Douluo: Soul-Breaking spear

Chapter 107: Slaughter City

Yang Potian descended into the dark hole and entered a strange new realm.

In this world, his senses dulled, and everything around him was steeped in deep darkness. As he took in his surroundings, he realized he was in a long, narrow corridor. Ahead was a path, but he couldn't sense where it led.

Ignoring any further uncertainties, Yang Potian moved forward, and soon he saw a faint light ahead, guiding him into a new, unfamiliar world.

This realm was unlike anything in Douluo Continent. The entire landscape was shrouded in darkness, with little natural light. A blood-red moon hung in the sky, casting a weak crimson glow that illuminated everything in a shadowy, eerie hue. There was no sign of life in the air, only a pervasive chill, as if the entire place was a frozen wasteland of death.

Suddenly, a squad of knights appeared before him. There were 101 in total, and one among them wore distinct armor, presumably the captain.

The knights rode black horses and were fully clad in black armor, including their weapons, which were also pitch black.

The lead knight rode forward and stopped in front of Yang Potian. "Outsider, welcome to Slaughter City. To become a member of this place, you must first pass my test."

Yang Potian's expression remained cold. "What kind of test?"

"Defeat me."

Before the knight could even react, Yang Potian summoned his Soul-Breaking Spear and lunged, channeling immense power into the strike.

The knight hurriedly raised his weapon to block, but the force behind Yang Potian's spear shattered his defense, its tip pressing against his throat, ready to end his life.

"Don't waste my time. You're too weak."

Ignoring the stunned knight, Yang Potian stepped past him and headed directly toward the distant castle.

The lead knight snapped out of his shock and quickly caught up. "Wait!"

"Or do you wish to die?" Yang Potian asked, without turning back.

"You misunderstand," the knight said, still visibly shaken. "Congratulations on becoming a member of Slaughter City. Here is your identification." He handed Yang Potian a token. The token bore a skull emblem and the number "8868."

Yang Potian took the token and walked toward the city gates without looking back.

When he arrived at the gate, he noticed it was entirely black, emanating a suffocating aura. Above it, four blood-red characters spelled out "Slaughter City."

He summoned his martial spirit, and to his surprise, all his spirit rings appeared gray and inert. Some mysterious force had completely sealed his spirit power.

Just as he approached the gate, a woman in a black veil emerged from within.

"Welcome to Slaughter City," she said in a melodic voice, gesturing for him to enter.

Yang Potian followed the woman through the gate.

Inside, he found himself in a world bathed in blue and purple light. The streetlamps on either side emitted only these two shades, creating a foreboding, ghostly atmosphere like something out of a nightmare.

The veiled woman spoke with an air of experience. "I am your guide. You may ask me any questions you have within the next twelve hours. After that, this will be your new home, and you will officially become part of Slaughter City."

"Take me to the Hell Slaughter Arena."

"Are you sure?" she asked. "Entering the arena, there's less than a one-in-ten chance of surviving. It's also where Slaughter City's population is most efficiently… reduced. Everyone is only required to enter the Hell Slaughter Arena once per year. Surviving a single battle buys you one more year in the city."

"You currently have a twelve-hour protection period, during which no one will harm you. If you go to the Hell Slaughter Arena, that protection will be voided."

Yang Potian replied without emotion, "Lead the way."

Understanding his resolve, the veiled woman led him toward the center of the city.

Along the way, they passed a variety of people. Some stood in frenzied madness, leering at Yang Potian as he passed, while others stood alone on the streets.

The one thing they all had in common was their skeletal appearance, as if they were barely alive. If not for the faint movement of their eyes, Yang Potian might have mistaken them for the dead.

The veiled woman noticed his curiosity. "This is merely the outer city. Only the inner city is the true Slaughter City, where no rules apply."

"In the outer city, random killing is forbidden. Only those who survive in the Hell Slaughter Arena earn the right to live in the inner city. Life is better there, but so is the constant threat of death."

"To survive in the outer city, everyone must contribute two Bloody Marys each month. That's why the people here appear as they do."

Soon, the two reached the inner city.

The inner city was vastly different from the outer. While the outer city was eerie, the inner city was filled with unrestrained slaughter.

On the streets, fights and brutal killings were commonplace. Blood pooled in the gutters, and mutilated bodies crawled along the ground, their limbs hacked off and consumed by others.

This was a world where humans devoured humans—literally.

Everywhere Yang Potian looked, he saw twisted faces and red, bloodshot eyes. Each person radiated a palpable aura of bloodlust.

Led by the veiled woman, Yang Potian finally arrived at a unique structure. It was circular, or more precisely, an irregular cone that was widest at the base and tapered toward the top. It extended up to fifty meters in height, maintaining the same diameter from around thirty meters up.

This structure, Yang Potian knew, was the infamous Hell Slaughter Arena, a place where only the strong survived and the weak perished in agony.

The Hell Slaughter Arena looked like an ancient Roman coliseum, where contestants fought like wild beasts while spectators watched with eager excitement.

"How can I enter the Hell Slaughter Arena?" Yang Potian asked.

The veiled woman replied, "To qualify for the Hell Slaughter Arena, you need to contribute a cup of Bloody Mary. It can be your own, or someone else's. Once ten people sign up, the match can begin."

Yang Potian glanced at a nearby burly man with a bald head, a thought forming in his mind.

The veiled woman's voice took on an urgent tone. "Sir 8868, if you provoke anyone, your newcomer protection will become void."

Ignoring her warning, Yang Potian raised his Soul-Breaking Spear and struck at the bald man beside him.

The burly man reacted quickly, seemingly used to combat, swinging his enormous hammer to meet Yang Potian's spear.

When the spear and hammer collided, Yang Potian stood firm, unmoved, while the bald man staggered back three steps.

The clash left Yang Potian slightly impressed; the man's hammer must have weighed over a thousand jin, yet he wielded it with considerable ease and strength.

But in the Slaughter City, mercy was a foreign concept to Yang Potian.

With a tight grip on his Soul-Breaking Spear, he lunged forward, aiming for the man once again. The bald man gritted his teeth, swinging his hammer with full force.

This time, Yang Potian wasn't looking to match his opponent's strength directly. With a deft twist of his spear, he deflected the hammer aside and drove his spear into the man's shoulder.

Blood poured from the wound, but the bald man, unfazed by the pain, raised his hammer for another attack.

Yang Potian swiftly yanked his spear from the man's shoulder, then struck with a powerful downward slice, severing the man's arm and blocking his assault.

With the advantage secured, Yang Potian showed no mercy. He drove his spear forward, piercing the man's throat.

Afterward, he took several cups of Bloody Mary from the man's belongings and handed one to the veiled woman.

The woman swallowed nervously. This seemingly ordinary young man was terrifyingly powerful, dispatching his opponent so effortlessly. And this bald man had already won 11 matches in the Hell Slaughter Arena—a respectable achievement.

She looked at Yang Potian, noting his youthful appearance; he seemed barely 20 years old and yet possessed such fearsome combat ability.

"Miss, please register me. I'd like to participate in the Hell Slaughter Arena," Yang Potian said.

No longer doubting his strength, the veiled woman accepted his token and arranged for his match.

In just an hour, Yang Potian's first fight in the Hell Slaughter Arena began.

When he entered the arena, nine other contestants were already on the field. Each eyed the others warily, none willing to make the first move.

Yang Potian recalled a saying: This is a world of slaughter—there are no friends, only enemies.

He whispered to himself, "If everyone here is my enemy, then I'll kill them all."

With resolve written across his face, Yang Potian gripped his Soul-Breaking Spear with both hands and charged at the nearest contestant. Despite his opponent's attempts to defend, he couldn't withstand the two-thousand-jin force behind Yang Potian's spear. Forged by the Power Clan, this spear was a masterpiece of material and craftsmanship.

In just ten minutes, Yang Potian's first battle in the Hell Slaughter Arena concluded. The nine other contestants lay dead, their bodies sprawled in pools of blood.

Among them, seven had fallen to Yang Potian's spear, while the remaining two had been killed by other contestants. After Yang Potian defeated the first opponent, the remaining fighters had attempted to form an alliance against him. However, one of them was backstabbed by a supposed ally, collapsing the plan immediately.

There were no allies here—only enemies, no cooperation—only slaughter.

(End of Chapter)

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