Li Zhexian walked toward the towering black city.
With every step forward, the oppressive aura radiating from the walls grew heavier, clawing at the depths of his heart with an instinctive dread—
As though each step led him closer to corruption,
one step nearer to a fall beyond redemption.
Yet his stride never faltered.
He pressed forward until he stood before the city gates.
Above them hung four massive, rust-stained characters:
"Slaughter City."
They looked as though they'd been written in congealed blood,
and exuded a suffocating sense of dread.
Clang!
The heavy clash of armor rang out suddenly.
On either side of the gate,
two rows of black-armored guards turned their heads in unison.
From the seams of their helmets shone eyes of crimson light.
"Welcome to the Slaughter City."
A cold female voice cut through the silence.
The guards stepped aside with perfect precision.
From within the gate, a woman emerged—her face veiled by a thin layer of black gauze.
"I am the guide of the City of Slaughter."
Her tone was calm.
"For the duration of one incense stick, you may ask any question you wish."
Swish!
Something sliced through the air.
Li Zhexian instinctively raised his hand and caught it.
Cold. Hard.
He looked down.
A black token lay in his palm, engraved with blood-red numerals—9501.
"This is your credential within the Slaughter City. No matter what identity you held in the outside world, once you step into this place, you are 9501."
With that, the veiled woman turned and walked into the city.
Li Zhexian pocketed the token and followed.
"What are the rules here?"
Without slowing, she replied softly:
"The only rule—
is that there are no rules."
"As long as you are strong enough, you may do whatever you wish."
"Of course…"
"So may everyone else."
"Remember this well—
in the Slaughter City, danger walks beside you."
By the time she finished, they had already entered the city proper.
The oppressive darkness here was almost tangible.
Above, the purple moon cast its ghostly light, painting the ruined streets like an infernal underworld.
Beneath their feet stretched a road of black stone,
reeking of rust and rot.
The crumbling buildings on either side leaned at precarious angles,
their walls smeared with dried blood and gouged with claw marks.
Li Zhexian's gaze swept across the alleyways,
where shadowy figures in black armor prowled.
"If there are no rules," he asked, "then why maintain an enforcement squad?"
The veiled woman didn't look back.
"The enforcers exist to protect the citizens of this city."
"Most who enter here are fugitives—men and women who have nowhere left in the outside world."
"Once they step within these walls, they are under the Slaughter City's protection."
"The black-armored guards you see…"
"…serve the great Slaughter King."
"He alone holds authority over all that happens within this city."
"The elite among the guards are even permitted to use their Spirit Abilities. Their commander is a Titled Douluo."
"Once you enter this city, all debts and grudges from the outside are erased."
"In this realm of depravity, you need only indulge and descend."
Li Zhexian glanced at the skeletal figures wandering along the streets—faces pale, eyes empty, drifting like wandering ghosts.
A faint smile tugged at his lips.
"Indulge? Descend?"
"I don't see much pleasure in them."
The woman's gaze flickered, the edge of disapproval in her tone.
"This is merely the outer city—the refuge of the weak. Private combat is forbidden here."
"But no one can remain untouched forever. Each year, every resident must enter the Hell Slaughter Arena once to survive another year."
"As for those walking corpses you saw…"
She let out a cold laugh.
"They're just rats—cowards who refuse to enter the arena. They trade two cups of Blood Mary every month to extend their miserable lives in the sewers."
Li Zhexian frowned slightly.
He looked at the frail figures again.
The source of the blood for those Blood Marys was all too clear.
Two cups of blood a month—
no wonder they were nothing but husks.
In this place where no sun ever shone,
their fate had long been sealed.
Even in a world of villains,
there were levels to evil.
Only true monsters—
those of boundless cruelty—
could find pleasure in this paradise of corruption.
"Hell Slaughter Arena?"
Li Zhexian caught on to the term immediately.
The veiled woman's voice turned cold.
"The Hell Slaughter Arena lies at the center of the inner city. It is the symbol of the Slaughter City."
"Only warriors who survive within that arena earn the right to enter the inner city."
"It is said that those who wish to leave this city must first become champion of the Hell Slaughter Arena,
and only then may they challenge the Hell Road."
"Survive the Hell Road,
and you may once again see the light of day."
"Such beings are revered as Slaughter Gods."
"In the thousand-year history of this city, only eight have earned that title."
Li Zhexian's eyes gleamed faintly.
Hell Road!
Among the three spiritual items needed to awaken Zhu Zhuqing—
the Yellow Springs Dew was said to be born deep within that very Hell Road.
To obtain it,
he would first have to conquer the Hell Slaughter Arena.
"Take me to the inner city."
The woman halted.
Behind the veil, her eyes flickered with disbelief.
She frowned, voice edged with warning.
"You've just arrived. You should temper yourself in the outer city first—learn its laws before you go deeper."
"No need."
"…Heh."
A soft, derisive laugh slipped from her lips.
Every year, she met outsiders like this—
arrogant fools who thought the laws of the Slaughter City would bend like those of the outside world.
And every year,
their corpses learned the truth in pools of blood.
"Very well. Follow me."
After half an hour of walking,
Li Zhexian's understanding of the Slaughter City deepened with every step.
They passed through what looked like a vast graveyard of the damned—
until another wall loomed before them, high and dark.
The veiled woman stopped, her tone solemn.
"Once inside, do not stray more than five steps from me. Otherwise—your life and death are your own."
"In the inner city, there are no restrictions on killing. Food and water are supplied,
but few trust what's given—so they buy their own."
"In this city, Blood Mary is the only currency."
"If you don't wish to become someone's next drink, stay quiet."
Li Zhexian nodded.
Together, they stepped through the gate.
And instantly—
it was as if they had crossed into another world.
The suffocating stillness of the outer city vanished.
In its place was chaos—brilliant, frenzied, and grotesque.
Every form of earthly indulgence could be found here,
twisted to its most extreme.
Neon light and raucous laughter clashed with curses, sobs, screams, and growls,
melding into a mad, cacophonous symphony.
The air reeked of blood, liquor, and a sickly sweetness that turned the stomach.
The entire inner city
was a furnace of depravity—
a grotesque forge fueled by endless desire and cruelty.
And then—
The crowd ahead suddenly surged,
boiling with uproar and chaos.
Shrill screams and the sickening crunch of breaking bones
ripped through the noise.
Thick, steaming blood gushed like a spring from the earth,
splattering across shattered stone.
From the center of that carnage,
a lithe, lightning-fast figure burst out,
murderous intent radiating from her entire body.
The instant he saw her,
a sharp light flashed deep within Li Zhexian's narrowed eyes.
An old acquaintance…