Chapter 121: The Story of Liu Shiyu

Liu Mochen turned his head to look at her. His cold visage gave off an alien and unsettling aura, as if he had become a different person entirely—emanating a dark, monstrous presence that chilled the soul. Purple-black flames shrouded him, casting an otherworldly glow that made him appear like a hellish envoy of destruction, come to seize life from the world.

A dreadful, sinister aura enveloped the scene, sending a bone-deep chill through Liu Shiyu, as if she had fallen into an icy tomb. Witnessing her parents fall victim to her own elder brother’s hands, she opened her mouth in shock, utterly speechless, her worldview shattered by the harrowing sight.

Clutching the demonic sword, Liu Mochen took deliberate steps toward Liu Shiyu. His black eyes flickered with a faint purple light, radiating a cold, merciless chill. “Shiyu… you saw it, didn’t you? Now, I can no longer spare you.”

“Brother, please…” she instinctively stepped back.

“Fshh!”

The demonic sword pierced through her body. As her consciousness slipped into darkness, she still heard Liu Mochen’s ruthless voice echoing in her ear.

“Do not hate me. If you must hate, hate your own weakness.”

Snapping back to a distant memory, Liu Shiyu clenched her fists, a fierce fury surging within her heart. If she had not been so fortunate to survive, she would have followed the same tragic path as her parents.

Moreover, she later heard even more shocking news.

At that time, Liu Mochen had devastated more than half the city, indirectly causing the deaths of over a hundred thousand people in the capital. Under the leadership of the four Abyssal Entities, he departed alongside them, leaving the city in ruins.

She could not fathom why Liu Mochen had transformed into such a creature, why he had fallen into monstrosity, why he had become the world’s fourth Abyssal Entity. Now, she only knew one thing.

When the Night Parade of One Hundred Demons began, the five Abyssal Entities would reappear—and Liu Mochen would surely be among them. That would be her only chance to avenge her family.

Until that day arrived, she had been relentlessly pursuing strength. Ever since awakening her supernatural powers as a child in the orphanage, she had immediately chosen to join the Disaster Association.

She became the youngest demon hunter, and for years, in pursuit of power, she had almost forsaken all emotional attachments.

Every day, she fought monsters fiercely, all for the sake of surpassing that man—and to personally slay this demon!

…

Sitting on the steps, watching the fierce battles on the various arenas, Cheng Feng glanced at Yan Ruying beside him.

“Are you close with her brother?”

“Of course,” Yan Ruying replied, pulling out a pack of cigarettes. “Ten years ago, Liu Mochen was a rising star—a new generation prodigy. His record was outstanding, his strength exceptional, and he had won numerous awards. He was quite popular within the Association.”

In the world of demon hunters, strength was paramount.

Cheng Feng felt he had just heard something extraordinary. “He used to be a hunter in the Association?”

“Yes, a very powerful one.”

Yan Ruying placed a cigarette between her lips. “His talent was immense, his power formidable. At just twenty-one, he was already an elite member, nearly reaching ace-level status. Truly an unprecedented genius.”

“That impressive…”

Cheng Feng thought Liu Shiyu and her brother really were alike—innately gifted, advancing swiftly, far surpassing their peers.

Young and already elite, he was closing in on ace-level power.

Typically, demon hunters reach elite level around twenty-six or twenty-seven, after countless battles against monsters, gradually honing their strength.

However, Cheng Feng had shattered that record. At only eighteen, he was a newcomer who had joined the Disaster Association less than a month prior, yet had already ascended to elite status.

Though the elite rank was earned by winning the promotion tournament, it was ultimately achieved through sheer strength.

To rise from apprentice to elite in merely a month was unprecedented since the Association’s founding.

Cheng Feng had no desire to boast, so he rarely mentioned this.

Yan Ruying lit her cigarette and inhaled deeply, the pale smoke curling upward as she continued about Liu Mochen.

“Because of his outstanding performance, the Association’s headquarters even planned to promote him to captain of the Winterlin City team.

For a hunter, that was a boundless future.”

Cheng Feng listened quietly, eager to hear why Liu Mochen had become a monster.

“Hah—”

Yan Ruying exhaled a ring of milky smoke. “Back then, we often fought side by side as comrades, facing life-and-death missions together.

His strength earned even my respect. At that time, I wasn’t yet the third ace, just an ordinary member, far beneath him.

But I could sense he was a good person. So… we became a couple.”

Cheng Feng blinked in surprise. “A couple?”

“Yes, exactly as you think.”

Yan Ruying smiled wryly, a hint of sadness in her laughter. “He used to dote on his sister like you do on Cheng Yi…

He was a bona fide little brother’s protector—I teased him about it countless times.”

“But…”

Cheng Feng hesitated awkwardly. “I heard from Liu Shiyu that he killed their parents.”

Yan Ruying paused for about two seconds before replying calmly. “Liu Shiyu has already told you that, huh.”

“Yeah,” Cheng Feng said, astonished. “What could have driven him to commit such madness?”

“The reason is simple… he succumbed to temptation—the allure of power.”

Speaking of it made Yan Ruying irritable. She finished her cigarette in one draw and slowly explained.

“At that time, the four Abyssal Entities descended upon the capital, inflicting unprecedented calamity on humanity. They chose Liu Mochen, trying to recruit him as one of them.

If he willingly corrupted himself into a monster, they promised him power beyond human limits.

The price was renouncing his humanity and filling the vacancy of the fourth Abyssal Entity.”

Cheng Feng’s eyes widened in understanding.

So at that time, the fourth Abyssal Entity, Black Night Fork, had already betrayed them. They sought Liu Mochen to fill that void?

“I didn’t believe Liu Mochen would fall to temptation,” Yan Ruying sighed, recounting the grim truth she wished to forget.

“But reality was cruel. Becoming a monster meant forsaking one’s humanity.

Liu Mochen truly killed his parents, even his beloved sister, and caused the deaths of over a hundred thousand citizens in the capital.

If I hadn’t arrived at his home in time to save Liu Shiyu, she would have perished by his hand.”

Cheng Feng’s eyes widened in shock. Now everything made sense.

No wonder Liu Shiyu was the way she was—witnessing her family slain by her own brother, barely escaping death herself.

No wonder she hated Liu Mochen so fiercely, and loathed monsters with equal intensity…

“Brother Shen!”

“Hmm!”

Shen Changqing walked along the street. Whenever he met acquaintances, they exchanged greetings or nodded.

Yet, no matter who it was, every face bore no expression, as if indifferent to everything.

Shen Changqing had grown accustomed to this.

After all, this was the Demon Suppression Division, an organization dedicated to maintaining stability in the Great Qin realm. Its primary duty was to slay demons and fiendish creatures, though it had other side tasks as well.

One could say that every person in the Demon Suppression Division bore bloodstains on their hands.

When someone becomes accustomed to life and death, many things become trivial.

When Shen Changqing first arrived in this world, he found it hard to adapt, but over time, he grew used to it.

The Demon Suppression Division was vast.

Those who remained here were either formidable experts or had the potential to become so.

Shen Changqing belonged to the latter.

Within the Division, there were two roles: Guardians and Exorcists.

Everyone entering the Division started as the lowest rank of Exorcist,

then advanced step by step, with the ultimate goal of becoming a Guardian.

Shen Changqing’s prior identity was that of a trainee Exorcist—a rank lowest among Exorcists.

Bearing memories of his past self, he was deeply familiar with the Division’s environment.

Without taking long, Shen Changqing stopped before a pavilion.

Unlike the other grim and blood-soaked places in the Division, this pavilion stood apart like a crane among chickens, emanating a rare tranquility amidst the carnage.

The pavilion’s door stood open, with occasional comings and goings.

After a brief hesitation, Shen Changqing strode inside.

Upon entering, the atmosphere shifted abruptly.

An ink-like fragrance mingled faintly with the scent of blood, causing him to furrow his brows instinctively, yet relaxing moments later.

The bloodstain scent on everyone in the Division was nearly impossible to wash away.