Chapter 75: Eruption

Faced with these people who wished nothing more than to tear me to pieces, I felt an unexpected calm settle within me. After all the dangers I’d been through—every time, skirting the edge of death—I had always survived. But this time, I knew there would be no one to help me; even my two closest friends, Lin Wei-yan and Feng Zi-mo, had been shut out by my own hand. Still, as before, I did not regret my choices.

Summoning the last of my strength, I fought back with all I had against the mob descending upon me. My fists flailed in desperate resistance, and before I knew it, my entire body was drenched in blood. I looked like a devil risen from hell, hell-bent on breaking free from this besieging horde.

Given how well I knew my own body, I should have collapsed long ago. Yet somehow, I remained upright, every muscle surging with unnatural energy, growing fiercer as the fight dragged on. I felt nothing of my own body anymore—I was like a machine, my fists swinging ceaselessly.

It’s said that a person driven to the brink becomes truly terrifying, especially when life itself is threatened. They become a wild beast, crazed and unstoppable. In a daze, I somehow carved a bloody path through the crowd; bodies littered the floor at my feet, too many to count. Whether it was my own desperation or deadly accuracy, many who fell did not rise again.

Stepping over corpses, I fought my way toward the door. My fists struck down all who blocked my path, showing no mercy. My knuckles were split and bleeding, yet I felt no pain. With every step forward, another foe was felled.

Suddenly, my cousin’s face twisted in fury as she threw a punch straight at my temple. At the same instant, my own fist was about to connect with her—but I couldn’t do it. My fist froze in midair. Before I could react, darkness crashed over my vision.

And then, from all sides, fists and feet rained down on me—one after another, each blow more vicious than the last. My cousin’s strike had nearly knocked me unconscious. Curled on the ground, arms wrapped protectively over my head, I endured the relentless onslaught. I knew I must not let them land blows on my head—the head is the body’s most vulnerable spot.

Once someone’s skull is smashed, death is not far behind. Yet I could not just huddle there forever. If I did, I’d have no chance to fight back and would simply be beaten to death.

More and more people crowded around, pummeling me. My body had reached its limit. Though I was no ordinary person, neither were my attackers. The blows came thick and fast, battering me until I felt like I was coming apart. Even if I wanted to get up, I no longer had the strength. I was utterly spent, the wild animal’s fury drained away, leaving me as limp and deflated as a burst balloon.

I didn’t know how much longer I could hold on, or if I would even survive. Tonight, I had endured things most people would never face in a lifetime, and done things most would never dare. Looking at the bodies I’d left behind, I felt my death, should it come, would not be in vain.

I knew, deep down, that these people were victims too, likely puppets of some hidden hand. But it seemed I would never learn the truth; my consciousness began to blur, that familiar brush of death creeping over me.

For someone who had tasted mortality before, death was still frightening—still lonely. Yet in my heart, there was no fear, only a strange, abiding calm. I could not say whether I would see the Emperor after death, or if my soul would simply scatter to the winds.

Suddenly, a jolt ran through my body, and my eyes burned crimson. I knew this feeling well—the Scarlet Demon Eye had awakened. At this critical moment, it had seized control. I tried to communicate with it, but it ignored me. My body rose from the ground as if possessed, scattering the attackers like rag dolls.

At that moment, the doors burst open and Feng Zi-mo and Lin Wei-yan rushed in. They stared, mouths agape, at the carnage, but quickly composed themselves—they were no strangers to chaos. Feng wielded his halberd, cutting a path toward me, Lin close behind, dispatching any survivors with a swift stroke of her sword.

Yet my body, now under the Demon Eye’s control, would not obey me. Like a phantom, it twisted necks with terrifying efficiency. Still, when facing my cousin and Zhang Kai’s group, the Demon Eye did not harm them—it was as if it knew these were my kin and friends, deliberately weaving past them even when face-to-face.

Neither Feng nor Lin dared approach me too closely, both fully aware of the Demon Eye’s terror. Soon, nearly everyone in the workshop had fallen. My body suddenly went limp and collapsed, but my mind remained clear.

Feng and Lin seemed to understand at once that the Demon Eye had left me. Feng rushed to my side, hoisted me over his shoulder, and sprinted out. Lin covered our retreat, and as we left, I clearly saw that my cousin was unhurt.

Feng carried me back to the villa at a speed that was nothing short of miraculous—what should have taken twenty minutes took less than five. He dropped me on the sofa, while Lin brought a basin of water and gently wiped the blood from my face, then carefully bandaged my wounds. I took it all in, unable to move.

Exhaustion soon claimed me, and I drifted into sleep.

When I awoke, I found myself in bed. Feng and Lin were both at my side, apparently having watched over me the entire time. When Lin saw I was awake, she asked anxiously, “Brother Chu Yun, are you alright?”

I wanted to assure her that I was fine, but the words wouldn’t come. Instead, a sentence I hadn’t meant to say slipped from my lips: “I’m alright. Thank you both for your help.”

I swear, those were not my words, though it was my voice. In that instant, a chill ran through me—a sense of dread rising from the pit of my stomach. Only the Scarlet Demon Eye could control my speech like this. Why was it still in control, even though I was awake?

I demanded in my mind, “What are you doing? Why are you still controlling my body?”