28. Path To Insanity
The Lin Family Courtyard
The Lin family courtyard was an expanse of grandeur and history, its vast stone-paved ground stretching beneath the open night sky, bathed in the eerie glow of moonlight. Majestic cherry blossom trees lined the perimeter, their petals swaying gently in the night breeze, creating an almost deceptive tranquility. At the center stood a towering statue—a testament to the Lin family's legacy. It was a massive stone effigy of the first patriarch, Lin Xuan, his expression fierce, as if even in death he watched over the family with unwavering dominance. The statue's stone robes seemed to ripple, and the massive sword in its grip was carved to resemble a weapon that had long since been lost to history.
Lin Feng's steps echoed across the courtyard as he advanced, his long sleeves concealing his grotesque mantis-like arms. His mind seethed with resentment, thoughts of his father swirling like a storm within him. The whispers of maids and butlers reached his ears, mocking and deriding him. He had tolerated it long enough. With a single wave of his mutated hand, the sharp limb slashed through the air, a piercing shriek following as a maid's body was split in two, her mangled flesh hitting the stone floor with a sickening squelch.
Screams erupted as the scent of blood filled the courtyard. Servants fled, their panicked footsteps echoing as the massacre unfolded. But before the blood could even cool on the ancient stones, three elders appeared in a blur of movement, their imposing figures now standing between Lin Feng and the entrance to the main hall.
Lin Bai, an elder from the House of Vipers, was the first to speak, his voice laced with venom. "How dare you, forgotten child of the Lin family, desecrate these sacred grounds with such slaughter?"
"What do you expect from a fallen disgrace?" Lin Mai sneered, her short sword glinting under the lantern light. "A beast can only succumb to slaughter."
Lin Feng met their gazes, utterly unfazed, his expression eerily calm. He wiped the blood from his lips with the back of his sleeve, then spoke in an even tone, "I am not here for you. Tell me where my father is, and I will leave."
The third elder, a mysterious man clad in a black cloak, remained silent, merely watching. His eyes bore into Lin Feng, sensing the arrogance that radiated from his bones. Something had changed in this boy.
Lin Bai and Lin Mai wasted no time, their figures vanishing in a blur as they lunged. Lin Bai, dagger in hand, flickered through the air, appearing behind Lin Feng in an instant. Lin Mai, a warrior of the House of Mantis, came from the front, her short sword poised for the kill.
But Lin Feng did not flinch.
With a cold glint in his eye, he revealed his mantis-like arms, the chitinous blades gleaming under the moonlight. The moment Lin Bai's dagger neared, Lin Feng's arms lashed out with inhuman speed, slicing through the air with a sharp whistle. Lin Bai barely twisted his head in time, the deadly strike missing his throat by a hair's breadth. He staggered back eight steps, eyes wide with shock.
Lin Mai was not as fortunate. One of Lin Feng's bladed limbs embedded deep into her shoulder, tearing through flesh and bone with brutal efficiency. But she was not weak. Gritting her teeth, she gathered her spiritual energy, her hand glowing as she prepared to strike at the protruding limb.
Lin Feng noticed instantly. With a flick of his arm, he sent her crashing into the courtyard wall. The impact shattered the stone, cracks spider-webbing from the force.
A moment of silence. Then, with terrifying speed, Lin Feng lunged again. This time, his eyes were locked onto Lin Mai—his prey. His lips curled into something that wasn't quite a smile, a hunger gleaming in his gaze. Lin Mai struggled to rise, but the moment she did, Lin Feng was upon her, his teeth bared as if to devour her flesh.
Lin Bai, watching in horror, dashed forward. "How can he change so much? How is he overpowering two peak Commander realms?" The thoughts raced through his mind as he moved. With precise calculation, he delivered a powerful kick to Lin Feng's neck, sending him sprawling across the courtyard. The force cracked several tiles, dust rising in the air.
Lin Feng's vision darkened for a moment. And then—a voice slithered into his mind.
"So weak... Won't you taste their flesh? Show them you are not weak."
Lin Feng was suddenly elsewhere—a void, cold and suffocating. Before him loomed a colossal mantis figure, its bladed limbs gleaming with eerie light.
"You mock me," Lin Feng growled, glaring up at the beast.
The mantis spirit chittered in amusement. "I have only ever spoken the truth. You are nothing."
Lin Feng's fists clenched. "Then I will prove you wrong."
The beast laughed, its voice reverberating through the void. "Then consume. Let the hunger guide you."
The moment Lin Feng's eyes snapped open, his instincts sharpened. A newfound clarity coursed through him.
Lin Bai blurred forward, his dagger slicing through the air. Lin Feng countered with brutal precision, his mantis limbs intercepting each strike with eerie ease. But Lin Bai was relentless, landing three precise blows—one to Lin Feng's ribs, another to his elbow, and a final deep cut across his abdomen.
Lin Feng staggered, but then he laughed—a low, chilling sound that sent shivers down Lin Bai's spine.
In the next instant, Lin Feng vanished.
Lin Bai barely had time to react before he saw it—Lin Mai was the target.
Lin Bai shouted, but it was too late. Lin Feng materialized behind Lin Mai, his mantis arms slashing. In an instant, her right arm was severed, the flesh and bone separating in a grotesque spray of blood. Lin Mai let out a guttural scream as she fell to her knees, clutching the stump where her arm had been.
Lin Feng lifted the severed limb, his gaze hungry. The scent of blood, the warmth of flesh—his instincts howled. Without hesitation, he bit into it, tearing flesh with a sickening rip.
Lin Bai's breath hitched. His stomach lurched violently, bile rising in his throat. His hands trembled as he gripped his dagger, the weight of fear creeping into his bones. He had seen brutality before, but this... this was something else.
Lin Mai stared at Lin Feng, her expression frozen in disbelief. A second passed, then another. Then, her horror twisted into something else—something deeper, something primal. Her breathing grew ragged, her body shaking, not just from pain but from sheer, consuming rage.
"HOW DARE YOU?!" she shrieked, her voice raw. "I have been brought to this pitiful state, and you DARE to consume my flesh?!"
Lin Bai clenched his dagger, his knuckles white. He turned to the cloaked elder, his expression desperate.
The man sighed, rubbing his temple. His gaze lingered on Lin Feng for a moment longer, unreadable. Was he impressed? Disgusted? Or simply tired of the Lin family's endless cycle of bloodshed?
"Hah… so I really have to step in?"
Then, in an instant, he was gone.