Chapter 471: Ultimate Physical Body (Two-in-One)

Beneath the pitch-black veil of night.

Clusters of flames lined up like lamps, illuminating the valley.

The raging winds died down the instant the man appeared, leaving the firelight to flicker like scattered stars and candlelight.

The man's face was like a swollen disc. His narrow eyes were squeezed between two lumps of flesh, appearing as if they were floating in midair.

At a passing glance, it truly resembled the moon.

Upon closer inspection, however, the anomaly wasn't floating out of thin air at all.

Rather, the man was simply far too enormous.

He wasn't one or two meters tall, but stood a full ten meters high. Spanning the valley like a hill, he blocked out the fierce mountain winds.

The severe gales that had torn Mo Lian and the others' skin open were entirely blocked by his massive form.

Only because of this were the torches able to remain lit.

Yet despite his massive size—his enormous belly completely obscuring his feet—his arms were incredibly long. Like two tentacles, they currently held a massive torch right before his eyes.

"Hello."

Faced with the man's appearance, Yan Jing didn't panic. Instead, he smiled politely.

Before entering Bone-Eroding Valley, he had already overheard the earlier conversation. Coupled with the fact that he had constantly felt someone observing him from the shadows—

He had been waiting for this man to show up.

"My name is Yan Jing."

"Mr. Yan, I know who you are," the man said with a smile. "I heard your speech before we entered the Dungeon. It was very inspiring."

"So, why has the Eighth Prince appeared now?" Yan Jing asked with a smile.

"Two things," the man chuckled. "The first is my younger sister."

"Meng Bing."

"She should be in the Glacial Region right now. Has Mr. Yan seen her?"

Yan Jing smiled and shook his head. "I don't believe I have."

"You haven't?"

The man narrowed his eyes, scanning Yan Jing up and down a few times before laughing heartily. "Then it seems Mr. Yan has no affinity with my sister. I had originally planned to introduce the two of you."

"Then tell me about the second thing."

He fell silent for a few seconds, his gaze flickering before he spoke. "I want to cooperate with Mr. Yan."

"To eliminate the other group in Bone-Eroding Valley."

"Who?" Yan Jing asked, his expression calm.

"A man from the Self Faction. One of your Yueyin People. His Honorary Title is Colossus." A trace of hatred seemed to surface on the Eighth Prince's face when he mentioned the name. "His methods are extremely ruthless. Once he encounters anyone, he immediately finds a way to confiscate their Crystal Stones."

"Then he enslaves them, forcing them to retrieve the Heart of reaching the summit items hidden within the cliff walls of this Bone-Eroding Valley."

"Everyone has the right to execute a person like that. Originally, I thought it would be enough for me to handle him myself."

"Unfortunately, it just had to be here in Bone-Eroding Valley."

He offered a bitter smile. "As you can see, Mr. Yan, my build is a bit too large for this Bone-Eroding Valley. I've fought him twice, and both times I was treated as a living target."

After a brief moment of thought, Yan Jing smiled. "But I am one of the Yueyin People, Your Highness the Eighth Prince."

"..." The Eighth Prince's smile didn't waver. "But I heard Mr. Yan's circumstances in Yueyin aren't very good."

"To be completely honest, our Tianzi is actually quite a nice place. If Mr. Yan ultimately finds himself with nowhere to go, you are welcome to join us."

"I will definitely treat Mr. Yan as an honored guest."

"Furthermore—"

He let out a sigh. "I won't hide it from you, Mr. Yan. Ever since I was a child, I, Zhu Jian, could never stand to see such atrocities."

"If Mr. Yan can lend a hand, I would be endlessly grateful."

As his voice fell, he waved the torch in his hand. As if responding to a signal, the Players poking their heads out from hidden caves in the rock walls spoke up one by one. "Please help us, Mr. Yan."

"That's right, Mr. Yan. He's simply too arrogant."

"Mr. Yan, we beg of you, please show some mercy—"

Looking at the scene before him, Yan Jing pondered for a moment before looking up with a smile. "I can lend a hand."

"To be honest, I, Yan Jing, also cannot bear to see such worldly suffering. I am willing to work with you on this."

"But—"

He let out a faint sigh. "The other party is one of my Yueyin People, after all. I don't want to end up with a bad reputation."

The Eighth Prince paused in surprise. "So what Mr. Yan means is—"

"You have to pay more." Yan Jing reached out a hand and spread his five fingers. "Fifty Heart of reaching the summit items, and one item containing Divinity."

"Plus five million surface coins."

The Eighth Prince nearly lost his composure and cursed out loud.

What bad reputation? What inability to bear worldly suffering? Damn it, the price just hadn't been negotiated yet!

Even daylight robbery wasn't this extreme!

He raised his head and looked at the faces on the rock wall.

Immediately, the expressions of those Players grew troubled, as if they still wanted to plead.

But Yan Jing turned around with his group and started to leave. "If you don't want to, then forget it. I'll just go back to the Glacial Region. It's comfortable there."

"—Wait!!!" The Eighth Prince finally reached out a hand and shouted. "Fine! It's a deal!"

"Pay first." Yan Jing turned back, his expression serious.

"You really are a f—" The Eighth Prince stopped halfway, holding himself back. He took a deep breath. "Fine."

"But I also have one condition. When the time comes, you have to strike first."

"Otherwise, I'm afraid you'll go back on your word at the last second."

"After all, Mr. Yan's character leaves much to be desired."

The Eighth Prince let out a cold chuckle, his tone dripping with sarcasm.

"Acceptable."

Yan Jing nodded.

Soon, the payment was settled. They agreed that Yan Jing had to strike first, and his movements had to be swift, because the opponent possessed a terrifying ability to guard against any move that was repeated.

"He seems capable of learning during combat. He isn't as stupid as he looks."

The Eighth Prince led the way, with Yan Jing and the others following behind.

They couldn't clearly see where they were heading; after all, ninety percent of the view ahead was blocked by the Eighth Prince's massive body.

Mo Lian shot Yan Jing a look, but Yan Jing acted as if he hadn't seen it and gave no response.

She checked the others out of the corner of her eye. Realizing everyone else was reacting similarly, she withdrew her gaze.

If the sky fell, the tall ones would hold it up. With her worthless life, what did she have to fear?

Using a slang phrase she had recently picked up in Bianliu County—"One County Magistrate Luo is worth ten Boss Bais"—she figured that in terms of objective value, "One Yan Jing is worth ten thousand Mo Lians."

The Eighth Prince's voice echoed from above. "I didn't expect the Self Faction to produce this kind of figure after so many years. I even suspect he has the partial Bloodline of an ancient Deity."

"Logically speaking, it's not like our Tianzi hasn't found people with a Divine Bloodline before, but none of them could survive in the current world like he has."

"The present is no longer the era of the past. If one possesses a Divine Bloodline, it isn't some massive blessing; rather, they will face severe rejection from heaven and earth."

"But not only did he not give up on cultivation because of the Weird Energy's rejection, he actually used the opportunity to step into the Self Faction. He is a once-in-a-generation talent, rarely seen in ten thousand years."

"If his personality wasn't so excessively violent, I'd even want to take him under my command."

"Compared to him, the previous members of the Self Faction were practically cultivating blindly."

Yan Jing smiled. "You can't say that. It could be said that the world is changing once again right now."

"So we can't use our predecessors as a comparison."

"If we consider the previous era and the distant era as the second and first generations, respectively..."

"Right now, we are essentially situated between the third and second generations."

"If future generations look back at us, they will view this as a fragmented era, just like the missing gap between the first and second generations."

Pausing for a moment, Yan Jing's voice softened significantly. "Such an era is full of variables. Some rise in rebellion, some walk out from humble beginnings, and some from distant history reappear in the present. No one can say for sure. If you want to stabilize yourself, perhaps the only way is to continue growing stronger."

As his words fell, everyone around them fell into a momentary silence.

Even the Eighth Prince, who had been leading the way this whole time, halted his steps. A full half-minute passed before he finally began to walk forward again.

"Mr. Yan is right."

Leaving only that sentence behind, he said no more.

The group thus proceeded in silence. Above their heads, the torches sticking out from the caves acted like scorching Soul Lamps guiding the way, leading everyone toward an unknown place.

After about half an hour passed, the Eighth Prince spoke up. "Mr. Yan, we have arrived."

Yan Jing smiled. "Is that so? But I can't see anything at all."

"Look this way." As the Eighth Prince spoke, his originally bloated body began to deform. Right at the very bottom of his torso, he forcefully bent his flesh to create a shape resembling a cave entrance.

The wind that had been silenced for so long finally found an exit. It squeezed through the opening and blew fiercely toward Yan Jing and the others.

Through this fleshy tunnel, Yan Jing and the others spotted a scattered campfire on the other side.

The area ahead no longer seemed to be a valley. A break appeared in the steep cliffs, and the sky overhead was like a river stifled within narrow banks for too long, finally finding an outlet to release itself. It leaped out, transforming into a dazzling, vast expanse of stars.

Beneath that radiant night sky, faint outlines of white jade stairs could be seen reaching straight up into the clouds.

By the campfire, a figure standing several meters tall was currently sitting cross-legged.

Though he was considerably shorter than the Eighth Prince, he still resembled a small giant to people of ordinary build like Yan Jing and the rest.

As if to confirm what the Eighth Prince had said earlier, quite a few figures were kneeling beside him, their hands and feet shackled with heavy iron chains.

"Colossus!!!"

The Eighth Prince spoke. His voice was no longer the gentle breeze of before, but rather like rolling heavenly thunder echoing throughout the valley. "Let's fight to the death once more! Today, I, Zhu Jian, will seek justice for those who died before!!!"

"Then come." As he said this, the Eighth Prince's slender arms reached behind his back, waving at Yan Jing to signal him to hurry up and attack.

The man opposite him stood up and turned his head.

Sharp, fierce angles sketched out the contours of his face, and the dark shadow of a shaven beard covered his jaw.

Right at that moment, Yan Jing made his move.

His figure dashed straight through the tunnel in the Eighth Prince's flesh, appearing right between the two men.

The instant he moved, the tunnel formed by the Eighth Prince's bent body slammed shut with a boom. Then, like springs, the prince's hands abruptly shot toward the man over a hundred meters away.

Yan Jing's expression remained calm. A single motion set off a chain reaction through his entire body; his spine popped joint by joint like falling dominoes. He sank his waist, raised his shoulder, and threw a sudden punch.

Yet it wasn't aimed at the figure in front of him, but toward the one behind him—

The Eighth Prince!!!

Seeing this, the Eighth Prince finally tore off his disguise. A brutal, ferocious light flashed in his eyes as his massive body suddenly tipped forward, viciously pressing down toward Yan Jing.

At the same time, the figures holding the torches on the surrounding rock walls all began to scramble down, swarming toward the other five people behind the Eighth Prince.

It was only now that they finally revealed their true appearances.

They had no lower halves at all.

Apart from faces flapping in the wind and two arms, they had no flesh attached anywhere else. With eerie white bones completely exposed, they could only rely on their arms to crawl.

They were all death-sworn servants the Eighth Prince had brought or transformed. As for where their lost flesh had gone—perhaps only the Eighth Prince knew.

"Bang!!!"

Like a meteor striking the earth, the first clash between Yan Jing and the Eighth Prince triggered violent tremors. A terrifying boom rang out above the entire valley, and even the bone-eroding hurricane briefly paused from the impact.

The clouds scattered, and the wind ceased.

The world seemed to stand completely still for a moment.

"Urgh!"

A hint of pain surfaced on the Eighth Prince's face. His entire body retreated explosively by several meters at a speed completely unsuited to his size, revealing Yan Jing underneath.

At this moment, Yan Jing had sunk into a crater over a meter deep, a slight red mark on his fist.

His opponent was not simple. It could be said that this was the strongest physical body he had encountered in a long time, so much so that the skin on the back of his knuckles had been slightly broken.

"Yan Jing! You dare treat my Ninth Sister like this! I will absolutely torture you until you wish you were dead!!"

The Eighth Prince roared toward the sky. His fat-layered face now fully revealed its vicious nature as saliva flowed freely with the opening and closing of his mouth.

Yan Jing revealed a profound expression.

It seemed there had to be some method of communication among the nine people of Tianzi; that was how the other party had learned about Meng Bing's situation.

At that moment, Colossus by the campfire finally moved as well. He had been standing in place earlier, but now he took massive strides. Though he wasn't running, it was several times faster than a sprint. Like a phantom, his figure appeared directly beside Yan Jing.

"Attack together!!"

Colossus roared, but the fist he threw was not aimed at the Eighth Prince.

It was aimed at Yan Jing!

Simultaneously, the Eighth Prince's two tentacle-like arms grabbed at Yan Jing in unison!

The two of them were working together!

Whether it was a partnership or one had already subjugated the other, none of that mattered anymore.

Those seemingly soft arms smashed against the valley walls, making the entire valley tremble. If someone with a weak physical body took a single blow from those claws, they would likely meet a grim fate on the spot.

Meanwhile, Colossus's fist, coated in a layer of dark light, fell through the air, directly producing a string of sonic booms that was even more terrifying.

At this moment, the two joined forces, intending to put Yan Jing to death right then and there.

And Yan Jing's choice—

Was to take a step forward, and then punch directly!!!

This was a strike that mobilized the entirety of his physical strength.

It represented his strongest punch without utilizing Weird Energy.

Its power was unknown, but it was purely offensive with zero defense!

The Eighth Prince and Colossus shrank their pupils simultaneously. Surprisingly, both of them saw a faint glow on their opponent's incoming fist.

This caused a certain rumor to flash through both of their minds in an instant—

If someone could reach the Summit through their physical body, a layer of faint light would manifest around them.

It was not Weird Energy, nor was it any other type of power.

It was the shimmer emitted by ultimate physical strength, signifying that this person had walked the path of the physical body all the way to First Layer Perfection.

"Boom, boom, boom!!!"

Three explosive booms rang out at the exact same time!!

Intense smoke and dust expanded outward between the three of them.

Falling rocks tumbled from the surroundings, completely burying their figures. Many of the shapes holding torches were crushed beneath the stone debris.

A few seconds later, accompanied by a furious roar from Colossus, the rocks around them were instantly blasted several meters away.

The smoke slowly dissipated. Only then did the few figures still clinging to the cliff walls clearly see the scene below.

Colossus's fist had landed on the left half of Yan Jing's body, leaving behind a tire-sized fist imprint, while his right shoulder had a small chunk of flesh sliced away by the Eighth Prince's arm.

Trails of blood trickled from the corners of Yan Jing's mouth.

"Did they win?"

Someone spoke up, not even realizing their own voice was trembling.

But as the smoke cleared further, everyone instantly shuddered in terror and fell silent.

Opposite Yan Jing, the Eighth Prince's head was bowed. His massive body leaned forward in a bizarre posture. His long hair hung loose, and his gaze was dull and lifeless.

And on his back was an unbelievably massive, bloody hole.

"Pfft—"

The Eighth Prince violently spat out a massive mouthful of fresh blood.