Shackles of Humanity

The man in the hat straightened his clothes and extended a hand. "My name is Gao Fei, and I’m Mr. Li’s student. You and Mr. Li are sworn brothers, so I should really call you ’Uncle.’ However, you’re probably younger than I am, so I’ll just call you Junior Brother Luo."

Luo Kai remained unmoved and said icily, "Where is Li Gui? Have him come see me."

Gao Fei awkwardly retracted his hand. "Heh heh... Junior Brother Luo, I’ll be frank with you. Mr. Li needs your help with something important. He felt he couldn’t bring it up himself, so as his student, I have to step in."

Luo Kai suppressed his rage. ’Looks like Li Gui played me.’ His eyes darted around, taking in the small room. There were no windows, only the main door. ’No doubt it’s crawling with soldiers on the other side.’

Gao Fei lowered his head, choosing his words for a moment before speaking in a low voice, "Junior Brother Luo, you’re no ordinary person, and we have no intention of prying into your secrets. However, High-Level Gene Potions are exceedingly rare. Only the Dongyuan Royal Family and the Direct Disciples of Top Level clans ever get to use them. While we South Sea Pirates have some power, such things are an unattainable dream for us... My apologies, let’s not talk about that. Ahem... Junior Brother Luo, you probably also know that when Mr. Li was imprisoned on Nanya Island years ago, he had to use a life-draining Secret Technique to survive. As a result, his lifespan was greatly reduced. Now, he only has one or two years left to live. *Sigh*!"

Luo Kai’s brow twitched. "If that’s the case, why doesn’t he just find a quiet place to live out his days? It’d be better than getting mixed up in your disputes."

Gao Fei heaved a long sigh. "Mr. Li is a genius of his generation. For him to die prematurely would be a great tragedy for the entire Human Race. Besides, even an ant clings to life. As his student, it’s my duty to do everything I can."

He then stared at Luo Kai, his face a mask of fanaticism. "Rumor has it that High-Level Gene Potions contain immense Active Energy! Users undergo a transformation so profound it’s like being reborn. Their intelligence sharpens, and their physique becomes comparable to a Fierce Beast’s. More critically, a High-Tier Gene Potion has a high probability of completely altering a person’s genetic makeup, giving them tremendous evolutionary potential! For Mr. Li to be completely cured, a High-Level Gene Potion is the only way!"

Luo Kai took a small step back, secretly accelerating his heartbeat. He took a deep breath and said, "Just tell me what it is you want."

"Junior Brother Luo, you’re a straightforward man, so I’ll be direct. I’d like you to stay here for the time being. Every few days, we will draw a small amount of your Essence Blood. Rest assured, it absolutely will not damage your body!"

A realization dawned on Luo Kai, and the confusion of the past few days suddenly vanished. ’So Li Gui was the one behind the production of Blood Essence!’ He snarled in a mix of shock and rage, "You’re extracting blood to make Blood Essence! That old woman was working for you!"

Gao Fei’s face turned grim, and he sneered, "Junior Brother Luo, this is all your fault, actually. The Blood Essence can slow the drain on Mr. Li’s life. If you hadn’t killed Mei Ma and taken the Blood Monkey, Mr. Li never would have laid a hand on you!"

Luo Kai’s pupils began to glow red. He suddenly turned to the door and rasped, "Second Brother, I know you’re out there. Tell me, are you behind all of this?"

After a long pause, an old, weary sigh drifted in from outside. "Third Brother, I have wronged you. I swear, I’ll agree to anything you ask. Even if you want me to assassinate Emperor Dongyuan, I won’t hesitate for a second!"

Luo Kai replied coldly, "A man of honor has principles; there are things he will do and things he will never do. You are no longer my Second Brother, and I am no longer your Third Brother!"

With that, he turned to face Gao Fei and said calmly, "It seems you’re quite certain you can make me stay."

Gao Fei took a step back and gave a dry laugh. "So you’ve noticed, Junior Brother Luo. That’s right. I put some Wound Toxin in the wine you drank tonight. You might not know, but our Broken Star Island is located in the tropics, and it’s crawling with poisonous insects. One of them is called the Wound Insect. A single one, the size of a fingernail, can easily paralyze a full-grown adult."

Luo Kai closed his eyes and slowly collapsed to the floor. Aside from his quickening breath, he appeared to have been felled by the poison.

Gao Fei cautiously backed against the wall. He had thoroughly investigated Luo Kai’s recent activities; his actual combat strength surpassed that of an ordinary Martial Artist.

After a moment, the faint scent of stomach acid wafted through the air. Gao Fei only smelled a trace of it, but he immediately felt his body showing signs of Paralysis. His expression changed dramatically, and he shouted, "He’s expelling the poison! Take him down, now!"

At that exact moment, Luo Kai’s eyes flew open, completely flooded with red. The muscles across his body expanded at an incredible speed, ripping his ragged military uniform to pieces. His scarred chest could be seen heaving violently, like a blacksmith’s bellows.

A deafening roar thundered through the room. Luo Kai didn’t move from his spot, but his swollen arm shot out, suddenly elongating to almost double its length and lashing out at Gao Fei like a giant python.

Every hair on Gao Fei’s body stood on end as he instinctively threw his arms up to defend himself. A sickening CRUNCH of shattering bone echoed, followed by a piercing scream. The concrete wall behind him exploded from the Giant Power of the blow, and he was thrown clean through it. He landed in a heap, only exhaling, unable to draw a breath. The punch had shattered both his arms and his breastbone.

After delivering the punch, Luo Kai collapsed to the floor. The poison coursing through him was terrifyingly potent; by the time he realized what was happening, his entire body had entered a state of Paralysis. Forcing the Qi and Blood Surge had only made the poison circulate faster. Now, his consciousness was slipping away. In the final moment before blacking out, he gave a bitter, internal laugh. ’To think I’m going to die by Li Gui’s hand... by the hand of my sworn brother!’

A few formidable-looking men entered, escorting an old man with a white beard and hair. It was, of course, Li Gui. He had reverted to his decrepit, aged state from his time on Nanya Island. He first went to Luo Kai, looked down at him, and sighed. Then, he moved over to Gao Fei to examine his wounds. His brow furrowed, and he muttered, "Such tyrannical Fist Power. It seems Third Brother’s strength is already on par with what First Brother’s was in his prime."

...

The rhythmic sound of footsteps reached Luo Kai’s ears, a cadence that made him instinctively want to follow along. As if his body acted on the thought, his heart began to beat in time with the steps, speeding up and slowing down. Even the blood flowing through the IV tube attached to him seemed to pulse in the same rhythm.

A long time passed, or maybe it was just an instant. Luo Kai slowly regained awareness. He tried to open his eyes but discovered his body felt completely hollow; he couldn’t summon an ounce of strength, not even enough to lift his eyelids. The feeling was just like before, like being back in the prison cell on Nanya Island, back on that coast. He suddenly thought of Old Huang. ’I wonder how Old Huang is doing. Can he survive away from people? If I had never left him, could we have just lived on peacefully?’

In a daze, he fell into another dream. It was raining—a torrential downpour, as if the Celestial River was being emptied from the heavens. He found himself on a blood-red battlefield littered with mutilated corpses, savage Fierce Beasts, and broken armor. A slurry of blood and water submerged all of Heaven and Earth.

An Arrow Yao, as brilliant as the sun, descended from the heavens and struck him right in the chest. He blankly raised his head to see a figure dressed in white floating in the sky...

In that instant, an all-consuming sorrow washed over him, bringing with it a sense of utter, ashen despair. He could move his body now. An arm suddenly shot toward his chest, trying to pull out the Arrow Yao that had pierced his heart...

Luo Kai’s hand made contact with something warm, something that was still beating. THUMP, THUMP. Just as he was wondering what it could be, a row of large, warm hands pressed down, pinning him firmly. A frantic voice shouted, "Shit! He’s trying to commit suicide! Hold him down!"

"I thought you said he couldn’t move! How does he have the strength to kill himself?!"

"It’s no use, he’s crashing! Quick, put his heart back! Suture the wound and get him on a saline drip!"