Meeting in Dire Peril

A brilliant burst of light exploded where the palm met the tip of the cane, and both combatants seemed to freeze for a split second. With a rumbling roar, the torn air was driven outward by the spilling jin. Amid the flickering light, the handsome youth wore an inscrutable expression, his body and arm remaining completely motionless. The jin Puppet unleashed seemed to crash into an immovable barrier. Under the clash of the two forces, his arm instantly shattered into a mist of blood, vanishing entirely. The blood staff rebounded, flying high into the air. Yet his expression did not change in the slightest. His other hand swept around to catch the cane halfway through its rebound, and with a backhanded swing, he lashed it down toward his opponent's face. This offensive had never been about that built-up strike; that was merely a feint to make the foe believe he was gambling everything on a single blow. This follow-up was the true blow he had prepared. At the cost of his arm detonating, he kept the opponent's jin from reaching his body, allowing him to exploit the opening the moment the youth drove out his force. No matter how superior the opponent's strength and speed might be, exerting full force in an attack inevitably left other areas unguarded, creating a momentary opening. His tactical execution was flawless this time. The handsome youth indeed could not recover his guard in time, so the strike landed true, cracking hard against his forehead. Yet though spiritual fire splashed from the impact, it failed to breach the defense in the slightest. The handsome youth curled his lip. Even though his offensive power had been spent, an inner layer of spiritual fire still protected his body; even if the outer barrier was breached, the inner layer remained impenetrable. Raising a leg, he kicked out, and a flash erupted across Puppet's body as he was sent flying into the distance once more. This time, the purple qi within Puppet reacted instinctively, barely gathering enough to withstand the force so his body did not burst apart completely. Still, this was also because the opponent had deliberately held back, not using his full power. Even so, because the strike landed with pinpoint accuracy, his heart burst instantly. The surrounding flesh was pulverized into mangled ruin, leaving a hole punched clean through his chest from front to back. In the eyes of the squad members, their boss had barely charged out before being knocked back just as quickly. This time he slammed into a massive tree on the far side, blasting clean through the trunk like an artillery shell before striking the rocky mountainside behind, sending up a massive plume of smoke and dust as fractured stones showered outward amid an explosive roar. The mercenary squad members were stunned. Never had they seen Blood Staff face such an overwhelmingly powerful opponent. In past fights, Blood Staff had ended up at a disadvantage before, but there was always some give-and-take. This made them realize the newcomer was extraordinary. Could the Classified Operations Directorate have dispatched an even stronger martial artist? Over by the cliffside, rocks clattered down from above, and the trees and brush that had been plowed through burst into flames. Hands tucked into his trouser pockets, the young man strolled forward, a playful smirk on his face as though toying with prey. Across at the cliff, amid the clatter of cascading stones, Puppet rose from the rubble once again. Yet he knew all too well that just now had been his only chance to wound his opponent. Failing to achieve results proved the gap between them was immense—far beyond what skill alone could bridge. Even so, he would not back down before such a foe. Under this crushing pressure, the mutated tissue in his body sensed the crisis and sprang completely to life, while purple qi continuously drew energy from it to replenish his reserves. His injuries mended at astonishing speed. Bone, muscle, and visceral tissue underwent rapid reshaping, and the newly regrown arm emerged even sturdier and more powerful than before. Originally, he had only been a doll, and the mutated tissue had merely grown over his original body. A significant portion had still consisted of the doll's construction materials, only gradually reinforced by mutated tissue without fundamentally changing. But after being blasted apart, the regenerated tissue was entirely brand-new, breaking free of his original constraints. He could feel his newly formed heart pulsing with greater vigor than ever before. By now, the handsome youth had walked into view. Seeing Puppet's body fully restored in such a short time, with even the arm regrown, he could not help but feel surprised. By his calculations, even discounting the previous expenditures and assuming peak condition, Puppet would have done well to mend just a fraction of his injuries. Yet now, not only had he recovered, his aura seemed slightly stronger than before. Could he possess some talent beyond ordinary mortals? As far as he knew, certain martial artists were indeed exceptional. Endowed with remarkable mental strength, they could draw a small amount of replenishable energy from the world opposite even before reaching the Secret Hall level. Though it was only a tiny fraction, once their level rose in the future, the amount they could absorb would far exceed that of others. This raised his assessment of Puppet another notch. It also meant that once he took this vessel, he would not need much adjustment to turn it into his most potent external body, greatly facilitating the completion of his ultimate secret art. "Then let's see where your limit lies while we're at it." The handsome youth recognized Puppet's surging fighting spirit, so this time he did not initiate the attack, choosing instead to wait for him to charge. Puppet did not linger to recover. Gripping his cane tightly, he rushed toward the man. Across the hills, tremendous reverberations erupted once more. Unsurprisingly, Puppet was completely outmatched. He was knocked down again and again, yet rose to his feet every single time. His limbs and torso were broken and severed countless times, only to regenerate in short order. The handsome youth was thoroughly astonished by his resilience. No matter how much energy one could draw from the world opposite, failing to reach the Secret Hall level meant the supply was ultimately very limited. Besides, even without counting combat expenditure, regeneration required an immense amount of energy. Yet Puppet had clashed with him for so long, regenerating himself no fewer than a dozen times, and still possessed ample energy to keep fighting. At the same time, he realized Puppet's combat capability seemed to be subtly climbing, which served as further proof. Yet it was all in vain. No matter how much his strength increased, before an absolute difference in cultivation realms, there was no possibility of victory. Boom! Puppet's reactions lagged by a fraction, failing to evade an incoming kick. He flew sideways uncontrollably, crashing into the structures built by the mutated First People, bringing the entire bone pile tumbling down over him. After a moment, the bone pile exploded outward. He stood up once more, ripped away his tattered trench coat, and gazed at his powerful adversary. Though his repeated stands seemed passionate and reckless, he was in fact cold and collected. He knew the disparity between them, so while his battle appeared desperate and suicidal, he was actually trying to stall for time. Nightfall was not far off. He did not know whether night in the convergence zone posed a threat to the foe, but since the man had come during the day, it indicated he was not completely indifferent to the dark. Although night might be even more perilous for his own group, they had fortunately made some preparations before coming. This was their only chance. The handsome youth grew impatient, speaking to the consciousness that constantly restrained him from pressing relentless assaults: "I'm not here to play games with you all. Since he's this durable, I say we just beat him to pulp and carry him back." This time, the consciousness did not object again, though it still cautioned, "Be careful. Don't truly ruin him." "Should have been like this all along," the handsome youth said. His figure vanished from the spot instantly. Once he got serious, Puppet had no way to resist. Before he could even see the man clearly, he felt himself thrown into the air and watched as everything below his waist vanished completely. Only his upper body tumbled through midair before hitting the ground with a wet thud. "Boss!" Seeing their leader in such a horrific state, the members of the Blood Staff Mercenary Group could endure it no longer, opening fire violently upon the handsome youth. But they knew it was useless, so Brother Xuan shouted directly, "Come on, you piece of filth!" Blue veins bulged on the handsome youth's cheek. Just as he was about to dash forward to finish them off, he felt a sudden weight around his ankle—the grounded Puppet had gripped him there. He was about to strike, but that mental presence suppressed his emotions once more. Shaking his head, he looked down at Puppet with amusement. "Seems you care a lot about your squad members?" Hands still in his pockets, he leaned down and leaned in close, staring straight into Puppet's eyes. "If you agree to become my vessel, I can promise to let them go." "Boss, don't agree to it!" "Don't put Boss in a corner!" "Right! Don't become a burden to Boss!" Almost simultaneously, every member of the Blood Staff Mercenary Group turned their gun barrels around and aimed them at themselves. This was what they had decided long ago: if they ever became a liability to their boss, they would simply end their own lives. Yet just as they were about to pull the triggers, their movements froze abruptly. Everyone floated up from the ground, held fast as though bound by an unseen force, capable of moving only their eyes. The handsome youth's expression changed—this was not his doing. Sensing something, he whipped his head around, only to see a tall, upright figure walking toward them, holding a long blade in hand, the red silk streamer behind the hilt fluttering in the air. The figure walked with an easy gait, yet gave off a tremendous sense of threat, causing the consciousness controlling the body to tremble violently. Extreme vigilance flared in his eyes as he asked, "You're the person he spoke of? Why are you here?" The mercenary squad members watched the approaching figure. Never had they expected this ferocious enemy to suddenly look as if facing a mortal threat. Chen Chuan walked close. He glanced first at the battered, wretched Puppet, then at the handsome youth. Raising a hand, he flicked a finger. The youth's pupils shrank, and his arms shot up to cover his head. A flash of light, a thunderous boom, and the whole hillside shook several times. The handsome youth was nowhere to be seen—only a colossal crater had appeared out of nowhere in the earth. Chen Chuan said calmly, "You have no right to speak to me. Switch to him."