Embodying Myriad Traits, I Will Ultimately Become Immortal — Section 12

"Head home early, Meng Chuan. Don't stay out too late."

Seeing that Meng Chuan might be in a bad mood, Liu Ru did not say anything more.

"I can't give up on the National Obligatory Basic Fist Art. Only by obtaining One Proof, Eternal Proof can I smoothly break through the limits when practicing other fist arts afterward, quickly accumulating other traits."

But he could not keep stubbornly grinding at it. He needed to alternate with other fist arts to improve his vitality and blood. If he wasted another three years, he would not even be able to get into Yong'an Martial Arts University. How would he face his uncle's expectations?

It was already getting late. If he wanted to reach the third stage of vitality and blood before the martial arts exam, then starting tomorrow, he had to devote himself fully to practicing Cannon Fist.

But would he still have time to comprehend the National Obligatory Basic Fist Art? He was only one percent away from the end. Could he really accept that?

With the road ahead blocked, even Meng Chuan, who had lived two lives, felt somewhat lost at this moment.

Meng Chuan did not take the tram home today. He wanted to walk back and clear his mind along the way.

Yong'an City had been in a tense situation lately, and the streets were completely empty at night.

Although Yong'an City was located in the north of Great Chu, it lay toward the southern part of the northern region, so October had not yet turned cold.

As he passed Tongjia Alley, Meng Chuan suddenly felt a chill, as though he had fallen into an ice cellar. It ran from the top of his head to the soles of his feet.

"Strange. There's nothing here."

Meng Chuan looked around but found nothing, so he continued forward, intending to go around Tongjia Alley.

Curiosity killed the cat. He was not particularly curious, nor did he want to go into the alley to investigate.

Yet Tongjia Alley seemed to possess some kind of magic, inexplicably drawing Meng Chuan to a halt.

If a martial artist had been present, they would have realized that the Sky Demon Force Field was at work.

It was as though two invisible hands in the air pressed down on his head, forcing him to turn and look toward Tongjia Alley.

Then, like a puppet on strings, the chill controlled his body, moving his feet toward Tongjia Alley.

The entrance to the alley was like a demon opening its jaws, welcoming his arrival.

"Damn it! I can't move at all."

He had stayed out late because he had been lost in thought. He had not expected to run into a Heavenly Demon!

Hah. Calm down. There was still a chance!

This Heavenly Demon had not leaped out and smashed him to pieces with a punch, which meant it was not the most brutal type of solid Heavenly Demon.

He recalled what the teacher had taught in class:

The Great Chu Martial Arts Association classified the Heavenly Demons that invaded reality into three types according to their abilities.

The first type was solid Heavenly Demons, which possessed physical forms, immense strength, and savage, violent minds.

The second type was Concept-Type Sky Demons. They could not directly harm a person's body, but could invade through dreams, faith, and other means. Once their power developed to a certain level, they could influence reality.

"Not this kind either. This thing can directly control my body!"

The third type was nihilistic Heavenly Demons, also the hardest type to guard against. They had no physical forms and were formless and ever-changing. Only the Will of Martial Arts could detect them in advance. They were practically ordinary people's natural predators.

"It's over. It's a nihilistic one."

If it had been a Concept-Type Sky Demon, he could at least have pretended to believe in it and looked for a chance to escape.

Nihilistic Heavenly Demons were like solid Heavenly Demons. Once encountered, they would not give anyone a chance to survive. The only difference was probably how one died.

Meng Chuan considered his options. Although he did not possess the Will of Martial Arts, he had the instinct to survive.

"Come on! Show yourself and kill me!"

Meng Chuan provoked it, trying to glimpse its true form.

A rustling sound came from the air, and the chill around him grew even heavier. Now Meng Chuan could not even speak. Controlled as he was, he kept walking closer and closer to the entrance of the alley.

He could see it more clearly now. The alley stretched endlessly into the distance, pitch-black, with not a single household lit up. It had lost all its former warmth and life.

Meng Chuan remembered passing by here before and seeing a little girl sitting on the doorstep of the first house, reading. Her mother had been visible through the window above, knitting a sweater as she smiled and teased the child.

Only after being controlled and forced to stand at the alley entrance could Meng Chuan truly see that everything had changed.

The walls on both sides of the alley were densely covered with hanging bodies. Dark brown hemp ropes were looped around their necks, and their wide-open eyes told of their unwillingness to die.

At the nearest house, six people—men, women, old and young—hung from a weathered wall three meters long. The little girl was crammed in the middle, her body distorted beyond recognition.

A cold wind swept through, making the mass of corpses sway as if welcoming his arrival.

At the sight, Meng Chuan's heart filled with rage like the oppressive tension before a storm, ready to erupt at any moment.

He could hear his heartbeat with startling clarity, thumping wildly without pause. His pulse was filled with signs of explosive agitation.

"You animal! I'll fucking kill you! I swear it!"

Wisps of white smoke rose from his body. Meng Chuan's heart had already been consumed by fury, and he did not notice that the right to speak, which had been taken from him, had returned.

When the body could no longer endure, the will would carve out a path through the encirclement!

It was the most instinctive power of his body's will helping him. Meng Chuan howled and roared, breaking free from every restraint!

Then, driven by burning rage and bodily instinct, he punched at those invisible hands in midair!

National Obligatory Basic Fist Art: Mastery (99%) → Mastery (100%). Limit broken!

Obtained limit-breaking trait: One Proof, Eternal Proof (Super)

"Once obtained, never lost. Whatever is practiced shall yield achievement."

Under the dual stimulation of body and mind, the National Obligatory Basic Fist Art finally broke through its limits!

Unfortunately, it was useless. Without the support of the Will of Martial Arts, he could not inflict even the slightest harm upon the Heavenly Demon.

The Heavenly Demon was merely surprised that such a tiny morsel could break free of its restraints.

It put aside its playful thoughts and abruptly extended its transparent body from midair, diving straight at Meng Chuan.

Even after breaking his limit, Meng Chuan could do nothing. He could only let the Heavenly Demon burrow completely into his body. As his consciousness blurred, he lost control of his body once more.

In the end, he mechanically walked into Tongjia Alley and stopped beside the wall of the first house.

"Hang yourself up there, hee hee hee."

The Grim Reaper let out a mocking laugh.

Controlled by it, Meng Chuan tied the knot and looped the rope around his neck.

Death was imminent.

At that critical moment—

"BOOM!"

A thunderclap tore across the night sky. Luo Guanyun held a small golden spear aloft in his right hand, like a celestial god of thunder riding the wind and lightning down from the heavens.

After Luo Guanyun landed, he controlled the golden spear with his mind, snapping it upright in his palm. Azure lightning true qi coiled around the spear shaft, and golden thunder erupted from its tip. The entirety of Tongjia Alley became a pool of lightning.

Faced with such a powerful enemy, the Heavenly Demon had no thought of fighting back. It immediately controlled Meng Chuan's body and turned to flee.

It had realized that this person's strength was terrifying. With a single strike, he had shattered the force field covering all of Tongjia Alley.

It was already too late. Lightning was too great a counter to Heavenly Demons.

Dark clouds gathered above Meng Chuan's head in an instant. Violent thunder roared within them, and a bolt of golden lightning suddenly came crashing down.

"Golden Lightning Purification!"

The Heavenly Demon was blasted into utter annihilation by that attack. Meng Chuan, who had been possessed by it, was relatively fine. Golden lightning specialized in purification and struck only evil entities, so it did not injure his body. He was just a little charred all over.

"Master!"

Black smoke puffed out of Meng Chuan's mouth as he spoke. Then his eyes rolled back, and he collapsed stiffly to the ground, unconscious.

The black smoke was residue left behind by the Heavenly Demon's death. With a gust of wind, it dispersed without leaving a trace.

With a flick of one hand, Luo Guanyun recalled the golden spear. He quickly stepped over to Meng Chuan and checked his condition.

"Mm, nothing serious."

He then took out his phone and dialed a number. It was picked up immediately after the first ring.

"Hey, Bald Ape. The kid's been saved. You were way too slow."

On the other end of the call was Mountain-Shaking Ape Dragon Nine, chief of the Qindu District Police Bureau.

At this moment, he was swinging through the city like an ape, grabbing onto the edges and corners of its high-rise buildings.

He grabbed a roof beam with his right hand, then exerted force to hurl himself forward. His other enormous furry palm held a tiny phone, making for a rather comical sight.

"Had to be you, Lao Luo. How's the situation at Tongjia Alley? Is the Heavenly Demon dead? And stop fucking calling me Bald Ape!"

The Qindu District Police Bureau had a specialized Heavenly Eye Department. The moment magnetic field fluctuations appeared within the district, it could immediately issue an alarm and dispatch personnel for a rapid response.

Tonight, the Heavenly Eye Bureau's night-duty staff detected abnormal fluctuations near Tongjia Alley and immediately reported them by phone to their department head, who then reported them to Chief Dragon Nine.

Using surveillance footage from before the force field had destroyed it, along with big-data analysis, they identified Meng Chuan as the victim. Combining that with Meng Chuan's personal information, Dragon Nine immediately contacted his university classmate, Luo Guanyun.

He knew that Luo Guanyun specialized in the Xingyi Thunder Method and was far faster than himself. Perhaps he might have a chance to save the child from his martial arts school.

Luo Guanyun said nothing. He turned to look at the horrific Tongjia Alley, drew a cigarette from his pocket and placed it between his lips. A spark of electricity burst from his fingertip, lighting the cigarette as he took a deep drag.