Killing and Arson, Golden Belt

The night in Tianwu City had never felt so long.

The usually bustling Black Market, with its entertainment districts and teahouses, had all shut their doors tight, not daring to light a single lamp. The entire city seemed to have fallen into a deathly silence, with only a few shrill screams occasionally echoing from the direction of the Martial Arts Hall Alliance headquarters, only to be swallowed by the night wind.

Inside the main hall of the Alliance headquarters, the lights blazed.

Yan Kui sat with his legs crossed, astride the grand official's chair that symbolized the highest authority in Tianwu City. His massive frame nearly burst the chair, his dark red skin emitting a chilling sheen under the candlelight.

And at his feet, the once arrogant Alliance Leader Chen Bantian, now lay like a dead dog on the ground, his bones shattered, his limbs twisted at grotesque angles. He could only breathe in, not out.

On either side of the hall, the leaders and core disciples of the major martial arts halls knelt.

They kept their heads bowed, not daring to even glance at the demon god seated at the head of the hall, their bodies trembling like sieves. The air was thick with the smell of blood, emanating from the corpses of the Stone Breaker Sect leader and the Tiger Crane Sect leader, a constant reminder of the consequences of resistance.

"Is this it?"

Yan Kui toyed with a storage bag he'd found on Chen Bantian, his voice deep and hoarse.

"I haven't even exerted myself, and you've already fallen."

"So boring."

Thump.

He casually tossed the storage bag onto the table, his gaze sweeping over the crowd below.

Yan Kui stood up, looking down from his imposing height at the kneeling masses.

"Now, bring out all your sect's secret manuals, land deeds, and treasury keys."

His voice was devoid of emotion. "Including all the pharmacies, blacksmith shops, and granaries in the city. I want it all."

"Bring the items here before sunrise tomorrow. If anything is missing, your entire clan will be wiped out."

Yan Kui paused, his gaze falling on Chen Bantian's blood-splattered face.

A sliver of unwillingness and venom still lingered in the old man's cloudy eyes.

"I don't like that look."

Yan Kui leaned down, one hand gripping Chen Bantian's neck.

"Nn... nn..."

Chen Bantian tried to struggle, but his bones were shattered, and he couldn't even move a finger. He could only watch as the large, dark red hand slowly tightened.

Crack.

The sound of his neck breaking was crisp and clear.

Chen Bantian's head drooped limply, his life extinguished.

[Killed Chen Bantian (Half-step Innate), plundered Life Essence.]

[Origin Power: +8.0]

"Hang him at the city gate."

Yan Kui released his grip and stood up.

"Let his body be exposed for three days."

"Let everyone in the city see what happens when they oppose me."

At his words, the entire hall fell silent.

Everyone looked up in terror, staring at Yan Kui in disbelief.

A Half-step Innate grandmaster had been utterly defenseless against this monster.

"What? Any objections?"

Yan Kui's brow twitched slightly, a hint of brutality flashing in his crimson pupils.

"No, no, no! No objections! Your Excellency is wise!"

"Old Chen was always bullying people with his power, oppressing the various martial arts halls, and was deeply in debt. He deserved to die long ago!"

"We pledge our lives to serve the Demon God!"

The crowd was terrified, kowtowing frantically, each fearing they would become the next Chen Bantian if they hesitated for even a second.

"Hmph."

Yan Kui snorted coldly and waved his hand.

Immediately, two disciples who had once been Chen Bantian's confidants, now eager to prove their loyalty, rushed forward. They dragged Chen Bantian's lifeless body out like a dead dog.

After dealing with these insignificant pests, Yan Kui's attention returned to the spoils of war.

He had to admit, the Martial Arts Hall Alliance's accumulation over the years was a massive treasure trove. The secret manuals handed over by the various sects alone were piled up like a small mountain. Although most of them were common techniques like Iron Sand Palm and Grass on Wings, there were a few gems mixed in.

For example, Chen Bantian's family heirloom, Primal Chaos Qi Strength.

This was a profound martial art that truly involved the application of "internal qi." Its power-generating techniques and energy utilization principles made Yan Kui's eyes light up.

"System, scan Primal Chaos Qi Strength."

[Analyzing... Analysis complete.]

[Discovered high-level mortal martial art Primal Chaos Qi Strength, containing basic energy manipulation techniques. Consume 5 Origin Power to fuse and deduce?]

"Fuse!"

Yan Kui didn't hesitate.

A warm current instantly surged into his mind, and countless pieces of knowledge about qi circulation and strength transformation flooded in like a tide.

A moment later.

Yan Kui slowly opened his eyes, a smile appearing at the corner of his lips.

No new skills were born, but the essence of this technique had been integrated into his instincts. His control over power had become more refined. Before, he could only smash things directly; now, he could even control the power to erupt at the moment of contact, creating an effect like striking through an object.

This was the power of the system.

Taking the essence, discarding the dross, and making it his own.

Besides the manual, the biggest gain was naturally Origin Power.

The surrendering disciples, in order to show their loyalty, voluntarily offered up Chen Bantian's secret chamber treasures. He had gained 8 Origin Power from killing Chen Bantian just now, plus the 6.5 contribution accumulated from the previous two sect leaders and elite disciples...

Yan Kui glanced at the panel.

[Current Origin Power: 25.0 (Consumed 5 points for fusion just now: 15.5 + 8 + 6.5 - 5 = 25)]

"Still not enough."

He sighed.

Promoting to the second level of Crimson Extreme Golden Body required an astronomical amount of Origin Power. Furthermore, according to the system's prompts, simply accumulating Origin Power was no longer enough; special "catalysts" were also needed.

"It seems I'll have to try my luck at those Cultivators' places."

Yan Kui walked towards Chen Bantian's secret chamber and pushed open the heavy iron door.

Inside the secret chamber, candlelight flickered, illuminating a dark wooden box. The box was made of some unknown dark wood, feeling cold to the touch. A yellowed talisman was pasted on it, seemingly a seal of some kind.

"Interesting."

Yan Kui casually tore off the talisman and opened the box.

There was no golden light as he had expected.

There were only two things in the box:

A fist-sized mineral, completely black as ink.

A tattered, even moldy, thread-bound ancient book.

He picked up the mineral. It was extremely heavy, as if he were holding a small mountain.

[Ding! Discovered high-energy mineral "Mysterious Yin Iron Mother".]

[Hint: This is an excellent material for refining Flying Swords, and can also be devoured by Crimson Extreme Golden Body to enhance physical density.]

[Contains trace amounts of Origin Power: 3.0]

"Oh? It's edible?"

Yan Kui's eyes lit up.

This was an unexpected surprise.

He casually threw the mineral into the system space (the storage bag he had snatched) and then picked up the tattered book.

The cover of the book had several bold, flowing characters. Although somewhat blurry, they could still be vaguely recognized—Record of Cultivation World Encounters: Body Cultivation Chapter.

Yan Kui casually flipped through a few pages.

At first, he was somewhat careless, but as he read, his expression gradually became solemn.

This book was not some cultivation manual but something like "essays" or a "diary." The author seemed to be an ancient body cultivator named "True Man Kuang Tie."

The content recorded in the book subverted Yan Kui's understanding of the cultivation world.

"...The world says cultivating immortality is good, riding the wind on swords, and eliminating demons between heaven and earth. Little do they know, cultivating qi and spirit is abandoning the root for the branches!"

"The human body is a microcosm of the universe; the five internal organs correspond to the five elements, and the flesh and blood correspond to mountains and rivers. Why seek Spiritual Qi externally? By continuously excavating the treasures within the physical body, one can achieve sainthood of the body and break through the void!"

"I observe the cultivators of this era; although their magical arts are profound, their physical bodies are as weak as chicken eggs. Once they are approached, even with a thousand magical arts, they cannot be executed. For those in Qi Cultivation and Foundation Establishment, seventy percent of their strength lies in magical artifacts, thirty percent in talismans, and their own bodies are the greatest weakness..."

"...If one can refine their physical body to the extreme, they will be impervious to all methods. Let your Flying Swords rain down like arrows; I will shatter them with a single punch!"

Alas, even I have not reached that step. Because the path to achieving sainthood of the body is too difficult and resource-intensive. Moreover, there is a heavenly lock, known as the 'Gene Lock' (Author's note: This term was learned from an Outer Realm Demonic Being), which mortals cannot break...

Yan Kui closed the book and exhaled a long breath.

"Gene Lock..."

"Outer Realm Demonic Being?"

A strange light flickered in his eyes.

Although this book did not teach specific cultivation methods, it pointed him in a direction and validated his long-held belief—the extreme body cultivation path was the right one!

Furthermore, the weakness of "Cultivators having weak physical bodies" mentioned in the book was practically tailor-made tactical guidance for him.

"With this book, I will have more confidence in dealing with those Cultivators in the future."

Yan Kui carefully put away the ancient book.

At this moment, he suddenly felt the "mysterious bone fragment" stored close to his chest grow slightly warm.

He took out the bone fragment.

The originally dull bone fragment was now emitting a faint, ethereal glow, as if it were craving something. And the direction of its craving was precisely the "Mysterious Yin Iron Mother" that had just been thrown into the storage bag!

"This bone fragment... wants to eat that stone?"

Yan Kui mused.

Previously, the bone fragment had merged with five hard martial arts techniques, helping him forge the prototype of the "Crimson Extreme Golden Body." Now that it was reacting again, could it be... the opportunity for the second layer of fusion?

"Interesting."

A playful curve appeared on Yan Kui's lips.

He turned and walked out of the secret chamber, glancing at the people still kneeling in the main hall.

"The items I want must be delivered within a day."

"As for you..." Yan Kui sneered, "Tianwu City can do whatever it wants from now on. It has nothing to do with me."

With that, he strode out of the Martial Arts Hall Alliance headquarters, disappearing into the night.

The next morning, the citizens of Tianwu City discovered with horror:

The corpse of Chen Bantian, the Grand Alliance Leader of the Martial Arts Hall Alliance, was hung high above the city gate.

The dark red demon god, after plundering the wealth of the entire city, had vanished without a trace.

All that remained was a city in ruins and countless legends about the "Extreme Demon God."

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[Crimson Modifier]

Host: Yan Kui

Status: Crimson Extreme Golden Body (Tier 1)

Origin Power: 28.0

Strength: 10.5

Agility: 3.0

Constitution: 12.0

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If you think this book is good, remember to add it to your bookshelf to avoid losing it next time.