Douluo Continent: The Twin Sons of the Styx River, Shaking the World and Destroying the Heavens

Chapter 258 Lei Lu
The darkness of the night was like spilled ink, covering the hills and ravines on the eastern slope of the Mingdou Mountains so thoroughly that not even the faint light of stars could penetrate.

Deep within the dense forest, a cave, nestled among ancient tree roots and jagged rocks, became increasingly hidden. A wisp of violet light hung in the center of the cave, like the last breath of a dying person, flickering yet stubbornly refusing to be extinguished. It illuminated the jagged stone edges on the cave walls, making them appear like distorted ghostly shadows, silently baring their fangs and claws in the darkness.

A woman sat cross-legged on a relatively flat rock, her eyes closed and her breathing long and shallow.

Her body was still wrapped in that strange, deep purple dress, the aura of destruction and misfortune surrounding the dress had not diminished, but the purple light on the surface had dimmed considerably, and even the joints were crackling with intermittent arcs of electricity, like dying embers teetering on the verge of collapse, as if it would completely dissipate at any moment.

More than ten days have passed since the earth-shattering battle with "The Memory" Chasing the Moon.

For the past ten days or so, she lived like a lone wolf on the verge of death. With her familiarity with every inch of the forest and the indomitable will to survive in her bones, she dragged her bleeding body and avoided all possible sights—whether it was a strange beast foraging in the forest or a passing traveler, they all became threats that she had to hide from.

Only when they collapsed, completely exhausted, in this cave tightly hidden by strange rocks and ancient trees, did they find a brief respite.

That battle was her most devastating defeat and the most humiliating experience since she broke free from her old self and was reborn. That mysterious woman who called herself "The Memory One" was truly hateful.

As fellow "commanders," how could He have taken advantage of her if she hadn't been injured in the previous battle with "Abundance"? If she hadn't acted decisively at the last moment and detonated part of her power, she would probably already be the other party's prisoner or a cold experimental subject.

Even if she managed to escape, the price was excruciating. That day, after a gruesome fall from the sky, she practically scrambled into the mountains, leaving clear trails of blood and dissipated energy. If she hadn't mustered her last strength to unleash a massive thunderstorm that washed away those traces, she probably wouldn't have had a moment's peace for the past ten days or so. In this dark, damp cave, she silently licked her wounds.

The "Commander's" recovery speed far surpasses that of the "Walker of Fate," but the power within the body is like a living poisonous vine, rampaging and repairing at will, while each time bringing tearing pain, as if it is re-tempering the bones and meridians.

But Lei Lu was already used to the pain. Physical torment was nothing compared to the despair and resentment that filled his heart.

On the morning of the fourteenth day, as the first rays of sunlight pierced through the gaps in the vines at the cave entrance, casting dappled light on the damp ground, she slowly opened her eyes. Her purple eyes, burning with boundless hatred, though still somewhat weak, had already regained a cold and resolute killing intent.

She could feel that her injuries had mostly healed. Slowly standing up, she moved her slightly stiff limbs, feeling the earth-shattering power within her, and a cold, emotionless smile curled at the corner of her lips.

It's time for revenge.

A mad and clear hatred flashed in her purple eyes. She wanted to exact the most thorough and cruel revenge on all those who had caused her tragic fate. She wanted to exact the most thorough and cruel revenge on all those who had caused her tragic fate.

In that past world, her parents, who gave her life yet also pushed her into the abyss, were the starting point. Ultimately, the root cause of her abandonment, bullying, and being used as a sacrifice at will lay in her face, which was considered "ugly" by the world. In this world that values ​​appearances above all else, ugliness is the original sin. Only after being rescued by the "Sea Ranger" did she find a sliver of "redemption," and later become a "Hunter's Envoy" traversing the starry seas.

Now, what she needs to do is return to her first stop in this world—Leapstone Village—and sever her last and most sordid connection with this world.

She stepped out of the cave and looked up at the azure sky. The sunlight was dazzling, yet it couldn't pierce the gloom in her heart. She took a deep breath, without the slightest hesitation.

With a flicker, she transformed into a thick, violet-purple bolt of electricity that shot into the sky like an angry thunder dragon, hurtling toward the direction in her memory that made her nauseous.

Mountains and rivers rushed past beneath her feet, shrinking into blurry patches of color. The wind howled in her ears, yet it couldn't stir the hem of her energy-constructed garments. This supersonic speed allowed her to traverse hundreds of miles in just a few minutes, arriving at that land that was both familiar and strange.

Yueshi Village.

This small village, nestled eighty miles northeast of the Western Army Group of the Star Luo Empire, is embraced by continuous green fields and sparse woods. Like an old jade forgotten by time, it is hidden in a remote corner, guarding an almost stagnant tranquility, and also revealing a sense of isolation and seclusion from the outside world.

When Lei Lu's figure landed silently like a ghost under the crooked old locust tree at the village entrance, she felt no fear of returning home, only a deep-seated disgust and an icy killing intent surging within her.

In the days before she regained her memory, she endured a period of contempt and trampling here, bearing that "ugly" face despised by the world.

If it were merely disgust, it wouldn't align with the "hunt's" objective, but this disgust was far from all. The "hunt's" blade would never be drawn lightly for personal grudges; what truly ignited the flames in her purple eyes was the village's hidden sins beneath its tranquil facade—

Those villagers who appear kind on the surface are secretly involved in human trafficking.

Every year, a "sacrifice" is chosen from the dilapidated temple at the west end of the village and thrown into the deep pool behind the mountain, ostensibly to "worship the gods," but in reality, it is a way to use a living person to cover up certain unspeakable transactions. Even worse, in order to curry favor with a minor official in the nearby military camp, a deceased daughter is forcibly arranged into a ghost marriage with the prematurely deceased son of a powerful figure, digging up graves and disturbing the peace. Meanwhile, the village chief has been embezzling disaster relief grain under the guise of "management" for years, watching starving people die outside his own granary without doing anything about it.

These evils fester under the sun, the perpetrators live in peace, and the cries of the victims are swallowed by the winds of the wilderness. This is the target that the "hunt" must settle—not to take revenge on its past self who lived here, but to judge those who escape justice and let this filthy land hear the thunderous roar of punishment once again.

Lei Lu held a purple oil-paper umbrella, the arc of the umbrella's drooping surface perfectly matching her tall and slender figure, and her cool and imposing aura as a mature woman spread with each step.