Slaughter City
The hellish killing field was filled with a thick, pungent smell of blood.
The audience should have been packed with people, with countless fallen individuals like a pack of mad dogs, their eyes red, waving their arms, roaring and shouting wildly.
But at this moment, the huge audience seats were completely empty.
In the center of the arena, a tall, silver-haired young man stood quietly.
With a flick of his wrist, blood droplets splattered from the mirror blade, leaving dark red spots on the ground.
"Number 9...9191 wins!"
The referee's trembling voice echoed in the empty stadium.
After he finished announcing the results, he glanced in horror at the silver-haired man on the stage whose breathing was perfectly steady.
The next second, he dodged and fled in panic, not daring to stay for even a second longer.
On the stage, there were severed limbs everywhere.
It was a bloodbath!
Dongfang Jing exhaled a breath of turbid air, and the surrounding malevolent energy uncontrollably and slowly receded into his body.
He raised his head, his gaze sweeping over the empty stands, looking towards the highest point of the dark castle, before turning and walking off the stage.
Inside the castle, in a dark and spacious room, the atmosphere was somewhat oppressive.
In the center of the room stood an exceptionally large chair, made entirely of an unknown black metal, inlaid with countless crystals of dark blue and purple. These crystals emitted a faint glow in the dim light, outlining a ferocious drum-shaped form.
Apart from this chair, everything here is a chilling dark red.
"The judge has won another round."
A cold yet alluring female voice broke the silence in the darkness.
The woman's gaze followed the person in front of her.
A tall figure slowly sat down on the giant chair. He was wearing a blood-red robe and his entire body was wrapped in a huge, high-collared scarlet cloak.
His face was deathly pale, and he looked to be about middle-aged. His long hair and eyes were an eerie blood red.
From a distance, he looked like a blood-red shadow drifting from the depths of hell; his mere presence made the surrounding air thicken.
This man is none other than the King of Slaughter!
"Yes, we won again." The King of Slaughter's voice was deep and sharp.
A strange light flickered in his scarlet eyes.
"Great King, what should we do?" The woman dressed in a black tight-fitting leather outfit and with her face covered by a black veil stood respectfully to the side, her voice filled with astonishment and confusion.
She was the guide who led Dongfang Jing into the City of Slaughter.
Over the past six months, she has witnessed firsthand how this young man, codenamed "9191," transformed from a newcomer into a figure who made the entire Killing City tremble.
"This young man has only been in our Slaughter City for a little over half a year, yet he has already achieved an eighty-game winning streak! This is simply unbelievable!" The woman in black veil became more and more excited as she spoke. "Looking at the history of the Slaughter Arena, even the legendary Slaughter Gods recorded in history have never done anything like this! To achieve such a terrifying record in such a short period of time!"
She simply couldn't understand when such an extraordinary genius, defying all common sense, had appeared in the world of Soul Masters.
"Great King, do you think this child can achieve a hundred-game winning streak and challenge that Hell Road?" she couldn't help but ask, her tone carrying a hint of expectation and a hint of worry.
The King of Slaughter remained silent for a moment, his crimson eyes narrowing slightly as if he were recalling something.
"Completing a hundred matches is only a matter of time," he said in an unquestionable tone. "As for the Hell Road… hehe, with the abilities he has shown so far, passing through the Hell Road will be a piece of cake."
Upon hearing this, the woman in the black veil was filled with even greater shock and disbelief.
She began to recount the various strange abilities that Dongfang Jing had displayed on the arena, her voice filled with confusion: "Great King, I am also puzzled by this. His soul power is not very high, and is even far inferior to some of his opponents, but his movement is too strange. No matter how fast or how tricky the opponent's attack is, he can perfectly avoid it as if he can foresee the future."
"Moreover, I still can't understand... He's clearly like the other Fallen Ones, unable to use any Soul Skills here, but... but that mirror image that appeared out of nowhere... what exactly is that?"
The woman in black veil trembled slightly at the mention of that mirror image.
"The reason why Number 9191 has gotten to where it is today is largely due to that elusive mirror image! It always manages to launch attacks at the most crucial moments and from the most unexpected places, making it impossible for the opponent to defend against! It's practically a second version of him!"
Over the past six months, she has watched every match of Dongfang Jing.
At first, she could understand Dongfang Jing's fighting style, which was nothing more than relying on superhuman speed and reaction ability, as well as that sharp martial soul mirror blade, to carry out rapid assassinations.
However, as his winning streak increased, his opponents became stronger and stronger, and their fighting style became increasingly bizarre.
The appearance of that mirror image, in particular, completely overturned her understanding of combat.
She had witnessed firsthand how a powerful fallen being had driven Dongfang Jing to the brink of despair.
But the next second, Dongfang Jing's figure vanished from his spot and appeared on the other side of the battlefield, where his image appeared in what was originally an empty place.
This incredible ability to exchange space left her completely baffled.
As the King of Slaughter listened to her description, a cold glint flashed in his crimson eyes.
"That's not a soul skill," he said slowly. "Perhaps it's an ability that comes with his martial soul."
"An ability inherent to a martial soul?" The woman in black was stunned; this was the first time she had ever heard of such a thing.
After a martial soul awakens, isn't it usually necessary to acquire a soul ring to gain soul skills? How could a martial soul be born with such a strange and powerful ability?
The King of Slaughter didn't explain much, because even he didn't know the details of the Eastern Mirror.
His gaze seemed to pierce through layers of walls, landing on the silver-haired youth who was returning to his residence.
"This number 9191 is very special. His martial spirit carries an aura that... makes me feel very uncomfortable."
It was something pure and sacred.
It is a radiant aura that seems to purify all the filth in the world!
This aura was completely out of place with the darkness, bloodshed, and depravity of the entire Killing City.
Logically speaking, someone with such a martial spirit shouldn't be in this place.
But he did come, of all people.
Moreover, he was more adapted to the rules here than any other fallen one, and his killing was more efficient and ruthless than that of the most insane madman.
This is a huge contradiction in itself.
(End of chapter)