Chapter 35: I Just Won't, What Can You Do About It?

Just as they were about to enter, Tang Hao suddenly remembered something and said to Tang San, "Oh right, although that Bloody Mary is called wine, it's actually mixed with a large amount of human blood."

Hearing this, Tang San looked up at his father in stunned disbelief. He was only telling him this important detail now?!

"Dad, I'm just a child," Tang San said, exasperated by his father's mix of reliability and unreliability. He was a ten-year-old boy, not some transmigrator. Drinking blood was out of the question—he wasn't even old enough to drink alcohol yet.

With a creak, Tang Hao pushed open the tavern door, leading Tang San inside.

The air inside was thick and foul. Tang San noticed that all the decorations were black. Although it was daytime outside, stepping into the tavern immediately gave off a chilling, dark atmosphere.

Tang San frowned. This peculiar sensation felt somewhat similar to his father's God of Slaughter Domain. He guessed the influence of Slaughter City had seeped into the tavern's environment.

"A kid?"

"Hey brat, this isn't a place for children. Go back to your mommy and drink milk, hahaha!"

Seeing a child around ten years old appear, the patrons in the tavern couldn't help but laugh.

Those who could find their way here were no ordinary Soul Masters. Slaughter City was, in other words, a lawless zone akin to the Golden Triangle. The Soul Masters who sought it out generally fell into two categories: maniacs like Tang Hao, who trained obsessively to obtain the God of Slaughter Domain, and the desperate outlaws in the tavern—fugitives who had nowhere else to go and sought refuge in Slaughter City to cling to life.

Neither Tang San nor Tang Hao responded to the jeers. They simply found a seat in the corner. A black-clad waiter with an indifferent expression approached them.

"What would you like?"

"Two Bloody Marys," Tang Hao said coldly.

The waiter's expression shifted slightly. "Are you sure?"

Tang Hao tossed a small pouch of gold onto the table. Seeing the payment, the waiter didn't argue further.

Soon, two cups of murky liquid were brought over. The dark red drink emitted a pungent, bloody stench, as if it were actual blood.

Looking at the crimson Bloody Mary, Tang San instinctively wrinkled his nose. He didn't have any peculiar dietary habits.

Taking a deep breath, Tang San shut his eyes tightly and downed the entire cup in one gulp.

The liquid was salty and slightly sour, its overwhelming metallic taste flooding his senses. But the next second, his eyes snapped open, and he spat out every last drop of the Bloody Mary.

"HAHAHAHA, don't waste it, kid! A cup of Bloody Mary isn't cheap!"

"Hey old man, if you've got money to throw away, you might as well give it to me. Right, guys?"

The violent retching shattered the tavern's quiet atmosphere, drawing the attention and mocking laughter of all the patrons.

Tang Hao looked at his son in confusion, but Tang San's expression turned grave as he whispered, "Dad, this Bloody Mary is poisoned."

!!?

Tang Hao's face darkened as well. "I've drunk it before and never felt any poison," he said.

Tang San shook his head and said, "This poison isn't the lethal kind. It's a chronic addictive substance. Drinking one or two cups won't cause immediate harm, but its addictive nature will make people keep consuming it until they're completely hooked and unable to quit."

"I've seen this poison in the memory world of that Soul Guidance Device."

The Soul Guidance Device Tang San referred to was naturally the Lotus Soul Guidance Device, which Tang Hao had previously detected as abnormal and destroyed.

A trace of gravity flashed in Tang Hao's eyes. If this were true, the poison likely originated from the ancient era.

"Should we drink a cup first to enter Slaughter City?" Tang Hao asked.

Instead of taking the Bloody Mary from his father, Tang San surveyed their surroundings. Apart from some mocking laughter directed at him, only the bartenders and the owner remained expressionless.

"Father, let's not drink this cursed thing. Can't we just fight our way in?"

True to his status as the young sect master, Tang San immediately proposed storming in.

Tang Hao couldn't help but recall his past experiences in Slaughter City. This first trial of drinking Bloody Mary might actually be the deadliest trap, as Bloody Mary held special significance in Slaughter City—it served as a form of hard currency for certain reasons.

If one didn't participate in battles at the Hell Slaughter Arena, they had to contribute two cups of Bloody Mary each month. Moreover, in Slaughter City, Bloody Mary was considered an excellent remedy for relieving fatigue and emotional stress.

Only now did Tang Hao understand why drinking Bloody Mary brought such comfort and relief—it was because the substance was addictive.

"I don't know what will happen if we enter without drinking Bloody Mary, but—" Tang Hao's eyes gleamed as the corners of his mouth curled upward. He slowly stood up and said, "Since we don't know, let's just try it out."

As Tang Hao's massive frame rose, his imposing aura instantly silenced the laughing patrons.

Addressing the room, Tang Hao declared, "Those who haven't drunk Bloody Mary may leave."

At his warning, the patrons who wished to enter Slaughter City sharpened their gazes and summoned their Martial Souls one after another.

Everyone here understood—entering Slaughter City required bloodshed. They were no naive children.

Contrary to expectations, Tang San remained seated calmly. According to Slaughter City's rules, he needed to kill to gain entry. However, he wasn't there to obtain the God of Slaughter Domain nor to remain in Slaughter City permanently.

Their Clear Sky Sect had the power to disregard Slaughter City's rules.

Rules? Tell that to my Clear Sky Hammer.

Observing the dense array of Martial Souls around them, Tang Hao issued his final warning: "Time's running out. You can still leave now."

With a thunderous boom, an immense surge of Soul Power erupted from Tang Hao's body. In an instant, the surrounding Soul Masters—many only at the third or even second ring level—were so terrified that their Item Martial Souls clattered to the ground.

It seemed Tang Hao intended to defy Slaughter City's demands. You want me to drink Bloody Mary? I refuse. You want me to kill? Today I won't kill a single person. Let's see if I can still enter.

Seeing all the Soul Masters in the room had lost their will to fight, Tang San finally stood up and walked to the bar counter. With a composed smile, he asked, "Excuse me, where's the entrance?"

The tavern owner, who had been intimidated by Tang Hao's imposing aura, finally snapped back to reality. Glaring at the grinning little boy who looked about ten years old, he said with a dark expression, "You haven't drunk Bloody Mary, nor have you experienced slaughter. You've broken the rules and cannot enter Slaughter City."

Hearing this, Tang San simply shrugged and said, "I just don't feel like following your Slaughter City's rules. What can you do about it?"

Tang San's words made the tavern owner's chest heave with anger. You don't want to follow the rules but still want to enter? What do you think Slaughter City is, a public toilet where you can come and go as you please?!

"Not—" Before the owner could even finish saying "not a chance," Tang Hao's Clear Sky Hammer flew past his ear, blasting a huge hole in the wall.

"Killing you counts as slaughter, right? If you insist, then I'll follow your rules."

The owner immediately pointed to the ground, his expression turning ingratiating as he smiled and said, "The entrance is over there, honored guest. You can open it yourself."