Chapter 1: My Childhood
Chapter 1: My Childhood
My grandfather was one of the strongest warriors in the Orc Race’s
Mad Dog Glossary
Behemoth Legion. Ten years earlier, he had once killed a dragon with his bare hands, earning glorious titles such as the Orc Race’s Number One Warrior and the Behemoth Race’s Number One Warrior. Standing over five meters tall, he had few opponents across the entire continent at the time.
In order to resist the growing power of Humans, the Orc Race and the Demon Race carried out a series of political marriages. My grandfather was one of those involved. Through such a marriage, he took as his wife the daughter of one of the Demon Emperor’s concubines—my grandmother.
My grandmother was also the person closest to me in this world. If she were still alive, she would be eighty-five years old this year. She was the one who treated me the best. When she was sixteen, she married my grandfather, who was already over forty. She often told me that she was a sacrifice of politics.
Clearly, marrying into the Orc territory was not her choice. But fortunately she did come here, because if she had not, how would I exist?
My father was my grandfather’s only son. He inherited my grandfather’s exceptional bloodline and stood more than five meters tall. Even now, his arms were thicker than my waist.
Before the age of eighteen, my father had already defeated every opponent among the Orc Race. Violent and cruel in temperament, he possessed overwhelming strength. He was the current Behemoth Race’s Number One Warrior and the commander of the Behemoth Legion—the true Behemoth King. Under his leadership, the orcs had not suffered losses in battle for decades. Among the orcs, my father’s reputation was absolutely no less than that of the Orc King.
Because of his exalted status, he naturally possessed countless concubines. I was born from one of the human women he had taken by force. Among his three sons, I was the youngest—and once the one he disliked the most.
My mother was a very tragic woman. No one knew where she came from. Although she was not yet forty, she looked extremely old. Wrinkles and white hair that should not have appeared so early had long become familiar to her.
From her features alone, one could tell that she must have been beautiful when she was young. She hated my father, despised him, and she hated me as well—because I was the son conceived when my father raped her.
She had never truly received my father’s affection and constantly suffered exclusion and bullying from the other concubines.
Only four years ago, after I gained status, did my mother finally have a house of her own. She rarely spoke. Whenever I saw the cold look in her eyes, I felt a chill in my heart.
I was sixteen years old. A hybrid of the Orc Race, the Demon Race, and Humans. Vice commander of the Behemoth Legion. I stood two meters tall, and human traits appeared most clearly in my appearance. In the eyes of others, I looked exactly like a handsome human youth. If not for my Behemoth-level physical strength and the divine power I was born with, no one would believe I was an orc.
I hated my father because he caused my mother such suffering.
I hated my father because if not for him, my grandmother would not have died.
Although my grandmother’s death eventually brought me the glory I have today, I never wanted it. All I wanted was the grandmother who loved me, cared for me, and cherished me.
Four years ago, I suffered endless bullying. No one treated me well. Behind my father’s back, they all called me a bastard. Aside from my eldest brother, who treated me normally, everyone said I was my father’s worst son.
My life was even worse than that of some servants. At that time, only my grandmother cared about me. She often cooked delicious food for me and kept me company. She was the one who left a trace of warmth in my young heart.
My grandmother’s death was the greatest pain of my life.
That day…
“Lei Xiang, come here. Grandma made your favorite braised chicken wings.”
My grandmother’s kind voice sounded in my ear.
“I’m coming!”
I ran quickly into the kitchen. The rich aroma of meat filled the air.
“Grandma, I love you so much!”
“You silly boy, hurry up and eat.”
As she smiled, the wrinkles on her face gathered together, and the marks of time appeared vividly on her body.
I grabbed a chicken wing and ran outside, eating while jumping around in the courtyard.
Because she preferred quiet, Grandma did not live in the main family residence. Since no one paid any attention to me anyway, I stayed with her.
In the territory of the Orc Race, it was difficult to find a place like this. Orcs lived by the law of the strong devouring the weak. Any orc could become another orc’s prey.
Of course, no orc would be foolish enough to hunt near my home, so it remained peaceful.
A deep voice suddenly sounded behind me.
“Lei Xiang, where’s your grandmother?”
Hearing that voice, my whole body trembled. Five tall figures stood behind me, blocking the bright sunlight. In the center was my father. It turned out he had come to see Grandma, and behind him stood four Behemoth guards.
My father and grandmother did not have a good relationship. Although the Orc Race and the Demon Race were allied, my father looked down on the Demon Race. He often said that only the members of the Fallen Angel Legion had any real ability, while the rest of the demons were merely freeloaders. My father worshiped strength above all, so someone like my grandmother—weak and unable even to tie up a chicken—naturally held no place in his eyes.
Among the orcs, women were merely attachments to men. He rarely paid attention to Grandma. Why had he come today?
I said quietly, “Grandma is inside.”
I truly feared my father.
When my father saw my timid appearance, anger flared in his eyes. With one strike, he knocked the chicken wing from my hand.
“What kind of behavior is this? Does this look like my son? I don’t have such a cowardly son.”
Looking at the chicken wing covered in dirt, tears flowed from my eyes without me realizing it.
My father slapped me to the ground and roared, “Crying, always crying! Look at you—so skinny, just like that damned mother of yours. Your brothers at your age could tear apart tigers and leopards with their bare hands. But you? You can’t even kill a chicken.”
As he spoke, he stomped hard on the chicken wing beneath his foot.
Grandma heard the noise outside and rushed out. When she saw me on the ground, she immediately frowned. While helping me up, she said to my father,
“What are you doing? You rarely come here, and the first thing you do is beat Xiang’er?”
My father snorted coldly.
“Stay out of this. Someone—take this little bastard back and hand him over to the second one for proper discipline.”
“The second one” referred to my second brother. If that really happened, even if I did not die, I would lose half my life. My second brother, Lei Hu, was notorious for his explosive temper.
Grandma pulled me behind her and said, “Forget it. Don’t make things difficult for the child.”
My father suddenly moved forward, snatched me away, and threw me to one of his subordinates.
“I don’t need you interfering when I discipline my son. I just passed by today. If you still want to live a few more years, stay out of my business.”
As he said this, he turned to leave.
Grandma’s face flushed red with anger.
“Lei Ao! Is this how you speak to your mother?”
As she spoke, she rushed toward the Behemoth guard holding me, trying to take me back. But how could her frail body possibly compete with a powerful Behemoth giant?
The guard merely shook his arm slightly, and she was thrown aside. Tragically, her back struck a large rock. With a cry, blood burst from her mouth.
It felt as if a cold wind swept past me. My heart instantly turned icy, and waves of chill flooded through my body.
“Grandma!”
I shouted loudly.
Struggling with all my strength, the divine power I had been born with finally erupted. As a twelve-year-old child, I actually broke free from the grasp of a Behemoth giant.
I rushed to my grandmother’s side, lifted her body, and cried out, “Grandma, Grandma, how are you? Father, please save Grandma. I’m begging you.”
Grandma’s face turned pale. She grasped my hand and said weakly, “Don’t beg him. Let’s go back inside.”
The Behemoth guard who had thrown Grandma down knelt on one knee, glanced at her, then turned to my father.
“King Lei Ao, I…”
My father looked at Grandma once and said indifferently, “Forget it. If she dies, then she dies. At her age it can hardly be called dying young. Go back and have someone send some money to bury her.”
In his eyes, Grandma was clearly not as important as a Behemoth warrior.
Hatred and fury reddened my eyes. I roared toward the sky. The blood throughout my body began to boil. Suddenly I felt my head grow hot, and like a mad bull I charged toward the murderer who had killed my grandmother.
The Behemoth guard froze for a moment, then raised one hand to block my attack. My eyes were blood-red, and even my originally light-green hair had turned dark red. My speed increased to more than five times its usual level. With a thunderous impact, I actually knocked the Behemoth guard—who was twice my size—flying away.
I did not stop. My body followed the enemy into the air. My small fist slammed heavily into his stomach.
Then something completely unexpected happened.
My fist pierced through the Behemoth guard’s incomparably tough skin. He roared wildly and smashed both fists down from above. Instinctively, I raised my other hand.
Thus, in midair, the three completely disproportionate hands collided, producing a dull sound like striking rotten leather.
My arm did not break. With my small body, I had actually blocked the attack. But my feet had already sunk deeply into the ground.
“Ah! Kill—!”
With a roar, my entire body trembled. A terrifying aura erupted from me, causing the surrounding leaves and grass to rustle violently. With a loud explosion, the Behemoth guard’s torso burst open, centered around the fist I had driven into him. A hole half a meter wide exploded through his body. It was obvious he could not survive.
Blood sprayed all over me. Internal organs spilled from the bloody cavity like the insides of a rotten watermelon, not a single piece intact. The Behemoth guard’s enormous body slowly collapsed backward, while I remained standing motionless, my hair gradually returning to green.
All of this happened in an instant. My father and the other three guards were stunned by the sudden change.
My father muttered, “Lei Xiang has gone berserk. Lei Xiang actually went berserk. It’s been a hundred years since a Behemoth could undergo Berserk Transformation.”
Even with my father’s immense strength, he could not enter Berserk Transformation. A berserk Behemoth could rapidly increase its strength several times over.
“King Lei Ao, what should we do?” one of the guards asked.
My father showed no sadness over the guard’s death. Instead, excitement appeared on his face.
“Take Lei Xiang away. He’s already collapsed from exhaustion. Find a place to bury your companion. As for that old thing, let her fend for herself.”
…
I did not know how much time passed before I gradually regained consciousness.
“Grandma, Grandma, how are you?”
My body was incredibly weak and in pain. My left hand felt as if it were split open, sending waves of intense agony through me. It lay beside my body, completely powerless.
I discovered that I was in my own room in my father’s residence. Struggling to stand, I leaned against the wall and walked out of the room. Outside, it was pitch dark—just like the gloom in my heart.
Ah, it was already night. I wondered how Grandma was.
Just as I tried to step out the door, a wave of weakness struck me. My body swayed, and I collapsed onto the ground.
“Lei Xiang, why did you get out of bed? Come on, go back and rest.”
A tall figure walked into the room and lifted me up.
When I opened my eyes, I saw that it was my eldest brother—the only Behemoth who still treated me fairly—Lei Long.
“Brother, I beg you. Please take me to see Grandma. She’s going to die.”
I cried desperately.
My brother looked at the sky, then nodded.
“Alright. But we must return before dawn.”
“Okay, okay. Let’s go quickly.”
As long as I could save Grandma, I would do anything.
My brother’s nearly five-meter-tall body carried me as easily as if I were a piece of dry grass. Soon, under the cover of night, we arrived at Grandma’s house.
“Grandma!”
I shouted in despair.
Grandma was still lying where she had fallen.
My brother set me down. I crawled to her side and lifted her thin upper body. Dew had already soaked her clothes. I shook her gently.
“Grandma, wake up. Please wake up!”
Grandma’s cracked lips moved slightly. Her eyes slowly opened. When she saw it was me, she smiled faintly. She tried to raise her hand to stroke my head, but she was too weak. Her hand lifted halfway before falling again.
“Child… you still came back to see Grandma. Grandma didn’t care for you in vain. Cough… cough…”
She coughed up a bit of blood.
I grabbed her hand and pressed it against my face, crying, “Grandma, don’t speak anymore. Rest first. You’ll be alright. Everything will be alright.”
Grandma gave a bitter smile.
“Silly child. Grandma knows her own body. Help Grandma back into the house.”
I did not know where the strength came from, but I forced myself to lift her. Staggering, I carried her back into the house. My brother tactfully did not follow us inside.
I placed Grandma on the bed and collapsed beside it, panting heavily.
Grandma gently stroked my head and looked at me kindly. She spoke in broken sentences.
“Xiang’er… the one Grandma worries about most… is you. You must promise Grandma… that you will become… a strong person… and live well. And don’t… blame your father too much. The Orc Race… is just like this. They only worship strength… and have no concept of family affection.”
My tears soaked my clothes. I tightly held Grandma’s wrinkled hand and cried, “Grandma, please stop talking. You’ll be fine. You will definitely be fine.”
Trembling, Grandma took out a thin booklet from under her pillow and handed it to me. A flush of color appeared on her face.
“This… is a copy of the Demon Race’s supreme treasure… the Heavenly Demon Art. Back then… I stole it… to take revenge. Only those with the Demon royal bloodline… can learn it. You must study it well. Once you master it… you can transform into a Fallen Angel… Only the strong… can survive. Don’t let… your father… know.”
I cried out in grief, “Grandma! Grandma!” My voice seemed to pierce through the roof. I shoved the small booklet into my clothes and fainted.
When I woke up, I was back in my own room again. My eldest brother was beside me. Seeing that I had awakened, he said, “Grandma has already been buried. Don’t worry. Come, eat something.”
Now I felt that nothing mattered anymore. The only support in my life had already left me. What meaning was there in living alone? My eyes were hollow as I stared blankly at the wall.
A loud crash suddenly came from outside.
My brother frowned. “That thunder is loud. Looks like there will be heavy rain.”
Ignoring my injuries, I walked out the door in a daze. Raindrops as large as beans began to fall with sharp, crackling sounds. Gradually, the rain grew heavier, washing over my body again and again.
Through the hazy rain, I seemed to see Grandma’s kind face once more. I lunged forward, but grasped nothing but air. My brother hurried over, lifted my mud-covered body, and dragged me back into the room.
In this way, I passed seven days in a confused haze. During that time, I survived only because my father forced food into me.
Later, I finally regained my clarity.
Grandma’s final words became my endless motivation:
“You must promise Grandma… you must become a strong person…”
“Only the strong… can survive.”
I had to become strong. A peerless strong person.
Because of my rare ability to undergo Berserk Transformation, my father began to value me greatly. From that time onward, he personally guided my training. I was no longer the naïve child I had once been. Nothing could change my determination to become a peerless powerhouse. From then on, I buried my hatred deep within my heart.
My father passed on to me his most prized technique—the Heavenly Thunder Armor Technique.
Mad Dog Glossary
This technique was similar to battle qi, but focused primarily on defense. Our Behemoth clan was naturally endowed with extremely powerful physical offense and defense, and we also possessed strong resistance to magic. In order to make better use of these advantages, our ancestors created the Heavenly Thunder Armor Technique. Its main purpose was to regulate the body’s functions and refine defensive power to perfection. When cultivated to a certain level, it could produce a defensive field similar to a battle qi barrier.
If a human practiced the Heavenly Thunder Armor Technique, it would be at best a second- or third-rate technique. But when practiced by a Behemoth, the result was completely different.
Back then, my grandfather relied on the powerful defensive strength of Heavenly Thunder Armor to withstand an attack from a Dragon Knight head-on. That moment allowed him the opportunity to kill both the Dragon Knight and the dragon, establishing an immortal achievement.
The Heavenly Thunder Armor Technique is divided into three stages.
The first stage develops power from within outward. It is somewhat similar to cultivating ordinary battle qi. Through meditation, the practitioner strengthens the body and enhances its immunity, gradually transforming the body’s condition. According to my father, the first stage of this technique is extremely important. Simply put, it is a process of rebirth and transformation. It took me more than four years to complete this stage.
By the second year, my extraordinary talent had begun to show. Although I was smaller in size, my strength was not inferior to any Behemoth of the same age and often surpassed them. Now, after completing the physical transformation brought about by practicing Heavenly Thunder Armor, my strength was already approaching that of my elder brothers.
The second stage involves applying the gradually forming qi outside the body, forming a protective shield capable of blocking various attacks. I had only just begun this stage.
The third stage is essentially a strengthening of the second stage. Once the battle qi reaches a sufficient level, it can also be used to injure enemies. My father had already completed this stage. With his immense strength, within a range of ten meters he could use Heavenly Thunder Armor to blast off anyone’s head. Even Dragon Knights could not threaten him unless they came in sufficient numbers.
Because my rate of improvement was extremely fast, my father had now promoted me to the position of Vice Commander of the Behemoth Legion, equal in rank to my two elder brothers.
In reality, however, it was only a title without real authority. All actual power remained in my brothers’ hands. I only needed to practice every day. Since I had no interest in commanding armies, I was perfectly content with that arrangement.
During the day, I practiced the Heavenly Thunder Armor Technique. At night, I trained in the Heavenly Demon Art.
Compared to Heavenly Thunder Armor, the Heavenly Demon Art was far more obscure and difficult to understand. It could not be considered purely martial skill nor purely magic. Rather, it was a cultivation method that combined both.
The Heavenly Demon Art is divided into nine levels, further separated into three layers. Each layer contains three levels. Every level is extremely difficult to advance through, but the reward is a corresponding increase in strength. Each time one ascends a layer, a new transformation occurs—a qualitative leap.
According to the text, when one breaks through the third level of the first layer, one can undergo the Fallen Angel Transformation, becoming a Two-Winged Fallen Angel. After transforming, all abilities double. This form represents the current middle power of the Demon Race. After achieving this transformation, the practitioner gradually becomes a master of dark magic, and their mastery of dark magic greatly increases.
When one reaches the sixth level—the second layer—the practitioner transforms into a Four-Winged Fallen Angel. At present, only the Demon Emperor and his captain of the imperial guards possess this level of power.
The ninth level—the third layer—is an almost unreachable realm. Only the legendary Demon God Lucifer had ever reached it, becoming a Six-Winged Fallen Angel.
However, the copy Grandma gave me did not include the cultivation method for the final layer.
What made me ashamed was that after four years of practice, I had only just reached the second level.
Ever since I began practicing the Heavenly Demon Art, I discovered that I preferred solitude more and more. Whenever I saw large groups of people, I felt disgusted. I also began to prefer wearing black clothing.
The dark power produced by the Heavenly Demon Art was indeed extremely powerful, but each time I used it, I felt my heart growing colder and colder.
Now I could already use the dark power to cast some simple dark magic—such as corrosion and similar spells.
The dark magic produced by the Heavenly Demon Art was far more powerful and purer than the dark magic used by ordinary dark mages. Moreover, its danger was relatively lower, since dark attribute magic could sometimes backfire on the caster.
The only problem was that cultivation was extremely difficult.
Night fell again.
I sat cross-legged alone on my bed, gathering the dark power within my body. The surrounding darkness became my best companion, constantly supplying dark energy to me.
It took me two hours to circulate the cold dark magic power through my body according to the second-layer cultivation method of the Heavenly Demon Art. I felt a slight improvement.
Slowly exhaling the impure qi within my body, I stepped down from the bed. Looking at the bright moonlight outside the window, I suddenly felt a wave of loneliness.
What’s going on?
My heart trembled.
Did I make a mistake while practicing the Heavenly Demon Art today?
I carefully recalled the process but found nothing wrong.
I jumped out of the room and entered the courtyard. After confirming that no one was nearby, I swiftly slipped out of the house and ran into the open wilderness.
Inside the house, I felt like a bird trapped in a cage. The outside felt far more comfortable.
The cold night wind mixed with dew brushed gently across my clothes. The cool, transparent sensation felt extremely refreshing. The dark power inside my body circulated naturally.
Suddenly I felt strength surging through my entire body, as if it had nowhere to release itself.
I stepped forward with my left foot and stomped hard on the ground, launching myself into the air. Gathering all my strength into my right fist, I smashed it heavily into the ground.
“Bang!”
The ground within a radius of one meter first formed a network of cracks.
Immediately afterward—
“Boom!”
A half-meter-deep crater exploded into the earth.
Using the rebound force, I drifted to the side and looked at the astonishing result of my punch. It felt as if all my frustrations had been released through that single blow. My heart felt much better.
I breathed heavily several times. The agitation that had filled me earlier had vanished without my noticing.
Just as I turned to go back, my instincts suddenly warned me.
Danger.
Ever since I began practicing the Heavenly Demon Art, my senses had become far sharper than before.
Instinctively, I circulated power through all my meridians and clenched my fists.
“Who’s there? Come out!”
My response was met with a torrent of powerful force.
A massive fist, wrapped in violent wind pressure, rapidly grew larger in my vision. The force caused the surrounding grass and trees to rustle violently.
I felt like a trapped beast. A strong sense of danger filled my body.
Lowering my stance, I stepped forward with my left foot and shouted, “Ha!”
My fist smashed directly into the opponent’s.
This was the attack method my father taught me. He always said that with the overwhelming strength of our bodies, we should fight enemies head-on. Fancy techniques were meaningless. Overwhelming strength defeating skill—that was the best method of victory.
One large fist and one small fist—mine—collided in midair.
An irresistible force surged from the opponent’s fist. I staggered backward five steps. A wave of intense pain spread through my right hand.
But the opponent did not stop there.
Immediately after knocking me back, he leapt forward again and launched another punch at me.