Chapter 708

After one incense stick burned out.

“It’s on fire!”

“Worse, where’s Sang Sangu?”

A clamor erupted.

Many from the shantytown rushed out to fight the fire.

Far away, Li Wei watched it all, relieved as the flames were contained: “I prepared in advance—this fire will burn only the shaman’s family…”

“Since we’ve confirmed it’s a demonic sect stronghold, why not just finish it off?”

Fang Xing said: “Your decisiveness isn’t bad… Just a lowly pawn of a minor cult—even if he dies, they won’t trace it back to you.”

“Exactly… And if I buy enough time, I’ll grow strong enough to fear no demonic sect.”

One moment Li Wei spoke with boldness, the next he asked: “Senior, that ‘True Martial Sacred Body’ you mentioned—can you give me one?”

“To forge the True Martial Sacred Body postnatally, you must first train the Ancient Martial Stream and consume vast quantities of ferocious beast meat… All of which are now extinct. Give up this idea.”

Fang Xing said: “But another path suits you better… With determination, even an ordinary body can become a sacred one! Everyone carries ancestral bloodline factors from ancient times—awakening is possible, though exceedingly rare… Yet after Xun Heihu attained the ‘True Martial Sacred Body,’ it was akin to a massive bloodline regression, so his descendants have a higher chance of awakening…”

“Sounds promising… but I’m only half-native bloodline,” Li Wei nearly despaired.

“Haha, true… Awakening the True Martial Sacred Body is difficult for you, but without it, you’ll just train slower and achieve less—nothing major.”

Fang Xing chuckled, almost gleeful: “Then later… you’ll probably be effortlessly killed by the demonic sect’s leader! Even if that never happens, anyone who carries the True Martial Talisman and inherits the True Martial lineage is the demonic sect’s mortal enemy!”

“The demonic sect’s leader…”

Li Wei forced a laugh: “Not that bad, not that bad… I’m just a nobody.”

“Once you hold the True Martial Talisman, you’re no longer a nobody.”

Fang Xing said: “Moreover… the Eastern and Western continents have converged, the world is ascending—it’s now the Age of Great Struggle. You can’t hide from it. Forget other things: once that demonic sect leader ascends to Rank One, most ordinary people will die.”

“How does the demonic sect leader ascending to Rank One cause ordinary people to die?”

Li Wei was deeply confused.

There seemed no logical connection. “The one who understands you best is often your enemy… The True Martial lineage and the Panwu Demonic Sect are mortal foes. The demonic sect’s past attacks have revealed their pattern to me…”

Fang Xing smiled faintly: “According to my divination and calculations, the demonic sect’s Rank One is called ‘The End Existence’—signifying the ultimate endpoint of this world. Though not truly immortal, they possess methods of prolonged life: by enduring, they can live for hundreds of thousands of years, participating in the true Golden Age struggle!”

“Rank One—The End Existence—can live hundreds of thousands of years?” Li Wei was stunned: “Aren’t Rank One experts supposed to live at most five hundred years, and Super Rank one thousand? How does it jump to hundreds of thousands?”

“This world cannot yet support true immortality, but it can support costly, false longevity…” Fang Xing smiled: “The demonic sect’s Rank One ‘End Existence’ means bringing End to all life. By continuously destroying life and devouring the vital essence of countless humans, they extend their own lifespan. Of course, the cost is immense—ordinary people cannot supply enough life essence for martial artists, so numbers must be enormous… Roughly, the entire Da Luo Empire’s population could sustain one ‘End Existence’ for one hundred thousand years.”

“The Da Luo Empire has at least several billion people, right?”

Li Wei was truly shocked: “Wait… only one hundred thousand years?”

“Humans are like leeks—don’t speak of one hundred thousand years; even a few hundred or thousand years can produce countless multiples.”

Fang Xing shook his head: “So they can be farmed and harvested regularly. The key is, this Rank One demonic profession can be held concurrently by martial artists. How many peak martial artists desperate for breakthroughs would join if this happened?”

“Nightmare… hell…”

Li Wei’s body trembled involuntarily—he imagined his adoptive parents and foster sister being farmed, harvested once they reached adulthood. Goosebumps rose on his skin—he could never accept this.

“No. Even if I must sacrifice my life, I must stop this!”

He growled low.

“But you lack strength. And the emergence of the End Existence is an inevitable outcome of fate.”

Fang Xing sighed.

This was Panwu’s plan: amass vast numbers of top-tier martial talents, waiting for the Golden Age to arrive!

Yet though it was an open strategy, it wasn’t without countermeasures.

“The more powerful the martial artist, the more the End Existence prolongs its life. Ordinary people require sheer numbers to compensate for low quality. Neither group benefits.”

Fang Xing sighed: “Even ants and ordinary people—their lives belong to them; their fate should be decided by themselves.”

“Huh?” Li Wei’s eyes lit up: “Senior, do you have a plan?”

“Preventing the End Existence is unlikely, but we can make them eat shit…” Fang Xing smiled cryptically: “I have a scripture here—The Scripture of the Poisoned, Doomed Body. No matter your talent, you can train it. Entry is absurdly simple, and it has only one level. Once perfected, no other effects—only when confronted with demonic arts that drain essence or internal force, it automatically activates, transforming your life essence into poison essence—or dissolving it entirely…”

If everyone trained this martial art, and harvesters came, it’d be hilarious.

Even if they ate, they’d only get a mouthful of poison—even poison mixed into shit!

The End Existence: “You don’t just feed me shit—you poison the shit?”

Just imagining the psychological trauma of such a scenario amused Fang Xing immensely.

Of course, this method only slightly alleviates the problem.

One must save oneself before heaven saves.

“In the future, most talented martial artists will surely train this Scripture of the Poisoned, Doomed Body—but ordinary people? Not guaranteed… There will always be lazy ones.”

“Even the End Existence might enslave people and forbid them from training it—yet some will secretly practice it anyway…”

Though only a single leaf, Fang Xing already sensed autumn.

Continuing this way would only reduce the number of End Existences who survive to the Golden Age.

A countermeasure against Panwu.

As for more—nothing more could be done. “Demonic sect… demonic sect…”

Li Wei sighed: “After returning, I’ll find a job in Xin Feng City and start training!”

“Mm, good luck… I believe in you.”

Fang Xing offered cautious support.

…

While Li Wei struggled as a laborer in Xin Feng City, working hard to earn money and train,

a massive icebreaker sailed through the Far North.

Whoosh!

Howling winds swept across the sea, blanketing it in frost; occasionally, massive ice floes and icebergs drifted by…

“Captain…”

A crewman approached, offering a steaming cup of coffee. His features were sharply defined—a pure Bai Ying man: “I can’t imagine what those senators’ brains are made of, funding our Far North exploration voyage… And wealthy merchants contributed generously. If ‘Great Adventurer Smith’ were still alive, he’d be thrilled.”

After all, this purely scientific vessel brought little profit.

The captain was an old man with a full beard, smoking a pipe calmly: “It’s natural. The discovery of the Far East proved my earlier explorations were too shallow—I likely missed many great geographical discoveries. Hence, someone funded this expedition.”

“But I don’t think any life could survive in the Far North. Are you thinking of ice giant bears?”

The crewman sipped his coffee, joking.

Splash!

Suddenly, a vast ice continent ahead fractured. Massive icebergs tumbled into the ocean, triggering a colossal tsunami. CRASH!

The coffee cup shattered on the deck, instantly in pieces.

“Prepare to evade!”

The captain roared, gripping the helm tightly.

“Oh, God…”

“Help…”

The entire research vessel erupted in chaos—everyone scrambled or prayed.

Fortunately, the old captain’s experience allowed him to avoid most lethal icebergs.

Minor damage from occasional ice chunks was ignored entirely.

Splash!

The research vessel sailed through a newly formed ice canyon—the great rift just opened.

Everyone held their breath. Then a female scientist stared at an ice wall nearby and shouted: “My God… what is that?”

The boatswain glanced over—also stunned.

Inside the massive ice, there was a human figure!

They had been frozen for countless years, finally revealed by the recent glacial rupture.

“Is this… prehistoric humanity?”

“No, look at their clothing—clearly Far East style. Impossible here unless a major Far East city still exists nearby…”

“I think this person is a powerful Far East martial artist—a Celestial Knight. Knights love extreme environments to train and test their limits.”

“Perhaps this ascetic came to the Far North to cultivate, then fell into a chasm of black ice… frozen until now?”

The female scientist’s eyes gleamed: “Can we chip them out? I want to transport them to Bai Ying for exhibition…”

“That’s impossible…”

The boatswain shrugged, helpless.

The ship kept moving; the female scientist raised her telescope, studying the frozen martial artist’s face.

As they drew closer, the face became vividly clear—ancient, square, radiating a unique aura, like a deity stepped from a painting…

Suddenly!

Those eyes opened, revealing pupils as dark as the abyss.