The killing intent of three thousand desperados condensed into something tangible.
And yet—
the blood-clad youth stood calm and unmoved, his face as still as a mirror of deep water.
Zheng—!
A sharp, resonant cry of steel split the blood-misty air.
The blade in Li Zhexian's hand hummed ceaselessly,
azure-gold light devouring and spitting out the scarlet haze around it.
Ignoring the three thousand pairs of wolfish, greedy eyes fixed upon him,
he walked forward—step by step.
The blood mist drifted around him like a living shroud —
the sign that killing intent had become real.
Facing thousands of foes, Li Zhexian's ferocious aura did not waver.
If anything, his murderous energy grew sharper, his blade bolder.
And yet, not one among the three thousand dared to move first.
It was not that they feared him alone —
but that each harbored their own selfish schemes.
No one wished to be the fool who touched the sword's edge first.
The blood-drenched youth strode onward, his sword gleaming faintly.
He was about to cross the threshold of the Slaughter Arena when—
BOOM—!
A pillar of holy light fell from the heavens like divine punishment.
Li Zhexian raised his sword and slashed.
Azure-gold sword intent wrapped in crimson slaughter clashed head-on with the radiance.
The light shattered,
dissolving beneath the storm of sword-qi—
but the impact forced Li Zhexian back several steps.
A feverish flush rose to his pale cheeks,
a ribbon of blood winding down from the corner of his lips.
He lifted his head,
gaze locking upon the angelic girl suspended in the air.
With one hand he wiped the blood away,
then smiled—revealing blood-stained white teeth.
BOOM—!
His blood-colored Spirit Power erupted violently.
He bent his knees —
the ground beneath him cracked and split —
then he shot upward like an arrow from a bowstring, rushing straight toward Qian Renxue in the sky.
Her beautiful, icy features did not waver.
She spread her wings, ready to evade —
—but she did not expect this.
In midair, countless crimson swords materialized out of thin air.
Li Zhexian's feet stepped lightly upon them,
each sword serving as a foothold, boosting him higher and higher —
his figure soaring like a ghost ascending through blood and shadow.
WHOOSH—
A single, blinding crimson sword light streaked upward —
as though it meant to split the heavens in two.
BOOOOM—!
A deafening explosion shook the clouds.
Below, the three thousand onlookers saw only a flash —
a burst of light so bright it seared the eyes.
Then, in that instant, the Blood Slaughter Sword and the Angel collided.
A heartbeat later, Li Zhexian's figure shot backward,
using the recoil from the impact to catapult himself away.
His cold, echoing voice rolled through the sky like wind from the underworld:
"What happened today — the Blood Slaughter Sword will remember it!"
"When my wounds are healed, every one of you shall die beneath my sword!"
Qian Renxue's beautiful face was frozen in icy fury.
She turned into a streak of light, chasing after him relentlessly.
"You won't escape this time!"
As the two streaks of light vanished beyond the horizon,
the three thousand killers below — like a swarm of ants tasting blood —
erupted all at once.
Their murderous aura ignited the air.
Their Spirit Power flared in unison,
a tide of killing intent bursting outward—
and they all charged in the same direction.
The sound of bodies cutting through the air was endless —
a rolling, deafening whistle like a storm of blades.
From above, it looked like a boiling crimson tide,
a sea of blood rising to swallow the sky.
The killing intent and greedy frenzy swept through the inner city,
setting it completely ablaze.
"Blood Slaughter Sword's gravely wounded! Kill! Kill him!"
"With thousands throwing weapons from afar,
he'll die even if none get close!"
"Once he's dead, the treasure is anyone's for the taking!"
...
On the outskirts of the surging chaos,
Hu Liena moved swiftly, her body sleek and agile like a fox.
She looked upon the faces around her — twisted and deformed by greed and bloodlust —
and felt a chill settle in her heart.
"I entered early to watch the battle, but I never imagined so many would covet that treasure…"
"With thousands of these madmen, saving the Blood Slaughter Sword — or even retrieving the Spirit Hall's treasure — will be nearly impossible…"
...
Elsewhere,
Tang San moved across the rooftops as though walking on flat ground.
Cold light flickered from within his sleeve,
and each foe that barred his way
fell soundlessly,
becoming his stepping stones.
His gaze was deep, voice low to himself:
"At first, I thought the Blood Slaughter Sword and that Li Zhexian might be related.
Otherwise, how could two sword prodigies appear one after another?"
"But that angel girl,
who was so close to Li Zhexian,
now hunts the Blood Slaughter Sword with killing intent…"
"This situation…"
"Blood Slaughter Sword is doomed."
"Those three thousand fugitives fighting over the treasure… I can only watch from afar and wait for an opening."
"If fortune allows, I'll seize the chance. But I must not risk everything in reckless pursuit."
...
The entire eastern district of the inner city boiled over.
Wherever the three thousand killers passed, a heavy stench of blood rose,
rolling upward into low, crimson clouds.
Buildings collapsed under the wild shockwaves of Spirit Power,
sending plumes of dust spiraling through the air.
The Slaughter City's inner east was in total chaos!
Beyond the outer city lay endless dark mountains—
a world of its own,
filled with the densest blood aura and every manner of negative energy.
Within those depths bred strange, nameless creatures,
neither human nor beast.
They offered no Spirit Rings—
and Spirit Rings held no value here anyway,
for they could not be used at all.
Thus—
few ever dared step beyond the city's borders.
But today was different.
Two figures — one fleeing, one in pursuit —
burst from the inner city, out through the outer gates,
and dove straight into the dark mountains without pause.
Behind them,
three thousand desperate men, emboldened by their numbers,
chased with thunderous momentum.
Whatever fear they once held of the mountains
had long been burned away by greed.
Streaks of bloody light flashed through the darkness —
countless bodies surging forward like a crimson tide.
Where they passed,
mountains cracked, trees splintered,
and every strange creature along the way was crushed to paste.
"Blood Slaughter Sword! Hand over the treasure, and we might let you live!"
"Heh! Surrender it willingly, and perhaps we'll leave your body whole!"
"No matter where you run, Blood Slaughter Sword, today you die!"
...
About ten miles into the mountains,
those in the lead suddenly saw them —
the Blood Slaughter Sword and the Angel —
one ahead, one behind,
disappearing into a deep, narrow valley ahead.
With so many together, courage swelled like madness.
Without hesitation, the three thousand killers rushed into the valley.
But when they reached the end of the valley—
they froze.
Before them loomed a towering cliff,
black as obsidian and jagged as knives,
rising more than a hundred meters high —
blocking all escape.
A dead end.
And even more unsettling —
the Blood Slaughter Sword and the Angel were gone.
"Enough of your tricks, Blood Slaughter Sword! Get out here!"
"The Angel has wings — she can fly! But what about him? Did he burrow underground?!"
"No — that Angel must've killed him and fled with the treasure!"
At those words, chaos rippled through the crowd.
"Impossible!"
Someone snapped back immediately.
"Even injured, the Blood Slaughter Sword isn't that easy to kill!
There's something wrong here — something hidden!"
No sooner had the words fallen—
Zheng—
Zheng—
Zheng—
A chorus of clear, sharp sword cries suddenly rang out from above their heads.
Everyone looked up in alarm.
And there—
upon the cliff wall—
countless transparent swords of air had formed in midair,
shimmering faintly.
Upon them, the blood-clad youth descended,
each step firm, deliberate.
His face was calm — expressionless.
His eyes gleamed like cold stars.
There was no sign of injury or exhaustion.
His voice rang clear in the deathly silence of the gorge,
like cold spring water dripping into a deep pool.
"Jackals and tigers in the jar—
their bones shall serve as kindling.
Beneath my sword,
a river of blood shall open to reflect the moon."
"Gentlemen—"
"Welcome to the trap."