My grandfather was one of the most powerful warriors in the Beamon Legion of the Orc race. Nearly eighty or ninety years ago, he single-handedly killed a dragon with his bare hands, thus earning glorious titles such as the First Warrior of the Orcs and the First Warrior of the Beamon. Standing at over five meters tall, he had few rivals across the entire continent at that time.
In order to resist the might of the humans, the Orc race carried out a series of intermarriages with the Demon race. My grandfather was one of those involved in these political marriages. Through this union, he married the daughter of one of the Demon Emperor's concubines, who was my grandmother.
My grandmother was the person I was closest to in this world. If she were still alive, she would be eighty-five years old this year. She was the kindest person to me. At the age of sixteen, she married my grandfather, who was already in his forties. She often told me that she was a victim of politics.
Obviously, marrying into the Orc nation was not her own will. However, fortunately she did, because without her, there would be no me.
My father was my grandfather's only son and inherited my grandfather's excellent bloodline. He was also over five meters tall. Even now, his arm is thicker than my waist.
Before he turned eighteen, my father was already invincible among the Orcs. He had a violent and ferocious personality, possessing formidable strength. He is the current First Warrior of the Beamon, the commander of the Beamon Legion, and a veritable Beamon King. Under his leadership, the Orcs haven't suffered any significant losses in battles over the past few decades. Therefore, among the Orcs, my father's reputation is no less than that of the Orc Emperor.
Due to his noble status, he naturally has numerous concubines. And I was born to him and a human woman he captured. Among his four sons, I am the youngest and was once the son he liked the least. My mother was a very tragic woman. No one knew her origin. Although she was not yet forty years old, she looked extremely aged. Wrinkles and white hair that shouldn't have appeared were already familiar to her.
Only from her silhouette could one tell that she must have been a beauty when she was young. She hated my father and loathed him. Similarly, she also hated me because I was the son born to her as a result of my father's rape.
She had never truly received my father's favor and had endured the exclusion and bullying of other concubines.
It was not until four years ago, when I rose to power, that my mother finally had a house of her own. She rarely spoke, and every time I saw her cold eyes, I felt a chill in my heart.
I am sixteen years old this year, a hybrid of the Orc, Demon, and Human races, and the deputy commander of the Beamon Legion. Standing at two meters tall, the characteristics of a human are most prominent in me. In the eyes of others, I am definitely a handsome young man of the human race. If it weren't for my strong body like that of a Beamon Behemoth and my innate divine power, no one would believe that I am an Orc.
I hate my father because he made my mother suffer so much; I hate my father because it was his actions that led to my grandmother's death. Although my grandmother's death brought me the glory I have today, I don't want it. I only want my grandmother, who doted on me, loved me, and pitied me.
Four years ago, I was bullied by everyone. No one was kind to me. Behind my father's back, they all called me a bastard. Except for my eldest brother, who treated me with a normal attitude, everyone said that I was my father's worst son.
My life was even worse than that of some servants. At that time, only my grandmother would dote on me. She often made delicious food for me and accompanied me, leaving a trace of warmth in my young heart.
My grandmother's death was the greatest pain in my life. That day...
"Lei Xiang, come here. Grandma has made your favorite braised chicken wings," my grandmother's kind voice rang out.
"Coming!" I quickly ran to the kitchen, and the rich aroma of the meat wafted towards me. "Grandma, I love you so much!"
"Silly boy, eat quickly." With a smile, the wrinkles on my grandmother's face gathered together, and the marks of time were so obvious on her.
I picked up a chicken wing and quickly ran outside. While eating, I jumped around in the yard.
Because my grandmother liked peace and quiet, she didn't live in the family compound. And since no one cared about me, I moved out with her.
It's very difficult to find such a place in the Orc nation. The Orcs value the law of the jungle above all else, and every Orc could potentially become the prey of another.
Of course, no Orc would be stupid enough to come near our house to look for food, so it could be so peaceful here.
A deep voice sounded behind me: "Lei Xiang, where's your grandmother?"
Hearing this voice, I shuddered all over. Five tall figures stood behind me, blocking the bright sunlight. In the middle was my father. It turned out that he had come to visit my grandmother. He was followed by four Beamon guards.
My father didn't have a good relationship with my grandmother. Although the Orc and Demon races were in an alliance, my father always looked down on the Demon race. He often said that only the members of the Fallen Angel Battle Group had some real ability, and the rest of the Demons were just good-for-nothings. And my father worshipped strength the most. Naturally, he didn't care about someone as weak as my grandmother, who couldn't even lift a finger.
Among the Orcs, women could only be vassals of men. He rarely paid attention to my grandmother, so why did he come here today?
I said in a low voice, "Grandma is in the house." I was truly afraid of my father.
When my father saw my timid appearance, his anger flared up. He slapped the chicken wing out of my hand and roared, "What kind of behavior is this? Is this what my son should be like? I don't have a cowardly son like you!"
Looking at the chicken wing covered in dirt, tears welled up in my eyes involuntarily.
My father slapped me to the ground and shouted, "All you know is how to cry! Look at you, this puny figure of yours is just like your dead mother's. Your brothers could tear tigers and leopards apart with their bare hands at your age. But what about you? You can't even kill a chicken!" As he spoke, he stomped hard on the chicken wing at his feet.
My grandmother heard the commotion outside and rushed out. Seeing me fall, she immediately frowned. She helped me up while saying to my father, "What are you doing? It's rare for you to come here. Why are you hitting Xiang'er?"
My father snorted coldly and said in a gruff voice, "It's none of your business. Men, take this little wretch back and let the second son teach him a good lesson!" The second son referred to my second brother, Lei Hu. If that happened, I would probably be severely punished, as my second brother Lei Hu was known for his hot temper.
My grandmother shielded me behind her and said, "Forget it. Don't make things difficult for the child."
My father dodged and grabbed me from behind my grandmother, throwing me to one of his subordinates. He said to my grandmother, "I'm disciplining my son. It's none of your concern. I just happened to pass by this time. If you want to live a few more years, don't meddle in other people's affairs." With that, he turned to leave.
My grandmother's face turned red with anger, and she shouted, "Lei Ao, is this how you talk to your mother?"
As she spoke, my grandmother rushed towards the Beamon guard who had grabbed me, trying to take me back. But how could her small and weak body compare to that of a powerful Beamon? The Beamon guard just casually shrugged her off, and poor grandmother's back hit a big rock directly. With a "whoosh," blood spurted out of her mouth.
It was as if a cold wind blew by, and my heart instantly turned ice-cold. Waves of chill swept over me.
I let out a loud cry, "Grandma!" With my fierce struggle, my innate divine power finally burst out. A twelve-year-old child like me actually broke free from the grasp of a Beamon.
I rushed to my grandmother's side, picked up her body, and cried out, "Grandma, grandma, how are you? Dad, please save grandma. I'm begging you!"
My grandmother's face was deathly pale. She held my hand and said weakly, "Don't beg him. Let's go back to the house."
The Beamon guard who had thrown my grandmother down knelt on one knee. He glanced at my grandmother and then turned to my father and said, "King Lei Ao, I..."
My father glanced at my grandmother and said indifferently, "Forget it. If she dies, she dies. Living to such an old age isn't exactly dying young. Go back and send someone to bring some money to bury her." In his eyes, my grandmother was obviously less important than a Beamon warrior.
Hatred and anger burned my eyes red. I let out a furious roar to the sky, and all the blood in my body boiled. I suddenly felt a rush of heat in my head and charged like a mad bull towards the murderer who had killed my grandmother.
The Beamon guard was stunned for a moment at first, and then he raised his single hand to try to block my attack. My eyes were blood-red, and even my originally light green hair turned dark red. My speed was more than five times faster than usual. With a "bang," I actually knocked the Beamon guard, who was twice as tall as me, flying.
I didn't stop. My body followed the flying enemy. My small fist slammed heavily into his stomach. The most unexpected thing happened.
My fist actually pierced through the Beamon guard's extremely sturdy skin. He let out a wild roar and brought his hands down from above. I instinctively raised my other hand.
Just like that, in mid-air, our three hands, which were so disproportionately sized, met, making a sound like hitting old leather.
My hand didn't break. With my small and weak body, I actually blocked this blow. But my feet had already sunk deep into the ground.
"Ah! Kill..." With a loud roar, my whole body trembled. An astonishing aura exploded from me, making the surrounding leaves and grass rustle. With a "bang," the Beamon guard's torso, with the fist I had inserted as the center, exploded into a hole half a meter in diameter. It was clear that he couldn't survive.
Blood splattered all over me, and his internal organs flowed out of the bloody hole, looking like a rotten watermelon, with nothing intact. The Beamon guard's tall body slowly fell backward, while I stood there motionless, and my hair gradually turned green again.
All of this happened in an instant. My father and the other three guards were all stunned by this extraordinary change.
My father murmured, "Lei Xiang has gone berserk. Lei Xiang has actually gone berserk! No Beamon has been able to go berserk for a hundred years." Even with my father's great strength, he couldn't go berserk. A berserk Beamon could quickly increase his strength several times over.
"King Lei Ao, what should we do?" one of the guards asked.
My father wasn't saddened by the guard's death. Instead, with an excited look on his face, he said, "Take Lei Xiang away. He's already exhausted. Find a place to bury your comrade. As for that old woman, just let her fend for herself."
I don't know how much time had passed before I gradually came to my senses.
"Grandma, grandma, how are you?" I was extremely weak all over, in great pain, especially my left hand, which felt like it was splitting open, sending waves of intense pain. It lay quietly beside my body, and I couldn't muster the slightest bit of strength in it.
I found myself in my own room in my father's mansion. I struggled to get up and walked out of the room, leaning against the wall. It was pitch black outside, just like my gloomy mood. Ah, it was already night, and I didn't know how my grandmother was doing.
Just as I was about to step out of the door, a wave of weakness hit me, and I swayed and fell to the ground.
"Lei Xiang, why did you get out of bed? Come on, go back and rest." A tall figure entered the room and picked me up in his arms.
I opened my eyes and saw that it was my eldest brother, Lei Long, the only Beamon who had a decent relationship with me.
"Big brother, I'm begging you. Take me to see grandma quickly. She's dying," I said with tears streaming down my face.
My eldest brother looked at the sky and nodded. "Okay, but you must be back before dawn."
"Okay, okay. Let's go quickly!" I would do anything as long as I could go to save my grandmother.
My eldest brother, with his powerful body nearly five meters tall, picked me up as easily as picking up a withered grass. Soon, we arrived at my grandmother's house under the cover of night.
"Grandma!" I shouted mournfully. My grandmother was still lying in the same place.
My eldest brother put me down, and I crawled over to my grandmother's side and picked up her thin upper body. The dew had already soaked through her clothes. I shook her. "Grandma, wake up, wake up!"
My grandmother's dry and chapped lips moved, and her eyes slowly opened. When she saw it was me, she smiled slightly and tried to reach out to stroke my head, but she was too weak to do so. Her hand only lifted halfway before falling back down.
"Child, you came back to see grandma after all. Grandma didn't love you in vain. Cough, cough..." My grandmother coughed up some blood foam.
I grabbed my grandmother's hand and pressed it against my face, crying, "Grandma, don't talk. Take a rest first. You'll be okay."
My grandmother smiled bitterly and said, "Silly child, grandma knows her own body. Help grandma back to the house."
I don't know where I got the strength from, but I actually managed to hold my grandmother up and staggered back into the house. My eldest brother sensibly didn't follow.
I laid my grandmother on the bed, and I myself lay gasping for breath beside the bed.
My grandmother gently stroked my head and looked at me kindly. She said intermittently, "Xiang'er, what grandma... worries about the most... is you. You have to promise grandma... to be a... strong person... and live well. Don't... blame your father too much. The Orc race is like this... They only value strength... and have no sense of family affection."
Tears had already soaked through my clothes. I held my grandmother's wrinkled hand tightly and sobbed, "Grandma, don't say any more. You'll be okay. You will definitely be okay!"
My grandmother trembled as she took out a thin booklet from under the pillow and handed it to me. A flush appeared on her face. "This is a copy of the Heavenly Demon Art, a treasure of the Demon race... I stole it back then... to take revenge. Only those with the royal blood of the Demon race... can learn it. You have to study it well... Once you learn it... you can transform into a Fallen Angel... Only... the strong... can survive... Don't let your father... know..."
I wailed, "Grandma, grandma!" The sound pierced through the roof tiles. I casually put the booklet into my arms and then fainted.
When I woke up, I was back in my own room again. My eldest brother was by my side. When he saw me wake up, he said to me, "I've already buried grandma. Don't worry. Come on, eat something."
At this moment, I felt that nothing was important anymore. The only person I could rely on in my life had left. What was the point of living alone? My eyes were empty, and I stared blankly at the wall.
A loud bang came from outside. My eldest brother frowned and said, "What a loud thunderclap. It seems there's going to be a heavy rain."
Despite my injuries, I walked out of the door in a daze. Big raindrops started to fall patter. Gradually, the rain became heavier and heavier, constantly washing over my body. In the hazy rain, I seemed to see my grandmother's kind face again. I lunged forward, but I caught nothing but air. My eldest brother quickly helped me up, covered in mud and water, and dragged me back into the room.
Just like that, I muddled through seven days. During that time, I only survived because my father force-fed me food.
Later, I came to my senses. My grandmother's words before she died became my endless motivation— "You have to promise grandma,... to be a... strong person..." "Only... the strong... can survive" I must become a strong person, a peerless strong person.
Because of my special ability to go berserk, I have won my father's great attention. Since then, he has personally guided me in my cultivation. I am no longer the naive child I used to be. Nothing can change my determination to become a peerless strong person. From then on, I buried my hatred deep in my heart.
My father passed on to me his most prized skill, the Heavenly Thunder Armor Removal. This is a type of technique similar to battle qi, mainly focusing on defense. Our Beamon race is naturally born with strong physical attack and physical defense abilities, and we also have a high resistance to magic. In order to better utilize this advantage, our ancestors created this set of Heavenly Thunder Armor Removal technique, which mainly regulates the body's functions to make the defensive power more perfect. When cultivated to a certain level, it can generate a defensive field similar to a battle qi shield.
If a human were to cultivate the Heavenly Thunder Armor Removal, it would at most be a second or third-rate technique. But when we Beamon cultivate it, the effect is completely different. Back then, my grandfather was able to withstand a blow from a Dragon Knight with the powerful defensive power of the Heavenly Thunder Armor Removal, which gave him the opportunity to kill the Dragon Knight and his dragon and establish immortal
The Heavenly Thunder Armor Removal is divided into three stages. The first stage is from the inside out, somewhat similar to the cultivation of ordinary battle qi. Through meditation, it enhances physical fitness, improves the body's immunity, and gradually changes the physical state. My father said that the first stage of this technique is of vital importance. In essence, it is a process of being reborn. It took me more than four years to just complete this stage. When I was in the second year of cultivation, my extraordinary talent gradually emerged. Although I am short in stature, my strength is in no way inferior to that of any Beamon of my age, and I even surpass them in some aspects. Now, with my strength combined with the transformation brought about by the cultivation of the Heavenly Thunder Armor Removal, my strength is now almost on par with that of my elder brothers.
The second stage involves applying the gradually formed qi outside the body to create a protective shield that can withstand various attacks. Currently, I have just started this stage.
The third stage is actually an enhancement of the second stage. That is, when the battle qi reaches a certain level, it can be used to attack the enemy. My father has already completed this stage. He is so powerful that within a range of ten meters, he can blast off anyone's head with the Heavenly Thunder Armor Removal. Even Dragon Knights, if their number is insufficient, cannot pose a threat to him.
Due to my rapid progress, I have now been promoted by my father to the position of deputy commander of the Beamon Legion, on equal footing with my elder brothers. In fact, I'm just holding the title in name. All the power is in the hands of my elder brothers. I just need to concentrate on my cultivation every day. Since I have no interest in commanding the army, I am naturally glad to be at leisure.
During the day, I focus on cultivating the Heavenly Thunder Armor Removal, and at night is a good time for me to practice the Heavenly Demon Art. Compared with the Heavenly Thunder Armor Removal, the Heavenly Demon Art is much more obscure and difficult to understand, and it is extremely hard to decipher. The Heavenly Demon Art cannot be completely regarded as a martial art, nor can it be completely regarded as magic. Instead, it is a technique that combines magic and martial arts.
The Heavenly Demon Art is divided into a total of nine levels, which are further divided into three layers, with three levels in each layer. It is extremely difficult to advance to each level. Of course, behind the difficulty lies a significant improvement in strength. Each time a layer is advanced, there will be completely new changes, achieving a qualitative leap. According to the book, when the third level of the first layer is broken through, one can transform into a Fallen Angel. After the transformation, all aspects of one's abilities will double, becoming a two-winged Fallen Angel, which is the backbone force of the Demon race now. After completing the transformation into a Fallen Angel, the cultivator will gradually become a master of dark magic, and the cultivation level of dark magic will be greatly improved. When the sixth level of the second layer is reached, one will mutate into a four-winged Fallen Angel. Currently, only the Demon Emperor and his personal guard captain of the Demon race have such strength. And the ninth level of the third layer is an unreachable realm. Only the legendary Great Demon God Lucifer has ever achieved it, becoming a six-winged Fallen Angel. The copy of the technique that my grandmother gave me does not contain the cultivation method for the last layer.
To my shame, after four years of practice, I have just entered the second level. Since I started practicing the Heavenly Demon Art, I have found that I increasingly like to be alone. I feel disgusted whenever I see a large crowd, and I especially like to wear black clothes. The dark power cultivated from the Heavenly Demon Art is indeed an extremely powerful force. However, every time I use it, I feel that my heart becomes even colder. Now, I am already able to use some simple dark magic with the dark power, such as mesmerization, corrosion, and so on. The dark magic power cultivated from the Heavenly Demon Art is much more powerful and purer than the dark magic cultivated by ordinary dark magicians, and the risk is relatively smaller (there is a risk of backlash when using dark attribute magic). It's just that the cultivation is really too difficult (this is my personal experience).
It was night again. I sat cross-legged on the bed alone, condensing the dark power in my body. The surrounding darkness seemed to be my best friend, constantly providing me with dark energy. I spent two hours guiding that icy dark magic power to circulate through my meridians according to the mental method of the second layer of the Heavenly Demon Art. Every time it completed a full cycle, I could seem to feel that the magic power had increased slightly, but this progress was really too slow, just like a snail crawling, which made me anxious.
Slowly exhaling the turbid air accumulated in my body, I got up from the bed. I looked out the window. The bright moonlight shed a silvery white glow, but for some reason, it unexpectedly aroused a deep sense of loneliness in my heart at this moment. I was shocked and thought to myself, could it be that there was an error in my cultivation of the Heavenly Demon Art today? So I calmed down and carefully recalled every step of my cultivation just now and the trajectory of every trace of the magic power's operation, but I didn't find anything wrong.
I leaped out of the room nimbly and came to the courtyard. I looked around cautiously. After confirming that there was no one around, my figure flashed, and I quickly left the house like a black shadow, running towards the wilderness outside the city. At home, I always feel like a bird trapped in a cage. Only in this vast world can I feel at ease. The cold night wind carried dewdrops and gently brushed against my clothes, bringing a refreshing and icy sensation, as if it could sweep away the haze in my heart. At the same time, the dark magic power in my body seemed to be stimulated by the external environment and spontaneously accelerated its operation.
In an instant, I felt a surging of power throughout my body. It was as if there was an infinite force raging inside me, desperately seeking an outlet to release. This feeling became more and more intense, making it difficult for me to hold back. I suddenly stepped forward with my left foot, took a big step, and then pushed hard on the ground. With a "whoosh" sound, my whole body shot up into the air like an arrow leaving the bow. Then, I gathered all my strength in my right fist. Accompanied by a low roar, with a "poof" sound, I slammed it heavily towards the ground.
This punch contained all my strength and emotions. In an instant, dense cracks appeared on the ground within a one-meter radius. Then, a deafening "boom" sounded, and a half-meter-deep pit was blasted out on the ground. Taking advantage of the powerful rebound force, I floated lightly to the side. Looking at the astonishing result in front of me, all the unhappiness in my heart seemed to be released with this punch, and I suddenly felt much more relaxed. I gasped for breath, and that inexplicable restlessness had vanished without a trace before I knew it.
Just as I turned around and was about to go back, suddenly, a strong sense of crisis welled up from the bottom of my heart. Since I started practicing the Heavenly Demon Art, my senses have become extremely sharp, and my perception of danger is far beyond that of ordinary people. I instinctively circulated the magic power throughout my body, activated all my meridians, and clenched my fists tightly. I shouted vigilantly in a deep voice, "Who's there? Come out!"
In response to me, there was only an overwhelming amount of vigor. A huge fist, wrapped in a fierce gust of wind, approached from a distance and quickly grew larger in my field of vision. This gust of vigor was extremely powerful, making the surrounding plants rustle, as if it were going to flatten everything. I felt as if I had instantly become a wild beast trapped in a desperate situation. The intense crisis was like a sharp blade hanging over my head. But I didn't flinch. The tenacious character cultivated by my hardships since childhood made me burst out with amazing fighting spirit at this moment. I lowered my waist and took a stable stance, stepping forward with my left foot. With a powerful "hey" from my mouth, I threw all my strength into it and slammed heavily towards the opponent's fist.
This is the way of fighting taught by my father. He once said that with the powerful strength of our Beamon race, engaging in a head-on confrontation with the enemy and breaking through with brute force is the best way to exert our strength. All those fancy techniques are nothing but illusory and useless things in the face of absolute strength. Overpowering ten skills with one's strength is the magic weapon for our victory. At this moment, I kept my father's teachings in mind and gathered all my strength in this punch, engaging in a thrilling head-on battle with the approaching enemy.