Li Weiyi’s ears caught the slightest sound—a trio of slow and light footsteps, creeping closer from within the Graveyard Forest. However, a gigantic mound of graves, about seven or eight meters high, blocked their sight from one another. The three moved with extreme caution, their steps entirely different from those of ordinary walkers.
As a result, Li Weiyi could not judge their identities merely by the sound of their steps. If he misjudged and failed to kill Chen Hong in time, the rifle in Chen Hong’s hand would pose a fatal threat to him. In the impending confrontation, it wasn’t just speed that mattered—it had to be done with utmost caution.
At his position, Xie Jin could just catch sight of Chen Hong and his two companions slowly advancing from the right-hand side of the Graveyard Forest. His gaze involuntarily turned that way as he silently sighed; Li Weiyi was far too cautious, and had not caught up.
Had Li Weiyi approached, he would already have been dead under Chen Hong’s gunfire. Chen Hong shook his head at Xie Jin, gesturing with his hand, urging him to lure Li Weiyi over. Xie Jin understood instantly and then put on an air of arrogant defiance: “Li Weiyi, today you’ve gone too far—I admit defeat.
But Doctor Cai is in my hands. Let’s go; with him as our hostage, none of them will dare do anything to us.” Xie Jin and the security member armed with an electro-shock gun dashed toward the direction where Chen Hong and his two companions were, believing that this would lure Li Weiyi right into their line of fire.
Chen Hong gripped his rifle tightly. With the butt resting on his shoulder, he aimed ahead. Li Weiyi, of course, would not fall into their trap; instead, he seized this rare opportunity and charged at top speed up the seven to eight meter high grave mound.
In an instant, he had a clear view of the five people behind the mound. At the sound, Chen Hong quickly turned his gun and glared up at the top of the mound. The Yellow Dragon Sword had already been thrown.
The sword cut through the wind with a piercing, grating clang.
“Bang!”
The tip of the sword struck Chen Hong in the chest. It was as if a steel rod had been thrust into him. Chen Hong felt a searing pain in his chest, his body staggering backward as his rifle almost slipped out of his hands.
Because he wore a corpse robe reinforced with soft armor, the Yellow Dragon Sword did not fully pierce his chest, and his injuries were not too severe. After throwing the sword, Li Weiyi leaped from the top of the mound onto a tombstone about three meters high, then jumped down, his foot landing squarely on Chen Hong’s face.
Chen Hong rapidly rolled aside to dodge. Li Weiyi followed in pursuit, his palm slicing like a horizontal blade, the sleeve’s wind cutting through the air, aiming straight for Chen Hong’s neck. It was all so fast that Chen Hong did not have time to aim; he raised his gun in defense.
“Bang!”
Li Weiyi’s palm struck the gunstock with the force of a heavy hammer, sending it recoiling into Chen Hong’s neck—nearly crushing his throat. Chen Hong’s throat throbbed with painful, metallic taste. His eyes bulged open in terror.
Just as he was about to counterattack… a hoarse, agonized cry burst forth from his mouth. It turned out that Li Weiyi had twisted the arm holding the rifle until it snapped, and then hurled him aside. His head smacked against a tombstone with a dull thump.
Chopping, grappling, twisting until breaking, then throwing him aside… The entire sequence of movements flowed as smoothly as a stream. Li Weiyi picked up the rifle, his steps steady as he advanced.
Using its stock, he smashed Chen Hong’s knees and legs to pieces so that he could never stand again.
Clang, clang!
Somewhere deep within the Graveyard Forest, a sound resembling camel bells could be faintly heard. In Li Weiyi’s eyes, sparks of blood shimmered as countless urging voices echoed in his ears, coaxing him to smash Chen Hong into pulp. With the stock of the rifle suspended above Chen Hong’s terrified eyes, Li Weiyi finally reined himself in—reason triumphing over emotion.
To harness the act of killing for self-preservation, rather than letting killing control and destroy him. Even if he had to kill, he would leave it for his senior brother. Amid Chen Hong’s series of agonized screams, the other four were so frightened that their hearts nearly burst and they all fled in panic.
The college student was just too ruthless—his methods were vicious, almost demonic. Li Weiyi directly fired his rifle.
“Bang! Bang! Bang!”
The three remaining bullets in the rifle took out the slowest of the security member with the electro-shock gun. After discarding the rifle, Li Weiyi did not pursue the three who had already vanished into the Nether Fog. The deck of the Bronze Ship was so vast—where could they possibly escape to?
Without a gun, they posed no threat to him. On the other hand, the situation here was infinitely more complex. If Li Weiyi were to chase after them, someone might seize the opportunity to flank him.
The consequences would be unthinkable. Li Weiyi then picked up the bloodstained sword emanating a cold light in one hand, dragging Chen Hong’s leg with the other, and walked out from behind the grave mound. Seeing this, everyone on the deck heaved a sigh of relief.
Their hearts, once in knots, finally relaxed—Li Weiyi appeared as if a deity had descended. In front of him, even the most petty villains were nothing more than weak pests. The earlier gunshots had truly made them worry for Li Weiyi.
Xie Tianshu still lay in a pool of blood, repeatedly kicked by Gao Huan, writhing on the ground in pain. Xiao Lin seemed truly terrified, believing that Li Weiyi was no ordinary man and now invincible. He sat by the ship’s railing, barely daring to shift even a quiver like a quail.
After all, none of them were extraordinary beings—when bullying others they acted like ferocious beasts, but when death neared, they all shrank away like timid field mice.
“Save the venting for later. First, untie everyone!”
Li Weiyi said, then turned towards Zhao Meng to check on his senior brother’s injuries. Suddenly, from afar in the Nether Fog came the faint sound of a bullet being chambered. It was very subtle, but it did not escape Li Weiyi’s ears.
Without a second thought, almost on instinct, Li Weiyi ducked low and rolled, then dashed towards the distant medical shelter for cover.
“Bang!”
The gunshot thundered like a clap of lightning. Had Li Weiyi’s reaction not been quick enough, that shot might have left a bowl-sized wound of blood right near his waist or abdomen. Sitting on the ground, Xiao Lin suffered an innocent calamity—his head exploded, transforming into a puddle of bloody mush smeared against the ship’s railing.
On the deck, chaotic screams immediately erupted. Gao Huan, who had been untying the ropes of the scientific team members, crouched in fright at the sound, too scared to move as he peered into the Nether Fog.
“Rat-a-tat!”
A flood of footsteps approached steadily from afar. Within the Nether Fog, the six members of Laboratory 705 gradually emerged into clear view. Leading the charge was Han Qin, a hulking man close to two meters tall, who stepped forward and chambered his gun once more, his aim fixed on the direction of the medical shelter.
As soon as Li Weiyi showed himself, Han Qin was determined to end him with one shot. Gradually, everyone recovered from their shock. One scientific team member asked in confusion, “Director Yang, what are you planning to do?
Isn’t Li Little Brother the one who saved us?” Director Yang, dressed in a Zhongshan suit, replied in a calm tone, “Do you think you understand why he’s so formidable? A gun weighing hundreds of jin is casually lifted by him.
His speed is so un-human. He must have ingested the Buddha’s Relic – it is the power of the Buddha’s Relic that elevates his mortal body to something extraordinary.” At that moment, the scientific team members with their hands bound suddenly awakened with understanding.
The bespectacled middle-aged woman from Laboratory 705 said, “He’s been deceiving everyone all along, claiming that the Buddha’s Relic wasn’t on him. How can a person like that be trusted?” Director Yang added, “Only by retrieving the Buddha’s Relic can we even hope to have the Bronze Ship turn around and return to Earth.
Don’t you all want to go back?” Li Weiyi’s voice then rang out from behind the medical shelter, “That’s right. The Buddha’s Relic is in my possession, but it has no control over the Bronze Ship.
Director, isn’t it you who wishes to ingest the relic to gain extraordinary power? Let me tell you—the strength I wield does not come from that relic.” Not wanting to embroil himself in a war of words with Li Weiyi, Director Yang said, “I’ll count to three.
If you willingly hand over the Buddha’s Relic, I promise by my honor that nothing will be held against you; we’ll work together to figure out how to survive in this strange, ghostly wasteland.”
“If you choose to act on your own, then you bear the consequences alone.”
Qi Shanshan, a little concerned that Li Weiyi’s youth might mean he’d be deceived by Director Yang, smiled and said, “If he doesn’t show himself, Director, then I’m afraid you won’t be able to do anything about him.” Director Yang glanced at Qi Shanshan, who was standing alone by the ship’s railing not far away.
He couldn’t understand where this “Doctor Qi” had gotten the nerve to oppose them in such a perilous situation. Staring fixedly at Qi Shanshan, Director Yang spoke coldly, “After all, their bond as senior brothers runs deep. If he does not appear, then his senior brother is lying there on the ground.”
Han Qin then aimed his gun at Zhao Meng, who lay on the ground.
“One!”
“Two!”
Not giving Li Weiyi much time for thought, Director Yang’s counting was rapid: “Three…” At the very instant Director Yang shouted “Three,” Qi Shanshan’s eyes narrowed. Without hesitation, she tore off the cross pendant hanging around her neck and hurled it outward.
This was an immortal object taken from a desiccated, skeletal human! With a clear “ding” sound, the pendant smashed down at Han Qin’s feet. It seemed to contain some secret power waiting to be activated.
The moment it struck the ground, it erupted in a dazzling white radiance, driving away the surrounding Nether Fog entirely. Qi Shanshan had been certain that given Li Weiyi’s character, after Director Yang counted “three” he would either take action or surrender.
She refused to allow Li Weiyi to be defeated by the six members of Laboratory 705, and so she took the risk to lend a hand. Moreover, Qi Shanshan had just witnessed Li Weiyi’s prowess firsthand—not only his martial strength, but also his keen and intuitive ability to seize and exploit opportunities. He was undoubtedly going to grab this chance!
Just as Qi Shanshan had predicted, as soon as Director Yang shouted “Three,” Li Weiyi’s voice rang out, “So you just want the Buddha’s Relic? I’ll give it to you.” With a ghost-like leap, Li Weiyi jumped onto the top of the medical shelter.
The scalding energy in his body surged toward his arms. Like throwing a flying knife, he hurled the Dao Ancestor Taiji Fish, which whistled as it cut through the wind, straight toward Han Qin, who was thirty meters away.
Han Qin was about to fire his gun, but suddenly white light erupted under his feet, blinding his eyes in that brief instant. In that moment, the Dao Ancestor Taiji Fish hit him square on the head. Li Weiyi’s strength was incredible—even a thrown pebble from him could kill.
The bones on Han Qin’s forehead shattered; his eyes went dark, and weakly he collapsed to the ground.
“Splash!”
Li Weiyi then leaped down from the medical shelter. His feet pounded the deck as swiftly as wild horses, intending to strike before the members of Laboratory 705 could pick up their guns again. Except for the bespectacled middle-aged woman, the other four were no younglings, yet their responses were extremely swift.
One of them quickly picked up a shotgun. At that moment, Li Weiyi was still about ten meters away.
“Schhhk!”
Anticipating the move, Li Weiyi had already thrown the Yellow Dragon Sword. It sailed through the air and pierced right through the chest of that person. A cry of agony mixed with the sound of the shotgun clattering to the ground rang out simultaneously.
“I’ll block him!”
Director Yang remained calm, his aged face growing grim and gloomy as he raised his arm, revealing the Three-Headed Snake Bracelet adorning his wrist. Its design was unmistakable—a metal snake with three heads, coiled around what looked like a piece of blood jade. Yet again, another immortal artifact!
Using a small knife, Director Yang cut open his wrist. When the blood flowed, it did not simply drop to the ground but seeped into the blood-jade-like bracelet. In response, the bracelet erupted with a glitter of blood light as the metallic snake seemed to come “alive.”
Meanwhile, Director Yang’s body began to wither away from the massive blood loss, as if he had aged ten years in an instant.
“Did you really need so much blood?”
In previous attempts, a small amount of blood would cause the bracelet to react. Now it was too late to regret it.
(End of Chapter)