From Sword to Slaughter: Evolution

"I... I..."

Xin Haohui's entire body trembled uncontrollably, his legs so weak that he could barely stand.

"It was Zhang Hu! He ordered me to do it!"

"He told me to push you out by doing this!"

Xin Haohui blurted out, desperation coloring his words.

"Yes, that's right, it was him!"

His fear had driven him to the point of incoherence.

"Come out."

Ye Lan pointed the sword at him.

"I'm coming out, I'm coming out."

Xin Haohui quickly complied.

"Move."

"And don't even think about running, or I'll kill you on the spot."

Ye Lan's voice was tinged with madness. His heart screamed to kill Xin Haohui right then and there, but he held himself back.

He couldn't let Xin Haohui die so easily.

"Ye Lan, please spare me. It was all Zhang Hu's doing. I had nothing to do with it..."

Xin Haohui, forced by Ye Lan into a dark alley, felt his fear intensify, causing his entire body to shake even more.

"Shut up!"

Ye Lan growled, raising the Glimmering Shadow Sword and slashing down.

With that strike, Xin Haohui's arm was severed from his body.

"Ahhh!!!"

Xin Haohui screamed in agony.

"I'll cut you to pieces and feed you to the dogs."

The thought of how Xin Haohui had murdered his only family member filled Ye Lan's eyes with murderous intent.

...

When Ye Lan finally emerged from the alley, a pack of wild dogs rushed in behind him.

"Zhang Hu."

Ye Lan's eyes were bloodshot, his vision clouded with rage.

Revenge, revenge!

His mother had been his only family, and now she was dead!

"Divine Sword, can you grant me even greater power?"

He stared at the Glimmering Shadow Sword in his hand, muttering to himself.

His hatred was boundless. He knew the news of the massacre would spread quickly, making it almost impossible to escape from Tianlang City.

But he didn't regret his actions. They all deserved to die!

"And then there's Zhang Hu."

"He's a third-rank martial artist."

Ye Lan's gaze locked onto the Glimmering Shadow Sword.

"If possible, I am willing to offer my blood."

[Ding]

[Hidden Achievement Unlocked: Bloodthirsty Frenzy] (The sword master has a death wish, even willing to sacrifice his life to gain immense power.)

"Whoa, a hidden skill has been unlocked."

Ye Fan was taken aback by the notification.

He examined the details closely:

[Bloodthirsty Frenzy]: Sacrifices the sword master's blood to gain immense power. The more blood sacrificed, the greater the power. Some of the consumed blood energy can be absorbed.

"It means that while the sword master uses his blood to fight, the sword can absorb enemy blood to replenish some of the lost energy."

"That's probably it."

Ye Fan mused.

"This sword master is truly pitiful, driven to such lengths by vengeance."

It was clear that the incident had pushed Ye Lan to the brink of madness.

"That one-armed man, it has to be him!"

As Ye Lan emerged from the alley, a group of people rushed toward him, weapons drawn. They were members of the Violent Tiger Mercenary Group.

"You will all die for what you did to my mother."

Ye Lan's eyes flashed with crimson rage, his body radiating a terrifying killing intent.

"Kill him!"

The mercenaries roared as they charged, weapons ready to strike.

"What is this...!?"

Ye Lan suddenly felt the Glimmering Shadow Sword tremble in his hand, as if responding to his earlier plea.

"Is the sword answering me?"

"By sacrificing my blood, I can gain greater power?"

He felt his blood being drawn into the sword, not through his veins, but directly from his body, as if the sword was absorbing it through his pores.

The Glimmering Shadow Sword began to emit a blood-red aura that enveloped the blade.

This aura transferred from the sword to Ye Lan's body, and almost immediately, he felt his strength surge exponentially.

Such terrifying power!

"You will all die!"

He roared, swinging the sword with newfound power.

Clang, clang, clang—

With each strike, the mercenaries' weapons shattered against the blade of the Glimmering Shadow Sword.

Now a B-ranked weapon, the sword cut through their weapons like butter.

The mercenaries' eyes widened in disbelief.

They had never imagined that the sword could be this sharp.

Swish, swish, swish—

Ye Lan didn't stop. The sword moved like a blur, cutting down each of the mercenaries in quick succession.

Their bodies fell to the ground, blood pooling around them.

[Killed first-rank martial artist, gained 100 Evolution Points]

[Killed first-rank martial artist, gained 100 Evolution Points]

...

"Not bad, Ye Lan has killed over sixty people tonight, mostly first-rank martial artists. My Evolution Points have gone up by around 6,000."

Ye Fan was pleased to see his points increase rapidly.

However, he was also concerned that Ye Lan's current state could lead to something disastrous.

"It seems I really am destined to become a demonic sword."

Ye Fan sighed.

The blood that spilled from the fallen mercenaries hovered in the air, drawn into the blade of the sword.

As the sword absorbed the blood energy, a portion was fed back into Ye Lan, replenishing his strength.

"As long as I keep killing, the blood I lose will be balanced by what I absorb."

Ye Lan gazed at the sword, now glowing with a sinister red aura, and felt a surge of exhilaration.

"Zhang Hu."

His expression twisted with rage as he scanned his surroundings before vanishing into the darkness.

In the Violent Tiger Mercenary Group's territory...

Bang—

"What did you just say!?"

Zhang Hu slammed his hand on the table, rising to his feet in anger.

"Over sixty of our men are dead!?"

Despite the Violent Tiger Mercenary Group becoming the most powerful faction in Tianlang City, Zhang Hu couldn't help but feel the sting of losing so many men at once. After all, those sixty men were valuable assets to him.

"Y-Yes."

The man who brought the news was trembling.

He had seen the carnage firsthand. The scene was horrific, the bodies drained of blood.

"How can Ye Lan be so strong with just one arm?"

Zhang Hu's face darkened.

Was it really because of that sword?

The more he thought about it, the more he regretted discarding the sword so easily.

He should have taken a closer look.

But regret was pointless now.

The only thing that mattered was finding and stopping Ye Lan.

"I'll handle this personally."

Zhang Hu declared in a grave tone.