Chapter Forty-Eight: Eyes of Chaotic Blood

Du Guling’s eyes brimmed with hatred as he vowed to the heavens, “If I do not avenge this blood feud, I am no longer human.”

Soon, the carriage arrived at the City Lord’s manor. Du Guling leaped down, cradling Shanshan in his arms.

“Who goes there? This is the City Lord’s manor—no strangers allowed!” The guards blocked his way. It wasn’t entirely their fault; after the long and frantic journey, Du Guling was already in a disheveled state.

He raised his head.

“So it’s Young Master Du Guling. What’s happened to you? Why are you in such a state? I’ll report to the Young Lord at once.” One of the guards recognized him, and seeing the gravity of the situation, rushed inside to inform Ouyang Chi.

Moments later, Ouyang Chi emerged from the manor, accompanied by several guards.

“Du Gu, is that really you? What happened to you?” Ouyang Chi was shocked by his bedraggled appearance and hurriedly invited him inside.

Du Guling, carrying Yuan Shanshan on his back, closely followed Ouyang Chi into the main hall. Sensing that Du Guling had something urgent to say, Ouyang Chi waved the servants away.

“What’s happened, Brother Du Gu? Speak freely; there are no outsiders here.” Ouyang Chi asked with genuine concern.

Du Guling settled Yuan Shanshan in a chair, then suddenly dropped to his knees before Ouyang Chi.

A man’s knees are reserved for heaven, earth, and his parents—never to bend for anyone else. But Du Guling was out of options; Brother Yuan was dying, and Ouyang Chi was his only hope.

“Brother Du Gu, what are you doing? Just tell me what’s happened. My father is not in the city, but you can count on me to act in his stead.” Ouyang Chi quickly helped him up.

“I beg you—please, please save Brother Yuan!” Tears streamed down Du Guling’s cheeks.

Men do not weep easily, unless a sorrow cuts to the bone. Du Guling’s life had been nothing but hardship. He had no past, no memory of who he was. He finally found a home in Du Gu Village, only to see it slaughtered by beasts. Yuan had taken him in as a foster son, given him a brother—and now, fate had dealt him yet another cruel blow.

His heart ached with the injustice of destiny and the sting of his own helplessness.

He wiped away his tears. But who could blame Du Guling? He was, after all, still just a child.

“Tell me everything, slowly.” Ouyang Chi comforted him.

Du Guling recounted all that had happened.

“What? How could this be?” Ouyang Chi was first stunned, then furious. “Outrageous! Who dares to commit murder so brazenly in Cold Moon City?”

He shouted, “Guards! Seal off the city at once—not even a mosquito is to escape. Detain anyone suspicious, immediately!”

Du Guling looked at Ouyang Chi with deep gratitude.

Ouyang Chi, finishing his orders, turned back. “Rest here for now. I’ll lead my men to search for Brother Yuan—I pray we’re not too late. If only my father were here.” He sighed.

“I’ll go with you,” Du Guling insisted.

“No, you should rest. You’ve been through too much tonight. Leave this to me.” With that, Ouyang Chi strode away without looking back.

Du Guling, exhausted from his ordeal, finally felt the weight of fatigue. But with Brother Yuan’s fate yet unknown, he couldn’t allow himself to rest.

...

Du Guling whispered Brother Yuan’s name over and over, eyelids heavy. Soon, he seemed to see Brother Yuan returning, smiling warmly as he stepped into the room.

“Brother Yuan, are you all right?” Du Guling rubbed his eyes in disbelief.

“Silly, what could possibly happen to me? I’m perfectly fine.” Yuan Tianci smiled, pounding his chest to show his robust health.

“Thank goodness, thank goodness—I was really afraid you…” Du Guling, still shaken, patted his chest, relieved to see Brother Yuan so full of life.

“What? What did you say? Speak up, I can’t hear you!” Yuan Tianci cupped his hand to his ear.

Du Guling was puzzled—he was speaking plenty loud. But then, Yuan Tianci seemed to drift farther and farther away.

Growing anxious, Du Guling called after him, “Brother Yuan, don’t go! What’s happening? Don’t leave me…”

...

“Du Guling! Du Guling! Wake up, quickly!” Someone was calling his name.

...

“What is it? What’s wrong?” Du Guling startled awake from his dream, only to find Ouyang Chi’s face before him.

“Where’s Brother Yuan? Where is he?” Du Guling leapt up, his voice urgent.

Ouyang Chi’s expression shifted, words caught in his throat.

“What happened? Tell me—please!” Du Guling’s voice was full of hope.

“We were too late,” Ouyang Chi finally managed, his head bowed, eyes shut in grief.

“What? You mean—” Du Guling could not accept it. Just moments ago, he had seen Brother Yuan alive before him.

“Yes. Yuan Tianci is dead.” Ouyang Chi spoke slowly.

Du Guling slumped back into his chair. He had already suspected the truth, knew the dream had been just that—a dream—but as long as there was hope, he had clung to it. Ouyang Chi’s words shattered his last illusion.

His fists clenched. The pain in his heart was nearly unbearable.

Ouyang Che came over to comfort him, patting his shoulder. “The dead cannot return. You must find the strength to move on.”

Du Guling nodded in silent gratitude and fell into a heavy silence.

Ouyang Chi, seeing that Du Guling needed time, quietly left him alone. He still had urgent matters to attend to—namely, to find Brother Yuan’s killer.

Now, Du Guling sat alone, listless. Shanshan had already been taken by a maid to rest in a clean room. The hall was empty.

He slumped in his chair, feeling as if his entire world was collapsing. He even wished for death, wondering if he ever should have existed at all. Since his arrival, Du Gu Village—peaceful for generations—had been destroyed. And now, because of him, Brother Yuan was dead. Perhaps the world would be better off without him.

All he brought to others was pain, never happiness. Maybe death was his only escape. As he thought this, he raised his right palm to strike his own skull.

“Is this how you plan to end your life?” Suddenly, a voice echoed in his mind.

Du Guling looked up. It was Cangcang, the spirit of the Void Divine Ring, floating before him, her expression icy.

Cangcang had hidden inside the ring, observing everything. She had never been fond of Du Guling—how could a mighty divine artifact end up bound to such a foolish boy? She had even hoped for something to befall him; after all, if Du Guling died, she would be free once more.

She should have been pleased to see him try to kill himself. But as she witnessed his struggle, despair, pain, and grief, her cold heart began to waver. When she saw him kneel for someone he’d known less than a year, when she saw his sorrowful tears—she found herself unable to despise him.

For the first time, she wondered if she had been wrong—if she, too, was capable of feeling.

She remembered once asking the Chaos Celestial Immortal what “emotion” meant. The immortal had smiled and replied, “When you change your heart for the sake of another, you’ll know what emotion is.”

“If not this, what choice do I have?” Du Guling’s eyes were vacant, his spirit utterly broken.

Cangcang, moved despite herself, tried to convince herself she only intervened out of guilt for deceiving him.

As a divine artifact, the Void Divine Ring could contain anything—it wasn’t true that she could only hold Du Guling inside. She could have saved Yuan Shanshan and Yuan Tianci as well. If she had, none of this tragedy would have occurred.

But she had deliberately withheld this, knowing Yuan Tianci would not survive the masked attackers, and guessing Du Guling’s devotion would drive him to suicide. If he died, she would be free to choose a new master, pass on the Chaos Scripture, and save the world. She would be free.

Yet, just as her plan was about to succeed, she found herself stepping in. She told herself it was only out of remorse for deceiving him—but was that truly the reason?

“If you die here, who will avenge Brother Yuan?” she finally managed, searching for a reason to keep him alive.

“Vengeance?” Du Guling repeated the word, tasting it on his lips. Slowly, a fierce light ignited in his once-empty eyes, and a murderous aura surged around him. His eyes blazed with the fire of revenge.

He leapt up, shouting, “I will avenge him!”

In that instant, his eyes turned blood-red, terrifying and inhuman, burning with a fire so real it seemed ready to consume the world. His white hair streamed behind him, his body radiated killing intent—he looked every inch a demon god unleashed.

What? The Chaos Blood Eye? Impossible! Cangcang clamped a hand over her mouth in shock.

She could not believe it. The Chaos Blood Eye was something not even the Chaos Celestial Immortal had mastered—how could Du Guling possess it?

She looked closer. The blood-red glow had faded; his eyes were normal again. But she could not have been mistaken. Eyes red as blood, weeping crimson tears, the World-Destroying Red Lotus. It was said that wherever the Chaos Blood Eye gazed, red lotus flames would ignite, burning even the earth to ash, and if those flames touched a person, they would be rendered immortal yet forever in torment.

Cangcang was shaken to her core. Who are you really, Du Guling? she wondered.

Du Guling gradually regained his senses. The rage that had engulfed him receded, though he still felt a strange, overwhelming power fill his body for a moment. Yet it vanished as quickly as it came—had he imagined it? Impossible.

No matter; he pushed the thought aside. He recalled Cangcang’s words—she was right. He could not die; he still had to avenge Brother Yuan.

He looked at Cangcang, still hovering in the air. “Thank you,” he said quietly.

Cangcang blushed and ducked back into the ring.

Du Guling thought she was embarrassed by his gratitude, but in truth, her cheeks burned with shame at her own betrayal. She had not the courage to face him further. But this, Du Guling did not know.

“You fool, you idiot, how could you be so stupid? I wanted you dead, and yet you…” Cangcang muttered to herself inside the ring.

Meanwhile, Du Guling was once more calm, deeply grateful to Cangcang. If not for her, he might already be a corpse.

At that moment, Ouyang Chi returned.

“You’re back, Ouyang. I was just about to look for you,” Du Guling said.

“I’m glad to see you’re all right. If you can come through this darkness, your future will be bright indeed.” Ouyang Chi smiled, pleased to see Du Guling had found his strength again. He knew this was a defining moment—if Du Guling overcame it, he would achieve greatness; if not, his life would come to nothing.

“Thank you for your concern. Tell me, have you learned anything about my brother’s murderer?” Du Guling, finally emerging from his grief, asked urgently.

Ouyang Chi, seeing him recovered, was relieved. His expression grew serious. “I spent the night investigating, and though I lack hard evidence, I am certain I know who did it.”

“Who?” Rage flared in Du Guling’s heart.

“The Young Lord of Sunset City—Tumen Fu.”

“What? Tumen Fu?” Du Guling was first astonished, then spoke each word through gritted teeth.

“Yes, it was Tumen Fu. Do you remember the buyer in Box Thirteen at yesterday’s auction?” Ouyang Chi asked.

Du Guling thought for a moment. “You’re suggesting the buyer was Tumen Fu, Young Lord of Sunset City?”

“Exactly. The auction house would never normally reveal such information, but Yuan Tianci and Sima Miaomiao once shared a history. When I told Sima Miaomiao of Yuan Tianci’s death, she didn’t hesitate—she told me the guest in Box Thirteen was indeed Tumen Fu. She agreed with me: it could only have been him.”

“Tumen Fu…” Du Guling’s hands clenched until his nails dug into his flesh. He wanted nothing more than to tear Tumen Fu limb from limb. “Is there any proof?”

“Tumen Fu is thorough. I haven’t found any evidence, but I am certain it was him,” Ouyang Chi replied.

Du Guling thought hard. Though Iron Ox was the richest man in Cold Moon City, he’d never had any conflict with anyone—no one had reason to kill him. Unless… Du Guling fingered the ring, remembering the immortal pill inside. Now he understood—Tumen Fu had killed for profit, and only he would have had reason to strike.

A wave of fury swept over Du Guling. “I will have my revenge!” he cried.

Ouyang Chi quickly grabbed him. “You have no proof—how will you avenge him? Even if you did, what could you do? Tumen Fu is certainly back in Sunset City by now. If you go there, you’ll be killed before you even reach the gates. If you die, how will you have your revenge?”

“Then what should I do?” Du Guling demanded, anguished.

“Cultivate. If you become a powerful cultivator—if you reach the Tai Immortal stage, you can force Sunset City to hand Tumen Fu over. If you reach the Xuan Immortal level, you could even destroy Sunset City itself and no one would dare stop you,” Ouyang Chi said.

Cultivate? Yes, I must cultivate. I must become a Xuan Immortal—not just that, I must surpass even the Xuan Immortals, become as strong as the Chaos Celestial Immortal. Then I could not only avenge my brother but protect everything I cherish. Du Guling’s resolve hardened. For the first time, he burned with the desire to walk the path of cultivation.

“And I’ve heard news—Tumen Fu will attend the Divine Hidden Pavilion’s entrance ceremony. If you’re lucky, you may have your chance for vengeance there,” Ouyang Chi added.

“Truly?” Du Guling could barely contain his excitement. The thought of soon facing his enemy made his heart race.

“Of course,” Ouyang Chi confirmed with a nod.