At the exact moment Chen Chuan entered the arena venue to watch the tournament, on Mount Qingding to the southwest of Center City, inside Moshen Temple, a young man with exceptionally long arms and a headband tied around his hair was pouring a bucket of well water into a stone vat in front of the temple.
His name was Du Geng. On the platform betting boards, he was considered the person Wei Wusheng would leave to kill last.
Ever since visiting the Rhino Horn cruise ship, he had stayed right here, going nowhere else, as though the turmoil outside had nothing to do with him.
After filling the stone vat to the brim, he walked into the temple and bowed respectfully to the idol above.
Moshen was a deity introduced from abroad that had long since been localized. However, it was by no means a mainstream sect and had faded long ago. Abroad, it might still linger in remote corners, but in most places, people had long ceased to have ever heard of it.
Yet here in Center City of Jibei Circuit, an intact temple and religious tradition were still preserved.
This was all thanks to the old temple keeper here. He had abandoned the outdated methods of worship in a timely manner and spent several decades running this place as a mental and psychological retreat catering to Center City's upper-middle class, preserving the temple's incense under a different guise.
Du Geng was a disciple of this temple. He had lived here since childhood, but his talent was by far the most outstanding. He had once taken the initiative to enter an arena tournament, killing a Wuyi external student whose entire body was covered in implants.
After the match, he declined invitations and returned to the mountain. Yet his performance back then had been truly stunning. As the most esteemed disciple of the temple, all of Moshen Temple's resources were concentrated on him, and he was even destined to be the next temple keeper—and past keepers of Moshen Temple had all been...
With so much time having passed, some believed he might have already crossed the threshold, which was why people on the platform generally thought he would be Wei Wusheng's most important target.
After bowing to Moshen, Du Geng walked over to the old temple keeper and bowed respectfully. "Teacher."
Although the old keeper was in his eighties, apart from the long white beard draped across his chest, his face still looked like that of someone in their forties or fifties.
This time he did not answer as usual. He turned toward the temple exterior, and after a moment, said in a steady voice, "Du Geng, our guest has arrived."
Du Geng could not help looking outside. Stepping through the temple gates, he gazed down the mountain and saw a tall, powerful figure making his way toward the summit from the mountain entrance.
The man was exceptionally solidly built, wearing loose blue training clothes, with a wide belt cinched at his waist from which a hammer hung. Though his body was clearly heavy, his gait gave an impression of extraordinary lightness.
He fixed his eyes on the newcomer. As long as he defeated this foe before Moshen, his mind and body would be elevated to an entirely new level.
The old keeper also stepped outside at this moment and said to Du Geng, "This is your battle. Remember, he is your greatest obstacle. Use him to break through the shackles of your mind and smash the chains upon you."
Du Geng said firmly, "Teacher, all this time, this is the day I've been waiting for." He paused, then added solemnly, "I am ready."
The old keeper said, "Take the medicine first, then go drink the Moshen water."
Du Geng hummed in affirmation and immediately went to one side to take the medicine that unlocked potential. His breathing grew ragged and the muscles across his body swelled slightly, but with his self-regulation, they soon settled back down.
This was a special formula concocted in Moshen Temple. Although it was somewhat stimulating, it suited his constitution well and caused little harm to him; as long as he took soothing remedies afterward, most side effects would be eliminated, and a few days of rest would set things right.
After taking the medicine, he walked back to the stone vat, lifted a gourd ladle, scooped out a ladleful of water, and tilted his head back to drink it down.
His hand was steady; not a single drop spilled.
After drinking it, his eyes brightened considerably. He turned to gaze at Wei Wusheng, who was ascending the stone steps below, seemingly in anticipation.
Wei Wusheng had reached the final stretch of stone steps, roughly thirty steps away from the mountaintop temple. At that moment, however, he suddenly sensed something amiss. He jerked his chin down to protect his throat, and immediately a thin trace of blood appeared across his chin.
He backed away at the same time, yet his body caught. Only then did he realize that his left arm seemed to be tightly entangled by something, unable to pull free for the moment.
Looking around, he saw fine threads crisscrossing the area. These threads connected to tiny insects concealed among the foliage lining both sides of the wide stone stairway. The tiny bugs darted swiftly, wrapping the threads around tree trunks on either side.
Sensing a grave threat, he decisively jerked backward. Half his arm was severed clean at the elbow and rolled onto the ground, but through this he broke free from the encirclement ahead.
Yet he had taken only a few steps back before pausing once more. Unbeknownst to him, fine threads now filled the space in front, behind, left, and right, continually drawing inward.
Before long, faint traces of blood appeared all over his limbs and torso. The threads sliced with ease into his solid muscle, meeting significant resistance only once they pulled taut against bone. Blood seeped continuously from the incisions.
Whenever obstructed, the bugs swiftly wound the threads around branches and tree trunks. If he tried to wrench free by force right now, he would likely suffer the same fate as his severed arm.
Seeing Wei Wusheng trapped there, Du Geng smiled and walked down the steps one by one. Yet even as he walked through the thread-strewn area, the fine threads did not cut him; instead, they simply glided harmlessly over his body.
He smiled faintly. These little bugs were an alien species preserved by Moshen Temple since the old era—messengers of Moshen, bred specifically to deal with such foes.
Once entangled by them, anyone who was not a believer of Moshen could never break free. There was no need at all to engage in a genuine duel with Wei Wusheng; all he had to do was walk up and finish him off.
He felt not the slightest shame or guilt. He was a believer of Moshen first, and only then a fighter. Borrowing the power of Moshen to defeat an enemy was entirely natural and justified; offering the life of a formidable adversary before Moshen would only bring him closer to his deity.
As he walked down, he picked up a handled metal spike from a rack to the side, then walked slowly up to Wei Wusheng.
Staring at the bound figure, he said, "Your greatest mistake was coming here." Raising the spike, he leveled it at Wei Wusheng's eye. "I hear your bounty is substantial. I'll reluctantly accept it."
With that, he moved, thrusting swiftly toward Wei Wusheng. Yet with a sharp crack, he discovered to his shock that the spike had been caught firmly by a raised palm.
He was utterly stunned.
How could this be?!
This man was clearly bound by the power of Moshen!
The moment he sensed something was wrong, his body reacted faster than his mind, leaping backward. But right then, a massive shadow loomed abruptly over him, locking him in a bear hug!
Feeling that overwhelming strength surge into him, he turned pale with fright and struggled frantically. But it was already too late. As Wei Wusheng's intact arm squeezed tight, a sickening crunch of fracturing bones sounded. Du Geng's back and chest were compressed flat against one another in an instant. His eyeballs bulged, and blood erupted from his throat.
Wei Wusheng released his grip. Du Geng slid limp down his body, slumping between his feet. His turned cheek pressed against the cold stone pavers, indistinct mumblings escaping his mouth: "How... how could..."
Wei Wusheng looked down, speaking in a casual tone. "Your ability to pass through those threads relies merely on changes in your biological field. Modifying one's field accordingly is a very simple matter."
"So that's how it was..."
Du Geng was instantly overcome with regret. If only he had been a little more careful, or simply waited a bit longer... But before his thoughts could finish spinning, a large foot came down from above. With a wet squelch, his head was crushed beneath the stomp.
The old temple keeper closed his eyes.
Wei Wusheng walked over and retrieved the severed half of his arm, pressing it against the stump. Countless tiny, sprout-like filaments of mutated tissue sprouted from the cut surfaces on both sides, twisting and knitting together as the severed ends met. Once pressed in place, the outer wound began to close up, and not just there—the cuts across his entire body were slowly knitting shut as well.
Having done this, he rolled his neck and headed up the steps.
The old temple keeper retreated slowly into the temple. Behind him, several elderly men clad in the same ritual robes stepped forth, each taking out medicine and swallowing it down.
Wei Wusheng seemed oblivious to them, walking right up to the temple front. Looking at the surrounding scenery, he commented, "Nice place." Then he reached out, drew his hammer, and stepped inside.
More than ten minutes later, he stepped back out, leaving behind a trail of bloody footprints wherever he trod.
After so much time, the wounds across his body had completely vanished, and even the severed arm seemed to move freely once more.
Right then, a voice rang out by his ear: "There's still..."
Wei Wusheng cut the voice off directly. "I know there are more, but those aren't worth mentioning. Only one person warrants attention."
Previously, the rapid growth of Xiong Jianyi's mutated tissue had exerted a certain influence over him, even causing him to alter his combat style for a time.
Yet this was also a contest. In the struggle over whose will would dominate, he had gradually regained control. Now he had completely overpowered the other party; no longer did he need to follow Xiong Jianyi's will to the letter—he could act solely according to his own wishes.
The fusion of their mutated tissues brought more than just a blend of rigidity and softness; it ushered in a new period of rapid growth for him.
He had not stayed out of sight earlier because he was afraid or trying to dodge those who took up bounty commissions; rather, he had needed to find a place to ride out this transition. Now, he had basically finished off all the worthwhile targets.
At this stage, only the last remnant of the heart's intent's power remained waiting to be absorbed by him.
He needed greater stimulation to push the mutated tissue throughout his entire body to perfection. Only a body like that could face that crucial threshold.
Therefore, it was time to eliminate the person standing in the way of the heart's intent's final release.
Chapter 336