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The vast ocean was quiet as a thick mist locked the path ahead. After devouring some members of the Violet Pearl Pirate Group, Tang San and his friends sailed on. Their vessel continued moving through the seemingly boundless ocean. Days at sea were monotonous and oppressive, with only day after day of waves and sky for company. Dai Mubai, Ma Hongjun, and even Tai Long changed after experiencing that devouring. They fell into a brief silence for some kind of internal digestion and adaptation. Because of this, the atmosphere on the ship was even heavier than before.
Several days later, a strange change occurred on the ocean. This evening, the originally calm sea surface suddenly surged with a thick mist without any warning. The mist was not the usual grayish-white color. It was a viscous gray-green mist that carried a faint saltiness of seawater and an indescribable aura of decay. It came extremely fast, swallowing the entire sea vessel in the blink of an eye. Visibility plummeted to less than ten meters.
The sea breeze stopped completely, and the waves became eerily smooth. There was only the faint sound of the hull cutting through the thick mist, and occasional strange noises came from nowhere. The compass needle spun frantically and completely failed. Tang San and the others completely lost their direction, as if they were trapped in a gray-green, boundless nightmare.
This mist lasted for a whole night. It did not begin to dissipate until before dawn the next day, vanishing without warning just as it had appeared. When the first ray of ghastly white morning light struggled to penetrate the remaining thin mist and reflect on the sea, Tang San stood at the bow. He had stayed awake all night, alert and on guard. Suddenly, his pupils contracted tightly. Ahead, in the center of the sea area where the mist had cleared, the outline of an island emerged like a phantom.
This island was completely different from any land they had seen before. It was entirely shrouded in a layer of miserable gray haze that never dissipated. The island was very rocky, and the color of the ground was an unhealthy dark brownish-black. What made one's skin crawl the most was the edge of the island. The beach was not golden or white like a normal shore.
It was a pale bone-white, and one could vaguely see many ghastly white skeletons of various sizes half-buried in the sand or scattered on the black reefs. In the air, there seemed to be a faint, vague scent mixed with sea salt and the stench of corpses wafting over.
Ma Hongjun rubbed his bloodshot eyes and pointed at the eerie island that appeared abruptly. His voice carried suspicion and a hint of inexplicable excitement as he called out, "San-ge! Boss Dai! Look quickly! There is an island there! Could it be the Sea God Island we are looking for?!"
Dai Mubai and Tai Long also gathered at the bow upon hearing this, looking toward the island together. Dai Mubai's brow furrowed deeply, and a sharp golden light flickered in his evil eyes. He clearly felt that something was wrong with this place.
Tang San did not answer right away. A purple light rose in his eyes as he operated the Purple Demon Eye to its full extent. His gaze penetrated the thin gray haze, trying to observe the small details of the island.
Suddenly, he saw everything more clearly. The island's outline was rugged and hideous. The vegetation was very sparse, and the only trees were twisted and withered, looking like ghosts with bared fangs and brandished claws.
The beach and near-shore reef areas were indeed littered with various skeletons. Some were humanoid, but more were the skeletons of various giant sea beasts or strange creatures. Some were even unimaginably huge, half-buried in the sand, showing only the bleached white parts to the sky.
The entire island radiated an ominous aura. It seemed completely incompatible with the image of Sea God Island described by Yu Xiaogang. Yu Xiaogang had told them that Sea God Island, though dangerous, was full of life, inhabited by Sea Soul Masters, and might even contain a holy Legacy.
"It doesn't look like it," Tang San murmured to himself, his brow furrowed into a tight knot. "Sea God Island shouldn't be like this."
But right now, they were completely lost in the thick mist. Their sea charts were useless, and the compass had failed. This island was the only visible land on the vast ocean. Whether it was Sea God Island or not, they had to get closer to find supplies, determine their position, or at least figure out what kind of ghostly place this was. After pondering for a moment, a flash of determination crossed Tang San's eyes, and he spoke in a steady voice to the group.
"This island is very eerie. It doesn't look like a normal island, let alone Sea God Island. But we have no choice now. We must find a place to resupply and determine our position. Let's approach and observe from the near sea first. Do not venture deep rashly. Stay alert and be ready to fight at any time."
"Yes!"
Hearing this, Dai Mubai, Ma Hongjun, and Tai Long responded in unison. The three of them focused their spirits, and their spirit power was held back but ready to explode. In the next second, the sea vessel adjusted its direction.
Its sails billowed, and it slowly accelerated toward the ominous isolated island surrounded by skeletons and shrouded in gray haze. But the closer they got, the more obvious that cold, deathly aura became, seeming capable of freezing the Soul itself. Seabirds stayed far away from this area, and even the color of the seawater seemed to have turned darker.
Meanwhile, in the Slaughter City, a fierce battle ended at the Hell Slaughter Arena. A sharp sound echoed through the air as the last opponent was pierced through the chest by the golden dragon spear. The person slumped to the ground with an expression of unbelievable horror.
Under Tang Chen's feet was the hundredth corpse. The entire Hell Slaughter Arena first fell into a brief deathly silence. Then, a mountain-shaking, tsunami-like roar that was almost frenzied erupted from the stands.
"Death God! Death God! Death God!"
The loud sound waves almost flipped over this gladiatorial arena built of sin and blood. In just over a month, this blue-haired youth wearing a ghost god mask had achieved a terrifying record of a hundred consecutive victories in an unstoppable, almost crushing manner. He had finally earned the qualification to challenge the Hell Road.
Almost at the same time Tang Chen completed his hundredth victory, a similarly blood-stained but standing figure slowly walked out from the entrance on the other side of the Hell Slaughter Arena. It was Hu Liena.
Her short golden hair had become somewhat dark red, and her eyes were colder and sharper than before. Yet, her eyes also carried a trace of fatigue and restlessness from being soaked in a Killing Intent that could not be completely hidden. Just now, Hu Liena had also finally, with great difficulty, secured her hundredth victory.
The two of them exchanged glances across the ground covered in corpses and the soaring smell of blood. The moment Hu Liena saw Tang Chen, a trace of alarm and complexity uncontrollably flashed deep in her eyes. But it was quickly forced down, and her aura seemed to become a bit more stable.
"Congratulations," a low, hoarse, yet sharp eerie voice echoed out. It seemed capable of piercing eardrums as it surged from all directions and every corner like a cold tide, instantly drowning out the clamor of the entire venue.
The atmosphere inside the Hell Slaughter Arena was ignited to its Peak at this moment. In mid-air, a blood-red figure was slowly descending from the shadows of the sky like a thick, dripping drop of blood.
"Slaughter King! Slaughter King! Slaughter King!"
Even more fanatical shouts rang out from the crowd. Those Fallen Ones seemed to have seen a true deity. They screamed until their voices were hoarse, acting as if they were mad, not caring even if they tore their throats from yelling. Hearing this, Tang Chen's heart tightened, and his gaze shot like lightning toward that scarlet figure.
It was an extremely tall man. His entire body was wrapped in a scarlet cloak so large it was almost exaggerated. The cloak moved without wind, and its edges seemed to be flowing with viscous blood-light. His face was a sickly pale color, forming a jarring contrast with the scarlet of the cloak. Most Soul-stirring were his pair of completely blood-red eyes.
They looked like two pools of congealed blood, showing a deep, violent, yet cold indifference, as if he were looking down at ants. The Slaughter King's body descended slowly from the air, as if he were not constrained by gravity at all. Finally, he suspended in mid-air, stopping about five meters from the ground. Like a high-and-mighty Divinity, he looked down at Tang Chen below.
"Welcome, Hell Messenger," that low, sharp voice rang out again.
Hu Liena took a deep breath, suppressing her churning blood and Killing Intent. She walked into the center of the arena with slightly heavy steps, standing about ten meters away from Tang Chen. When she stood still and her gaze crossed Tang Chen's again, her own aura, which had become somewhat disordered due to a hundred battles of slaughter, seemed to stabilize a bit more.
The Slaughter King's gaze slowly swept over the frenzied Fallen Ones in the surrounding stands, and the scarlet cloak behind him billowed slightly. He spoke to the crowd, "I am very pleased to witness the birth of two more experts of the Slaughter Arena today. Death God, Hell Messenger. They have made you tremble with their powerful strength and terrifying Killing Intent, have they not? My subjects."
"Yes! Yes! Yes!"
The response from the stands was an even more uniform, almost hysterical, fanatical roar. The Slaughter King seemed to possess a unique magic that could easily ignite the deepest worship and fear in the hearts of these Fallen Ones. Tang Chen's nostrils twitched slightly, and he smelled a faint, sweet, and fishy scent coming from the Slaughter King, which made one feel a bit groggy and intoxicated. But his mental power was incredibly stable, so this small influence was negligible to him.
Just then, the Slaughter King lowered his head. Those blood-red eyes fell on Tang San and Hu Liena like searchlights. He said indifferently, "Death God, Hell Messenger. Thank you for letting me feel the existence of passion again. A hundred victories, good, very good. To commend your outstanding achievements, I have decided to exceptionally grant you the title of Slaughter God. From now on, you can both enter and leave the Slaughter City at will, and be ceremoniously appointed as Guest Elders of the Slaughter City under me."
"No need to walk the Hell Road?" Hearing this, Tang Chen looked at Hu Liena with slight surprise. He found that Hu Liena was also looking at him. At this moment, the two of them just exchanged a look and understood the Slaughter King's true intention.
Walking the Hell Road was undoubtedly extremely dangerous. But behind the danger, there was the existence of the huge temptation of the Slaughter God Domain. The Slaughter King before them clearly did not want them to obtain the Slaughter God Domain.
After all, once someone obtained the Slaughter God Domain, they would be able to use Spirit Abilities inside this Slaughter City. The more people who could use Spirit Abilities in this Slaughter City, the greater the threat to the Slaughter King would naturally be. He naturally did not want more people to obtain that power.
Hu Liena bowed slightly and spoke first, "Great Slaughter King, thank you for your kindness. However, the rules of the Slaughter City for thousands of years cannot be broken because of the two of us. I, the Hell Messenger, am willing to pass the trial of the Hell Road and then obtain your true reward by my own strength. I hope to rely on my own strength to walk out of here and become a true Slaughter God."
Hearing this, a red light flashed through the Slaughter King's eyes, seemingly carrying a trace of anger. But he did not erupt immediately, instead turning his gaze to the silent Tang Chen.
Tang Chen smiled indifferently and said, "The reason I came here was to walk that Hell Road. Slaughter King, I appreciate your kindness. Please open the entrance to the Hell Road. I am willing to pass this trial together with the Hell Messenger."
He didn't come here just to obtain the Slaughter God Domain. His true purpose was to take the Asura Demon Sword from the Slaughter King's hand. To confront the Slaughter King, obtaining the Slaughter God Domain was necessary, but he also had to find a way to lure this guy to the outside world. After more than a month of understanding the Slaughter City, Tang Chen had already thought of a way to force the Slaughter King to leave the Slaughter City.
The Fallen Ones here, including the Slaughter King, needed to drink bloody mary almost every day, and the so-called bloody mary was nothing more than the blood of these Fallen Ones. The blood of the Fallen Ones who died tragically in the Hell Slaughter Arena every day all gathered under the competition stage, which was exactly the entrance to the Hell Road. As long as he threw some slow-acting poison into that blood pool when entering the Hell Road later, it would cause all the Fallen Ones in the entire Slaughter City to slowly die off.
After a few months, the Slaughter King would naturally leave the Slaughter City to find them, and at that time, he could find a way to take the Asura Demon Sword from his hands. In the original work, Tang San poisoned and blew up the Slaughter City. Here, he was just poisoning the people to death, so that the entire Slaughter City could no longer produce bloody mary.
"In that case, I shall open the Hell Road for you. I hope you have good luck," the Slaughter King said.
Seeing that Tang Chen and Hu Liena insisted on challenging the Hell Road, the Slaughter King said no more and slowly raised his hands. Those hands were pale to the point of being almost transparent, yet the fingertips were surrounded by viscous blood-light.
Suddenly, an extremely evil, cold, dark red ripple that seemed capable of freezing the Soul violently spread out with the Slaughter King's body as the center. This ripple was silent, like mercury spreading on the ground. Its speed was incredibly fast, covering every corner of the entire Hell Slaughter Arena in almost just a few blinks.
"Ugh..."
"Ah!"
"King... why..."
In the stands, those Fallen Ones who were still shouting fanatically and worshiping the Slaughter King just a second ago had the expressions on their faces freeze instantly. Their faces turned from frenzy to extreme horror and confusion. They didn't even have time to make any reaction before their bodies, at the moment that dark red ripple passed, were like clay dolls crushed by an invisible giant hand. They silently slumped and dissolved right where they stood.
There were no screams and no explosions. There was only a hair-raising sizzling sound, like melting snow. Thousands of Fallen Ones, regardless of their strength or where they were in the stands, all turned into pools of dark red, viscous blood under the Slaughter King's indiscriminate baptism. The blood emitted a thick, sweet, fishy scent. Their clothes, bones, and even their Souls seemed to be completely refined in this eerie ripple, merging into that blood.
In just a few breaths, the Hell Slaughter Arena, which had been bustling with people and frenzied noise just now, became deathly silent. The stands were completely empty, with only the river of blood flowing and gathering rapidly on the ground, making one want to vomit.
Immediately after, this blood refined from the lives and flesh of thousands of Fallen Ones seemed to be pulled by an invisible force. It began to gather frantically toward the very center of the arena.
The blood flowed like a dragon, making a gurgling, terrifying sound. In the next second, a huge bat head pattern emitting a soaring evil aura and the smell of blood was quickly outlined, formed, and deepened on the ground with blood as ink. In the center of the pattern, the blood tumbled as if boiling and sank down. It instantly formed a dark red blood pool more than ten meters in diameter, bottomless, and constantly bubbling with blood.
Under the devouring of that blood-red blood pool, Tang Chen felt the ground beneath him vanish completely, and everything around him became illusory. All his senses had been completely sealed at this moment. Also at this time, a green pill shot out from his fingertip, successfully entering that blood pool and then rapidly dissolving and spreading.