Hua Yan felt like he had suddenly been turned off. His body no longer responded to him, and even his willpower slowly faded away. All that remained in the shell of the figure that once used to be Hua Yan was a mad, carnal, fury incarnate.
This fury was something that had been leaking out from his being since long ago. It was something that he had noticed a while back but left in the back of his mind. After all, everyone got angry at times, so why would his fury be any different? Why would his fury be anything noteworthy?
Instinctively, however, Hua Yan felt that there was something wrong. Something didn't add up and this didn't sit well with him.
Whenever he was confronted about something, whenever he was conned, whenever he felt like he was up against constant injustice… his fury would come out and it would sometimes make him think of some rather dangerous thoughts that he would never think of if he were in his most sane state.
But, since Hua Yan knew better than to fall for its many temptations, he always kept his rage suppressed.
He had someone to take care of, so he did not have the luxury to become angry at his leisure. He did not have the support to back him up if anything went wrong, so he always forgot about the demons in his heart and only worried about dealing with the demons on the outside.
But, when his sister was harmed so brazenly in front of his eyes by the fatties, he had been rendered absolutely insane. Something inside him broke and this was exactly when things about him had started to change.
Though he was not someone that was new to the concept of bloodshed or murder, he had never before been so bold in his claiming human lives. There was a time and place for everything, but in his fury, he had forgotten this principle.
He was actually someone that liked to think of himself as one that did not needlessly kill.
But, actions spoke louder than words, and his choice of killing the fatties revealed his true character.
The strange thing, however, was the fact that Hua Yan did not believe that he was acting of his own accord.
Even though he had acknowledged that it was indeed him who had done all the massacring, something felt very bizarre about the whole situation.
He was a rational person. He knew what the consequences would be for the actions he had committed. So, by that logic, it would have been impossible for him to kill the fatties, because such a thing would bring him more harm than good. Even the average bystander understood this point, so why wouldn't he?
Unless, of course, he was acting under the influence of something so powerful and mysterious that it could make him forget himself and lose control of his bodily functions. This was what he suspected.
As he bathed himself in more blood, the amount of madness that came out from within him was on an exponential rise. It flowed out like an endless torrent and was capable of releasing power that Hua Yan never dared to even dream about.
It turned his mortal body into a weapon of war and it was efficient in killing of foes that were supposed to be many times over him in terms of cultivation and experience.
The fury had morphed him into something else.
All that time when he was evading the guards, he had only been under the illusion that he still had complete control of himself.
The truth, however, was that the second he had surpassed his limits and went beyond what he should have normally been capable of, he had fallen into an abyss from which he could never return.
He had awoken something deep inside of him and everything else was forgotten.
Even he, Hua Yan, seemed to become a thing of the past in his own head.
Then, the soil cracked open!
A hand came out from under the dirt. It forcefully pulled at the multiple tree roots that lay littered across the ground and used them as leverage to rise out of a little pit. The sound of snapping bones and collapsing dirt could be heard as bony limbs moved around.
A figure that looked like it should have already been dead rose to the surface.
Its eyes were void of life. Its flesh had already evidently started to rot. Its left arm was missing. Its right arm was infested with all sorts of parasitic worms and was in the process of decaying. Its legs looked a bit nibbled off, and half of its head was missing.
No one would believe that this thing was still alive, yet it made such life-like movements after escaping from its grave.
Hua Yan was confused.
Just why…
Just why was he in this body?
And why did it feel as if… there was someone else in here with him?
"Maybe that's because you aren't incorrect," a voice exclaimed from somewhere deep within his mind.
Hua Yan was startled by its sudden reply. It sounded so mad and domineering, but the most offsetting factor, by far, was the fact that it was coming from somewhere inside of him. It was coming from somewhere within the deepest recesses of his existence itself.
Had he truly gone mad? Were the recent events just one big dream? Did he really get poisoned after eating that rice that his sister had made for him? What exactly was going on?!
"Yes, you are poisoned," the voice sounded out, replying to his thoughts, "But not by something so simple. Heh."
Hua Yan had many questions, so even though the possibility of him having gone crazy had never left his mind, his curiosity got the better of him.
"Are you that poison?" He asked with a steady voice, concentrating on his insides.
"The answer to that will become obvious in due time," the voice replied in a scratchy, uneven tone, "But before that, let me ask you… do you know what this forest is?"
Hearing the noise, Hua Yan felt like ripping his ears apart. The sound was unbearable and it felt as if he would be consumed by it if he tried to think about it too deeply. It hurt too much to interact with whatever was inside of him!
He immediately turned his focus away from the voice and focused on his surroundings instead.
This place was incomparably familiar to him. Even if he were blindfolded, he would still be able to tell where he was based on the scent emitted from the nearby flora and the feeling of the wind alone. That was how intimate he was with this place!
It was the unnamed forest outside of Gin Town! That was where he currently was.
"Yeahs, that is correct. This is indeed that place," the voice remarked, "Do you know what is special about here?"
Hua Yan didn't think that there was anything in particular that was special about this place. In fact, he was very puzzled as to why the voice was asking him this. Was there perhaps a deeper connection between this forest and his current situation?
But, that shouldn't be the case. This forest was as ordinary as forests could get. Hua Yan had spent enough of his life here to know that. This place had nothing significant about it compared to some of the better known forests. It was just a place where humans didn't reside in; it was the wilderness.
But, if there was something that he didn't know about, then the voice's question would make some sense.
"This forest is a Trial Grounds," the voice answered.
Hua Yan still did not understand what the voice was hinting at. He didn't understand what kind of an existence a Trial Grounds was. He had never before heard anyone mention this term before either.
The voice then started to snicker, hurting Hua Yan as it did.
"You've answered the Ashura's calling. The ritual is already complete."