Yan Yuanyi is dead? Good!!

The war between He Heng and god finally ended in He Heng's victory after more than ten minutes. This was not unexpected. After all, compared to He Heng, god's stamina was far inferior. This wasn't an issue at the start, but when the battle reached its most intense moment, it became extremely fatal.

In this world, due to the absence of spiritual energy, everyone is a mortal, a flesh-and-blood body with inherent limits. He Heng and his peers were at the peak of this mortal limit. The difference in strength between them couldn't be too great. In the end, it came down to endurance, a test of who could maintain their explosive power and last longer. And this was precisely He Heng's forte.

He possessed the He family's unique cultivation method, which could enhance his strength. His power was more than double that of ordinary people.

For god and others to contend with He Heng's strength, they would have to employ techniques similar to "using four ounces to deflect a thousand pounds," consuming more vital energy and unleashing greater power. This was a significant disadvantage in a battle destined to be a war of attrition. Moreover, He Heng's endurance was several times theirs. With He Heng maintaining peak condition while god was utterly depleted, how could he not lose?

"Indeed, if the fight had continued, I would have surely perished on the spot. I couldn't have held on; exhaustion and death were certain. The mortal body truly has its limits," god said with some emotion, looking at He Heng. "You are truly a monster. Your strength is more than double that of others at the same level, and your vital energy is inexhaustible. Who could last against you in a fight like this?"

"It can't be helped, I'm naturally gifted," He Heng said shamelessly.

god didn't seem to mind, merely sighing, "There are indeed many naturally gifted individuals in this world. Like the historically famous Overlord of Chu, Xiang Yu, and Li Yuanba. They were born with divine strength, their vital energy incredibly potent. You must be similar. People like you are terrifying when they train in martial arts."

Regarding He Heng's extraordinary physical condition, god could only sigh. Even considering himself a god, he had to admit defeat. Heaven had made him that way.

"Heh heh, Xiang Yu, Li Yuanba? This art style is wrong..." In He Heng's opinion, even if he wasn't an elegant Sword Immortal, he shouldn't be considered a brute with a large waist and thick arms, wielding a great hammer or axe, capable of splitting mountains and shattering rocks.

"Even if it's innate divine strength, it should be like Lu Bu's," He Heng muttered. He didn't want to be nicknamed 'Fist Shakes Jiuzhou' or 'Axe Splits Heavenly Gate' when he became famous. But looking at his own muscles, He Heng's mouth twitched. It seemed he was on the glorious and great wrong path of 'Attaining Dao with Strength,' and he was heading further down it.

god, naturally unaware of He Heng's thoughts, had been invincible for decades, his undefeated loneliness finally broken. He was still in a daze. Especially with the existence of someone even more formidable like He Heng, god felt many of his plans needed to change. Everything was different now.

After a long silence, god suddenly spoke, "I must admit, I am not your opponent. Wang Chao probably isn't either. Even though his grand momentum is established, he can't outlast a monster like you. The title of 'Number One Under Heaven' belongs to you."

"Not at all, I merely relied on my superior physique. Otherwise, I might not have won against you," He Heng said, uncharacteristically humble. He knew his own capabilities. If not for his exceptional physique, defeating god would have been incredibly difficult. god's constant state of 'Unity of Heaven and Man' was terrifying. In the Great Heaven World, only masters who had condensed Yin God or Yang God could achieve it. Of course, this was also related to this world being too weak to compare with the Heavenly Dao of the Great Heaven World.

Setting aside his physique, if they were to compare their fighting styles and realms, He Heng, though not weak, would have found it extremely difficult to defeat god. In reality, at the peak of the Dragon Snake martial arts, their fighting styles had reached their limits, and their realms were comparable. It was difficult to distinguish between them.

This was unlike the Great Heaven World, where the dense spiritual energy of heaven and earth caused combat power to soar with every increase in realm. A slight difference in realm created an insurmountable chasm.

Here, as long as one had a good physique, a Ming Jin master could defeat a Hua Jin Grandmaster. Realm wasn't particularly important.

Therefore, even though He Heng, god, and Wang Chao had differences in their realms, their actual strength was not vastly different. In the end, they could only exhaust their stamina and see who lasted longer.

Unless He Heng truly reached the Human Law Realm, it would be absolutely impossible for him to completely crush opponents like god and Wang Chao.

"I have already agreed with Wang Chao to a battle to the death at the Martial Dao Convention. I hope you can also participate. A life-and-death battle to explore the future path of Martial Dao. You have the greatest hope," god said, and his figure, tinged with bleakness, departed.

"Actually, there is a path ahead of Martial Dao, but existing in this world, you have no hope of breaking through..." He Heng watched god's retreating back, wanting to speak but stopping himself. He finally sighed, mourning for god and all the martial artists in this world. Their path had no future.

He Heng deeply understood god. As fellow seekers of the Dao, he felt profound sorrow for the other. There was no path forward; this was the grief of all who pursued the Dao.

"Alas... I wonder how far I can go on this long road of seeking the Dao?"

He Heng let out a long sigh. His silhouette stretched far into the night as he left the place.

"Hello, who is this?" One day, He Heng was practicing his punches at home when the phone suddenly rang.

"It's me, Sharp Sword's Liu Mubai!" The voice on the other end was a steady male voice.

"Oh, Instructor Liu, what's the matter?" He Heng frowned. Liu Mubai was the chief instructor of Sharp Sword, one of the three ace special forces, and a Core Strength master. But he shouldn't have any connection with him, should he?

"The Commander wants me to invite you to meet him," Liu Mubai's voice held a hint of anxiety and sorrow.

"Why?" He Heng asked, puzzled.

"Yuanyi is in trouble," Liu Mubai said in a low tone.

"How could she be in trouble?" He Heng asked, confused.

"She was captured by Wang Chao abroad. It's likely she's in grave danger," Liu Mubai said helplessly.

"Oh, good riddance," He Heng muttered casually.

"What did you say...?" Liu Mubai said indignantly.

"Nothing, nothing..." He Heng knew that Yan Yuanyi wasn't actually dead. She had merely been 'seated and passed away' by Wang Chao and would 'resurrect' soon enough.

"Hmph," Liu Mubai snorted coldly, his expression grim. He was part of the ignorant crowd...

"Alright, even if she's dead, why does your Commander want to see me?" He Heng asked, puzzled.

"It's because Yuanyi once said that you are the only person in this world who can defeat Wang Chao," Liu Mubai said, sounding somewhat resentful.

"You flatter me, she thinks too highly of me," He Heng disdained such high praise.

"Indeed, Wang Chao's martial arts are so formidable, it doesn't seem like you could handle him," Liu Mubai agreed wholeheartedly.

"Heh..." He Heng indicated that the provocation wouldn't work on him.

"But..." Liu Mubai changed the subject. "The Commander believes her words, so he wants to invite you over to see if you have any brilliant ideas to rescue Yuanyi."

"There's no need for that. How can an unknown nobody like me tarnish the eyes of the elder? Instructor Liu, please politely decline for me. Thank you," He Heng deflected.

"Hmph, He Heng, who do you think you are? It's a favor for the Commander to ask you to come and see him. Hurry up and come over!" Liu Mubai said sternly, his words carrying a chilling tone and a strong killing intent.

"Oh, I can go, but I want to call my old man and tell him someone wants his son to risk his life. If he agrees, then I'll go," He Heng said casually.

"This... General He is a member of the Military Commission. He's busy with affairs, toiling day and night. How can we trouble him for such a small matter..." Liu Mubai's tone became unnatural.

"It's fine. I believe even if he's busy, he'll still take my call..." He Heng said as if it were nothing, which made Liu Mubai panic.

After all, He Heng's father was one of the current members of the Military Commission, a powerful figure who commanded hundreds of thousands of troops. He was truly one of the top big shots in the military. But that wasn't the most important thing. The crucial point was that he was famously at odds with the Commander who wanted to see He Heng. They had been rivals for decades, and it was another juicy piece of gossip. It was said that in their youth, it was because of He Heng's mother...

In any case, the two big shots were on very bad terms, the kind who would start a fight upon seeing each other. If he knew that his old adversary wanted to see his son, he would definitely make a fuss and escalate the matter. Liu Mubai would then be in an extremely awkward position between the two big shots, pleasing neither. Both were his superiors.

"So, Instructor Liu, do you want me to make that call?" He Heng's voice held a hint of amusement.

"This... I feel like you're a bit weak, He Heng. With my years of experience, you must have caught a cold. Yes, definitely. He Heng, you really need to rest. I'll go tell the commander right away that you're not feeling well and shouldn't go." Liu Mubai said very earnestly. In his heart, he silently thought, Yuanyi, it's not that I'm not a good friend, but for the sake of my future, I have to do this first. Don't worry, I'll get revenge for you later...

"This... I haven't been feeling well these past couple of days. Old brother, you're right. I'll definitely rest well. Don't worry, I'll trouble you with the commander." He Heng smiled, speaking to Liu Mubai like they were old friends of many years.

"No trouble, no trouble... This is what an older brother should do. Little brother, take care of yourself." Liu Mubai said kindly, hanging up the phone with a heavy click.

"Goodbye, Old Liu... brother!" He Heng said reluctantly, even faking a cough before hanging up.

"Hmph, trying to mess with me? You're still too green." He Heng looked at the phone and chuckled coldly, his lips curling into a smile that seemed both mocking and wistful.

ps: Everyone, please don't think these few chapters are not serious enough or too jumpy. Some people have been saying this in the review section. Actually, I just want to give everyone a more cheerful start. This book is actually very serious and somber.

This is a story about seeking the Dao. While it's not absolutely dark, it's certainly not bright. I want to seek a breakthrough, to write tragic events amidst laughter, which I think is more flavorful.