As blood flowed into the cups, the crowd that had been tailing Han Li and his group quietly dispersed.
Only a few remained, standing off to the side, watching coldly without approaching.
When the cups were filled, Han Li looked up at the veiled woman in black.
"Can we go in now?"
"Of course, please follow me."
The veiled woman in black glanced at the half-dead person in Han Li's hand, confirmed he was still breathing, and led the way without caring whether the person was truly willing.
Han Li signaled to the others and followed.
Well, since there was no opposition this time, things should be easier moving forward.
The King of Slaughter only cared that someone died; who it was didn't concern him.
As for the methods, Han Li hadn't broken any rules.
However, when some people recognized the person under Han Li's foot, they averted their gazes and refocused on the arena. Their subtle glances did not escape the group's notice.
Seeing their actions, a few lackeys nearby shot vicious looks at Han Li and made throat-slitting gestures.
In the massive arena below, screams of agony echoed continuously.
Dugu Bo followed Han Li's gaze and noticed that the people Han Li mentioned were surrounded by several, if not dozens, of sycophants.
The outer ring of the arena extended upwards, forming a massive open space below, reminiscent of a coliseum.
"Fighting is not allowed in the stands; you may watch freely."
Han Li turned to the two women, whose faces were somewhat flushed from the violent scene below.
Dugu Bo glanced at the man frozen at Han Li's feet, seemingly unharmed, and smiled.
"You underestimate the people here. They aren't incapable of thinking of this. I'm certainly not the first to do so. The purposes differ; many strong individuals here primarily aim to survive, not to leave like us."
The veiled woman in black explained to them, then respectfully looked at Han Li.
"I still don't know your number."
"Sister Yan and Bing'er, during the upcoming challenges, try to avoid these people. Leave them to me, Grandpa, and Xiu'er."
"They only need to maintain minimal combat; no need to push further."
"It seems your arrival might have given them a new perspective."
The veiled girl respectfully took the token and signaled a black-armored guard to take the Bloody Marys, then turned to leave.
Han Li threw the person in his hand to the ground, took out the token from his chest, and handed it along with his token.
At this moment, many people in the stands noticed their arrival.
There weren't too many spectators, but the stands were half-filled. Few people sat together; most kept a distance from each other.
Han Li unhesitatingly pointed to a few people over there.
In the arena, there were ten people. Six were already corpses, one without legs was writhing on the ground, and three were still fighting for victory.
"Look, those two in the northwest, and over there in the southeast, they aren't surprised at all."
The Hell Slaughter Arena's interior was even more rudimentary than it appeared from the outside.
"Okay, we'll be careful."
Dugu Yan and Shui Bing'er nodded, not trying to be brave.
After losing their soul skills, their combat abilities weren't weak, but they were indeed inferior to the other three.
"If we come a few more times, I'll inform you of the key targets. Leave the strong ones to us; avoid the others and prioritize safety."
Han Li thought for a moment and spoke again.
He and Dugu Bo had secretly communicated. The strongest in this Hell Slaughter Arena was at the Soul Douluo level. Even if there were hidden methods, it would be hard to escape their spiritual scans.
Later, he would contact his obedient son for a complete scan to ensure nothing was missed.
Everyone nodded without objection. Their purpose here was different from others; honing combat skills was secondary. They needed to increase their soul power and ensure victory in battles.
As Han Li finished speaking, the match in the arena ended, leaving only one person standing.
At this point, the last standing person's right arm was nearly useless, hanging limply at his side, swaying as he walked.
Even as a soul master, he looked like he needed at least three months of recovery.
But he didn't stop. Instead, he walked towards the legless guy lying in the arena, barely clinging to life.
He was quite cautious and didn't approach directly. Instead, he picked up two weapons from the bodies of the other dead people and, using his less skilled left hand, infused them with soul power and threw them at the person on the ground.
Seeing the weapons getting closer, the person on the ground stopped rolling and wailing. He bit down hard, slapped the ground with both hands and used the reaction force to pounce towards the standing person.
The first weapon missed due to his movement.
Squelch!
The second weapon pierced right through his abdomen, and blood gushed out.
However, the person seemed to feel no pain. His blood-soaked mouth opened wide, revealing a set of white teeth. He let out a crazed laugh and eventually reached the standing person.
"If you want to kill me, then let's go to hell together."
To the shock of Dugu Yan and the others, he detonated all his soul power, causing himself to self-destruct.
Flesh and blood flew everywhere in the arena. The standing person was also flung to the edge of the arena by the impact, but both his arms were destroyed, severed at the shoulders, and his left leg was exposed down to the bone.
At this moment, the spectators in the stands cheered and whistled even more fervently.
"Damn, that was thrilling! San put on a good show. Even at the end, he dragged Zhang Quan, that bastard, down with him. Heh, when we get out of here, don't anyone try to stop me—I'll personally kill that dog, Zhang Quan."
"Who the hell do you think you are, trying to take Zhang Quan from me? He's mine. If you don't like it, come out and fight."
"Fight, fight! Why don't you two sign up directly and see who survives? The one who makes it, I'll help you out. How about that? Hahahaha!"
"You guys are just all talk. You won't fight. Hey, do you think if Zhang Quan survives, his blood is enough for a few Bloody Marys? Maybe half a cup for each of us?"
"Zhang Quan's blood won't be enough, but when he gets out, it'll be plenty. Want to team up?"
"Team up? I think you're just trying to use me to get more Bloody Marys. Get lost! Don't think I don't know what you did to the guy who came in with you."
Amidst the overwhelming shouts, no one cared about the winner's life or death. They only cared about what benefits they could gain.
The evil of human nature was laid bare in front of them, bloody and raw.
"So, this is the City of Slaughter?"
Shui Bing'er murmured, feeling that these people's hearts were colder than her ice elements.
"This is the true City of Slaughter."
The veiled woman in black had returned by now. Hearing Shui Bing'er's words, she surprisingly responded.
Unlike Shui Bing'er's expression, she wore a faint smile on her face, looking at the blood in the arena with a gaze that seemed almost sacred.
Han Li took the token she handed back and put it into his chest, showing no reaction to her unsolicited comment.
It was good for them to understand the survival rules here early on.
"Your match will begin in ten minutes."
The veiled woman did not leave. Apart from Han Li, the other four hadn't fought yet and were still under newbie protection. She needed to continue her duties.
Han Li gave a light "hmm" and sat down, closing his eyes, seemingly to rest before the upcoming battle.
The others sat nearby but did not close their eyes to rest like Han Li. Instead, they looked around and acted as guards.
They wouldn't rely on the City of Slaughter's so-called rules for their safety.
Although everything since entering the city showed that everyone followed these rules, they had broken the rules to enter. Rules only bound the weak.
Seeing San's self-destruction just now, they instinctively remained wary of everyone except their group.
A human life here was worth very little, just a few Bloody Marys.
And Han Li? He wasn't truly resting. At this moment, he was communicating with his obedient son in his mind.
To be precise, he had been in communication since entering the town. The plane consciousness had appeared in his spiritual space.
"So, can you filter and modify the life force and soul imprints absorbed here?"
In his spiritual space, Han Li sat on a high-backed chair, looking at the small light ball in his left hand.
"My dear father, it is possible, but ever since we arrived here, I can sense that the gaze of the God Realm on you has hardly left."
The small light ball flickered, conveying a sense of worry through its fluctuating light.
"Don't worry about it. I have my plans. Use your ability to change the rules for us to a fifty-fifty split."
Han Li thought for a moment and gave the order, choosing not to take it all.
"Following your will."
The small light ball bounced in his hand and then disappeared.
Han Li exited his spiritual space but did not open his eyes. Instead, he continued to feel the rules around him.
Under the manipulation of the plane consciousness, the heavy feeling he sensed upon entering gradually lightened, and the rules changed. He took this opportunity to understand the changes.
His purpose here was twofold: to probe and to quickly increase his power.
The initial seventy-thirty split, with seventy percent going to the other side, was unacceptable to him.
Feeling the rule fluctuations weaken, Han Li opened his eyes and looked around.
It turned out their seventy-thirty split was a preferential rate. Judging by the rules on others here, they got only five percent.
The God of Asura truly had a black heart! Han Li chuckled inwardly.
"It's your turn, esteemed guest."
The veiled woman's voice sounded in Han Li's ear, reminding him.
"Hmm."
Han Li stood up and looked towards the next match already starting, with one person already in the arena.
"Wait for me. I'll finish quickly."
Ignoring the surrounding stares, Han Li turned to his group.
Then, with the tip of his right foot, he hooked the unlucky guy beneath him who still had a breath left and kicked him towards the arena below.
He leaped up, stepping on the person's body and descending into the arena, passing over many heads.
The ground below was unexpectedly hard. When the two landed heavily, not even a pebble was kicked up.
The unlucky guy beneath him spat out another mouthful of blood upon impact, and his token fell out, rolling toward the center.
The sound of the token hitting the ground echoed through the relatively quiet Hell Slaughter Arena.