Soon, the black-clad maiden introduced the general situation and rules of Slaughter City. From her words, it was clear that she held immense admiration for the Slaughter King, who was regarded as the supreme ruler of this place.
Yang Xiong's expression suddenly turned serious: "Have you ever seen the true face of the Slaughter King? Or do you know how he initially became so powerful?"
The black-clad maiden was startled: "I don't know about that. But in Slaughter City, even investigating the Slaughter King is a capital offense. Moreover, His Majesty has ruled Slaughter City for countless years—no one knows when he first became the Slaughter King."
Hearing this, Yang Xiong couldn't help but laugh: "That's quite interesting. To rule Slaughter City, one must at least be a Title Douluo-level expert. And from what you said earlier, there are no soul beasts in Slaughter City. So where did the Slaughter King get his soul rings?"
Yang Xiong naturally knew that the Slaughter King was Tang Chen, but judging by Tang Chen's appearance, he seemed to have been the Slaughter King for countless generations. Was this position passed down through inheritance? Could it be possible that before Tang Chen, Slaughter City didn't even have a leader?
The corners of the black-clad maiden's lips twitched again. In Slaughter City, no one dared to jest about the Slaughter King. Yet here was this young man, thinking so deeply about such matters.
Yang Xiong didn't dwell on it further: "Lead the way. Take me to the Hell Slaughter Arena."
The black-clad maiden was shocked: "You've just arrived in Slaughter City and haven't even entered the inner city yet. Are you really planning to go to the Hell Slaughter Arena now?"
"You should know that the survival rate in the Hell Slaughter Arena is only 10%. The battles are extremely brutal. You're still in your 24-hour newbie protection period, during which you're completely safe. But if you enter the Hell Slaughter Arena, your protection will be gone."
"Moreover, according to the rules of Slaughter City, each person only needs to participate in one Hell Slaughter Arena match per year to live in the city. You still have plenty of time to adapt to this environment."
A fierce look flashed across Yang Xiong's face: "Rules? As I recall, the greatest rule of Slaughter City is that there are no rules. This is a place of slaughter, where only the strong survive."
After some discussion, the black-clad maiden reluctantly led Yang Xiong toward the core of Slaughter City.
Yang Xiong donned a silver mask that covered half of his face. In Slaughter City, no one used their real names, nor did they reveal their true appearances. After all, everyone around them was an enemy.
The entire City of Slaughter was divided into the outer city and the inner city, with differences in environment and other aspects. The Hell Slaughter Arena itself was a massive arena-like structure.
From the looks of it, the people in the outer city were relatively weaker. They didn't need to participate in the Hell Slaughter Arena matches—each month, they only needed to contribute two Bloody Marys to survive in Slaughter City.
Upon entering the inner city, Yang Xiong could clearly sense that these individuals were much stronger, exuding intense killing intent. Clearly, they had survived the Hell Slaughter Arena matches.
To live in the inner city, one had to participate in at least one Hell Slaughter Arena match per year.
The walls of the inner city were entirely black. It took Yang Xiong and the black-clad maiden a full half hour to reach the Hell Slaughter Arena.
Even while walking through the inner city, Yang Xiong felt as though countless eyes were watching him—intentionally or unintentionally. Evidently, he was seen as prey by everyone else.
Especially along the streets, fights seemed to break out frequently. There was no trust between anyone; everyone appeared exceptionally ferocious. Here, there were only lone wolves—no teams.
When Yang Xiong arrived at the Hell Slaughter Arena, he noticed the overwhelming stench of blood in the air, almost as if a red mist enveloped everything.
The Hell Slaughter Arena resembled an ancient Roman colosseum, already surrounded by a crowd. At its center was the battleground. Each match required ten participants, but only one would survive.
In other words, in Slaughter City, nearly everyone was drenched in blood. Those who stayed longer were likely living atop piles of bones.
Yang Xiong wasted no time upon arriving at the Hell Slaughter Arena and immediately signed up for a match. The entry fee was one Bloody Mary, which Yang Xiong promptly retrieved from the bar.
Soon, Yang Xiong was ushered into the Hell Slaughter Arena. Several others were already present, waiting for the match to begin.
The stands were packed with spectators, all maintaining a certain distance from one another. Yet everyone seemed extraordinarily excited and frenzied.
This was not a normal world—it was a world without order or rules, a world saturated with slaughter. Everyone was prey.
Since entering Slaughter City, Yang Xiong felt his blood beginning to boil. Especially within the Hell Slaughter Arena, amidst the cheers of countless spectators, his body and soul seemed stimulated, akin to battling soul beasts. It awakened his most primal instincts.
At that moment, Yang Xiong realized the true horror of Slaughter City. The air itself likely carried a slow-acting poison, possibly similar to the Bloody Mary.
No wonder, in the original storyline, both Hu Liena and Tang San had absorbed top-tier head soul bones before entering Slaughter City. Only the effects of soul bones could keep them truly lucid.
Yang Xiong had considered absorbing a head soul bone before entering Slaughter City, but the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect lacked sufficiently high-grade head soul bones. Even knowing about the ten-thousand-year-old Wisdom Skull soul bone from the original storyline, its age made it unimpressive to him.
Of course, Yang Xiong had his own preparations. The growth potential of his Body Martial Soul was his true trump card. While toxins might cause him to lose himself, under their influence, his martial soul and body should grow even stronger.
After all, among the most famous experts wielding Body Martial Souls thousands of years later, many specialized in poisons. This indicated that Body Martial Souls had excellent compatibility with toxins. Yang Xiong himself had even considered absorbing an elite poison-type soul ring, but it conflicted with his plans. Additionally, his trips to soul beast forests had yet to yield encounters with elite poison-type soul beasts.
As more people gathered on the arena stage, all maintained a significant distance from one another, wary of each other.
After a full hour, ten people finally assembled on the stage. None of them appeared weak.
Once the participants were ready, the match officially began. There were no referees—only a host. After all, in the Hell Slaughter Arena, there were no rules. Any means were permitted, and the match wouldn't end until nine people were dead.
At the start of the match, no one moved rashly. In this ten-to-one elimination deathmatch, acting too early would expose one's strength and deplete energy prematurely, making it easier for others to take advantage.
Yang Xiong could feel multiple pairs of eyes on him. His attire and aura stood out starkly from those in Slaughter City. Having just arrived, he looked relatively clean, with no visible scars—a clear mismatch with the long-term survivors of Slaughter City. Especially since he had just declared himself a first-time participant.
At this moment, a burly middle-aged man with a rough demeanor roared: "This life-or-death battle isn't something a brat like you can handle. Let me take care of you first!"
Unable to use soul ring skills, nearly everyone carried multiple weapons—large ones like axes, hammers, and broadswords, and smaller ones like throwing knives and iron nails. Compared to these, they rarely relied on their martial souls.
The middle-aged man charged at Yang Xiong with a massive axe, delivering a powerful blow. His strength was formidable, indicating at least Soul Ancestor-level power.
A cold smile appeared on Yang Xiong's face: "If you're seeking death, then allow me to oblige."
Yang Xiong had been standing on the stage holding a longsword, gripping it firmly with both hands.
Seeing the man charge with the axe, Yang Xiong's lips curled into a cold smirk. He swung his sword, and just as the sword and axe were about to collide, Yang Xiong's speed suddenly increased. The tip of his sword tapped the axe, deflecting its momentum entirely.
Mere Soul Ancestor-level strength—both in terms of power and overall ability—was far inferior to Yang Xiong's.
The moment the axe was deflected, Yang Xiong burst into action, slashing directly at the man's neck.
The middle-aged man was shocked. He hadn't expected this young boy to attack so swiftly, with both speed and power being incredibly exaggerated.
However, the man had clearly experienced numerous battles. He managed to block Yang Xiong's longsword with the handle of his axe.
But Yang Xiong's blade feinted, and his left hand grabbed the axe handle. With his right hand gripping the longsword, he slashed, severing the man's arm.
Before the man could scream in pain, Yang Xiong's blade twisted again, this time cleanly decapitating him.
With the first death on the stage, the audience erupted into endless cheers. The entire Hell Slaughter Arena seemed to boil over with excitement. Even Yang Xiong felt a surge of adrenaline, feeling invigorated in that instant.
Seeing Yang Xiong effortlessly kill someone, the gazes of the others instantly changed. Three people immediately charged at Yang Xiong with their weapons drawn—an older man wielding a giant hammer, an elderly man using a sword martial soul, and a middle-aged woman with a short blade.
As the three approached Yang Xiong, the middle-aged woman suddenly threw her short blade like a flying dagger—but her target wasn't Yang Xiong. Instead, it struck the back of the man with the giant hammer.
The man dodged too late, and the blade pierced through his back.
The woman sneered: "How dare you turn your back to me? Seems my reputation as 'Bamboo Leaf Green' isn't well-known enough."
Meanwhile, as Yang Xiong's longsword neared the elderly swordsman's blade, the old man's sword suddenly accelerated, even creating a dazzling flower of swordplay. Clearly, he had some skill in swordsmanship.
But among sword users, who could compare to Yang Xiong's teacher, Sword Douluo?
Though the old man's sword flower was dazzling, Yang Xiong simply swept his sword horizontally with force, shattering the flower instantly.
Before the old man could react, Yang Xiong pressed his longsword down forcefully, deflecting the old man's sword martial soul. Then, Yang Xiong manipulated his opponent's blade with continuous rotations, borrowing force like the principles of Bagua. The old man's sword seemed completely out of control.
Before the old man could comprehend what was happening, Yang Xiong executed a decisive strike, piercing the old man's arm with his longsword.
As the old man flinched in pain, Yang Xiong gripped his sword with both hands and cleaved downward with full force, cutting the man in half at the waist. Blood splattered everywhere, and his entrails spilled out onto the ground.
Other participants on the stage also began to clash. Amidst the chaos of multiple attackers targeting Yang Xiong, others turned to their respective opponents. Some, like the middle-aged woman, attacked unexpectedly, while others engaged in direct weapon clashes. The entire stage descended into a massive melee.
------------------------------------------------------
40+ Chapters Ahead: patreon.com/EphemeralShadow
There's something for free patrons too! Free Patrons receive 1 chapter in advance :)