Yu Xiaogang's behavior today was easy enough to understand. His sudden swell in power, combined with the Abyss's influence, had magnified all his suppressed dissatisfaction and darkness. Now emboldened, he dared to speak his mind. But as it turned out, he was still just a small fry.
Li Chang'an wasn't the kind of person to kick someone when they were down. So after Yu Xiaogang fainted, he repeatedly emphasized that the whole "streaking and barking like a dog" thing was just a joke. He wasn't so petty as to actually hold him to it—after all, he still had to give the so-called "Grandmaster" a shred of dignity.
Ironically, the more Li Chang'an played it off, the more seriously Yu Xiaogang took it. Having passed out and been revived, he then—just for the sake of preserving his title as the "Grandmaster"—actually barked like a dog in front of everyone… then stripped and ran naked…
'Just wait, Yu Xiaogang. The pain you've caused Teacher, I'll make you repay every bit of it.'
As Bibi Dong's disciple—Li Chang'an had both the responsibility and the perfect excuse to deal with Yu Xiaogang.
What's more, the wager had been proposed by Yu Xiaogang himself, not Li Chang'an. He brought it upon himself. He had no one else to blame.
That day, Yu Xiaogang lost every shred of his dignity. That day, for the first time, both Flender and Liu Erlong began to feel genuine dissatisfaction toward him. The seeds of discord within their trio had been sown—by none other than Yu Xiaogang himself.
Li Chang'an no longer bothered with him. Instead, he turned his attention to the system. After a long silence, the system suddenly issued a new mission:
[Ding! Within one month, pass through the City of Slaughter and obtain the Slaughter Domain. Reward: One vial of Miracle Elixir.]
[Miracle Elixir — Brings the dead back to life, reconstitutes shattered bones, and restores plants to their original cultivation and power. Can even solidify a soul and save the dying. Truly miraculous.]
'This—this is the perfect way to save Ah Yin!'
Ah Yin still had a soul seed left. That meant she could naturally be revived. As for Xiao Wu's mother, things were more complicated.
It wasn't that Li Chang'an had any hidden agenda. He simply wanted to give Tang San a mother. Well—if he was being honest—he also wanted to give Tang San a new dad.
Besides, the City of Slaughter and the Slaughter Domain had already been part of his long-term plans. The mission only accelerated his schedule a bit.
After giving final instructions to Xiao Wu, Zhu Zhuqing, and Meng Yiran, and spending a night visiting Bai Xue and an afternoon with Qian Renxue, Li Chang'an entrusted Miao Ling to the girls. He waved goodbye to Ning Rongrong and finally left Shrek Academy.
This time, the system even gave him an address. It wasn't too troublesome. A few spatial shifts later, and he arrived at his destination.
It was a small town—not large at all—but the moment he stepped in, Li Chang'an felt something off. There was a strange chill lingering around the people. It wasn't normal.
As expected of the City of Slaughter. Even in this remote town on its outskirts, his spiritual sense could pick up a distinct aura of bloodlust surrounding the locals.
Without paying much attention to his surroundings, Li Chang'an headed straight for a tavern at the town center.
The air inside the tavern was thick and oppressive. Everything was decked out in black—the walls, the furnishings, even the lighting gave off an eerie gloom. It was daytime outside, but the moment he stepped in, it felt like walking into darkness itself.
"New around here, sir?" the bartender asked with a fake smile. "Care to try our specialty? A Bloody Mary?"
"I don't drink that crap," Li Chang'an replied coldly with a shake of his head. Even if he was prepared to kill, drinking human blood was where he drew the line. He'd never stoop that low—not even if it killed him.
"Haha, what a coward!" jeered one of the bar's regulars.
"Can't even handle a Bloody Mary. What are you doing here then?"
Laughter erupted around the room. Some even licked their lips at the sight of him.
Li Chang'an took a deep breath.
Then—without a word—he raised his fist and swung.
With his terrifying physical strength, he didn't even need combat techniques. Just brute force alone was enough to pulp a man into minced meat.
Chaos erupted in the tavern.
But it didn't last long.
Barely a minute later, silence returned. Li Chang'an shook blood off his hands and looked at the only person still breathing—the terrified bartender.
"Tell me," he said, voice laced with murderous intent, "how do I enter the City of Slaughter?"
The bartender nearly dropped to his knees.
"R-right below us, sir… it's just down there…"
"Hmph." Li Chang'an snorted and slammed a fist into the floor behind the bar. With a deafening boom, a gaping black hole opened before him.
He took one last glance at the blood-drenched bar, suppressed the nausea rising in his gut, and drew a deep breath. His gaze turned resolute.
Then he jumped in.
Darkness engulfed him.
After dropping a few meters, he landed firmly on solid ground. There was no need for light—his spiritual sense allowed him to perceive everything clearly in the dark. A long sloped tunnel stretched ahead, icy winds whispering past him.
But Li Chang'an didn't stop. He marched forward.
After roughly 1,500 steps, a cold, emotionless voice echoed from all directions:
"Welcome to the City of Slaughter. This is Hell's capital, a world steeped in death and blood. Here, you may obtain anything you desire… but the price is your life."
Li Chang'an ignored the voice and continued forward. Eventually, a light appeared in the distance, growing larger as he approached. It was an open gateway—and beyond it, he sensed life.
Exiting the tunnel, he was greeted by a formidable sight: 101 warriors clad in pitch-black armor. Even their faces were hidden beneath helms. One sat astride a towering warhorse, while the remaining hundred wielded massive swords.
"You have broken the rules," said the mounted knight. His voice was deep and cold, almost inhuman.
Li Chang'an didn't respond. His gaze passed over the knight—to the city behind him.
A city of obsidian stone. Towering black walls that stretched wide and far.
Above the city floated a low-hanging purple moon—no more than 500 meters from the ground. Beyond that, nothing but endless darkness, like a perpetual midnight.
'This... is the City of Slaughter. And for the next month, this hellhole will be my home—and my hunting ground.'
"You dare ignore me?" the knight growled, furious. He was a squad captain—how dare this mere Spirit Ancestor disregard him?!
"So what, I have to kill all of you to get in?" Li Chang'an frowned. He still hadn't adjusted to this brutal kill-on-sight logic.
"Wrong," the knight sneered. "We kill you."
As he raised his long lance, the other black-armored warriors stepped back, creating an open arena.
The warhorse thundered forward, hooves pounding, the knight charging straight at him with a chilling aura and bloodthirsty killing intent.
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