The raging wind howled as black mist floated above the ground. From time to time, furious wails echoed through the wind. Zane Zhuang stared ahead at the vast, pitch-black plain, the towering mountains in the distance, and behind him, the road had vanished.
Zane Zhuang had barely taken a step when he stopped, as if immersed in water—everything felt heavy. Struggling forward with great effort, he could only walk a few more steps before stopping again, unable to go any further.
The sound he had just heard—what was that about? Just then, as Zane Zhuang sat down, he suddenly felt something strange beneath him. Startled, he jumped up and stared in shock at the ground.
Beneath the black mist were countless grotesque human faces, twisted in anger, mouths open wide. The whimpering sounds were coming from these faces, as if they were embedded in the ground.
Looking out, the black ground was densely packed with faces. Zane Zhuang clenched his fists. He felt no fear—only endless rage. He had to survive and return to fulfill Eugene Henderson's instructions.
"Who are you, really? What does the Path of Asura mean?"
Zane Zhuang roared, but his voice was quickly drowned out by the howling wind. There was no reply. That authoritative, mocking voice seemed to bypass his ears and ring directly inside his head.
Stopping wasn't an option. He could only keep moving forward. Behind him stretched an endless black plain; ahead, the towering mountains were visible. Zane Zhuang pressed on.
The air was filled with a discomforting presence. Suddenly, Zane Zhuang halted—his toes had sunk into the mouth of a human face. Scowling, he kicked at it with all his strength.
Zane Zhuang pried the entire face out of the ground and sent it flying. With one hand, he gripped the stone-like face tightly. Suddenly, the face began to howl in rage, its mouth opening wide and lunging to bite him.
"Get out of my way."
With a loud bang, Zane Zhuang's fist smashed forward, shattering the stone face into fragments that scattered across the ground.
Zane Zhuang kept moving forward, but no matter how far he walked, the distant mountain remained just as far away, as if the distance never shortened.
Suddenly, a cracking sound echoed. Zane stopped, sensing a disturbance beneath his feet. He leapt aside just as stone faces broke free from the ground, floating up, howling with open mouths, lunging to bite him.
Zane raised his fists, crouching low. His face, twisted in anger like the stone faces, bulged with dark veins. With two loud bangs, his fists smashed two of the attacking faces.
More stone faces surged toward Zane, but he swung his fists without hesitation, shattering them one after another.
Black fragments flew everywhere as Zane's body emitted a dark aura. His punches grew fiercer, and the stone faces crumbled easily beneath his blows.
Gradually, the chaos subsided. Piles of shattered stone accumulated around Zane. He gritted his teeth, scanning his surroundings warily.
"Who is here? Show yourself!"
After Zane roared, laughter echoed through the howling wind.
"Interesting, truly interesting. Even after falling into the Asura Path, you can still maintain your own consciousness. Hahaha, come over here, let me see just how much you can endure."
Zane looked into the distance. At that moment, the ground began to tremble slightly, making it hard for him to keep his balance. The earth beneath his feet rose, forming a road that led to a clearly visible round platform not far away.
He stared in astonishment at his own body. His muscles bulged, tearing through his clothes, and black veins stood out clearly on his arms. He could no longer feel any resistance.
"If I go over there, can I leave?"
Zane asked harshly.
"Hahaha, you'll know once you come over."
Zane sprinted forward, feeling power surge through him. As he ran, cracks appeared on his skin and streaks of red mist seeped out.
A massive, towering platform came into view, its edges fading into darkness. Zane stopped.
"Show yourself! Who are you?"
"Who are you?"
"I am you."
A faint, mocking laugh echoed. Zane stared in shock as a pale light coalesced into a mirror before him. In its reflection, he saw his own twisted, rage-contorted face, the cracks on his body glowing with red light.
With a bang, Zane punched the mirror. It shattered with a crack, and he roared in fury.
"I want to go back."
Just then, a powerful flow of energy gathered, converging at the center of the platform. Black currents wove together as Zane crouched, shielding his face with his hands. Within the swirling energy, he saw a pair of golden-red eyes—cold, angry, and inhuman—staring at him.
Gradually, a figure appeared—completely inhuman, its face twisted with rage, a three-faced, six-armed black entity. It floated in the air, legs slightly apart, slowly descending to the ground.
The figure before him was nearly identical to Zane in build, except for the surface of its body, which bore swirling, red markings. It burst into laughter.
A surge of overwhelming energy swept toward Zane. He straightened, clenching his fists.
(Skip meta/irrelevant content per guidelines.)
Zane showed no fear in his eyes. He stood up, charging at Asura, his fists blazing with crimson fire.
"In the Asura Realm, there is no strong or weak—only endless challenges and constant combat. Whoever can endure the suffering and persist to the end will stand last. Come!"
With a thunderous roar, a torrent of flames surged upward. Zane's fists crashed against two of Asura's defending arms, while the other four struck Zane's body, leaving fist-shaped marks on his skin.
Yet Zane's fists, like a raging tide, never stopped. He kept trading blows with Asura, the air filled with deafening impacts. Zane howled and landed a punch on Asura's face, but Asura instantly returned the favor—six fists struck Zane's chest, sending him flying again.
After crashing hard to the ground, Zane lowered his head and roared, then stood up, flames swirling around him like a cloak, engulfing his body.
"Come on, keep challenging! Let your rage become your strength. Continue!"
Bang! Twice in a row, flames shot outward. Asura's six arms moved with eerie agility, blocking every one of Zane's attacks.
"Your rage is still not enough—not nearly enough. Let your fury erupt completely!"
Asura bellowed, and suddenly his six arms curled inward. Zane raised his fists and struck at Asura.
With a crash, a piercing crack rang out. Zane's eyes widened as countless translucent fists, barely visible, struck toward him.
In an instant, Zane was submerged beneath the barrage of fists. A blinding light flashed, turning the sky and earth white.
A guttural roar echoed. Wisps of greenish-black smoke drifted from Zane, who was now half-kneeling. His arms slowly turned to ash. Asura floated above him, eyes blazing with rage, staring down.
"If you can't withstand the next blow, you'll be buried here in the Asura Realm—never able to return."
Zane stared blankly at Asura in the sky, its six arms clenched and stretched behind it. The earth rumbled as Zane struggled to stand, roaring, half-crouched, barely supporting his battered body.
Yet Zane's fists, like a raging tide, never stopped. He kept trading blows with Asura, the air filled with thunderous impacts. Zane roared and landed a punch on Asura's face, but Asura immediately struck back—six fists hit Zane's chest, sending him flying again.
(No raw text provided for line 55; skip translation.)
(No raw text provided for line 56; skip translation.)
(No raw text provided for line 57; skip translation.)
(No raw text provided for line 58; skip translation.)
(No raw text provided for line 59; skip translation.)
(No raw text provided for line 60; skip translation.)
(No raw text provided for line 61; skip translation.)
(No raw text provided for line 62; skip translation.)
(No raw text provided for line 63; skip translation.)
(No raw text provided for line 64; skip translation.)