Chapter 26 Part 1

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This chapter is edited by Bakhtawar Kakar. Thank you for your contribution!

Chapter 26: Madness (1)

The accident occurred after the people of Thousand Sword City ventured deep into the East Wilderness.

It wasn’t due to negligence on their part. They had taken extensive precautions beforehand. Not only were they wrapped in several layers of protective shields, but they had also secured the massive Blood Demon in a Demon Imprisoning Harness.

No one could have foreseen that the Blood Demon would exploit a flaw in the harness.

A loophole!

┐(‘～`；)┌

Feigning weakness, the Blood Demon lay still. Just as it was about to be pierced by a green sword, it suddenly surged to its feet.

It was too sudden.

Patter—

The Demon Imprisoning Harness was ripped apart instantly.

Without this critical barrier, the outcome was inevitable.

Slaughter.

Complete annihilation.

The Blood Demon unleashed a killing spree. Several disciples of Thousand Sword City succumbed to its relentless attacks, dying of sheer exhaustion.

Although a few were saved, their spirits were crushed. They had been drained nearly to death by the insatiable Blood Demon. Even with emergency pills, their lives were barely spared.

As everyone knew, the people of Thousand Sword City were famed for their speed—but endurance was not their strength.

Despite sustaining severe injuries during the fight, the Blood Demon managed to escape.

Half a day later.

The Blood Demon opened a dark rift in the uninhabited expanse of the East Wilderness.

For a brief moment, the land was engulfed in an eerie, crimson glow. Under its influence, the once-vibrant jungle wilted entirely, turning a dull black and reeking of decay.

“Ahhhhh—!”

With a piercing scream, countless Blood Demons emerged from the rift.

A disaster was unleashed.

If only the Demon Imprisoning Harness had remained intact, none of this would have happened.

But…

Fate had other plans. Despite their experience in similar situations, this time, the Blood Demon had found their weakness.

The sudden calamity didn’t leave the people of Thousand Sword City paralyzed with fear.

They split into teams to handle the crisis.

Some stayed to confront the Blood Demon, hoping to contain the outbreak.

While others sought the precise location of the small world linked to the rift.

A third group was dispatched to seek external help.

Only Gu Jiu was an exception.

After his devastating defeat at the hands of Bai Lian, his spirit was shattered. He was like a man hollowed out, a shell of his former self.

It was as though his very soul had been stolen.

In Thousand Sword City, the Heart Sword was considered a second soul. Without it, Gu Jiu was defenseless. He could barely take care of himself, let alone pursue the Blood Demon.

In despair, Chen Fu had no choice but to find a seemingly safe spot to leave Gu Jiu. He set up a protective magic array around him before rushing off to join the others.

Gu Jiu sat silently on the ground.

He was a contradiction—a man caught between extremes.

Though he sat on warm grass, he felt as if he were treading on thick snow.

The sound of a roaring waterfall echoed in his ears, but when he closed his eyes, all he heard was silence, as though he were buried underground.

In the clear waters before him, he saw his reflection. But when he closed his eyes, all he could envision was a vast, desolate snowfield, stretching endlessly with no way out.

Life or death?

Movement or stillness?

Cold or warmth?

Gu Jiu was utterly lost. He was trapped in a prison of ice and fire, unable to reconcile the two.

As he sat there, he vaguely sensed another presence opposite him.

Yet it felt like a dream, one completely beyond his control.

He strained to open his eyes wider, hoping for clarity, but all he could see was a blurry figure.

Perhaps life itself was a dream—one that he could never awaken from.

When Gu Jiu followed the sound and gently pushed aside the “snow-covered” bushes, his suspicions solidified.

Wasn’t the girl lying in the snow his sister?

Her pale face contrasted sharply with the spreading pool of blood beneath her. She looked so small—fragile.

After all, she had been only nine years old when she died.

She had been killed by a fox demon in her sleep, just as she was beginning to glimpse the world around her.

Back then, Gu Jiu’s greatest ambition was to earn money.

He wanted to earn enough so his family could move to the county town at the base of the mountain.

When he became rich, he’d be able to read books and listen to the heroic tales told by storytellers.

When he became rich, he’d give his sister the kind of life noble girls in the city enjoyed.

But it had all been a dream.

He had no money.

He couldn’t move his family to the county.

And he couldn’t protect his sister.

Later, he learned the sword. But he wasn’t a swordsman, not really. He couldn’t be the hero in the storytellers’ tales.

Maybe, he thought bitterly, I’m destined to be the villain in someone else’s story.

Life was a cruel journey.

Gu Jiu sank back onto the “snow.” It was cold.

His Heart Sword was broken. He knew he wouldn’t live much longer. Soon, he would follow in his sister’s footsteps to the netherworld.

And that would be fine.

Gu Jiu closed his eyes.

“When I close my eyes, it’s dark.”

As the light began to fade from his world, his hand instinctively grasped the “snow” beneath him.

What was that?

Gu Jiu’s eyes snapped open. At that moment, he thought he saw the faint light of dawn.

“Yu Niang!”

His head whipped to the left. The little girl lying in the “snow” was trembling.

She’s alive. She’s not dead!

Gu Jiu sprang to his feet and rushed to her side, frantic. He touched her nose and felt the faint warmth of her breath.

She was breathing.

Gu Jiu no longer cared to distinguish between reality and dreams. Did it even matter in a world as strange as this?

Even if it was a dream, he couldn’t leave his sister alone.

He examined her injuries. Her arm bore deep tooth marks and bloodied punctures—clear evidence of a magic beast’s bite.

“Magic beasts!”

A flash of bloody hatred crossed Gu Jiu’s eyes.

But he quickly refocused on his sister. Reaching into his belongings, he pulled out Healing Medical Pills and gently fed them to her.

Before long, the eight- or nine-year-old girl slowly opened her eyes.

As soon as she awoke, panic seized her. “Brother, run! It’s a monster. Run! Don’t worry about me—”

Before she could finish, a pair of strong hands wrapped around her in a firm embrace.

A voice, trembling yet resolute, interrupted her:

“It’s all right. It’s all right. Your brother is here.”

She froze.

That voice…

After a moment, Gu Jiu released her, and their eyes met for the first time.

She blinked in confusion.

Who was this?

The man seemed about her brother’s age, but his face was entirely unfamiliar.

Before she could ask, Gu Jiu quickly wiped at his eyes and said, “Yu Niang, thank the heavens you’re alive! Are you still in pain? Let me bandage your wound first.”

The girl frowned in bewilderment. “Hey, what are you doing?”