Several days later—
Under Tang Chen's extremely unwilling expression, the reconstruction of Slaughter City officially began.
Whether they were old fallen ones who had survived the catastrophe or new fallen ones drawn by its reputation—
No matter how strong or weak, every single one of them was forced into labor.
Moving bricks, mixing mortar, building houses…
Each and every one was worked to the point of exhaustion.
"Doesn't everyone say that in Slaughter City, as long as you dare risk your life and are willing to sacrifice everything, you can enjoy whatever you want?"
"No one told me I'd become a construction worker the moment I entered! This is completely different from what I imagined!"
A newly arrived fallen one, carrying a massive boulder, finally broke down mentally.
"You should secretly count yourself lucky to even have the chance to build houses!"
Beside him, an old fallen one covered in scars let out a sneer without even raising his head.
"Why don't you guess why a massive Slaughter City only has a few hundred people left now?"
The newcomer froze.
"Why?"
"Basically… the unlucky ones are already completely dead!"
The old fallen one's eyes were filled with fear.
"A few days ago, the dead souls revived here, ghosts roamed the night, and blood flowed like rivers. It was terrifying as hell~."
"But isn't there the strongest Slaughter King? Even he couldn't win?"
The newcomer's face filled with shock as he instinctively asked:
"Who caused all this?"
"The Hell Witch… the Hell Witch!"
The old fallen one's tone carried both reverence and terror.
"A successor of the god!"
The newcomer could not help asking:
"Then where is that person now?"
The old fallen one coldly spat out two words:
"Hell Road."
——
The former Hell Slaughter Arena, blood light surged.
"Hell Road, open!"
Tang Chen formed seals with both hands as soul power surged around him, activating the formation.
In an instant, blood throughout the arena floated upward, creating an eerily "magnificent" scene.
"Prepare to welcome hell!"
Tang Chen's face was gloomy as he looked at the girl before him.
"I cannot disobey the rules of the Asura God. Whether you can pass the god trial or not depends entirely on you."
"I hope your ending turns out just like mine!"
"I'm not some overly arrogant loser."
Zhu Zhuqing glanced at him indifferently.
Under Tang Chen's vicious and furious gaze, her figure flashed as she stepped into the formation.
In an instant, blood-red light erupted and completely engulfed the young girl.
After a brief sensation of weightlessness, her consciousness returned.
She lifted her eyes and saw complete darkness before her, making it nearly impossible to clearly see the surroundings.
But as her starry eyes flashed, everything instantly became clear.
Beneath her feet was a small platform, and ahead, there was only a narrow path barely wide enough for two feet.
On both sides of the path, it seemed there were bottomless abysses.
"Magma? No… It's a blood pool!"
Zhu Zhuqing leaned forward for a look and saw thick crimson liquid below.
Treating darkness as if it did not exist, she steadily stepped onto the narrow path, her expression exceptionally calm.
"This legendary Hell Road really does look pretty strange."
"But from the looks of it, it doesn't seem all that difficult."
She multitasked effortlessly, carefully walking while casually chatting with Bai Lu.
"Don't let your guard down. The first trial forbids the use of soul rings and soul bones; that weakens you considerably."
Bai Lu, however, wore a serious expression as he warned her.
"Compared to the god trial itself, we need to be more cautious about the erosion and influence of the Rakshasa God's divine power."
"Back then, Tang Chen entered Slaughter City at rank 99, yet he still failed in the end."
"We absolutely must be careful, beyond careful. We absolutely can't fail at a critical moment like this."
After speaking, he paused briefly before gently adding:
"Don't worry. I'll always be with you."
"There's no way I'll fail."
The corners of Zhu Zhuqing's lips rose slightly, her footsteps growing even more resolute.
"Once I pass the first trial, I'll properly reward you."
"Then I'll be waiting for it, little kitty."
Bai Lu smiled playfully before his tone suddenly turned serious.
"Watch your footing. Something's moving ahead."
"I heard it!"
Zhu Zhuqing's gaze sharpened as she instantly transformed into a hell spirit cat girl.
Her perception of the surroundings immediately became even more acute.
The next moment, dense squeaking sounds echoed from the darkness ahead.
"Whoosh!"
Countless blood-red bats surged toward Zhu Zhuqing like a tidal wave.
The beating of their wings carried a nauseating stench.
Sharp fangs gleamed with cold light.
"There are quite a lot of them."
Zhu Zhuqing frowned slightly.
If she could use soul bone skills, she could easily wipe everything out. But without them, this really was a little troublesome.
"Go bravely forward, little kitty!"
Bai Lu casually rubbed the rabbit a few times and smiled faintly.
"Mhm!"
Zhu Zhuqing strode forward, cat claws sweeping through the air.
Every raise and drop of her claws instantly killed several bats.
But there were simply too many bats. They rushed forward wave after wave, endless and impossible to fully eliminate.
"Charge through!"
Zhu Zhuqing's brows furrowed slightly as determination flashed through her eyes.
Without further hesitation, soul power surged throughout her body as she rushed straight ahead.
"Hell Protection!"
Her hands moved wildly as countless claw shadows appeared around her, the fierce wind forming a protective barrier.
"Rip!"
The blood bats flying toward her could not even approach her body before being torn apart by the claw winds, exploding into clouds of blood mist.
"Tap!"
Power exploded beneath her feet as her body shot forward like an arrow released from a bow.
Wherever she passed, a crimson path remained behind her.
"Ahhhh!"
Right at that moment, a sharp roar erupted from the darkness.
"The little ones got killed, so the boss has arrived."
Bai Lu said with a smile.
The instant his words fell, an enormous dark golden bat with three heads emerged from the darkness.
Carrying a violent aura, it suddenly dived downward, its sharp claws aimed directly at Zhu Zhuqing's head.
"Perfect timing!"
Zhu Zhuqing stepped forward using the Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track.
All the power in her body condensed into her palm as an aura of destruction emerged.
Twisting her body, she dodged the Dark Golden Three-Headed Bat King's attack.
Locking onto its head, she slammed down with a palm strike.
"White Tiger Calamity Extinguishing Palm!"
The palm landed with perfect precision as an annihilating force exploded instantly.
Only a loud "Boom!" was heard as the middle head of the Dark Golden Three-Headed Bat King exploded on the spot!
Foul-smelling blood sprayed wildly in every direction.
But the young girl moved with nimble agility and avoided it entirely.
"AAAAAHHH!!!"
Under intense pain, the Dark Golden Bat King spread its wings and retreated, its two remaining heads releasing shrill screeches.
Terrifying sound waves exploded outward as layer after layer of sonic waves swept toward Zhu Zhuqing and the narrow path beneath her feet.
Large sections of the stone path were cracked with dense fractures, on the verge of collapse.
"You're courting death!"
Zhu Zhuqing's eyes turned cold as her figure flashed forward violently.
"Boom—!"
With a powerful stomp beneath her feet, she actually leaped directly off the narrow path.
Flying across the blood pool at extreme speed toward the fleeing Dark Golden Bat King.
From her seemingly slender body erupted strength akin to that of a demon god!
"White Tiger Hell Suppressing Strike!"
Zhu Zhuqing shouted coldly as terrifying power condensed within her fist.
Accompanied by the phantom of a White Tiger, the punch smashed fiercely toward the Dark Golden Bat King's back.
"Boom!"
The Bat King wanted to flee, but its body was completely suppressed by that overwhelming aura, rendering it unable to move at all.
The next instant, before it could even struggle, the punch landed directly.
"BOOM—!"
The enormous body exploded apart from a single punch, flesh and blood scattering everywhere as it plummeted toward the blood pool below.
As for the young girl, borrowing the rebound force, soul power burst beneath her feet as she twisted in midair and safely landed back onto the narrow path.
"A ten-thousand-year soul beast's strength… not bad, I guess."
Zhu Zhuqing casually shook her hand.
For her current self, possessing the physique of a Titled Douluo while mastering numerous secret arts and supreme techniques—
Ordinary ten-thousand-year soul beasts truly were not enough to pose a threat!
She turned back for a glance.
Without their leader, the remaining blood bats instantly descended into chaos, flying wildly in every direction.
They no longer posed any danger to her whatsoever.
End of Chapter