Blood-colored ripples spread out, rapidly enveloping Tang San and Huliena.
Huliena was better off; suppressed only by the aura of a Title Douluo, she suffered no other effects beyond trembling all over and feeling terror in her heart. Tang San, however, was not so lucky.
At this moment, he felt as if an endless sea of blood had appeared before his eyes, surging toward him. He felt as though he were bound to a stone pillar before this sea of blood, with nowhere to run and nowhere to hide, forced to watch in horror as the violent blood sea crashed against his entire body.
"Ah--"
Tang San's miserable scream awakened the terrified Huliena. She turned her head to look at Tang San and found him collapsed on the ground, curled into a ball, wailing in pain. The skin exposed to the air was swelling, turning red, and cracking, with large amounts of blood spraying out, turning Tang San into a bloody mess in the blink of an eye.
The Slaughter King's sudden attack exceeded the expectations of both Tang San and Huliena. Huliena had not expected him to act this way, and now, seeing her beloved in such a miserable state, she looked at the Slaughter King and roared hoarsely.
"Slaughter King, what are you trying to do? Do you want to destroy the absolute, eternal rules of Slaughter City?!!"
Huliena was attracted to Tang San just as she was in the original timeline, and judging by the anger and heartache she displayed, she was quite deeply in love.
She was, after all, Bibi Dong's disciple, and she had inherited her master's true mantle when it came to being love-struck. Not knowing if she had a powerhouse protecting her from the shadows and unable to even protect herself, the fact that she dared to question a Title Douluo only showed how pure her love was.
Facing Huliena's questioning, the Slaughter King, who had been high and mighty and acted arbitrarily for so many years, felt somewhat displeased. However, hindered by the threat of Bibi Dong, he dared not lay a hand on Huliena. He could only harbor secret malice in his heart, deciding that once she entered the Hell Road, he would have his little brother arrange things for her properly; if Huliena could walk out alive, he would consider it his loss. As for now...
The Slaughter King responded leisurely.
"Hell Envoy, I have no intention of breaking the rules. The reason the Asura King has ended up in this state is simply because his own mental cultivation is insufficient, causing his killing intent to erupt and his blood to flow in reverse. It has nothing to do with me. Besides..."
The Slaughter King's tone shifted, becoming noticeably colder.
"You slander me without rhyme or reason, slandering a Title Douluo—have you considered the consequences? Is this how your master taught you?!!"
As the last word fell, a pressure even more formidable than before suddenly bore down on Huliena, pinning her directly to the ground, unable to move.
This time, Huliena was not as lucky as before. She felt as if the Slaughter King before her had transformed into a Blood-colored Demon Bat; just looking at it made her feel infinite evil and fear breeding in the depths of her heart.
The Slaughter King still did not harm Huliena. He had no idea where Bibi Dong was currently located. Letting Huliena experience fear and giving her a minor punishment was acceptable, but harming her would violate the rules and easily invite trouble. This was a judgment he made based on his understanding of the characteristics of human powerhouses from Tang Chen's memories.
However, things in the world do not always develop exactly as one expects. The moment after he took action to discipline Huliena, he saw a white light, carrying an indescribable, terrifying killing intent and evil energy, strike from not far away.
Sensing this familiar, dense killing intent, the Slaughter King felt a sense of foreboding. He released a blood-colored barrier at the very last moment before the white light reached him to block the attack.
The white light slammed into the Slaughter King with a loud bang.
"Boom--"
Feeling the intensity and characteristics of the energy contained within the white light, the Slaughter King understood who had arrived.
But before he could speak, the person in the shadows transmitted a voice.
'Slaughter King, my disciple spoke out of turn and offended a Title Douluo. On her behalf, I apologize to you.'
The Slaughter King followed the direction from which the attack came, found the person who had launched it, and also transmitted his voice.
'Since the Slaughter God has descended upon Slaughter City, why not show yourself?'
The person in the shadows: 'Once my disciple departs, I shall reveal myself. I wonder if you can open the Hell Road now.'
Sensing the soul power fluctuations of the other party beginning to stir, the Slaughter King cursed internally while knowing that further resistance was futile. He had no choice but to open the path and let them go.
He looked at Tang San and Huliena, who had regained their freedom and were panting heavily because he had been attacked, and said.
"Since this is your choice, then you shall walk the Hell Road! Having company on the Hell Road is also a fine journey. I hope you can pass the trial of the Hell Road and become the new generation of Slaughter Gods."
The Slaughter King took action directly. Evil, cold red ripples slowly dispersed, and within a few blinks of an eye, they had spread across the entire arena.
The audience on the viewing platform had been somewhat terrified to see the Slaughter King suddenly attacked, wondering who dared to offend the King. But now, seeing the Hell Road open, the Fallen Ones all revealed expressions of excitement; they all hoped to see the sight of the Hell Road opening. However, what they did not know was that their own lives had reached their end.
Except for the Slaughter God and the Slaughter King, no one had ever seen the Hell Road open. Because those who had seen it were all dead. Or rather, they had all become sacrifices for the opening of the Hell Road.
Tang San and Huliena did not have time to think about who dared to attack the Slaughter King. Seeing the familiar red ripples, they instinctively wanted to dodge, only to find that although the red light released from the Slaughter King brought them great pressure, it was not aimed at them. Instead, it was directed toward the surrounding stands.
The Fallen Ones, who had been cheering wildly, gradually became quiet as the red light descended upon the viewing platform. Each Fallen One's eyes gradually became dull, then turned from dull to bloodshot red. It did not take long; when the red light formed a huge barrier over the entire Hell Slaughter Arena, painful screams began to ring out from those who first came into contact with the red light.
Affected by the red light, those Fallen Ones seemed to have gone insane. They clawed desperately at their own faces and bodies...
The Fallen Ones who could survive in the inner city mostly possessed a certain level of strength. At this moment, they exerted their full strength upon themselves, and those screams even contained a sense of extreme, ecstatic pleasure. It seemed as if they were deriving infinite enjoyment from this process of self-mutilation.
Skin peeled back, blood sprayed everywhere; they even tore their own internal organs out of their bodies. They were completely crazed, and would not stop until the end of their lives.
More and more Fallen Ones underwent such changes, until it spread throughout the entire arena.
Blood spilled onto the ground and began to coalesce. Large amounts of blood flowed like small streams along inconspicuous, tiny pipes beneath the spectator stands toward the center of the slaughter arena. It was clearly visible that countless winding red liquids were flowing into the arena like little snakes.
As the blood flowed into the arena, it did not spread in a straight line. On the ground, grooves had appeared at some unknown time. The blood flowed into them, and gradually, it gathered on the ground into a huge, blood-red bat pattern.
Preparation complete, the Slaughter King finally spoke to the two of them.
"I wish you good luck on the Hell Road."
Following that, the two felt the ground beneath their feet vanish and fell directly into the Hell Road.
Seeing that the people had been sent away and that there was no one left in the arena, the Slaughter King spoke loudly.
"You may come out and show yourself now."
Seeing that her disciple had left, that person revealed her form, appearing above the Hell Slaughter Arena, her position slightly higher than the Slaughter King. This person was none other than the current Pope of the Martial Soul Hall, Bibi Dong.
Bibi Dong had entered Slaughter City several days ago. She had been silently watching her disciple defeat monsters and level up, but she had not revealed herself. Originally, she had only intended to follow her past experience and ensure her disciple successfully entered the Hell Road. But she had not expected that this old thing, the Slaughter King, would dare to lay a hand on Huliena, whom she regarded as her own daughter. This was something Bibi Dong could not tolerate.
Therefore, she took action, helping Huliena escape while also allowing her to enter the Hell Road, giving her the opportunity to obtain the Slaughter God's Domain.
Seeing Bibi Dong's position, the Slaughter King felt displeased but did not dwell on it, and his sharp voice rang out once again.
"Hehe~"
"It has been many years, yet the 'Night Rakshasa' of those days is still as beautiful and moving as ever, her grace undiminished!"
'Night Rakshasa' was the nickname Bibi Dong earned back when she ventured through Slaughter City.
Bibi Dong did not immediately acknowledge the Slaughter King's friendly overtures. She glanced at the closed entrance of the Hell Road below, then raised her eyes to look down at the Slaughter King from her position of superiority. Her tone was cold, lacking the courtesy she had shown during their earlier telepathic exchange.
"Slaughter King, I sent someone to pass on a message over two years ago, did I not? Do not do anything unnecessary, yet it seems you did not understand!"
She had spoken to him politely earlier only because Huliena was still present and she needed the Slaughter King to open the passage. Now that the girl had left, Bibi Dong naturally had no such reservations.
As her words fell, the atmosphere in the arena plummeted. The sudden change in Bibi Dong's demeanor caused the Slaughter King's expression to stiffen.
Before the Slaughter King could speak, Bibi Dong continued.
"Also, you are to address me as 'Your Majesty'."
"Decades have passed, things have changed, and you would do well to be careful with those tiresome titles from the past!!"
As she spoke, Bibi Dong's expression was cold and arrogant, radiating a condescending, majestic aura. Coupled with the content of her words, she displayed her disdain and indifference toward the Slaughter King to the fullest.
Upon hearing this, the Slaughter King's originally stiff and pale face flushed with anger. Although he was not human, he had acted the part for so many years that he had developed some human-like traits. How could he remain indifferent when Bibi Dong belittled him so?
The Slaughter King gritted his teeth and said.
"Pope, what do you mean by this? Are you looking to go to war with me?"
At the same time, endless blood-colored fluctuations began to surge from his body. Ominous, evil Soul Power stirred, as if he would strike the moment Bibi Dong said yes.
Bibi Dong saw through the Slaughter King's bluster at a glance and sneered.
"Heh~"
Her figure flashed and vanished. When she reappeared, she was already in front of the Slaughter King. In her hand appeared a giant black-purple magic scythe, spiraling with countless demonic patterns and containing a dense, evil intent.
Looking at the terrified Slaughter King, Bibi Dong said indifferently.
"It means nothing. I simply feel that you have offended me, and for you to dare point fingers at me—you deserve to be cut down."
With that, the magic scythe in her hand slashed down fiercely at the Slaughter King, as if to split him in two.
The Slaughter King's earlier judgment had been correct: most powerful humans, upon seeing a junior disrespect a powerful peer, might not care about such minor matters, or might even view it as the respect due to the strong. This was indeed a common trait among most experts.
But he had failed to anticipate Bibi Dong's somewhat insane personality. He thought Bibi Dong would follow the unspoken rules of these experts, but Bibi Dong herself did not think so. Her disciple was hers alone to discipline.
Hearing Bibi Dong's words, the Slaughter King immediately understood her meaning; she was responding to his question about Huliena. Seeing this madwoman actually attack, his expression changed drastically. He spread the wings on his back, transformed into a streak of blood-colored light to dodge the scythe, and shrieked.
"Pope, just because I punished your disciple a little?"
The scythe missed, but a massive black-purple shockwave was unleashed, cleaving the entire Hell Slaughter Arena in two. The Slaughter King was stunned by the power of the strike; this madwoman was playing for real!
To this, Bibi Dong coldly replied.
"Yes, you are unworthy!"
Following this, another black-purple strike was unleashed, heading straight for the Slaughter King.
Initially, seeing Tang San—the object of her disciple's affection—being targeted by the Slaughter King, Bibi Dong hadn't felt much. Not knowing that Tang San was a disciple of Yu Xiaogang, she could view him quite rationally.
In her eyes, Tang San was too similar to the person she hated to the bone: handsome, gifted, appearing virtuous on the outside while being filled with filth on the inside, as if cut from the same cloth. As a legendary Pope, when not influenced by a love-struck brain or bias, Bibi Dong was quite sharp at reading people, and she saw right through Tang San's essence.
Moreover, Tang San was the complete opposite of her 'refined, graceful, and brilliant' white moonlight, which made Bibi Dong even less satisfied with him.
It was a pity that she had spoken too soon and hadn't let the Slaughter King kill Tang San before he entered the Hell Road. If Tang San failed to walk out of Slaughter City alive, so be it. If he did survive and kept his distance from Huliena, she could let the past be, otherwise...
It would have been one thing if the Slaughter King had only targeted Tang San, but the fact that this piece of trash dared to lay a hand on her disciple meant he was tired of living. Did he really think her words were just wind in his ears? She was determined to hack this garbage to pieces.
Hearing Bibi Dong's relentless, aggressive stance, the Slaughter King could no longer hold back. His figure flickered, turning into a ghostly blood shadow, and he lunged at Bibi Dong with claws extended, carrying sharp, lethal energy.
"Then let's put it to the test!"
And then, he nearly tested his way to his death.
Bibi Dong, capable of exerting the strength of a level 98 powerhouse and wielding the divine artifact Rakshasa Demon Scythe, was far beyond what the Slaughter King could block—only Tang Chen might have stood a chance. His Slaughter Domain was decent, but under the pressure of Bibi Dong's Slaughter God's Domain and Death Domain, infused with Supreme Evil Qi, he not only failed to gain an advantage but was suppressed at every turn. After all, when it came to evil and poison, how could he compare to the future orthodox Evil God?
After less than a dozen exchanges, he was beaten into a retreat, barely clinging to life.
Seeing he couldn't win, the Slaughter King immediately began to beg for mercy, but Bibi Dong only wanted to kill him. She hadn't fought much in years, and her hands were itching. With such a punching bag, how could she not cherish the opportunity?
Bibi Dong swung her scythe a few more times. Just as the Slaughter King was about to perish under her blade, a sudden change occurred.
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Translated by: randomtranslator.com
Proofread by: DaoistReader