After a brief, one-sided massacre, the crimson blood flowed across the ground, leaving the scene in disarray.
Though many fallen soul masters had been eliminated, for Chu Chengzhou, the only worthwhile spoils of war were the right-arm soul bone from the Soul Douluo.
As for the bodies and other remnants, Chu Chengzhou wasn't an evil soul master; he had no interest in corpses or Bloody Marys.
In Slaughter City, Bloody Marys were indeed valuable to other fallen soul masters.
But for him, they were useless. In a place filled with scum, if he wanted something, he could simply seize it by force.
These fallen soul masters were all destined to die anyway. When it came to killing them, Chu Chengzhou felt no guilt whatsoever.
After stripping the right-arm soul bone from the Soul Douluo's corpse, Chu Chengzhou nodded in satisfaction. Though it wasn't a top-tier soul bone, judging by its soul power fluctuations, it likely had over ten thousand years of cultivation.
Still, Chu Chengzhou didn't plan on refining it.
First, its age wasn't high enough, so refining it wouldn't significantly boost his strength.
Second, its soul bone skill was mediocre. With the defensive technique Instant Bloom at his disposal, he looked down on ordinary soul bones with defensive skills.
Third, the cost-to-benefit ratio was too low. Upgrading this right-arm soul bone to a level where it would be useful would take a considerable amount of time—far less efficient than upgrading his ultimate techniques, soul rings, or martial souls.
However, even if he couldn't use it himself, soul bones were still highly valuable. No one would complain about having too many.
"Maybe I should hunt more experts to farm soul bones?"
Chu Chengzhou pondered silently.
When hunting soul beasts, the drop rate for soul bones was at most one in a thousand. However, due to the sheer number of soul beasts, the total number of soul bones in the world of soul masters was still quite substantial.
If we calculate based on a drop rate of one in a thousand, one hundred million soul beasts could yield one hundred thousand soul bones.
Moreover, unlike soul rings, soul bones don't disappear after a soul master dies—as long as they aren't destroyed, they remain intact.
And given the long history of soul masters hunting soul beasts, how many soul beasts had been killed by soul masters? Far more than a hundred million.
Additionally, those who dared enter the inner city of Slaughter City were no ordinary figures in the outside world—they were troublemakers.
Ordinary soul masters wouldn't come to such a hellish place as Slaughter City.
It could be said that the likelihood of fallen soul masters in the inner city possessing soul bones was far higher than that of ordinary soul masters in the outside world.
Every moment in the inner city of Slaughter City saw killings unfold. Most who entered the inner city didn't survive for more than a few years. If they had soul bones, they'd either end up in the hands of the few powerful individuals within the city or be reclaimed by Slaughter City itself.
It was foreseeable that among the stronger fallen soul masters in the inner city, many likely possessed soul bones.
Killing people randomly to steal their soul bones in the outside world was undoubtedly the behavior of an evil soul master. But in the inner city of Slaughter City, such actions were considered normal—and akin to the "one-hit kill" mechanics of some games, with an extremely high drop rate.
Thinking along these lines, Chu Chengzhou couldn't help but feel tempted.
Slap—
Suddenly, Chu Chengzhou slapped himself.
Though he didn't consider himself a good person, when had he become so bloodthirsty?
He had killed quite a few skilled opponents, but if you counted the total number of soul masters and soul beasts he had killed, it wasn't actually that many.
For instance, before officially entering Slaughter City, he hadn't chosen to kill the tavern waitress at the entrance or the Dark Warrior who blocked his path. Instead, he had temporarily altered their consciousness.
It could be said that unless absolutely necessary—or if someone was asking for death—he wouldn't actively create slaughter.
In fact, the number of people he had killed since entering Slaughter City today already exceeded the total number of soul masters and soul beasts he had killed in his entire life up to this point.
"What's wrong?"
Seeing Chu Chengzhou slap himself, Hu Liena asked curiously.
"Nana, the environment of Slaughter City is unique. Remember to control your desire for slaughter and never let it dominate you."
Chu Chengzhou spoke seriously.
To obtain the Killing God Domain, one must engage in slaughter and accumulate immense killing intent.
Without any killing intent, even a powerful being like the Asura God couldn't grant the Killing God Domain to someone with a saintly personality, could they?
The correct approach wasn't to suppress the urge to kill entirely but to maintain control over one's killing intent while still engaging in slaughter—rather than being dominated by it.
"My teacher mentioned this. She said Slaughter City was left behind as a training ground by a powerful individual, and its environment is unique. As killings progress, the killing intent in one's heart gets amplified.
One should endure as much as possible. If it becomes unbearable, drinking Bloody Mary can help suppress it—but not too much."
Hu Liena nodded, immediately selling out her teacher.
"No, you shouldn't drink that disgusting stuff. If we can't hold back, we'll leave Slaughter City before it comes to that."
Chu Chengzhou shook his head.
Bloody Mary in Slaughter City wasn't just human blood—it was far more complex.
Drinking human blood alone wouldn't suppress killing intent. The reason Bloody Mary worked was because of the unique environment of Slaughter City, which turned ordinary human blood into a kind of slow-acting poison. It used a "fighting poison with poison" method to suppress the killing intent in the hearts of the fallen soul masters.
Moreover, Bloody Mary wasn't a permanent solution. Suppression wasn't the same as resolution—it only treated the symptoms, not the root cause.
Additionally, killing intent accumulated continuously. Sooner or later, it would reach a point where it couldn't be suppressed anymore, and when that happened, it would burst forth like a broken dam, unleashing all its power at once.
In other words, drinking Bloody Mary to suppress killing intent was merely a temporary fix—a dangerous one at that.
However, the solution was simple: complete the training in Slaughter City as quickly as possible.
Take the Hell Slaughter Arena's hundred consecutive victories, for example. Whether completed in a month or over two years, the psychological state of the participant would differ significantly.
"Oh ok," Hu Liena nodded.
To be honest, after learning that Bloody Mary was made of human blood, she herself was repulsed by it.
Any mentally stable girl wouldn't be interested in such a thing.
Moreover, due to her weaker strength compared to Chu Chengzhou, the number of fallen soul masters she had killed so far wasn't very high. Though her spiritual power was also strong, and she had been influenced by killing intent, it hadn't reached the point where she needed to drink Bloody Mary to suppress it. Thus, she hadn't consumed any yet.
Afterward, the two didn't linger there. Chu Chengzhou followed Hu Liena back to her residence.
After a passionate reunion kiss, Chu Chengzhou began rummaging through his storage-type soul-guided device.
The Hell Slaughter Arena was dangerous. To ensure Hu Liena could achieve a hundred consecutive victories, Chu Chengzhou decided to craft her a set of spirit-refined armor.
Slaughter City restricted the use of soul skills, and only a few fallen soul masters possessed soul bones. Spirit-refined armor with superior defense would be far more effective here than in the outside world.
Relying solely on the power of their martial souls, unless Titled Douluos appeared, few could break through the defenses of spirit-refined armor.
Hu Liena was a spirit-type soul master, and the metal most compatible with her was Soul Silver, which could amplify spiritual power.
Soul silver was forged from Magic Silver and Soul Iron. Unfortunately, after searching, Chu Chengzhou couldn't find any soul iron in his storage device—only three rare metals: Fine Gold, Magic Silver, and Essence Gold.
There was no helping it. Chu Chengzhou wasn't primarily a blacksmith. Even though he had a storage-type soul-guided device, he wouldn't carry large quantities of rare metals around.
After all, spirit-refined armor wasn't a consumable item. And before coming to Slaughter City, he hadn't anticipated that Hu Liena would be here.
The reason he had Fine gold, Magic Silver, and Essence Gold was that these metals could be used to craft Flowing Gold Armor-Piercing Arrows.
After some thought, Chu Chengzhou decided not to dwell on it. For now, he would make do with Fine Gold.
Even if the elemental amplification of spirit-refined Fine Gold armor wouldn't benefit Hu Liena, the material itself was sturdy enough to serve as a reliable lifeline.
"Huh, what are you doing?"
Seeing Chu Chengzhou pull out a pile of golden and silvery metals and wield two large hammers, Hu Liena asked curiously.
"Just follow my instructions, and you'll know soon enough!"
Chu Chengzhou didn't explain further and got straight to work.
Although he didn't have a specialized forging platform or the ability to summon Fire Phoenix Xiao Hong, these issues posed no challenge to Chu Chengzhou.
Without a forging platform, he could simply hammer against the ground. With his absolute mastery techniques, he could perfectly control his strength, ensuring all the force was applied to the metal being forged. Even if the floor tiles weren't hard enough, it didn't matter.
As for heating, using the properties of his True Spirit Flag martial soul, he could convert his neutral soul power into fire-type soul power. Though the temperature wasn't as high as Xiao Hong's Phoenix Flames, it was sufficient to heat the metal—it would just take a bit longer.
An hour later, Hu Liena, clad in a full set of golden armor, curiously held a radiant golden short sword in her hand.
"Little scumbag, why does this sword feel soft when I hold it?"
Hu Liena asked, puzzled.
"Try infusing it with your soul power," Chu Chengzhou said.
After crafting Hu Liena a set of spirit-refined Fine Gold armor, Chu Chengzhou also made her a foot-long spirit-refined Essence Gold short sword.
There were no Titled Douluo-level fallen soul masters in Slaughter City—the highest soul power level was Soul Douluo.
For soul masters below Level 90, restricted from using soul skills, the sturdy spirit-refined Fine Gold armor and the razor-sharp spirit-refined Essence Gold sword were essentially "absolute defense" and "absolute offense."
With the Fine Gold armor and Essence Gold sword, Chu Chengzhou wasn't worried about Hu Liena struggling against opponents in the Hell Slaughter Arena.
From this point onward, all he needed to do was continuously use his illusion ultimate technique Void Realm Illusion to recruit participants for the Hell Slaughter Arena. He and Hu Liena wouldn't need much time to complete their training in Slaughter City.
Cheating, you say?
As long as they obtained the Killing God Domain, where they trained didn't matter.
If clearing Slaughter City didn't grant the Killing God Domain, who in their right mind would come here to train?
Moreover, in Chu Chengzhou's view, in terms of combat experience, it was enough to fully utilize one's skills and strengths. Rather than pursuing stronger battle awareness, it was better to continue enhancing one's advantages.
Take Hu Liena from the original story, for example. After clearing Slaughter City, aside from gaining the Killing God Domain, did her overall strength increase?
Judging solely by her performance in the original story, it seemed like nothing changed.
Perhaps after three years of training in Slaughter City, her combat IQ, mentality, and techniques improved qualitatively. But if her foundational strength was lacking, no matter how strong those aspects became, she still wouldn't stand a chance against opponents she couldn't defeat.
Given the time, it would be better to focus on cultivating soul power and defeating opponents outright with overwhelming superiority.
Circulating soul power within her body and infusing it into the radiant golden short sword, Hu Liena immediately noticed an endless sharpness emanating from the foot-long blade in her hand.
Swinging it downward, the sword cut through the floor. Accompanied by a faint sound, Hu Liena felt as if the stone floor tiles were made of tofu, easily slicing a deep gash into them.
"It's this sharp?"
Hu Liena widened her eyes in disbelief.
"If you test it on stones or similar materials, the effect won't be very impressive. The true characteristic of Essence Gold is its ability to ignore soul power defenses.
If this sword were placed in the hands of a skilled assassin, even if their strength was only at the four- or five-ring level, it wouldn't be impossible for them to assassinate a Title Douluo."
Glancing at the sword mark on the floor, Chu Chengzhou explained.
They say that within seven steps, the Tang Sect's Zhuge Crossbow could slay gods. My spirit-refined Essence Gold sword should have no problem piercing a Title Douluo, right?
"Little rascal, you've given me such precious treasures. How should I thank you?"
Storing the armor and sword within her body, Hu Liena winked playfully, lifting Chu Chengzhou's chin with her finger and teasing him.
Chu Chengzhou: "..."
"I warn you not to play with fire, or I can't guarantee your safety."
Pinching the ample curves of her chest, Chu Chengzhou 'fiercely' threatened.
It wasn't that Chu Chengzhou had no thoughts, but the current environment was terrible. The dimly lit room felt eerie, and the stone bed was uncomfortable. He didn't want to hastily lose his and his sister's first time in such a place.
"Is that so? Then you'd better have the guts to—"
Before Hu Liena could finish her sentence, she felt a wave of spiritual energy descend upon her consciousness.
The next moment, her vision shifted, and her consciousness appeared on a grassy field filled with colorful flowers.
Soon after, Hu Liena saw a rain of colorful flower petals fall from the sky, while a pair of mischievous hands wrapped around her waist.
Clothes gradually fell away, and another woman in the world lost her purity.
---
Half a month later.
The streets of the inner city of Slaughter City were eerily quiet. Aside from the lingering sense of gloom, the previous chaos had vanished entirely, making it resemble a ghost town.
At this moment, Chu Chengzhou, emanating icy energy, led nine fallen soul masters whose consciousness he had temporarily altered toward the Hell Slaughter Arena.
Chu Chengzhou had to admit, the environment of Slaughter City was truly unique. At first, it wasn't too bad, but as the killings accumulated, even with his strong spiritual power, he couldn't completely suppress his killing intent.
Soon, they arrived at the Hell Slaughter Arena.
"Nana, including this match, you've already achieved eighty consecutive victories, right?"
Chu Chengzhou asked Hu Liena, who stood waiting at the entrance of the Hell Slaughter Arena, her face pale and her aura colder than ever.
"Mm."
Hu Liena nodded.
"You lot, go register."
Chu Chengzhou turned to the nine unlucky souls behind him and instructed.
Finding these nine poor souls hadn't been easy—it was like searching house by house throughout the city.
"Yes, respected Master!"
The nine responded in unison, looking as if they were embarking on a sacred mission.
A few minutes later, Hu Liena emerged from the Hell Slaughter Arena, her body reeking of heavy blood.
Following Chu Chengzhou, Hu Liena had also achieved eighty consecutive victories in the Hell Slaughter Arena.
Subsequently, the two left the Hell Slaughter Arena and returned to their residence.
Closing the stone door, Hu Liena immediately embraced Chu Chengzhou. The next second, their consciousnesses appeared in an illusionary space.
The killing intent filling their hearts needed an outlet. To avoid being dominated by their desires, and without resorting to drinking Bloody Mary to suppress their killing intent, the two chose another method—the best way—to release it.
For a moment, in the uninhabited illusion space, sounds that raised one's pulse echoed.
While Chu Chengzhou and Hu Liena were releasing their pent-up emotions in the illusion, elsewhere, in a dark hall within Slaughter City.
A towering figure shrouded in darkness sat on a grand chair adorned with blue and purple crystals.
"Your Majesty, the Soul-Control Demon and the Hell Witch have achieved eighty consecutive victories."
A cold female voice rang out in the darkness.
"I know."
In the darkness, a pair of blood-red eyes lit up, and the towering figure seated on the grand chair spoke.
"Great King, ever since the Soul-Control Demon arrived in Slaughter City, nearly all the fallen soul masters in the city have been slaughtered. Now, the inner city resembles a ghost town. There are no fallen soul masters daring to linger on the streets—all of them fear being captured by the Soul-Control Demon and sent to the Hell Slaughter Arena. Won't you intervene?"
When mentioning the "Soul-Control Demon," even the woman in the shadows trembled involuntarily.
The "Soul-Control Demon" and the "Hell Witch" naturally referred to Chu Chengzhou and Hu Liena.
Initially, when Chu Chengzhou's "demon" reputation wasn't as widespread, Slaughter City was no different from before.
But as their winning streaks accumulated, countless fallen soul masters were captured by Chu Chengzhou and sent to the Hell Slaughter Arena to be slaughtered. The chaotic Slaughter City had transformed.
Previously common sights of bloodshed, violence, and depravity on the streets had vanished without a trace.
This was because the fallen soul masters of Slaughter City were terrified. The "demon's" sorcery was fearsome. Anyone encountered on the streets, unless part of a group, regardless of whether they were Soul Ancestors or Soul Douluos, would be subdued with a flick of his finger, bowing their heads and obediently walking into the Hell Slaughter Arena to be slaughtered.
This mysterious "sorcery" transformed Chu Chengzhou's title from "Great Demon" to "Soul-Control Demon."
Anyone he encountered was captured, never to return, and sent directly to the Hell Slaughter Arena to be slaughtered. Consequently, who would dare step onto the streets?
After all, Chu Chengzhou and Hu Liena had both accumulated eighty consecutive victories in the Hell Slaughter Arena. Excluding their initial winning streaks, in just half a month, nearly 1,300 fallen soul masters had been forcibly captured by Chu Chengzhou and sent to compete in the Hell Slaughter Arena.
With no fallen soul masters daring to venture onto the streets, the once "lively" inner city had been turned into a ghost town by Chu Chengzhou.
As the saying goes, where there's oppression, there's resistance. Faced with the ruthless, merciless "Soul-Control Demon," the fallen soul masters of Slaughter City hadn't hesitated to band together and resist.
A week ago, under the leadership of seven Soul Douluos, over a thousand unwilling fallen soul masters ambushed Chu Chengzhou and Hu Liena.
In the outside world, facing such a formidable lineup, Chu Chengzhou might have avoided the conflict. But in Slaughter City, where soul skills were restricted?
With the activation of Void Realm Illusion and his Flowing Gold Armor-Piercing Arrows, which ignored soul power defenses, Chu Chengzhou fired just seven arrows, and the leading seven Soul Douluo fallen soul masters were instantly decapitated.
Afterward, collecting the several soul bones dropped, Chu Chengzhou calmly departed with his companion amidst the stunned gazes of the remaining fallen soul masters.
Had it not been for his concern about preserving the population of fallen soul masters in the inner city to continue the matches, Chu Chengzhou could have wiped out all thousand-plus fallen soul masters in one go.
"Intervene? Slaughter City has its rules. Let him be."
The towering figure seated on the grand chair spoke indifferently.
At this moment, the Slaughter King felt utterly helpless.
Though he called himself the King of Slaughter City, he wasn't its true master.
By following the rules of Slaughter City, perhaps the great existence wouldn't bother with him, a mere grasshopper. But if he dared to break the rules, he would be crushed without hesitation, beyond anyone's protection.
After all, the Slaughter King understood that Slaughter City was a place of inheritance. Simple slaughter wasn't the goal of the great existence—it was all about selecting a qualified successor.
"Great King, if you don't intervene, with the strength of the 'Soul-Control Demon' and the 'Hell Witch,' they will undoubtedly achieve a hundred consecutive victories in the Hell Slaughter Arena and are highly likely to pass through the Hell Road. Aren't you afraid they'll bring catastrophic destruction to Slaughter City after becoming Killing Gods?
After all, every time a new Killing God appears, it brings a crisis to the Killing God Domain.
In the past, whenever a new Killing God emerged, Slaughter City suffered greatly. This 'Soul-Control Demon' is far stronger and more talented than previous Killing Gods. If this happens again, I fear..."
The woman in the shadows voiced her concerns.
"Enough. You needn't ask further."
The Slaughter King waved his hand, stopping the woman from continuing.
Did he not want to eliminate Chu Chengzhou and Hu Liena?
He most certainly did. Without new Killing Gods appearing, the old ones wouldn't cause trouble in Slaughter City, allowing him to remain its king forever.
But the problem was, he didn't dare act. Breaking the rules set by a great existence would mean certain death—and he wished to live a little longer!
Moreover, putting aside the "Soul-Control Demon," the "Hell Witch" had powerful backing—one he couldn't afford to offend.
Furthermore, according to the intelligence gathered, the "Soul-Control Demon" and the "Hell Witch" had joined forces, making the latter's backing also the former's.
After all, a disciple's partner could be considered half a disciple.
With such formidable backing, they were truly difficult to deal with. It was best to send them off as soon as possible.
Additionally, the Slaughter King could see that Chu Chengzhou and Hu Liena were extraordinary talents of the continent, unlike ordinary fallen soul masters. Their purpose in coming to Slaughter City was to undergo training.
In his eyes, Slaughter City, with its constant influx of fresh blood, was a treasure trove. But in others' eyes, that might not be the case.
As long as they didn't compete with him for the throne of the 'King' of Slaughter City, the deaths of some fallen soul masters meant little.
---
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