Chapter 123: Wang Tu, Returning Path

The explosion’s aftermath certainly lasted longer than 0.1 seconds, but with Jiang Yan’s seven Doppelgangers sharing the damage, as long as he avoided the initial thunderous fury, he could easily withstand the subsequent impact.

Amidst the annihilation of the golden dragon and the explosion, Jiang Yan calmly changed into a fresh set of clothes.

From then on, the heavens remained subdued, never again able to unleash Thunder Punishment upon Jiang Yan.

With momentum built up, it waned on the second attempt and exhausted on the third—the will of the Secret Realm was not as enduring as Jiang Yan had imagined.

Now capable of forging an eighth Doppelganger in solitude, Jiang Yan no longer worried about whether heavenly lightning would instantly obliterate him.

Just as he was about to act, he sensed an unusual stirring within his Aperture Points. Eighteen Apertures emitted a brilliant azure glow, illuminating his body with clarity and transparency.

A tingling sensation spread through his muscles, as if subtle electric currents were giving him a full-body massage.

Hum—

Jiang Yan distinctly heard a deep, resonant hum from his body, followed by a sense of sublimation, as if his entire Soul were ascending to the clouds.

[System Log Updated]

“You have fully opened eighteen Apertures, unlocking your body’s potential and obtaining a special Physique: Heavenly Slaughter War Ruins.”

Heavenly Slaughter War Ruins.

Trait One

War Ruins Resonance: When you are on a battlefield, you can absorb the Battle Intent emitted by all living beings present, converting it entirely into your temporary Combat Power, with a small portion of refined Battle Intent becoming permanent Combat Power.

Trait Two

Heavenly Slaughter Battle Intent: When you suffer fatal damage, you will consume a significant amount of Battle Intent to resist the injury.

Trait Three

War Ruins Engraving: You can use Battle Intent to condense War Ruins Engravings, which can be used for defense or to unleash devastating attacks.

After reading the Physique description, Jiang Yan’s first thought was:

“Send me to the battlefield immediately!”

Previously, Jiang Yan could rely on [Heaven Rewards Diligence] to grow stronger the more he fought. Now, with the addition of Heavenly Slaughter War Ruins, he could become even more powerful through combat.

This way, Jiang Yan could enjoy the dual enhancements of Heaven Rewards Diligence and Heavenly Slaughter War Ruins.

From Linjiang City to Tianyuan Star, Jiang Yan had never ceased fighting. Such a Physique seemed tailor-made for him—fitting perfectly, almost too perfectly.

Heavenly Slaughter War Ruins was essentially an extension of [Heaven Rewards Diligence] in the realm of combat!

Returning to his senses.

Around him, the lingering flames of thunder and fire were consuming the entire forest. Just as it seemed a mountain-wide blaze was imminent, dark clouds gathered in the sky, soon releasing a misty drizzle.

This Secret Realm indeed possessed consciousness.

Jiang Yan curled his lips slightly. After condensing his eighth Doppelganger, he swung his Saber toward the sky once more.

The Saber strike cleaved the heavens, eliciting rumbles of thunder, yet no Thunder Punishment descended.

Jiang Yan felt somewhat disappointed, eyeing the Secret Realm with disdain:

“Is that all you’ve got? Come on, buddy, step it up!”

Boom!

The heavens roared again, but it was all thunder and no rain—still, no lightning struck down.

The Senluo Secret Realm was only a mid-to-lower-tier Secret Realm, with limited stored energy. Having nearly exhausted it all on Jiang Yan earlier, there was nothing left now.

Skeptical, Jiang Yan swung his Saber at the sky a few more times, but aside from eliciting a few feeble rumbles of thunder, there were no further surprises.

A peculiar thought arose in his mind.

“Since the Senluo Secret Realm possesses consciousness, could my Instant Kill Law obliterate it instantly?”

“Forget it. If I really destroyed it, Silver Radiance Academy would skin me alive.”

This Secret Realm had been purchased by the academy at great expense. In a few decades, once the spiritual plants inside matured, it could be used for the next generation.

“Forget it, I won’t kill you, but I still need to shear the wool.”

Jiang Yan’s eyes gleamed with a green light as he set his sights on the treasures within the Secret Realm.

Eight shadows shot out from Jiang Yan’s body and began plundering the Senluo Secret Realm.

Within this Secret Realm, each Doppelganger possessed combat power that could be described as invincible.

Jiang Yan, meanwhile, walked out of the dense forest and headed toward the group of students.

“Look, someone’s coming from over there!”

“Holy shit, it’s Jiang Yan! He actually survived?”

“Is he even human? Just looking at that golden dragon earlier made me feel like I was about to die of fright. Yet he endured that level of attack and is still alive—and doesn’t even seem injured!”

Everyone gulped frantically, feeling as if their entire worldview had been completely overturned at that moment.

Especially the survivors from Silver Radiance Academy. They knew Jiang Yan came from Blue Star and should have been aware that he had only Opened One Aperture. However, after the impact of the Myriad Stars Tower and this incident, no one dared to look down on this Blue Star Martial Artist who had only opened one Aperture Point.

“Bro Jiang, you’re actually alive!”

“Is me being alive some kind of great act of treason?”

“Uh…”

Cheng Wu choked on his words, scratching his head, unsure of what to say.

Sun He avoided him at all costs, not daring to meet Jiang Yan’s eyes.

Jiang Yan couldn’t be bothered with him. He found a large tree to sit under, planning to check if the Instance in the Divine Martial Space had been updated.

With his strength now vastly inflated, Jiang Yan regained confidence in challenging the Battle Space.

In his imagination, he would slash down the small fry with one Saber strike, take down the BOSS with two, quickly obtain a Trait, and then dominate the Battle Space from then on.

“Hehehe, just thinking about it gets me a little excited.”

One minute later, Jiang Yan exited the Battle Space.

“Not fun. I’m done.”

Good news: The Instance had been updated.

Bad news: Jiang Yan was killed by the early-stage minions before he even saw the BOSS.

Instance: [Wang Tu’s Return]

Instance Description: Since he first gained consciousness, Wang Tu has wandered the Starry Sky for countless years. He doesn’t know who he is or where he came from.

Over the endless years, out of boredom, he created four Puppets to keep him company.

Instance Mission: Kill Wang Tu’s four Puppet playthings, defeat the final BOSS Wang Tu, and help him find his way back: [Death].

Note: The original quality of the four Puppet playthings was too high and has been adjusted according to the Host’s strength.

Note: Wang Tu’s Realm far surpasses the Host’s and is currently set at Sixth Rank.

Note: Throughout the entire Instance, you have ten Revival Chances!

When Jiang Yan saw this, he thought, “Wow, instead of suppressing my Realm, they’re suppressing the BOSS’s Realm. Has the Battle Space finally come to its senses and decided to give me special treatment?”

And then…

When the first Puppet descended.

Jiang Yan’s world was plunged into darkness.

In the 0.01 seconds before he lost his vision, he saw two words floating above the Puppet plaything:

“Sha Sha.”

“Hah, such a cute name. It would be even cuter if it didn’t hit so hard.”

Then, Jiang Yan revived and finally got a clear look at Sha Sha’s face.

He felt somewhat dazed, as if he were seeing Pinocchio from a film, except its nose was flat and collapsed, and its body wasn’t made of wood—he couldn’t tell what Materials it was made of.

Its joints were patched with numerous retro-looking patches, making it appear tattered and as if it would fall apart with the slightest movement.

Its hands, feet, and head were connected by virtual red threads. Every time the threads were pulled, Sha Sha’s body would twist and contort in all sorts of awkward ways.

“The one manipulating the red threads is probably Wang Tu, isn’t it?”

After reviving, Jiang Yan tried to sever the red threads, only to find that they seemed not to exist within this Battle Space—it was as if spatial distortion had merely allowed him to see them.

Then, Jiang Yan swung his saber dozens more times, only to discover that the Puppet, pulled by the red threads, perfectly dodged every attack.

Despite its sluggish and rigid movements, the Puppet managed to evade all of Jiang Yan’s strikes.

Then, the Puppet wobbled its way toward Jiang Yan.

Squelch—

[System Log Updated]

“You have triggered a Life and Death Moment. You are immune to this death.”

Squelch—

“You have died.”