Chapter 157: Absorbing Attacks

The space returned to calm, the terrifying aura gradually dissipated, and that figure finally descended.

Jiang Yan focused his gaze, only to find its appearance far different from what he had imagined.

Because, at eye level, Jiang Yan saw no figure. Only when he shifted his gaze slightly downward did he catch sight of a gray silhouette.

The newcomer was short in stature, draped in a gray cloak, wearing a half-mask that revealed one side of his face, which displayed an unreal wooden texture. The edge of his jaw was stitched with silver threads, tightly sealed, making the entire person appear quite eerie.

While Jiang Yan scrutinized Wang Tu, the single eye visible outside Wang Tu’s half-mask also quietly stared back at Jiang Yan.

The dark, deep eye socket showed not a trace of emotion. Jiang Yan even felt that the previous four Puppets had more humanity than him.

The Instance introduction said Wang Tu had drifted through the Universe for countless years. Could this guy have gotten so bored that he turned himself into a doll?

Over long stretches of time, living beings often gradually lose themselves, losing interest in everything around them. This mindset, if sustained, tends to breed some perverse hobbies, and their personalities become twisted.

Jiang Yan suspected Wang Tu was in such a state.

Click… click…

Wang Tu’s head turned, emitting crisp sounds like gears meshing.

The hollow in his eye socket brightened momentarily before quickly returning to its original state.

Then, he slowly raised his hand.

Countless threads gradually materialized in the space, flying toward Wang Tu and wrapping around his hands, feet, eye sockets, the gaps in the mask, and the stitches on his cheeks…

Wang Tu lifted his hand, red threads pulling his body as he twisted into an extremely distorted and clumsy posture, inching step by step toward Jiang Yan.

Jiang Yan realized a serious and bizarre problem.

“Is he controlling himself?”

Jiang Yan found Wang Tu too abnormal, so he swung his Saber, sending a Saber Qi sweeping toward him.

The Saber Qi shot forward and, unexpectedly, landed squarely on Wang Tu’s body.

The Saber Qi sank into Wang Tu’s body, slowly being devoured as if trapped in quicksand.

Zzz…

One of Wang Tu’s eye sockets flickered faintly before quickly fading away.

Jiang Yan faintly realized that his attack might have provided nourishment for Wang Tu.

Getting stronger the more he’s fought?

He didn’t attack recklessly, instead putting distance between himself and Wang Tu, quietly observing his every move.

Wang Tu continued forward with his distorted steps, always heading directly toward Jiang Yan, unhurried and steady, like a pre-programmed routine.

Jiang Yan now seriously doubted whether Wang Tu was even alive. Otherwise, how could he seem more like a bot than Zhuangzhuang?

Do people really lose themselves like Wang Tu after living too long?

A brief thought flashed through his mind, and Jiang Yan had to face Wang Tu’s approach once more.

He flew into the sky, wanting to see what Wang Tu would do next.

He had expected Wang Tu to leap directly into the air or, having mastered flight at his Realm, engage Jiang Yan in the sky.

But none of that happened!

Wang Tu, controlled by countless red threads, kept trying to climb upward with his hands and feet, but each attempt ended clumsily. Sometimes, he even stumbled like a toddler learning to walk. What flight ability was there?

“He can’t even fly? Is Wang Tu really Sixth Rank?”

The System said Wang Tu’s Realm had been suppressed to Sixth Rank. For a Transcendent Creature of his level, Sixth Rank should absolutely grant mastery over flight.

But the facts proved otherwise—he couldn’t!

Still clumsily climbing upward, tirelessly, devoid of any basic emotions as a Transcendent Creature.

His nervous system commanded him to fly, but his components did not support flight.

Jiang Yan observed Wang Tu now in such a state.

An hour later, Jiang Yan grew tired from flying in the sky and descended to the ground.

Wang Tu once again slowly walked toward the direction where Jiang Yan had landed.

His eyes were fixed solely on Jiang Yan—how devoted he was~

Jiang Yan recalled a joke from his past life.

If you were given a hundred million… uh… a million, on the condition that a snail would hunt you down forever…

Jiang Yan remembered he had accepted this challenge online back then.

And then…

“Bro, you couldn’t possibly be the reincarnation of that snail, could you!”

Wang Tu:

Click… click…

Still slowly advancing toward Jiang Yan.

“No, this is my Instance. If I don’t kill him, I’ll never clear it.”

“So I must kill Wang Tu!”

But Jiang Yan recalled his earlier attempts.

“Just now, my saber definitely didn’t strike his body. Instead, it was transferred away by some spatial ability and ultimately turned into nourishment for Wang Tu.”

The more Jiang Yan thought about it, the more his head ached. To test this hypothesis, he rushed over and swung his saber at Wang Tu once more.

The saber strike landed steadily on Wang Tu’s body, then passed right through, as if cutting into a swamp.

“This isn’t Wang Tu’s body. My attack was indeed transferred!”

Jiang Yan was certain that his opponent had a mechanism to transfer attacks, though he didn’t know the trigger timing or the upper limit of the transfer.

Given the nature of the Battle Space, Wang Tu’s upper limit was undoubtedly high, but it certainly wasn’t invincible.

Then, Wang Tu slowly threw a punch toward him.

Visibly, Jiang Yan could even solve two linear equations before the fist landed on him.

After perfectly dodging, Wang Tu threw another punch.

Jiang Yan dodged again and struck Wang Tu once more.

The damage was still transferred, and Wang Tu threw another punch. This time, however, the fist was much faster, roughly at the speed of a First Rank Martial Artist.

Jiang Yan dared not attack Wang Tu again, realizing that his attacks were fueling Wang Tu’s kinetic energy.

He distanced himself and began pondering countermeasures.

Overwhelm with sheer force? Or temporarily avoid the prominence?

But now, it seemed Jiang Yan’s “force” wasn’t strong enough. Blindly evading offered no hope of clearing the Instance.

If Wang Tu truly could absorb attacks to charge himself, Jiang Yan must not act recklessly until his attacks reached a threshold sufficient to instantly kill Wang Tu.

“Wait, Wang Tu’s movements are so slow now. Does that mean his strength is also weak?”

The speed of his punches made it hard to imagine how much damage they could inflict.

To test Wang Tu’s other characteristics, Jiang Yan deliberately approached him.

Wang Tu threw a punch, its speed still visibly slow, at least in Jiang Yan’s eyes.

But he didn’t dodge, wanting to see what Wang Tu intended by working so hard to get close and throw punches.

Soon, the fist touched Jiang Yan’s outer garment.

Jiang Yan felt nothing.

Then, his chest caved in slightly, surprising Jiang Yan.

Next, his bones shattered.

Jiang Yan hadn’t expected such a plain and unadorned punch to cause this level of damage, as if it contained the Principle of the Great Path.

Then, Jiang Yan’s flesh evaporated, his bones turned to dust, and Wang Tu’s fist completely pierced through to Jiang Yan’s back.

A bloody mess.

Jiang Yan assumed a thoughtful expression. “It seems it can ignore defense. That’s quite impressive.”

Then, he collapsed with satisfaction.

Jiang Yan, deceased.

Jiang Yan revived on the spot. There are nine Revival Chances remaining in this Instance.