Chapter 136: The Evil Amethyst

The surrounding walls collapsed one after another, and rubble rained down, threatening to bury Wujue and Xue'er alive. Relying on his formidable physique, Wujue struggled to shield himself and fend off the falling debris. Just as he was about to escape, a sudden feeling of oppression gripped his chest, and for no apparent reason, his limbs turned weak.

During a moment of hesitation, a slab of masonry crashed down, striking him squarely in the back. Under normal circumstances, his "Golden Bell Shield" technique would have rendered such a blow harmless. Yet, at this moment, Wujue felt like a defenseless child; he became dizzy and disoriented, collapsing to the ground. As more debris fell, half of his body was buried in the wreckage, and he lost consciousness.

In a hazy, semi-conscious state, he felt a sharp pain in his head, as if someone were calling to him. He opened his eyes slightly to find Xue'er crouching before him, asking with a blank expression, "Are you awake? Can't even this kill you?"

Wujue involuntarily forced a difficult smile. "Do you wish for me to die that badly?"

Xue'er feigned innocence. "I thought you wouldn't survive, and that would mean you were useless!"

She maintained her cute, smiling face as she picked up a rock from the ground and struck the back of Wujue's head, blow after blow. The pain seared into his mind, etched deep into his soul. After what felt like an eternity, he lost all consciousness. He heard a string of silver-bell-like laughter drifting away, and he could no longer open his eyes.

Such a life was truly detestable. Wujue felt no sharp pain in his heart, only a profound confusion: why had his martial prowess vanished in an instant? Was this fate? Had he been doing everything wrong all these days?

In the midst of his bewilderment, a blinding light flickered before his eyes. He seemed to see a cluster of purple crystals glowing faintly ahead, illuminating him and stirring his heart into a frenzy. Wujue could not help but harbor a wicked thought: this was a world of "the strong prey on the weak," where only those who seized opportunities and were cruel and ruthless enough could survive.

Suddenly, as if re-energized, he snapped his eyes open. Amidst the ruined walls, a purple crystal was shimmering. It was this crystal that had influenced his thoughts, awakening the devil sleeping within him. As if all his strength had returned, Wujue crawled toward the crystal, regaining more of his power with every inch.

Finally, he stood up, cradled the crystal in his hands, and a brilliant, sinister smile bloomed on his face. "From now on, I will never have any reservations again. I will only do what I want to do!" He raised the purple crystal high and laughed maniacally toward the sky. "Forgive me, Buddha, but I, Wujue, am about to descend completely into the bowels of hell."

In an instant, a vast amount of purple energy surged from the crystal, wrapping around every part of Wujue’s body. The immense power caused his wounds to heal slowly, until he was as good as new. Wujue touched his body with satisfaction; even the hair he had lost years ago had grown back. The monastic scars on his head were gone. Wujue smoothed his hair, hid the crystal, and prepared to return to the farm to embrace a brand-new life. Of course, if he happened to run into that runaway Xue'er on the road, who knew what unexpected things might happen?

Wujue tidied up the surroundings, searched the corpses of the men he had killed, took their ammunition and daggers, and concealed them on his person. Only then did he leave the alley and head toward the street. The earlier commotion had drawn more zombies toward the area. Without hesitation, Wujue drew his pistol and launched a massacre, gunning down over a dozen zombies while charging forward with a wild, maniacal laugh.

As he sprinted frantically down the main road, he caught a glimpse of a woman screaming in a shop by the roadside. Wujue couldn't help but glance over, only to see Xue'er being tackled to the ground by several zombies, who were tearing into her flesh.

In the past, his "saintly" nature would have driven him to rush over and save her. After all, she was just a little girl; shouldn't she be given a second chance?

No! If it were him, what would happen? Would others spare him because of his past kindness and good deeds?

Wujue smiled wickedly and simply watched as Xue'er was torn apart by the zombies, eventually evolving into one of their kind. He watched as that small figure stood up once more, the blood and filth failing to hide her mutated face, which growled and snarled.

"Roar—roar—" Primitive desires drove her, along with the other zombies, to seek out living humans to fill their bellies. This was the cruel reality: once mutation occurred, there was no turning back.

Wujue stared at the few zombies lunging toward him, silently raised his gun, and ended each with a single headshot. Finally, only the newly mutated Xue'er remained. Her features had not yet fully evolved into those of a typical zombie, and as she drew closer, a trace of her former innocence could still be seen on her mangled cheeks. However, with every roar she let out, that remnant of purity vanished.

Wujue silently raised his gun and aimed at her forehead. "I'm sorry, goodbye! This is your own choice."

With a single bang, the body collapsed to the ground.

On his way back alone, Wujue met up with the men who had accompanied him. They had been terrified; after losing track of Wujue, they had retreated to the city outskirts and dared not approach the city center. Seeing their state, Wujue couldn't help but curse, "What a bunch of cowards! How do you expect to survive in this apocalypse like this? It seems you all need more training!"

The men reacted, rushing forward and saying, "Boss, you scared us to death! Are you alright? What about the little girl, Xue'er?"

Wujue waved his hand, sighed, and said, "Of course I'm fine. Xue'er wouldn't listen to me, and she was bitten to death by zombies. Let's talk about it when we get back."

He led the group back to the farm in a hurry. Once there, Wujue summoned Old He to ask about the current situation in the vicinity of Ning City and the locations of other survivors. Old He explained that besides their group in the East Suburbs, there was the South Suburb's South China Gang and a group in the West Suburbs. The South China Gang was the hardest to deal with, as they were a branch of a large organization from the South China region and possessed significant strength. As for the group in the West Suburbs, they appeared to be former soldiers and bodyguards protecting several high-ranking city officials; they generally did not interfere in the disputes of other factions. It was said that because these officials held access to vital resources in Ning City—enough to support them for a lifetime—they remained content and isolated.

Mentioning this, Old He couldn't help but look envious. After all, who wouldn't envy those who could secure abundant supplies? The key was that they had bodyguards and mercenaries for protection, not something mere thugs like them could easily approach.

Hearing this, Wujue realized that the men he had killed earlier must have belonged to that group. It seemed he would need to find an opportunity to probe the South China Gang in the South Suburbs and strike first before they discovered he had killed their men.

He sent Old He away to prepare everything so he could scout out the situation. Wujue already had a comprehensive plan forming in his mind for what to do next.