Chapter 271: The Shura Emperor
Inside the Hell Slaughter Arena, ten contestants stood in a tense standoff. The air was thick with tension, yet the stands were packed with fervent onlookers, roaring with excitement. Their frenzied cheers clashed with the chilling silence among the fighters on the field.
Unlike other battles, nine of the contestants had formed a tight circle around a black-haired man wielding a spear and wearing a mask. Despite their numbers, fear was evident in their eyes as they glanced at the masked man, as though he were a monster in human form.
"Shura Emperor! Kill them all!"
The spectators chanted in wild unison.
"After today's fight, the Shura Emperor will secure his sixty-sixth victory, drawing closer to the hundred-match mark. It's unbelievable—he's only been here for half a year and has already risen to the top ten in Slaughter City's history!"
"Yes! I remember his first victory—a fight where hundreds tried to ambush him. But in the end, he was the only one left standing."
"His spear was stained red with blood after that. Ever since, he's been known as the Shura Emperor. But nobody's ever seen his face beneath that mask."
In the midst of the deafening crowd, spectators recalled the Shura Emperor's rise with awe. Hu Liena listened closely to their whispers, piecing together useful information as her eyes fixed on the man standing tall with his spear.
"The Shura Emperor… quite the title. Let's see just how powerful he really is…" she murmured, her interest piqued.
Even she, a skilled warrior, would find facing hundreds alone nearly impossible. The mystery surrounding this man who had survived such odds only heightened her curiosity.
Within the arena, the nine men encircling the Shura Emperor exchanged wary glances, each struggling to steel themselves against his fearsome reputation. Finally, one of them muttered with a shaky voice, "Had I known I'd be facing the Shura Emperor, I'd have stayed in the outer city offering my blood instead—I'd live longer that way!"
A few others nodded in reluctant agreement. Though they had all once been esteemed as Soul Elders or Soul Kings, they now feared a single man to this extent.
"The weak-willed…" scoffed a scarred man in their ranks, shaking his head in disdain.
Once a Soul Douluo outside, this scarred man only ended up in Slaughter City because of a conflict with the Spirit Hall. Here, he'd discovered a new sense of freedom—one where he could indulge in bloodshed and cruelty without restraint.
He might have heard tales of the Shura Emperor's strength, but he remained confident, boasting over thirty victories of his own. Today, he planned to stand atop the Shura Emperor's corpse as the arena's new king.
With a loud clap, he commanded everyone's attention. Glancing at the Shura Emperor resting idly on his spear, he sneered. "If you want to survive, we need to kill the Shura Emperor first. If we win, we can claim the spoils—what's there to lose?"
His words incited a spark of defiance among the group. One man's eyes glowed blood-red as he gritted his teeth. "Let's do it! I don't care if he's the Shura Emperor; there's no way he can beat all of us!"
At the referee's signal, the atmosphere shifted violently as the nine opponents closed in. Just as they readied themselves, the Shura Emperor finally grasped his spear.
A cold, nearly tangible killing intent flooded the arena, silencing the raucous crowd. The bone-chilling aura pressed down on the competitors, like an invisible weight threatening to crush their hearts. The weaker Soul Kings and Soul Elders felt as if a boulder lay on their chests, straining them to their limits.
"What horrifying killing intent," Hu Liena murmured, her forehead breaking into a cold sweat. "Just holding his spear makes his opponents lose the will to fight."
The scarred man saw that this stifling pressure was weakening their group and shouted, "Attack! If we wait, his killing intent will drain our strength!"
Seizing his chance, he took a small pouch from his robe, laughing coldly as he approached. He tossed a cloud of powder toward the Shura Emperor with a sinister grin.
"It's a gift just for you—Blinding Powder! Touch even a bit, and you'll never see light again!" he jeered. "Fight us blind, or lose your vision forever!"
Gasps erupted from the crowd, and bloodthirsty gazes turned toward the Shura Emperor, eager to witness the spectacle of his possible defeat.
To everyone's surprise, the Shura Emperor calmly tore a strip of cloth from his robe, tying it over his eyes. His deep, steady voice rang out from beneath his mask: "If you want me to fight blind, I'll grant your wish."
Unwavering and emotionless, his words sent a chill through the arena.
"He's actually fighting blind?" one spectator muttered.
"This doesn't look good for him…"
Hu Liena frowned, equally disturbed by the scarred man's ruthless tactics and worried for the Shura Emperor. Such a powerful fighter losing to such an underhanded trick would be a waste.
"Sealing your own fate…" the scarred man muttered before shouting, "Let's go! Kill the Shura Emperor, and the title will be ours!"
The man's taunt fueled the others' greed, and they charged forward, all the while the scarred man circled to the Shura Emperor's back, hoping to strike a sneak attack.
Then, in a swift, breathtaking movement, the Shura Emperor's spear flashed as he thrust it in eight different directions at once. Each strike hit its mark—piercing hearts, throats, and skulls.
The eight combatants collapsed, blood pooling around them, yet the scene only intensified the crowd's bloodlust.
The scarred man was left frozen in place, a sickening realization dawning on him.
"It… it's impossible! Isn't he blindfolded? How can his strikes be so precise, as if he could still see, or even better than before?"
The crowd erupted into murmurs and gasps. On the viewing platform, Hu Liena's wide eyes remained fixed on the Shura Emperor, awe and disbelief painted across her face. His spear skills were masterful, surpassing even the finest spear techniques she had seen, including those of the Spear Douluo from the Spirit Hall.
"If I also manage to complete the hundred kills, this person would be the perfect ally to pass through Hell's Road with," she mused, her gaze determined. "His spear must be his martial spirit… If I can conquer Hell's Road, I must introduce him to my teacher. He's a genius, no less than Dai Yao."
Just then, a sneaky figure creeping up behind the Shura Emperor caught the crowd's attention, drawing cries of alarm.
The scarred man's heart pounded as he watched the Shura Emperor dispatch eight fighters as though he could still see through the blindfold. He knew this was his best and only chance. Now, right behind him, he thought the Shura Emperor's spear wouldn't be able to turn in time.
And he reasoned, what damage could the butt of the spear do?
With no hesitation, he swung his blade down toward the Shura Emperor's back.
Yet, in the next moment, his widening eyes saw the spear's hilt coming toward him at lightning speed. He felt a sharp pain bloom in his chest, and blood spurted from his mouth.
He looked down in shock at the spear that had pierced his chest and whispered, "H-how…"
A quiet voice came from beneath the mask. "Who told you a spear needs a blade to kill?"
With a brutal twist, the Shura Emperor withdrew his spear, causing blood to gush from the man's wound like a fountain. Calmly, he removed the blindfold, meticulously cleaning his weapon with a scrap of cloth, as though he'd simply slaughtered some livestock.
After a brief, stunned silence, the crowd erupted into cheers once more.
"Shura Emperor! Shura Emperor! Shura Emperor!"
The Shura Emperor was none other than Dai Yao, who, after securing his sixty-sixth victory, calmly took a breath. Today's challengers had not been his most difficult.
Training under the waterfall, where he had fought blindfolded against falling stones, had rendered the scarred man's ploys useless. The frequency of their attacks paled in comparison to the relentless cascade of stones he'd faced then.
"It's been half a year, and I've finally achieved sixty-six victories," Dai Yao thought, a glint of crimson flashing in his eyes.
From the moment he'd arrived in Slaughter City, he had dedicated himself to the arena, pushing to surpass fifty victories before Hu Liena's arrival. Today, he had earned his sixty-sixth win, a feat few in the arena's history had ever achieved.
The most dangerous moment had come when, after defeating two Soul Douluos and emerging from the arena utterly exhausted, hundreds of spectators had attempted to ambush him. Yet he had wielded his spear like a machine, mercilessly dispatching them all. By the time he crawled out from the pile of corpses, his muscles torn and eyes bloodshot, no one else dared attack him.
It was then he'd earned the title "Shura Emperor." The name had spread throughout the arena, marking him as one of its deadliest champions.
The half-year had indeed been brutal, and though his soul power had not grown, his combat strength had doubled. Thanks to the mystical properties of the Chaos Green Lotus, he had managed to avoid the madness-inducing effects of bloodlust, maintaining his sanity. But even here, his spirit wasn't immune to the darkness of this place. He could feel himself changing—becoming colder, more ruthless.
As he left the arena, he spotted someone in the stands whose aura didn't match the bloodthirsty crowd around her. It was her untainted, bloodless presence that caught his eye, rather than her beauty.
"Hmm… Hu Liena?"
Dai Yao's eyes fixed on the alluring figure, and a faint smirk appeared on his lips.
"So, it's time for the mission?"
He knew from the original story that Hu Liena had the strength to complete the hundred matches, though she would likely struggle on Hell's Road.
"By this timeline, Tang San would arrive a year after Hu Liena. Should I just… kill him here in Slaughter City?"
After a moment's thought, he dismissed the idea.
"No… That would be unwise. For one, Tang San will have his hidden weapons at his disposal here. I could take him, but it'd be risky, and any injuries could invite even more troublesome flies. Besides, Tang Hao can enter the arena freely, thanks to the Killing God Domain. If I go after his son, I'd be practically sealing my own fate."
"When the time comes, Tang Hao… I'll settle that score with you!"
He'd already planned his revenge against Tang Hao; only the right moment remained.
"And for my revenge on the Star Luo Empress, Xiao Wu's soul ring is mine. Without Tang San, she won't sacrifice herself. I'll lose my best chance if he dies now."
If Bibi Dong captured Xiao Wu, she would likely claim the ring for her second martial spirit. Besides, only a self-sacrifice would allow Dai Yao to absorb a hundred-thousand-year ring at his current stage.
Tang San would have to live—at least for now.
Several months passed.
Hu Liena had just finished today's battle when she found herself surrounded by a mob of fifty or sixty attackers. But her attention was less on them and more on the masked man standing on the rooftop, his spear held at the ready.
"The Shura Emperor… What is he up to?" she wondered.
In the past few months, she had fought dozens of battles, and each time, the Shura Emperor had been present, observing. Even now, as she dodged and retaliated against her assailants, she kept her focus on him, well aware that she was no match for him. If he chose to join her attackers, her chances of survival would be slim.
But to her surprise, as she dispatched each attacker, he made no move, remaining watchful yet passive.
"Shura Emperor!" she shouted, a steely edge to her voice. "What exactly is it that you want?"
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