"Mu Fan, there's no way out for you right now. Surrender, and I'll make your death quick!"
"We, the Orthodox sect, can't put up with your sins any longer. So, just stop resisting. Today, all the major justice factions have united to take you down and obliterate your devil lair. This place is already ensnared in inescapable nets; this time, you're definitely going to lose your head!"
"Mu Fan, you wretched demon, your thirst for revenge has led to a massacre across this entire continent. Your sins are beyond even what a benevolent Buddha could forgive."
I glanced at the last speaker, a bald man in a Buddhist robe, who looked at me with a mix of contempt and pity, which only fueled my anger.
'Hmph,' I scoffed at him.
Dressed in deep red robes that were tattered and torn, my hair was a mess, and my body was drenched in blood. I stared down at the broken sword in my right hand.
The bloodied robes fluttered gently in the mountain breeze like a battle standard.
Fresh blood oozed from the many wounds on my body. Just standing there for a moment, I had already created a sizable pool of blood beneath my feet.
Enemies were closing in from all sides; there was no escape.
It was clear that I was going to die here.
I fully understood my predicament, yet even in the face of death, my expression remained unchanged, calm.
My gaze was steady, my eyes like deep wells, so profound that they seemed endless.
The major justice factions surrounding me included not just seasoned elders but also young, talented heroes. Amidst the encirclement, some were shouting, others were sneering; some had eyes shining with excitement, while others clutched their wounds, looking on with fear.
They stood still; everyone was on guard against my potential final strike.
For whole week, this tense moment dragged on until now, with the sun shining its rays on the mountainside. At that instant, it felt like the whole place was ablaze.
I, who had remained as quiet as a statue the whole time, gradually turned my body.
The group of warriors suddenly became alert, taking a big step back, which made me chuckle.
'Justice my ass... cowards...'
By this point, the mystical mountain rock beneath my feet was stained a deep red.
Having lost too much blood, my face had turned ghostly pale; in the sunset's afterglow, it suddenly gleamed brilliantly.
As I gazed at the setting sun, I burst out laughing.
"You say, I caused this bloodshed? Who ignored the royal family's wrongdoings all this time? You didn't bother to seek justice for the innocent people unjustly murdered by the royal armies. Many innocent souls, born with spiritual roots, have been exploited as pills for these wicked demons' cultivation! Now, I've killed those monsters with my own hands, trying to give people the lives they deserve, but you filthy dogs come here in the name of justice to claim this land... Tch... Why are you even bothering to talk nonsense about justice?"
As I spoke, memories of the past surfaced before my eyes.
So many memories that had been buried deep within my heart began to resurface, coming to life right before me.
I was merely a butcher who had been performing my duties peacefully long ago.
From the moment I became aware of my surroundings, my only family was my sister. We were orphans of war. My mother passed away from an unknown illness when I was three, and my father had died even before my sister was born, serving as a soldier in the military.
Despite the hardships of life, we had each other to rely on.
When life improved slightly, a certain scholar arrived in our village. Although I sensed something was amiss about him, my sister and he fell in love and sought my permission to marry. I reluctantly consented for my sister's happiness.
After their marriage, the man took my sister to the capital of Yu. That was the last time I laid eyes on her.
When I traveled to the capital to visit my sister, I was unable to locate her or her husband.
After years of searching, I finally found the man at his wedding to another woman.
In my rage, I demanded to know where my sister was... he dismissed me as a madman, claiming he did not even know me.
I tried everything within my power to uncover the truth but was brutally beaten by thugs.
I sought assistance from various individuals and sects, but no one came forward to help.
I yearned for power, to uncover the truth, to find her, to rescue my sister.
Thus began my journey into demonic cultivation, using the very thugs who had beaten me as my material. To my surprise, I discovered I possessed great talent.
As time went on, I uncovered the grim truth that my sister was long gone, consumed by the scoundrels who had used her as a pill.
Not only my sister, but they had exploited many innocent lives, destroying numerous families.
I wanted to kill them, to eradicate them, and I accomplished it all.
'But what is this emptiness I feel?....'
i sighed emotionally within my heart, yet I held no regrets.
This outcome was something I had anticipated.
When I made my initial decision, I had prepared myself for this very moment.
To be a demonic cultivator is to be merciless and cruel, a murderer and destroyer. There is no place in heaven or earth for such a thing – turning into an enemy to the world, still having to face the consequences.
"Haha..." I let out a small, weary chuckle.
Noticing my state, a bunch of warlords rushed in.
I ripped off the necklace made of pure green jade that was hanging around my neck and called out.
"Come forth, Zhong Kui..."
In that instant, with a loud crash, I was enveloped in a blinding wave of energy.
A crack appeared in the jade immediately, and a dark aura began to seep out from the necklace, forming the figure of a demon-like deity behind me.
The demon had a single large eye in the center of its forehead, six arms, each wielding a different weapon: a knife, sword, hammer, axe, bow, and mace.
The moment its gaze landed on the battlefield, everything froze. No one dared to move; terror was etched on their faces.
Their bodies began to shake.
"T-this guy... has another malevolent spirit!!"
"W-w-what the hell is t-that thing?!!"
"...It's a Land Immortal realm spirit.... Run!!!"
Whispers spread through the crowd as they beheld the malevolent spirit Zhong Kui.
Some attempted to flee but were halted by an unseen force that held them in place. Its eye finally turned to me.
"Master..."
A wave of sadness and fury became apparent in its gaze.
Tears filled its eyes.
I really didn't want Zhong Kui to see me like this.
Zhong Kui is the first malevolent spirit I ever created.
"Zhong Kui, I offer everything except my soul. I give you my blood, my spirit, my body, and all the virtue I have gathered. Wipe out these people as much as you can and get out of here safely... this is my final wish... You will be free after this... Go wherever you wish and do whatever you desire...."
In an instant, my entire body began to dissolve like snow and merge into Zhong Kui.
"Mu Fan... Stop this madness!!!"
I didn't even glance at who said that and just smiled gently at Zhong Kui.
My vision and all my senses started to fade away. The last thing I heard was Zhong Kui's furious roar and the frantic voices of the warlords.
...
After what felt like an endless stretch in darkness, I finally saw a light again.
'Huh?! What is that?!'
"Whaaa~"
The first thing that caught my eye was a woman dressed in a peculiar outfit, her lower face partially hidden by a white mask, and the bright light coming from a round object in the center of the room.
The brightness was so intense that I couldn't even open my eyes.
I squeezed them shut. When I attempted to speak, all that escaped my lips was the cry of a newborn...
'Wait!!... A child? Me?!'
A sudden realization struck me like a bolt of lightning. The woman holding me was talking to another woman lying on the bed.
I couldn't comprehend anything.
It was a language I had never heard before.
Everything was new—new language, new surroundings, new experiences—flooding my mind with questions.
But all those thoughts vanished the moment I caught sight of the tired yet smiling face of the woman. Her voice felt like a balm to my soul.
She held me close and kissed my cheeks and forehead, speaking softly to me.
Even though I didn't understand her words, I just listened to her soothing voice.
'I don't know how this happened, but it seems I've been reborn!'