Chapter Six: Wrath Unleashed

Dugu Ling and his companions descended the mountain, chatting and laughing along the way. Some boasted about the sumptuous dinner that might already be simmering at home, waiting for them to return and enjoy. Others praised their wives’ beauty or their children’s obedience. Some even teased Dugu Bo, trying to play matchmaker—“So-and-so’s daughter is lovely, gentle, and kind, wouldn’t she be perfect for you?”—leaving Dugu Bo’s face burning red with embarrassment.

These simple, good-hearted people gave thanks for the blessings bestowed upon them, content with the happiness and peace of their current lives, never dreaming that their world was about to be turned upside down.

“Dugu Bo, what do you think? Second Master Jie’s daughter really is quite nice. Why don’t we go talk to her on your behalf one of these days?” Dugu Ling chimed in, joining the teasing and, for the moment, forgetting all about their earlier encounter with Lin Mengyao.

“Scram, you little brat! Still wet behind the ears, and you want to meddle in grown-ups’ business?” Dugu Bo barked, but his face was already flushed scarlet with embarrassment.

Dugu Ling covered his mouth, stifling a laugh at Dugu Bo’s reaction; Dugu Bo glared back fiercely, but it was all in good fun—the kind of banter only true friends could share. Dugu Ling felt deeply at ease and fond of this life.

Suddenly, just as they neared the entrance to their village, a thunderclap shattered their hearts.

The scene before them was utter devastation. The once warm and tranquil Dugu Village, so full of life and comfort, was gone. In its place were collapsed houses, cracked earth, and corpses strewn everywhere. The idyllic sanctuary had been transformed into a living hell.

Bloody remains littered the ground. People they had greeted only hours before now lay there, blood trickling from their mouths, limbs severed and scattered, eyeballs rolling in the dust, none left whole. One who had earlier boasted about his dinner plans dropped to his knees, wailing in despair, tears streaming down his face as he pounded his chest with clenched fists, his hoarse cries echoing into the sky.

Another, who had just praised his wife and child, crawled and staggered desperately towards his home, falling, rising, falling again, and rising once more. Grief paralyzed his limbs, yet he dragged himself forward, hands torn and bleeding—only to find nothing left. His wife and child were gone, replaced by a sea of death and carnage.

Dugu Bo stood to the side, petrified, his lips parted as if to speak, but the weight of his grief rendered him mute. In an instant, his once youthful face seemed to age by decades, his skin rough as ancient bark.

Dugu Ling felt as if he had been plunged into the icy wastes of the Antarctic. His heart bled, his flesh felt as though it was being flayed. The heavy air stilled around him; time itself seemed to freeze. Deathly silence and suffocating oppression pressed down from all sides.

He did not know how long he stood there—perhaps a moment, perhaps an eternity. In that instant, his heart ceased to beat, a suffocating agony engulfed him, his limbs heavy as lead. The pain was almost sweet in its intensity. In the grip of such sorrow, Dugu Ling's hair turned instantly white, the once-jet strands now a mass of pale silver, fluttering tragically in the wind.

Suddenly, a monstrous creature appeared before them, as large as a small house, with six legs, a shell of hard armor, and razor-sharp fangs. Its gaping maw exuded a foul stench, drool trailing from its lips.

Clenched in its jaws was a corpse. Looking closer, they saw it was the beloved young child, Dugu Hao. The creature’s beady eyes seemed to mock them as its teeth ground mercilessly, chewing the child's small body. Terror was frozen on Dugu Hao’s face, a testament to how frightened he had been at the moment of death. Now, swallowed whole by the monster, he was lost to the world forever.

Dugu Ling stood dumbstruck, memories of Dugu Hao’s every gesture and word flooding his mind—the sweet, childish voice, the delicate, adorable face. That lovable boy was gone, reduced to a lifeless corpse.

Suddenly, Dugu Bo shouted, “Kill this monster! Avenge everyone!” He raised his hunting knife and charged at the beast. The others followed, wielding their hunting tools with all their might.

But the monster was far too powerful. Iron hoes, knives, and rakes could not even scratch its shell; blades snapped from the force of their blows.

The villagers’ desperate attack only enraged the grotesque creature. It lunged with hideous speed, opening its fetid jaws wide, its sharp teeth tearing into the villagers. Dugu Village was plunged once more into chaos and bloodshed.

Dugu Ling shouted, but he was powerless to change anything. He could only watch, fury blazing within him.

“I will kill it. I will destroy this monster. I swear I’ll annihilate it!” Dugu Ling screamed inwardly. The intensity of the trauma nearly shattered his mind. His eyes reddened, his fingertips began to bleed. In a sudden, explosive moment, blood seeped from every pore, his eyes turning a solid crimson—he had succumbed to the demon within.

Dugu Ling’s eyes widened, seeming to drip blood. A chilling, sinister energy began to radiate from his skull, growing in strength, enveloping him in a shroud of black mist. His skin threatened to split. The air around him thickened with the stench of fresh blood. His face twisted, body shuddering as if enduring the most excruciating torment imaginable.

An overwhelming aura erupted from him, so powerful that even his white hair lifted wildly, untouched by wind.

The monster, sensing the change, was seized by a primal terror. It tried to turn and flee, instinctively knowing it faced an opponent it could not defeat.

But just then, from within the black mist enveloping Dugu Ling, two beams of light shot forth, piercing the monster’s body in an instant. Its once-impenetrable shell burst like paper, annihilated by the gleam in Dugu Ling’s demonic eyes. With a thunderous roar, the creature exploded, its remains scattering in all directions, filling the air with a foul stench.

The monster was dead—utterly, completely dead. Dugu Ling had at last avenged the blood debt. As relief washed over him, exhaustion overtook his body and he collapsed. As he fell, he glimpsed flashes of white light racing toward him from afar.

The black mist around him gradually dispersed, leaving his body drenched in blood, his snowy white hair billowing in the wind. The blood dried and caked to his skin, as though he wore armor forged from his own gore. As he closed his eyes, a vision of an unparalleled face appeared before him.

Ps: Would you like to see Jiemo unleash his power? I’ve been busy all day, so this update comes a bit late. But soon, Jiemo won’t be so busy, and if you want to see him explode into action, show me—vote, favorite, even a little click will do! If you don’t show it, how will I know you want more? Hehe.