Tang Sui lightly leaped, ascending the city wall under the gaze of the执法队, her skirt’s hem tracing a shallow arc in the wind before disappearing from sight as others shifted from excitement to uneasy surprise.
Scott, the vice-captain of the执法队, unfurled his five fingers. The greatsword that had been lodged in a corpse was pulled free from the bloody flesh and returned to its owner’s hand.
Regripping his greatsword, Scott, his gaze unwavering, led the other members of the执法队 away on horseback, continuing their patrol.
The soul masters, who had been frantically devouring the corpses, all stiffened, their gazes shifting to the black-veiled girl.
Meeting their horrified stares, the envoy gave a playful smile, then suddenly transformed into countless small, dark brown bats, flying towards the top of the towering black city wall, leaving only the bewildered fallen ones behind.
“Why… can that little girl go up to the city wall?” one person asked in a rough voice, voicing the confusion in all their hearts.
On the other side of the city wall lay the exit they desperately wished to reach, the “paradise” beyond this hell.
“The执法队… didn’t stop her either…”
Another person said with difficulty, terror in their eyes. He remembered how he himself had just intended to attack the little girl.
Sensing the unusual leniency shown by the执法队 and the envoy towards the little girl, and deeply understanding who each of them represented, their backs were drenched in cold sweat. They no longer cared about the corpses and stumbled away from this place that could become their grave. Who knew if the执法队 or the envoy would discover their intentions and eliminate them as a threat first!
Gray mist swirled around. Looking down from the towering city wall, aside from the Slaughter City itself, there were no signs of life or the outlines of any buildings in the surrounding area.
The entire Slaughter City seemed like a separate space, not a part of the continent. Outside the wall was a void, where no life energy could be felt. Yet, according to Tang Chen’s explanation, people from the outside could enter here through connected tunnels, or rather, spatial passages. The so-called "only entering, no exiting" applied not just to people, but to the entire space as well.
“It’s just a prison,” Tang Sui concluded in her heart, losing any interest in wandering Slaughter City further. She said to the envoy, who had transformed back into human form from a small bat behind her, “I’ve seen enough, let’s go back.”
The envoy, who had only just arrived, was about to leave: “……”
She managed a false, perfunctory smile from beneath her black veil, “Yes, little princess.”
……
Bronze statues carved in the shape of bats were embedded on both ends of the massive throne.
Fiery orange-red flames coiled like serpents, spitting their tongues and scorching the air.
The moment Tang Sui stepped into the Hell Palace, Tang Chen, who had been meditating on the throne with his eyes closed, sensed her presence and opened his eyes, looking at the two figures, one large and one small, slowly approaching him.
After passing through the palace doors, the envoy stopped to the side, head lowered, her gaze fixed on the ground.
“Finished your tour?”
Tang Chen, his head propped up by his hand, didn’t move, only his eyes shifted, his gaze landing on Tang Sui.
“I haven’t finished, but I have a general understanding of the situation in Slaughter City,” Tang Sui said frankly.
Tang Chen chuckled, his blood-red eyes reflecting the girl’s serious expression. “Any thoughts?”
“Chaos, trash.”
Tang Sui uttered four words.
Tang Chen laughed heartily, lowered his hand, straightened his slouched posture slightly, and beckoned Tang Sui closer.
“You may withdraw.”
This was said to the envoy, devoid of any warmth, unlike his tone towards Tang Sui just moments ago. The envoy bowed slightly, transforming into several small black bats and flying out of the main hall, leaving the space for the two.
Tang Sui felt no unease at the envoy’s departure, only glancing at her before retracting her gaze and walking confidently towards Tang Chen, who then reached out a clawed hand towards her head.
Suddenly having her head ruffled, Tang Sui: 0.0
Tang Chen, delighted to be able to pet the little Spirit of All Faces again, curled his lips upward, not at all bothered by Tang Sui’s earlier remark. He even nodded sagely, agreeing, “You are very right. This is where these ‘trash’ are collected, then ‘recycled’ for ‘effective use’.”
Tang Sui puffed out her cheeks, moving unhappily, freeing her head from the large hand. “But if that’s the case, Slaughter City isn’t worth you and… Uncle Snake staying here for.”
The hand ruffling her hair paused. The smile in Tang Chen’s eyes faded slightly, replaced by a profound depth. He encouraged the cub, “What is your opinion?”
“In my opinion, you are less the king of Slaughter City and more… a slave to the entire Slaughter City—”
A large hand covered Tang Sui’s mouth. Tang Chen’s blood-red eyes fixed on her, his emotions unreadable, his voice slightly hoarse, “There are things that cannot be said here.”
His other hand, hovering above her hair, lifted and pointed upwards, “Whispers can also be heard.”
Tang Sui’s pupils contracted, her lips pressed together. A sense of shock mixed with anger, unfamiliar to her, surged within her. He… wasn’t he willing to stay here? But they were both powerful great demons. Who could be stronger than them, capable of imprisoning them here and forcing them to remain?