The blade-wielding Vajra moved with extreme speed, so Sevrin did not have to wait long before gaining three new subordinates.
The first held a pair of golden jar-shaped hammers, his entire body riddled with holes and wounds, without a single patch of intact skin. The next carried a bow and arrows; though his build was relatively slender, he was more complete. The final one held a long halberd and had a feminine appearance; her stature was more petite, standing at only about 1.85 meters tall, yet her physical integrity was the highest of them all.
In short, among the countless Demon-Subduing Vajras across this vast wasteland, only these four were successfully activated; the rest were all scrapped husks.
Since Sevrin felt their serial numbers were awkward to pronounce, he gave each of them a new name.
The first, wielding a cleaver-like blade as large as a door plank, was named Brao. The second, with dual golden jar-hammers, he named Acui. The third, wielding a bow with a sinister and cold demeanor, was dubbed Arrooy. Finally, the female Vajra with a jade-like face and a long halberd was named Hotick.
"By the way, do you run on oil or electricity?" Sevrin asked Brao curiously. "It's not like you survive on noodles and rice, right?"
"Reporting to Master," Brao replied. "We use Yang Qi as our source."
"Ah," Sevrin nodded in realization. "So you live on sunlight."
"Reporting to Master," Brao answered again. "We can utilize all forms of Yang energy."
"Alright." Sevrin glanced around. "In that case, why don't you repair yourselves?"
He pointed toward the countless scrapped Demon-Subduing Vajras scattered across the hills.
"Master is wise," Brao agreed with a nod. "Though these Vajras are scrapped, they are not entirely broken. By scavenging and piecing parts together, we can replace all our damaged components."
"Go ahead then," Sevrin ordered. "Once you're finished, I will release you from this grotto."
The group of Vajras knelt on one knee and replied: "We obey Master's command."
With that, the four of them stood up and set off in different directions, beginning to search for suitable components from the bodies of the scrapped Vajras around them.
Meanwhile, Sevrin willed his illusory body to disperse, shifting half of his consciousness back to the real world.
He opened his eyes and looked at the dark, ruined arena surrounding him, his thoughts drifting back to that newly obtained Expert Shard:
"So, which technique should I upgrade?"
If he chose "Beastly Intent Demonic Claw" or "Iron Barrel Coiled-Bell Armor", Sevrin would likely break directly through the shackles of the Steel Tendons and Iron Bones realm, reaching a new level of martial arts.
If he chose "High-Level Primal Breath Yang-Refining Method", he could potentially advance to a level of spellcasting higher than Astral Travel.
If he chose the two Ghost Path methods, "Evil Yin Arts" or "Red Dust Yin-Gathering", Sevrin might transform into a powerful ghostly entity surpassing the Vengeful Spirit rank.
In short, regardless of which path he took, Sevrin would gain a massive boost in combat power, but he possessed only one shard.
"Let's choose the martial arts path."
After pondering for a few seconds, Sevrin made the same decision as before, upgrading a martial arts technique.
Compared to chanting spells or sinister ghost arts, he still preferred a more fist-to-flesh approach; it was much more satisfying.
"So, should I pick "Beastly Intent Demonic Claw" or "Iron Barrel Coiled-Bell Armor"?"
Sevrin fell into a dilemma once again.
The former would directly enhance his frontal combat strength, while the latter focused primarily on defense, improving both physical and mental resilience, which would indirectly bolster his overall power.
"Right now, I don't fear powerful enemies, only being surrounded or ambushed, so..."
After a moment of deep thought, he made his decision. "Let's upgrade defense; it's more stable that way."
Having decided, Sevrin shifted his focus to his personal interface, preparing to upgrade the "Iron Barrel Coiled-Bell Armor" technique.
But just as he was about to expend the shard for the upgrade, that mysterious vibration surfaced within his mind once more.
"This is the flash of inspiration born from the intersection of Level 2 Wild Nature and Level 2 Intuition, activating once again..."
This vibration told Sevrin: do not choose technique upgrading; choose technique fusion.
The fusion targets were "Iron Barrel Coiled-Bell Armor" and "Beastly Intent Demonic Claw".
"But if the fusion fails and creates some piece of trash..."
Sevrin's thick brows furrowed. "Won't I be left with nothing?"
At that moment, the mysterious vibration surfaced from his mind once again, radiating cycles of vague ripples.
Guided by these ripples, Sevrin experienced a sudden stroke of divine intuition:
"Oh? This foresight can predict roughly which moment to perform the fusion so the probability of a high-quality result is maximized. Truly divine!"
After his praise, he focused his mind and stood firm, waiting for that peak moment of success probability to appear.
Sevrin didn't know exactly how long he would have to wait.
Whether it was half an hour, an hour, or even a day or two.
He didn't mind the wait.
However, after waiting idly for an hour, Sevrin felt he needed to find something to do; otherwise it really was a bit boring.
Thus, Sevrin began researching the pair of steel whips he had scavenged from the warehouse at this outpost.
The pair of bamboo-jointed steel whips didn't feel particularly heavy in his hands, roughly 1000 kg.
When Sevrin first acquired them, he had tried to bend them with all his might.
The result was that they didn't budge in the slightest.
One must understand that with Sevrin's current strength of 30,000 to 40,000 kg, ordinary steel objects simply couldn't withstand his handling.
Yet these steel whips, when facing tens of thousands of kilograms of force, did not show the slightest deformation. Instead, Sevrin's own hands throbbed with pain from the recoil.
From this, it was clear that these steel whips were weapons that could be called Divine Tools; perhaps they were indeed a pair of Divine Weapons.
As Divine Weapons, they must possess extraordinary abilities.
What Sevrin wanted now was to figure out what other miraculous powers these steel whips had besides being incredibly hard.
This research took more than half an hour.
Just as Sevrin had thoroughly explored the depths of the steel whips and was about to practice with them on the training grounds, the mysterious vibration reappeared within his mind.
Sevrin understood immediately:
"The peak moment has arrived!"
He set the steel whips down, instantly shifted his focus to his personal interface, and without hesitation, consumed that Expert Shard to begin the technique fusion.
"Eh? So technique fusion isn't limited to just two; you can fuse many at once!"
Gleaning this information from the system, Sevrin said in delight, "Good, then I'll fuse all my martial arts techniques together."
Immediately, starting from the first martial art in his skill slot, the "Five Animal Yale", Sevrin began selecting them one by one like picking soldiers for a lineup.
"Beastly Intent Demonic Claw", "Savage Bull Fist", "Iron Fan Palm"...
Right as Sevrin selected the "Vajra Elephant-Hurling Art", a technique specifically for training stamina and strength, the system sent another prompt:
The number of techniques selected for fusion has reached the limit (Twelve techniques).
Seeing this, Sevrin didn't say a word; he stopped selecting and initiated the fusion.
Instantly, the twelve techniques on his status panel blurred, transforming into twelve orbs of light that began to merge into one another.
After a mere heartbeat, the twelve techniques, from "Five Animal Yale" to "Vajra Elephant-Hurling Art", vanished completely.
In their place stood an entirely new technique named "Demonic Ape Colossal Art".
"Demonic Ape Colossal..."
Sevrin's eyes were clear. "Let me see exactly what mysteries you hold."
Following his whispered murmur, all the information regarding the "Demonic Ape Colossal Art" instantly exploded within his mind.
BOOM!
A massive and chaotic surge of information flowed rapidly through Sevrin's thoughts and consciousness.
In an instant, he had completely mastered and understood every nuance of this technique.
To put it simply, this martial art, possessing nine layers in total, integrated the vast majority of the fundamental characteristics of the twelve fused techniques.
For example: it increased overall physical toughness, deepened the degree of hand mutation, strengthened the toxicity and vibration of palm strikes, heightened physical defense, and sharpened bestial sensory precision and so on.
Furthermore, on this foundation, the technique elevated each of these aspects to a much higher level.
One who reached this stage could continuously maintain their peak physical condition for as long as 180 years. Not until the moment of their passing after 180 years would their body wither and their consciousness collapse.
In the records of the "Demonic Ape Colossal Art", this level was known as the Demonic Ape Martial Physique.
The term Martial Physique, in its literal sense, referred to a formidable body born from a metamorphosis intended to carry and unleash the full power of a mighty technique.
The specific process was as follows: when a martial artist practiced a technique to the deepest levels of their body, it would trigger a series of microscopic transformations from the smallest cells, aligning perfectly with the technique.
Once these transformations appeared, they would spread from the minute to the grand, altering every aspect of the body layer by layer. Eventually, the accumulation of quantitative changes would lead to a qualitative leap, causing the practitioner's entire form, from head to toe, inside and out, to undergo a radical transformation.
In this way, one could reach the martial arts level above the Steel Tendons and Iron Bones realm, the Valiarior Realm.
They would possess hundreds of thousands of kilograms of immense strength, supersonic speed, and a terrifying defense sufficient to complement both.
Not to mention sword slashes or firearm ambushes; even military encirclements and heavy artillery bombardments would fail to inflict effective damage on a Valiarior-level martial artist. Instead, they would be slaughtered at will, unable to resist.
"Excellent! Incredible! Powerful!"
An exhilarated Sevrin immediately pushed the "Demonic Ape Colossal Art" from Layer 0 all the way to its peak at Layer 9 in one breath.
BOOM!
Instantly, Sevrin's body expanded another size, making his already incredibly robust frame appear even less human.
Simultaneously, Sevrin's previously smooth scalp rapidly sprouted countless dense black dots. As soon as these dots appeared, they grew into thick, coarse strands of hair, only stopping once they reached his waist.
Looking at Sevrin now, he seemed like a completely different person. He had transformed from a bald, browless, sinister-looking deity into a wild, frenzied figure with thick brows and unruly, flowing hair.
Beyond these changes, Sevrin's teeth and nails grew longer as well, becoming as sharp and jagged as animal fangs and claws. This caused the Wild Nature aura surrounding his body to become even more dense and surging.
Finally, Sevrin's previously jade-white skin underwent a transformation. His skin tone deepened to a heavy, bronzed black with a metallic sheen, and its texture became as thick and resilient as scaled armor.
Furthermore, beneath the skin, large patches of blurred, blood-red patterns began to spread.
In a word, after mastering the "Demonic Ape Colossal Art", Sevrin looked entirely non-human.
Sevrin, now possessing this inhuman form, finished adjusting his internal organs, meridians, and skeletal structure. He then abruptly opened his eyes and scanned his surroundings.
FLASH!
If anyone had been present, they would have felt as if a bolt of lightning had struck the dark void, illuminating the entire ruined arena in a blinding white, purging every trace of darkness.
This layer of thick white light lasted for half a breath, then vanished completely as Sevrin's eyes flickered.
This was the phenomenon of eyes like lightning, one of the distinct traits of a Valiarior-level martial artist.
It wasn't that he could actually project light from his pupils; rather, Sevrin's mental power was so overwhelming that it manifested as a mysterious anomaly.
Then Sevrin bared his teeth, suddenly exhaling a mouthful of grayish-white aura:
"Phew..."
This breath was like a heavy arrow; the moment it appeared, it shot forward over ten meters, snapping a slender tree trunk half a foot wide right in the middle.
This was exhaling an arrow, which, like the lightning eyes before it, was another characteristic of a Valiarior-level martial artist.
However, this specific trait manifested because the lung functions of a martial artist at this realm were peerlessly powerful.
After Sevrin exhaled this internal turbid air, he willed his personal interface, which had undergone many changes, to open.
[ Host: Sevrin
Level: Mainstream Martial Arts → Valiarior, Bloodline Divinity → Mid, Ghost Path → Vengeful Spirit, Occult Techniques → Astral Travel
Mastered Skills: " Demonic Ape Colossal Art "" Blood-Soaked Sunken Heart "" Ghostly Body, Soul Remains "" Evil Yin Arts ( Damaged )"" Vile Slaughter Yin-Descent "" Resentful Slaughter Yang-Extinguisher "" Moon Marrow Body-Refining Art "" Ghost and Monster Tracking "" Yin-Yang Eyes "" Qi Observation Technique "" High-Level Primal Breath Yang-Refining Method "" Lifespan-Draining Power-Gathering Art "" Heavenly Incision Yang-Guiding Art "" Stuacn Spirit-Suppressing Talismans ( Damaged )"" Gradual Submersion Yin-Gathering "" Key Points of the Soutang Pou Clan's Poison Arts ( Damaged )"" Furious Flood-Dragon Whip "" Evil Fingers, Ghostly Cries "" Red Dust Yin-Gathering ( Damaged )"
Special Traits: [ Level 3 Robust Physique ][ Level 3 Sharp Nails ][ Level 2 Berserk ][ Level 3 Wild Nature ][ Level 2 Ethereal Body ][ Level 2 Ghostly Visage ][ Level 2 Twin Slaughter ][ Level 3 Iron Body ][ Level 3 Stone Heart ][ Level 2 Intuition ][ Level 2 Yang-Absorption ][ Level 2 Spirit-Concentration ][ Level 2 Magical Power ][ Level 1 Yin-Absorption ][ Level 1 Aura Concealment ][ Level 3 Toxicity ][ Level 3 Stamina ][ Level 2 Anger ][ Level 1 Technique ][ Level 2 Demonic Fingers ][ Level 2 Malice ]
Expert Shards: None ]
Looking at the dense, sprawling list of skills and traits on his panel, Sevrin couldn't help but laugh out loud:
"Hahahaha, right now... I'm so damn strong!"
After his long laugh, Sevrin looked up at the dark tunnel above and said in a low voice:
"Matters here are settled. It's time to return to the surface."
With that, he channeled his massive, dense Demonic Ape True Force into the bamboo-jointed steel whips gripped in his palms, activating one of their innate Divine Weapon abilities.
SWISH!
In an instant, the pair of steel whips acted like the Great Sage's Golden Cudgel; they elongated from 1.3 meters to 33 meters, thrusting Sevrin thirty meters into the air.
Right then, Sevrin unleashed a specialized move from the "Furious Flood-Dragon Whip" technique. His colossal stamina surged and circulated as he swung the dual whips backward, violently striking the air.
"Flood-Dragon Submerges Water, Shock!"
BOOM!
It was as if a 50 kg bomb had been detonated in mid-air. Accompanied by the continuous tremors shaking the training grounds below and the layers of violent sonic waves and air blasts billowing in all directions, Sevrin shot upward like a rocket. Trailing cycles of grayish-white sonic clouds, he hurtled into the depths of the dark tunnel above.
Indeed, his plan was to continuously blast the air in this manner, traversing the entire tunnel to return to the surface.
This single strike of the whip propelled Sevrin roughly 2,700 meters high before his speed finally began to drop and he showed signs of falling.
So, once again, he gripped the steel whips, channeled his True Force, and used the momentum of the Flood-Dragon Submerges Water move to strike the air behind him once more.
BOOM!
As the dark tunnel violently shuddered, thousands of stone fragments erupted and flew in all directions while billowing air currents roared and howled. Sevrin reversed his descent and shot upward once again, deeper into the dark abyss above.
...
In Nina Town, it was already dusk. However, the streets and alleys surrounding the tea-stall were packed with a teeming mass of thousands of people, crowded with wicked-looking thugs wearing black headscarves and clutching sabers and blades.
In the areas closest to the tea-stall, circles upon circles of murderous-looking men stood, either with notched arrows on their bows or cold expressions as they cradled firearms.
The arrows and muzzles of these bandits were all aimed at a single location: the main entrance of the tea-stall.
These people were the Black Wolf Bandits.
As for the reason for their attack on Nina Town, it was to ambush and kill Sevrin, the man who had slaughtered the entire Xin Family.
The man commanding this bandit force was himself a member of the Xin lineage, Coeu, the Second Leader of the Black Wolf Bandits.
He was currently seated on a tiger-skin chair atop a high wooden platform three hundred meter away, gripping a long-handled blade and staring at the tea-stall with a face full of murderous intent.
"Second Leader, there's something I don't quite understand," a fierce-looking, obese bandit grunted toward Coeu. "Why don't you just let the brothers storm the tea-stall and butcher that guy, instead of insisting we wait outside for him to come out?"
"We cannot," Coeu ground out between clenched teeth. "That tea-stall is a property of the Demon-Slaying Bureau. Offending them carelessly will only bring disaster."
"Demon-Slaying Bureau?" The obese man looked dazed, clearly unfamiliar with the term.
Coeu was in no mood to explain. He kept his eyes fixed on the tea-stall, ready to act at a moment's notice.
Daunted by the heavy atmosphere, the obese man didn't dare say more, and the platform fell into a tense silence.
BOOM!
Suddenly, a violent, heart-shaking dull roar erupted from within the tea-stall, sweeping through the surrounding streets and causing hundreds of Black Wolf Bandits to gnash their teeth in discomfort.
"What was that noise?"
Coeu, being further away, naturally heard the roar as well, but he didn't know what it signified. However, a wave of unease flooded his consciousness.
It felt as though a great calamity was about to descend.
"The sound is heavy, like it's coming from beneath the tea-stall," the obese man pondered. "It feels like something is about to emerge."
Coeu remained silent, his expression cold, though a hint of anxiety flickered in his murderous eyes.
"Will there be a complication?"
"No! Sevrin... today, you die!"
BOOM!
Suddenly, another dull roar erupted from the tea-stall, kicking up dust and ash that shrouded the area and forcing the nearby Black Wolf Bandits back several steps.
This disturbance was clearly much more violent than the previous one. Several ordinary bandits who were standing too close actually doubled over and began to vomit.
High on the platform, Coeu heard the sound as well, and the sense of crisis deep in his heart intensified.
But fueled by a rage that threatened to tear his gut apart, he ignored that small worry. At this moment, Coeu only wanted to hack Sevrin into pieces and devour him alive.
While he was still seething, another violent roar echoed from the tea-stall, sending the surrounding hundreds of Black Wolf Bandits tumbling over one another in a chorus of piteous wails.
"What the hell is making that noise underground?!" Coeu shot up from his seat.
Beside him, the obese man said with terror in his eyes, "Could it be... a demon is crawling out from underground?"
SMACK!
Coeu struck him, sending him tumbling to the floor, and barked, "What kind of nonsense is that? Speak another word of it and I'll slaughter you myself!"
The struck man sat on the floor, trembling and silent, but Coeu, who had hit him, was not without panic in his own heart.
"Could it be a demon?"
Coeu, who knew of the Demon-Slaying Bureau but only superficially, couldn't help but feel suspicious. "What exactly is hidden beneath that tea-stall?"
While he was feeling restless and uneasy, the tea-stall three hundred meter away erupted with a massive disturbance once more.
Only this time, it wasn't just a noise; it was an explosion.
BOOM!
Under the gaze of hundreds, even thousands, of alert, anxious, or fearful eyes, the tea-stall, surrounded by a dense crowd of bandits, was suddenly pierced from below by a force so violent it was infuriating. The structure completely collapsed and disintegrated into debris as a savage sonic wave and a fierce shockwave roared outward, engulfing everything in all directions.
In an instant, the dozens, hundreds, even thousands of bandits closest to the blast were struck by the tidal wave of debris. A chorus of piteous wails rose as the ground became littered with corpses; it was impossible to tell how many had died.
"AAHH! I can't see! My eyes!" shrieked a bandit whose eyes had been burst by shards.
"Where is my arm? Has anyone seen my arm?!" cried another whose limb had been shorn off.
"Woo woo woo, my legs are broken! Both legs are gone!" wailed a bandit whose lower limbs had been crushed.
"Mother! Help me, my guts are falling out! Mother! AAHHH!" screamed a bandit who had been eviscerated.
Aside from the wounded, even more were dead bandits who couldn't even manage a single cry. Their broken, battered corpses lay scattered like ignored trash amidst the dust and stone fragments.
"A demon! A demon really has come out!" the obese man on the platform shrieked. "Second Leader! Let's run! The demon is coming out to eat us..."
SLASH!
A flash of blade-light passed, and the obese man's head instantly tumbled to the floor.
"Stop your incessant whining!"
Coeu withdrew his blade and looked up, staring fixedly at the figure in the sky that had burst through the tea-stall. He ground out in a low growl, "You... what kind of monster are you?!"
At that moment, the monster in his words, Sevrin, having reached an altitude of 300 meters after bursting from the ground, looked down and discovered the thousands of bandits densely occupying the surrounding streets and alleys.