The continuous spring rain had stopped.
Pu Shi Wu walked through the frozen wasteland, each step crunching against crystalline ice. His body ached—thirty years old but appearing nearly fifty.
The killing intent grew stronger with each step. Concentrated. Focused. Deliberate.
'Rank five at minimum.'
His first brain maintained constant healing. His second brain calculated, analyzed.
Three li from his former dwelling, he found the source.
A man stood in a clearing surrounded by frozen corpses.
The figure was tall, lean, with skin bearing faint crimson patterns beneath his robes—blood path remnants. His muscles were dense, compact. Around him, primeval essence surged.
"Pu Shi Wu." The man's voice was flat. "The King of Roaches."
Pu Shi Wu took a swig from his bottle. "We've never met."
"No. But when three clans are wiped out and only one person survives at the epicenter, people notice." The man's eyes were cold. "A body that survives Northern Dark Ice Soul physique detonation is valuable. Your flesh, blood, organs—prime materials for blood path refinement."
The man moved.
No warning. Just explosive motion.
Pu Shi Wu's second brain screamed danger. His body twisted.
Phantom Gu activated.
His form blurred, becoming translucent.
The man's fist passed through where Pu Shi Wu's head had been. The shockwave shattered ice formations fifty feet behind him.
'One hit anywhere vital and I'm dead.'
Sky Canopy Gu activated overhead.
A translucent barrier formed as the man's follow-up strike came—a palm from an impossible angle.
The barrier cracked. Spider-web fractures spread across its surface.
'Three, maybe four more hits and Sky Canopy shatters permanently.'
The man attacked again.
Simultaneous strikes—both fists and a leg sweep, each flowing into the next.
'Tiger Savage Triple Strike. Basic strength path combination. But refined through experience, mixed with blood path amplification.'
His first brain stopped healing. Both brains focused on survival.
Phantom Gu flickered—but he couldn't maintain full intangibility. Sky Canopy created a secondary barrier at an angle to deflect. Ivory Armor Gu materialized across his torso—white, bone-like plating.
Impact.
His phantom form took two hits—internal hemorrhaging. Sky Canopy shattered. The leg sweep cracked Ivory Armor down the center.
Pu Shi Wu was thrown backward, crashing through frozen ground, creating a trench fifteen feet long.
Blood erupted from his mouth. Not a trickle. A spray.
His first brain resumed emergency healing—sealing ruptured vessels, stabilizing punctured lung.
'Both ribs cracked. Left lung collapsed. Liver bruised.'
He stood up slowly, exhaling turbid air mixed with blood.
The man walked forward methodically. "You're tougher than expected. Most rank three cultivators explode from that combination."
Pu Shi Wu said nothing. His mind raced.
'He's stronger, faster, more experienced. My advantages—double primeval essence for extended combat, dual-brain processing, survival Gu loadout. Disadvantages—everything else.'
The man blurred forward.
Pu Shi Wu activated Clear Mind Gu at maximum output.
His thoughts crystallized. His perception sharpened to inhuman clarity. Every micro-movement became visible.
'Feint left. Real strike from overhead. If I dodge backward, follow-up knee to sternum. If forward, elbow drop to spine.'
'No good options. Only less lethal ones.'
He made a decision.
His second brain sent a command—sever the tendons in his left leg temporarily.
The tendon snapped. His leg buckled unnaturally, body dropping low.
The overhead strike missed by inches.
Simultaneously, he burned part of his first brain—the section handling pain reception—just enough to move without hesitation.
The man's knee strike came.
Instead of dodging, Pu Shi Wu activated Nine Leaf Vitality Grass Gu and took the hit with Ivory Armor's reinforced section.
The armor shattered. His ribs cracked further. But the collision disrupted momentum for half a second.
Half a second was enough.
Pu Shi Wu created distance using the knockback force, damaged leg already healing.
The man looked at him with faint interest. "You damaged your own tendon to create unpredictable movement."
His killing intent intensified.
"Let me show you why that won't work."
Crimson patterns across his skin began glowing. Blood path full activation.
Pu Shi Wu activated Clear Mind Gu again, burning through his memories of Reverend Insanity.
'Blood path activation. Former immortal means he knows techniques I've only read about. What do I remember?'
His mind raced through fragments only able to recall seventy-six to eighty of the story.
'Blood path Gu. Blood Ignition—burns lifespan for power boost. Blood Armor—defensive coating. Blood Blade—offense. Blood Sea—area control. Blood Explosion—suicide technique.'
'Strength path. Beast Strength series—phantom animals. Jade Strength—hardness. Iron Strength—durability. Copper Strength—flexibility.'
'Mixed cultivation. Former rank six means he has Gu I've never seen. Former enslavement path means soul foundation is strong—mental attacks won't work. Blood path sacrifices lifespan for power—he's going all out.'
The man's muscles swelled slightly. Blood-red essence surrounded his fists.
He launched forward with enhanced speed.
Pu Shi Wu's eyes tracked the movement. Clear Mind Gu processed everything.
The man closed distance in a heartbeat. His right fist thrust forward, blood essence trailing like vapor.
'Blood Blade technique. Concentrates blood path essence into piercing attack. If that hits, it goes through me completely.'
Pu Shi Wu activated Phantom Gu, but not to dodge. He moved forward, into the attack range.
The fist passed through his phantom shoulder—still caused damage as essence disrupted his form, but reduced.
His own hands moved. Not with Gu-enhanced strength. Just his body's natural capability pushed to absolute limits.
He targeted the man's throat with stiffened fingers—a spear-hand thrust.
The man's head jerked back reflexively. The strike glanced off his jaw instead.
First contact. Minimal damage. But proof he could reach.
The man's follow-up came instantly—left fist driving toward Pu Shi Wu's ribs with blood essence coating.
Pu Shi Wu couldn't dodge. His phantom form was already flickering, primeval essence nearly depleted from rapid activation.
He took the hit.
Ivory Armor reformed partially—not fully, just enough plating over his side.
The fist impacted.
The armor cracked immediately. His ribs broke—not cracked, fully snapped. The force drove fragments into his lung. Blood essence from the attack seeped into his body, beginning to corrode from the inside.
Pu Shi Wu was thrown sideways, tumbling across ice.
His first brain worked desperately—sealing the lung before he drowned in blood, expelling the invasive blood essence before it destroyed organs, repairing broken ribs enough to prevent further damage.
'Survival odds dropped to thirty percent. Blood essence corrosion is new problem. My body can heal physical damage but foreign essence is different.'
He forced himself up. Blood poured from his mouth steadily now. His left side was completely numb—broken ribs, collapsed lung, corroded tissue.
The man walked closer. "You're dying. The blood essence I injected is destroying you from inside. Even if you survive this exchange, you'll be dead in minutes."
Pu Shi Wu exhaled turbid air. "Maybe."
He activated Clear Mind Gu again, burning through more memories.
'What did Fang Yuan do against stronger opponents? He didn't fight fair. He exploited weaknesses. Used environment. Made every exchange cost more than expected.'
'What weaknesses does a fallen immortal have? Lost immortal aperture means limited primeval essence recovery. Blood path activation burns lifespan—he can't maintain it long. Former enslavement path means his Gu are probably not optimal for direct combat anymore.'
'What do I have? Heavenly Essence Treasure Lotus—primeval essence regeneration. Nine Leaf Vitality Grass—healing boost. Clear Mind—perfect clarity. Phantom—intangibility. Sky Canopy—defense. Ivory Armor—protection.'
'None of them increase my strength. I'm fighting a rank five with rank three power. I can't win through force. I can only outlast.'
The man attacked again.
This time, his movements were faster. Blood path enhancement fully active. His fists blurred, each strike carrying destructive blood essence.
Pu Shi Wu's second brain calculated desperately.
'Can't block—I'll shatter. Can't dodge—he's too fast. Can't counter—I'm too weak.'
He made another extreme decision.
His first brain stopped healing the blood essence corrosion. Let it spread. Let it destroy non-vital tissue. Focus only on keeping heart, lungs, brain functional.
His second brain stopped calculating seven moves ahead. Focus only on the immediate exchange.
And he deliberately damaged more of his first brain—the motor cortex limiters that prevented excessive muscle use.
Blood began pouring from his nose as brain tissue liquefied. Pink cerebrospinal fluid dripped from his ears.
The man's eyes widened slightly. "You're burning your own brain?"
"Yes."
His body felt wrong now. Lighter. Every muscle screamed for release, no longer held back by neurological safeguards.
This was temporary. Minutes before his body tore itself apart. Before brain damage became permanent. Before muscles ripped off bones.
But for those minutes, his body could output forces beyond normal human limits—not rank five levels, but closer.
The man's fist came.
Pu Shi Wu didn't try to dodge properly. His damaged tendons made movement unpredictable anyway.
He jerked sideways in biomechanically wrong way, damaged leg buckling randomly.
The fist missed his head, impacted his shoulder instead.
The bone shattered. But Pu Shi Wu used the rotation force, his body spinning with the impact.
His right hand, reinforced by unlimited muscle contractile force, drove toward the man's throat.
The man blocked with his forearm reflexively.
Pu Shi Wu's fingers hit the arm. Without limiters, his grip strength crushed down, trying to break through to the throat beyond.
The man's expression changed—not pain, but surprise. "Your strength increased? How?"
He broke the grip with blood path enhanced force, sending Pu Shi Wu sprawling.
Pu Shi Wu hit the ground hard, his shattered shoulder screaming silently—pain reception already burned away.
'Got his attention. Made him question. Created hesitation.'
He stood again, blood flowing steadily from nose, ears, mouth. His left side was corroded black from blood essence. His shoulder hung uselessly, bone fragments visible through torn flesh.
The man studied him. "You're dying. Your brain is liquefying. Your body is destroying itself. The blood essence is spreading. You have maybe three minutes left."
"Then you should finish it quickly," Pu Shi Wu said flatly.
The man smiled slightly. "You're betting I'll run out of patience or primeval essence first. That's smart. Wrong, but smart."
He activated another technique.
Blood essence surrounding his body condensed, forming a thin armor coating. His fists became coated in denser essence—red, almost black.
'Blood Armor and enhanced Blood Blade. Full offensive setup. He's ending this next exchange.'
Pu Shi Wu's second brain calculated odds.
Fifteen percent survival.
'Not enough. Need more.'
He activated Heavenly Essence Treasure Lotus. His primeval essence began regenerating rapidly—not infinite, but faster than normal consumption.
He activated Clear Mind Gu at absolute maximum, burning essence recklessly.
His mind became perfectly clear despite ongoing brain damage. Every calculation sharpened. Every perception heightened beyond human capability.
The man launched forward.
Faster than before. Blood path enhancement pushed to limits.
His fist drove forward, blood essence trailing, aimed directly at Pu Shi Wu's heart.
'Can't dodge. Can't block. Can't survive direct hit.'
Pu Shi Wu activated Phantom Gu.
Not to become intangible. His essence was nearly depleted—couldn't maintain it.
Instead, he used it for a split second, just as the fist reached him.
The strike passed through his phantom chest—still caused massive internal damage as essence disrupted his form, but didn't physically impact his heart.
His body solidified again immediately.
And in that moment, with the man's fist extended through where his chest had been, Pu Shi Wu acted.
His right hand drove upward. Not toward the man's body. Toward his extended arm.
Fingers stiffened into spear-hand, reinforced by unlimited muscle force, targeting the vulnerable inner elbow joint.
The strike connected.
Without neural limiters, with double the normal primeval essence fueling his body, with perfect clarity from Clear Mind Gu calculating the exact angle—his fingers drove into the joint gap.
The man's elbow hyperextended. Not broken, but damaged. Tendons strained beyond normal limits.
The man's expression shifted—actual pain this time.
He yanked his arm back reflexively, blood armor flaring to protect the joint.
But that moment—that single moment of defensive reaction instead of offensive continuation—gave Pu Shi Wu crucial distance.
He stumbled backward, Phantom Gu flickering weakly as his essence finally hit critical lows.
Blood poured from every orifice now. His brain damage was extensive—motor control becoming erratic. His muscles were beginning to tear from excessive force. The blood essence corrosion had spread to his stomach, intestines, liver.
But he was still standing.
The man examined his elbow, rotating it slowly. "You damaged my arm. Actually damaged it."
He looked at Pu Shi Wu with genuine interest now. "You're rank three. I'm rank five. Former rank six. Two hundred years of experience. And you actually wounded me."
His killing intent surged to overwhelming levels.
"I'm going to kill you now. Not harvest. Not capture. Kill. You've earned that."
Crimson patterns across his skin blazed. Blood path activation intensified beyond previous levels—burning lifespan at catastrophic rates for overwhelming power.
Pu Shi Wu's second brain calculated final odds.
Eight percent survival.
His first brain was barely functional now, keeping only vital organs working.
His body was failing. Brain liquefying. Muscles tearing. Blood essence spreading.
He had maybe ninety seconds left before complete system failure.
The man would kill him long before that.
'Not enough time. Not enough essence. Not enough strength.'
But Pu Shi Wu's eyes remained clear, Clear Mind Gu burning the last of his primeval essence.
'If I'm going to die, I'll make it cost everything he has. Make him burn all his lifespan. Make him question whether harvesting my corpse is worth it when he's also dying.'
However before Pu Shi Wu could act part of his brain was blown away as he dropped to the ground.
Thus Pu Shi Wu was defeated.