Having stayed in Slaughter City for over two months, Ning Rongrong's mastery of spatial abilities had grown increasingly refined, and she had already achieved a 70-win streak.
Not every hundred-man battle had enough participants. As the White Queen's reputation grew louder, fewer and fewer people dared to throw themselves at her. Over such a long period, Ning Rongrong had only participated in six hundred-man challenge matches, equivalent to sixty consecutive wins. As for the regular ten-man free-for-all matches in Hell's Killing Ground, she had fought in ten of those.
Combined, this amounted to seventy consecutive victories.
Recently, Ning Rongrong had also noticed that she seemed to be under surveillance.
However, since the other party had yet to make a move—merely observing from a distance—she couldn't very well destroy them on the spot just for staring. That wasn't her style.
Besides, she also hoped to use the Killing Ground to glimpse the pinnacle of perfection.
Ning Rongrong awoke from her cultivation and gently exhaled a turbid breath.
"The Ren and Du meridians are complete, and the Great Celestial Cycle has reached perfection."
"Peak Xiantian realm."
Through relentless cultivation, battles, and tempering her mind, she had finally reached a realm she had never attained in her past life—only witnessed.
The terrifying, consummate peak of the Xiantian Grandmaster realm.
"As expected, my Martial Soul still restricts me too much."
Rather than saying her Martial Soul was suppressed by Slaughter City, it was more accurate to say that Slaughter City suppressed the scattered remnants of the Dragon God's laws.
Legend had it that in the world of Douluo Dalu, the Martial Souls of Soul Masters originated from the power left behind after the Dragon God's death. Whether this was true or not, Ning Rongrong wasn't entirely sure.
"Whatever. Haste makes waste," Ning Rongrong sighed softly. "Now that I've reached the peak of the Grandmaster realm, the next step is to fully restore Kurumi's power."
"Only then can the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect secure a foothold in the unpredictable future."
The current power dynamics on the continent were intricate.
The Spirit Hall might have the involvement of the Silver Dragon King, Gu Yuena, while the Clear Sky Sect's Slaughter King, Tang Chen, was likely connected to the Asura God.
Only the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect lacked such profound backing.
Worst of all—or at least, in the most pessimistic estimation—the Clear Sky Sect might even be able to rally support from Sea God Island.
Let's not forget, this was the Land of Love. Tang Chen and Bo Saixi had a thing going on.
Moreover, that simp Qian Daoliu might very well betray the Spirit Hall. After all, this was a tradition passed down through the Spirit Hall's lineage.
Qian Daoliu, Bibi Dong, Qian Renxue, Hu Liena…
In a way, the Spirit Hall was practically cursed.
Balance was ultimately maintained only because of insufficient strength and the need for external forces. But walking such a tightrope for too long would inevitably lead to disaster. If you often walked by the river, how could your shoes stay dry?
Today, Ning Rongrong had no plans to sign up for a match. She wanted to go out for a stroll.
The inner city of Slaughter City existed somewhere between order and chaos.
Official stores operated by the city were safe for shopping—as long as they were genuinely affiliated with Slaughter City, the goods inside were guaranteed authentic.
Entering a shop bearing Slaughter City's official logo, Ning Rongrong placed two cups of Bloody Mary on the nearby table.
"Hello, I'd like a cake. Make it a big one."
She gestured with her hands to indicate the size.
"Right away, Your Majesty the White Queen!" In Slaughter City, strength was respected, but as long as one was an official employee, they were 100% safe. Few dared to kill such individuals—doing so would be a direct slap to the Slaughter King's face.
Before long, the shopkeeper brought out a basketball-sized cake and placed it before Ning Rongrong.
"Thanks. Your cakes are still the best."
Nodding, Ning Rongrong picked up the cake and turned to leave.
As she walked away with the cake in hand, she sensed no fewer than a dozen pairs of eyes watching her. Yet, despite the greed and desire in those gazes, not a single Soul Master dared to attack.
This was the reputation she had built as the White Queen.
It wasn't as if no one had considered poisoning her food, but this young lady never ordered takeout.
There was simply no opportunity to slip her poison. As for poisoning goods in Slaughter City's official shops? Unless one wanted a visit from the enforcers, it was impossible.
The Slaughter King's order was the true order of Slaughter City. The so-called "lawlessness" was only relative.
Just like the guide who had led Ning Rongrong upon her arrival—even if she wandered Slaughter City alone, no one would dare lay a finger on her.
Such was the confidence of having a big shot backing you.
"Ah, I wonder when the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect will have a big shot of its own."
The bar wasn't high—just a random god's inheritance would do.
Like, say, giving Ning Fengzhi the Nine-Colored God… Wait, no. That didn't sound quite right.
Ning Rongrong covered her face, an image of Sect Master Ning radiating maternal light flashing through her mind…
The mental picture was too beautiful. She dared not imagine it further.
Instead of returning to her residence, Ning Rongrong headed toward the outskirts, humming an unknown tune with serene calm as she carried her cake bag into a small grove.
The trees might desire stillness, but the wind would not cease. It seemed she had been targeted again.
"Come out. Isn't it tiring to follow me for so long?"
Clap, clap.
The sound of applause echoed, followed by footsteps as a figure emerged from around the corner.
This man was burly, with his left eye shut—a prominent scar running across the lid. Most striking was his streamlined musculature, lacking the explosive bulk of previous opponents but, in Ning Rongrong's aesthetic judgment, rather well-proportioned.
His black hair was slightly disheveled, hanging down to his waist.
Uchiha Madara?
The name flashed through Ning Rongrong's mind, but this probably wasn't him.
"What do you want with me?" Ning Rongrong made no move to attack.
"To kill you." The young man immediately adopted a ninja-run stance and lunged at her, several shuriken flying from different angles to lock down her position.
"Remember my codename—Blind-Eyed Looking Back and Digging In!"
"My hobby? Ripping out hearts!"
Ning Rongrong: "..."
What kind of weird fetish was this? In Slaughter City, someone as normal as her was truly rare!
Truly, this place was full of demons and heretics.
"How strange." Ning Rongrong lightly leaped, evading all the incoming shuriken, and studied the long-haired man.
"A Soul Douluo holds considerable status in Slaughter City. What made you come after me alone?"
Over the past two months, Ning Rongrong had participated in many matches.
But the highest-ranked Soul Masters she had encountered in the Killing Ground were only at the Soul Emperor level.
Those at Soul Sage and above seemed to be prized assets—they usually didn't participate in matches and enjoyed certain privileges.
"So, Tang Chen is deliberately preserving the strength of Soul Sages and above?"
Now that she thought about it, that made sense. The difference between a Soul Emperor and a Soul Sage wasn't too apparent here.
But once outside—or with the Slaughter King's permission—they could unleash their full power, making them formidable combatants.
"In other words, the higher-ups of Slaughter City have already set their sights on me?"
"I just wonder what they're thinking."
"Now! Martial Soul Possession!" Looking Back and Digging In roared.
"Eighth Soul Sk—"
Schlick!
Before he could fully envelop his body with his Martial Soul, before his soul power could even condense—
"You… you… I—" The man suddenly spat blood, his gaze dropping with difficulty to his chest.
A rapier had pierced straight through his heart, half its length protruding from his back.
"N-no… impossible!"
How… how could she be so fast?
"Burst."
Without giving him time to react, Ning Rongrong channeled zhenqi directly into his heart.
The clash between soul power and zhenqi instantly caused the Uchiha Madara lookalike to vomit three mouthfuls of blood before collapsing.
"What a pity. I was standing behind you."
Evaporating the blood from her rapier with zhenqi, Ning Rongrong expanded her senses.
As expected, they were the Slaughter King's men.
The watching eyes had already vanished. Had they retreated?
Sheathing her weapon, Ning Rongrong absorbed the man's not-yet-dead cells, then turned her gaze toward Slaughter City's tallest structure—the Slaughter King's palace.
"Next match… might be a tough one."