From within the deep crater, the King of Slaughter slowly stood up.
The bat-like wings behind his back, once as smooth as fabric, were now riddled with holes—torn apart by the thunderous force of Lin Fan's giant sword.
In truth, the Blood-Red Nine-Headed Bat King's real strength barely surpassed the level of a Rank 97 Titled Douluo, yet he had survived this long only by relying on the unique advantage of the Slaughter City's domain and, most importantly, by possessing Tang Chen's peak Rank 99 body.
As he rose, he let out a harsh, grating laugh.
That sound was not one any human throat could make—if one listened carefully, one could hear the chilling undertone of a bat's screech.
"Pain… so much pain!"
"But this pain… hah, it feels good. The great blood within me surges even stronger! I feel more powerful now than before!"
His voice grew sharper, twisted, and cruel. His eyes glowed cold and bloodthirsty as four razor-like fangs extended from his mouth. He fixed his feral gaze on Lin Fan.
"Devil King… your blood will surely be far more delicious than those worthless insects I've consumed."
"I'll make it quick—so you won't have to endure the agony of slowly bleeding to death."
Lin Fan's expression remained calm, his voice flat, brimming with confidence.
"Oh? Then I should thank you for being so considerate of me, given the state you're in."
But behind that composure, his mind was far more cautious than ever. Lin Fan was certain—the King of Slaughter wouldn't speak so arrogantly unless he still had a hidden trump card.
Even to the untrained eye, the battle was already turning against him.
"Captain Vortes, what do you think?" the veiled girl whispered anxiously to the tall figure beside her.
"The King is… currently at a disadvantage," answered Vortes, captain of the Law Enforcement Team, a Titled Douluo at Rank 92.
But even at his level, in the face of the battle between Lin Fan and the King of Slaughter, he was nothing more than a slightly stronger ant.
"How could this be?! How could the great King possibly lose?" The veiled girl's voice trembled.
"He hasn't lost yet. He's only on the back foot. But… that so-called Devil King already has spirit power at Rank 98, and even wields five hundred-thousand-year spirit rings." Vortes' eyes darkened. He, too, hadn't expected Lin Fan's cultivation to be this terrifying.
"Rank 98!" The veiled girl froze in disbelief.
"Rank 98! I never imagined Elder Lin's strength would reach such a level. His power now… may not even be beneath Teacher's!" Hu Liena, standing nearby, had overheard. Her heart raced, shaken to the core. She had estimated Lin Fan at no more than Rank 96—this revelation was beyond shocking.
Meanwhile, inside the city, the King of Slaughter broke into that same eerie laugh again.
But now, blood-colored lines spread across his body, multiplying until they merged into a dense blood mist that wrapped entirely around him.
"Blood Demon Nirvana!"
In moments, the mist dispersed—and the King of Slaughter's wounds, his body, even his torn wings, had all healed as if he had never been injured. His aura surged to an even higher peak as he hovered in the air opposite Lin Fan.
The effect of Blood Demon Nirvana was not unlike the rebirth of the Phoenix.
"You've even got a survival trick, huh? But if I can defeat you once, I can defeat you again," Lin Fan said, utterly confident, his sword leveled at his foe.
"I admit, your strength far exceeds mine. But if I can drink your blood, then a little sacrifice is worth it." The King's grin stretched wider, his voice twisted with madness.
"Hm?" Lin Fan's eyes narrowed. A sudden weight settled in his chest—this wasn't good.
The next moment, his face hardened. Something dangerous was coming.
"Blood Demon Sacrifice!" the King roared.
Within the range of his Slaughter Domain, shrieks of agony rose in waves. Countless Fallen, those who had once drunk the cursed Bloody Mary, screamed as their bodies turned crimson, then burst apart in deafening explosions.
Even the veiled girl was not spared—her scream joined the chorus as her body ruptured. Only a handful of enforcers who had never drunk the accursed drink escaped this fate.
Hu Liena, too, was spared.
The shattered corpses that littered the ground released a thick, red mist, as though their very blood had been vaporized. All of it converged into the King of Slaughter's body.
The Slaughter City… had become a dead city.
Hu Liena stared at the nightmarish sight, her mind reeling.
"Thank heavens… thank heavens I'm still alive…"
"It's over… the Slaughter City is finished!" Vortes gasped, horrified, watching as half of his team had been wiped out in an instant.
The more blood-mist the King absorbed, the stronger his aura grew.
Lin Fan's vigilance sharpened as he pulled back, widening the distance.
So that's what he meant by 'sacrifice'…
After this battle, the Slaughter City would never recover—it had truly fallen into ruin.
Of course, Lin Fan felt no pity. Every soul who came here was guilty beyond redemption.
The sacrifice continued for half an hour, until every last wisp of blood mist had been consumed.
By then, the King's body had swelled, standing more than two meters tall. His killing intent was overwhelming.
"Devil King, for you, I've sacrificed all who have ever drunk the Bloody Mary in this city. Today—you must die!"
His body blurred into a blood-red streak, his speed now more than twice what it had been at the beginning.
Lin Fan raised his Sword Soul Eternal Halo, yet the King's claws struck with such ferocity that his arms quivered, and his body flung backward several meters.
"Hahaha! What's wrong? Out of strength already?" the King cackled wildly as his assault grew fiercer.
"Don't get cocky. You're not the only one with a trump card. And I haven't even revealed the power of my fifth spirit ring yet!" Lin Fan's voice was sharp, dismissive.
"What difference does it make? Aren't they all just hundred-thousand-year soul skills?" the King sneered.
"Hmph." Lin Fan gave a cold smile, answering with silence.
Suddenly, his back tore open as eight bone-like spider spears—the Eight Spider Lances—unfolded. The front limbs lashed out unexpectedly, stabbing into the King of Slaughter's arms, forcing him back.
"A soul bone… and an external one at that!" the King exclaimed in shock, retreating quickly.
"Third Soul Skill—Titan's Strength Amplification, Gravity Control!" Lin Fan invoked two skills from the Titan Giant Ape's soul ring.
The sudden gravitational force yanked the King downward before he could react, slamming him into the ground.
"Fifth Soul Skill—Slaughter Death Light!"
With his foe pinned, Lin Fan unleashed the terrifying power of his two-hundred-thousand-year soul ring.
The Slaughter Sword shone with a holy, majestic crimson light, a pure killing aura that cascaded over the King of Slaughter.
The Slaughter Death Light did more than destroy flesh—it shattered spirit and soul alike.
The King writhed and screamed within the beam, his voice raw with agony. After a long struggle, his body froze in place, twisted in a final snarl, his expression forever etched in evil.
Both combatants stood frozen, unmoving.
Ten long minutes passed.
Then, the King's body stirred. The blood-red, sword-shaped mark on his forehead pulsed with light, dim at first, then blazing.
A bloody sheen spread across his body, a crimson glow that shielded him—repelling the Slaughter Death Light from within.