Dugu Feng's strength still hadn't reached the level where he could utterly crush all opponents.
If he had come here as a Soul King or Soul Emperor, there would have been no need for such caution.
As he pondered, he checked the poison within his soul power and his heart surged with joy.
The Jade Crimson Venom had finally been triggered.
That was his true confidence: a poison that directly targeted spiritual power, capable of rousing the latent mental toxins within his enemies.
When fired through his Jade Phosphorus Twelve Fingers, its might was terrifying.
Coming early to the City of Slaughter had been the right choice. This place was a cultivation paradise for him! Next, he only needed to secure one hundred victories, then pass the Hell Road.
Time flowed on. Half a year later, the City of Slaughter had been reshaped.
A newcomer who had spent nine months avoiding matches suddenly began fighting—and almost never stopped.
By the time his name spread, he had already strung together forty consecutive victories.
Now, every soul master studied him. They studied his strength, his skills, all hoping for a chance to survive if they ever met him.
Every one of his matches drew packed crowds.
And when they studied his battles, they realized just how monstrous this newcomer was.
Others could not use spirit skills here. Yet he wielded a self-created skill.
Wasn't that cheating?!
Soul masters cursed him endlessly.
But worse than his self-created technique was his poison.
None could tell how or when they were poisoned, nor how he spread it. They only knew: once in the arena with him, death was inevitable.
This boy was terrifying!
And so, Dugu Feng kept climbing, high and relentless.
He could no longer hide his abilities, simply because his opponents were simply too strong.
The full might of the Jade Phosphorus Twelve Fingers was revealed.
For others barred from spirit skills, this was despair. Long-ranged, precise, and unpredictable, it was as if he were fighting from a higher plane!
By the six-month mark, he had already achieved sixty wins.
And with that came his title: "Poison Demon King."
The Poison Demon King who killed without blinking.
He stood among the peak figures of the arena, one of the rulers of the City of Slaughter.
Now, only two men had longer streaks than him—
Xiong Ba, with the Crack-Sky Demon Bear, at seventy-eight victories.
Tang Cheng, of the Clear Sky Sect, at eighty-four victories.
Dugu Feng had a premonition: the King of Slaughter would soon make his move.
By the arena's rules, no two fighters with over fifty victories should meet in the same match.
But for him, with no backing from a Slaughter God, rules meant nothing.
In a dark-red chamber, walls and floor alike seemed soaked in blood.
At the center sat a massive throne, and on it, a towering figure.
His eyes reflected shifting scenes from the Hell Killing Fields, finally fixing on three figures: Dugu Feng, Xiong Ba, and Tang Cheng.
He was The King of Slaughter.
"Great King," came a sultry woman's voice from the shadows. "The Poison Demon King's origins have been discovered. He hails from the Dugu Clan, masters of poison. His victories all stem from venom."
"Next time he enters the arena, pit him against Tang Cheng," the King's cold voice ordered. "If he dies, so be it. If he wins, bring him to me."
The woman hesitated. "Tang Cheng is perhaps the strongest soul master the City of Slaughter has ever seen. If he dies by Poison Demon King's hand, would it not be a waste? With time, Tang Cheng could rise as a future Titled Douluo under your banner."
"You mean to say… you don't believe in Tang Cheng?"
The King sounded surprised.
The veiled beauty stepped forward, her alluring form half-shrouded in crimson silk. Her eyes glimmered with doubt as she pressed her hands to the King's shoulders
"His strength is formidable, yes—but straightforward, reliant entirely on the Clear Sky Hammer's might. Predictable."
"But the Poison Demon King… his battles are unfathomable. His soul power is low, yet he always wins. He radiates mystery…yes, mystery. As though no opponent could ever best him. Between him and Tang Cheng… I believe in him more."
The King's lips curled into a cruel smile.
"Tang Cheng must die. I will never permit another Killing God to rise.
As for the Poison Demon King… yes, he is a talent.
But poison—its role in this city, you know it well.
If he will not serve me… then even if I must move personally, he must die."
His gaze turned venomous.
Because he had seen it himself, Dugu Feng could stir the latent spiritual toxin within every soul master!
That toxin, brewed for countless years in the city's Blood Pool, was the very core of the King's control.
And Dugu Feng could shake it.
Xiong Ba and Tang Cheng were merely strong men.
But this boy… could threaten the very City of Slaughter.
Thus, the King's resolve hardened.
Meanwhile, not far from the Hell Killing Fields—inside Mo Li's lair.
Dugu Feng sat upright on a throne inlaid with blue-violet crystal.
Below him knelt more than ten soul masters, Mo Li among them.
"Well?" Dugu Feng tapped the armrest. "How goes the work I assigned you?"
"Poison Demon King," Mo Li said respectfully, "all the Blood Mary has been gathered. Enough to recruit over a thousand to your cause."
Mo Li dared not show the slightest disrespect.
With sixty wins under his belt and venom as his weapon, Dugu Feng could end him with a flick.
"And the outer city?" Dugu Feng's brows furrowed.
"The soul masters there are weaker, but vast in number. Recruiting them openly may cause too great a stir…" Mo Li hesitated.
Cold light flashed in Dugu Feng's eyes. His right hand lifted—
A Jade Phosphorus Finger Strike pierced Mo Li's chest, blood spraying.
"Staying too long in the City of Slaughter has dulled your wits? You all have grudges, conflicts—what's wrong with recruiting under the guise of vengeance?"
Blood dripped from his chest, but Mo Li bowed deeply, voice trembling.
"Yes, Poison Demon King!"
The others lowered their heads as well. Leaders of their own factions, each with dozens or even hundreds under them—yet in front of Dugu Feng, they were no more than trembling mice.
Dugu Feng rose and walked out, his figure cold and unshakable.