Chapter 73 - Murder
“Impossible! This is impossible! How could he still be alive?!” Yuan Er shouted uncontrollably upon seeing the man walking out from the water. No one had ever survived against the River Lord, but today they were witnessing the first person ever to do so.
Yuan Er recognized Li Huowang. It was the very same red-robed Taoist who had killed tens of members of his family!
Before they could even figure out what was happening, the strange Taoist slowly walked up the shore toward them, leaving red footprints on the ground.
“Quick! Kill him quickly! Don’t let him ring that bell!” Yuan Er shouted, panicking. Despite the fact that there was only one enemy and that they had hundreds of people, Yuan Er had a strange feeling—he had a feeling that he should run away immediately.
Whoosh whoosh whoosh!
Several arrows shot toward the man, but none of them managed to hit him.
Shriak!
Then, Li Huowang tore a man’s body in half right in front of their very eyes.
The water bandits had originally intended to surround Li Huowang and attack him, but then, the bloody scene unfolding in front of them caused their blood to run cold.
It was Hell.
They felt as if they had been thrown down to the eighteenth layer of Hell as the anger in their eyes was replaced with terror.
Amidst their terror, they forgot everything and started running away, their legs trembling. All of them ignored Yuan Er’s command and ran for their lives. They were utterly terrified.
On the other hand, as soon as they all lost their will to fight and turned their backs toward Li Huowang, a massacre was unleashed on the reed island.
“Great-grandfather! Quick! Think of something!” Yuan Er shouted as he saw his own siblings being torn apart, failing to comprehend what was happening.
It was only at this moment that he understood what a terrifying person he had angered.
Meanwhile, the previously dignified old man was panicking as well. He quickly brought his palms together and started chanting something toward the dark red lake.
He didn’t have to chant for long before he saw a massive chunk of flesh float up to the surface. Seeing that chunk of flesh, the old man’s vision went black, and he almost fell over from shock.
The River Lord that his ancestors had prayed to for so long was killed by the Taoist!
Meanwhile, Yuan Er’s heart shivered as he saw what was happening. He immediately carried his great-grandfather on his back and ran toward one of the huts.
Hearing the screams coming from behind him, Yuan Er ignored them and entered the hut.
Meanwhile, Li Huowang stood in his place as he saw Dan Yangzi killing the water bandits one by one. Every time Dan Yangzi killed someone, his vision turned an even deeper shade of red, until it was so red that he couldn't even see where he was.
Initially, Li Huowang didn’t want to stop Dan Yangzi, but when he saw that Dan Yangzi did not stop and just picked another person up, Li Huowang finally snapped out of his reverie.
“Stop! Stop the killing!” shouted Li Huowang.
Just as he heard this scream, Dan Yangzi grabbed a man with a dot of cinnabar on his forehead before slowly turning around, his bloodied face revealing a wicked smile. “Why should I, my dear disciple?”
Li Huowang wanted to say something, but when he turned back to look at the lake shrouded in darkness as well as his missing companions, he found that he had no reason to tell him to stop.
The pain in his heart swallowed him as he grasped his head and screamed, “WHY?! Why can they kill the people by my side, but I can’t kill them?!”
By the time Li Huowang snapped back, Dan Yangzi had already disappeared. At the same time, he was now standing where Dan Yangzi had just been.
In front of him was a fat woman who was crying in despair as she held a man with a half-shriveled head; it seemed that he was her husband.
“Kill her! You either don’t kill or kill everyone!” A voice exploded right beside his ear.
Hearing those words, Li Huowang’s eyes twitched as he slowly pulled out the sword stuck in his neck.
With a single swing, the woman became still, her crying stopped.
The moment he killed her, Li Huowang felt a special feeling rush from the base of his spine and into his skull.
That feeling replaced the despair and the pain in his heart.
“He... Hehe...” Li Huowang held onto his sword, failing to suppress his maniacal laughter from leaking out. Then, he slowly walked deeper into the village.
Soon, the entire village was drenched in a rain of blood.
People’s heads were torn off their bodies while the corpses grew cold.
Meanwhile, Li Huowang continued to laugh—the more he killed, the louder he laughed.
The sound of metal tearing into flesh continued as the dark yellow surface of the island was slowly dyed red.
By the time the sun had completely set, the sounds of crying could no longer be heard on the reed island.
Within the ancestral hall, the bloody Li Huowang held his blood-stained sword and slowly walked toward a skinny youth.
There were no other voices. The youth in front of him was probably the last member of the Yuan family on the reed island.
As the youth stared at the man who slaughtered his family, he completely broke down; his pants were stained with urine as he wildly waved his hands in front of himself while mumbling something.
Meanwhile, Li Huowang raised his sword slowly.
However, just as he was about to swing it, he heard a familiar voice.
He woodenly turned his body and saw the drenched Bai Lingmiao. Standing at the door, she was shivering while holding onto a glowing stone.
When he saw her, his murderous intent and the weird feeling in his brain disappeared like a receding tide. He asked, “You are still alive?”
Only when he spoke those words did Li Huowang realize that his usual voice had been replaced by a harsh and gritty tone. His vocal cords had been damaged by the sword.
“I know how to swim. When I was younger, there was a small pond in front of my village where I used to swim,” explained Bai Lingmiao.
Li Huowang walked toward Bai Lingmiao with his sword in his hand, took off his bloody Taoist robe, and covered her with it.
At that moment, Li Huowang felt his senses clear up, as if he had just woken up. He stared at his surroundings blankly, taking in all of the dead bodies.
Regardless of age or gender, everyone had died at his hands.
There were mothers hugging their daughters, and cradles devoid of life.
At that moment, a sense of guilt surged into his heart, almost suffocating him.
Li Huowang picked up a dagger from the floor, clenched his teeth, and stabbed his palm forcefully.
He had never understood why Hu Jie, his neighboring patient in the mental hospital, tried to commit self-mutilation, but he had a feeling that now, he understood Hu Jie’s reasons to some extent.
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