Stuck in a Chinese novel

"I heard young master Song Huan completed his closed-door cultivation in just two years. The Song clan must be proud of them, right?" A woman spoke, her attire a stunning strapless red gown that fell past her feet and sprawled behind her. Her beauty was unparalleled among most of the women there but not the only ones.

The woman she was talking to in a blue dress was also equally stunning. With a fan in her hand, she gently waved it and replied, "The Song clan is indeed blessed. After young master Gong, young master Huan's older brother, this is the second time they have surprised the whole empire like this."

"I heard even the emperor is coming to this banquet and there are talks of him betrothing his youngest daughter with young master Song Huan." The woman in red said.

"Hah~" The woman in blue sighed and said, "That makes me so jealous. She is nowhere near as worthy of young master Song yet she's being treated like that just because she's the emperor's daughter."

"Well, even if they're in a decline, the daughter of the emperor is still the daughter of the emperor. If the imperial family could somehow make it work, they'd be able to stop the invasion of the foreigners. Not to mention the jackpot they'd hit with young master Song Huan." It indeed makes me jealous as well." The woman in red said.

They were perfectly aware that a young man near them could hear them clearly and they were also aware of who he was. However, they still didn't hold themselves back because they were aware of the young man's dilemma. They were well aware of how helpless he was. Even though he was of the imperial lineage, he couldn't do anything about the women.

Not only what they were saying was true but also because he was powerless to do anything about them. All he could do was listen to them and endure. While he was enduring on the outside, there was another young man who was enduring on the inside.

"Father! How could you do that?! You know all too well what that bastard did to little Yuan let you're still doing it! You're still engaging her to him!" The young man with ethereal features questioned the old man on a chair with a defeated expression.

"What other choice is there? The Song family is not giving us any choice." The old man asked while also explaining the situation. He knew full well that he was throwing his daughter to the hyenas but he couldn't do anything. It was either this or giving up the nation to the outsiders. Either way, the Song family had rooted itself enough to surpass the authority of the imperial family.

If with that marriage, or at least that was how it was to the public, they could save the imperial family and stop the invasion of the outsiders, he would sacrifice even himself let alone just his daughter. Stay updated with empire

The land their ancestors had fought so hard to secure was at the threat of falling to the invaders from the land across the sea. His heart just wouldn't allow it to give everything up.

The young man arguing with the old man remained silent. Defeated, he knew all too well what was at stake. He knew that it was either this or his sister ended up as a slave. He was defeated. However, this choice was the same. It was the same as making his sister the slave of the outsiders. He wouldn't allow it.

No matter what, he wouldn't allow it.

"Where are you going?" The old man, the emperor, the rightful ruler of the land asked. "If you won't do anything, then I will." The young man replied and left the room and entered the banquet hall. Making his way through the banquet hall, he headed for the exit, intending to leave. The young man on the outside, the younger brother of the young man saw him and tried to approach him but someone else beat him to it.

Someone who just entered collided with the young man heading out and said, "Oh if it isn't the crown prince Tang. It is an honor to meet you."

A person everyone knew full well. Looking at him, no one in the room was unaware of his identity. The topic of conversation for that day was the youngest son of the Song Clan, Song Huan. The young man stopped in his steps as he heard the sweet words of the man before him, Song Huan and his expression twisted to that one of anger.

But, no matter what, he couldn't do anything about it. All he could do was endure it. He bit his lips and passed Song Huan who, although didn't appear to others, snickered as the young man cowardly passed him. Song Huan also didn't forget to mutter, "I will use your sister to the fullest tonight."

The young man stopped in his path, his fists clenched so much that his nails were embedded into his palms but despite the sheer anger, he still couldn't do anything. He was well aware of the truth. The world belonged to the strong and the strong in this scenario was Song Huan.

Not him.

So, well aware of the cruel reality, he didn't stop and continued his steps to leave the place. Seeing him leave like that, his brother couldn't help but mutter, 'Brother…'

He had never seen his brother so defeated before. Yet, all he could do was watch and endure. 'You don't have to endure.'

Suddenly, a voice fell into his ears. A voice he was well familiar with, as he heard it for many days. At first, he ignored it as a sign of going mad but that wasn't it. The voices only stemmed whenever he was deeply depressed which he almost all of the time was given how much humiliation he had to bear due to his weakness. His family's weakness.

Yet, he never gave in. Because his brother held his head high always but when he saw him defeated like that today, he couldn't help but ask, 'What do you want?'

'Simply help you. You are me and I am you. Let's become one and destroy everything.' The voice said. Destroy everything. Everything that was supposedly his but he was also losing it. He and his family were losing it all.

There was only one thing left to do. Grasp at every straw. And now that there was one straw before him, he couldn't help but extend his hand toward it and take it. He accepted the offer of the voice.

Suddenly, his head began to ache terribly and his breath began to shorten. As he gasped for air, pain assaulted him as well. It wasn't long before his ears and eyes began to bleed, his nose and mouth soon followed suit.

"Wh—What's happening to him?" The voice from the red-dressed woman garnered everyone's attention and they all saw what was happening to him. Before anyone could do anything, the young man suddenly raised his head, his eyes and face bloodied as he said, "Destruction!!!!!!!!!"

Following his yell, there was another scream and it belonged to none other than the woman in red because she began to melt. She literally began to melt until her flesh had formed a puddle beneath her feet.

It was all so fast and instant that no one in the room could react until the deed had already happened. People only came to their senses once there was nothing but the skeleton of the woman left.

"Ahh!!!!"

"Kyah!!!"

"Run!!!"

Panic instantly took deep root as the young man didn't stop at the woman in red and began to kill everyone near him. Seeing him rampage like that and even cutting through a Qi manifestation realm cultivator like nothing, everyone in the room realized the matter was more severe than they expected.

Song Huan, the man who was the star of the banquet hurriedly withdrew his sword and jumped at the young man, intending to kill him but he was severely mistaken as the young man simply grabbed the sword of Song Huan and broke it like it was a piece of delicate porcelain.

"Huh!" The impact sent Song Huan back and before he could even collect himself, his head rolled on the floor. The young man, however, wasn't sated. He looked at the person closest to him and jumped at him, killing him as well. And just like that, more and more people followed suit. The young man didn't stop rampaging until everyone in the hall was dead.

However, he still wasn't sated. He moved outside, killing everyone on the outside and then even in the city. He killed and killed and killed until there was a stream of blood in the city. He didn't show any indication of stopping even then when the state of madness was suddenly lifted. As he saw what he had done and saw that it wasn't just a voice in his head but reality, he was about to step away when an arrow embedded itself into his arm.

"Argh!" He grunted in pain and looked behind him. Soldiers of Song Clan and many more were making their way towards him. Knowing he couldn't fight them, he had no choice but to jump into the river flowing through the city and escape his pursuers.

However, the sins he committed that day would still be their due punishment. Only the ones receiving the punishment wouldn't be him but his family.