Chapter 235: Day 234: Ten Thousand Aspects of the Demon

That's how monsters are; after living with monsters for a long time you naturally get used to this kind of thing. Whether you can truly accept it is another matter, but there's certainly no longer any maladjustment.

Anyway, it doesn't matter; whether it's comfortable or not, it's all the same now, and saying this is meaningless.

After six—no, seven years of experience, Wang Wu has now become a genuine first‑rank expert, a true first‑rank, with no dilution at all.

This pace isn't exactly fast; you could say his talent is decent, obviously nowhere near the geniuses like Yin Shenli, Qin Xiang, and the others.

Yes, even though it's that short, counting the only ten‑plus years since Wang Wu crossed over here, it still doesn't count as a great talent.

For true geniuses like Yin Shenli and the others, going from an ordinary person with no strength to a top‑tier first‑rank expert takes only a few years.

Even if you spend most of your time idling—yes, even more idle than Wang Wu… ah no, Wang Wu is actually not lazy at all; he is very diligent, extremely diligent.

Otherwise he couldn't reach this level in such a short time; after all, his innate quality is that of an ordinary person.

Even if his nature was reborn and his aptitude enhanced, any other ordinary person who could achieve this step would likewise have their aptitude boosted.

If everyone is enhanced, that means no one is actually enhanced—so it's like no enhancement.

In any case, Wang Wu's strength as a first‑rank warrior is undeniable, and he rose from ninth rank to first rank in just over ten years, an indisputable fact.

Although saying that sounds a bit like gilding his own face or making excuses, it doesn't matter; it's unimportant.

In short, once his power reaches first rank, Wang Wu qualifies to have a stage in this world to 'make his mark.'

More precisely, he has the qualification to stand out in this cosmic grand theater.

A first‑rank warrior at 0.2 times the speed of light means Wang Wu's current strength is enough to smash a planet outright with his flesh.

The entry threshold for a first‑rank warrior is 100,000 Mach, and the critical value is 200,000 Mach—22 % of light speed.

From the third rank upward, each subsequent step is a chasm like a heavenly trench; even calling it a 'gulf' or a 'heavenly trench' is inadequate, because it's far larger.

Compared to the gap between the previous and the next realm.

That gap is immeasurably vast.

Even on his master Yin Shenli's home Earth, a first‑rank warrior is among the top visible strongmen of human society; it may sound unimpressive, but don't forget it's 0.22 times light speed.

What would happen if a baseball were accelerated to light speed?

Wang Wu recalled a topic he once saw online back home, discussing accelerating a baseball to light speed. Of course, it wouldn't reach exactly light speed, but would approach it infinitely.

So, what would happen if a person's body were accelerated to light speed?

The answer is simple: merely by speed, they could destroy everything.

Because speed is power; speed is the foundation of the universe's existence, and when speed reaches a certain level, it also means it partially controls time.

Of course, that's a far stretch and irrelevant.

When Wang Wu's speed reached 0.2 c, he was merely cruising within the atmosphere; the speed was so extreme that, relative to him, everything else appeared stationary.

Even air molecules vibrating back and forth at thousands of kilometers per hour seemed almost motionless compared to Wang Wu's speed.

Of course, Wang Wu's speed isn't that exaggerated; he hasn't reached 0.9 c yet, but even so, the surrounding world is still far slower than him.

According to aerodynamics, air normally flows over an object's surface, but when Wang Wu flies at his top speed, the air molecules ahead have no time to evade him—or to 'flow past' his surface.

It's like an aircraft moving too fast; once it exceeds the speed of sound, it encounters a barrier called 'sound,' which can severely damage the aircraft itself.

The aircraft does nothing else; merely piercing the air at such speed can produce thunderous roars and literally 'pierce' the air.

This clearly differs from most people's conception of air, which they believe shouldn't impede anyone.

Some even think gas is a completely 'void' state, not even a substance.

Of course, those holding such ideas are mostly the few who slipped through nine years of compulsory education, or students who spent their school days chasing rewards, never attending a minute of chemistry or physics.

Even a merely supersonic aircraft can cause such massive effects within the atmosphere.

What about Wang Wu?

Wang Wu at 0.22 c, or put another way, 22 % of light speed.

Air molecules ahead of Wang Wu have no time to 'dodge' him; they collide head‑on with this 1.8‑meter humanoid craft, and the impact is so forceful it can trigger nuclear fusion in the molecules' atomic nuclei.

Each collision releases massive energy, blasting gamma rays outward and scattering particles in all directions.

Immediately, these rays and particles shred air molecules, stripping electrons from nuclei, turning all the air along Wang Wu's path into an ever‑expanding, scorching plasma cannon.

Fusion, fusion, fusion—continuous thermonuclear reactions generate huge recoil, spawning round after round of new fusion.

And what does this cause? The answer is obvious.

Nuclear explosion.

And not just once, but many times.

A planet is essentially a massive nuclear‑fusion reactor; its core burns in exactly this way, generating endless energy through continual fusion.

In Wang Wu's home, people constantly pursue nuclear fusion, with the sun overhead as a prime example. Once mastered, this technology would spark a new energy revolution, fundamentally reshaping human society.

It would set humanity firmly on the path to 'infinite energy' and mark the first step for humanity to leave its home star system.

The massive energy from atomic power would devour everything around, and as Wang Wu advances, it would keep spreading until it ultimately annihilates the entire planet.

And this is merely the flight of a first‑rank expert.

After circling the planet's surface and then gazing at it from space, you'll see the world completely engulfed in flames, turned into a blazing inferno.

And its flames will never extinguish.

The atmosphere is torn apart, leaving no life on the surface; endless fusion reactions continuously tear the planet's continental plates, vaporizing massive amounts of material and hurling it into space.

Of course, just that alone wouldn't completely destroy a planet; it merely returns the planet to its original state.

But for a first‑rank expert, destroying a planet isn't difficult; it doesn't even require a first‑ranker—a third‑rank warrior can fully accomplish it.

Any single third‑rank finger technique, the ranged kind, launched from space, hits precisely.

It will strike straight to the planet's core; while it may not detonate the entire world, the damage it brings is unimaginably terrifying.

From space, you'd see the torn earth, with an enormous dark‑red scar on the surface, from which deep‑red lava gushes like the planet's own blood.

The mantle is ignited, triggering violent geological upheavals that sweep the entire planet, causing catastrophes even surpassing the magnitude of Siberia's super‑volcano eruption.

On Wang Wu's home Earth, the Siberian super‑volcano eruption was the primary cause of the massive Permian‑Triassic extinction.

And for a third‑rank cultivator, this is just an ordinary attack. It isn't a careless strike, but it isn't an all‑out effort either.

It's merely a higher‑damage basic normal attack.

The Siberian supervolcano has been erupting for millions of years, yet a casual strike from a third‑rank cultivator can inflict damage on this planet far beyond the level of a Siberian supervolcano eruption.

This is Earth martial arts, this is "high‑level martial prowess".

It is the so‑called "Star‑Shattering" power.

In the past, strongmen with this level of destructive power were called "Shattered‑Star Martial Saints" or "Star‑Shattering Martial Saints".

However, as the Earth martial arts version iterated and upgraded, privileges once reserved for top masters have now been reduced to the ordinary performance of a third‑rank cultivator.

One can only say that the upgrade speed of Earth martial arts is extremely fast, and the numerical boosts are excessively large.

"Now, go and blow up this planet."

In the pitch‑black void of space, this is the first day of the second year after Wang Wu's one‑year vacation, the first day of the lunar New Year.

But today Wang Wu is not at home flirting with the girls; instead, he is in the distant, dark, deep reaches of space, shooting targets with his master.

Qin Xiang points to a distant dark‑red planet; of course, this is not caused by Wang Wu—it was born that color.

The planet has already been infected by a demonic disaster; according to Qin Xiang's scan, the ruins on its surface have no excavation value, and the existence of any living beings is even less likely.

Those demons certainly cannot be considered living beings, and there is no hope of saving them; even with Earth's technology, for such pitiable creatures whose demonic corruption has lasted unknown years, the only thing that can be done is to give them a quick end.

Corruption is a terrifying state, and Earthlings are seeing it for the first time, because it can even infect the soul, binding body and spirit together—me within you, you within me.

This is also why people who become corrupted turn so "mad" and "bizarre".

They are still the same person, but their flesh is completely controlled, reduced to a living lump of "meat".

Terrifying, brother; it's truly terrifying and also very painful.

Of course, people corrupted this deeply have no rationality and cannot communicate, so Wang Wu cannot know how much they suffer.

He raises his hand, mimicking the standard move he saw in his master's and his own videos of warriors; a beam of light shoots from his fingertips, instantly spanning hundreds of thousands of kilometers to strike the distant planet.

This beam attack is the most common ranged method among Earth cultivators, but for the Golden‑System Great Sect Supreme Heaven Vajra Gate, it is one of their few ranged techniques.

The Supreme Heaven Vajra Gate lacks ranged attacks and is thus civilized, yet they possess an extremely powerful ranged method: the finger technique called "Boluweimo Poshabati Finger".

Also known as the Boshun Celestial Demon Finger, it is the world's top‑tier finger technique; whether in melee or at range, its destructive power is astonishing.

The Boshun Celestial Demon Finger has only one characteristic: speed.

Most finger techniques' long‑range rays are ultra‑high‑energy light speed, yet the speed isn't truly light speed; some are even slower.

But the Boshun Celestial Demon Finger is different; it is fast.

And extremely fast, fast enough to surpass light speed.

It is faster than light, but that isn't its only trait.

Although cultivators have a realm beyond the First Rank, called the T0 realm, also known as the "Universe‑Overturning Martial Saint", it represents those who truly stand at the pinnacle of Earth martial arts.

But martial arts differ; First‑Rank martial arts are indeed the strongest in Earth martial arts, and there is no secret super‑technique beyond it—First Rank is the summit.

It's just that the destructive power of First‑Rank techniques unleashed by a First‑Rank master cannot compare to the First‑Rank techniques released by a Universe‑Overturning‑level super‑top master.

"What did you see?"

When Wang Wu's attack fired and struck the distant planet, his master Qin Xiang's voice sounded at the same moment.

That voice seemed to come from the past, yet also from the future, and at the same time it existed in the present.

Although Qin Xiang is merely a T0 gatekeeper, his strength has changed dramatically; as Wang Wu's master, he can of course accept Wang Wu's invitation to come here for fun and to challenge strong opponents.

With countless strong opponents to challenge, Qin Xiang's power naturally surged—advancing a thousand miles a day, actually ten thousand, even a hundred thousand miles.

Never mind the exact number; it's plenty enough.

"I, I, I… Master, I…"

Wang Wu stands dazed in the void, and at that moment countless images flash in his eyes.

He saw many things; the instant he unleashed the Boshun Celestial Demon Finger, he saw countless people.

Their births, departures, deaths, farewells.

It was a brief instant, yet also an endless eternity.

"That is…"

"Celestial Demon"

(End of Chapter)