Mo Wanwu coldly stared at the arrogant, even somewhat deranged, young man before him. This was the man who had committed a series of bloody crimes in Chang'an City, and all the victims were Mo Wanwu's disciples. He had once said that if he found the murderer, he would tear him to pieces.
Now, the murderer stood before him.
But even at this moment, Mo Wanwu seemed in no hurry to make a move.
He took a few steps forward, looking directly into Fang Henshui's eyes, and asked, "You were once a citizen of the Great Sui Dynasty, why have you become like this? You were once a constable, upholding justice. And now? Don't you feel the blood on your hands burning your conscience? Do you think you look dashing now? But why do I see you as nothing more than a cowardly clown?"
Hearing the word "clown," Fang Henshui's expression changed slightly, but he quickly smiled again, pointing to himself, and said, "I am still a citizen of the Great Sui Dynasty. As for why I became like this… anyone who went through that period would probably feel the same way as me."
"Don't try to trick me."
Fang Henshui smiled slightly, "I'm a constable, I'm better at interrogating prisoners than you are. You just want to know my past, and I've already told you… Come on, show me your skills and fight me. If you beat me, I'll naturally tell you everything."
He raised his hand, index finger pointing to the sky. On his fingertips, a small, exquisite three-petaled white lotus slowly rotated, crystal clear.
"Even the most beautiful is still a demon!"
Mo Wanwu said coldly.
Fang Henshui sighed slightly: "The Buddhists see the people of the Great Sui as demons, and the people of the Great Sui see the Buddhists as demons. Who is the real demon?"
"You!"
Mo Wanwu uttered a single word, then suddenly moved. The hand seal he was holding changed abruptly, and the surrounding天地元气 (heaven and earth energy) became violently turbulent. A moment later, a gigantic hand formed from the天地元气 appeared before him, at least twice his size.
Mo Wanwu pushed forward with one hand, and the gigantic hand slammed towards Fang Henshui.
Fang Henshui's eyes changed, his expression seemingly becoming excited. He stepped back and flicked his finger, and the small, exquisite three-petaled white lotus immediately detached from his finger to meet Mo Wanwu's gigantic hand. Compared to the giant hand, Bai Lian seemed as small as a mosquito.
But the instant the giant hand collided with Bai Lian, a massive wave surged forth. The air within a five-meter radius distorted, followed by a deafening explosion. After the explosion, a fierce storm swept outwards, turning the ground as if plowed, uprooting and tossing wild grass. Tree branches snapped with a cracking sound, and fallen leaves danced in the air.
Dust billowed, the air turning a yellowish-brown.
Mo Wanwu's figure flashed, his eyes fixed on the figure faintly visible within the dust. He simultaneously extended both hands, unleashing six or seven finger strikes like arrows towards the figure in the dust. He vaguely saw the figure sway back and forth a few times before disappearing.
Mo Wanwu dared not be careless; he did not immediately rush forward but remained on high alert. As the dust settled, Fang Henshui's figure was nowhere to be seen.
Clap clap clap—
Just then, the sound of applause came from behind him.
"The professors at the Martial Arts Academy are indeed extraordinary, far superior to your students. I'm very happy… Only opponents like this can give me satisfaction… I know you've said more than once that you'd tear me to pieces. Come on, come on… I'm right here, come and kill me!"
The voice held a twisted humanity, perhaps due to excitement, and was somewhat hoarse.
Mo Wanwu didn't immediately turn around to look behind him. He swung his hands backward, unleashing six or seven finger strikes that swept backward like rapidly crawling snakes. Then, he pushed off with his feet, charging forward. He only turned after charging four or five meters, and as he turned, the finger imprints reformed, a huge palm slowly appearing before him.
Fang Henshui walked forward with a twisted smile, not even bothering to dodge. The six or seven finger strikes hit him one after another, but he seemed completely unaffected. His clothes were riddled with small holes from the finger strikes, yet not a trace of blood was visible. With Mo Wanwu's cultivation level, such a powerful finger strike couldn't even harm his physical body.
Fang Henshui's smile grew increasingly ferocious, like a primordial beast that had caught the scent of blood.
"Come and kill me!"
He roared hoarsely, "If you don't kill me, I'll kill you!"
Mo Wanwu's expression turned extremely solemn. He reached out and pushed forward. The giant hand, seemingly even more solid than before, slammed down, like a heavy dark cloud descending from the sky. Fang Henshui raised both hands, as if supporting a boulder, and pushed the giant hand down.
The giant hand formed from the天地元气 (heaven and earth elemental energy) not only didn't dissipate, but instead became increasingly real above his head. Moreover, for some unknown reason, the giant hand's color began to slowly turn a raging black.
Mo Wanwu's pupils contracted sharply; he couldn't reclaim the天地元气 that originally belonged to him. Looking at the enormous black hand, he suddenly roared. The roar echoed, shaking the mountains and forests. The giant hand reappeared before him, but this time, it was connected to an equally enormous arm, the other end of which was attached to Mo Wanwu's shoulder. It looked as if his right arm had suddenly grown countless times larger. After this giant arm took shape, Mo Wanwu didn't stop circulating his spiritual energy. A second hand gradually appeared before him, the arm also taking shape.
The two arms, formed from the condensed spiritual energy of heaven and earth, were like Thor's hammer.
"Destroy!"
Mo Wanwu roared, and the two enormous arms rose simultaneously. In mid-air, the giant hands clasped together, forming a massive fist that slammed down!
The force was like a mountain collapsing!
At the same time, Fang Henshui also raised his arms. The giant hand he had captured, now pure black, met Mo Wanwu's massive fist with its own.
A deafening boom! An explosive force several times more powerful than the collision of the white lotus and the giant hand reverberated outwards. Centered on Fang Henshui, the ground within a five- or six-meter radius rapidly sank, forming a large crater. Thick dust and smoke swept outwards like a black dragon, and a nearby tree, unable to withstand the impact, creaked and fell to one side.
Even trees slightly further away were shaken by the force of the impact, their bark ripped off in pieces, as if countless knives were carried by the wind, wreaking havoc without restraint.
After the violent explosion, the two solidified giant arms in front of Mo Wanwu were shattered. The primordial energy of heaven and earth dissipated, and he couldn't help but cough up blood, his body blown backwards by the hurricane.
…
…
In the crater, the completely demonized Fang Henshui grinned maliciously as he walked step by step. The giant hand he had captured had vanished, and his clothes were torn to shreds. Faint streaks of blood marked his arms, the fine marks left by the violent collision.
Mo Wanwu had never intended to test him; those massive hands and arms were his true killing move.
But clearly, even such domineering power couldn't defeat Fang Henshui. Instead, it pushed this man, already on the verge of madness, further into it. Fang Henshui's eyes were a chaotic mess, murky like a pool of polluted water. His steps were slow and extremely heavy, each step causing the ground to collapse.
His long hair danced wildly; he looked like a demon crawling out of hell.
"You're making me happier and happier."
Fang Henshui, his face contorted in rage, still smiled. He looked at the bloodstains on his arms, his excitement growing stronger: "I knew you wouldn't let me down. Come on... come on, just a little more effort and you'll kill me. Don't let me down, kill me now!"
Mo Wanwu spat out another mouthful of blood, staining the front of his clothes red. The immense force of the initial shockwave was almost unbearable for him; it felt as if a tidal wave was churning within his chest and abdomen. His giant arm, formed from the essence of heaven and earth, hadn't truly harmed Fang Henshui, but the backlash was causing him unimaginable pain.
Fang Henshui retaliated with his giant hand. The two forces, originating from the same source, collided, and the scattered essence of heaven and earth surged into Mo Wanwu's body like countless ants returning to their nest. Much of this essence had turned black, mixed with Mo Wanwu's essence after Fang Henshui's previously raised black giant hand shattered.
At this moment, Mo Wanwu felt as if thousands of snakes, insects, and rodents were tearing at his body. The returning essence didn't follow the proper flow of qi, but instead surged wildly within him. Especially the black essence, seemingly unable to find its place, became violent, constantly assaulting his dantian and acupoints.
*Pfft!*
Mo Wanwu spat out another mouthful of blood, followed by a sudden, gaping wound on his arm. Blood and flesh flew everywhere; his arm looked as if it had been pierced by a wolf-tooth arrow. A vital energy point had been destroyed by the violent surge of energy, rendering his arm useless.
Mo Wanwu struggled to his feet, gritted his teeth, and turned to flee.
"You haven't killed me yet, how can you leave?"
Fang Henshui laughed maniacally behind him, then waved his hand, scattering three small, exquisite white lotuses. As the lotuses flew through the air, they rapidly turned black, as if corroded by something. The black was so clear, so deep, like ink that couldn't be washed away.
The three black lotuses exploded behind Mo Wanwu, tearing his back into a bloody mess.
With a thud, Mo Wanwu's body plummeted from mid-air, crashing heavily to the ground.
His back was completely mangled; his clothes were burned away, flesh exploded, and the white spine was faintly visible amidst the shredded flesh.
Mo Wanwu struggled to stand up again, but his legs had no strength at all. He began to crawl forward, slowly, leaving a trail of crimson blood on the grass. Where he crawled, bits of flesh and bone shards clung to the blades of grass, sliding down.
Fang Henshui grinned maliciously as he moved forward, pointing a finger into the distance.
With a soft "poof," Mo Wanwu's right leg exploded in a cloud of blood. Mo Wanwu's body shuddered violently; he paused briefly, then gritted his teeth and continued crawling forward. Fang Henshui pointed again, and Mo Wanwu's left leg was also shattered by the force of his finger.
With both legs severed, Mo Wanwu appeared half his former size.
He looked like a blood-soaked dwarf, still crawling forward using only his one mobile arm.
"The will to survive is indeed so strong in everyone."
Fang Henshui murmured as he walked, "Just like me back then, it was as if I had fallen into endless darkness. Even the faint light from a firefly would have been a source of hope, something I wanted to grasp. Back then, I was just like you are now, desperate and helpless. I wanted to live… but I didn't know how to escape the overwhelming fear. But I was luckier than you… when I was almost in despair, I discovered a glimmer of hope."
He knelt down beside Mo Wanwu, looking at him as he continued to wave his arm, unable to move further.
"You didn't kill me, you didn't defeat me…"
Fang Henshui seemed both disappointed and relieved.
He sat down, leaning against a tree. He looked at Mo Wanwu, who, despite only having one arm and half a body, still refused to give up. He knew this man would soon die; such severe injuries would have killed anyone else long ago. But Mo Wanwu's cultivation was high enough that the remaining spiritual energy was protecting his heart. And it was precisely because of this that Mo Wanwu was enduring unimaginable pain.
Fang Henshui picked up a small piece of flesh from the ground, examined it carefully, and then put it in his mouth.
He chewed slowly, seemingly savoring the taste of blood.
"Human flesh is really hard to eat."