Behind the bar, a man in black robes lifted his head.
One look and his face changed.
Before him stood who looked like he was fifteen or sixteen, very young in age, but steeped in a killing aura so dense it was suffocating!
Killing intent wasn't just about numbers. If it were, any spirit master could butcher commoners to pile up enough. No! true killing aura was born only from cruel battles, life-and-death duels, often between spirit masters of equal strength! That was what forged murderous will!
And this boy's killing intent was far beyond the standard. He could practically walk straight into the City of Slaughter.
The black-robed attendant's expression softened slightly.
Dugu Feng only smiled faintly. He was confident his killing aura met the requirement. Though he had lingered outside the town for only a few months, he had slain at least a thousand! Not weaklings, either. Most had spirit power close to his own, many even stronger!
At first, killing weighed on him. But gradually, his heart hardened like iron. Now he was unmoved. Slaughter had become part of his very aura.
The attendant pulled out a murky drink, dark red, reeking of a heavy, metallic stench.
The lifeblood of the City of Slaughter. Blood, but it was not pure blood!
To most, it smelled like fresh gore. But to one versed in poison like Dugu Feng, the scent of venom was unmistakable.
From the moment one entered, the poisoning began. A slow-acting venom that stoked bloodlust, driving spirit masters into madness. Until, at last, they succumbed completely—becoming nourishment for the City's blood pool.
Dugu Feng gave a small smile, raised the glass, and downed it in one gulp.
The taste was vile, assaulting both tongue and nose, jolting his spirit with a violent shock.
So that was it. The poison didn't target the body—it gnawed at the mind.
The attendant's eyes gleamed. Perfect. This one is the City's finest kind of seedling.
He glanced at the hall. "You came just in time. There are nine others waiting. But only one of you will enter!"
"Oh?"
"Finally! Die for me!"
"Hahaha, kid, since you're fresh meat, I'll let you live one extra second!"
"Kill!"
The moment his words fell, chaos exploded in the tavern.
They had all drunk Bloody Mary. Their minds were already inflamed, bloodlust surging. Now that the test was given, who could restrain themselves?
Dugu Feng turned, eyes cold, gaze sweeping one by one.
In moments, only five remained standing.
"Since you're all going to die—let's end it quickly!"
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!
His hands stretched out, purple lights shooting forth, each striking a vital point.
Two beams collided midair, bursting into a fine mist of poison that blanketed the hall.
Even as the venom spread, Dugu Feng had already turned back toward the bar.
Behind him came the dull thuds of bodies collapsing.
The attendant stared, dumbfounded. He had ushered countless spirit masters into the City of Slaughter, but never had he seen such cold, efficient killing.
"You pass. Go on in."
He pressed a hidden switch under the bar. A black, square hole yawned open, cold air seeping upward.
Dugu Feng's heart stirred. Without hesitation, he jumped.
Darkness swallowed him. The passage was narrow, freezing, saturated with madness and bloodlust.
He pressed forward until light returned—and leapt out into another world.
Before him stretched a city of black stone. Wide walls loomed, and above them hung a violet moon, casting its glow across the land.
The City of Slaughter.
The sound of hooves thundered.
A black-armored knight astride a towering warhorse charged forth.
"This is your proof. Ahead lies the city where all citizens of the Slaughter dwell. At the gate, you will be received."
Expressionless, the knight tossed him a black plaque.
Dugu Feng caught it. Upon it was a hollow-eyed skull, and beneath that—his number. 7603.
When he looked up, the knight was already gone.
He tested his soul power. The moment he tried to draw on his spirit rings, he realized—they were sealed.
His soul skills were useless.
So this was how the City suppressed spirit masters.
Then his fingers twitched. Purple light flicked out, piercing the darkness.
A grin spread across his face. His Jade Phosphor Twelve Fingers, fueled purely by soul power, was completely unaffected.
Exactly as he had guessed.
This was the confidence that let him enter the City at only two rings.
Others were stripped of their soul skills—but he still had his clan's self-created arts. That advantage was enormous!
His shoulders shifted, and the scorpion pincers of his external spirit bone stirred. They, too, were unbound.
Dugu Feng smiled calmly, drew his Snake Belly Sword from his storage device, and strode toward the looming city.
"Welcome to the City of Slaughter. I am your guide. I can answer your questions. In twelve hours, you will officially become one of its citizens."
A girl in black veils led him through the gates.
He kept low-key, quietly following her through the city's depravity.
In the outer city, killing was forbidden. Here, skeletal husks staggered about, little more than fodder, surviving by paying two cups of Bloody Mary a month. They were no longer truly human—just fuel for the City's blood pool, until their lives burned out.
The inner city was different. A true hell of slaughter.
Even after months outside the town, even after seeing countless atrocities—Dugu Feng was shaken. Here, evil ran rampant, naked and unrestrained.
Just as the warning had said: this was the capital of Hell, the world of slaughter. Anything could be gained—but the price could be everything.
Dugu Feng licked his lips.
In this naked world where only strength ruled… climbing to the very top sounded exhilarating.
The killing aura around him thickened.
His murderous will coiled about him like a cloak.
He could hardly wait to step into the Hell Arena.