I Will Elevate You

In the distance, there lay a man, a corpse.

Judging by his clothing and appearance, he was not from an alien race but a sect expert who had intruded from the outside.

From his neck, front, back, left, and right, four vines as thick as two fingers had burst forth, swirling upward in a spiral pattern.

From his back and shoulders, two more vines, thick as arms, had emerged.

The vines branched and grew, transforming into intricate, interwoven branches, like a pair of spreading wings.

This was the manner of his death.

Xu Mu frowned deeply. If it weren't for the human element, such a creation could be called a work of art.

But precisely because these branches had erupted from a human body, it became terrifying.

"Old Du, what happened? Is it because of that corpse?"

Xu Mu asked in a low voice.

"Exactly. The one capable of creating such a thing must be him! The Red Class-A fugitive from the Sanitation Department, Xie Wangwei!"

Du Yan immediately turned, patted Xu Mu's shoulder, and urged, "Let's go! This person's strength is on par with a Senior Sanitation Worker."

"But..."

Fang Kui couldn't help but clench her fist.

"If you want to die, I won't stop you."

Du Yan said with a plain expression, "If you wish to stay, then I won't see you off."

Xu Mu looked at Fang Kui and said, "Let's head back first. Since there's such a powerful individual nearby, we must be cautious. Survival is the priority."

Just then, a rustling sound came from the distant woods.

Du Yan's eyes instantly turned ferocious. "Xie Wangwei! Get out here!"

Boom!

A powerful force sent Fang Kui, Chen Xuan, and the others staggering backward.

Only Xu Mu stood firm, lowering the hand he had extended.

Du Yan had been too fast; Xu Mu hadn't even had time to speak and stop him. What had appeared in the distance was a Four-Eyed Tribesman.

It wasn't the Xie Wangwei he had mentioned.

"Let's go, we need to get back now."

Xu Mu said to Fang Kui, "Don't go any deeper. This might be exactly the Great Elder's intention—he wants you to die here!"

Only upon hearing this did Fang Kui nod. What Xu Mu said made sense.

She absolutely must not fall into this trap.

Xu Mu expanded his perception, constantly monitoring the surroundings as they retraced their path.

Just after crossing the hill ahead, within Xu Mu's perceptual range appeared a middle-aged man wearing a Sanitation Worker uniform.

Judging by the two white stripes on it, he was an Intermediate Sanitation Worker.

Xu Mu didn't pay it much mind and continued forward with the group.

Finally, he saw the middle-aged man in the distance.

This man had slightly wavy long hair tied into a small ponytail at the back, and he sported a full beard.

He was tall and wore a pair of white gloves.

"Uncle, we discovered the Red Class-A fugitive over there! Old Du has already gone after him!"

Xu Mu approached the middle-aged man and immediately reported.

"Du Yan?"

The middle-aged man revealed a gentle smile. "Who are you? Why are you here?"

"My name is Xu Mu. I'm here accompanying a friend for some training."

As soon as Xu Mu finished speaking, he noticed a favorability rating appear above this man's head, and it was ten points.

This left him utterly bewildered. What was going on with this guy?

He used his Divine Eye to quickly scan him. Upon seeing the information, his whole being felt unsettled.

Name: Xie Wangwei

Identity: Classical Realist Sculptor

Favorability: 10

Fate Level: 6 (Max Level 10)

Xu Mu cursed inwardly. This man was the very Xie Wangwei Du Yan had spoken of.

Recalling the corpse from earlier, the fact that he had favorability towards him... could it be he wanted to turn him into something like that too?

"Uncle, we'll be on our way."

Pretending not to know, Xu Mu immediately signaled to the others around him.

"Halt!"

Xie Wangwei turned his head and asked, "You saw that artwork earlier, didn't you?"

"You mean that corpse just now? It was disgusting."

Fang Kui couldn't help but blurt out.

Damn it!

Xu Mu cursed inwardly.

"Disgusting? An ugly person like you has no appreciation for true art."

Xie Wangwei's eyes suddenly changed. "Those who don't understand art all deserve to die!"

"Holy crap! Brother Mu, this guy couldn't be..."

Chen Xuan's face instantly turned pale.

"Run!"

Xu Mu immediately roared.

Swish, swish, swish...

Suddenly, four vines burst from the ground beneath their feet, entangling each of their legs.

Zhao Shengli, feeling the tangible reality of the vines, turned ashen. "Qi materialization! The Transcendent Mortal Realm!"

Hearing this, Fang Kui's eyes widened in terror.

Xu Mu also immediately crouched, reaching out to touch them. They indeed felt like real vines.

It truly was the Transcendent Mortal Realm.

This was a unique ability of this realm, named so because it transcended the limits of ordinary mortals.

Qi materialization, as the name implied, allowed one's Qi to take on tangible, physical form.

The vines at this moment were no different from real ones.

For example, water-attribute Qi transformed into water would be actual water, capable of quenching thirst.

"Human nature is ugly. Only by shedding humanity does a person become pure."

Xie Wangwei looked at Fang Kui, his eyes filled with fervor. "Ugly woman, rejoice. I shall elevate you, make you a masterpiece! Make you... eternal!"

Fang Kui now understood; that person earlier had been his work.

Thinking she was about to become something like that, she was scared to tears.

"Xie Wangwei!"

At that moment, a furious roar came from the distance.

A streak of green light, like a meteor, plummeted from above.

Boom!

The surroundings quaked as if from an earthquake. The ground in the distance instantly exploded, and Du Yan's figure appeared there.

Xie Wangwei stopped, looked back at Du Yan, and grinned. "Little Yan, long time no see. How much has your art progressed?"

"I'm going to kill you! Kill you!"

Du Yan's eyes were bloodshot as he charged in an instant.

"Do you also wish to be elevated?"

Xie Wangwei stood motionless in place.

Du Yan's fist shot towards Xie Wangwei's face.

Smack!

Xie Wangwei raised his white-gloved hand and caught Du Yan's fist.

Boom!

The ground beneath their feet instantly shattered, fracturing violently, the cracks spreading all the way to where Xu Mu and the others stood.

A green ripple surged out in all directions, immediately blasting Xu Mu and the others off their feet. They crashed heavily to the ground.

Chen Xuan, Fang Kui, and Zhao Shengli all coughed up blood.

Especially Fang Kui, who directly spat out a mouthful of blood, the gap in power was simply too vast.

"Are you all okay?"

Xu Mu asked with concern.

"I'm fine."

Chen Xuan wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth. Noticing Xu Mu wasn't bleeding, he said in surprise, "Brother Mu, you're unhurt?"

"I am. It shook me up, hurts a bit."

Xu Mu said to the group, "Let's go! Now!"

At that moment, Du Yan and Xie Wangwei remained locked in that pose.

Suddenly, vines appeared between their clenched fist and grasping palm.

The vines from both parties collided and entangled, continuously spreading.

Boom!

Du Yan's body was violently flung backward.

But before he could fly far, a vine shot from Xie Wangwei's palm, swiftly coiling around Du Yan's calf.

Xie Wangwei leaped up, swung with force, and smashed Du Yan's body into the ground.

Xu Mu, who had been preparing to leave in the distance, saw this scene through his perception. He immediately stopped and turned back.