Chapter 195: True Will

Seeing Arthur reduced to ash, Cheng Pi breathed a sigh of relief as he rapidly plummeted toward the ground. "I'm exhausted."

He had inherited only two of Yu Xian's abilities, Fire Manipulation and Water Manipulation. However, he had also received many incomplete abilities. For example, although he had inherited neither Light Feeder nor Light Devourer, sunlight caused him no harm and also restored his stamina. His five senses were also sharper than those of an ordinary vampire, and he had inherited a portion of Yu Xian's strength and speed.

Yu Xian had unlocked all of Pangu's Divine Arts, including Pangu Divine Strength. He possessed terrifying physical strength, so the strength Cheng Pi inherited from him was naturally far from being weak. The same applied to Water Manipulation. What Cheng Pi controlled was not limited to pure water. He could also imbue it with various properties, such as viscosity or toxicity.

Poison was the most powerful of these. In battle, he could use Water Manipulation to produce all kinds of venom, transforming an otherwise weak offensive ability into a formidable means of attack.

Finally, there was his regenerative ability. Self-healing had always been one of a vampire's greatest strengths, and it was especially pronounced in him.

Cheng Pi struck the ground and blasted out a crater. His injuries healed moments later, while the sunlight rapidly restored his stamina. Before long, he sat back up and addressed the bubble floating nearby. "Yu Xian, thank you. From now on, as long as it doesn't violate my principles, this life of mine is yours to command. Whether you ask me to climb a mountain of blades or cross a sea of fire, I, Cheng Pi, will follow you to the very end."

Only after that battle had he truly experienced how powerful the abilities Yu Xian had granted him were. He had originally been nothing more than a mid-Eagle-rank weakling with little combat ability apart from his speed. Yet now, he had easily defeated an opponent whose strength would once have been beyond his imagination.

Although he had won partly through tactics, Cheng Pi worked for the Support Division and had seen his fair share of supernatural abilities. Naturally, he understood just how powerful the strength he now possessed was.

Curious, Yu Xian asked, "Then what are your principles?"

Yu Xian genuinely didn't know that an irreverent guy like Cheng Pi even had principles. However, recalling how furious Cheng Pi had been earlier, he had already guessed the answer by the time he asked.

Cheng Pi merely grinned and replied flippantly, "My principle is, of course... never betray your country or your wife!"

Yu Xian was shocked. "You have a wife?"

Cheng Pi clenched his fist. "No, but I'll have one eventually!"

Yu Xian smiled. "Then I have good news for you. You should be getting one very, very soon. Don't believe me? Take a look in the mirror."

Puzzled, Cheng Pi took out a mirror from his spatial pouch. The moment he saw his reflection, he was dumbfounded. Although his former appearance was recognizable, his features and face shape had become much more refined. His eyes had also turned red, while his hair had become silver.

"How did I end up looking so damn girly?"

Once Cheng Pi recovered from his shock, his anguished cry echoed across the sky, followed by Yu Xian's booming laughter.

***

In stark contrast to the light-hearted atmosphere on Yu Xian's side, Edward sat inside his traveling palace on the other side of the Blue Planet with a dark expression. The beautiful women beside him barely dared to breathe, trembling in fear.

Edward had never expected that even after he poured so much energy into Arthur, the man would still lose to an insignificant figure from Huaxia. "What... A... Useless... Fool!"

He was furious, yet at the same time, an inexplicable sense of irritation welled up within him. Ever since that mysterious individual ambushed him, it felt as though nothing had gone his way.

The traveling palace slowly descended upon the capital of Kiros. Several supernatural beings had already come out to welcome Edward, but before they could even see him, a wave of crimson energy swept across them, leaving only their skeletons kneeling on the ground.

Edward stepped out of the traveling palace and looked up at the pitch-black night sky. Gradually, an eerie curve formed in his eyes. The malice in his expression intensified as the corners of his mouth rose, until finally, he let out a sinister chuckle. A cruel decision had already taken shape in his mind.

There is an old saying in Huaxia. If you don't finish off the snake, you leave yourself a deadly threat! Compared with sustainable development, the most important thing now was to eliminate the mysterious enemy hiding in the shadows.

Edward raised his hand and clenched it into a fist. The beautiful women inside the traveling palace instantly withered as all their power was drained away.

The Devil Cross flew out of the palace, and beams of crimson light descended. The superheroes responsible for carrying the palace sensed that something was wrong, but before they could flee, the red light pierced into their bodies. They managed only a single scream before rapidly withering away.

Edward gazed at the darkened city and at the ordinary people who had come to welcome him, now kneeling on the ground like lambs awaiting slaughter. He let out a bloodthirsty chuckle. "As expected, power is most reliable when it is under my control!"

***

Back at the Gray Planet, after assigning a task to Cheng Pi, Yu Xian stopped paying attention to events on the Blue Planet. He was fully focused on refining the bloodlines of the Duke of Thunder and the Mother of Lightning. Compared with Lei Zhenzi's crude patchwork bloodline, theirs actually contained something worthwhile.

The Mother of Lightning's bloodline even contained genetic fragments originating from a supernatural world. The complete form of this ability should have been called Electronic Device Manipulation. It allowed its user to control various technological devices to a certain extent.

By continuously extracting the fragments belonging to the Mother of Lightning from his blood through the Blood Demon Style: Infinite Self-Devouring Art, Yu Xian soon obtained the complete version of the ability. In essence, the ability worked by controlling electrical currents to infiltrate electronic devices and seize control.

With this ability, Yu Xian no longer needed to ask Eternal Purity to export the videos in his mind onto his phone. He could do it himself.

Yu Xian turned his attention to the Duke of Thunder's bloodline. This bloodline was actually inferior to that of the Mother of Lightning. Although it was somewhat better than Lei Zhenzi's, the difference was not particularly significant. It merely strengthened his control over lightning and increased his resistance to it.

He selected another bloodline and refined it. Each bloodline generally took him anywhere from half an hour to three hours to refine. The stronger the bloodline, the more time and energy it required. Naturally, it also granted him more power.

By this point, his Power had risen to 60. The most noticeable change was not the strengthening of his body, but that his consciousness could now clearly perceive the existence of his soul and will.

Previously, willpower had been intangible to him. Now, through his mental energy, he could sense it as something resembling an invisible wind or flowing water, capable of moving according to his thoughts. It was the softest thing in the world, yet it also seemed the hardest at the same time.

Yu Xian had an almost instinctive feeling that the power of will was far from simple. Perhaps it would prove to be the key to defeating Edward.