Chapter 337: The Wayfarer Temple
Chapter 337: The Wayfarer Temple
At the very moment when Chen Chuan entered the arena stadium to watch the match, in the Wayfarer Temple on Qingding Mountain, southwest of Central City, a young man with long arms and a headband around his head was pouring a bucket of water drawn from a well into a stone basin in front of the temple.
His name was Du Geng, and on the betting platform, he was believed to be the last person Wei Wusheng would kill.
After visiting the Rhinoceros Horn Cruise, he had stayed here ever since, never going anywhere else, as if the outside world's troubles had nothing to do with him.
After filling the stone basin with water, he entered the temple and respectfully bowed to the deity above.
The Wayfarer God was a deity that had been imported from abroad and had long since been localized, but it was not a mainstream sect. It had already faded into obscurity, possibly existing only in remote corners abroad, while most places had long since forgotten about it.
However, here in Central City, Jibei Province, a complete temple and religious lineage were still preserved.
This was thanks to the temple's elder priest, who had abandoned the old ways of worship in time and, over several decades, turned the temple into a mental and psychological retreat for the upper echelons of Central City.
Du Geng was a disciple of this temple, having been here since childhood, and his talent was particularly outstanding. He had once voluntarily participated in the arena tournament and defeated a Wu Yi Academy outsider with full-body implants.
After the tournament, he declined the invitation and returned to the mountain, but his performance was so impressive that, as the most revered disciple of the Wayfarer Temple, all the temple's resources were focused on him. He was to be the next temple priest, and all generations of priests in the Wayfarer Temple had been Tier Three Combatants.
After so long, some believed he might have already broken through the limits, so the people on the platform generally thought he would be Wei Wusheng's most important target.
After paying his respects to the Wayfarer God, Du Geng walked to the elder priest and bowed respectfully, "Teacher."
The elder priest, despite being over eighty years old, looked like a man in his forties or fifties, with only a large white beard on his chest revealing his age.
This time, he didn't act as he usually did. Instead, he looked outside the temple and said in a calm voice, "Du Geng, a guest has arrived."
Du Geng couldn't help but look outside. He walked out of the temple door and looked down the mountain. At the temple gate, he saw a strong and tall figure walking towards the summit.
The figure had an unusually sturdy build, wearing a loose blue practice garment, with a wide belt around his waist. Hanging from the belt was a hammer, and despite his heavy body, he moved with a surprisingly light and agile gait.
He stared at the approaching figure, knowing that if he defeated this enemy before the Wayfarer God, his mind and body would reach a whole new level.
The elder priest also came out at this moment. He said to Du Geng, "This is your battle. Remember, he's your greatest challenge, and you'll break through your mental and physical barriers by defeating him."
Du Geng said firmly, "Teacher, I've been waiting for this day." He paused and said solemnly, "I'm ready."
The elder priest said, "Take your medicine, and then drink the Wayfarer Water."
Du Geng acknowledged and immediately took the potential-stimulating medicine. His breathing gradually quickened, and his muscles slightly swelled, but they soon returned to normal.
This was the special medicine of the Wayfarer Temple, which, although stimulating, was very suitable for his physique and caused less harm. As long as he took some soothing medicine afterward, he could eliminate most of the side effects and rest for a few days.
After taking the medicine, he walked back to the stone basin and picked up a gourd ladle, scooping up a ladle of water and drinking it.
His hand was steady, and not a drop was spilled.
After drinking, his eyes brightened, and he stared at Wei Wusheng, who was walking up from below the steps, as if expecting something.
Wei Wusheng had already reached the last section of the stone steps, just thirty steps away from the summit and the temple. Suddenly, he felt something was wrong and quickly lowered his chin, covering his throat. A thin line of blood immediately appeared on his chin.
He retreated, but his body froze, and he realized his left hand was tightly entangled by something, unable to break free for a moment.
He looked around and saw thin threads crisscrossing each other. These threads connected to tiny insects hidden among the leaves on both sides of the wide steps. These insects flew and wrapped the threads around the tree trunks on both sides.
He felt a strong threat and decisively struggled backward, and half of his arm fell and rolled to the ground, but he managed to break free from the front.
However, he had barely retreated a few steps when he stopped again. Unbeknownst to him, the area around him was already filled with these threads, and they continued to tighten.
In a short while, thin lines of blood appeared on his limbs and body as the threads easily sliced into his solid muscles, only stopping when they reached the bones. Blood seeped from the torn wounds.
Whenever the threads met resistance, the insects quickly wrapped them around the tree branches and trunks. If he forcibly struggled now, he might suffer the same fate as his arm.
Du Geng watched as Wei Wusheng was trapped, a smile creeping onto his face. He descended the steps, walking through the area filled with fine threads, but instead of being cut by the thin lines, they merely slid past him.
He smiled, knowing these tiny insects were a unique species from the Wayfarer Temple, existing since ancient times. They were messengers of the Wayfarer God, specifically designed to deal with Tier Three combatants.
Anyone entangled by these creatures, unless they were followers of the Wayfarer God, would never break free. There was no need for Du Geng to engage in a physical fight with Wei Wusheng; all he had to do was walk up and finish him off.
He felt no shame or guilt about this; he was, after all, a follower of the Wayfarer God and a fighter who borrowed the god's power to defeat his enemies. It was only natural, and by offering a strong opponent's life to the Wayfarer God, he felt even closer to the deity.
As he continued down the steps, he casually picked up a metal spike with a handle from a nearby rack and slowly approached Wei Wusheng.
Staring at Wei Wusheng's bound form, he said, "Your biggest mistake was coming here." He raised the spike, aiming it at Wei Wusheng's eyes, "I hear your bounty is quite high, and I'll reluctantly accept it."
As he spoke, he moved swiftly and stabbed at Wei Wusheng. But a loud 'smack' sounded, and to his astonishment, the spike was firmly blocked by a raised palm.
He was momentarily shocked.
How is this possible?!
This man is clearly bound by the power of the Wayfarer God!
His body reacted faster than his mind, and he immediately tried to retreat, but a massive shadow suddenly loomed over him, and he was grabbed! Feeling the powerful force, he was stunned, and as Wei Wusheng's intact arm tightened around him, a sound of shattering bones echoed, and Du Geng's back and chest were pressed together in an instant. His eyes bulged, and blood gushed from his throat.
Wei Wusheng released his grip, and Du Geng, limp, fell between his legs. His head, tilted to the side, rested on the cold bricks, and he mumbled incoherently, "How... How is this possible..."
Wei Wusheng's gaze fell, and he casually said, "You were able to pass through those threads because of a biofield variation. Changing the field is all it takes, a simple matter."
Tier Three combatants, to some extent, possess the ability to briefly simulate others' biofields, but their own field range must be large enough. However, Wei Wusheng's severed hand, which had fallen forward, expanded his field range, allowing him to quickly coordinate himself and alter the field's expression.
"So that's how it is..."
Du Geng instantly regretted his actions. If he had been more careful or waited a little longer... But before he could finish his thought, a large foot stomped down, and his skull was crushed with a sickening crunch.
The elder priest closed his eyes.
Wei Wusheng walked over, retrieved the severed arm, and pressed it against the cut end. Numerous tiny, bud-like altered tissues sprouted from the cut surfaces, and as the ends were pressed together, they began to intertwine. The external wound slowly closed, and not just there; the wounds on his body were also gradually healing.
After finishing, he twisted his neck and headed towards the steps.
The elder priest slowly retreated into the temple, and behind him, several other elders in similar sacrificial robes emerged, all taking out and consuming medicine.
Wei Wusheng, as if oblivious, made his way to the temple entrance, surveyed the surroundings, and said, "This place isn't bad."
He reached out, grabbed the hammer, and stepped into the temple.
After more than ten minutes, he emerged, leaving a trail of bloody footprints in his wake.
In that short time, his wounds had completely healed, and his severed arm seemed to regain functionality.
Just then, a voice sounded in his ear, "There's still..."
Wei Wusheng cut off the voice, "I know there's more, but they're not worth mentioning. Only one person is worth paying attention to."
The rapid growth of Yongjian Yi's altered tissue had affected Wei Wusheng, even influencing his decisions. But this was also a contest, and in the struggle for dominance, Wei Wusheng gradually regained control. Now, he no longer needed to strictly follow Yongjian Yi's will and could act on his own ideas.
The fusion of their altered tissues brought not only a mix of hardness and softness but also ushered in a new rapid growth phase. His previous absence wasn't due to fear but to evade those with bounty contracts on him. Now, he had essentially eliminated those of value.
At this stage, the power of the mind had one last hurdle before its final release.
He needed greater stimulation to push his altered tissues to perfection, and only with such a body could he face that crucial threshold.
It was time to remove the obstacle standing in the way of the mind's final liberation.
...
...
(End of Chapter)
Chapter end
Report
