The Saint Thief

On the battlefield, whether it was the First Emperor Ying Zheng struggling to hold his ground, the visibly erratic Xu Fu, or even the Shark People and alchemists still launching frantic assaults, the power circulating within them was being drained as if by an invisible, massive pump, visibly dimming and weakening.

Only Chen Jin, because [Swallow Sun and Moon] was still running at a frenzied pace, devouring the medicinal power of the lingzhi, had become the only active person in this entire cosmic furnace.

Facing such formidable enemies, he felt no fear, only a faint, lingering unease deep within his heart.

In the distant sky, the leaden clouds were torn to shreds.

Countless Mystic Birds burning with ghostly blue flames gathered from every corner of the Great Qin territory like a reverse rain of meteors!

Their numbers were so vast they blotted out the sky, and at this moment, the "Law Eye" of the entire empire transformed into flames of vengeance, completely igniting the space above Langya Terrace.

The firmament turned into a sea of ghostly blue fire!

Standing at the center of the formation, the First Emperor Ying Zheng's decree rang out from beneath his crown, shaking the wilderness:

"Mystic Birds, heed my command! Assist this righteous warrior and purge the demonic aura!"

Before the words had even faded, the blue Mystic Birds circling the sky let out a unified, piercing shriek, turned, and transformed into torrents of blue, surging madly toward Chen Jin in the arena.

"Urgh--!"

Chen Jin felt every pore on his body being forcibly pried open, and a massive, violent surge of power poured into him without question.

His strength climbed frantically; his muscles bulged, his meridians swelled, and an unprecedented sense of fullness swept through his entire body.

This power was too fierce, too intense!

Xu Fu, who had been watching coldly from the sidelines, let out a long whistle.

"Since His Majesty has invested so much, this old man will no longer hold back. Let this otherworldly immortal essence serve as the catalyst!"

His hands moved in rapid seals before his chest, his ten fingers flying as afterimages outlined ancient, profound immortal seals.

These seals sank silently into the void, communicating with a lofty, hidden existence.

"Penglai, Fangzhang, Yingzhou... I bow and beseech you! Grant us the ancient, pure, and spiritual energy to protect this righteous warrior and break this cage."

As he prostrated himself, white sea mist began to rise from the depths of the waves a hundred miles beyond Langya Terrace.

The mist seemed to possess a spiritual rhyme, winding and lingering over the crests of the waves, dyeing the entire sea and sky into a hazy veil;

In an instant, mirages floated up in the void—jade towers and palaces appeared faintly in the mist, and the silhouettes of three immortal mountains were submerged in the sea of clouds, with dew dripping from eaves and peaks covered in green haze, appearing shadowy and indistinct.

The immortal mountains seemed to respond, emanating a faint, clear light from their shadows that flowed down onto Chen Jin like water.

The power of the Mystic Birds and the immortal mountains—one representing the ultimate Yang and hardness, the other the ultimate Yin and softness—represented the path of humanity and the path of immortality, respectively.

Xu Fu had clearly paid a heavy price to forcibly channel the projection of the immortal mountains; his Corpse-Dissection Immortal Body fluctuated violently, and he spat out a mouthful of blood containing immortal essence, his aura instantly wilting.

Yanfu Walker, take note! You have temporarily gained the blessing of the Great Qin Water-Virtue Heaven-Monitoring Mystic Bird and the Ancient Mystic Rhyme of the Three Immortal Peaks. During this period, you are promoted to a Six Ministries Walker and granted the authority to enact laws within the Great Qin territory.

Good! This is a fight!

Just as he attempted to harness this sudden, overwhelming power and push [Swallow Sun and Moon] to its limit to digest the boiling energy within him and the medicinal power of the lingzhi—

The pair of [Sun Savior] and [Moon Savior] in his hands, which had been repaired by Jiang Yan, began to glow from within without warning!

The left gun, [Sun Savior], was as scorching white as the midday sun!

The right gun, [Moon Savior], was as cold and clear as a moon in a secluded valley!

"Hum-- BOOM!!!"

The twin guns exploded in his palms, transforming into a sun and a moon.

Chen Jin finally realized what the unease in his heart had been:

Among the Eight Divine Lords, the powers representing the Lord of Sun and the Lord of Moon were still missing.

The Sun and Moon Radiance shone together, erupting at point-blank range.

Chen Jin didn't even have time to feel the pain; he only saw the majority of his body, from his palm to his shoulder blade, melt like ice and snow, instantly vaporizing and vanishing without a trace.

High above the firmament, Jiang Yan's silhouette looked down indifferently, his tone laced with mockery:

"You dare to use weapons I personally modified, even while standing against me? [Heavenly Human]... hah, are you truly this foolish and incompetent?"

With this, the Heaven, Earth, Sun, Moon, Yin, Yang, Weapon, and Four Seasons... all the "Great Medicine" and "catalysts" required for alchemy had finally been forcibly gathered!

Jiang Yan's voice was distant, as if he were offering a lesson:

"Today, I shall teach you the Zhuangzi once more—'The sage does not die, the great thief does not cease.' In the future, when you encounter those of high virtue and prestige, you must be more vigilant. The so-called sage may simply be the great thief who keeps you penned up until you are plump and ready for harvest."

He waved his sleeve casually, his fingertips brushing the void, and extracted a cluster of brilliant light from it.

The [Swallow Sun and Moon] within Chen Jin, which had been frantically devouring the lingzhi's power, suddenly cut off; in an instant, he forgot how to operate the technique.

[Swallow Sun and Moon] had been "stolen" by Jiang Yan from across the void!

"You have lost the skill: Swallow Sun and Moon."

"Your Daoist Art proficiency has been forcibly reduced by 50%."

"You have lost the skill: Heroic Achievement."

"Your Mechanism Art proficiency has been forcibly reduced by 70%."

Everything he had obtained from Jiang Yan was now reduced to 96% proficiency in the Shennong Technique and [Bountiful Harvest]; presumably, these were the necessary conditions for alchemy, and the reason the Lord of the Four Seasons had been chosen.

Having lost [Swallow Sun and Moon], his only channel for channeling energy, the massive life force of the lingzhi mushrooms that had been forcibly suppressed and refined within Chen Jin, along with the violent power of the Black Bird that had just been poured in, instantly lost all restraint. Like a prehistoric beast breaking its tether, it erupted within his body with a deafening roar.

"Gurgle... squelch..."

His body emitted a teeth-grinding, alien sound.

Beneath his skin, his flesh swelled and bulged frantically like fermenting dough, while his bones groaned under the unbearable pressure.

In the blink of an eye, Chen Jin had completely lost his human form, transforming into a pale, writhing mountain of flesh that grew incessantly, exuding a rich medicinal scent mixed with chaotic energy.

Only his head barely maintained its original shape, embedded at the very top of the massive lump of meat.

"Thump! Thump! Thump!"

Eleven, the mecha giant completely eroded by the baleful aura of the Lord of War and turned into a weapon of slaughter, approached with steps that made the earth tremble.

Its massive metal fist struck the mountain of flesh Chen Jin had become, over and over again, heavy and mechanical, like a pile driver.

With every punch that landed, large chunks of flesh were sent splattering, only to be instantly replaced by even more frantically sprouting granulation tissue, as if it were "tempering" a human-shaped medicinal embryo.

Jiang Yan's voice echoed coldly across the world, each word lashing at Chen Jin's heart like a whip:

"You are too naive. I left halfway through my lecture, and in that vast library, with your pathetic level of comprehension, you just happened to find only the Secret Record of Taiyin Eclipse accessible? With such a coincidence, did you never once harbor a shred of doubt while you were practicing it?"

"You practiced the Nongjia School's Shennong Technique behind closed doors with slow progress, sitting withered amidst the qi of the four seasons, yet you suddenly had an epiphany and reached the realm of casting [Bountiful Harvest]? If the qi of the four seasons truly had such miraculous effects, the Nongjia School would have long since taken the lead in the imperial court and become the State Preceptor of Great Qin!"

"The imprisoned Lord of the Four Seasons warned you at the very last moment to flee this place of trouble. Yet you chose to rely on your status as a [Heavenly Human] and barged headlong into the center of this most dangerous vortex... Did you truly believe that a [Heavenly Human] could act without fear or restraint?"