Douluo Dalu: Lucky Star

Han Li's not-so-loud voice echoed through the street, causing a subtle shift in the atmosphere.

The King of Slaughter's brows furrowed. Recently, no one had been sent to the City of Slaughter, which had already put it in a foul mood. Now, Han Li was openly disrespecting it in front of so many people, which only made things worse.

It remained suspended in midair, not descending to the ground.

It was the king here, the supreme ruler. Even if the person opposite had obtained the Deathgod Domain and could unleash their full strength in this place, at the end of the day, this was still its territory. Its power was not something the outside world's Titled Douluo could compare to.

If Han Li truly believed that killing two Titled Douluo outside was enough to flaunt himself before it, then he was simply overestimating himself.

Based on the information from people who had continuously entered the City of Slaughter, Han Li was on the path of faith-based godhood. But it had only been two years, and whether he could succeed in the end was still in doubt. The King of Slaughter didn't think Han Li would grow into a significant threat.

Did the King of Slaughter not care about saving face? No. Not only did it remain motionless, but it also released a strand of killing intent toward Han Li to demonstrate its stance — The king must not be humiliated.

Han Li allowed the wave of killing intent to wash over him, only for it to quickly dissipate as if he had absorbed it into himself.

"Alright, since you're not willing to come down on your own, I'll give you a hand."

As Han Li spoke, his gaze shifted from a slight upward tilt to a level stare.

Up in the air, the King of Slaughter sensed that something was wrong. Before it could react, its wings were shredded by an overwhelming force, sending it plummeting to the ground.

Han Li used spatial power to destroy its wings. The gap in strength between them was too great. To Han Li, the King of Slaughter was no different from a large toy. Even if it could sense Han Li's intentions, it had no time to react.

It crashed to the ground, and the blood it shed was quickly absorbed by the ground. In this regard, it was even more pitiful than an ordinary Titled Douluo.

Born with wings, the flight was instinctive for it. However, having its wings destroyed rendered it far more helpless.

The long street fell into silence. Only the dull groans of the King of Slaughter could be heard.

At first, the King of Slaughter prepared to counterattack. But as it scrambled back to its feet, it felt the lingering force clinging to the wounds on its back. It forcefully retracted the foot it had instinctively stepped forward with.

Beasts have keener senses of danger than humans. It had a premonition that if it dared to attack, it would die — even though it couldn't sense a trace of killing intent from Han Li.

"I've come down. You can speak now. What do you want?"

Under Han Li's gaze and the astonished stares of the prisoners on both sides of the street, the King of Slaughter crossed its arms, feigning the dignity of a king.

Han Li couldn't help but laugh.

To be fair, in some ways, this Blood-Red Nine-Headed Bat King who had taken over Tang Chen's body was quite a character. No, rather, a beast of talent.

Everyone had seen it get knocked down by Han Li, yet it stubbornly acted as if it had voluntarily destroyed its wings and chosen to land.

"You do have a knack for comedy," Han Li said with a glance, unable to hold back his amusement.

"Alright, since you're so cooperative, hand over the Asura Demon Sword. I'll help you get rid of that other guy inside you. After that, you'll remain the king here as usual."

Han Li's voice was calm and unhurried.

"That's impossible!"

The King of Slaughter's reaction was intense. If it had been anything else, it might have agreed, but giving up the Asura Demon Sword was no different from forfeiting its life.

It had dreams too. It wanted to become a god. Otherwise, it wouldn't have stayed here willingly all this time.

"There's nothing impossible about it. You know very well how to choose between survival and ambition."

With just a glance, Han Li froze it in place.

"Gods have already appeared in the outside world, and they're all on my side. I'm here to notify you, not negotiate. If you refuse, I'll just have to take it myself."

As he spoke, Han Li began walking toward it.

He truly didn't intend to kill this creature — he just wanted to eliminate the hidden threat of Tang Chen. The existence of the King of Slaughter was beneficial to the stability of the continent. But if it insisted on being stubborn, he could easily replace it. It wasn't irreplaceable.

As Han Li got closer, the King of Slaughter felt its body being crushed by an invisible force, as if it would explode at any moment.

Han Li stopped in front of it and extended his right hand.

"Fine, I'll give it to you!"

The King of Slaughter's originally imposing two-meter-tall figure is now hunched over under invisible pressure, making it appear even shorter than Han Li's 1.85-meter frame.

A blood-red straight sword appeared in its hand. At first, it wanted to hand it over directly. But when it met Han Li's gaze, it endured the searing pain surging through its body, flipped the sword around so the hilt faced Han Li, and presented it with both hands.

Not only that, but it even forced a fawning smile onto its face.

"Not bad. You know how to behave."

Han Li took the Asura Demon Sword, releasing the spatial compression he had placed on the King of Slaughter. He had initially planned to pat its shoulder but ultimately gave up due to the overwhelming stench of blood on it.

This guy was a true professional at playing the role of a lackey.

On both sides of the street, the prisoners stood numb. This was the King of Slaughter they had always feared?

Han Li paid no attention to their expressions — it had nothing to do with him. His gaze shifted to the Asura Demon Sword in his hand.

It was indeed a divine weapon, but it was not the original version. It was more like a bootleg version forcibly created by channeling the special rules of the City of Slaughter into a Clear Sky Hammer. It was a divine weapon, yes, but it was far from being a super divine weapon.

Han Li curled his lips in disdain. This outcome aligned with his expectations. After all, Asura himself was a shrewd figure who wouldn't make a move without absolute benefit. On top of that, he preferred the wide net inheritance model, so the idea of leaving a genuine artifact here was laughable even to Han Li.

Shaking his head, he withdrew his gaze from the sword. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed the King of Slaughter glaring fiercely at the prisoners on both sides of the street, its eyes filled with malice.

But the moment it realized Han Li was watching, it immediately plastered a fawning smile on its face.

This guy… Han Li didn't know how to describe it.

The King of Slaughter wore Tang Chen's face, albeit with some deformities from the possession — green skin, fangs, and a demonic appearance. Yet, under its control, even such a fearsome appearance had a hint of comedy to it.

"Stand still. I'll help you solve your problem," Han Li said plainly.

Since this creature had surrendered so quickly, a battle that should have happened had been quietly avoided, which suited Han Li just fine. Besides, since he had promised to resolve the hidden threat of Tang Chen, he had no intention of going back on his word.

The King of Slaughter was stunned for a moment but quickly straightened its posture.

Then it saw Han Li's left hand conjure a diamond-shaped crystal radiating an intense purple-red divine energy. It immediately recognized the familiar aura on the crystal — it was the same aura as the being who had once helped it seize control of Tang Chen's body.

Its body trembled uncontrollably, both from fear and relief that it had made the right decision.

Suddenly, it felt a sharp pain in its chest. Han Li had already driven the Asura Demon Sword into its chest.

Its instincts screamed at it to resist, but it gritted its teeth and endured. It hurt, yes, but it did not feel the approach of death. Instead, the soul of Tang Chen, which it had been suppressing within its body, let out a shrill scream as it was sucked directly into the Asura Demon Sword.

With the sword still embedded in its chest, the King of Slaughter felt an unprecedented sense of comfort at the soul level. This body is now truly mine.

Han Li nodded in satisfaction and pulled the Asura Demon Sword from its chest. Using the divine essence of the Rakshasa God, he fully integrated Tang Chen's soul into the sword, which slightly increased the weapon's quality. Not bad — it was worth the effort.

After all, starting from the moment Azure Luan, made a move, the eyes of the divine realm had been locked on him once again.

As for Tang Chen? The Clear Sky Clan had been wiped out under his influence. He was just an enemy, nothing more. There was no need for sentimentality. Han Li was no Qian Daoliu, who might reminisce with old enemies.

He preferred to send his enemies to reunite in an orderly fashion. Although most of the key figures of the Clear Sky Clan hadn't even left behind their souls, Han Li was certain that his intent had been conveyed loud and clear.

Of course, he had also chosen to use the Rakshasa's divine essence for another reason: to ensure a clean sweep. The opposing powers of Rakshasa and Asura would thoroughly destroy any backdoors Asura might have left behind. When dealing with enemies, Han Li never minded thinking in the worst possible terms.

"Alright, it's done. Take me to your tower. Also, keep the order in check — I don't like noise," Han Li ordered calmly as he glanced at the King of Slaughter, who was still marveling at its newly secured body.

The King of Slaughter was still poking and prodding its body, clearly delighted at finally having full control. But upon hearing Han Li's command, it straightened up.

"Yes, my lord. This way, please," it responded immediately.

Even though the gaping wound in its chest had yet to heal, it acted as if it didn't care. A little extra blood loss wasn't a problem — drinking some fresh blood later would restore it. More importantly, it didn't want to risk being hacked to pieces on the spot.

It had only just experienced the complete power of a demigod, and its future seemed bright. Why risk it now? It hadn't even had the chance to enjoy its newfound strength. Moreover, it had seen how the Asura Demon Sword hadn't even dared to resist in Han Li's hand. What did that mean?

It means everything has already been decided.

Even if it had delusions of seizing the divine sword, it knew better. It understood better than anyone what that moment of submission from the Asura Demon Sword signified. There was no point in struggling for something that was already fated.

Besides, it had its ambitions. The crystal that had appeared in Han Li's left hand earlier had captivated it. That intense purple-red glow had an inexplicable allure. It had its suspicions about what it might be but didn't dare to confirm it.

But what if?

What if this lord decided to reward it?

It knew the odds were slim, but without trying, how would it know? After all, a person could only inherit one divine position. Since Han Li already had a divine path, didn't that mean there was a slim chance for him to gain another position?

As for robbing Han Li? Heh, dream on.

When Han Li had driven the Asura Demon Sword into its chest, he'd used divine power. Its body had been shaking uncontrollably the entire time. If it had even a shred of rationality, the thought of rebellion would have been snuffed out on the spot.

And so, under the watchful eyes of the entire City of Slaughter, the King of Slaughter hunched over slightly, resembling a lowly servant as it led Han Li into its tower.