"After you, Deathgod!"
The nine opponents bowed in unison. The best part about fighting the Gentle Deathgod was that you would be treated with dignity—and if you lost, at least you'd die painlessly, with some semblance of honor.
Li Chang'an didn't make the first move. He simply stood in place, calmly smiling as he watched his nine opponents prepare.
None of them dared hold back. Six of them quickly drew their weapons—specially made crossbows capable of rapid fire, each tipped with clearly poisoned arrows. The remaining three positioned themselves in a triangle formation to encircle Li Chang'an.
Three to engage in close combat, six to strike from a distance—this was the most efficient and straightforward tactic they could come up with.
"Swish! Swish! Swish!"
A volley of bolts tore through the air, shooting straight at Li Chang'an. At the same time, the three close-range attackers charged, all aiming for deadly, fatal strikes.
But Li Chang'an didn't panic.
His figure blurred as he slipped through the incoming bolts with impossible grace. His body twisted and shifted unnaturally—he spun, ducked, and twisted back around.
With just two fingers, he pinched the spine of one of the incoming attackers—and with the slightest pressure, that man collapsed, lifeless.
"Be careful! His control over strength is monstrous!" one of them shouted.
Another wave of poisoned arrows flew in, this time targeting Li Chang'an's forehead, throat, eyes, and even his groin. Arrows came from the front and the rear, creating a deadly pincer attack.
But once again, Li Chang'an moved.
Despite how inescapable the attack seemed, he evaded it effortlessly. His body flowed like water, his limbs moving with precision—ducking low, twisting his waist, leaning to the side.
Each motion was just enough to avoid an arrow, and in the same moment, he closed the gap with another opponent and struck out with one finger—right at the man's temple.
Another one down.
Though it felt like a long battle, in reality, less than a minute had passed since the match began. Yet already, two had fallen—swiftly, silently, cleanly.
"He's a devil… a monster!" one of the crossbowmen mumbled in terror. The looming threat of sudden death had shattered his nerves.
With trembling hands, he turned his crossbow around and fired at himself.
"Thud." He fell with a twisted expression of release.
Three down. And with that, the outcome was no longer in doubt.
Li Chang'an had finished the fight in under a minute. Ignoring the roaring crowd from the stands, he turned and walked off the arena.
[Ding! Congratulations. Through repeated tempering, you have touched the threshold of your 'Heart of Slaughter.' Please enter seclusion as soon as possible. The system will assist you in comprehending your unique Path of Slaughter]
As Li Chang'an stepped out of the Hell Arena, the system prompt rang in his mind.
Looking at Ye Xuan waiting outside, he spoke calmly, "I need to enter seclusion immediately. Once I'm done, we'll leave together."
"Ah—okay! Let's go back to my place then," Ye Xuan replied excitedly. She had been staring at him, completely entranced. She hadn't even registered what he said at first.
This was her man—someone who had just taken down ten Spirit Sages in a minute. It sounded like a myth, but she had seen it with her own eyes.
Of course, if soul skills were allowed, even Li Chang'an would've paid a steep price for facing ten Spirit Sages. But this was the City of Slaughter, not the outside world. And when it came to pure killing technique—Li Chang'an had no equal.
Back at Ye Xuan's residence, Li Chang'an headed straight for an empty room and sat down to meditate, ready to peer into his own heart.
The Heart of Slaughter...
He had killed nearly a thousand people by now—each of them unforgivable scum. And yet, even after all that, his own heart remained constantly on the edge.
Why did he kill?
What was the purpose of this slaughter?
Was it right?
What… was his Heart of Slaughter truly supposed to be?
In that moment of doubt, drifting in the endless black of inner reflection, a faint light enveloped his body. A spark of clarity began to form within him.
Before his eyes, space and time twisted.
He saw a giant—a colossal figure holding a massive battle axe.
That giant swung his axe once, splitting the chaos.
Then swung again, cleaving through a monstrous shadow that charged toward him like a demon.
Li Chang'an didn't know how many times the giant had swung that axe. He didn't know how powerful that being truly was.
He only knew one thing.
The giant never stopped slaughtering.
One thousand…
One thousand five hundred…
Two thousand…
Two thousand five hundred...
Nearly three thousand swings of the axe.
Then the scene shifted again.
A desolate grassland stretched as far as the eye could see.
There, countless beast-like monsters clashed with groups of humans clad in crude furs. Though the humans outnumbered them, they were clearly no match.
Fire and blood raged across the plains.
The grass turned black, soaked in the blood of the fallen. Countless humans were torn apart by monstrous claws. Some beasts even ripped out human hearts and devoured them on the spot.
Blood drenched the land. Humans fell like blades of grass.
And then—a man arrived.
A man holding a flame.
That flame lit up the darkness, driving out the evil. It scorched the beasts to ashes.
Once again, the land was stained red.
But this time, it was the blood of monsters.
In that moment, Li Chang'an heard a voice echoing faintly:
"With my life, I shall protect my people.
With my life, I shall protect my people.
With my life, I shall protect my people.
With my life, I shall protect my people.'
__
'One slaughtered to preserve chaos. One slaughtered to preserve the human future. Yes. My slaughter—it's not for revenge. Not for pleasure. Not for fame. It is for myself—for those I wish to protect—for the peace of this world—for the countless lives still burning in this world's lights.'
'I am but a humble man of this mortal world. And I ask only for fairness. If slaughter is the only way to end unjust slaughter—then let that be my Heart of Slaughter.'
As his enlightenment deepened, the murderous aura around Li Chang'an began to fade.
But it didn't disappear.
It was being drawn inward—fully suppressed, fully restrained.
---
"Creak…"
The door opened. Li Chang'an stepped out.
His presence was completely different—calm, steady, ordinary.
So ordinary, in fact, that Ye Xuan, who had been guarding outside, shot to her feet in shock.
"You're out? Wait… where's your killing intent?" she gasped.
Li Chang'an had always radiated an aura of bloodlust so intense that even she, as a powerful spirit master, couldn't ignore it. But now, it was gone. Not even a trace remained.
If she hadn't been standing guard this whole time, she might've thought someone had switched him out.
Li Chang'an didn't speak. He simply looked at her—once.
That single glance sent chills down her spine.
It felt like a sword unsheathing. Even if only by a sliver, the blade's edge was unmistakable—sharp, lethal, and overwhelming.
This aura...
She had only ever felt it from one person before—
The King of Slaughter.
__
T/N:
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