Chapter 107: If You Can't Play, Throw Sand

While Li Xuan was still closing his eyes to eavesdrop, a sudden strong scent of blood pierced his nostrils, making him hurriedly open his eyes.

The moment he opened his eyes, he saw a server bringing a cup of blood‑red drink right in front of him.

The drink was extremely viscous and carried the distinctive foul smell of blood, meaning the cup in front of him was literally blood! Moreover, by Li Xuan's judgment, it was human blood!

"Sir, your drink is ready; please enjoy it at your leisure." Seeing Li Xuan awaken, the server quickly placed the cup before him and spread his hands, indicating that Li Xuan should try it.

"May I refuse to drink it?" Li Xuan's face turned bitter as he looked up and asked the server.

"That is your right, but... if you want to survive here, you'd better blend into the environment," the server said nonchalantly to Li Xuan, then turned and walked away.

"Truly the City of Slaughter..." Li Xuan raised the cup in his hand to confirm it was human blood, thinking to himself that this must indeed be the City of Slaughter.

But Li Xuan had no spare energy to study the rules of the City of Slaughter; his chest was still bleeding steadily, so he sighed, leaned on the sofa, and continued to circulate soul power to heal his wounds.

"This little brat is interesting; even after coming here, he still hasn't drunk Bloody Mary."

"What a delicious Bloody Mary!"

"Go home and drink milk."

……

In an instant, the once quiet tavern erupted in noise; the murmuring chatter turned into a clamor of boisterous onlookers, all eager for spectacle. These people seemed to vent their suppressed emotions, filling Li Xuan's words with filthy remarks.

"Hmph!" Li Xuan merely snorted coldly, kept his eyes closed to recuperate, circulated soul power to mend his injuries, and paid little heed to the crowd. It was unlikely any of them would survive, and he had no desire to spar with a bunch of dead bodies.

At that moment, someone finally lost patience, stood up, and walked toward Li Xuan.

The person approaching Li Xuan was a soul master; as a flash of blue light flickered, a one‑meter‑long short staff materialized in his hand.

Although Li Xuan was a child, a child's sudden appearance here was odd, so the onlookers concluded either Li Xuan was extremely powerful or merely bluffing.

"Heh heh, kid, die!" the man approached Li Xuan, raised his staff high, ready to end Li Xuan's life with a single strike.

"Hmph!" Li Xuan only snorted coldly.

The next second, the man's movements froze in place; he then knelt painfully on the ground, clutching his chest as if trying to wrench his heart out of his ribs.

The bizarre scene startled the surrounding onlookers, who fell silent and stared at Li Xuan with wary eyes.

Minutes later, the man's body went limp, lying on the floor lifeless; at the moment he fell, a golden‑red flame burst from his corpse, and within minutes the ground was left with only a skeleton.

Li Xuan merely opened his eyes to glance at the man, then shut them again and resumed his rest; his injuries had not yet healed.

……

Time ticked by second by second until deep night, when a few more people entered the tavern. Noticing them, Li Xuan opened his eyes, found it uninteresting, and closed them again.

But at that moment the tavern's main door suddenly shut.

Li Xuan finally opened his eyes, looking bewildered at the people around him.

At that moment everyone in the tavern stood up, eyes glowering at those nearby. "The rule of the City of Slaughter: slaughter thirty people to enter the City of Slaughter. Good luck to all," the server announced loudly, then vanished within the tavern.

Li Xuan, unconcerned, curled his body into a corner.

Li Xuan had already identified the surrounding toxin: a neurotoxin that numbs nerves, induces dependence, and, more importantly, when inhaled from this air, drives people into murderous madness.

However, this toxin interacts with Li Xuan's Burning Heart Divine Flame; its toxicity even accelerates the Burning Heart Divine Flame's scorching of Heart Fire, making those afflicted even more enraged and uncontrollable.

What followed was a fierce battle—a clash of twenty‑nine opponents—while only Li Xuan hid in the corner, using Burning Heart Divine Flame to continually provoke their emotions, causing them to become engrossed in slaughter out of anger, thus ignoring him.

Half an hour later, a girl in her early twenties, clutching her arm, sat at the bar, expressionless, staring at the bartender.

"May I enter the City of Slaughter?" The girl's voice was hoarse yet unmistakably gentle and pleasant.

"Look behind you," the bartender said, raising his cup to point at Li Xuan sitting on the sofa in the corner.

"If I kill her, can I leave this place? I'm not really keen on going to the City of Slaughter," Li Xuan scratched his head, his voice awkward as he spoke to the bartender.

"Survive first, then we'll talk," the girl turned, her delicate face filled with cold killing intent.

Li Xuan originally didn't want to kill, but he couldn't avoid courting death; a thought sparked, and Burning Heart Divine Flame resurfaced.

With the toxin's aid, as long as Li Xuan remains below Level 20, he can toy with the Burning Heart Divine Flame at will; only high‑level soul masters, wielding strong soul power, can resist Li Xuan's Burning Heart Divine Flame.

The golden‑red flame swept again, and the girl lasted less than a minute before turning into a skeleton.

"What a short‑lived beauty," Li Xuan sighed, then extended his hand; a fire lotus formed of Burning Heart Divine Flame appeared on his palm, inching toward the bartender.

Raw power alone isn't frightening if it leaves a trace, but Li Xuan's sudden, unseen strike kills enemies without them noticing—that's the truly terrifying ability.

"You've killed everyone here; this is the secret passage to the real City of Slaughter. Go down," the bartender, though expression unchanged, quietly stepped back, activated a wall mechanism, and a deep tunnel appeared before Li Xuan.

"Bartender, can I leave without entering the City of Slaughter?" Li Xuan scratched his head, having no intention of entering the secret passage.

"The town has four gates—east, west, south, north—guarded by eight Soul Saints and four Soul Douluo. If you think you can defeat them, you may leave," the bartender said, without further comment.

Li Xuan gave the bartender a cold snort, then muttered and turned into the secret passage.

Just as Li Xuan entered the passage, a golden‑red flame erupted from the corpse lying in the bar, quickly spreading along the floor and igniting the entire tavern.

In an instant, flames shot skyward inside the bar, creating a chaotic blaze.

"Fire! Fire!"

Li Xuan, now in the passage, heard the bartender's cries for help from the tavern.

Li Xuan merely snorted coldly and continued deeper into the passage.

Ladies and gentlemen, dear elders, happy Mid‑Autumn Festival to all,

As for revising the content, I'll do it tomorrow; this part is too troublesome. (End of chapter)