Killing the Body, Breaking the Spirit

As Lei Aigou wondered what exactly had happened, he saw that Zhang Zhi's head, which had been swollen like a pig's, was visibly subsiding.

The bruises on his face, half of whose skin had been torn away, and the gashes Lei Aigou had cut with his knife were also visibly returning to normal.

His limbs, broken into several pieces and twisted out of shape, also seemed to be recovering.

At that moment, Lei Aigou suddenly realized a possibility. Instinctively, he wanted to say it was impossible, but he had forgotten that he could no longer speak. Opening his mouth only caused more blood to gush out.

Zhang Zhi endured the agonizing pain from his fractured hands as he pressed the bone fragments that had pierced through his body back inside, aligning his broken limbs and bones one by one so the recovery would be less painful.

Hearing the commotion from Lei Aigou's side, he turned to look.

Lei Aigou was visibly agitated, his face flushed red, his eyes locked onto Zhang Zhi, while sputtering sounds came from his throat!

Zhang Zhi flashed his teeth in a grin. "Looks like your brain isn't entirely shit after all. You actually know that I'm taking control of a Small World."

"Yes, that's right. I successfully opened a Small World!"

"I'm currently enjoying the feedback my Small World gives me as I take control of it for the first time after successfully opening it!"

After a Realm Lord successfully opened a Small World, the first time they controlled it through the World Bead, they would receive a Heaven and Earth Baptism.

This baptism could heal any injury on the Realm Lord's body and slightly improve the Realm Lord's cultivation aptitude.

Several drops of blood slowly dripped to the ground from what remained of Zhang Zhi's lower lip as his mouth moved.

Looking at Lei Aigou's utterly disbelieving expression, Zhang Zhi gestured toward the figure beside him with his chin.

"See that? He's a cultivator from the Small World I just summoned."

"Peak Mortal Transformation Realm."

"Yes, that's right. My Small World only completed its self-propagation today."

"My Small World had a Peak Mortal Transformation Realm cultivator from the moment it was opened, so naturally, it took longer than an ordinary Small World."

"My Small World only finished its deductions today. Otherwise, you would've been dead long ago. You should thank my Small World for letting you live until today."

"But now that I think about it, I should thank you too. If it weren't for you, I wouldn't have had the courage to go all in, much less open a Small World that already had a Peak Mortal Transformation Realm cultivator."

Zhang Zhi looked at Lei Aigou with utmost sincerity while feeling around and aligning the two broken sections of his left leg bone.

"Really, I'm not lying. I'm truly very grateful to you right now. If you hadn't pushed me, I never would've known I could open such a powerful Small World."

"You have no idea how much I hated you when you smashed my knee apart with that iron bar!"

"At the time, I wanted to tear you into pieces, so I shoved every single card I had into the Small World Prototype."

"Several times, I couldn't hold on anymore. My Mental Power was exhausted. But whenever I thought of what you had done to me, my dried-up Mental Power suddenly became full again!"

"If it weren't for you, I truly couldn't have opened such a powerful Small World."

"If you were a normal person, would you fuse hundreds of cards into a Small World Prototype all at once while Opening a Small World?"

"You wouldn't, right?"

"That's why I said I should thank you!"

Seeing Lei Aigou struggle even more fiercely, Zhang Zhi sneered inwardly.

Having spent so long on the internet in his previous life, he had some experience dealing with people like Lei Aigou.

There was one phrase for it: killing the body, breaking the spirit.

You didn't want me to open a Small World, did you? Then I'll tell you that it was thanks to you that I opened one—thanks to you that I opened such a powerful Small World!

Looking at the extremely agitated Lei Aigou, Zhang Zhi put on a regretful expression. "Sigh, Aigou, we came from the same Orphanage. How did things end up like this?"

"It's not that I want to criticize you, but you're just too competitive!"

"I don't know whether you remember, but when I lent you that first Gray Card, I told you not to rush to claim a World Seed. I told you to wait another two years before opening a world."

"Do you know why I told you that? Because I had a theory that had a high chance of opening a Small World."

"At the time, I wanted to try it first. If it worked for me, I would tell you afterward. After all, we were the only two people in the Orphanage who had a chance of opening a Small World."

"Look, the Small World I opened now isn't bad, right?"

"If you could've waited another two years, you definitely could've opened a Small World."

Hearing the wheezing sounds from Lei Aigou's throat, how could Zhang Zhi not understand what he wanted to say?

"You think I'm lying to you?"

"Sigh, believe what you want."

"But think about it. If I had no intention of helping you, would I have lent you the Gray Card?"

"Ask yourself honestly: do you really believe I wanted to condescendingly hand you charity? If I wanted to give charity, I could've picked anyone."

Seeing the complicated light in Lei Aigou's eyes, Zhang Zhi sneered inwardly. Opening a Small World was this man's inner demon.

I'm going to break this bastard's spirit. I'm going to make him think that he was the one who buried his own chance to open a Small World. I'll make him go to hell full of regret!

Looking at the agitated Lei Aigou, who seemed to want to say something to Zhang Zhi, Zhang Zhi pretended to sigh and spoke again.

"There was something I didn't want to tell you, but since you don't seem to believe me, I might as well tell you."

"Have you heard of Lanling Xiaoxiaosheng?"

A trace of confusion appeared in Lei Aigou's eyes.

Zhang Zhi continued, "Have you heard of Jin Ping Mei? Have you heard of Star Wanderer? Have you heard of Continent of Gods and Demons? Have you heard of Golden Scales Are Not Things In A Pond?"

"You have?"

"Mm, that's right. I wrote those books. The money I used to buy cards came from their royalties."

"That was why I had kept the source of that money so secret before."

"Actually, you were right. I did have another motive for lending you those cards."

"The reputation of an Uncle Emperor Author was far too awful, but the profits were truly considerable. Back then, I wanted to find someone to work with me and have that person pose as Lanling Xiaoxiaosheng."

"Yes, that's right. I chose you. But some of the things you did made me feel that you wouldn't be a good partner, so I stopped considering it."

Upon hearing Zhang Zhi say that, Lei Aigou somehow found the strength to abruptly sit upright. He spat out a large mouthful of blood and said to Zhang Zhi in a somewhat distorted voice, "You... lied..."

Before he could finish, his entire body collapsed, and not a trace of aura remained.