Chapter 295: The Hell Road
As Tang San's victory was confirmed by the referee, countless bats gathered in the air above the Hell Slaughter Arena, and a blood-red light slowly gathered to form the King of Slaughter, who hovered in mid-air.
The King of Slaughter grinned at Tang San, then spoke in an inviting tone:
"Congratulations, Plague King, on your successful 100th win in the Hell Slaughter Arena. I sincerely invite you to join the City of Slaughter. From now on, you can live here freely, without having to follow the rule of the annual competition. You would also enjoy rights second only to mine. What do you say?"
Tang San furrowed his brow. He didn't like the title of Plague King, but it was impossible to argue with every person who called him that.
Hearing the King of Slaughter's words, he felt even more disdain. As the pure and noble Tang God King, he would never lower himself to associate with the fallen ones. Leaving this place had been his only motivation for enduring the past two years.
"Please allow me to decline. I have heard that after reaching a hundred wins, one can choose to leave the City of Slaughter via the Hell Road. I request that the King of Slaughter open the path to the outside world."
With Tang San's rejection, the atmosphere in the arena became tense. The King of Slaughter's killing intent flared, and even Tang San could feel a slight chill in his heart. However, his words weren't reckless. He was confident that, even someone as powerful as the King of Slaughter could not defy the rules of the City of Slaughter, as evidenced by the God Test that was announced two years ago. The King of Slaughter was not the master of this place.
As expected, after a surge of murderous intent, the King of Slaughter slowly regained his composure. After staring at Tang San for several seconds with a complex expression, he spoke slowly:
"Think this through. The Hell Road is a place where one has a nine out of ten chance of dying. Isn't it better to stay here in the City of Slaughter? You don't need to follow the rules anymore."
"No, there are things in the outside world that my juniors care about. I've made up my mind—through the Hell Road."
"Hmph, you don't know your own limits."
After mocking him, the King of Slaughter said no more. Soul power surged around him, and the entire Hell Slaughter Arena exploded in a flood of blood-red light.
In a moment, a downward passage appeared at the center of the arena.
"As expected, the entrance to the Hell Road really is here."
After exchanging glances, Ah Du and Hu Liena both nodded in understanding. Their guess had been correct.
Tang San, who was standing on the arena, had clearly already anticipated this. There was no surprise at the appearance of the nearby passage.
"Well then, I'll take my leave. Farewell, King of Slaughter."
"Do you regret it now? There's still time."
The King of Slaughter was still unwilling to give up on recruiting Tang San. For some reason, this young man gave him a strange feeling.
But Tang San didn't pay him any more attention. With a cold smile, he jumped straight into the Hell Road.
The King of Slaughter's attendants, standing behind him, didn't dare to breathe. They feared that he would direct his anger at them for being rejected.
Fortunately, after a brief glance at Ah Du and Hu Liena, the King of Slaughter waved his hand, closing the Hell Road passage and leaving the arena.
After exchanging a glance, Ah Du and Hu Liena stood up and walked toward the exit of the arena.
"It won't be long before it's our turn. I wonder how the teacher and big brother are doing these past two years."
"We'll find out when we get out, right? What's the use in thinking about it now?"
"Hmph, you have no sense of romance."
Seeing the little fox snort and speed up, leaving in a hurry, Ah Du shook his head and muttered under his breath. Then, he hurried to catch up.
In Heaven Dou City, in a secluded courtyard of the Blue Tyrant Academy, Liu Erlong was pushing the wheelchair-bound Yu Xiaogang through the garden for a stroll.
Two years ago, when facing Ju Douluo, the direct confrontation with the martial soul fusion technique caused great harm to the three of them. While Flander and Liu Erlong, both Soul Saints, had recovered nearly all their injuries after two years of healing, Yu Xiaogang, a great soul master, wasn't so lucky. The healing soul masters of Heaven Dou determined that, unless there was some miraculous event, he would likely spend the rest of his life in a wheelchair.
Because of this, Yu Xiaogang's normally emotionless face seemed even older and more frail, which caused Liu Erlong great distress. Every now and then, she had to comfort him, or else he would resort to fasting and attempting suicide.
"Xiaogang, your disciple would never want you to become like this. You've done your best. This isn't your fault."
At these words, a flicker of pain crossed Yu Xiaogang's expressionless face before it turned to hatred, sighing deeply:
"Sigh! You wouldn't understand. After half a lifetime, I finally found a disciple who satisfied me in every way, and now... he's gone, life or death unknown. How can I accept this?"
"It's that poisonous woman's fault. She didn't even spare a child."
"If I ever get the chance, I'll make her regret it."
Yu Xiaogang's hatred for Bibi Dong, who had taken action behind the scenes, was evident, and even two years later, just mentioning her name made him grit his teeth.
Liu Erlong wasn't sure whether she should be happy or upset. She should be pleased that her lover hated that woman, but for some reason, she felt that Bibi Dong's shadow in Yu Xiaogang's heart was even deeper. But now was not the time to dwell on that.
"Xiaogang, you can't give up if you want to take revenge on that woman. You have to get better first. You can't stay like this."
"Revenge? Hah, how easy do you think it is?"
At this point, Yu Xiaogang had already begun to give up. He knew just how powerful the Spirit Hall was. It was far more terrifying than he had ever imagined. Even his father was nothing in their eyes. What could a man stuck in a wheelchair like him do?
"Then let's continue searching for your disciple. Didn't we say we couldn't find his body? There's still hope."
Though Liu Erlong didn't believe that Tang San could have survived under Ghost Douluo's hands, giving Yu Xiaogang a little hope was better than nothing.
At her words, a glimmer of hope rose in Yu Xiaogang's eyes but quickly faded again. He sighed deeply, and Liu Erlong pushed him forward.
"I've thought about it. With Ghost Douluo's strength, there's no need to use such powerful soul skills to deal with Tang San. You've been to the site, and the massive crater could only have been caused by two Title Douluos or stronger."
"I think Tang San may have been taken by his father, Tang Hao, and is now training with the Haotian Sect's secret techniques."
Yu Xiaogang had considered this possibility as well. But if Tang San was safe and sound, why hadn't he come back to check on him? Even a letter to let him know he was okay would have been enough!
Did he mean nothing to Tang San and his father? This was even harder for Yu Xiaogang to accept than the idea that Tang San might be dead. He had treated him like a son.
"Maybe. I hope he reaches the peak of soul masters."
Yu Xiaogang forced a bitter smile, pretending to regain some of his fighting spirit, and decided not to torment Liu Erlong further.
(END CHAPTER)
Thank you for the support, friends. If you want to read more chapters in advance, go to my Patreon.
Read 40 Chapters In Advance: patreon.com/Johanssen10