The door creaked open.
An old man strode in.
Behind him stood a towering figure clad in crimson armor—muscular, silent, and utterly lifeless in its movements.
A puppet.
The old man didn't step closer. Instead, he raised a finger and pointed at Wang Li.
"Pick him up."
The armored giant moved instantly.
Like a machine.
It grabbed Wang Li by the shoulder and lifted him effortlessly from the table.
Wang Li offered no resistance—his body limp, as if truly unconscious.
Seeing this, the old man finally approached. His gaze fell on the empty cup on the table, and he nodded in satisfaction.
"Not bad. At least you didn't struggle like the others."
With that, he turned and walked out.
The puppet followed, carrying Wang Li like a sack.
---
After several twists and turns through the silent village, they arrived at an old wooden hut.
Inside—
A hidden passage led underground.
The moment they stepped in, the stench of blood thickened.
It was suffocating.
*Strange…*
Wang Li remained still, but his thoughts were sharp.
*No other presence in the village… only this old man and this puppet.*
*So the rest… are already dead.*
As they descended the stairs, the blood stench grew heavier, almost tangible.
Yet Wang Li showed no reaction.
At the bottom—
The scene revealed itself.
A massive pool of blood churned slowly like a living sea.
At its center lay a grey egg, covered in ancient runes—now dyed crimson from absorbing endless blood energy.
"Throw him in," the old man ordered impatiently.
Without hesitation, the puppet hurled Wang Li into the pool.
---
The moment his body sank—
A violent, corrosive force surged into him from all directions.
It invaded his flesh, his meridians, his blood—
But before it could wreak havoc—
It was devoured.
Refined instantly.
Converted into pure essence.
Wang Li's *Mountains and Seas Art* roared to life.
The black sea within him churned violently, swallowing everything.
Even the resentment.
Even the malice.
Everything became nourishment.
At the same time, Wang Li silently activated a technique he had just studied:
**Primordial Beast Diagram.**
A forbidden method.
Not meant for humans.
But for beasts.
Its core principle was simple—
/The limits of bloodline define the limits of power. Yet with the essence of a higher existence, those limits can be broken—if one survives the wrath of heaven./
Wang Li's lips curled slightly.
"Then let heaven come."
---
Outside the pool, the old man watched with anticipation.
The blood began to boil.
He smiled.
*Good… very good…*
But what he didn't realize—
Was that the boiling wasn't from refinement.
It was from consumption.
---
Within the blood pool, Wang Li's breathing changed.
A strange rhythm echoed from deep within his cells.
The blood energy around him began to flow—
Not randomly—
But in streams.
All of it rushing into his body.
Red mist rose, covering everything.
Inside, the *Mountains and Seas* manifested.
Mountains rose.
Seas surged.
And above them—
A figure sat in the sky, a golden sun wheel blazing behind him.
The entire manifestation…
Was breathing.
With each breath—
His blood and Qi transformed.
Refined.
Evolved.
Wang Li's eyes snapped open.
They were blood-red.
Hungry.
His gaze locked onto the egg.
---
In a single step—
He appeared before it.
Without hesitation, he pressed his palm against its surface.
A vast phantom of mountains and seas surged from his hand, swallowing the egg whole.
Silence.
Then—
The egg vanished.
And in the next instant—
A terrifying surge of energy erupted within his body.
It fused into his blood.
His bones.
His very foundation.
His comprehension skyrocketed.
The *Mountains and Seas Art* advanced at an insane speed, its rhythm merging with his very breath.
Second transformation—
Completed.
Third transformation—
Broken through instantly.
His cultivation surged.
From the third stage…
To the peak of the sixth stage of the Martial Genesis Realm.
And still, it didn't feel like the limit.
His foundation—
Had become monstrous.
---
Outside—
The old man's smile froze.
The blood mist… was thinning.
"Something's wrong."
His expression twisted.
With a wave of his hand, the mist was blown away.
What he saw—
Made his eyes go bloodshot.
The pool—
Was nearly empty.
Bones littered the bottom.
And the egg—
Was gone.
---
A furious roar erupted.
A monstrous phantom appeared behind him, grotesque and bloodthirsty.
His gaze locked onto Wang Li, who now stood calmly where the egg once rested.
"Where is my divine egg?!" he screamed.
Wang Li looked at him indifferently.
"Your divine egg? What does it have to do with me?"
"Bullshit!" the old man roared. "It was right where you're standing!"
The phantom lunged forward, its jaws opening to devour him—
Wang Li casually waved his hand.
**Boom!**
The creature was blasted backward.
"I should be the one asking," Wang Li said as he stepped forward, "how I ended up here."
"Who are you?!" the old man shouted, panic creeping into his voice.
Desperation flashed in his eyes.
A blood-red orb appeared in his hand—
He swallowed it.
But before its power could even activate—
A palm descended.
"Village head," Wang Li said coldly, "I've called you that enough."
"Time to settle this cause and effect."
The old man's eyes cleared for a brief moment—
Recognition flickered.
Too late.
**Bang!**
His head exploded into a bloody mist.
---
Silence returned.
Wang Li glanced at the corpse before kicking it into the remains of the pool.
Then he turned to leave.
"Amitabha…"
A calm voice echoed from the distance.
"Benefactor, your killing intent is too heavy. Why not put down your blade?"
Wang Li didn't even turn.
"Get lost."
Only now did you appear?
After watching countless children die?
Hypocrite.
---
A bald, middle-aged monk stepped forward, following him.
They walked until they were far from the village.
Then—
Wang Li stopped.
He turned slowly, his gaze cold.
"Come out."
The monk appeared, each step accompanied by the soft ringing of bells.
"Benefactor, your heart is clouded. Come with me and cleanse—"
"Is your monastery far from here?" Wang Li interrupted suddenly.
The monk paused.
"…What do you mean?"
"It means," Wang Li said flatly, "you either came under orders… or you're here to make an enemy of me."
He took a step forward.
"In either case—"
"You deserve to die."
---
Before the monk could react—
Wang Li vanished.
He reappeared beside him, fist tearing through the air.
The monk barely managed to block—
**Boom!**
He was sent flying.
"Benefactor! What is the meaning of this?!" he shouted angrily.
"I'm just removing a wolf in sheep's clothing."
Wang Li's figure blurred again.
A kick descended like a falling mountain.
**Boom!**
The ground shattered.
The monk coughed blood, his expression finally changing.
But before he could speak—
Wang Li suddenly stopped.
His brows furrowed.
Because at that exact moment—
The energy inside his body…
Changed.
The power he had absorbed from the egg—
Was no longer stabilizing.
It was…
Reversing.
A deep, ancient will stirred within his blood.
Cold.
Vast.
Unfathomable.
Wang Li's pupils shrank.
Because a voice—
Not his own—
Echoed from within him:
**"You dare… refine me?"**