Book One: Intrigue in the Imperial Capital-Tragedy and Comedy

"Let's be honest, how much longer can you hold on?"

"Shut up!!"

Si Nan Zheng rallied his spirits, another beam of light shot out. Victor's eyes narrowed, and a thick ice shield appeared in front of him. After a few seconds of stalemate between ice and light, the ice shield shattered with a deafening roar, but the beam of light was also largely depleted!

Although the beam of light had the upper hand, it no longer possessed the overwhelming power it had before!

Victor, despite being injured again, smiled even more broadly, for he had proven his guess correct, while Si Nan Zheng grew increasingly grim. Indeed, Si Nan Zheng knew from the beginning that forcing himself to use the Gleaming Gold South-Pointing Compass in his physical condition was tantamount to suicide, so he was gambling on whether he would kill Victor before he died from exhaustion, or whether he would succumb to the strain before killing Victor!

Things went smoothly at first, but now...

"What's wrong, kid? Can't hold on already?" Victor grinned as he stood up, unleashing a blazing elemental light once more!

"Let's see who lasts the longest, you or me! Thunder, Fire, Ice, Wind—The Four Saints Slay the Demon!!"

Thunder from the heavens, Fierce Flames from hell, ancient ice, and a hurricane that covered the sky—this strike contained all of Victor's remaining power!

"Hold on!!"

Si Nan Zheng shouted desperately, blood gushing from his ears, nose, mouth, and eyes, his skin turning ashen—he was burning his last remaining life force, determined to withstand this strongest blow!

In that instant, the sky was utterly silent; you could hear a pin drop.

Then--

A thunderous storm of flames and icy hurricanes tore through the atmosphere, clashing head-on with the colossal golden shield! The sky roared incessantly, the earth trembled continuously, and the golden light emitted booming sounds as it swayed, resisting this terrifying attack! Both sides were completely locked in a stalemate, each desperately trying to dismantle the other!

"Hold on... Ahhh!!" Si Nan Zheng roared madly, blood flowing more and more from his seven orifices, his cheeks deeply sunken, he now looked like a skeleton covered in human skin!

"Just a little bit more!!" Victor roared just as frantically. He was completely exhausted, both physically and spiritually, and was now relying entirely on his willpower to keep going!

The collision, which shook heaven and earth, lasted for a full minute. The intense shockwave nearly destroyed half the buildings in the capital, and the dazzling light could be seen hundreds of miles away. Finally, at the end of the standoff—

"Die!!"

With a deafening roar, beams of elemental energy poured into the golden light shield, causing it to twist violently and transform into various shapes. The thousands of people who had been hovering around Si Nan Zheng fell unconscious like puppets with broken strings. With a deafening boom, the light shield shattered into a shower of light and dust, and the golden ripples that had spread across the sky vanished!

The golden light grew weaker and weaker. Finally, the half-human, half-ghost Si Nan Zheng let out a roar filled with anger and resentment. The hand that was tightly Gleaming Gold South-Pointing Compass finally loosened, and it fell to the ground like a tattered rag.

The Gleaming Gold South-Pointing Compass, having ceased operation, naturally fell, landing with a thud beside Si Nan Zheng.

With the Patriarch dead in battle, thousands of clan members and allies were exhausted and fell into a coma.

Although Victor was severely injured and exhausted, he was still alive.

The war is over.

The Si Nan Family was defeated.

This must be a nightmare.

He and his loved ones were driven to their doom because of his own suggestion.

It's a cruel reality.

Is it all I·B's fault?

Perhaps I. B. is the direct cause.

But ultimately, it's my own fault.

I blame myself for not thinking things through, for my weakness, and for my bad luck.

I want to remedy this.

They wanted to find a glimmer of hope in the face of a fatal defeat.

But is there anything else I can do?

Trembling, I opened my eyes, and through my blurry vision, I saw ruins.

Yes, it's ruins.

Most of the bridge has collapsed, and rubble is scattered all over the ground. For some reason, there is also a lot of colorful paint that is slowly fading.

... what happened?

Who destroyed the bridge like this? I. B.?

"Roar..."

A roar came from not far away.

A very ominous sound.

Despite the excruciating pain, he twisted his neck, trying to see further.

Then, I saw it.

It's a monster.

It has a body nearly three meters tall, long white hair, dark red skin, a ferocious face, and is covered in armor-like barbs.

A giant hand with hooked claws grabbed a human-shaped object, which appeared to be a skeleton.

The skeleton fell to the ground, making a nasty sound of bones shattering.

However, the monster did not stop.

Grab it, throw it down; grab it, throw it down; grab it, throw it down.

Even after the bones had turned to dust, the movement did not stop.

How utterly brutal!

If it's not a monster, what else could it be?

But why does it feel so familiar?

Get to know it.

This monster is someone I know.

Who is it?

Then, the answer naturally came to mind.

"Xiao Ye..."

You all have experience swimming in public pools, right?

In outdoor swimming pools, especially in the morning, the water is very cold, so you have to be mentally prepared before getting in. However, after enduring the icy cold for a few seconds or even a few minutes, you will adapt to the water temperature and no longer feel uncomfortable.

Cold water is like this, and so is madness.

A burning, frenzied emotion welled up from the depths of my body, filling my mind and consuming my spirit, like throwing my brain into boiling water—it was excruciatingly painful. Yet, much like the process of adapting to cold water while swimming, after some time, the scorching fury became less unbearable.

Have I gradually adapted?

Or have I finally gone completely insane?

Have no idea.

Consciousness floats and sinks in a turbulent ocean of the mind, the five senses become a blur, and one is in a daze.

I need to understand what exactly happened.

Connect your consciousness with your body, and reconnect with the outside world through your physical body.

It's actually very simple.

Try opening your eyes--

Like a beam of light piercing through the darkness, I perceived the outside world through my vision.

The field of vision is red.

There were still countless dark red runes floating in my field of vision, which was unpleasant. Oh well, I'll ignore them.

Everywhere I looked, there were only broken walls and ruins. The magnificent bridge had been reduced to rubble, and strange, colorful stains were everywhere—of course, in my view, every color had a hint of red.

What happened?

The scenery is receding... which means I am moving forward. My body is operating entirely automatically; I have no control over it.

Speaking of which, I think I've grown taller? I'm almost three meters tall now.

My steps stopped, and I reached out and grabbed something, which seemed to be a mummified corpse.

The mummy's face was completely disfigured; only its clothes remained intact—a black robe, and a melon-shaped hat lay on the ground beside it.

A robe and a hat... This is I. B.!? He just died like that? Who did it?

I grabbed the mummified corpse and slammed it to the ground. The withered bones shattered instantly. But the action didn't stop there. I picked up the largest piece and slammed it to the ground again, then picked it up again and slammed it down...

Repeat, repeat, endlessly repeating, like a violent act of venting.

I was completely stunned.

Because of my hands.

No, it's less of a hand and more of a claw.

Dark red skin covered in barbs, fingertips tipped with sharp claws, several times the size of an ordinary person's hand... What is this thing? Is it really my hand!?

This ruin is also my masterpiece!?

Doesn't that just make you look like a monster?

What... have I become?

But the body's movements didn't stop.

Stop, stop, please, please stop.

Stop stop stop stop stop stop stop stop stop stop stop stop!!

I desperately tried to regain control of my body, struggling to channel my consciousness into my limbs, but the evil, malevolent energy filled my body, blocking my consciousness and leaving me helpless!

Stop, stop, please stop...

I don't want to become a monster...

"Roar!!"

He wanted to cry, but what came out of his mouth was a chilling scream.

It really is... a monster...

What happened to me is no longer important.

The important thing is the fact that it has become this way.

My heart felt hollowed out, and my consciousness plummeted straight into the void within.

And so, consciousness is completely extinguished, returning to nothingness. It doesn't seem so bad...

Hug me! The fall has stopped.

Someone hugged me from behind.

Such warmth, such tenderness.

Who is it? "Xiao Ye..."

I heard a familiar voice.

Its sound is as melodious as a silver bell.

Just hearing it made my muddled consciousness clear.

"It's... it's all alright now, Xiao Ye..."

"Hao... yue..."

The moment she murmured that name—

The rage that had permeated his entire body dissipated like morning mist, his chaotic senses became clear, the blood-red color that had dominated his vision slowly faded, and even the dark red runes disappeared without a trace.

When I felt my consciousness reconnect to my limbs, I carefully raised my hand. The dark red color and barbs faded at a visible speed, and my height gradually returned to normal. Tiny bloodstains peeled off my body, giving me the illusion of being reborn.

But there are more important things than those.

My gaze shifted downwards, landing on my waist.

Those were two bloodstained arms that gently encircled my waist, delicate yet containing a power stronger than anything else.

"Great, Xiao Ye, it's back to normal..."

A fragrant breeze brushed past my ear; the feeling was so nostalgic.

"Haoyue, is it really... you?"

I quickly turned around, and what came into view was a beautiful face stained with blood.

"But you should be I. B..."

"It's the body's self-defense mechanism," Haoyue smiled weakly, pointing to her chest where a faint silver light shone. "When life is hanging by a thread, 'Healing Moon' will activate on its own, forcibly squeezing out the last bit of spiritual energy to repair the body. However, barely repairing the hole in my chest is already the limit; if the wound gets any bigger, I'll really die... Eh!?"

I hugged her tightly, as if trying to become one with her; I couldn't think of any other way to express my feelings.

"Waaaaah... You're alive... You're still alive!"

Tears streamed down my face uncontrollably.

That's great. You're still alive!

That's wonderful.

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Chapter 1! Write two questions before posting Chapter 2!