The strain of his own ferocity twisted Fang Rui's body, veins bulging as if they might burst. He'd pushed himself to the brink, consumed by the frenzied power of his own stubborn will—a state that could only be described as Berserk.
Time slowed; his grip tightened as he locked onto his first target, Lu Yao. For a breathless moment, only the wind and the crackling fire could be heard. And then—
Puchhi!
The silence was shattered.
Out of instinct, everyone stepped back. All looked bewildered, yet a head fell from the body as if it were nothing.
Thud.
Blood splattered onto the ground. The body twitched for a moment before going still.
Silent. Completely silent.
Goosebumps.
'What… just happened?' It was Lu Yao's last thought before the world faded away along with his vision.
[Devoured Emotion: Shock (Lu Yao) — obtain 1 Emotion point]
Fang Rui received shock instead of fear from Lu Yao because Lu Yao didn't even have the chance to express other emotions, as all his senses got cut off. Fang Rui also gained a torrent of emotions from the remaining brothers. Shock, anger, fear, hatred, and other emotions directed towards him were intense.
What just happened? What did they just witness? Did someone just die?
All felt as if it were some cruel prank played by their eyes.
It was utterly unexpected; the event that unfolded before them was beyond comprehension.
This was the first time a commoner had dared to act against them in such a way.
Was he out of his mind? Did he not care about his life? And why was he smiling? Was he mad?
Even Lu Gaolin, one of those who had embarked on the path of cultivation and was close to reaching the third stage in the Muscle Refinement Stage of the Body-Forging Realm, felt his pride shatter in an instant. His perspective on the world twisted suddenly.
He was more talented than his peers, which was why he was a senior while they were juniors, being an outer disciple of the clan. Yet now, he stared at the scene before him with a trembling hand and a heart racing with anger.
He had witnessed cruelty worse than bullying, but this was his first time seeing such a scene. One of his own was killed as if it were nothing. Like the others, he too struggled to suppress the urge to vomit.
"L-Lu Yaao? LU YAO?!?"
"Wake up, Lu Yao!"
They shouted at the body as if trying to rouse the sleeping form of Lu Yao.
To be honest, they knew one of their brothers was gone, but it was still hard to believe what had just happened as they stared at the headless body.
As for Lu Yao's head?
Lu Muchen turned his gaze to where Lu Yao's head had fallen. It lay just a few centimeters away from his sight. But when he saw Lu Yao's fearful eyes still staring back at him, not only Lu Muchen but also the others were frozen in shock for a moment.
Now they turned their heads, fixing their gaze on Fang Rui, as if he were a demon that had escaped from hell. Their eyes blazed with anger and hatred. Veins bulged as if they might burst from their bodies.
"HOW THE HELL DID YOU GET HERE?"
"YOU JUST KILLED LU YAO?! WHY, YOU DEMON?!"
"Ho-How… HOW DARE YOU?!"
"MURDERER!"
"Y-you… you… FANG RUI, YOU MOTHERF*CKER!"
"What the hell have you just done, you bastard?!"
"Fuck, fuck, fuck… FUCKKKK! I AM GONNA KILL YOU, BIT BY BIT, PIECE BY PIECE! ARGH!"
Lu Gaolin and the others shouted at the top of their lungs, consumed by anger and hatred.
Among the group, Lu Gaolin was the first to act, throwing a chair aside to clear a path toward Fang Rui.
Lu Xiabo and Lu Dongly, however, trembled with nervousness, staring at the headless corpse of their brother, utterly confused about what had just happened.
At that moment, they only wanted to kill Fang Rui, but they couldn't help but think about how the Lu Yao family would react upon seeing the headless body of their boy. What would their response be? What would they do?
More than the death of Lu Yao, they feared for their own lives.
As for running? Their pride won't allow it. And there was another reason why they didn't, and that was being questioned.
Being questioned by society. Being questioned by their family. Being questioned by their master. And last but not least, being questioned by themselves. As for not being able to answer the question correctly? There lay dire consequences.
The path of Order. In other words, the path of cultivation gonna be obstructed.
Lu Muchen, unable to hold back, vomited on the ground, the contents of his stomach spilling out due to the brutal scene.
At that moment, he and the others simply could not make sense out of it. The liveliness had vanished, and endless questions began to whirl in their minds:
'What the hell just happened? When and where did he come from? Where did this bastard even get that weapon? And how did this coward suddenly turn into a maniac? Did he take some random forbidden drugs? Wait… were we not the one who brought this shithead once to make him an errand boy?'
The boy they had beaten up that morning was now here. The frail and weak boy they thought could never rise was now standing with a smile that relished the chaos, wielding a Katana that appeared cheap yet was sharp with raw swings.
Lu Gaolin fought like a madman, throwing punches and kicks wildly. His anger was palpable, but his actions displayed some proficiency.
On the other hand, while Fang Rui lacked the skills compared to Lu Gaolin, he was even crazier. He simply didn't care about anything at this moment. He was slashing as if he were trying to cut a vegetable in a weird way. He was fighting without considering the consequences that might arise later.
What made Lu Gaolin even angrier was Fang Rui's devilish smile.
Truth be told, Fang Rui had never wielded a sword as a weapon. Back when he was in his prime, he used to fight with his bare hands. But after his Dantian was shattered… all his accumulated experience faded over time.
Bang!
With a kick landing on his midsection, Fang Rui crashed backward into a nearby chair before hitting the ground.
"For the weaklings like you, my bare hands will be enough! Just wait… I will tear every part of your body with my own hands!" Lu grinned angrily. He, in the first place, was a swordsman, but right now he had none to use due to the sword being seized by the Outer Elder Liyao because he accidentally chopped one of his fellow outer disciple's hands.
Fang Rui, he didn't care. Instead, a satisfying laugh escaped his lips as he felt the anger behind Lu Gaolin's kick.
Fang Rui remained indifferent to everything. Yet a cold smile did not waver. He gazed at the headless body of Lu Yao but felt nothing. He only experienced calmness when the one who mocked his parents fell silent forever.
But still, he couldn't help but laugh loudly:
"KeKe"
"Keke kyahahah! How does it feel to be so devastated? Well, what can one do when fate itself has a grudge against you? And look at the flat-laying shit, who cursed my parents! Bhahaha! You can't even hang yourself now since you have none…"
"Did you have any idea what you've done, fucker? Ahhhhh! You Damn Basterd!! I am gonna kill you!"
Lu Gaolin, still a teenager, couldn't help but feel anger filled with hatred as his pride shattered. One of his close friends had been killed before him. Thus, he dashed forward with the intent to kill.
Fang Rui's smile faded. Yet cold indifference remained.
Then he stood up, pushing himself off the ground.
With the sword in his hand and newfound power, along with his broken promise, he no longer felt fear. Thus, he began to fight fiercely against Lu Gaolin, showcasing his raw power. As a holder of Origin: Chaos and Primordial Body, his physique was top-notch, though his Dantian remained broken.
All the memories of misfortune danced before his eyes as he pushed his body beyond its limits.
And now…
He just wanted to release something that had been chained up for a long time.
He just wanted to be who he truly was.
'Why does my heart feel so relaxed?' Fang Rui smiled calmly.