The dread knight spoke with some difficulty. What he least understood was, when ordinary Spirit Masters came here they would panic when they couldn't use spirit abilities, but this youth in front of him didn't seem to reveal a trace of influence from it.
He handed over a black tile in front of C.Y, and C.Y off-handedly took it. On the tile was carved a human skull, and below was a number. 9527.
"This is your Slaughter City ID. Please enter the city, someone will receive you at the gate."
Holding the tile, C.Y advanced with large strides, without giving the dread knight a glance.
Gazing at Chen Yang's gradually distancing back, Scott drew the saber at his waist. Swinging it fiercely he cut off his own already completely ruined right arm. Scarlet blood soaked the black soil, the stench of blood filling the air.
...
The pitch black city gates gave people a kind of extremely oppressive feeling. Tall words were hung on the enormous city gates, Slaughter City.
Two black armored warriors stood silently in front of the gates. Before Chen Yang could reveal the token in his hand, a woman with a black muslin mask stepped out to greet him.
"Welcome to Slaughter City."
The woman's voice was very pleasant. Stepping aside from in front of Chen Yang, she made an inviting gesture.
Even though this underground city made Chen Yang extremely astonished, especially the restrictions on spirit abilities, he maintained a calmly accepting attitude, following that woman through the gates. Perhaps it was because of the identification badge in his hand, but nobody stopped him.
Entering the city, what Chen Yang saw was a blue purple world. Lanterns were hung on both sides of the street, all of them issuing only these two colors of light. Making him somewhat astonished was that there were no few people here, and nobody paid attention to an outsider like him. Besides everything appearing that dim, what he saw was unexpectedly no different from an ordinary city.
"I'm your guide. You can ask me about anything you don't understand. Within twenty four hours, I will answer all your questions. After twenty four hours, this is the place where you'll live, and you'll formally become a Slaughter City citizen."
Chen Yang nodded, saying:
"Slaughter city, what kind of place is it?"
The black masked young woman said:
"A paradise. A paradise of depravity."
Chen Yang frowned,
"So simple?"
The black masked young woman nodded agreement.
Chen Yang said:
"Then how was Slaughter City founded?"
The black masked young woman's answer this time was more to Tang San's satisfaction,
"Slaughter City has already existed for a thousand years. According to legend, it's the domain left behind after a formidable Spirit Master broke through the hundredth rank. Here, all Spirit Master abilities are ineffective, people can only rely on their own instinct and physical strength to survive. Spirit power can be used as a source of strength."
Chen Yang looked at the black masked young woman,
"Then what are the rules here?"
The black masked young woman said serenely:
"The rules here are that there are no rules. As a citizen of Slaughter City, you can do whatever you want here. Even if a Title Douluo came here from the outside world, he would still grow weak due to losing his spirit abilities. But under the rule of our Slaughter King, there's basically no need to fear them. In Slaughter City, as long as you have the ability, you can do whatever you want. But I must warn you, precisely since there are no rules here, you may face mortal danger at any time. In some sense, this is a paradise of crime."
"Paradise of crime?"
"Yes. There are a lot of people who come here precisely because they can't exist in the outside world, and have no choice but to enter. After coming here, there's no need for them to worry about pursuit again. Each citizen of Slaughter City will enjoy Slaughter City's protection.
Chen Yang hardly paid attention to this protection. Since he could come here through force of violence, that meant any power could do the same. Even without spirit abilities, there was still spirit power. Title Douluo were still powers among powers here. Were the criminals here really safe?
"Mister 9527. I understand what you're thinking."
The black masked young woman suddenly said.
Chen Yang stared blankly a moment,
"You know what I'm thinking?"
"You're definitely wondering how Slaughter City can protect its people, yes?"
Chen Yang's heart twitched,
"How do you know?"
The black masked young woman said:
"Because every new arrival to Slaughter City will think the same thing. But very soon, they will give up on this idea. Entering Slaughter City requires undergoing the test and slaughter examination. Even though you entered via a peculiar method, you carry sufficient killing intent. Moreover, you defeated the lord dread knight. Therefore you obtained permission to join. However, there's one thing I must warn you of. Entering Slaughter City is simple, but leaving is practically impossible."
"Can only enter, never leave?"
Chen Yang somewhat shocked looked at the black masked young woman. He didn't believe he would be unable to break out.
The black masked young woman nodded, saying:
"There are special law enforcement teams within Slaughter City. You met lord dread knight Scott, but he's only one member of the enforcement team. The mighty Slaughter King controls everything here, and the powers of the enforcement team are all Spirit Douluo who the Slaughter King have granted the ability to use spirit abilities. The captain is even a Title Douluo. Once a lot of people wanted to break out, but there are no exceptions to the end result."
Chen Yang was shocked. If saying Title Douluo that couldn't use spirit abilities were still formidable, then Title Douluo that couldn't use spirit abilities would definitely be unable to defeat Spirit Douluo that could. Furthermore, according to what the black masked young woman said, the captain of Slaughter City's law enforcement was actually a Title Douluo that could use spirit abilities. No wonder she would say it was impossible to leave.
"Is there no way out?"
The black masked young woman calmly said:
"Not quite. There's only one way to leave Slaughter City. That is to become the champion of Hell Slaughter Arena, obtaining the qualifications to challenge the Hell Road, and after breaking through the Hell Road, then you can leave Slaughter City. Every power who does so will be bestowed with the title of Deathgod. In Slaughter City's thousand year history, there has appeared altogether eight Deathgods."
Eight in a thousand years, what kind of unbalanced figure was that?
"Then if one fails the challenge?"
Chen Yang questioned closely.
The black masked young woman smiled:
"Slaughter City, has no defeat. Only success and death. This is so for all matters."
Chen Yang smiled slightly,
"It seems this place really is worthy of being Slaughter City."
The black masked young woman said:
"There is no currency within Slaughter City, any food and drink are provided free of charge. Of course, poisonous ones are not excluded. Here, dead people are the most valuable. The number of human skulls each person possess symbolizes their strength. The blood and skulls of the opponents you've personally beheaded can be used to trade for other goods."
A cold light flashed in Chen Yang's eyes. It seemed that it was as Ghost Elder said, anyone here had come by the road of death.
"Fine, bring me to Hell Slaughter Arena."
Chen Yang said indifferently.
The black masked young woman stared blankly a moment,
"You're sure? Entering there, less than one in ten can return alive. That's the place where it's the easiest for our Slaughter City population to decrease. Each person will be required to enter Hell Slaughter Arena once each year. As long as they can pass one fight, they can life in Slaughter City for another year."
C.Y calmly said:
"I'm sure, let's go now."
With Purple Demon Eye, Chen Yang could vaguely see the elegant eyebrows of the young woman's face wrinkle slightly behind the black muslin.
"Since it's like that, follow me."
Finished speaking, the black masked young woman walked towards the center of the city. The pace she kept was very measured, following at Chen Yang's side all along, just half a step ahead of Chen Yang.
Chen Yang wasn't urgent about anything either, only calmly observing everything around him.
As they walked, a figure suddenly stood up on the side of the road. He had previously been in a dark corner, and even Chen Yang hadn't noticed him.
"Oh, there's a rookie, it seems there'll be a new Bloody mary. Gaga."
His gaze sweeping this person, Chen Yang couldn't help frowning. The speaker's age couldn't be discerned, because his stature was really too extraordinary. His entire body didn't seem to have two liang of flesh put together. If he didn't have a layer of skin, it might've been easy to mistake him for a human skeleton. Moreover, simple observation told Chen Yang that this wasn't because he had cultivated any special methods. His qi and blood were both empty, he could die at any time.
"Can people like him also pass the Hell Slaughter Arena battles once a year?"
Chen Yang asked the black masked young woman.
That skeleton then saw the black masked young woman on Chen Yang's other side, and seemed as if he had encountered something terrifying, no longer daring to say anything, and swiftly vanishing into the darkness again.
"Of course not. Not everyone needs to pass the baptism of the Hell Slaughter Arena. After all, the mortality rate here is too high. Besides experiencing a fight in the Hell Slaughter Arena every year, there's still one other way survive in Slaughter City. That is to contribute two cups of Bloody Mary every month."
Chen Yang had already learned what Bloody Mary was before coming here. Human blood. According to what he saw, that person just now should have had to contribute who knew how much blood in order to become like that. Perhaps he wouldn't be able to endure much longer.
"When contributing so much Bloody Mary, wouldn't they get taken advantage of?"
Chen Yang frowned.
The black masked young woman said:
"No, right now you're on the outskirts of Slaughter City, it's not the true Slaughter City. Only the inner city is the truly lawless place. Contributing Bloody Mary and struggling on at death's door can only be done in the outer city, and casual murder isn't allowed here. Only those warriors who have survived the Hell Slaughter Arena have the qualifications to live in the inner city. Of course, the pleasures that can be obtained there are greater than outside, but it's also where you can face the test of death at any time."
"In other words, Slaughter City is a completely different world. Then what is Slaughter City's food source? There shouldn't be anything that grows in a place like this, and nobody to plant."
As Chen Yang spoke, his gaze was on that black masked young woman the whole time. His Spiritual Eye wasn't a spirit ability but innate talent of spiritual eye, and naturally it wouldn't be restricted. In this brief time, he had simply experimented. The additional abilities of spirit bones wouldn't be influenced by the peculiar domain here.
The black masked young woman's face changed slightly,
"I'm sorry, I don't know. I'm unable to answer."
As they walked along the street, there were gradually more people to the sides. Practically every face displayed an unhealthy pallor, and even more were emaciated.
No need to ask, these were all people that didn't dare enter Hell Slaughter Arena, and relied on giving two cups of Bloody Mary each month to struggle on at death's door.
Chen Yang's own experience with drinking that cup of Bloody Mary was still fresh on his memory. He clearly remembered that the cup contained nearly half a jin, making it one jin of blood each month.
One or two months might not be an issue, but continuing like this in this sunless place, how would the body be able to endure?
On either side of the streets in the outer city were simple black stone houses, and on even intervals along the road, there would be places to eat. A lot of people stood there in rows, waiting to receive food. The impression they gave was also little more than beggars. As for what was called the paradise of crime, what was called pleasure, there was basically none.
The black masked young woman gave a simple explanation for all of this. Sinners were separated into three, six, nine and so on, and only the truly formidable sinners could find pleasure in paradise. As for useless rubbish, they had no right to enjoy themselves.
The city was even bigger than Chen Yang had imagined. After walking for more than an hour, Chen Yang had some familiarity with the outer city, and the black masked young woman had brought him to a city wall.
Compared to the outer walls, this wall wasn't so high, only ten meters or so at its tallest. Very clearly, behind this wall lay Slaughter City's inner city.
The gates were wide open, and there were no guards. The black masked young woman indifferently gave Chen Yang an introduction:
"The inner city doesn't need guards. The people of the outer city only need to have the courage to enter to walk inside at any time. Of course, once inside, they must endure the unknown of the world inside. You've just arrived in Slaughter City, so I suggest you best live in the outer city for a time. Once you've adapted to everything here, it's fine to enter the inner city. After we enter the inner city in a moment, please don't stray more than five meters from my side, otherwise I won't be able to guarantee your safety."
"Is it safe with you?"
Chen Yang somewhat laughing asked.
The black masked young woman gave him a glance, revealing a not particularly beautiful arrogant light flashing through her eyes underneath the black muslin,
"I'm an envoy of the Slaughter King. In Slaughter City, there is nobody who dares offend the dignity of the Slaughter King. The twelve hours after you enter this world is the rookie protection period, having me at your side is the best protection of your life. After this period, your life and death can only be decided by Heaven."
There was still a rookie protection period. It seemed that this Slaughter City really had its own system.
Without the slightest hesitation, Chen Yang entered the inner city together with the black masked young woman.
Only one step into the inner city, Chen Yang immediately felt an entirely different atmosphere from the outer city.
If the outer city was described as a cold and deathly still world, then the inner city was a luxurious and frantic world. Lights of all colors could be seen everywhere, and there were a lot more people than in the outer city, as different as black and white from the atmosphere outside.
The inner city was extremely chaotic. Everywhere were excited laughter and agonized wails, as well as numerous absolutely horrifying sounds.
As far as the eye could see, in a corner on the left side an extremely tall and sturdy man pulled an ample woman by the hair, his lower body pounding forcefully, unburdening his desire in public under numerous gazes. A crowd stood in a circle around them, cheering him on.
On the other side, three or four people were wildly beating up a young man. Tang San saw one of that man's arms being torn off, the person who tore it off still holding it and chewing on it with big bites.
"Rather than calling this a paradise of crime, it's more like a world of beasts."
Chen Yang said indifferently.
Light flashed in the eyes of the black masked young woman next to him, speaking in a low voice:
"Do you have the authority to dispute the Slaughter King? If it's like that, the great Slaughter King will inevitably erase you from this place. Since you've come here, you can only comply with the rules.
Chen Yang looked at her, declining to comment,
"Bring me to Hell Slaughter Arena."
The black masked young woman was clearly somewhat resentful towards him, and this time didn't say anything else, rather stepping out into the inner city with large strides.
The inner city could indeed be called an extravagant place, or perhaps rotten. Like the black masked young woman said, at her side, even though a lot of ill intentioned gazes fell on Chen Yang , nobody stepped forward to harass him.
In this place, Chen Yang's heart constantly contracted. In his eyes were reflected too many things he had never seen.
Men and women could be fucking in the streets at any time, there were even some who killed in the middle of the act. Chen Yang clearly saw a man at the moment of orgasm get his throat cut by a blade the woman below him spit out of her mouth.
And that gaudy woman sucked the scarlet liquid flowing from the man's throat with spastic jerks.
Despite having no food in his stomach, Chen Yang still almost threw up several times. His loathing of this world multiplied exponentially.
He suddenly discovered that, in this city, there was basically no need for his meticulous control, killing intent still unceasingly gushed out. It seemed as if only by slaughter could he discharge the violent currents stored within his heart.
As they walked, there was suddenly a disturbance up ahead. Several dozen people stood in a circle, and there was moreover blood curdling screams constantly echoing from their midst.
A whiff of blood was violently emitted from within, and the circle of spectators got out of the way to open up a path, a figure slowly moving away from the middle.
"Mister 9827, judging by your appearance, you're not stupid. Do you believe that the battles in the Hell Slaughter Arena are the same as the ones in the Great Spirit Arenas outside? Here, each match is the difference between life and death, even the victors will very possibly still be assassinated after the end of the match. To maintain a record of sixteen wins is already quite terrifying. To be precise, nobody will be your friend here. Each person will take the chance to kill you if they can. Even the woman moaning under you."
"Thank you for the advice."
"Let's go, Hell Slaughter Arena is up ahead. The heart of Slaughter City."
Led by the black masked young woman, Chen Yang saw a peculiar building. The structure seemed round, but to be more precise it was an irregular cone. The base had the largest area, and then got subsequently smaller with height until it was almost thirty meters tall, after which it continued with the same diameter until fifty meters.
This Hell Slaughter Arena's area really wasn't small, compare to spirit hall arena it was many time smaller Chen Yang saw before, and just a bit smaller than Heaven Dou City's Great Spirit Arena.
The black building made people feel even more oppressed. The black masked young woman gave Chen Yang an introduction, the location of this Hell Slaughter Arena was the center of the entire Slaughter City. This clearly showed how important it was to Slaughter City.
"Are there no rules to the fights here?"
C.Y asked.
The black masked young woman said:
"Very simple, after entering, use your own ID badge to sign up. Afterwards wait for the match to start. During the waiting time, you're not allowed to attack. Ten people enter each slaughter match. You can use any methods, as long as you can walk away from it in the end. Only one person can leave alive from each bout."
One out of ten, truly worthy of being called Slaughter City. Chen Yang continued asking:
"Then how do I become the so-called champion?"
The black masked young woman looked somewhat astonished at Chen Yang,
"As long as you can participate in one hundred matches, you'll be the champion. Only, the present first ranked in Slaughter City has only participated in sixty seven matches. With each match you participate in, your ID badge will gain one victory, and you can live here for one year, seeking pleasure as you like in the inner city. Of course, you have to ensure yourself that you can stay alive after the pleasure."
"I want to go in for a look."
The black masked young woman said:
"The qualifications to observe the battles is one cup of Bloody Mary. It can be your own, or it can be someone else's. As long as you don't feel tired, you can watch for as long as you like after entering. The matches go on constantly. As long as people sign up, and ten are gathered, the fight can start."
Chen Yang's brows wrinkled slightly. He was unable to get over why this Slaughter City would attach such importance to blood.
Right now, several people just entered the Slaughter Arena. It really was like the black masked woman said, each person held a cup of scarlet blood in their hands.
Heart twitching, Chen Yang already had a plan. He walked over towards that last man about to enter the arena with large strides.
That was a big man with a shaven head and bare torso, a naked woman tattooed on his chest. Only, because his chest was crisscrossed with terrifying scars, that image of the naked woman not only didn't seem beautiful, but was on the contrary brimming with a kind of fierce-looking resentment.
"I'll trouble you to give me your Bloody Mary."
Blocking the shaven headed man's path, Chen Yang held out his right hand.
The baldy looked distracted a moment, glancing at the black masked young woman next to Chen Yang, and an ominous glint flashed in his eyes.
The black masked young woman's somewhat impatient voice rose,
"Mister 9527, if you take the initiative to provoke, the rookie protection won't have any effect."
These words were not only a reminder for Chen yang, but also equally a reminder for that baldy. With a malicious laugh, the baldy pulled out a saw toothed big blade from somewhere, chopping head-on at Tang San.
His motions didn't seem very fast, but they had a feeling of mountainous pressure. That was spirit power fluctuations.
At least fiftieth rank. This was Chen Yang's estimation of the opponent.
But he didn't withdraw his extended hand. Right palm flipping, he issued a power that could support the sky. In the hollow of his palm, an intense attractive force diverting the force of the opponent's chopper to the side. At the same time his left foot swiftly took a step forward, pulling close the distance between him and the baldy.
The bald man only felt the sawtoothed big chopper in his hand uncontrollably slip sideways, and was just grabbed by Chen Yang's raised right hand. Chen Yang forcefully pulled forward, dropping his shoulder, and directly smashing the chest of his opponent.
Chen Yang's speed could be described as lightning fast, and further adding that him grabbing the opponent's weapon with his bare hands revealed a brief weakness, his movements, as natural as moving clouds and flowing water, immediately held the advantage.
But that bald big man's reactions were surprisingly fast. Instantly letting go of the chopper in his hand, his other hand smashed the cup directly at Chen Yang's face at the same time as he retreated, both hands guarding his chest.
Half turning, Chen Yang forcibly diverted his own forward momentum. With a shake of his left hand, that cup entered his hand, and with a bizarre few shakes of his wrist, he unexpectedly didn't spill a single drop.
"Thanks."
Having obtained the Bloody mary, Chen Yang didn't say more, and turned to walk inside.
Even though the bald big man hadn't been struck, Chen Yang 's instantly erupting force had still managed to startle him. His face brimmed with malevolence, but strangely, he didn't show any intention of getting back that Bloody Mary. Turning to leave, he didn't pause.
"Kindness to the enemy, is cruelty to oneself."
As Chen Yang walked, he muttered to himself. Flipping the saw toothed big chopper in his hand, his fingertips swayed ingeniously a few times, and that big chopper flew out quietly. That enormous weapon unexpectedly didn't make a sound. By now, the baldy had already turned a corner on the other side of the street, disappearing from Chen Yang 's view.
However, that saw toothed big chopper seemed to have grown eyes, slashing in a beautiful arc. A blood curdling scream was heard in the darkness. Afterwards, there were no more sounds.
"We're entering."
Chen Yang calmly said to the somewhat lifeless black masked young woman.
"You..."
This was already the second time the black masked young woman had seen Chen Yang act. Compared to the first time, this time shocked her even more. She recognized that baldy, in Hell Slaughter Arena, that baldy had already endured seven matches. In other words, he was the only survivor out of seventy people killing each other.
She sensed that this youth in front of her hadn't been much stronger than his opponent, but the way he killed was as simple as squashing an ant.
The interior of Hell Slaughter Arena seemed even simpler than the outside. Without any partitions, row after row of stands extended upwards in circles. Below these was a more than one hundred meter diameter immense empty arena. At this moment, there weren't very many spectators, filling less than twenty percent of the enormous space. In the arena, miserable shrieks rose constantly. Of altogether ten people, there were already seven corpses, the final three struggling for their lives.
When he entered, Chen Yang poured the cup of Bloody Mary he held in an enormous receptacle.
"I'll trouble you to sign me up. I want to participate in the next match."
Chen Yang said to the black masked young woman.
By now, the black masked young woman no longer thought the youngster in front of her was an idiot. Chen Yang 's strength had caused her heart to birth a trace of terror. Nodding without the slightest hesitation, she took the ID badge Chen Yang held out.
Chen Yang only felt disgust towards Slaughter City. Therefore, he didn't want to delay here for even a day. Becoming the champion after a hundred victories, then challenging the Hell Road, and he could leave this place. He had already decided to start fighting from today, from right now.
Slaughter City, from this day on, on this dark world, this world brimming with blood and depravity, he not only had to obtain victory in match after match, but also return alive.
Three days after entering Slaughter City, the number of people Chen Yang had killed already surpassed three digits. But the number of matches he had joined, was only two. In these three days time, Chen Yang understood that the true terror in this place wasn't the enemies in the Hell Slaughter Arena, but rather the constant ambushes after the end of the matches when he was at his weakest.
From here ,Chen Yang learned caution, prudence, and even more patience.
One month had passed, and Chen Yang 's victories in the Hell Slaughter Arena had grown to nine. By now there were fewer and fewer with the courage to ambush him, but they were also more and more powerful. Along with the number of his victories rising, he learned another rule. With each new match, the opponents he confronted couldn't have more than five fights than him in the Hell Slaughter Arena behind them. Unless everyone had more than that many fewer matches than him.