Chapter Seventy-Five: Boiling Bloodlust

“This place isn’t far from the battlefield just now—it’s no place to linger,” Chu Jie observed, glancing into the distance. The terrain made it hard to see far, but he could sense how easily they might be discovered.

A few meters away from him, corpses were piled high like a small mound, but Chu Jie and Duan Kun paid them no heed. Now, the two of them had almost fully recovered. Duan Kun stood, his spindle-shaped treasure revolving at his side, brimming with murderous intent.

“I wish I could slaughter till the world turned upside down,” Duan Kun said, his voice cold as ice.

After being hunted by so many, rage burned in his chest, his eyes bloodshot. It wasn’t just Duan Kun; Chu Jie too was seething with killing intent. The corpses at their feet were far from enough—nowhere near enough.

“Let’s start here and cleanse this area,” Chu Jie decided to strike first. Though the place wasn’t far from the rocky wasteland, it would take time for the other experts to arrive. That meant they had enough time to hunt down the people here.

Just then, a martial artist at the Body Steel stage appeared nearby. The instant he saw the small mountain of corpses, his eyes bulged wide with shock, a chill sweeping over him and rooting him to the spot.

He tried instinctively to reach for his signal flare, but before his fingers could touch it, a streak of light sliced through his body.

He crashed to the ground.

The streak of light arced back, whirling around Duan Kun like an eager predator. The spindle-shaped artifact spun rapidly—it seemed unsatisfied with merely one kill.

One death was not enough.

The two walked out from the pit. As they passed, Chu Jie collected the corpses into his Savage Cauldron. If they wanted to hunt freely, they had to kill their targets before any signal was sent.

There were perhaps fifty martial artists in the area, scattered about. They would have to search carefully.

Their leader, Zhou Hua, was also searching the area with a few underlings, but he was some distance from Chu Jie and Duan Kun. For the moment, their paths would not cross.

Chu Jie and Duan Kun moved forward, alert to every sign of movement. At the first sign of life, they struck without hesitation. Soon, they had killed a dozen more—though all were only at the Body Steel stage.

Their fury had reached a boiling point. They killed on sight, their eyes red with rage. Each slain foe was swept into the Savage Cauldron—partly to conceal the bodies, but also to search them later for valuables.

Though the slain were weak, perhaps one or two carried spirit-gathering herbs or other rare items. They would spare no one.

Besides, these men deserved their fate. Had they not come hunting Chu Jie for his treasures, they would not have courted their own deaths.

As Chu Jie watched the terror in their eyes as they fell, he felt his own killing aura grow thicker, as if the pressure within him was transforming the very core of his body. Whether this change was a blessing or a curse, he did not know—nor did he care. The only release for the fury in his heart was slaughter.

Ahead, several more appeared—Body Steel martial artists, one of whom had reached the ninth tier, a hair’s breadth from Spirit Convergence stage.

Chu Jie bit through a blue elixir hidden beneath his tongue, flooding his body with fresh spiritual energy to replenish his reserves. His Heaven-and-Earth Treasure Wheel flew out, interweaving with Duan Kun’s spindle artifact to form a net of dazzling light that engulfed their targets.

By the time the treasures returned, no one was left standing.

The two of them were like reapers, scything down more than half the martial artists in the region. Chu Jie was surprised—these enemies were all quite strong, most of them around the sixth tier of Body Steel.

Both the outer and inner cities of Blood Slaughter City boasted many such warriors. With the resources they could obtain there, it was no wonder their cultivation advanced faster than those in the chaotic outskirts. These foes likely hailed from the outer city.

“How many have we killed?” Duan Kun asked suddenly.

They had been so busy killing, neither had kept count. Who knew how many remained in the area?

“Thirty-four,” Chu Jie replied, glancing into the Savage Cauldron with his spiritual sense. There could only be a handful left now.

So far, they had yet to kill a single Spirit Convergence martial artist. Their leader must still be nearby. Only by killing him would Chu Jie and Duan Kun be truly satisfied.

Killing Body Steel warriors was no great feat—in normal times, they wouldn’t have bothered. But now, anyone who saw them had to die, or their whereabouts would be exposed.

“Once we kill the leader, we’ll move to the next area,” Chu Jie said.

Duan Kun nodded.

At first, they had planned to hide and wait for the abyss to change again, drawing attention away from themselves. But after being cornered again and again, their resolve had changed.

Now, they would kill—kill until no one was left.

Though they faced hundreds of foes, as long as they avoided being surrounded, victory was within reach. In fact, Chu Jie hoped to annihilate all of them. That would leave huge gaps in Blood Slaughter City’s ranks, allowing those in the outskirts to enter the outer city. Then, he could bring his Mad Dog Camp brothers with him.

Right now, on the lowest level of the Divine Demon Abyss, he had no way to contact his camp, nor did he know how they fared. Chaos reigned in the abyss, so when he sent his men back, he had ordered them to focus on defending the camp, not to send anyone out.

With both of their leaders here, the camp was at its weakest. But Chu Jie had faith in those he’d trained—they would hold the fort.

He had built this territory with Duan Kun and wanted to see it thrive. Though he tried not to dwell on it, concern lingered in his heart.

Such thoughts flashed by as Chu Jie and Duan Kun continued hunting for the Spirit Convergence martial artist. Earlier, Chu Jie had overheard his voice nearby, but now, after much searching, they had yet to find him.

“Perhaps we should move on. If we stay, someone will soon notice what’s happened here, and then the experts from the rocky zone will come,” Duan Kun suggested.

The surroundings were deathly silent. Everything living had been slain. There were no demon beasts here—likely exterminated by the martial artists before.

“Let’s search a bit longer. He must be close,” Chu Jie insisted, recalling the voice he’d heard earlier.

Just then, that voice sounded again.

“Where’s Little Nine? Didn’t I tell him to come here? What’s taking so long? Useless fools!” Zhou Hua was growing impatient.

“Boss, should I go check?” one of his men asked.

“Yes, go! Hurry!” Zhou Hua barked.

In a short while, one man circled toward their location. Chu Jie and Duan Kun deliberately concealed themselves. As the man passed, Chu Jie reached out, snapped his neck, and tossed the body into the Savage Cauldron.

Chu Jie didn’t know how many remained, nor how powerful the Spirit Convergence martial artist might be. If they failed to kill him instantly, the others might launch their signal flares.

So, they waited, hoping Zhou Hua would walk into their trap.

Soon, Zhou Hua’s voice echoed again in the distance: “What’s going on? He’s been gone too long—something must have happened. You two, go check and report back quickly.”

The two underlings obeyed, though anxiety gnawed at them. Two men had already gone out and not returned—things looked grim. But disobeying orders meant certain death; obeying, at least, offered a chance to survive.

“Do you think it’s that fearsome killer they talk about?” one whispered.

“Maybe. Should we set off the flare? It’s better than just waiting to die!”

Chu Jie tensed. If they used the flare, he and Duan Kun would have to flee.

“Forget it. If we give a false alarm, we’ll be ground to dust for sure. Let’s check first.”

Chu Jie relaxed.

As the two men reached a crossroads, they saw someone standing at the corner.

“Look, isn’t that the man who went out earlier?” one asked.

“It’s him. What’s he doing? Does he have a death wish, ignoring the boss’s orders? I’ll teach him a lesson!” The thug, face full of scars, strode over, furious. If not for this man dawdling, they wouldn’t have had to risk their lives searching.

But as he approached, he saw something was wrong—the man was drenched in blood and seemed to be propped up by something, only appearing to stand.

By the time he realized, it was too late—a streak of light shot forth, piercing his body and then the other’s.

Both fell dead before they could even cry out.

The Savage Cauldron trembled, drawing their bodies in, then whirled back to Chu Jie.

“Come. Let’s kill their leader,” Chu Jie said grimly.

Now, the underlings were all dead. The leader’s temperament was poor, and he cared little for his team—so he had yet to notice anything amiss.

Chu Jie and Duan Kun closed in on the Spirit Convergence martial artist.

“Hmph! Even these two have run off. If they dare defy my orders, I’ll destroy them myself,” the Spirit Convergence martial artist snarled, his face twisted with anger. He now had no one left at his side; all had fled.

And just then, Chu Jie arrived.