ke Ke's eyes widened suddenly, their pupils trembling as they looked at everything before them in shock.
The town that was merely deathly silent had instantly transformed.
Buildings had collapsed, and blood flowed like a river. Mutilated corpses lay haphazardly among the ruins; some were crushed under rubble, with only a stiff hand showing.
Some were nailed to walls, blood slowly trickling down the surfaces; others were curled up in corners, their bodies already stiff and blackened.
Flames burned throughout the town, fire soaring into the sky and black smoke billowing, casting a crimson glow over the entire town.
The air was thick with the stench of blood, burning, and an indescribable scent of decay, mixing together to create a suffocating atmosphere.
The entire World was like hell.
Lin Xuan narrowed his eyes, now completely certain.
It was indeed the work of Evil Soul Masters.
Ju Zi and Ke Ke, coming back to their senses, began to clutch their chests and retch.
Ju Zi was the first to recover. Her face pale, she looked up, trying her best not to look at the carnage.
Ke Ke retched until tears came to her eyes before she finally found some relief, murmuring with a trembling voice,
"Have we... come to hell..."
Ju Zi calmed down slightly and analyzed with a raspy voice, "A single step apart, yet the World has changed... This is a barrier-type spirit tool, and one that can cover such a large area... would be at least Rank 8, and there's more than one."
At this point, her face grew even paler.
She knew all too well what the words 'multiple Rank 8 spirit tools' represented.
It meant that this barrier was either the work of several Rank 8 Soul Engineers or a powerhouse at the level of a Rank 9 Soul Engineer and Titled Douluo.
And on top of those titles, a note had to be added—Evil Soul Master.
Lin Xuan reached out his hand into the void. His palm was blocked by an invisible barrier, the touch cold and hard, as if pressing against an invisible wall.
He withdrew his hand and said calmly,
"One can only enter, not leave. We are trapped."
Ke Ke panicked instantly, her expression frantic and her lips trembling.
Ju Zi also appeared very anxious, her fingertips shaking incessantly, her gaze darting around, yet not daring to look at those gruesome corpses again.
Just as the two of them thought everything was over, Lin Xuan suddenly spoke.
"What are you panicking for?"
"With me here, nothing will happen to you."
Ju Zi and Ke Ke snapped their heads to look at him.
Under the glow of the fire, Lin Xuan stood there, his silver-white school uniform dyed crimson, his black hair fluttering slightly in the heat wave.
His expression was as calm as water, and in those deep eyes, there was no fear, no panic, only a reassuring, almost cold composure.
Ke Ke's eyes suddenly reddened, and Ju Zi lowered her head, blinking hard to force back the surge of emotion in her heart.
Lin Xuan didn't give them a chance to speak.
He lightly clapped his hands, and the shadows beneath the three of them quietly merged into one, as if drawn by an invisible hand.
"Let's find some living people to understand the situation first."
As his voice fell, the shadows swallowed the three figures.
...
In a dimly lit basement, only a single candle provided a faint light.
Over a dozen people in rags were huddled together. Among them were old and young, men and women, but without exception, all wore expressions of terror, not even daring to breathe loudly.
They shrank into the corner, huddling tightly together, as if making even a slight sound would attract the Reaper's scythe.
The candle's flame swayed gently, casting shadows on the wall that flickered long and short.
Suddenly, a child reached out, pointing at the darkness behind the candle, and said in a childish voice,
"Mom, look, the shadow is moving!"
The young woman holding him suddenly covered the child's mouth, her hands shaking.
But the child's words were already out, and everyone looked towards that candle.
Beneath the candle, that dim shadow was rapidly expanding, like ink dropping into clear water, silent and unseen.
The shadow spread from the corner to the floor, climbed from the floor to the walls, enveloping the entire basement.
Then, three figures slowly emerged from the shadows.
"Finally found some living people."
Lin Xuan's voice rang out in the silent basement.
The crowd instantly exploded; some screamed, some wailed, some desperately shrank into corners, and some scrambled to escape.
Those terrified faces were filled with despair, as if the ones standing before them were not humans, but evil Martial Souls crawled out from the depths of hell.
"Everyone, stop shouting!"
A low voice drowned out all the noise.
A middle-aged man with his right arm in a bandage stood up, blocking the front of the crowd.
He stared intently at the three figures walking out of the shadows, his gaze sweeping over Ke Ke, over Lin Xuan, and finally landing on Ju Zi.
His voice began to tremble, filled with disbelief, "Is... is it Ju Zi?"
Ju Zi was startled. She looked closely and cried out in shock, "Uncle Li?! Why are you here?"
The middle-aged man called Uncle Li widened his eyes, his voice shaking,
"It really is you?! Ju Zi, aren't you studying in Mingdu? How can you be here?!"
Seeing a familiar face, the panicked crowd gradually quieted down, but they still looked at Lin Xuan's trio warily. Their gazes flickered in the darkness like a group of startled rabbits.
Lin Xuan smiled, squatted down, and took out a few pieces of candy from his spirit tool, handing them to the child in the woman's arms.
The woman instinctively wanted to refuse, but the child's hand had already reached out, grabbing the candy, a pure smile blossoming on their dirty little face.
Lin Xuan reached out and patted the child's head, then stood up.
On the other side, Ju Zi and Uncle Li had finished talking, each knowing the reason why the other was here.
Uncle Li's mood was extremely complex. He turned to look at the standing Lin Xuan; he had learned from Ju Zi that this young man was the renowned Lin Xuan.
It could be said that whether everyone could survive depended entirely on him.
Lin Xuan clapped his hands, drawing everyone's attention.
"Since there are acquaintances, it makes things easier. Tell me, what exactly is the situation here?"
Uncle Li took a deep breath and nodded.
He first turned to comfort the people behind him, briefly explaining the identities of Lin Xuan's trio, and then turned back, speaking in a low voice.
"A day ago, a person suddenly appeared in the sky. That person said that from now on, this place is locked down. If you want to leave, there is only one condition: kill everyone except yourself."
"After saying that, he began to kill everyone he saw." Uncle Li's voice was trembling.
"I saw his Martial Soul and Soul Rings. His Martial Soul is a type of black insect, endless in number, which can devour a house in an instant. As for the Soul Rings... there seemed to be seven."
When he mentioned "seven," his voice was almost squeezed out from between his teeth, carrying a fear that went deep into his bones.
Someone in the corner began to sob quietly, someone covered their mouth tightly, their body shaking uncontrollably. Those tragic and inhumane scenes seemed to resurface before everyone's eyes at this moment.
Uncle Li paused for a moment and continued, "We subsequently discovered that we really couldn't get out. The entire town was isolated by an invisible barrier."
"Seeing that they couldn't leave... some people began to believe that Evil Soul Master's words and started a slaughter, but those people also quickly died at the hands of others."
"Gradually, more and more people joined the slaughter. After all... if you don't kill, you will be killed by others."
He lowered his head, looking at his bandaged right arm, "We didn't want to kill, so we hid here."
Lin Xuan didn't rush him, just waited quietly.
Uncle Li raised his head and glanced at Lin Xuan, seemingly guessing what he wanted to ask, so he continued.
"Before we entered the basement, the people in the town were almost all dead. Among them, the strongest were four people. One is that Evil Soul Master, at the Soul Saint realm. The remaining three were all Soul Saint powerhouses who were originally resting here, preparing to enter the Mingdou Forest the next day for a soul hunt."
"Their Martial Souls..." Uncle Li's voice was a bit hesitant, "I didn't dare to look closely. I only know that their Martial Souls are a cannon, a stone giant, and a large black snake respectively."
"We should have been hiding here for half a day, and we haven't felt any major movement."
"It's possible that the four of them are wary of each other and don't dare to easily attack others anymore..."
After hearing these words, Lin Xuan's expression became somewhat subtle.
These rules... it really is the Culling Game.
Of course, it was only similar in rules. He guessed that some Evil Soul Master probably wanted to break through their realm and thus orchestrated this.
Looking at this grand scale, it was definitely the work of the Holy Spirit Cult.
After listening to Uncle Li's words, Ju Zi and Ke Ke's faces were already as white as paper.
The rule that only one person can leave alive was already desperate enough, and now there are four Soul Saint powerhouses guarding the outside... they can't fight it, they simply can't fight it.
If there were only one Evil Soul Master Soul Saint, with Lin Xuan's strength and Ultimate Light attribute, there might still be a chance, but four...
Ju Zi and Ke Ke didn't think Lin Xuan had the strength to take on four at once.
An atmosphere of despair spread through this small space, making it hard to breathe. Some cried softly, some squatted in the corner with their heads in their hands, and some stared at the ground with empty eyes, as if their souls had already left their bodies.
At this moment, Lin Xuan spoke again. He looked at Uncle Li and asked a question in a calm tone.
"The other three Soul Saints, did they all take action?"
Uncle Li froze for a moment, then nodded heavily, "They all killed many people."
He lowered his head, looking at his bandaged right arm, his voice full of uncontrollable anger.
"They are clearly already Soul Saint powerhouses, yet they can still kill ordinary people! Disgusting! It's so damn disgusting! If you're so capable, go kill the other Soul Saints!"
As soon as these words were spoken, they immediately resonated with everyone. Some cursed under their breath, some gritted their teeth, and some clenched their fists, their nails digging into their palms.
It can only be said that the wickedness of human nature is beyond imagination.
Usually, under the Binding Vow of rules, everyone strives to be a model citizen, but when placed in a World with no rules at all, the ugliness of human nature is revealed without reservation.
Whether strong or weak, they will completely release the imprisoned devil deep in their hearts.
Just as people were united in their hatred, Ke Ke suddenly noticed a problem.
"Eh? Where's Lin Xuan?"
Hearing this, Ju Zi suddenly turned her head to look, only to find that Lin Xuan's figure had disappeared at some point...
...
East of Sendai Town.
At the top of a still relatively intact tower, a burly man with ferocious muscles sat casually on the edge, one large hand roaming unscrupulously over the young woman beside him.
The woman's face was numb and her eyes were empty, like a doll without a soul. The burly man didn't care at all, even taking pleasure in it.
At his feet stood a giant cannon the size of a small house, its dark muzzle pointing at the ruins below, as if it could spew out destructive flames at any time.
Shi Hu, Level 74 attack system Battle Soul Saint, Martial Soul: Sky-Shattering Cannon.
Kill count: 71.
North.
A luxurious bed had been moved from some mansion and placed in the center of the ruins.
An enchanting young woman lay comfortably on it, the bright red wine in her glass shimmering with a mesmerizing light.
She gently swirled the glass and drained the wine, a blood-colored trace remaining at the corner of her mouth.
Behind her, a jet-black giant snake was coiled around the bed, its pupils cold, flicking its scarlet tongue.
Wu Ya, Level 71 control system Battle Soul Saint, Martial Soul: Black Water Profound Snake.
Kill count: 49.
South.
Beneath a ruin, the light was completely cut off, with only two scarlet glows flickering slightly in the darkness.
That person wore a terrifying and ferocious insect mask, his figure tall and thin, his aura almost non-existent.
He sat quietly on a throne built of bones, and in the blood flowing at his feet lay countless bones that had been devoured clean.
Insect Demon, Level 76 attack system Battle Soul Saint, Martial Soul: Bone-Devouring Demon Insect.
Kill count: 91.
Highest in the field.
West.
A young man wearing glasses and looking quite refined was focused on reading a book in his hand.
He sat on a piece of rubble with a proper posture, as if he were in a study rather than hell.
A faint gray halo surrounded him, and a giant Gargoyle phantom could be vaguely seen guarding his side.
Li Haoran, Level 71 defense system Battle Soul Saint, Martial Soul: Gargoyle.
Kill count: 85.
Between the four sides, there were no alliances because their strengths were similar and their personalities different; they were wary of each other, forming a delicate four-way balance of restraint.
No one dared to easily break this balance because no one knew if, after they acted, the other two would reap the benefits.
However, now, this balance was broken.
A cold light silently pierced out from the darkness.
A burst of blood erupted from Li Haoran's chest, and the pages of the book in his hand were soaked with blood, slowly drifting down.
The Gargoyle Martial Soul let out a shrill wail, the gray halo instantly collapsed, and the giant phantom disintegrated like shattered glass.
He smashed heavily onto the ground, his glasses shattered, and his refined eyes were frozen with unbelievable horror.
He didn't even see clearly who the person who killed him was.
Li Haoran, deceased.
At the same moment, three pairs of eyes from the East, North, and South all turned toward the West.
Shi Hu suddenly stood up from the top of the tower, the woman beneath him being roughly pushed aside.
The wine glass in Wu Ya's hand slipped, the bright red wine spilling onto the white sheets.
The scarlet glow under the Insect Demon's mask flickered violently, and the killing intent surging around him almost solidified.
The four-way balance of restraint was shattered.
Lin Xuan stood by Li Haoran's body, slowly wiping the blood off the long blade in his hand.
His silver-white school uniform was particularly striking in the night, his black hair fluttering slightly in the wind; his expression was as calm as water, his eyes as cold as a blade.
Beneath his feet, the pool of blood reflected the firelight and the moon's shadow, as well as that figure as straight as a sword.
Lin Xuan.
Kill count: 1.
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