True Will

"I'm completely exhausted." Seeing Kojima Arthur reduced to ashes, Cheng Pi breathed a sigh of relief as his body plummeted toward the ground. He had only inherited two of Yu Xian's abilities—pyrokinesis and hydrokinesis—yet he had also gained quite a few incomplete traits. For instance, while he hadn't received Light Eater, let alone Light Devourer, not only did he have no fear of sunlight, but basking in it actually restored his stamina. In addition, his five senses were far sharper than those of an ordinary vampire, and he had inherited a fraction of Yu Xian's raw talent in strength and speed. After all, Yu Xian had unlocked all of Pangu's abilities, which included the Pangu Herculean Divine Ability. Because of that, Yu Xian possessed a terrifying, monstrous strength, so the power passed down to Cheng Pi was naturally formidable. Then there was his hydrokinesis. What he controlled wasn't purely water; he could imbue it with various properties, such as viscosity and toxicity. Among them, venom was the most potent. In combat, he could use his hydrokinesis to manufacture lethal poisons, turning what was originally a modest offensive ability into a deadly attack. Finally, there was his regenerative factor. Healing was already a vampire's forte, and in his case, it was exceptionally pronounced. He crashed into the ground, gouging out a crater. Within moments, his injuries knit together and healed. Under the warm rays of the sun, his stamina recovered rapidly. Soon, he sat back up and spoke to the bubble floating nearby: "Yu Xian, thank you. From now on, as long as it doesn't violate my principles, my life is yours to command. Whether it's climbing a mountain of blades or plunging into a sea of fire, I, Cheng Pi, will stand with you to the bitter end." Only after that battle had he truly experienced firsthand just how powerful the strength bestowed by Yu Xian really was. He had originally been a weakling at the mid Eagle rank with hardly any combat capability beyond his speed. Yet now, he had effortlessly dispatched a foe whose power would once have been beyond his wildest imagination. Even though he had relied on a trick, as an operative of the Support Division, he was worldly and knowledgeable enough to know just how formidable his new power was. "And what are your principles?" Yu Xian asked curiously upon hearing his words. He honestly hadn't known that a cynical, irreverent fellow like Cheng Pi had principles, though recalling Cheng Pi's fury just moments ago, he had already guessed the answer before the words left his mouth. Yet Cheng Pi simply grinned with his usual nonchalance. "My principles are, naturally... never let down your country or your wife!" "You have a wife?" Yu Xian asked in shock. Cheng Pi pumped his fist and answered with conviction, "Not yet, but I will someday!" "Then let me tell you some good news: you'll probably have one very, very soon. If you don't believe me, take a look in a mirror," Yu Xian chuckled. Confused, Cheng Pi retrieved a mirror from his storage pouch. When he saw his reflection, he froze in disbelief. Although the general contours of his former self were still recognizable, his facial features and the shape of his face had become far more refined. Moreover, his pupils had turned crimson, and his hair had shifted to silver. "Why the hell do I look like some effeminate pretty boy?" When the reality sank in, Cheng Pi's voice rang out in grief and indignation, instantly followed by Yu Xian's hearty laughter. *** In stark contrast to the lighthearted mood on Yu Xian's end, on the other side of Earth, Edward sat in his traveling palace with a dark scowl. Beside him, several beautiful women didn't dare breathe too loudly, their bodies trembling faintly with terror. "What an utter... useless piece of trash!" Edward had never expected that after infusing Kojima Arthur with so much power, the man would still lose to a minor nobody from Huaxia. He felt furious, accompanied by an inexplicable restlessness—as if ever since that sneak attack by the mysterious figure, nothing had gone right. Just then, the traveling palace descended slowly onto the capital of Kiros. Several Transcendents who had already come out to welcome him were swept over by a wave of crimson energy before they could even lay eyes on Edward. In an instant, only skeletal remains were left kneeling on the ground. Edward stepped out of the traveling palace and looked up into the pitch-black night sky. Gradually, an eerie glint surfaced in his eyes. The malice bleeding into his curling lips grew more pronounced until he finally let out a sinister, low chuckle, having arrived at a ruthless decision. As the old Huaxia saying went: if you fail to kill a snake, you invite disaster upon yourself! Compared to sustainable development, the most pressing matter right now was to thoroughly crush the mysterious enemy lurking in the shadows and eliminate them once and for all. He raised an open hand and clenched it into a fist. Instantly, the vampire beauties inside the traveling palace shriveled into mummies, their power completely drained. The Demon Cross flew out from the traveling palace. Beams of crimson light cascaded downward. The superheroes tasked with carrying the floating palace immediately sensed impending doom, but before they could even attempt to flee, the crimson light pierced their bodies. With only enough time to let out brief shrieks of agony, their flesh rapidly withered into desiccated corpses. "As expected, power is only truly reliable when held entirely in one's own hands!" Gazing upon the dark city and the ordinary mortals kneeling on the ground like lambs awaiting slaughter, Edward let out a bloodthirsty chuckle. *** Mercury. After giving Cheng Pi an assignment, Yu Xian paid no further attention to the matters on Earth. He was dedicating his full efforts to refining the bloodlines of Leigong and Dianmu. In contrast to Leizhenzi's bloodline, which was rather crude, their bloodlines actually held some substance. Within Dianmu's bloodline, there was even a genetic fragment originating from some superpower world. The complete form of this ability was likely called "Appliance Control," which allowed a degree of manipulation over various technological devices. By employing the Blood Demon Stream: Infinite Autophagy Method, Yu Xian continuously absorbed the fragments belonging to Dianmu from his own blood, swiftly acquiring the fully realized version of Appliance Control. Essentially, this ability worked by directing electric currents to infiltrate electronic appliances and seize control over them. Having mastered this power, Yu Xian would no longer need to ask Zhenwo Changjing to help him export the videos from his mind onto a phone—he could now do it himself. After refining Dianmu's bloodline, he turned his attention to Leigong's bloodline. Leigong's bloodline turned out to be inferior to Dianmu's. While slightly better than Leizhenzi's, it wasn't by much, merely enhancing his control over lightning and his resistance to it. Next, he selected another bloodline and continued expending energy to refine it. For virtually every bloodline, it took him anywhere from half an hour to three hours to achieve complete refinement. The more powerful the bloodline, the more time and energy it required. Of course, the power it granted him was correspondingly greater. By now, his combat strength had risen to 60. Yet his most profound perception wasn't his physical strengthening, but that his consciousness could clearly sense the existence of his own soul and will. Willpower had originally been entirely intangible, but now, through psychic power, he could feel that his willpower was like formless wind or flowing water, capable of surging and shifting according to his intent. It was the softest thing in the world, yet also seemed to be the hardest. Yu Xian had an almost instinctual intuition: this power of will was extraordinary, and it might very well be the key to defeating Edward.