Chapter 164: Union of Heaven, Earth, and Man (2)

Chapter 164: Union of Heaven, Earth, and Man (2)

Every single foe was reduced to nothingness by a single devastating blow. No one had the strength to withstand his punch! No one had the agility to evade his punch! No one had the resilience to survive his punch!

Initially, the four bosses of the land bandits brimmed with confidence. From their estimates, even a Savant expert would be completely worn out from such an intense battle. When that happened, it was their opportunity to go in for the kill!

But their conviction soon crumbled, their miscalculation dreadfully apparent. In less than two hours, over 2000 land bandits met their end at the hands of Wu Yuan's unyielding fists. Even a first-rate Adept in heavy armor met a grisly demise, his chest caved by the sheer force of Wu Yuan's punch.

Currently, the vast stretch of mountain forest spanning ten li had turned into a field of motionless corpses. The mountain range was dyed crimson with blood!

Unfazed, Wu Yuan's countenance remained aloof as he muttered to himself. "That strike could have been more restrained." It was as though the bandits he had just killed were nothing more than a bunch of ants.

"Flee!"

"He's no human, he's a demon!"

"Run!" Confronted by Wu Yuan, who resembled a living devil, the once fearsome bandit horde crumbled. Overtaken by terror, they began to disperse, disregarding the shouts of their bosses.

"Top ten on the Human Rankings!"

"Could he be a Grandmaster? Only someone of that caliber could possess such physical strength." The bosses of the four bandit factions shivered. Though it was embarrassing, they chose to prioritize their own survival. After all, they only had one life.

Unfortunately for them, Wu Yuan's soul sense had expanded to a three-li radius. He had long detected four individuals with relatively stronger vital auras than the other bandits. How could he allow them to escape?

"Do you think you can flee?" Wu Yuan's gaze turned frigid as he unleashed his full speed, darting several hundred meters in an instant. In a flurry of motion, hundreds of bandits were tossed into the air, their limbs scattered, and blood spraying. None survived the onslaught. In an instant, Wu Yuan was standing before the four bosses.

“Not good.” A sense of impending dread gripped one of the bosses as his expression twisted in horror.

Boom! Boom! Sounds of impact echoed through the air, followed by four dull thuds. The four bandit bosses, each ranked within the top 150 of the Jiang Continent Human Rankings, lay lifeless on the ground.

The seven major bandit factions of the Great Spirit Mountain Range suffered heavy losses in this battle, with over 4000 dead and only a handful injured.

The Blackwind Fort was particularly pitiful, losing eleven of its leaders, including the ninth leader from their previous encounter with Wu Yuan. The faction was instantly removed from the seven major bandit factions of the mountain.

Fear gripped the entire Great Spirit Mountain Range, compelling numerous land bandits to flee the area, swearing to abandon their lives of crime.

This was the terror of Grandmasters, experts with overwhelming power, unparalleled skill, and unwavering stamina. Throughout history, there had been countless tales of individual Grandmasters battling armies upwards of 100,000 men, ultimately claiming the lives of over 10,000 soldiers and emerging unscathed.

One man against an army of a million. For a Grandmaster, this was far from challenging.

The battle shook the Great Spirit Mountain Range to its core. The name Fist King of Hell spread like wildfire, striking panic into the hearts of land bandits who fled the mountain in droves. This epic clash quickly became the talk of all the surrounding villages and towns.

The mysterious expert known as the Fist King of Hell was said to possess the strength to rival the top ten in the Jiang Continent Human Rankings, a suspected Grandmaster.

...

Wu Yuan, the man at the center of this storm, remained oblivious to the chaos he had caused. Instead, he saw this slaughter as an opportunity to gain a deeper understanding of the world's true nature.

Heaven and earth are uncaring. Wu Yuan’s mind was calm. The world nurtured all beings equally, without favor or bias. There was the saying that ‘human beings are the essence of heaven and earth, the primate of all things’, yet the fates of those he had slaughtered were no different from the fates of pigs and dogs slaughtered by humans. [1] This realization spurred Wu Yuan's spirit to undergo another shift.

Leaving behind the Great Spirit Mountain Range, Wu Yuan ventured into the Eastdream Province. At the northernmost tip of the Jiang Continent, two major families, the Eastdream Wen Family and the Westdream Dao Family, controlled the Eastdream Province and Westdream Province respectively.

"Who can say?" The soldiers engaged in hushed conversation amongst themselves. They had been deployed here after being informed that a formidable expert was blocking the path to the Skysaber Canyon.

The Skysaber Canyon was an acclaimed scenic attraction. Many officials and nobles from Great Jin passing through the Skysaber Mountain would often visit the canyon, marveling at the breathtaking landscape. But in recent days, access to the prime viewing platform had been obstructed.

"Senior Lu, over there, that expert is right there." A middle-aged man garbed in official attire led an elderly figure cloaked in black robes, hurrying along the mountain path with utmost deference. Several officials and generals followed behind respectfully. Clearly, the black-robed elderly man held an exalted status.

"The governor has arrived, but who is that?"

"Who knows!"

"The provincial general from the city is also here. Who is this distinguished person?" The multitude of soldiers, martial artists, and onlookers whispered amongst themselves, utterly shocked.

In their eyes, the governor and the provincial general were already figures of the highest echelon, capable of determining the fate of countless individuals.

Who could wield such authority over them?

"Expert?" The elderly man in black abruptly halted his steps, his gaze fixated on a colossal boulder several hundred meters away. Perched atop the rock was a figure, sitting cross-legged with closed eyes. The man was disheveled, appearing around 30 years old, emanating a ruggedness that hinted at a life in the grasslands.

However, the elderly man in black knew better than to judge him solely based on his appearance or attire. He understood that some individuals, particularly those who had reached higher levels of cultivation, could not be assessed by their external traits alone. A moment of observation was all it took for a look of astonishment to appear on the elderly man's face.

"Heaven, earth, and man, united in a painting," he murmured to himself, increasingly awestruck by the man on the boulder. Sitting there, he seemed to have seamlessly merged with the surroundings, akin to a magnificent work of art.

Suddenly, a recollection flashed through the elder's mind, filling his eyes with irrepressible astonishment. “This feeling, could it be?”

"Governor Wang, has anyone attempted to approach this senior?" the elderly man in black turned his head, speaking in a deep voice. Unconsciously, he had already begun addressing the man as ‘Senior’.

Governor Wang, quick to notice this, stepped forward and whispered, "Senior Lu, when this mysterious senior appeared two days ago, some soldiers initially tried to drive him away. However, before they could even get close, they felt an invisible force pushing them back. Sensing something amiss, they wisely refrained from acting hastily and promptly reported the situation to me."

"I've heard myths of immortals," Governor Wang cautiously continued, "and thus, I was concerned and immediately notified you, Senior."

Inhaling deeply, the elder in black nodded approvingly at Governor Wang. "You've done well, exceptionally well! Fortunately, you didn't recklessly disturb this senior."

"Give the order, everyone is to leave without making a commotion.”

"Understood." The governor couldn't help but shudder. Deep within, he felt a growing certainty that his initial guess had hit the mark. Mulling over this revelation, the governor's gaze involuntarily flickered towards the rugged figure hundreds of meters away.

A Heavenly Ranker?

The elderly man in black robes walked up, his strides deliberate and measured. Soon, he walked past the group of guards, until he was only 30 meters from the imposing boulder.

At this point, he could feel an invisible resistance, a force exceeding 10,000 catties. With every step forward, the resistance intensified, bearing down on him like the weight of the entire world.

It's spiritual qi! In the past, my mentor wielded a first-grade divine weapon and displayed this power. Any doubts left in the elderly man vanished.

Compared to the power my mentor exhibited, this feels like true spiritual qi. And that expert can control it from 30 meters away! Awe mingled with the elderly man's gaze as he beheld the figure perched on the boulder.

He’s a Heavenly Ranker!

1. From Shakespeare's Hamlet ?