Chapter 435: The Half-Breed.
Chapter 435: Chapter 435: The Half-Breed.
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"Hmm?? Where am I?"
Li Feng looked around in confusion.
He clearly remembered that he was currently enjoyin— no, helping a poor woman regain her soul...
And now, in the next moment, he suddenly appeared inside this strange place.
He looked down and noticed that he had no sensation in his body or hands.
He was like a floating consciousness, unable to feel his own physical form.
Just as he was slowly realizing what was going on...
CRACK!
An intense flame suddenly exploded in front of him.
Row after row of burning houses appeared, filling his entire vision with roaring fire and thick black smoke.
The air was filled with screams and the stench of burning wood and flesh.
Li Feng’s vision shifted, and he found himself standing in the middle of a ruined village at night.
The flames illuminated horrifying scenes as villagers ran in panic, some already lying dead on the ground with terrible wounds.
In the center of the chaos stood a little girl, no older than seven or eight.
She had short black hair and familiar vertical slit pupils.
Even at such a young age, her face already showed traces of her future beauty.
But right now, that face was covered in dirt, tears, and blood as a strange purple horn had appeared on her forehead.
It was clear that this child was a half-human, half-serpent demon.
A "filthy half-breed."
"Monster!"
"Kill her!"
"Burn the demon spawn!"
The villagers screamed in hatred as they threw stones and torches toward the little girl. Some even wielded crude weapons, their eyes filled with fear and disgust.
The girl, the young Purple Death curled up on the ground, trembling as rocks struck her small body.
"Why... why are you doing this...?" she cried weakly. "I didn’t do anything wrong..."
A large man stepped forward with a torch, his face twisted in rage.
"Your mother was a whore who spread her legs for a demon! You carry filthy blood! You don’t deserve to live among us! Look what you’ve done to our village!"
"I-It wasn’t me!"
The man didn’t listen.
He threw the torch directly at her.
WHOOSH!
The torch hit her as flames engulfed the little girl’s clothes.
She screamed in pain and terror as she rolled on the ground, trying to put out the fire.
But she couldn’t even extinguish the flames before more rocks were hurled at her, striking her head and body.
In the end, she could only cry and curl up pitifully on the ground.
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"..."
Li Feng watched the scene silently, his heart tightening at the cruelty inflicted upon such a young child.
And he realized that this was her memory.
This was the tragic past she had buried deep inside her soul.
’I didn’t expect to see this while repairing her soul gap...’
Li Feng gritted his teeth and just as he couldn’t bear the sight anymore—
The vision shifted again.
And years seem to had passed.
The little girl had grown into a beautiful but scarred young woman.
Her short black hair had grown longer, and the faint purple horn on her forehead was now usually hidden beneath a cloth wrap.
Yet no matter how hard she tried to conceal it, the villagers always knew.
And no matter how far she escaped and lived alone in the forest... they always came.
She was currently scrubbing clothes by the river when a group of young men from the village approached.
Seeing them, the young woman’s eyes filled with fear as she tried to escape, but the others had already surrounded her with strange, cruel smiles.
"Look, it’s the half-breed whore."
"W-What do you want...?"
One of them walked up and kicked over her basket, spilling the clean clothes into the mud.
"You think you can live here after what your kind did?" another sneered, grabbing her by the hair. "Your demon blood probably cursed our crops last year."
"I-I didn’t do anything!"
She let out a pained groan as she tried to free herself.
But just then, one of them grinned lewdly when he saw her face under the hood.
"See? I told you. Despite being a half-breed, she’s actually quite beautiful."
"Hmm... You’re right."
They looked at the beautiful young woman and then at each other before nodding.
Then they dragged her behind the old trees near the riverbank, away from prying eyes.
The young Purple Death struggled desperately, but she was outnumbered and still too weak to fight back effectively.
"No... please... don’t...!"
Her voice was filled with terror as rough hands tore at her clothes.
The fabric ripped loudly, exposing her pale, developing body to the cold air.
One of the young men pinned her arms above her head while another caressed her flat stomach with a disgusting grin.
"Damn, her skin really is so smooth... even though she’s a half-breed."
Another one laughed lewdly as he forced her legs apart.
"Hold her still. I’ve always wanted to try a demon girl."
"Please...! I-I really didn’t do anything!" She screamed and twisted, tears streaming down her face as their hands roamed over her body without mercy.
"You should be grateful we’re even willing to touch something like you."
"Just lie there and take it, monster spawn. Hahaha!"
Their laughter and crude insults echoed in her ears like knives.
Pain, humiliation, and fear filled every inch of her being.
No matter how much she begged or cried, they only laughed harder.
One of them positioned himself between her legs, ready to violate her completely.
Purple Death’s eyes, once bright with fragile hope, began to dim.
Why...? Why does this world hate me so much?
What did I ever do wrong...?
She had tried so hard to be good.
She had hidden her horn.
She had avoided people.
She had lived like a ghost in the forest, surviving on wild fruits and stolen scraps.
Yet no matter where she went, they always found her.
They always reminded her that she was different.
That she was filthy.
At that moment, something deep inside Purple Death finally shattered.
The fragile hope she had clung to for years turned into something cold and dark.
If the world hates me this much...Then I will hate the world even more.
A terrifying purple glow suddenly erupted from within her body.
The small horn on her forehead fully manifested, crackling with destructive energy.
Her bloodline which she had tried so desperately to suppress... finally awakened in full fury.
BOOM—!!!
A violent explosion of purple flame erupted from her body like a raging inferno.
"AAAHHHHHH!!!"
The young men screamed in agony as the corrosive purple flames engulfed them.
Their skin melted instantly, their flesh burned black, and their bones cracked under the intense, venomous heat.
The purple fire was not normal flame as it carried the destructive, poisonous power of her suppressed serpent bloodline, melting everything it touched.
CRACK!
CRACK!
CRACK!
The forest around them ignited in seconds as trees withered and turned to ash.
The river water itself began to boil from the sheer heat.
Purple Death rose slowly from the ground, her torn clothes barely hanging on her body.
Blood and tears stained her face, but her eyes were no longer those of a scared girl.
They were cold... empty.
Filled with pure, boundless hatred for the world that had never shown her any kindness.
"...I didn’t do anything wrong. I just wanted to live..."
Her voice was quiet, yet it carried a chilling resolve.
And that night, the surrounding village burned.
...And this time, it was not by accident.
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"..."
Li Feng stood silently amidst the roaring flames, watching the devastating scene unfold before him.
The once peaceful village was now a blazing inferno.
Thick black smoke rose into the night sky, carrying with it the acrid smell of burning wood, flesh, and hatred.
The screams that had filled the air earlier had long since died down.
Nothing living remained... only charred corpses and the crackling of fire.
In the center of this hellish landscape stood the girl.
Young Purple Death stood motionless, her small body illuminated by the dancing flames.
Her torn clothes hung in tatters, her short black hair messy and singed.
The purple horn on her forehead glowed faintly, casting an eerie light on her blood and tear-stained face.
She stared blankly at the destruction she had caused.
Li Feng felt a heavy tightness in his chest.
’...What a cruel fate.’
Even though he knew she would grow up to become a cold-blooded assassin, seeing the origin of that hatred made him feel a rare pang of sympathy.
Because no child should have to endure such relentless cruelty just for being born different.
Just as he was thinking this, the girl slowly turned her head.
Her gaze wasn’t directed at the burning village anymore.
She was looking directly... at Li Feng
Clap... Clap... Clap...
A slow, deliberate clapping sound echoed from the shadows behind him.
Li Feng turned his head and saw a tall figure slowly walking out from the darkness between the burning houses.
The man wore a dark hooded cloak, his face mostly hidden, but a faint, amused smile could be seen on his lips.
"Well done, little serpent." the man said in a smooth, almost playful voice. "To think a half-breed child could wipe out an entire surrounding villages by herself..."
"...It seems the blood of your father runs strong in you."