C18 The Evil That Was Awakened

Upon hearing the furious roar, Bao Guang was petrified with fear, dropping to his knees to plead for mercy. Yet, Kong Huo showed no clemency.

A group of blue-robed disciples swiftly converged on Bao Guang, raining down a brutal flurry of punches and kicks upon him as he lay on the ground.

In a mere ten minutes, Bao Guang was left bloodied and battered, his face swollen and bruised—a grim and tragic sight.

"Find him! Turn the Kong family estate upside down if you must, but find him!" Kong Huo bellowed at the onlookers. The disciples from other families, not daring to slack, dispersed at once to hunt for Zhang Hao.

Considering Bao Guang's savage beating, they knew all too well the consequences of failing to locate Zhang Hao.

Whether they were from the Kong family or not, everyone was taken aback that Zhang Hao could be hiding somewhere within the estate, too afraid to reveal himself.

Little did they know, Zhang Hao had already left Conriston and was now sprinting through the forest.

Visions of Hillfar Village flashed before Zhang Hao's eyes. Whether it was Grandma Zhao or the other villagers, they all felt like family to him.

The devastating news of Hillfar Village's annihilation sent Zhang Hao's heart plummeting. He stumbled and raced back to the village in a daze.

Arriving at the village entrance in under two hours, Zhang Hao was rooted to the spot in shock.

Hillfar Village lay in ruins, the houses reduced to ashes, still smoldering, with the pungent stench of blood hanging in the air.

The sight before him grew increasingly dim, and Zhang Hao felt on the verge of losing consciousness.

He staggered through the village, only to find it strewn with bodies.

The pervasive scent of blood had drawn numerous wild and demonic beasts, which now feasted on the remains.

Zhang Hao stood frozen, his complexion ghastly pale, drained of all color.

The villagers who had once cherished him were now just lifeless bodies scattered across the ground, being devoured by the beasts.

With a slow descent to his knees, Zhang Hao's eyes were streaked with red, veins on his forehead standing out in stark relief. His face contorted into an expression of primal rage, he threw back his head and let out a roar that echoed like distant thunder, carrying far and wide...

"No! It shouldn't be like this! Why? Why is this happening?"

The ferocious and demonic beasts ahead heard Zhang Hao's anguished roar and charged toward him, their teeth bared in a menacing snarl.

They seemed to be issuing a warning: the prey was theirs. If Zhang Hao dared to come closer, they would launch an attack.

"Die! You all must die!"

In that instant, Zhang Hao let out a furious roar as a surge of black energy enveloped him. He propelled himself off the ground and charged at the ferocious and demonic beasts.

Seeing Zhang Hao's charge, the beasts responded with roars of their own, gaping maws ready to strike.

Boom! Boom! Boom! The sound of colossal impacts filled the air.

From Hillfar Village, the pained cries of the beasts echoed, lasting less than half an hour before the cacophony of battle finally quieted down.

Zhang Hao was now kneeling on the ground, his face smeared with blood, utterly bewildered and lost, like a soulless shell.

The ground was littered with the mangled remains of villagers and beasts alike, indistinguishable from one another.

Zhang Hao, still on his knees, suddenly let out a heart-wrenching howl, tears streaming down his face.

His cries and furious roars spread throughout the vicinity, a powerful presence rippling outward.

Many ferocious and demonic beasts, sensing the overwhelming aura, fled in terror, not daring to come near Hillfar Village.

Despite Zhang Hao's howls, the village lay in eerie silence, the once-familiar smiles fading into oblivion.

Zhang Hao desperately tried to remember the villagers' smiles, but the memories were obliterated by the sea of corpses before him.

"Why did this happen? If only I hadn't left Hillfar Village, this tragedy would never have occurred. It's all my fault! Ahhhhh..."

About two hours later, the village square was piled high with wood, strewn with dismembered bodies.

Holding a torch, Zhang Hao's face was void of emotion as he tossed it onto the pyre.

The flames took hold, slowly turning the bodies to ash. Zhang Hao was all too aware of the grim task at hand.

The bodies couldn't be buried; the ferocious beasts would only dig them up. The only solution was to reduce them to ashes.

As the flames took hold, Zhang Hao slowly sank to his knees, an evil grin spreading across his face.

The fire consumed more than just the corpses; it incinerated all of Zhang Hao's cherished memories of Hillfar Village.

A transformation was underway within Zhang Hao's heart. The once naive, obedient, and kind-hearted young man was fading away.

The Black Hou Beast inside Zhang Hao had been silent from the start, yet it sensed the shift in his heart.

The beast was acutely aware that the deepest, darkest parts of Zhang Hao's soul—filled with malice and savagery—were stirring to life.

Kneeling before the blaze, Zhang Hao's face twisted into a grotesque mask of evil, which slowly vanished to reveal a chilling, sinister smirk.

With that malevolent smile, Zhang Hao watched the corpse burn to ashes, as if the innocent boy he once was had been locked away deep within, doomed to an eternal slumber.

It wasn't until the corpse was reduced to nothing that Zhang Hao rose to his feet and strode out of the village without a backward glance.

Expressionless, he left Hillfar Village behind, sprinting through the forest with agile leaps.

After over an hour, Zhang Hao reached the Red Maple Stronghold and confidently approached.

Kong Peng of the Kong family had recently revealed that the Red Maple Stronghold was behind the destruction of Hillfar Village.

At the stronghold's watchtower, the sight of the approaching black-haired youth caused the two guards to furrow their brows in suspicion.