Time flew by. Tian Lin had reached ninety-five wins, very close to a hundred.
Now, Slaughter City had an urban legend: the most dangerous person here was the one with the weakest killing aura because you never knew when he'd strike. You wouldn't even notice him behind you.
In a dark room in the inner city, the black-veiled woman who first led Tian Lin in was now kneeling, reporting to someone ahead.
"The Asura of Sword Dao won again today."
"I know!" A massive figure sat in front, his face unclear but his aura terrifying.
"Great King of Slaughter, the Asura's sword skills are terrifying, and he's constantly honing his killing sword dao. Over the past year and a half, while his level hasn't increased much, his sword comprehension is five times what it was. His sword can even ignore soul power defenses—without soul skills, even Soul Douluo aren't his match, maybe even Title Douluo…"
The veiled woman was worried—because of a legend: the Descent of the Death God, Hell's Calamity.
It prophesied that one day a Death God would appear and destroy Slaughter City. It originally meant Tang San, but now, even if he came, he wouldn't have the tools he needed. The legend wasn't worth worrying about.
"And the Messenger of Hell? She's at over eighty victories too, right?" the King of Slaughter asked.
"Yes, eighty-four wins, second only to the Asura. My King, do you want to arrange for them to face off?"
"Of course not. The rules say anyone with over fifty wins can't meet in the same match, not even I can break that. But we can arrange their fights so they reach a hundred wins at the same time."
"My King, do you mean to send them into Hell Road together?" The woman caught on quickly.
The King of Slaughter sipped his Bloody Mary and said, "Exactly. The Asura is special—he has no hatred and has never drunk a Bloody Mary. He can't be manipulated. But the Messenger of Hell is different—she's already accumulating toxins. Once in Hell Road, she'll go crazy."
"She hates the Asura intensely. When they enter Hell Road, they'll only try to kill each other. Neither will pass."
"Brilliant, my King!"
Unlike the original, where Hu Liena admired Tang San, here she hated Tian Lin. The King of Slaughter saw this and knew they'd only drag each other down.
In the following days, matches were arranged as planned. Sometimes Tian Lin had to wait for enough participants.
Hu Liena's matches, in contrast, went smoothly, and she caught up to Tian Lin. Eventually, they both reached ninety-nine wins at the same time.
"The King of Slaughter is plotting against me and Hu Liena!" Tian Lin quickly realized. He wasn't the smartest, but after following Ning Fengzhi for so long, he knew a thing or two about schemes.
He knew the King of Slaughter didn't want another Deathgod. This arrangement was understandable.
"Jun Tian Lin, may I have a word?" Hu Liena knocked on his door—the first time she'd done so since arriving.
"Come in," Tian Lin said, curious what she wanted.
Dressed in black, Hu Liena walked in gracefully, holding a Bloody Mary.
"What do you want?" Tian Lin asked.
"Jun Tian Lin, we have the same win count and will soon reach a hundred. How about we team up for Hell Road?" Hu Liena got straight to the point. "My teacher was one of the Deathgods who passed Hell Road. She told me how dangerous it is. We can't make it alone—only together do we have a chance."
"And why should I trust you? I can sense your killing intent toward me," Tian Lin retorted coldly.
"Yes, I want to kill you. The Amethyst Spirit Cat right leg bone and Crystal Body torso bone were both meant to be mine, but you took them. You've disgraced me in the Spirit Hall twice. One day, I'll grind your bones to dust for revenge," Hu Liena admitted without hesitation.
"But right now, surviving and escaping Slaughter City matters more than killing you. So, let's settle our grudge after we get out. To show my sincerity, I'll tell you a secret my teacher shared: whoever passes Hell Road gets a unique domain—the Deathgod Domain."
"You're the Sword Douluo's disciple. You know how rare and powerful domains are. Aside from the rare innate domains, a normal soul master only has a chance to get one at rank 70 with Martial Soul True Body, or at rank 90 with the ninth soul skill—and those odds are less than one in ten."
Hu Liena was smart. She admitted her hatred, but showed she valued survival more, plus the allure of a domain, making it hard not to trust her.
Tian Lin decided to play along. "A domain soul skill, huh? Fine, I'll trust you this once. If you want revenge, I'll be waiting. But right now, escaping Slaughter City is what matters."
"Pleasure working with you!" Hu Liena downed her Bloody Mary and left satisfied.
Tian Lin watched her go and sneered. Nine truths, one lie—those are the most convincing.
She wanted to live, and the Deathgod Domain was real. But he was sure—she'd never planned to let him pass Hell Road alive.
"Let's see who tricks who, Hu Liena!"