Led by Bibi Dong, a group departed from the mountain range of Martial Soul, with Su Cheng and Bibi Dong leading the way northeast.
With the strength of Su Cheng and Bibi Dong, they naturally wouldn't take too long to reach the Slaughter City.
However, with the addition of the three from Xie Yue, the situation was different.
It wasn't just a matter of physical endurance; their soul power couldn't sustain continuous travel, requiring intermittent breaks to recover soul power.
As a result, it would take about a week.
Following behind Su Cheng and Bibi Dong, the three hardly spoke along the way, mostly communicating through eye contact.
However, the way the two in front interacted was strange to them.
Based on Su Cheng's current strength and his position as an elder of the Martial Soul Hall, he was no longer their peer.
Yet, witnessing the casual nature of their conversations, they found it incredibly inconceivable.
After all, even Chrysanthemum Douluo and Ghost Douluo were exceptionally respectful in the presence of the Pope.
Moreover, Hu Liena couldn't help feeling a strange sensation, as if her teacher's mood at the moment seemed unusually good.
Her expression was exceptionally gentle, devoid of the usual sternness and coldness.
As Su Cheng and the others journeyed toward the Slaughter City, Tang San also entered the dark passage leading to the Slaughter City.
As he reached the end, a cold voice sounded from all sides, "Welcome to the Slaughter City. This is the capital of hell, a world full of slaughter. Here, you can obtain whatever you desire, at the cost of your life."
Tang San ignored the voice and continued forward with an expressionless face.
The material of the passage walls was special, impervious to his spiritual power. He used Blue Silver Grass for exploration, then proceeded through the portal at the end of the passage.
Before his eyes lay a black city and a hundred Black Armor soldiers guarding the city gate.
The thick black city walls were incredibly broad, with a purple moon hanging half a kilometer above the ground. Above that, everything was pitch black.
After easily defeating the knight guarding the gate, he took the identification badge marked "9316" from the opponent and stepped towards the city gate bearing the plaque "Slaughter City."
Two rows of Black Armor soldiers stood silently. Before Tang San could show his identification badge, a veiled woman emerged from inside.
"Welcome to the Slaughter City," her voice was pleasant. Upon approaching Tang San, she gestured courteously.
"I am your guide. If you have any questions, feel free to ask me. Within twelve hours, I will answer all your inquiries. After twelve hours, this will be your living place, and you will officially become a member of the Slaughter City."
Tang San's expression stiffened, his voice slightly hoarse, "What kind of place is the Slaughter City?"
"It's a paradise, a haven for the fallen."
"What are the rules here?"
"The rule here is that there are no rules.
"As a member of the Slaughter City, as long as you have enough ability, you can do anything you want here.
"Here, all soul master skills cannot be used. People can only rely on instinct and their own strength to survive, and soul power can serve as a source of power. Even the Title Douluos from the outside world will weaken due to the disappearance of their soul skills here.
"Under the rule of the King of Slaughter, we have no need to fear them. But I must remind you, because there are no rules here, you may face deadly dangers at any time.
"This is a paradise for the fallen, a garden of sin."
Tang San repeated softly, "A garden of sin?"
"Yes. Many people come here because they cannot survive in the outside world and have no choice but to enter. After arriving here, they no longer need to fear being hunted. Every member of the Slaughter City is protected."
"Does the Martial Soul Hall know about this place?" Finally showing emotion, Tang San's voice carried a hint of mockery, "If they know, why doesn't the Martial Soul Hall, which always claims justice, come to eradicate you?"
The veiled woman sneered, "So what if they know? The Martial Soul Hall won't take action against us.
"Destroying the Slaughter City would bring them no benefit. Mr. 9316, don't forget, it's almost impossible for those who enter the Slaughter City to leave. Those who can come here are filled with corruption and evil.
"This place has nothing to do with the outside world. The Slaughter City is like a special prison, helping the Martial Soul Hall to keep track of the most heinous criminals. Tell me, why would the Martial Soul Hall want to destroy us? They would rather have more evildoers come here."
At these words, mockery deepened in Tang San's eyes. Just as he had judged, the existence of the Slaughter City was condoned by the Martial Soul Hall.
Even if soul skills couldn't be used here, its power couldn't compare to that of the Martial Soul Hall, which covered the entire continent.
So, in the end, the Martial Soul Hall was merely fishing for fame and reputation, a hypocritical force that claimed righteousness.
At this point, the woman continued, "The only way to leave the Slaughter City is to become the champion of the Hell Slaughter Arena. Once you qualify to challenge the Hell Road and emerge victorious, you can leave the Slaughter City. Here, there is no failure, only success and death..."
Thus, she continued to explain the rules and challenges of this place to Tang San as they walked toward the inner city.
The outer city of the Slaughter City consisted of simple black stone houses lining the streets, with occasional places for meals where many people waited for food distribution. It felt slightly better than being beggars, but there was no real luxury to speak of.
The woman explained simply that even among criminals, there were distinctions. Only truly powerful criminals could enjoy the pleasures of this fallen paradise. The useless were denied such privileges.
The city was larger than Tang San had imagined. After walking for quite some time and gaining some understanding of the outer city, the woman led him to a city wall.
Compared to the outer wall of the Slaughter City, this wall wasn't very tall, only about ten meters. Clearly, behind this wall lay the inner city of the Slaughter City.
The city gate opened without any guards.
"The inner city doesn't need guards. Anyone brave enough from the outer city can enter anytime. Of course, once inside, they must face the unknowns of the inner world.
"Since you've just arrived in the Slaughter City, I suggest you live in the outer city for a while. Once you've adapted to everything here, it's better to enter the inner city.
"After you enter the inner city later, please stay within five meters of me. Otherwise, I can't guarantee your safety."
Tang San glanced at her but said nothing.
He clearly felt the starkly different atmosphere here compared to the outer city.
Compared to the desolation and indifference of the outer city, the inner city seemed extremely luxurious and chaotic, bustling with noise.
People were engaging in intercourse, fighting, and even killing at any time and place on the streets...
He suddenly realized that in this city of slaughter, there was no need for him to deliberately control it; the intent to kill would surge up continuously.
It seemed that only through slaughter could he release the accumulated hostility in his heart.
As he walked, a commotion suddenly appeared ahead, with dozens of people scattering and fleeing, eagerly making way for a figure.
When he saw clearly the person walking out of the crowd, Tang San couldn't help but stop in his tracks, his cold eyes showing a relatively obvious emotional fluctuation for the first time.
He never expected to see a familiar face in this city brimming with sin and corruption.
Emerging from the crowd was a voluptuous young woman.
Her enticing figure was tightly wrapped in a black tight-fitting attire, draped with a dark black robe, and her silky black hair cascaded down to her waist.
Her delicate and cold face showed no expression, her eyes unusually indifferent.
Despite possessing a perfect figure and extraordinary beauty, in this city full of desires, not a single person dared to gaze upon her. It was as if encountering a fierce tiger, everyone avoided her.
This person was none other than Zhu Zhuqing.
In that instant, Tang San's mind suddenly flashed with many thoughts.
Why was she here too?
What had she done after the competition?
Was today's chance meeting a perfect opportunity to pull her into the camp against the Spirit Hall?
After all, when they were studying together at Shrek Academy, he had heard from Dai Mubai about the various conflicts between the Spirit Hall and the two great empires...
Zhu Zhuqing's gaze subtly shifted, showing a hint of surprise in her eyes.
She also saw Tang San.
But the person in front of her was completely different from the Tang San in her memory.
Since that day when Xiao Wu died in front of the Pope's palace square, after Tang Hao took Tang San away, they had never met again.
And now he had changed greatly.
The old Tang San, though somewhat reserved, had a kind of near-blind arrogance in his heart, a mentality that often showed in his words and actions.
He seemed certain of his own uniqueness.
But the current Tang San seemed like a completely different person.
His expression was stiff, his eyes gloomy, yet there was also a faint sense of intimidation.
"Zhuqing?"
At this moment, Tang San actively walked towards Zhu Zhuqing.
A forced smile appeared on his stiff cheeks.
It seemed quite awkward because he hadn't made this expression in a long time.
But the goodwill was still very apparent.
Zhu Zhuqing felt puzzled upon seeing this.
The other party clearly didn't think highly of her before.
Especially during their time at Shrek Academy, due to being suppressed by her, Tang San obviously didn't take kindly to her and always secretly competed with her, trying to gain the upper hand.
So why was he so friendly now despite his current gloominess?
She obviously didn't know that during the battle in front of the Pope's palace before, Tang San had misunderstood her intentions and thought she was standing up for him, her teammate.
As for why Tang San had become like this now, she could understand.
Xiao Wu's death clearly had a great impact on him.
To be honest, Zhu Zhuqing didn't have much goodwill towards Tang San. In her sensory perception, he was not as likable as Oscar and Ma Hongjun.
She thought he was too calculating, yet impulsive and immature in his actions, always caring about meaningless gains and losses, too petty, and never seeing his own flaws, very immature.
But even so, she had at least recognized the extremely pure feelings between Tang San and Xiao Wu.
Although the way he expressed his feelings on weekdays left her speechless.
Unconditional protection, she did not approve of it.
And Xiao Wu's personality was frankly not likable.
But they were both not children and each had their own way of living, so she didn't have the right to say much.
It wasn't until after Xiao Wu's death that Zhu Zhuqing suddenly found the relationship between the two of them somewhat ridiculous.
Perhaps Tang San's unrestricted protection was the key factor in Xiao Wu's death.
Where did she come from? Dare to enter the Spirit Hall being a spirit beast?
Is it Tang San who gives her the courage?
Or is it the secretive potion whose true details she doesn't even know?
Is winning the Soul Master Tournament really that important?
What about Tang San's supposed mature mentality?
With a Title Douluo father, doesn't he know that his lover's true identity is actually a hundred-thousand-year spirit beast?
With these thoughts swirling in her mind, Zhu Zhuqing maintained her usual calm and cold demeanor.
Looking at the young man approaching her, she nodded slightly, "Tang San, what brings you here?"
"My father sent me here for training. How about you? How did you end up in this place?" Tang San asked.
"The Star Luo Empire has its own sources of information. I heard about this lawless place." She lied smoothly, her expression giving nothing away.
Knowing his deep hatred for the Spirit Hall, she naturally wouldn't foolishly admit that Bibi Dong brought her here.
Although she wasn't afraid of Tang San, there was no need to invite trouble.
After all, this person was not simple.
Tang San didn't suspect anything and probed further, "Zhuqing, I just heard that Qian Renxue from the Spirit Hall didn't hesitate to break the rules of the competition and tried to kill you?"
"...," Zhu Zhuqing remained silent, her face darkening slightly.
Sensing the fleeting strong killing intent emanating from her and the faint red glow in her eyes, Tang San felt satisfied.
He continued, "You may not know yet, but Qian Renxue's performance in the finals was even more terrifying. Besides her, Su Cheng's performance was also outstanding. After the competition, Su Cheng directly chose to join the Spirit Hall, shamelessly."
"He indeed lacks shame," Zhu Zhuqing replied coldly.
Seeing that his purpose was achieved, Tang San didn't say more. He wore a slightly stiff smile on his face, "I wish you a speedy completion of your training here and to leave this city of slaughter soon. I look forward to the day when we fight side by side again. Believe me, Bibi Dong, Qian Renxue, Su Cheng, they will all pay the price they deserve!"
Upon hearing this, Zhu Zhuqing's eyes flickered strangely, then she calmly said, "First, strive to survive here. In this city of slaughter, danger lurks everywhere. Be cautious of everyone, don't trust any so-called 'friends', anyone could harbor murderous intent towards you."
"I understand." Tang San nodded solemnly, "Thank you, Zhuqing."
...
After Zhu Zhuqing left, the woman beside Tang San, who claimed to be the messenger of the King of Slaughter, finally spoke with some surprise, "Do you know the Wind King?"
"The Wind King?"
"Yes." The woman looked fearfully towards the gracefully retreating figure in black clothes.
"She has only been in the city of slaughter for a little over a year, but has already won eighty-nine battles in the Hell Slaughter Arena. She's hailed as the 'Wind King' by the fallen ones here."
"Eighty-nine battles, eighty-nine victories, every battle only she survived."
"Do you know what that means? The number of people who have died at her hands is countless."
She turned to look at Tang San, who looked dazed, her voice icy.
"That Wind King is currently the number one figure in the city of slaughter!"
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