Chapter Thirty-Four: The Unpredictability of Human Nature
“Huff… huff…”
One, two, three…
Shen Chang’an had long since lost count of how many tendrils he had shattered. His spiritual power was being drained with each attack, every strike requiring all his strength. He was… so very tired.
Weariness was something he hadn’t felt in a very, very long time.
Fasting and the Nine-Breath Energy Art, these two divine techniques were like perpetual motion, ceaselessly supplying Shen Chang’an with power. Even if he battled dozens at once, unleashing explosive force again and again, he would never feel fatigue.
But now, at last, Shen Chang’an realized even these miraculous arts had their limits.
The Nine-Breath Energy Art needed the time of nine breaths to be fully effective, but in the midst of heated combat, Shen Chang’an could manage barely a third of its benefits. As for fasting, it was meant to sustain over the long run, and if his energy was depleted too quickly, he could no longer bear the burden.
He finally felt exhaustion. His body trembled uncontrollably. At some point, his sturdy alloy staff had snapped in two, yet he still gripped the broken halves, refusing to yield.
But every endurance has its boundary.
He could hold out no longer…
Gasping heavily, Shen Chang’an had not even the strength to resist further. He collapsed to the ground, unmoving, not caring even as his enemy’s tendrils coiled around him—he made no attempt to struggle.
“Hahaha, Daoist Shen, you truly are formidable. But after so many years cultivating my power here, do you really think these are the extent of my methods?”
A strange gleam flickered in Shen Chang’an’s eyes as he forced himself to speak, “What… do you… mean?”
Yuan replied smugly, “You’ve seen the rat demons in the city, haven’t you? Those creatures are the products of my experiments. I’ve already succeeded in fusing the bodies of demons and humans. Do you remember what I said before? I am the true human; you are the beasts.”
Shen Chang’an’s expression shifted, already guessing what Yuan intended next.
“Your body is strong, Daoist Shen. Even through the eyes of a demon, it is terrifyingly powerful. I think your flesh will be the perfect vessel for me…”
“Never!”
Shen Chang’an marshaled the last of his power, recklessly channeling it to shatter his own mind, determined to destroy his brain before Yuan could seize him.
But his spiritual energy was now so feeble, he couldn’t even force the energy to reverse course, let alone destroy his own consciousness.
“Hehehe, Daoist Shen, did you think I was draining your power for nothing? You’ve already reached your limit. I could have taken you long ago, but I waited—just so you’d be unable to resist at all!”
Now, Shen Chang’an truly could not move. Yuan wasted no more time. Several black tendrils reached into its own body and drew out a crimson orb—its core.
At that moment, Yuan’s core was laid bare before Shen Chang’an, a torrent of evil intent bombarding his mind. With his energy all but gone, Shen Chang’an was powerless to resist.
“Daoist Shen, I’ll be taking your body now!”
Yuan’s tendrils split, plunging into Shen Chang’an’s flesh. Waves of black energy flooded into him, beginning to devour his body.
Once this power had fully occupied his form, Shen Chang’an would no longer be himself.
But as the energy surged into Shen Chang’an’s palm, a crescent moon mark suddenly emitted a cold, silvery light.
“What… is this?” Yuan was stunned, staring in confusion at the mark.
The next instant, it screamed in agony.
The crescent mark flared, moonlight bursting forth and falling upon Yuan’s body. Like fire meeting oil, Yuan’s flesh ignited instantly.
Milky white flames scoured its body, eroding it relentlessly. The places burned could no longer regenerate!
Howling in torment, Yuan tried to sever the burning flesh to save itself.
But at that moment, Shen Chang’an opened his eyes.
His pupils were pure white. Lunar power descended from the high heavens, pouring endlessly into his mortal shell.
“Damn it!”
Yuan dared not touch Shen Chang’an, desperate to escape. But how could Shen Chang’an let it flee?
He lifted his head, parted his lips, and countless rays of brilliance gathered. In the void, a colossal image took shape—
A Jade Toad.
“Gu—!”
Shen Chang’an roared, and the Jade Toad echoed him. Waves of visible energy burst forth, white jade ripples flashing through the void, engulfing Yuan’s entire body.
Yuan froze, staring at Shen Chang’an in disbelief, muttering incoherently, “How… can this… be…”
Boom—
Its body erupted in flames, the milky white fire burning with righteous might, cleansing everything corrupt. Yuan’s form was stripped away, reduced to a cloud of dust.
Thud—
A withered remnant fell from the air. Shen Chang’an approached. The body, decayed and rotten for who knew how many years, barely even resembled a human.
It reached out blindly, as though grasping at something in the void, and uttered a faint whisper—
“Save me…”
Shen Chang’an stood transfixed, gazing at that near-unrecognizable corpse, his thoughts drifting.
Yes, after all, this creature was but the condensation of human malice…
Perhaps, in some forgotten era, he had been an ordinary man, just someone who wanted to survive.
But so many poured their malice, their evil thoughts upon him. Those terrible ideas, those extreme impulses, all manner of atrocities—together they birthed a monster like Yuan.
Shen Chang’an could not imagine what torments, what cruelties, could have twisted a being into this, into a monster that fed ceaselessly on the evil of mankind.
Yuan’s venom, his ferocity—everything was born from human wickedness. He was nothing but a monster forged from humanity’s evil, created and unleashed by mankind itself…
Shen Chang’an exhaled softly. He did not regret destroying Yuan, but those last words lingered, stirring many thoughts.
Was Yuan truly a monster? Or… as Yuan had said, was he, too, human?
“The human heart is the most unpredictable of all things…” The Daoist sighed, then smiled, and stepped out of the cave.
Outside, the first rays of the sun rose, bathing everything in peace.