Before this massacre was just about to begin, not everyone realized its true horror.

Even the King of Mingzhou, Yang Gong, once found himself seemingly isolated.

Originally, the Food Protection Army, White Armor Army, and Iron Threshold Army formed the Three Armies Alliance to attack the Quzhou God-Given King, with the agreement that whoever defeated the God-Given King would become the Alliance Leader of Three Armies, elevating their overall strength and prestige to qualify as contenders for supremacy.

Before this, the King of Mingzhou was already seen as the common leader, strong in soldiers and reputation.

Yet, the battle at Tiger Pass brought an unforeseen result: the Iron Threshold King took Tiger Pass, but the King of Mingzhou initiated a massacre.

The Iron Threshold King advanced north to seize the Mengzhou Changsheng Army's horse breeding grounds, while surprisingly, the King of Mingzhou parted ways and led troops south.

Ignoring grand strategic plans and step-by-step tactics, he went wherever there was food, wherever there was surplus, he intended to appear.

Many strategists and subordinates didn't understand this, but Yang Gong, after initiating the massacre, saw everything clearly. Those who didn't understand remained with the Iron Threshold King, while he rode solo, heading south.

Those willing to follow, followed.

The first to follow him were countless people from the countryside, surviving on porridge and fruits, who had consumed the rice and grain Yang Gong had seized from the wealthy clans in the eight prefectures and twenty counties.

They were not an elite army, nor fierce generals; even the previous day, they were nearly starving without direction. But now, they followed the King of Mingzhou simply because he promised to help them find food, and he wouldn't let them starve to death.

Thus, as adverse winds arose, excess became forces, and Yang Gong transformed into a demon, unleashing this massacre upon the world.

"The King of Mingzhou broke the rules, became a seed of disaster; how long till he rises?"

Soon after the Tiger Pass event, when Yang Gong had slaughtered the noble families of the eight prefectures and twenty counties and his notorious reputation spread, those frightened began to panic, discuss, and anticipate the worst outcome.

Some guessed it would be two or three months, others half a year, and others thought several years.

Some even believed he wouldn't last, quickly killed and dismissed as a joke.

But no one expected that in less than ten days, the name of King of Mingzhou, Yang Gong, suddenly resounded throughout the world.

Everywhere, people rose using the King of Mingzhou, Yang Gong's name as a banner, spreading across the wilderness like a snowball.

With guidance from No-eating Bull Disciples and intentional help from Reincarnators with skills, the massacre didn't spread as commoners expected from one to two to three to four, but instead swiftly expanded from one to a hundred, from a hundred to thousands.

Excess erupted into massacre, once it started, it was unstoppable.

The hungry had grown numb, squatting in bleak wilderness, waiting for death.

Someone brought them a flag of the King of Mingzhou, whispered a few sentences, and pointed a direction.

So, in one night, the blood surged, and under the King of Mingzhou, suddenly emerged an army of thirty thousand, not even recognizing each other.

Some followed the noble's name, prepared to fight the mud-legged to protect their grain, planning an intense battle, only to find overnight, all their weapons and provisions were swapped for paper-made replicas.

And Yang Gong, with a group of people barely having enough to eat, walked confused along the mountain path, only to see before them a heap of swords, bamboo armor, and provisions.

It was strange; the God-Given King had killed countless, yet in Quzhou, his reputation was good, and in tough times, many helped.

Yang Gong had merely initiated a massacre outside Tiger Pass against the noble families of the eight prefectures and twenty counties, immediately becoming a terrifying demon feared by all.

Numerous strange people from various Paths wanted to act for justice, to kill this bloodthirsty disaster star, this root of calamity, but ultimately all failed.

Countless who lurked beside the King of Mingzhou to assassinate were secretly eliminated.

Numerous from different Paths who intended harm found themselves visited at night by a skilled person, who politely visited and then challenged them in a duel, either forcing submission or outright exterminating them.

Over time, even in the jianghu, rumors spread that the King of Mingzhou, Yang Gong, was protected by ghostly gods and should not be provoked.

This half-truth further spread the name of Ming King Yang Gong across the world, and the slogan "Kill the Giant Rat, Protect the People" quickly spread everywhere within days.

Under Ming King Yang Gong, his troops grew like a snowball daily; within half a month, armies acting in Ming King Yang Gong's name neared a million, creating massacres everywhere, and noble families were collapsing like rubble.

Only now did many realize the underlying problem.

They saw those excess were actually people, and as long as they were people, they could learn to wield a blade, learn to kill.

This massacre wasn't started or led by anyone; it only needed someone to take the lead, and it would immediately spread worldwide.

This massacre was inherent in the human world.

...

...

"There are two treasures in the world, Tai Sui and the People."

In the Netherworld Palace, Hu Ma transformed into a bridge, feeling the terror of this massacre even more deeply.