"If you don't want to sacrifice anything, it means you won't gain anything. If becoming a monster is the only way to stand at the apex of the pyramid, then humanity, ethics, and principles can all be discarded!"
Jiang Cheng's words struck Ren Yuanhao's spine like an ice pick.
Cold to the bone.
"I always treated you like a human, only to realize you've become a ghost."
"Heh, say what you will. I never want to live a life like an ant again. Ren Yuanhao, the real show is yet to come, don't rush it."
Jiang Cheng cackled, and in an instant, Ren Yuanhao heard a series of exclamations and screams erupt from the crowd.
Ren Yuanhao turned his head to see the women he had saved earlier, each holding a blade. They were hacking at the cultivators with a frenzied intensity, their speed and ferocity terrifying. Blood splattered, heads and limbs flew through the air, a scene of bloody chaos, a true hell on earth!
"What's going on!"
Ren Yuanhao surged into the crowd, quickly drawing the attention of over a dozen women.
"Ren Yuanhao, how does it feel? The women who once adored you now turn their blades against you. Doesn't that feel great?"
Jiang Cheng savored the satisfaction of revenge by wit for the first time. With every laugh, lightning crackled through the dense clouds.
Dodging and weaving, Ren Yuanhao could only parry the women's slashing and thrusting attacks with his long spear, daring not to retaliate.
"Ren Yuanhao, aren't you always so capable? Fight back!"
Ren Yuanhao couldn't dare to fight back. Most of these women had shared life-and-death experiences with him, and vows they had made still echoed in his ears.
"Ziyuan! Have you found your father and brother? Wake up, say something!"
Ren Yuanhao blocked Ziyuan's saber, and Liu Furui then attacked with her sword.
"Furui, you once endured soul-crushing loneliness for me. I, Ren Yuanhao, am eternally grateful~"
Repelling Liu Furui's sword, Wang Xin then charged forward with her blade.
"Sister, your ink and mountains remain as they were. After this battle, I'll take you back to my home of painted mountains and flowing waters. Wake up!"
Ren Yuanhao dodged Wang Xin's sword, and Ji Fu behind him attacked with a cold, dancing sword.
"Ji Fu, we shared hot springs and endured life and death together. Must you also seek my death?"
"Hahahaha, truly a scumbag who's been promiscuous to the extreme. Hey, Ren Yuanhao, are you recounting your romantic conquests? Aren't you afraid of being laughed at!"
Jiang Cheng was like an audience member. This kind of revenge was more exhilarating and stimulating to him than cutting Ren Yuanhao's flesh inch by inch with a blade.
"What I experienced with them, how could someone like you, who has abandoned humanity, possibly understand?"
Ren Yuanhao pushed the women away, then suddenly transformed into a fierce wind, making the entire sky roar with the sound of gales!
"As long as I deal with you, all problems will be solved!"
Ren Yuanhao thrust the Thorn Spear into the dense clouds, and the Blazing Spear shot like a comet towards half of Jiang Cheng's face.
"Thorn Spear?" Half of Jiang Cheng's face still wore a cold smirk, as if this weapon before him was still pathetically fragile and unable to withstand a single blow.
Ren Yuanhao unleashed the ultimate move of the Blazing Spear – Fire Stab. The dense clouds were torn apart by the spear, lightning pierced the clouds, flames blazed like embers, fierce winds howled, creating a scene of apocalypse.
"Ren Yuanhao! After all this, do you think such moves are still useful against a god?"
"After all that has happened, the only thing I have learned and become certain of is that you only know the outcome by doing. Hesitation only gives your opponent time to think!"
Ren Yuanhao furiously circulated his fire-elemental true qi, and scorching heat rolled back with the wind. Jiang Cheng's bizarre face actually opened wide, completely swallowing the Thorn Spear into his belly!
The onlookers, while defending themselves, cried out in surprise.
They were not fools and naturally understood the terrifying power of Ren Yuanhao's strike. However, what was even more frightening was Jiang Cheng's crude, almost unreasonable method of counter-attack.
"Truly a monster. The world's greatest spear was swallowed by him like this!"
"Be careful, don't lose focus. These beauties are fighting with their lives, one slip and you'll be decapitated."
Some cultivators with considerable combat prowess joined the fray, alleviating the women's assault.
Ren Yuanhao stood proudly amidst the clouds, the dark clouds surging like wild horses, lightning flashing and dissipating, wind and thunder clashing. The immense roar even drowned out the muffled thunder.
"I told you, these child's play tricks are useless against me."
As Jiang Cheng spoke, his cheeks suddenly bulged, his entire face turning crimson. He opened his mouth wide, and the Thorn Spear was hurled at Ren Yuanhao like a fiery meteor. Air currents surged and swirled, wind whipped up dust, and the oppressive force was even more terrifying than the spear Ren Yuanhao had painstakingly thrust out!
Seeing this, everyone gasped in shock. The confidence they had painstakingly built shattered in an instant.
"He just spat it out casually, and it possesses such power. This is on a completely different level, how can we fight?"
"I have a feeling that monster is still playing, not exerting himself at all. Can we really... can we really defeat such a monster?"
As they spoke, the massive fiery meteor began to descend towards the ground. Ren Yuanhao's relatives had already been taken to the rear for treatment by the cultivators. However, seeing this scene, their faces turned pale. Although they couldn't understand what was happening, the once bullied Ren Yuanhao seemed to be striving to fulfill the mission of establishing peace for the people and bringing stability to the world, and their faces were still filled with hope.
But that fireball was far beyond their comprehension.
Could Ren Yuanhao block it?
Ren Yuanhao drew the Wuji Blade. The scorching aura was already upon him. If he didn't intercept this attack in mid-air, it would inevitably harm innocent bystanders.
With this thought, he furiously circulated his true qi, pushing his wind elemental ability to the extreme. The fiery meteor's speed instantly stalled. Ren Yuanhao, using the wind's momentum, directly grasped the Thorn Spear within the flames. The fire, drawing on the wind's force, recoiled upwards, its momentum no less imposing than the fiery meteor's previous power!
"Using their strength against them!"
"Well done!"
Everyone cheered with delight, but in the next second, all their expressions turned grim once more.
Jiang Cheng extended a giant hand from the dense clouds, easily seizing the Thorn Spear. "Ren Yuanhao, if this is all you've got, I'll be disappointed."
Jiang Cheng's giant hand was still covered in small bumps. These bumps were undoubtedly the mutated live Mandalas he had devoured, or the strange power brought by cloned cells.
"Forget it, seeing you struggle like this, I guess the stimulation isn't enough. In that case, I'll just have to kill your little girlfriends one by one!"
"You dare!"
"Hmph, isn't that all a weakling can say? Look at this."
Jiang Cheng casually waved his hand, and a piece of paper filled with names appeared in the sky. "Go on, who should I start with? How about someone we know?"
Without waiting for Ren Yuanhao's reply, Jiang Cheng directly raised his hand and struck through Yang Lingxue's name!
"Yang Lingxue, deprived!"