Ning Rongrong and the black-veiled girl continued walking through the outer city.
Most of the time, it was the black-veiled girl explaining the rules and customs of the City of Slaughter.
"I suggest you stay in the outer city for a while to familiarize yourself with the environment before deciding whether to enter the inner city."
As they drew closer to the inner city, the black-veiled girl reminded her again.
Humans naturally had a protective instinct toward beautiful things.
Besides, this white-haired young lady didn't seem like someone who could adapt to life in the inner city. The experiences there might very well turn into nightmares for her.
"There's no need. I want to complete my hundred consecutive victories as soon as possible and leave this place."
Ning Rongrong's words left the black-veiled girl speechless. After a long silence, she finally replied,
"If that is your wish, I will strictly adhere to the rules of the City of Slaughter."
Compared to two and a half years ago, the City of Slaughter had become slightly more humane.
But only slightly.
The black-veiled girl had originally been an envoy of the Slaughter King, but after the Slaughter King's personality abruptly changed two and a half years ago, random killings had decreased significantly.
Thanks to her outstanding competence, the girl had risen to become the second most influential figure in the City of Slaughter, second only to the Title Douluo captain—effectively serving as Tang Chen's secretary.
"By the way, once we enter the inner city, please do not stray more than five meters away from me. For the remaining duration of your protection period, the area within five meters of me is absolutely safe."
"Alright, I understand." Ning Rongrong nodded.
She was well aware of how the City of Slaughter operated. The protection period lasted twelve shichen—equivalent to twenty-four hours.
She still had about seven or eight hours left, so she wasn't in a hurry to start killing. There was no need to rush.
She recalled that in the original story, Title Douluo who couldn't use their soul skills were only as strong as Soul Douluo.
With her current strength, nearing the peak of the Sovereign realm, she could easily slaughter them.
As they approached the inner city, the number of people around them gradually increased.
Most of them were likely heading into the inner city as well.
In the City of Slaughter, everyone had to pay two cups of Bloody Mary per month.
Each cup was roughly equivalent to half a jin (250 grams).
As for those who failed to pay on time or couldn't pay at all—the consequences went without saying.
"Every month, there's always that one day when you lose a jin of blood."
Good grief, is this considered voluntary blood donation?
How long can a person even last under these conditions?
Under the black-veiled girl's guidance, Ning Rongrong arrived at the gates of the inner city.
"Remember what I said—do not stray more than five meters from me. Otherwise, you'll bear the consequences."
"Yeah, yeah."
Why does the City of Slaughter I've entered feel so different from the one in the original story?
The people here are super nice, reminding me about safety precautions over and over again.
I love it here!
Seeing Ning Rongrong's complete lack of concern, the black-veiled girl couldn't help but sigh inwardly.
Sigh… If this were two and a half years ago, I wouldn't have bothered reminding her so many times!
If not for the fact that the great Slaughter King had become more humane, and this girl just happened to appeal to my tastes, I, the dignified secretary of the Slaughter King, wouldn't have meddled in her affairs.
Whatever. Pride comes before a fall.
Let's see if she can remain this cheerful inside the inner city.
This kind of personality, completely incompatible with the ways of the City of Slaughter, will eventually teach her the harsh realities of this world.
The moment she stepped into the inner city, Ning Rongrong immediately sensed an atmosphere entirely different from the outer city.
At a glance, the city appeared dazzlingly prosperous, filled with lights and revelry.
But beneath the surface of this prosperity lurked unimaginable slaughter and malice.
Just walking through the streets, she could feel dozens of hostile gazes fixed upon her.
Greed, lust…
Almost all of humanity's seven deadly sins could be found here.
Ning Rongrong stayed close to the black-veiled girl, and the Soul Masters who had been eyeing her quickly noticed her escort's identity—the Slaughter King's secretary.
Though they longed to strike, none dared to act.
Do they really think I'm some fresh-faced newcomer to the City of Slaughter?
Just because she had just arrived didn't mean these people stood a chance against her.
At the Sovereign realm, she could go months—even a year—without eating and suffer no ill effects.
Her zhenqi constantly circulated around her body, forming an impenetrable barrier that served as both defense and early warning.
Soul Ancestors, Soul Kings, even Soul Sages…
Along the way, Ning Rongrong spotted many Soul Masters who would be considered powerful in the outside world.
Skilled in slaughter, if they could use their soul skills, they might very well be able to fight two or even three opponents of the same level outside.
"Take me to the Hell Killing Arena. I want to watch a match there."
After walking for a while, Ning Rongrong spoke up.
The black-veiled girl said nothing more and led her toward the bustling Hell Killing Arena.
The Hell Killing Arena bore some resemblance to the Great Spirit Arena, at least in terms of scale—it was comparable to a medieval coliseum.
The only difference was that in every match held here, only one contestant walked out alive.
"To enter the Killing Arena and watch a match, you must pay one cup of Bloody Mary—either your own or someone else's."
After delivering this explanation, the black-veiled girl fell silent.
"I see…" Ning Rongrong stepped away from the black-veiled girl and approached a top-tier Soul Master loitering near the arena entrance, a cup of Bloody Mary in his hand.
But the moment she took more than ten steps away—
A lion-headed Soul Master appeared behind Ning Rongrong, wielding a green whip that coiled like a hook, lashing toward her.
"Really, can't you people stay still?" Ning Rongrong didn't even turn her head. "Do I really look that weak? No way, I always thought of myself as an offensive-type fighter."
Her eyes narrowed slightly, her blue-white spatial pupils flickering faintly.
"Gah—!"
The middle-aged lion-headed Soul Master suddenly twisted violently when he was just half a meter away from Ning Rongrong. His mouth gurgled as if trying to scream, but no sound came out.
His bulging eyes were filled with disbelief.
Bang—!
His entire body exploded into a mist of blood.
Ning Rongrong waved her hand lightly, and the dispersed blood followed her movements as if trapped in an invisible force field.
She leisurely returned to the black-veiled girl's five-meter safety zone.
The surrounding onlookers seemed stunned, and for a long while, no one dared to attack her again.
Ning Rongrong paid them no mind.
"Please help me collect this blood in a container. Consider it payment—for watching the matches here, and also advance payment for future lodging fees."
"You have the authority to do that, right?"
The black-veiled girl fell into a long silence.
"How… How did you do that?"
Fragments of the man's body still remained, but all his blood had been extracted—pure and suspended in what seemed to be a special spatial confinement.
"Huh? Do I really have to explain that to you?" Ning Rongrong maintained her innocent, carefree expression.
After a prolonged silence, the black-veiled girl had someone bring a large container to collect all the blood.
An average adult had about four to five thousand milliliters of blood—roughly eight to ten jin.
It didn't seem like much, but considering that one cup of Bloody Mary was enough to watch a match, the quantity was still quite substantial.
After having the black-veiled girl register her for the competition, Ning Rongrong took a seat in the spectator stands to watch a match.
Suddenly, a loudspeaker announcement echoed through the arena:
"Contestant No. 6666, please proceed to the arena immediately."
"If you fail to arrive within the allotted time, you will bear the consequences."