Upon entering the inner city of Slaughter City, Chu Chengzhou immediately sensed an atmosphere entirely different from the outer city.
If the outer city was a world of stifling silence and indifference, the inner city was a world of luxury and desires.
Various colorful lights were everywhere, and not only was the inner city crowded, but it was also extremely chaotic. Laughter, cries of pain, and many spine-chilling sounds filled the air.
After a quick glance around, Chu Chengzhou noticed in a corner to his right, a tall and muscular man pinning a youth against the wall.
Despite how disturbing this scene was, a crowd had gathered around—some were queuing up, while others cheered on the brute.
Chu Chengzhou saw it, and naturally, so did the veiled woman guiding him.
However, while Chu Chengzhou found it unbearable to look at, the veiled woman was unfazed by such sights.
"I'm a bit curious—if your Slaughter King saw this, what would he do? Doesn't it bother him?"
Pointing to the brute forcing himself on the youth, Chu Chengzhou asked the veiled woman curiously.
"Mr. 6666, as I mentioned earlier, the rule of Slaughter City is that as long as you have the strength, you can do anything you desire. Within the rules, the great Killing King wouldn't care."
The veiled woman spoke indifferently.
"What if that youth were replaced with you?"
A playful smile appeared on Chu Chengzhou's face.
"I am an emissary of the Slaughter King. Anyone who dares to offend the dignity of the Slaughter King will be suppressed by the enforcement team.
The true powerhouses of the enforcement team are Soul Douluos granted the ability to use soul skills by the great Slaughter King, and their leader is a Titled Douluo."
The veiled woman stated expressionlessly.
Perhaps as a small act of retaliation against Chu Chengzhou, she paused before saying meaningfully, "Mr. 6666, you'd better be careful. There aren't many handsome young men like you in the inner city!"
Upon hearing this, Chu Chengzhou felt a jolt of unease. He wasn't afraid of being forced into anything, but just the thought of someone having such intentions toward him sent chills down his spine.
The arrival of a newcomer naturally drew the attention of many fallen soul masters around them.
The veiled woman beside Chu Chengzhou was ignored because she represented the Slaughter King, and no one dared to entertain any inappropriate thoughts about her; otherwise, the enforcement team wouldn't hesitate to strike.
But Chu Chengzhou was different. With his delicate skin and striking good looks, he immediately caught the lustful gazes of several perverts in the area.
Even the brute who had been "forcing himself" on the youth stopped his actions, pushed the youth aside, and greedily stared at Chu Chengzhou.
Comparing people could kill, and comparing goods could discard. Originally, the brute thought the youth was decent enough, but compared to Chu Chengzhou, who was youthful and handsome—well, there was no comparison. It was like comparing an old prostitute to a high-class courtesan.
If not for the fact that everyone present knew newcomers had a so-called "newcomer protection period," they might have rushed over to "challenge" Chu Chengzhou.
However, the twelve-hour newcomer protection period would eventually pass. By this time tomorrow... hehehe!
Facing these perverted gazes, Chu Chengzhou couldn't help but shudder.
"A bunch of perverts!"
Cursing inwardly, Chu Chengzhou immediately unleashed his spiritual power, activating his illusion technique: Void Realm Illusion, temporarily altering the consciousness of eleven perverts, including the brute.
Then, golden light flickered in his hand as he activated his archery ultimate technique: Sun Shooting Divine Arrow, forming two metallic soul-powered arrows.
Whoosh, whoosh—
With a flick of his right hand, two streaks of golden light flashed, accompanied by a faint whistling sound. Two randomly selected perverts each had a golden soul-powered arrow embedded in their foreheads, with some red and white seeping out of the wounds.
Although Sun Shooting Divine Arrow was an archery technique, it didn't necessarily require a bow to be used. Even without a strong bow, it could still be effective—just not at its full potential.
However, these perverts weren't particularly strong. The strongest among them, the brute, was only a Soul Emperor, while the others were four- or Soul Kings. Moreover, their minds had been altered, viewing Chu Chengzhou as their master and themselves as servants, leaving them defenseless. Naturally, they were instantly killed by Chu Chengzhou's casually thrown soul-powered arrows.
Chu Chengzhou didn't kill all eleven perverts. After killing two, the remaining nine, combined with him, made ten—a perfect number for a match in the Hell Slaughter Arena, allowing him to maximize their utility.
Seeing Chu Chengzhou effortlessly kill two fallen soul masters, the veiled woman couldn't help but raise an eyebrow.
He hadn't even used the power of his martial soul, clearly indicating that Chu Chengzhou's strength was extraordinary.
But then again, anyone who knowingly entered the brutal Slaughter City for training couldn't possibly be an ordinary person.
"Alright, you can leave now. You few, lead me to the Hell Slaughter Arena."
Waving his hand at the veiled woman, Chu Chengzhou addressed his newly acquired temporary servants, whose lives would soon end.
"Yes, respected Master!"
Led by the brute, the nine perverts who had previously lusted after Chu Chengzhou responded in unison.
Veiled woman: "..."
Good grief, I underestimated this 6666!
I originally thought Chu Chengzhou had merely killed two fallen soul masters on a whim, but unexpectedly, these nine had already been unknowingly controlled.
A spirit-type soul bone skill, or perhaps a self-created spirit-type soul skill?
No wonder his identity token number wasn't 5438 but 6666. This was likely "forced" upon Dark Warrior Barren, wasn't it?
Not long after, under the guidance of his nine temporary servants, Chu Chengzhou arrived at the Hell Slaughter Arena located in the central area of the inner city.
The exterior of the Hell Slaughter Arena was circular, more accurately an irregular cone shape. The base was the widest, narrowing upward until it reached about thirty meters above the ground, maintaining the same diameter up to fifty meters.
The entirely black Hell Slaughter Arena gave off an oppressive feeling, and Chu Chengzhou could smell the strong scent of blood emanating from inside.
Along the way, Chu Chengzhou had already learned various precautions of the inner city and the rules of the Hell Slaughter Arena from his servants.
The rules of the Hell Slaughter Arena were simple: enter, register with your identity token, and wait for the match to begin. During the waiting period, fighting was prohibited.
Each group consisted of ten people, engaging in a free-for-all battle. Regardless of the method, the last person standing who could walk out alive would win. And in each group, at most one person could survive.
The reason it was "at most one" was because the matches were brutal. The final victor could also be counterattacked by a dying opponent, potentially collapsing in the arena.
Participating in the Hell Slaughter Arena required no prerequisites—just show up. However, spectating had a requirement: contributing a Bloody Mary.
This Bloody Mary could come from oneself or others.
Leading the nine into the Hell Slaughter Arena, Chu Chengzhou noticed three fallen soul masters already seated near the registration window.
"Excuse me, are they also registering to participate?"
Pointing to the three fallen soul masters, Chu Chengzhou asked a black-clad woman at the registration window.
At first glance, Chu Chengzhou had already discerned their soul power levels: two Soul Kings and one Soul Emperor.
One of the Soul Kings had broken through to Level 60, but since there were no soul beasts in Slaughter City, he lacked a sixth soul ring, leaving his soul power stuck at the Level 60 threshold of a quasi-Soul Emperor.
"Would you like to register, sir?"
The black-clad woman nodded and asked.
"Hand over your identity tokens—all of you, register for me!"
After handing over his own identity token to the black-clad woman, Chu Chengzhou turned and commanded the nine.
A group consisted of ten people. Although there were three extra, it didn't matter. Once registered, there was no backing out—they had to enter the arena.
After this match, the three extra people could be fully utilized.
Of course, it couldn't really be called full utilization.
To truly squeeze out their remaining value, he should let them accumulate some Bloody Marys and then send them into the arena to collect kills.
However, Bloody Marys were useless to Chu Chengzhou, so wasting them didn't matter.
"Yes, respected Master!"
The nine responded in unison, each taking out their identity tokens to register.
Black-clad woman: "..."
Three random fallen soul masters: "..."
Soon, after completing the registration process, a group of ten was assembled. The black-clad woman announced, "67XX, 49XX, 82XX, 6666..., please, gentlemen, enter the arena for the match."
In this round, apart from Chu Chengzhou and the six temporary servants he controlled, there were also the three random fallen soul masters who had registered earlier.
At this moment, the three random fallen soul masters exchanged glances, nodding in tacit agreement to form a "plastic" alliance.
There was no helping it. Chu Chengzhou and his seven companions looked like a group. Three versus seven was definitely better odds than one versus nine.
Soon, Chu Chengzhou and the nine others passed through a large grated gate and entered the arena.
The interior of the arena was relatively simple. Beneath Chu Chengzhou's feet was a massive circular field over a hundred meters in diameter. A cage made of unknown material, as thick as a child's arm, enclosed the entire battlefield, surrounded by ascending tiers of spectator stands.
At this moment, the vast stands were sparsely populated, with less than twenty percent occupied. After all, the requirement of contributing a Bloody Mary to spectate wasn't something every fallen soul master could afford.
There was no referee in the arena. Once the grated gates closed, the match began.
Only when the ten combatants were reduced to a single victor—or all ten died—would the exit open again.
Almost immediately, the three random fallen soul masters converged, releasing their martial souls and preparing to attack Chu Chengzhou together.
However, before they could make a move, a powerful wave of spiritual energy descended upon their minds. In an instant, Chu Chengzhou gained three more temporary servants.
For those he intended to kill, Chu Chengzhou didn't bother making them his sole faith. Instead, he directly altered their consciousness to make them his loyal servants. After all, God was merciful and wouldn't kill his devoted followers—even if they were temporary.
"Alright, commit suicide."
Waving his hand, Chu Chengzhou instructed his servants.
"Yes, respected Master!"
The nine responded respectfully.
Subsequently, the four whose martial souls weren't suited for offense pulled out sharp blades hanging from their waists and calmly plunged them into their chests.
The three with beast-type martial souls raised their claws and slashed their own throats.
"Stop!"
At this moment, one of the remaining two—a hammer-wielding fallen soul master—was about to smash his own head, while the other, wielding a staff, shouted.
Immediately, the hammer-wielding fallen soul master looked at the staff-wielder in confusion.
"Brother, give me a hit first! My staff isn't very useful."
The staff-wielder said.
Boom—
The next second, the hammer came down, and the staff-wielder's head exploded like a watermelon hitting the ground.
Boom—
Another hammer strike, and the hammer-wielder smashed his own head. Only Chu Chengzhou remained in the arena.
Instantly, the spectators erupted in shock. What kind of sorcery was this boy using?
"You, you, you, go register!"
After the match ended and the exit opened, Chu Chengzhou didn't leave immediately. Instead, he unleashed his spiritual power, activating Void Realm Illusion, and randomly pointed at six spectators.
Set a small goal—complete a five-match streak today!
More than half an hour later, when Chu Chengzhou walked out of the Hell Slaughter Arena, he had completed a five-match streak, achieving one-twentieth of his goal of a hundred consecutive victories.
Originally, altering targets' consciousness, registering them for matches, and having his nine servant opponents commit suicide—even repeating this process four times—shouldn't have taken more than half an hour.
But the problem was that after the second match ended and he selected nine more for the third match, all the spectators fled.
There was no helping it—it was too eerie.
With a flick of his finger, spectators would lose their minds, rush to register for matches, and immediately commit suicide upon entering the arena. Any spectator who hadn't completely lost their sanity wouldn't dare stay in the stands.
Although there were quite a few spectators, who could guarantee they wouldn't be targeted? And if targeted, could they resist this mind-altering technique?
Thus, an unprecedented scene occurred in Slaughter City.
The arena match was ongoing, but there wasn't a single spectator.
Without an audience, Chu Chengzhou had to go outside and recruit participants himself, which took significantly more effort.
It could be said that Chu Chengzhou, upon arriving in Slaughter City, had created history.
---
In a stone house, Hu Liena took a deep breath and pulled out a sharp dagger from her storage-type soul-guided device.
"Teacher, I won't disappoint you! And you, bad guy, wait for me!"
At this moment, two figures appeared in Hu Liena's mind—one was her teacher, Bibi Dong, and the other was Chu Chengzhou, smirking mischievously.
Gripping the blade tightly, Hu Liena left her residence and headed toward the Hell Slaughter Arena, preparing for her thirteenth match in her quest for a hundred consecutive victories.
The hundred consecutive victories in Slaughter City were far more difficult than she had initially anticipated. She had been in the domain for nearly four months but had only achieved twelve consecutive victories.
It wasn't that the opponents in the arena were particularly strong—it was that Hu Liena had to ensure she remained at full strength after winning in the arena.
The true difficulty of achieving a hundred consecutive victories in the Hell Slaughter Arena wasn't the opponents in the arena but the ambushes and attacks that followed after leaving.
All the fallen soul masters in the city had to participate in the Hell Slaughter Arena. If they didn't take down a formidable opponent weakened after a match while they had the advantage of numbers, what would they do if they faced them in the arena later?
In short, anyone who stood out and presented an opportunity would be ganged up on.
Walking through the streets of Slaughter City, Hu Liena raised her vigilance to the highest level, wary of potential sneak attacks.
Suddenly, the voices of several fallen soul masters conversing in the distance reached Hu Liena's ears.
"Have you heard? A great demon has arrived in the city today!"
"Do you even need to ask? Let me tell you, I've seen this great demon with my own eyes!"
"Hiss~—you've seen the great demon?"
"Of course! This great demon is simply not human. I was watching a match in the Hell Slaughter Arena when this great demon, after winning a match, prepared for the next one. And then, he pointed his finger at me!
Thankfully, I was lucky—the person next to me got pointed at instead."
"Pointing fingers? What do you mean?"
"The unlucky guy sitting next to me was 'Blood Axe' from the Blood Dragon Gang. After being pointed at by the great demon, he immediately left the stands.
At first, I didn't think much of it, but when the next match began, I saw the great demon and Blood Axe's nine-man group enter the arena. Guess what happened next?"
"What happened?"
"After the great demon waved his hand and said, 'Commit suicide,' all nine—including Blood Axe, a Soul Sage—cut their own throats!"
Hiss—
At this point, the conversation ended with gasps of shock.
Hearing this, Hu Liena couldn't help but raise an eyebrow.
Humans were social creatures, and wherever people gathered, small groups naturally formed.
The Blood Dragon Gang was one of the top-ranked groups in the inner city of Slaughter City.
She had heard of their leader, 'Blood Dragon,' who was originally known as 'Blood Snake.' He was a Soul Douluo with a Bloodthirsty Demon Snake martial soul. But after a show of strength two years ago, no one dared to call him 'Blood Snake' anymore—he was now 'Blood Dragon,' and the former Blood Snake Gang had become the Blood Dragon Gang.
'Blood Axe' of the Blood Dragon Gang was also somewhat familiar to Hu Liena. Not only was he a Soul Sage, but he was also one of the stronger ones, not far from reaching Level 80.
Such strength—and he obediently committed suicide at a single command?
From their conversation, Hu Liena pieced together the 'great demon's' methods. Unsurprisingly, it was likely a mind-control technique, either a spirit-type soul bone skill or a self-created soul skill.
And to make a high-level Soul Sage willingly commit suicide, the great demon's spiritual power must be even stronger than hers. If she were to face him, she would undoubtedly be dead.
At this moment, Hu Liena hesitated. With such a terrifying powerhouse in the arena, wouldn't participating in the match be akin to offering herself up?
At this moment, the informed fallen soul master continued, "And that's not all. That great demon has an insatiable thirst for killing.
Seeing even 'Blood Axe' obediently slit his throat, no one dared to stay in the stands to watch the match. They all fled.
We originally thought we'd be safe once we left the Hell Slaughter Arena, but before long, that great demon chased us out. With another flick of his finger, nine more people lost their minds and obediently followed him onto the field!"
"Brother, since this great demon is so ruthless, can you describe his appearance? We'll know to avoid him in the future."
"Well..."
The informed fallen soul master looked troubled but didn't hesitate to extend his right hand, rubbing his fingers together.
"No problem, no problem—I have a woman in my room. I'll give her to you, brother!"
One of the fallen soul masters understood and immediately puffed out his chest, promising.
Hearing this, the informed fallen soul master nodded satisfactorily and said, "That great demon may be a fiend, but he doesn't look old. He's fair-skinned, like a pretty boy, probably around seventeen or eighteen years old—very easy to recognize."
"Looks about seventeen or eighteen?"
Hu Liena couldn't help but mutter from afar.
Was he an old monster pretending to be young, or was he truly a seventeen- or eighteen-year-old capable of instantly killing a Soul Sage?
Uh, wait a minute. This great demon is new here, and on the continent, the only young people capable of killing a Soul Sage with spiritual power are...
Immediately, Hu Liena approached, her forehead glowing with a faint light as she activated her spirit bone skill: Spirit Control. Suppressing its power, she launched a mental attack at the informed fallen soul master.
Poof—
Struck by the mental attack, the fallen soul master immediately spat out a mouthful of blood, clutching his aching head as he writhed on the ground.
"Tell me, what color is that great demon's hair?!"
Hu Liena demanded.
There were many talented soul masters on the continent, but very few young people who looked seventeen or eighteen and could instantly kill a seven-ring Soul Sage, especially using spiritual techniques.
If this 'great demon' wasn't some old monster pretending to be young, then he was likely either Chu Chengzhou or Tang San.
Although this great demon's displayed strength surpassed both, it had been several months since the Soul Master Tournament, and an increase in strength was normal.
Moreover, Chu Chengzhou had black hair, while Tang San had blue hair—the distinction was obvious.
"Blac—black hair! Spare me, miss!"
Enduring the excruciating pain in his head, the fallen soul master pleaded.
Upon hearing it was black hair, Hu Liena couldn't help but feel a surge of joy.
Immediately ignoring the fallen soul masters, Hu Liena hurried toward the direction of the Hell Slaughter Arena.
If the person who arrived was truly her beloved, that would be wonderful!
Slaughter City was fraught with danger. Who could refuse the protection of a powerful beloved acting as a hero?
---
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