Chapter 79: The Vermilion Bird's Divine Radiance Incantation (Fourth Update—Seeking Monthly Votes)

The catastrophe awakened his martial spirit and past-life wisdom, gifting him with a meticulousness and composure that most youths lacked.

This wisdom allowed him to restrain his hot-blooded impulses, to suppress his temper during cultivation, to attend school diligently, and not to engage in petty squabbles with the likes of Huang Long and his companions.

Yet, in his very bones, he was a youth who craved danger and excitement, who delighted in chivalry and righteous deeds.

When confronted by Zhang Hao’s assault, he drew his sword without hesitation and struck back, his innate passion ignited, almost beyond his control.

Once he learned that Huang Hai had escaped, he began preparations for battle in earnest.

He didn’t know whether Huang Hai would come for him, but his heart was eager to test the skills of this warrior.

He had tried his Thunderflash technique against Song Mingyue many times, but it posed no threat to her; her spiritual power was simply too formidable.

From his interactions with warriors like Huang Hai and Tie Dalong, their spiritual strength hovered between ten and twelve points. Song Mingyue had also said that his Thunderflash could break through the spiritual defenses of low- and mid-tier warriors.

During this period, he had used both the Prajna and Vajra elixirs, increasing his spirit, strength, and agility.

On this foundation, the three points of spirit and agility granted by Gale Thunderflash further amplified his technique’s power—the Thunderflash struck harder, and the Gale was swifter.

His immense strength and formidable body allowed him to bring out the full potential of his Thunderflash and Gale techniques.

Wan Cangsong’s sudden, unprovoked attack—near enough to a sneak attack—enraged Gao Wu and awakened his fighting spirit.

He cared nothing for Wan Cangsong’s motives or intentions; he would retaliate with all his might, hesitating not at all, showing no mercy or doubt.

Facing the warrior’s ferocious assault, Gao Wu advanced instead of retreating, swinging his left fist to block Wan Cangsong’s thunderous palm.

Fist met palm, both men pausing for an instant. Wan Cangsong was a little surprised: the hand that gripped the pistol possessed such raw power, bones and sinew as tough as steel, that even his force-infused palm was held at bay.

Wan Cangsong’s martial skill far surpassed Gao Wu’s. Recognizing the youth’s brute strength, he deftly twisted his palm.

Gao Wu’s raw power could not match the force of origin energy, nor could he rival Wan Cangsong’s finesse; his fist was pushed aside, and Wan Cangsong’s right palm slipped past his guard, striking Gao Wu’s chest.

The fibers of the Dragon Scale tactical vest burst and shredded beneath Wan Cangsong’s palm. The spare assault rifle magazine deformed, and the innermost ceramic armor plate shattered into fragments.

The force that pierced through every layer was halted only by Gao Wu’s body, hard as diamond.

Wan Cangsong had intended to take him alive, but realized at once that Gao Wu’s strength and resilience were extraordinary.

“What a body!” Wan Cangsong marveled inwardly—Gao Wu’s flesh and bone were tougher than his own, which was somewhat terrifying.

He believed in using his full strength, even against a rabbit; in battle, an enemy deserved no chance.

If Gao Wu had been easy prey, that would be one thing, but since he was formidable, Wan Cangsong could not afford to spare his life.

They carried the necessary equipment; even from a corpse, they could extract the brain, heart, kidneys, and liver. Life and death made little difference.

Wan Cangsong unleashed his origin energy, channeling it into a barrage of explosive strikes, nearly at his full power. His force pierced Gao Wu’s muscle and ribcage, reaching his heart and dispersing the core of his power.

Gao Wu felt as though his heart had burst; the force compressed his blood, reddening his vision.

He had thought his iron-like frame could withstand a single blow, hoping to counterattack with the Azure Dragon Divine Qi once Wan Cangsong’s strength was spent.

There was only one chance to kill a warrior—no room for error.

When battle was truly joined, Gao Wu realized how terrifying origin energy could be.

In that critical moment, he grew calmer still, immediately invoking the six Azure Dragon Divine Qi mantras deep within his brow.

The spectral Azure Dragon shone, suppressing all negative shock to his body, re-forming his scattered core of power, while the simultaneous activation of Gale Thunderflash added three points each to his spirit and agility.

Wan Cangsong saw a strange light flash in Gao Wu’s eyes. Sensing danger but not knowing what Gao Wu intended, he instinctively gathered his spirit, forming a shield of origin energy.

But the formless lightning of Thunderflash had already penetrated Wan Cangsong’s mind, shattering his gathered consciousness—his mind went blank.

Without spiritual strength to command it, the shield of origin energy collapsed.

With divine blessing, Gao Wu perceived everything in slow motion; his powerful spirit processed all sensory data with clarity.

The faint aura shrouding Wan Cangsong faded—his shield breached.

Gao Wu seized the moment, firing his pistol from scarcely a few feet away, the muzzle nearly pressed against Wan Cangsong’s face.

With his enhanced agility, his speed was unmatched.

The muzzle of the Thunderhawk erupted in flame, the first shot striking Wan Cangsong’s face.

His crimson visor, shaped like a mask, dented inward but did not shatter.

Wan Cangsong was horrified; he was unharmed, but unable to respond. The bullet’s momentum snapped his head back.

Desperate to muster his origin energy, the dual onslaught—spiritual and physical—left him unable to focus, pushing him further into despair.

That a visor could withstand a point-blank Thunderhawk shot surprised Gao Wu, but he acted on instinct, firing three shots into Wan Cangsong’s exposed throat.

The steel-cored armor-piercing rounds tore through flesh and bone, finally bursting out the back of his skull.

Behind them, Wan Cangling and Wan Cangyan had been watching with ease. The sudden gunfire horrified them.

Before they could react, they saw Wan Cangsong’s head snap back, a cloud of blood bursting from his skull.

Through the gaping wound, they glimpsed the flash of gunfire, and even faintly, Gao Wu’s face.

Normally fierce, Wan Cangling was stunned, paralyzed by fear, unable to respond, simply staring in shock.

Wan Cangyan, more composed, instinctively raised his assault rifle at Gao Wu.

But with his 12.4 agility, Gao Wu was much faster.

As Wan Cangyan opened fire, a 13mm steel-cored round blasted through his visor, tearing off the top of his head.

Wan Cangyan died instantly, collapsing backward, his finger still hooked on the trigger, rifle spraying randomly.

Wan Cangling was nearly hit by the stray bullets, startled into motion, but before he could react, his head exploded with a thunderous report.

Wan Cangling collapsed, as Wan Cangyan’s corpse continued firing, stray rounds striking his body and making it tremble.

Fortunately, without a central nervous system, Wan Cangling felt neither pain nor anger.

Having killed all three, Gao Wu breathed a sigh of relief, collapsing almost simultaneously with Wan Cangsong. He coughed, blood gurgling in his throat.

He felt his chest deeply caved in, his sternum surely broken. He could only hope his heart had survived.

Such a wound—it was impossible for his heart to be unscathed.

The pain was excruciating, reminding him of the grievous injury he’d suffered at fourteen; this was surely worse.

Though Wan Cangsong died quickly, he had been a true warrior. The layered force of origin energy was truly terrifying.

Only his extraordinary physique saved him; for anyone else, such a blow would have left a gaping hole in their chest.

Gao Wu knew how formidable warriors were, but even so, he had underestimated them—this strike was truly terrifying.

At this moment, the correct move would have been to recite the Azure Dragon Divine Qi mantra, but he had already exhausted all six, his spirit and stamina utterly depleted, unable to muster even a single chant.

He couldn’t even lift his hand to reach for his emergency medicine.

From experience, he knew it would take forty or fifty minutes to recover from such exhaustion.

“Maybe I should call Han Yang and the others—at least someone could give me first aid…

“Maybe I should think about my last words. Just write, ‘If you kill one, you break even; kill three, and you’re ahead—what a profit!’ If Sister Jun and Little Song read that, I wonder if they’ll laugh at my lack of culture.

“Damn it, I can’t bear to leave Sister Jun, Little Song, or the old man. I’m in my prime, talented and handsome, with a boundless future. I’m destined to be the greatest under heaven—I don’t want to die…”

Lying on the ground, his thoughts wandered, but he felt no particular fear or anxiety; on the contrary, after surviving a life-or-death battle, he felt a strange exhilaration.

After all, with his extraordinary constitution, as long as he wasn’t killed outright, he wouldn’t die.

Just then, his brow tingled, and the Book of Infinite Merit suddenly appeared.

The ancient scroll unfurled, and a burning Vermilion Bird flew forth, trailing countless streams of crimson flame.

The Vermilion Bird danced in the air, flames flowing from its feathers in mesmerizing patterns.

It raised its head and uttered a clear cry, then folded its wings and dove toward Gao Wu.

He felt a tightening at his brow, and his mind was filled with red flames; the bird’s song transformed into an ancient, mysterious chant: “Vermilion Bird Burning the Heavens, Divine Light of the Palace of Fire, Flames Flowing Like Molten Lava, Purging Shadow, Transforming Yin to Yang…”

(Fourth update—please vote for me! I need your votes!)