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*****
"Since I'm in a good mood today, I'll give you one last chance—leave!"
Having just acquired the Heaven-Demon Incantation of Self-Transcendence from his soul search, George waved his hand again.
Normally, in his view, anyone foolish enough to attack him had already chosen the path of death. But because he had unexpectedly gained such a powerful incantation, he was willing, for once, to spare their lives.
The Heaven-Demon Incantation was useless against those with calm, content hearts, but for people burdened with greed and desire, it was devastating. The more ambitious, the more covetous, the more easily they would be dragged into illusion.
"Die!"
The instant George finished speaking, a massive figure plummeted from the sky, spewing a great spray of highly corrosive mucus straight at him.
The others, seeing this, suddenly rekindled hope and rushed in to attack once more.
"If you insist on courting death, then so be it."
In that moment, George's body erupted with endless lightning. The searing thunder instantly evaporated the mucus and enveloped all who dared attack him.
In less than a second, six of the eight were reduced to charred husks.
Even Tao Shanggong, famed for his defensive golden skin, lasted only a heartbeat longer before his body was pierced and destroyed on the spot.
The one who held out the longest was the mucus-spewing figure.
Just before his body was burned to ash, he snatched up Tao Shanggong's corpse and devoured it whole with a surge of strange qi.
By consuming Tao Shanggong, his scorched flesh regenerated rapidly, allowing him to barely escape the range of the lightning.
"Old Wang… why…?"
By this time, Ruan Feng had shaken off the illusion. Using the Six Vaulted Immortal Thieves, he restored his body and purged the venom. But when he looked upon the man who had survived the lightning, his voice was filled with disbelief.
In his impression, Old Wang had always been the kind of man who idled away his days in gluttony and laziness—someone whose temperament suited him, but who had no real strength.
It was out of concern for Old Wang's weakness that he had passed on the Six Vaulted Immortal Thieves to him in the first place, thinking it would at least keep the man alive.
By his estimation, Old Wang's level in the technique should have been just enough to stave off hunger, nothing more.
Yet just now, Old Wang had erupted with power nearly equal to his own, clearly having cultivated the technique to frightening heights.
Worse still, the fact that Old Wang had cooperated with the outsiders revealed the bitter truth—they were in league together.
And finally, Old Wang… had eaten a man.
Not only that, he had done so with ease, without the slightest struggle or disgust. His expression showed familiarity, even comfort, as though this was far from his first time.
It made sense now. Without consuming human flesh through the Six Vaulted Immortal Thieves, how could Old Wang have attained such strength in under three years—strength only slightly below his own?
He himself, the creator of the art, had trained for seventy long years to achieve his current level.
"Seventeen, oh Seventeen, do you still not understand? Becoming your friend and finding your weakness—that was my true purpose in coming to this island. And these people? I was the one who summoned them here."
Now fully exposed, Wang Guoping no longer bothered to hide his motives.
"I hadn't expected this interloper to interfere, but no matter. I'll devour him first, then we can have our proper conversation."
Three years on the island had not given him any knowledge of George's true identity or strength. Though the lightning had nearly killed him, he refused to give in so easily.
The Six Vaulted Immortal Thieves' greatest strength lay in its stubborn vitality. Even if he had to exhaust himself, he believed his regenerative power would allow him to slowly wear George down. Once the intruder fell, he could focus on subduing Ruan Feng.
After three years together, he knew Ruan Feng's weaknesses inside and out. With words alone, without fighting, he could persuade him to surrender.
Wang Guoping channeled the Six Vaulted Immortal Thieves to its utmost. From his body surged a terrible qi, spreading toward George. Everything it touched was drained of life and crumbled into black ash.
"You like to eat so much? Then I'll let you eat your fill."
George neither dodged nor resisted. Instead, he laughed, extended his hand, and thrust it into the tide of deathly qi. Then, of his own accord, he poured his boundless vitality into it.
"I've never tasted qi so delicious!"
The moment Wang Guoping absorbed George's vitality, his eyes lit up in ecstasy. It was as if he had tasted the finest delicacy under heaven, his very soul soaring with delight.
The Six Vaulted Immortal Thieves drew different results from different sources. Plants and trees offered the weakest gains, beasts somewhat better, while humans—and especially Outsiders—were the most nourishing of all.
He had often gone to the market not for food, but for prey.
On Nassen Island, three factions ruled:
The orthodox natives, with a thousand-year legacy, worshippers of the Divine Tree, loyal to the King, governed by nine Guardians who protected the people.
The northern market, a neutral zone where wanderers and vagabonds gathered—a den of scoundrels, where betrayal and murder were daily fare.
The southern Paradise, a haven for criminals, ruled by the infamous American Outsider, Inverted.
The true islanders were untouchable—any harm to them meant pursuit by the Guardians, who could teleport anywhere instantly, with the King himself watching over the entire isle. That was suicide.
Paradise was worse, its criminals overwhelmingly strong, its leader Inverted a terrifying monster—far beyond Wang Guoping's reach, especially in his early days.
Only the market was safe. There, the strong preyed on the weak, and deaths went unnoticed.
It was there that Wang Guoping hunted and devoured Outsiders one after another, slowly accumulating the power he now wielded.
"So delicious… so delicious! More! I want more—more—!"
George's vitality was of such unimaginable quality that Wang Guoping felt as though he were ascending to the heavens. He devoured without pause, losing all reason to insatiable hunger.
In theory, the "Double Healing Hands" of Qu Tong had stabilized his mind, keeping him rational enough to complete his mission.
But now, George's life force was too exquisite, too overwhelming. The side effects of the Six Vaulted Immortal Thieves had broken past the treatment's limits.
His body swelled grotesquely as the endless vitality surged within him. Even with the art running at full capacity, he could not digest it all.
Reason told him to stop. But his devouring instincts would not allow it. And George, far from relenting, kept pouring vitality into him.
"AAAHHHH!!!"
Wang Guoping's body ballooned to its limit. At last, unable to withstand the torrent of life energy, he let out a bloodcurdling scream—
—and exploded.
"BOOM!"
The blast was like a missile detonation. Ruan Feng, standing nearby, was struck dumb with shock.
(End of Chapter)