Yin Yang’s current state was extremely dire. The side effects of the 【Wind Rider's Badge】 had reached their absolute limit; he felt as though he were in a land of eternal frost, with icy air drilling directly into the marrow of his bones.
Worse still, something was tugging at his mind, trying to drag him away!
Yet, he was in a dangerous place and could only grit his teeth and endure.
Finally, just as he was about to collapse, he spotted a camp flying the flag of Great Wei.
Yin Yang raised his hand and shouted toward it with all his remaining strength.
“I am Zheng Yang, a temporary surgeon from Camp B! My mentor is Mr. Yuan! Please contact my mentor!”
As he spoke, his vision began to blur in waves.
He vaguely saw several fully armed soldiers running toward him.
“Don't be impulsive.”
After using his last shred of will to caution the blade-wielding ghost, Yin Yang could no longer resist the pulling force, and his consciousness was dragged into darkness.
He was back at the back of the divine kingdom, still unable to move.
But this time, the statue he possessed was far, far smaller—it was merely a clay statue in a small shrine.
Outside, the sky was pitch black; it was likely night. A bonfire blazed before the statue.
Judging by the unburned wood, they were likely burning the offering table.
Three men and one woman huddled around the bonfire, listening to the crackling of the flames.
Their clothing was ancient and bore distinct ethnic characteristics.
“He is too strong. Even the Son of Heaven is no match for him. What can we do?”
“We cannot yield! Our 【Rong Tribe】 has lived here since the Zhou Era, worshipping the Fire God. They come here now and tell us to submit and change our faith to that bastard? How is that possible?”
“Exactly! Who does he think he is?”
The woman also looked indignant, poking the fire with a wooden stick to make it burn more fiercely.
“He is too greedy. If he wants to become a god, let him, but why must he annihilate all other faiths?”
“Perhaps it is related to his promotion ritual.”
“Ever since Great Wei was founded, he has vanished, and his lackeys have begun a frantic purge of other gods! There must be something behind this.”
“Sigh, that is a Sequence 2. Even if we knew his plans, what could we do?”
“So what if he’s a Sequence 2? Does being a Sequence 2 give him the right to destroy a faith that has lasted a thousand years?”
“Agui!”
The leader’s voice rose slightly, his eyes brimming with tears.
“There are only four of us left in the Rong Tribe.”
“If we die too, no one will be left to believe in the Fire God.”
“Once a god loses their faith...”
Swish, swish, swish!
Three arrows whistled through the air, instantly blowing apart the heads of the three people in the room.
The only survivor tried to flee, but the door shattered. A giant hand reached in from outside and crushed him instantly.
Blood and mangled flesh slid down the palm; the scene was incredibly bloody.
“A few little ants, quite good at hiding.”
“Now the Rong Tribe is pacified. That’s one less wild god on this land.”
“Hmm?”
As he spoke, he suddenly turned his head toward the statue. Yin Yang’s entire being jolted—he had been discovered!
The giant hand reached out to grab the statue. Yin Yang’s consciousness blurred once more as he was ejected from the statue and returned to the divine kingdom.
On the square, another dark shadow had appeared.
However, this shadow was very, very small. It didn't follow the first shadow but instead stayed quietly in a corner.
Yin Yang was nearly used to this by now and had no time to investigate. His consciousness began to return to his body.
...
“Xiao Yang? Xiao Yang?”
The moment Yin Yang opened his eyes, he saw Mr. Yuan’s worried face.
Mr. Yuan was currently unshaven, his eyes bloodshot from a clear lack of rest.
“Teacher... Yuan.”
Mr. Yuan let out a long, heavy sigh of relief.
“You scared me to death, scared me to death. It’s good that you’re okay, it’s good that you’re okay.”
Hearing Mr. Yuan’s words, Yin Yang’s heart felt heavy with complex emotions.
Sometimes, he felt like a ghost living in the darkness.
Pain, fear, loneliness—no amount of negative emotion could hurt him; he had protected himself perfectly.
But just a little bit of concern, a little bit of kindness, was enough to break through his defenses.
This was why he spent most of his time trying to distance himself from such kindness.
He feared failing them, and even more, he feared that they would be hurt because of him.
“Teacher, I...”
“You must have suffered so much on the way back, haven't you?”
“It’s alright now. It’s enough that you came back alive.”
The excuses Yin Yang had prepared were completely unnecessary.
Mr. Yuan didn't care what means his student had used to escape; he only knew that his student was back by his side.
...
In the sky, the dark clouds began to shrink and converge, gradually forming a sphere nearly a kilometer in diameter.
The black-robed elder’s form twisted, turning into a patch of darkness—this finally revealed his pathway: Killer!
The white-browed elder braced himself in the sky and threw another straight punch!
It still looked ordinary, yet it struck the darkness, causing it to ripple and become unstable!
One of the abilities of a Sequence 5 Grandmaster of the Martial Artist pathway was the ability to deliver 100% of an attack’s power at only 70% of the cost!
Upon reaching Sequence 4 Patriarch, this ability was further enhanced; they could deliver 100% power at only 50% cost.
And when they exerted themselves fully, they could unleash an attack with 200% intensity!
Furthermore, upon reaching Sequence 4, they would awaken a new ability.
Technique!
Technique made their consumption even lower and their attacks more stable, precise, and ruthless!
When they exerted themselves fully, they could often produce a 300% effect!
If they struck a weakness, there was even a chance for a “Critical Hit”!
As long as the trigger conditions were met, their attacks could continue in an endless stream!
Although the white-browed elder’s previous punch had landed a critical hit, it hadn't met the trigger conditions for Technique.
Otherwise, the sheer weight of continuous attacks alone would have been enough to grind the opponent down.
The black sphere formed by the clouds continued to condense, and the darkness that was the black-robed elder flew toward it.
Seeing this, the goat-bearded elder sent the golden phantom behind him forward. The phantom rubbed its paired maces together, instantly igniting them with raging flames.
He brought a mace down, leaving a flaming brand upon the darkness.
This was one of the abilities of a Sequence 4 of the Axeman pathway: Execution!
When activating this ability, he would loudly proclaim the target’s “Crime.” Once the target committed such a crime, they would be executed!
Of course, whether it would be an instant kill also depended on the enemy’s strength.
“Fleeing! Cowardice!”
With those two words, the black-robed elder was forced to revert from his dark state and face the goat-bearded elder in a direct confrontation!
His eyes were bloodshot as he snarled.
“Do you really think you’re being clever, trying to stop me with such tricks?”
As he spoke, his figure blurred, appearing behind the goat-bearded elder like a teleportation, thrusting directly toward his heart.
Rate on N.U.
