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Chapter 122 - true madness

When Fu Liang saw Zhang Yong in that state, he pointed his sword downward and turned away.

"You really are a waste of time. I'm leaving."

Immediately as the man turned around, a black aura erupted, covering Zhang Yong's body as he smiled.

"Not enough… more!!" Zhang Yong muttered powerfully.

The aura burst out with even greater force, engulfing a radius of three meters around him.

"More!!"

The aura surged wildly, intensifying like endless black flames. In an instant, Zhang Yong vanished from sight.

He reappeared Infront of Fu Liang with unmatched speed, releasing a murderous intent so suffocating it made Fu Liang tremble.

Fu Liang turned quickly to defend, but was met with Zhang Yong's sharp, deadly gaze.

Zhang Yong swung his sword faster than the naked eye could follow, slashing from Fu Liang's right shoulder down to his left ribs with terrifying strength.

Blood gushed violently as the man was sent flying backward. His feet dug trenches into the ground before he stopped.

In the next moment, Zhang Yong appeared above him, floating menacingly in the sky, his fist pulled back.

He sent his fist crashing down onto Fu Liang's face, smashing his head into the ground.

Fu Liang's vision blurred heavily. Looking up, he saw Zhang Yong standing directly above his head, radiating absolute dominance.

Fu Liang laughed coldly, even in his pitiful state.

"You can kill me, hehe… That has always been the law of this world the stronger kill the weak"

Zhang Yong smiled calmly, his face quiet before he began laughing.

"Do I look like someone who would grant you an easy death?"

He turned his gaze toward Su Ming's group, who had just arrived. At once, he gestured toward Fu Liang.

"He's all yours, boys. But make sure to leave me his eyes."

Zhang Yong then walked calmly toward the headquarters, sensing something unusual. He spread out his spiritual conscious

His eyes widened for a moment before he smiled.

On the other side, to avenge themselves, the group began tearing Fu Liang apart piece by piece. One took a finger, another an arm, another a leg—teeth, ears, skin, tongue, nose, ribs—until his body was stripped of any human form.

Yet it didn't seem enough. While Fu Liang screamed faintly, he still smiled as if mocking them.

Zhang Yong stepped forward and roared,

"What? Wasn't that hard enough for you? Then the next part will make you beg for death!"

Zhang Yong advanced, dragging a small boy by the hair.

Fu Liang's eyes shifted instantly, and he let out a muffled scream.

His tongue had been cut, barely able to voice sound, but the look in his eyes was unmistakable—this child was related to him.

There was a hidden truth to all of this attempts

Fu Liang was an ordinary man, raised In a silver family, with good talent, when he reached the age of 16 he left home and started wandering around the continent, and was taken as a disciple by the Blood Lord, a rogue cultivator, but he died in one of his confrontations with his enemies, He was twenty-five years old at the time, and lived constantly on the move, met a woman, fell in love with her, and returned with her to his family

The family did not accept this marriage, and they were against it because the woman was just an ordinary person, but his talent was more than enough to make them shut up

After settling for a year, he was blessed with a child, but she died at birth

After investigating the matter, he discovered that his family was the one who secretly poisoned her, something that enraged Fu Liang, and he ended up slaughtering his clan that raised him.

But misfortunes did not come singly, due to the effect of the poison on the fetus, the child was unable to cultivate, and had a chronic illness, after searching for a long time, he discovered the inheritance of the Crimson River Emperor, and found the blood skulls,Despite the huge price, such as the life of others , it was a small price in his eyes for his only child

The boy cried out immediately.

"Father!"

Zhang Yong tossed the boy forward as he sobbed and crawled toward Fu Liang.

The boy looked at his father's state with teary eyes before glaring at Zhang Yong in rage and hatred.

"I'll kill you for what you did to my father!"

He rushed at Zhang Yong, punching with all his might—but he was only a small child.

Zhang Yong grabbed him by the clothes and lifted him up.

"You're so annoying. Why don't you just die with your father?"

"Wait, what?!" Su Ming was shocked when he saw Zhang Yong's expression. He wasn't joking at all.

Zhang Yong hurled the boy toward his father and walked forward calmly.

Fu Liang dragged himself on his stomach, banging his head against the ground again and again as tears streamed down his face. He was begging for his son's life.

Zhang Yong laughed coldly, ignoring his plea. Beside him, his mental energy manifested into blazing fire.

"Zhang Yong, stop! He's still just a child!" Su Ming shouted instantly.

Zhang Yong looked at him with disdain.

"And who do you think you are? Get out of my way!"

At this point, Zhang Yong had drowned completely in darkness. He no longer saw life as peaceful or normal, no longer distinguishing between friend and foe. At any moment, he might even turn on everyone.

With a wave of his hand, he sent the fire to consume both father and son. The flames roared violently as the child screamed and the father groaned in agony—while Zhang Yong laughed demonically.

He laughed harder and harder, staring at their burning bodies, his grin stretching wide as his laughter became more and more deranged.

Every time the child tried to flee the fire , Zhang yong kicked him back in mercilessly

Inside his spiritual sea, Ling Xi immediately rebuked him.

"We have to stop him! This isn't natural."

But Muramasa shook his head.

"He won't listen anyway. Do you think he'd stop just because of a few words?"

The Empress spoke calmly.

"No need to tell him what to do. He only needs to realize it himself. I don't care if he kills his own kind—that's his choice. What I won't accept is him regretting it for the rest of his life."

As Zhang Yong roared with laughter, a pure voice suddenly rang in his mind.

'Naoto, calm yourself now.'

It was the Empress's voice.

"Oh, Empress, what is it? I still have corpses to deal with," Zhang Yong replied confidently.

'Naoto, focus on that fire. What do you see?' the Empress's voice echoed again.

Unconsciously, Zhang Yong looked through the flames—but this time, inside him arose a storm of unnatural emotions.

He stared at the burning corpses. A memory slammed into his mind—a scene far too familiar.

It was the accident that killed his beloved ones

On the right side, Fu Liang burned. That sight gave Zhang Yong nothing but joy.

But when his eyes shifted left, he saw a small boy.

A small boy?

What had this child done?

Had he harmed him?

No—this child was innocent!

Zhang Yong leapt through the fire, grabbed the boy's charred body, and rushed out.

He looked at the corpse in his arms—now just a ruined shell with no value.

Seeing this, conflicting thoughts and emotions raged inside him. His old self battled his new self.

He roared at the sky.

"Why?! How could I kill an innocent?! This isn't me… This isn't me!!"

Su Ming watched silently from behind, unable to approach. The matter was out of his hands by now

Since the day Zhang Yong saved those children, Su Ming had noticed something different. His actions no longer matched the person he used to be.

It was his emotional trauma. Losing his younger brother made him see his image in every child—something he couldn't control. That's why he couldn't stop himself from saving them—or even diving into fire for one.

Zhang Yong looked again, his eyes dry, his gaze empty. He smiled faintly, lifelessly.

"That's right… This isn't me. This is the new me"

The same person who made the decision, should suffer the results

Slowly, he laid the boy's corpse down, stood up, and stared at the sky with a sorrowful expression.

"I'm tired… tired of regret. How ironic. I once saw killing as disgusting, but now I do it so naturally. So be it. Killing knows neither good nor evil. Don't humans slaughter sheep for meat to survive? Don't beasts prey on humans to feed their young? Then killing is nothing but natural."

He turned to Su Ming, smiling with a broken, nerve-wrecking expression.

"You know… being insane is really hard. Everyone has a goal in this life. But for those who don't… what do they really have?"

"It's madness. Madness exists in everyone. It only needs to be awaken."

Zhang Yong laughed bitterly. Madness—that was what had driven him all this time.

But madness differs among people. Some exile you, others avoid you. Why?

Because you are utterly different, utterly strange. That's human nature—whenever they see something unfamiliar, they judge it harshly and turn away.

There was meaning behind Zhang Yong's bitter laughter, yet also twisted joy.

Once, a sage was asked: Why do some laugh when they lose everything?

His answer: Because they have nothing left to lose. Nothing to hold them back. Nothing to restrain them from crossing their own limits.

Morals and values cease to matter.

And for Zhang Yong?

He no longer cared about any of it. When a man loses everything—only then does true madness begin.

At that moment, the line between his old and new selves vanished. His mind no longer conflicted.

Zhang Yong was finally complete. Even if he promised a thousand times to change, it was nearly impossible to alter one's core principles. But the moment you succeed, true change begins. Whether it leads to better or worse—it remains in your own hands.

Quietly, he rose and walked to the cliff's edge, gazing at the sky with sorrow.

"But I still hear them. They curse me… hate me… regret ever knowing me."

"Life… has never been fair. Yes, life is unfair. But even so—you can either surrender to fate, or fight against the heavens."

He turned calmly, walking past Su Ming, patting his shoulder.

"Su Ming, I'm sorry for shouting at you."

Su Ming nodded silently, not knowing what to say.

Zhang Yong then turned to the group and declared:

"You are free to leave now. You've had your revenge. You know alchemy, you know talisman crafting—you can find good work on your own."

But instead, they all knelt, tears still flowing. With their vengeance fulfilled, they had nothing left in life.

"We want to continue serving Master."

Zhang Yong paused, breathing deeply.

"Your vengeance is complete. You are free. Why would you still follow me?"

One man raised his tear-filled eyes.

"Because everything we are now… is thanks to you."

"I finally avenged my family because of you."

"I avenged my brother because of you."

"We want to follow and serve you in any way."

They all said together:

"If Master walks into hell, then we are ready to walk with him."

Zhang Yong froze for a moment, then a smile spread across his face. He exhaled slowly.

"Very well. Then I will do my part and be your leader. Spread out through the mountain. Search for any survivors—and show no mercy."

"As you command!" they responded swiftly before vanishing into the forest to hunt.

"Su Ming, I found something. Let's take a look," Zhang Yong said with slight concern.

The two walked into a partially ruined house. Su Ming's gaze wandered until he noticed a bookshelf with a hole behind it. Judging by its size, he realized—it had been hiding someone small.

Zhang Yong closed his eyes, activated his spiritual conscious, then opened them again.

He crouched down, lifting the floor tiles one by one, until he revealed a staircase leading underground.

"A secret passage?" Su Ming muttered.

They descended the stone steps. Zhang Yong created a small flame with his mental power to light the way.

At the bottom, they reached an underground room.

Inside were laboratory tools, a map pinned to the wall, a desk… and a glass capsule.

Zhang Yong approached and peered inside.

There lay a girl—no, not an ordinary one. Her legs were a fish's tail while her upper body was human. Her half-naked form was covered in seaweed. Instead of ears, she had gills, and a coral-like crown rested on her head. Her hair was white, and she floated unconscious in the water inside the capsule.

"A mermaid!" Ling Xi cried instantly from within the spiritual sea.

'So you know what she is?' Zhang Yong asked, slightly surprised.

"They are a race that lives in the water. Some can gain human legs once they reach a certain cultivation stage. You must not remove her from the water, or she will die!" Ling Xi warned sternly.

'Yuni, can she be placed into the Pet Space?'

(Of course. The Pet Space exists in another dimension connected to the host's soul through a contract. As long as she's not human, she can be considered a pet.)

'Give me a Pet Contract Badge.'

(5000 points deducted. Pet Contract Badge purchased.)

Zhang Yong stepped forward and smashed the capsule, water spilling onto the ground. He caught the mermaid in his arms and placed the badge on her forehead.

(System: "Mermaid registered. Name: Jia Nolan."

Type: Mermaid

Relationship: ?

Loyalty: ? )

Immediately, Zhang Yong stored her inside the Pet Space.

At that moment, Su Ming acted as though he had seen nothing, turning his gaze to the map. He noticed markings on it.

"Zhang Yong, there's something strange here," Su Ming called.

Zhang Yong joined him, examining the red marks. There were seven in total, one near Maple Leaf City.

"There are other centers where people are being tortured," Zhang Yong realized instantly.

Su Ming clenched his fist, veins bulging from rage.

"Damn it! Zhang Yong, we can't let this go—we have to save them."

But Zhang Yong's expression remained calm as he thought aloud.

"Su Ming, I have an idea—one that will kill two birds with one stone."

He grabbed the map, and the two climbed back up the stairs.

By then, the search parties had returned from the mountain's base.

"There are no survivors," they reported.

Standing before them, Zhang Yong spoke:

"There's still one last mission. There are more victims of this organization, and we cannot forgive that. We will hunt them down—one by one."

With those words, the group surged forward with renewed determination.

For two months, they eradicated all the scattered centers. Their condition was weak, and without support, they would have died alone.

But with Zhang Yong's guidance, they endured. He established businesses for them along the way—inns, restaurants, taverns—all under his name.

To them, Zhang Yong was a kind savior. To him, they were perfect workers—serving with utmost obedience.

For leadership, one must use both the stick and the carrot. But genuine loyalty was more valuable than fear.

After two months, all branches were destroyed, every Blood Skull seized. Four stores for pills and talismans were established, managed by trained individuals from among them.

Zhang Yong placed supervisors in each tavern and other businesses, keeping twenty men for himself. He split them into four groups, placing them in shops across neighboring cities

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