138: Chapter 138 Extermination of the Clan! Zhang Wen Goes Berserk!

On this day, Zhang Wen had just woken up and started his morning exercise as usual.

However, an indescribable sense of stagnation permeated the air; his heart fluttered with an inexplicable panic, and he felt as if something were pressing down on his chest, making even his breathing heavier than usual.

"What's wrong today?" he whispered to himself, shaking his head in an attempt to dispel this groundless anxiety.

He habitually summoned the System interface, letting the clear data settle his mind.

[Points: 105,450] "Without even realizing it, I've actually accumulated a hundred thousand..." The numbers did indeed bring a sliver of comfort, and he began calculating what to exchange them for.

Suddenly, the space in front of him distorted without any warning, and a figure abruptly appeared!

This undefended sudden attack scared Zhang Wen so much his Soul Flew Away and Spirit Scattered; his whole body was like a frog hit by an electric shock, his limbs instantly going stiff and numb, his muscles and bones going limp, and his mind going completely blank!

Once he saw clearly who it was, his racing heart finally settled slightly, and he panted heavily.

"O-Old Marshal? It's you... Next time you grace me with your presence, could you give me a heads-up? So I can..."

Before he could finish, the words caught in his throat. The Old Marshal's face was as grim as still water, his eyes carrying a weight of a thousand tons; without allowing for a single question, he grabbed Zhang Wen by the arm.

The surrounding scenery suddenly blurred, and before the dizziness of the spatial displacement could fade, Zhang Wen found himself standing before the grand gates of the Ding Family.

"Old Marshal, why did you bring me here...?"

He rubbed his dazed forehead and asked subconsciously, but as soon as he looked up and met the Old Marshal's unprecedentedly solemn expression, all his questions turned into a cold unease that sank deep into his heart.

The Old Marshal took a deep breath, his voice dry and heavy, as if every word had been crushed before being spoken.

"Kid... the Ding Family has been exterminated."

Having said that, he let out another long sigh filled with a sense of powerlessness.

Zhang Wen looked as if he hadn't understood, his facial muscles twitching stiffly.

"Wha... what? Don't joke like that. The Ding Family has so many people and experts as numerous as clouds, how could it possibly..."

But his protest seemed pale and weak before the other man's expression.

Every wrinkle on the Old Marshal's face was etched with genuine sorrow and grimness.

The forced smile on Zhang Wen's face quickly crumbled and peeled away, revealing the pale disbelief beneath.

He stopped asking questions and, like a madman, suddenly turned and rushed through the wide-open vermilion gates.

In his mind, every little detail since meeting Ding Siyi—those vivid voices and smiles—surged up uncontrollably, each frame scorching his nerves.

The Old Marshal watched his stumbling figure as he ran off, his gaze heavy as he sighed softly, "Sigh, I hope this child... can make it through this."

As soon as he stepped through the gates, a strong scent of blood rushed at him.

What lay before him was no longer the bustling prosperity he remembered, but a tragic scene of corpses strewn everywhere and rivers of blood.

A deathly silence enveloped the entire manor, with only his footsteps and increasingly heavy breathing sounding exceptionally piercing.

Zhang Wen's emotions instantly burst their banks; the power of the Nine Heavens Tribulation Thunder within him sensed the host's overwhelming rage and sorrow, crackling uncontrollably around him and sending out dangerous arcs of electricity.

"Siyi! Siyi—!"

He shouted hoarsely, his voice carrying a tremor he hadn't even noticed himself.

With every familiar or unfamiliar corpse he saw lying on the ground, the panic and despair in his heart deepened, nearly swallowing him whole.

Finally, on the bluestone ground of the backyard, which was also stained blood-red, he saw that unforgettable, familiar figure.

In an instant, Zhang Wen felt all the strength drained from his body; his legs went weak, and he nearly collapsed to the ground.

He forced himself forward, stumbling, each step feeling like he was treading on knife points, as he lunged toward her.

Holding the dying Ding Siyi in his arms, Zhang Wen's voice trembled. When his fingertips touched the faint pulse at her neck, his heart felt as if it were being gripped hard by an invisible hand, and even breathing brought a pain like shards of glass.

Ding Siyi's white skirt had long been soaked through with dark red bloodstains; her eyes, which were usually filled with smiles, were now tightly closed, and her long eyelashes were still wet with unshed tears. Her dust-stained cheeks were as pale as fragile porcelain.

She struggled to open her eyes, and the moment she saw Zhang Wen, her dilated pupils suddenly focused. Her parched lips moved, emitting a voice as faint as a mosquito's buzz: "Zhang Wen... you're here..."

"I'm here! I've come!"

Zhang Wen held her tightly in his arms, his palm pressed against her cold back as he continuously transferred his spiritual power into her. But that spiritual power was like a stone sinking into the ocean, barely able to sustain her final breath.

He looked around; the rockery in the backyard had been split in two, black-purple bloodstains had congealed on the bluestone slabs, and several Begonia trees that Ding Siyi had once meticulously cared for were nearby.

At this moment, branches were broken and leaves had fallen, with charred black marks still remaining at the breaks.

"Who... who did this?"

Zhang Wen's voice was as low as muffled thunder before a storm, the veins at his temples throbbing violently.

The air around him distorted due to his violently churning emotions, and the light of the Nine Heavens Tribulation Thunder flickered faintly at the tips of his hair, crackling.

Ding Siyi weakly shook her head, her blood-stained fingers struggling to lift as if to touch Zhang Wen's cheek, only to fall back halfway.

Her gaze swept over the house servants lying in pools of blood nearby; those familiar faces were all silent now, and tears mixed with blood slid from the corners of her eyes.

"They... they suddenly burst in... wearing black cloaks... the blades in their hands..."

Her voice grew weaker and weaker, her chest heaving like a candle flickering in the wind.

"My father... my brother... they all stood in front of me... told me... told me to hide... but I..."

"Stop! Don't say any more!"

Zhang Wen interrupted her, his throat so choked he could hardly speak. He could imagine the carnage—how everyone in the Ding Family had used their bodies to build a defense, yet ultimately failed to stop that catastrophic disaster.

He remembered the first time he came to the Ding Family, when Old Master Ding had smilingly handed her a Candied hawthorn, and Ding Siyi's brother had patted his shoulder, telling him to take good care of his sister. Those vivid images had now turned into blades carving into his heart.

The Old Marshal stood at the courtyard entrance, watching this scene, his clouded eyes bloodshot.

The several generals following behind him all lowered their heads, not daring to look at the bloody scene; one of the younger ones couldn't help but turn away, secretly wiping his eyes with his sleeve.

The early morning sunlight filtered down through the sparse clouds, falling upon the corpses that covered the ground and reflecting a cold light. The air was thick with the heavy scent of blood and burning, and even the wind carried a bone-chilling coldness.

"Zhang Wen!"

The Old Marshal's voice carried an unmistakable exhaustion. "We have already sealed off the scene. Preliminary investigations suggest it was the work of the Soul Devouring Hall; only they could exterminate a whole family overnight."

He paused, his heavy gaze falling on Ding Siyi.

"Only because the Ding girl was hidden in a secret compartment in the rockery did she luckily manage to keep a breath of life."

Ding Siyi suddenly coughed violently, the blood foam she spat out splattering onto Zhang Wen's lapel like blossoming red plum blossoms of despair.

She gripped Zhang Wen's sleeve tightly, her eyes filled with a final plea: "Zhang Wen... promise me... you must... for my father... for them... take revenge!"

"I promise you! I will!"

Zhang Wen's voice was hoarse, his tears finally bursting forth and falling hot onto Ding Siyi's face.

"Hold on! I'll take you to find the best doctor, you'll be fine!"

But Ding Siyi only gave a weak smile, one filled with both acceptance and reluctance. "Don't be silly... I know... I can't hold on..."

Her breathing became more and more rapid, her gaze gradually dilating. "Do you remember... the place where we first met? It... was so beautiful..."

Her voice was as light as a feather, her final words dissipating in the wind. The hand gripping Zhang Wen's sleeve completely lost its strength and fell away.

Those eyes that were always filled with smiles closed forever.