Facing an endless wave of enemies, Yang Xiong gripped his longsword and fought desperately, cutting down foes one after another.
Not only was his sword soaked in blood, but his entire body was splattered, and the ground seemed as though it had been soaked in a layer of crimson.
Yang Xiong could no longer remember how many people he had killed; the ground was piled high with corpses.
At this moment, Yang Xiong no longer looked like an ordinary man,he resembled a wild beast fighting for its life, locked in constant combat with his enemies.
As Yang Xiong beheaded two people with a single stroke, a blur flashed before him,Iron Claw King's twin steel claws lunged at him, as if intending to tear him apart.
Yang Xiong swung his sword in a reverse strike, but before it was halfway through, Iron Claw King's claws clamped down hard, snapping the blade clean in two.
At the same time, a massive hammer swung from the side. Before Yang Xiong could react, it smashed into him, sending him flying tens of meters and spitting blood in midair.
Both the Giant Hammer King and Iron Claw King were Soul Douluo-level experts. In speed, strength, and all aspects, they far surpassed Yang Xiong, a mere Soul King. Even without soul ring skills, their power was incomparable to his.
Iron Claw King laughed wildly. "Kid, these claws of mine were made to deal with sword users like you. I'll tear you to shreds!"
Yang Xiong wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth. "Just a pair of claws, yet you're so arrogant. Looks like even as Soul Douluo-level fighters, you've never seen a true master of the sword."
With that, Yang Xiong drew another longsword from his soul tool, clearly ready for a desperate fight.
Iron Claw King and Giant Hammer King exchanged a glance, then rushed at him together, intent on giving him no chance.
Ignoring the two, Yang Xiong swung with all his strength, sending a sword aura soaring into the sky as if to cleave them in half.
But they reacted instantly, dodging his attack with ease,true masters of their level.
Just as they closed in, Yang Xiong's lips curled into a faint smile, and the Xuanming Armor appeared on his body.
The two were startled. "Armor? We didn't expect you to be hiding such a treasure. Looks like we're in for a reward today."
As claw and hammer struck, Yang Xiong blocked with his sword, now confident under the armor's protection.
Whether claw or hammer, their blows only pushed him back,they couldn't break through the armor's defense.
Originally only a hundred-year armor, after the Ice-Fire Body Tempering and years of cultivation, its age had surpassed ten thousand years. Ordinary attacks could no longer penetrate it.
Seeing Yang Xiong's attacks growing fiercer, Iron Claw King roared, "He's just making a dying struggle! No matter what, we must kill him today!"
When Iron Claw King tried his old trick of grabbing Yang Xiong's sword again, Yang Xiong suddenly changed his sword style. A blood-red aura enveloped the blade, and several sword auras shot out, forming a massive "kill" character in the air.
Iron Claw King's confident grab was instantly shattered,his claws were smashed to pieces, his entire arm torn apart.
Horrified, he shouted, "Seven Kill Sword Technique! You can use the Seven Kill Sword Technique at such a young age?"
Yang Xiong ignored him. Soul Douluo or not, in the City of Slaughter,where only self-created soul skills could be used,the Seven Kill Sword Technique was like an overpowered cheat.
Before Iron Claw King could act again, Yang Xiong's sword aura cut clean through his neck, decapitating him.
The Giant Hammer King seized the moment, bringing his hammer down on Yang Xiong's back. The Xuanming Armor shook violently, almost shattering.
Enduring the pain, Yang Xiong swung back, meeting the hammer head-on.
In raw strength, Yang Xiong was far inferior. His earlier kill had been due to seizing an opening; now, one-on-one, there was no such chance.
After trading several blows, Giant Hammer King transformed into a massive bear, hammering down from the sky with even greater force.
Yang Xiong's eyes turned cold. From his soul tool, he produced the Zhuge Divine Crossbow and unleashed a barrage of arrows,each as fast as a thousand-year soul skill attack, all aimed at the head.
Startled, Giant Hammer King blocked with his hammer. In the City of Slaughter, without soul ring defenses, the crossbow's power was terrifying.
Seizing the opening, Yang Xiong charged in and struck with all his strength.
The Giant Hammer King scoffed. "A mere Soul King dares attack me, a Soul Douluo?"
But as his sword was blocked, Yang Xiong's left hand revealed a sharp, ice-blue claw radiating freezing cold.
Startled, Giant Hammer King hadn't expected another hidden weapon.
Yang Xiong's Ice-Fire Dragon Claws, at the ten-thousand-year level, were immensely destructive with powerful elemental effects.
Before Giant Hammer King could react, Yang Xiong's claw slammed into his chest, freezing it instantly.
His right-hand sword then pierced through the man's eye.
Giant Hammer King screamed in pain, flailing his hammer wildly.
"You little rat! I never thought you'd be so treacherous. You've been using your sword, but your strongest weapon isn't swordsmanship at all!"
Yang Xiong snorted. "Frogs at the bottom of a well. You haven't even seen my martial soul,how can you decide what I'm best at? You old-timers are outdated."
As the hammer swung wildly, Yang Xiong struck again, smashing a spiraling attack into his head. The Giant Hammer King collapsed, dead beyond any doubt.
Someone in the crowd shouted, "Xiongba Tianxia is exhausted! If we can't kill him now, we'll all die next!"
The rest swarmed him, but Yang Xiong fought like a tiger released from its cage, growing fiercer with every move.
By the time the battle ended, a thousand corpses lay around him,most were soul masters, clearly part of an organized assault.
Yang Xiong sat atop the pile of bodies, his hands trembling, covered in blood, looking like a demon from hell. This was the most dangerous fight of his life, and the one where he killed the most people.
When he returned home, he sensed eyes watching him, but his murderous glare froze any onlookers in fear.
From that day, Yang Xiong became the record holder for most victories in the Hell Slaughter Arena. No one dared provoke him lightly.
The downside was obvious,after a year of killing thousands, the City of Slaughter's population had dropped. Many moved to the outer city to avoid fighting him.
Matches in the arena became rare; it was hard for him to even find opponents.
Yet, after this massacre, Yang Xiong's killing intent grew stronger, as if his martial soul was about to break through a barrier.
Whenever he summoned it, the dark patterns on his body became denser, threatening to consume it.
His body also changed,his killing intent seemed fused into his very bones and blood, which boiled as if constantly on the verge of losing control.
Several times, he felt the urge to drink blood, but his last shred of reason stopped him. He knew that once he started, he'd fall into complete corruption.
Under the influence of slaughter, his combat power, physique, and vitality improved greatly. Though his soul power only rose by two levels in a year, he was confident he could now fight evenly against a Soul Sage.
Yang Xiong grew addicted to the City of Slaughter. It was a paradise for cultivating killing intent and blood energy, especially for his martial soul's growth.
Whenever his killing intent threatened to spiral out of control, his martial soul and body restrained each other. His mental power also improved, but he became colder and more bloodthirsty.
After the massacre, he stayed in his room motionless for over ten days, undisturbed.
When he finally opened his eyes, they were blood-red, radiating a light that made enemies seem like ants.
This was the Purple Extreme Demon Eye,a transformation of his body-based martial soul,now infused with pure killing intent.
Although he couldn't absorb the morning purple qi here, the City's killing aura enhanced its growth.
The Purple Extreme Demon Eye entered its third "Mustard Seed" stage. His vision became incredibly sharp, seeing every detail and piercing all illusions.
When activated, it could emit a blood-red light to attack enemies,what Yang Xiong called the Shura Divine Light, comparable to a ten-thousand-year-level spiritual attack, far stronger than the Purple Extreme Divine Light.
While Yang Xiong fought and killed in the City of Slaughter, the outside world was also changing in that same year.
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