Chapter 214: The Hell Road Opens
Time passed slowly.
A strange phenomenon began spreading throughout the City of Slaughter.
The corpses that had always been casually discarded were gradually vanishing. Even victors in the Hell Killing Arena had started taking their opponents' bodies away after each match.
In a dark alley, Tang San smashed his hammer violently into the head of a snarling degenerate, splattering blood across the wall.
Then his gaze fell on something lying at the man's feet—an incomplete pattern, drawn with blood.
A ritual circle.
Tang San frowned deeply, crouched, and rifled through the corpse. Inside the man's cloak, he found a tattered booklet.
Flipping it open, his pupils shrank abruptly.
Inside were diagrams describing the Blood Demon Ritual—the sacrificial method of the Primordial God.
"Why…? How could the Blood Demon Ritual spread to the City of Slaughter?" Tang San muttered in disbelief, his voice trembling.
Now he understood why the city's victors had started collecting bodies—they were being used for sacrifices.
His expression darkened. The Blood Demon Ritual was supposed to be his secret advantage, yet now it was common knowledge.
Could there be other followers of the Primordial God here?
That was impossible. Yu Xiaogang would never come to the City of Slaughter. Neither would Yu Tianheng's group, and certainly not his father.
Then who?
After a long silence, Tang San crushed the booklet to dust with his spirit power, stuffed the corpse into his soul tool, and turned to leave.
…
A year later.
Luo Ling had now been in the City of Slaughter for nearly two years.
At last, he stood in the Hell Killing Arena for his one-hundredth and final match.
With one smooth swing of his sword, he beheaded his last opponent as effortlessly as if slicing paper.
Around him, the spectators watched in stunned silence—the moment marked a new legend. No one dared meet his eyes.
The fear of the "Undying" had long taken root. It wasn't just his immortality—the killing intent of the city itself seemed to have no effect on him.
Even figures as infamous as the Emissary of Hell and the Hammer Wielder had begun to radiate a suffocating murderous aura, but not him. Luo Ling remained calm and untouched, like someone who had just entered the city for the first time.
His crimson eyes swept over the crowd. Unlike most battles, he fought this one himself—not through his Raven Phantom Puppet.
Across one hundred matches, his puppet had fought most of them, though occasionally he stepped in personally. Through their connection, every experience was his own, and he'd gained immeasurable growth.
Not only had his combat skills evolved, but he had come to fully master the essence of killing.
Killing was, after all, a form of desire.
Hu Liena and Tang San might struggle against their own killing instincts, but Luo Ling was different.
No killing intent could be sensed from him, yet if he desired, a mere surge of it could shatter the mind of an ordinary spirit master.
"Congratulations, powerful one… the Undying."
A deep voice echoed through the air.
Luo Ling looked up.
Hovering above was a tall figure draped in a crimson cloak, pale-faced, with eyes glowing red as blood. He descended slowly, unaffected by gravity, until he hung a few meters off the ground.
"The King of Slaughter! The King of Slaughter! The King of Slaughter!"
The arena erupted with wild roars.
The frenzied cheers did not cease even as voices cracked and bloodthirst ruled the crowd.
The King of Slaughter lowered himself until he floated just five meters above the stage, then spoke in a cold, booming tone. "Step forward, Emissary of Hell."
A massive gate at the far end opened, and Hu Liena emerged slowly, cloaked in a faint mist of killing intent. Yet her eyes remained clear and bright.
Luo Ling had spent the past year helping her suppress the corruption of murderous aura, keeping her from losing herself entirely.
The King's gaze drifted between the Undying and the Emissary, a flicker of surprise crossing his eyes.
Two champions who had completed a hundred victories—and not been consumed by their killing intent. It was almost unthinkable.
Especially the Undying. Beneath his hood, his eyes shone red, but that crimson light was not born of bloodlust—it was something deeper, stranger.
After a pause, the King's gaze softened, and he said, "I am pleased. Today, I witness two powerful warriors completing one hundred victories—"
"Spare us the speeches," Luo Ling interrupted coldly. "You know why we're here. Open the Hell Road."
The entire arena fell deathly silent.
"How dare you! Show respect to the King of Slaughter!" the veiled woman at his side shouted angrily.
Luo Ling ignored her completely, his scarlet eyes fixed on the King.
The King of Slaughter's face darkened. An unsealed Soul Sage daring to speak to him this way—it was insolence beyond measure.
If it had been anyone else, he would have struck them down instantly.
But the Undying was known to be a man of Spirit Hall. And this past year, two of Spirit Hall's killing gods had entered the City of Slaughter.
Even for the King, that demanded caution.
"Very well," he said coldly. "For the sake of your hundred victories, I will pardon your rudeness. Since you wish to enter the Hell Road, I'll grant your request!"
With a sharp snort, he unleashed his Killing Domain.
Around them, the spectators screamed as madness took hold. They turned on one another like rabid beasts, blood spraying across the stands.
Luo Ling watched quietly. Hu Liena flinched, tightening her grip on his arm in alarm.
Down below, there was one person unaffected—Tang San.
Now standing at sixty-eight victories, he was far behind his original counterpart.
The Tang San of the past had conquered the arena in just over a year. Now, after two, he still lingered below a hundred.
Without the Haotian Hammer and his Blue Silver Emperor awakening, his strength was crippled. And with every match, the pressure mounted.
He watched the carnage below, eyes wide.
Blood flowed like rivers, streaming through hidden channels beneath the stands toward the center of the arena.
The air thickened with suffocating killing intent. Tang San's aura flared uncontrollably, surging outward.
Even Hu Liena trembled slightly as her own killing aura wavered—but within seconds, Luo Ling's presence stabilized her completely.
(END CHAPTER)
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