Demon God Potion—as the name suggested, it was a potion made using the blood of Lin Yang's Demon God Body as its foundation.
Lin Yang had originally developed the Demon God Potion to grant Grandma Su Xi longevity, or even eternal life.
But later research showed that his blood was far too domineering.
Ordinary people or wild beasts without soul power, once infected by his blood, would either explode or turn into mindless evil Demons.
Only soul beasts or soul masters could withstand the power of his blood and retain their sanity.
After his second awakening, the origin of his Demon God Body martial soul had greatly improved. His blood had become even stronger and more domineering as a result.
The Demon God Potion used various rare medicinal herbs to continuously weaken and neutralize the effects of the Demon God Body blood.
So far, no one had been able to withstand its power.
Lin Yang was not giving the Demon God Potion to Keynes because he wanted him to die. He knew Keynes needed a chance to defy fate.
Even if that chance was extremely slim...
Keynes's remaining left hand gripped the scarlet potion tightly. He looked at Lin Yang and forced a smile. "Doctor Lin, if I die, Kathleen... I'll leave her in your care."
Lin Yang made no promises. He simply said solemnly, "She is my disciple!"
"That's good."
"Bro...."
Tears streamed down Kathleen's face. She wanted to say something, but Lin Yang pulled her out. "We'll go out first... The rest will depend on heaven's will."
Once only Keynes remained in the room, he looked at the Demon God Potion in his hand. The scarlet liquid swayed slightly inside the glass bottle, like something alive.
"If this is my fate..."
A ferocious expression appeared on his face—the madness born of utter despair. "Then I'll defy heaven and change my fate!"
He bit open the cork, tilted his head back, and gulped the potion down in one go.
Bang!
The potion bottle fell to the ground and shattered.
The next second, Keynes's skin turned bright red, as if he had been thrown into boiling water.
This was only the beginning.
The muscles all over his body began to spasm. Lumps of flesh wriggled like living little mice, scurrying madly beneath his skin.
Blood vessels bulged one after another, purple and green, like countless twisted earthworms crawling across his entire body.
Imagine countless earthworms treating your body as soil, drilling along every narrow passage, constantly twisting and biting.
They first bored into flesh, then into the five organs and six viscera, into the bone marrow, and finally into the brain.
When happy, they drilled twice; when unhappy, they drilled twice more.
And those countless earthworms kept splitting and multiplying—more and more, more and more crowded.
They were occupying your body, eroding your brain, as if they wanted to fill you completely from the inside out and then burst you apart.
At the same time, at the severed limb stumps, clumps of flesh began to wriggle and gather like living things.
They tried to grow into something, but failed again and again, collapsing each time.
Keynes's consciousness gradually blurred. His vision slowly disappeared.
He felt as if something was gnawing away at his brain bit by bit.
Suddenly, a familiar face appeared in the darkness. "Sis...."
He wanted to shout but could not make a sound.
Then, more and more people emerged—familiar neighbors, relatives, friends, and his mercenary companions.
These familiar faces flashed one by one in the darkness.
In the end, the scene was dyed blood-red.
He saw those members of the hunting group laughing wildly and arrogantly.
A flash of blade light!
His right arm was gone. His left leg was gone. They surrounded him, looking at him like a dead dog.
Anger brewed. Rage accumulated.
Finally, he saw Lin Yang.
The young man who always wore a gentle smile stood before him. "Do you... want power?"
He had been given the chance but failed to grasp it.
"I... am not willing!!!"
Keynes opened his mouth wide and roared with all his might, producing a "furious roar."
In reality, his throat could only emit hoarse "heh heh" gasps, like a candle flame about to be extinguished in a storm.
His vocal cords had already spasmed so badly that they could produce no sound.
Bang!
He rolled off the bed and slammed heavily onto the ground.
His remaining left arm swung up and punched the floor.
Shattered stones flew. A fist-sized crater instantly appeared in the ground.
"Aaaah!"
Another punch!
And another!
He went mad, punching the ground again and again.
The once smooth, intact floor was smashed into a pitted mess by fist after fist.
What he did not notice was that the flesh at the severed stumps, which had stopped wriggling, seemed to receive new vitality and began moving again.
As if accumulating, as if brewing, until...
Puchi!
A complete arm suddenly grew out from the mass of flesh.
Another "puchi" sound—the severed left leg also grew back.
Outside the door.
Hearing the suppressed, muffled roars from inside, Kathleen covered her mouth tightly to stop herself from crying out.
Lin Yang stood beside her. His Transparent World clearly perceived everything happening within.
He slowly curved his lips and murmured, "It succeeded. So it really is related to willpower..."
He thought of Upper Moon Three—Akaza—from the Demon Slayer world. The man had already overcome the weakness of decapitation but had voluntarily given up survival.
The Demon King's blood could control his flesh but could not change his will.
Akaza had chosen release for the sake of his love.
But Keynes, driven by unwillingness, had chosen to struggle and resist.
Lin Yang turned to Kathleen and said softly, "Don't worry. Your brother... has made it through."
Kathleen was stunned. Then her whole body went limp. She dropped to her knees, tears pouring from her eyes.
About ten minutes later—
Creak—!
A teeth-grating sound rang out. The operating room door behind them opened, and a figure walked out.
Kathleen hurriedly looked up. The moment she saw Keynes, she froze.
Was this her brother?
The original Keynes had been strong, but still just an ordinary man.
Now, he was a full head taller than before. His muscles were knotted like coiling dragons.
Merely standing there, he exuded a powerful, steady aura—like a mountain.
Keynes looked at Lin Yang.
Their gazes met.
Sensing the mysterious connection between them, Keynes suddenly smiled.
That smile contained ferocity, relief, and a trace of indescribable gratitude.
Bang!
Keynes dropped to one knee before Lin Yang, lowering his head. "Keynes is willing to follow Lord. In this life, I shall become a sharp sword and follow you unto death!"
Loyalty!!!
Lin Yang reached out to help him up, smiling with relief. "Congratulations on crawling back from hell."
"Yes," Keynes revealed a fierce look, cold light flashing in his eyes. "Some things... should be settled now."