Defeated.
Defeated again.
And this time, the defeat was even more thorough and hopeless than his loss to Battle Asura.
Back then, Battle Asura had likely held back his ultimate offensive techniques, and the clash of their celestial phenomena had decided the outcome. Though defeated, Wang Zhan could still believe he had a chance to fight again.
But this time, Sword in White had faced him with pure, unadulterated mastery at the Human Heaven realm's peak. At Wang Zhan's most confident and strongest moment, with all his hidden cards revealed, Sword in White used the most fundamental power and swordsmanship to directly pierce through his proud Heaven's Cang Sacred Body!
"Three hundred moves. Hah, three hundred moves!"
A hoarse, low laugh rattled from his throat, brimming with self-mockery.
Every single instant within those three hundred moves now replayed in his mind like the cruelest branding iron. The seemingly unadorned yet terrifying sword technique that precisely struck the weakest points in his sacred body's energy circulation. The chillingly calm eyes during the fierce battle, as if he were merely being used as a whetstone to sharpen a blade.
And then, the final sword—the ultimate strike that had gathered every shred of Sword in White's spirit, will, and energy, resonating with the very heavens and earth, tearing apart all his defenses and pride.
"Pfft!"
Overwhelmed by a surge of rage and shame, his severely injured internal organs gave way. Wang Zhan violently spat out another mouthful of congealed blood. His aura withered to its lowest point in an instant. He coughed harshly, his body trembling faintly from pain and weakness.
Why?
The Heaven's Cang Sacred Body, unmatched in this generation!
Destined to become a Great Emperor!
This was the pride etched into his bloodline, the bedrock of his Dao heart!
But why? Why was he defeated twice in a row by a pair of master and disciples? And both times, they had overcome him with cultivation levels equal to or lower than his own!
Was his Sacred Body nothing but a hollow name? Was he, Wang Zhan, nothing but a joke?
This thought gnawed at his divine soul like a venomous serpent. The cracks in his Dao heart were far more terrifying than any physical wound, threatening to consume him entirely.
He raised a trembling hand with difficulty, staring at the dim, greenish bloodstains on his palm. His nails dug deep into his flesh, but he felt no pain.
No.
A low voice echoed deep within his near-dormant heart, faint yet carrying an unyielding resolve.
I, Wang Zhan, will not surrender so easily!
This voice was like a single spark, abruptly igniting his nearly extinguished will to fight. The hollow bewilderment in his dead-gray eyes receded like a receding tide, replaced by an extreme calm—the calm of a man pushed to the brink, stripped of all pretense and delusion.
He took a deep breath, the sharp pain from his wounds only sharpening his clarity.
Last time I lost to Battle Asura, I still had hidden cards unused. I was unwilling, thinking it was just bad timing.
But this time, I fought with everything, at my peak—and still lost.
There is nothing to say.
This was no coincidence.
This was a true gap in strength.
This realization drenched him like ice water, jolting him awake from the arrogant delusion of being the Heaven's Cang Sacred Body and destined to become a Great Emperor.
Sword in White. Battle Asura.
He silently repeated these two names. There was no longer humiliation in his eyes, but an unprecedented gravity… and a faint hint of excitement.
They were disciples of the same master—disciples of that mysterious and unfathomable great power, with a heritage far beyond mortal understanding.
That I could lose to them one after another does not mean my Sacred Body is weak. It means the gap lies in the inheritance of our sects.
This precisely proves that my potential is far greater than I ever imagined!
The path I walk is far more arduous and vast!
The potential of my Heaven's Cang Sacred Body has not been pushed to its limits!
Once his thinking opened up, every detail of the previous battle unfolded before him like a scroll. No longer torture, but a most precious treasure!
Fang Hanyu's sword strikes—seemingly simple, yet always landing at the gaps in his blood energy flow and the weak points in his Sacred Body's structure.
The essence in his opponent's sword intent—the ability to pierce through illusion and strike at the very source of truth.
I see it now!
A glint of insight flashed in Wang Zhan's eyes!
My Sacred Blood is overwhelmingly overbearing, but my control over power is not refined enough. There is an extremely subtle stagnation during circulation, undetectable normally—but it became the biggest flaw exposed by his sword!
My Heaven's Cang Guardian technique distributes power too evenly and lacks resilience. Against such extreme, precise penetration, it could not defend effectively!
And his control over the tempo of battle, his supremely precise use of strength—so much more advanced than my own style, which relies on the Sacred Body's vast blood energy, on open and direct clashes!
The shadow of failure gradually dissipated, replaced by a profound clarity, a sense of having cleared the fog and found the road ahead.
This crushing defeat was like a heavy hammer, shattering his old shell, allowing him to see countless flaws he had previously overlooked—and the deeper, more powerful possibilities hidden behind them!
"Hahaha!"
Wang Zhan laughed again. Not with self-mockery this time, but with a painful yet exhilarating release.
He wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, his gaze becoming utterly resolute.
"Sword in White, Battle Asura… thank you for this defeat. No, for both defeats,"
He muttered to himself, his voice hoarse but filled with strength.
"You have helped me see myself clearly, and helped me see just how long my path ahead is! This defeat is not the end—it is my starting point!"
With that, he hesitated no more.
Ignoring the tearing pain throughout his body, he struggled to sit upright in the lotus position, forming an ancient hand seal before his chest.
The previously dim and sluggish cyan-colored blood energy around him began to circulate in a deeper, more restrained manner.
He no longer considered the disturbances of the outside world. He poured his entire spirit into his body. Using the flaws he had just realized, he guided his Sacred Blood to temper, repair, and optimize the broken points—again and again—to restructure his power.
He was digesting the gains from this battle.
He was reforging his foundation amidst the ruins.
The next time he emerged, Wang Zhan would show the world what the true Heaven's Cang Sacred Body meant!
---
However, the tree wants stillness, but the wind will not cease.
The news of Wang Zhan's heavy defeat had already spread across the Eastern Domain like wildfire.
For many ambitious, proud young prodigies eager for fame, this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity!
If they could defeat a weakened Heaven's Cang Sacred Body—even taking advantage of his vulnerability—they would make a name for themselves and prove their strength!
"Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!"
The sounds of breaking air rang out as several figures appeared at the edge of the ruins. Their auras flared, and their gaze burned as they locked onto the bloodstained figure at the center.
"It's him! Wang Zhan!"
"Wang Zhan! He really is badly wounded!"
"Our chance! Defeat him, and we will be famous across the world!"
Low growls, tinged with barely restrained greed and excitement, arose from the shadows around.
This was a golden opportunity to rise to fame!
Challenges, proof of worth, renown—all these thoughts intertwined, coalescing into a blazing battle intent that enveloped Wang Zhan.
A young sword cultivator, carrying a longsword on his back, stepped forward first. With a cupped-fist salute, he declared in a clear voice, “Brother Wang! I am Zhao Yuanzhi of the Flowing Cloud Sword Sect. Having heard of your unmatched combat prowess, I have come specifically to seek your guidance! Please enlighten me!”
he colors of other people’s emotions. Light red meant anxiety. Gray meant exhaustion. Orange meant excitement. Yellow... meant repression. At the same time, he could gain unlimited control over one of those colors. Pale cyan: relaxation. Using this ability, he started offering “two-yuan hugs,” spending an afternoon exchanging emotional-color experiences with others. Then came his final female customer of the day— a girl whose emotional color was pure black... —— A week later, Xu Chuan had become skilled at using pale cyan—Relaxation—treating it like a bottle of menthol balm whenever he needed it. That was when he discovered he had unlocked another unlimited emotional color: Purple, the color of fear. So these emotional colors refresh every week? Fine, I take it back—I’ll never call you useless again... —— Much later, after Xu Chuan had accumulated countless emotional abilities, one night, he suddenly found himself inside someone else’s dream. There, he could use the emotional colors he possessed to paint. And in her dream, he painted her a shower of pink shooting stars, spreading across the depths of the night sky...
his freshman year, Su Bai accidentally bound the "Indulgence Tycoon System." 【Sleeping in? Reward: +$1,000】 【Spent $288 at a street barbecue stall? Cashback: +$2,880】 【Dropped $14,396 on in-game skins? Special reward unlocked: A brand-new Porsche Panamera!】 Luxury cars, penthouses, corporate shares, financial empires… College life was all about living freely and doing whatever he pleased! … When the adorably naive academic genius faced family medical bills and financial struggles, Su Bai waved his hand dismissively: "Your future is on me." "Wuwu~ Big Brother is so good to me! I’ll become a scientist to repay you!" When the genius girl got bullied by a shady professor? Su Bai casually dropped a billion-dollar investment, forcing the university to grovel and beg for her return. A company’s funding chain collapsing? Su Bai smirked—cash was the one thing he’d never run out of. Years later, when people traced the rise of the AI prodigy beauty, who was the man behind her success? Not just that—Su Bai also became the tsundere campus belle’s unattainable dream, the contrast senior’s daily necessity, and the beautiful counselor’s emotional anchor…
ap a wealthy young lady? Or else I'll be eliminated by the system? Ye Feng, who awakened the Kidnapper System, originally wanted to live a peaceful life but never imagined he would become a kidnapper of young women. However, after some time, he discovered that all the girls the system ordered him to kidnap were far from ordinary. "Big brother Ye Feng~ You've kidnapped my heart, and now you're not allowed to leave me ever again~" "Ye Feng~ You kidnapped me back then, now it's my turn to capture you♡" "Little Feng, you're mine! You can only be mine!" "Ye Feng, none of them deserve you. Only I love you the most♡" ... This is madness, they've all gone mad! Wait, what? Why are all the girls I kidnapped yanderes?!
to panic—he has a system. As long as an investment target dies, he can claim a reward. And since he is immortal, the one thing he has plenty of is time. ... Countless years later. “Immortal Emperor of Longevity? I invested in him.” “Supreme Celestial Venerable? I invested in him.” “Undying Empress? I invested in her.” “...” “Heh. Once they’ve all died, even the Heavenly Dao will have to kneel and call me Dad.”
