So this… is what I look like right now?
A swarm of semi-transparent worms, each adorned with twelve translucent rings, formed the shape of clock hands, floating upon a semi-transparent clock face.
This was the embodiment of the "worm that gnaws at time" — the clock face itself wasn't physical, but rather a manifestation of the essence of time, shaped into form under the power of the Thief pathway.
This was the power Nan Fusheng had forcibly drawn forth by borrowing the authority of the Source Castle.
"Phew… let's end this quickly. Though… looks like I don't even need to make a move anymore."
Nan Fusheng glanced at the four people screaming in agony before him. After witnessing his Mythical Creature Form, their minds were being forcefully stuffed with countless fragments of alien knowledge. Even if he didn't attack, they were unlikely to survive for long, and if they did, insanity would claim them.
The Mythical Creature Form — a power only available to those who had reached Sequence 4, becoming "half-human, half-god."
It was somewhat akin to the "unspeakable gods" of Cthulhu myths: beings that cannot be looked upon. Those who saw them — unless of equal rank—would have their minds overloaded and broken by the flood of incomprehensible knowledge.
It was worth noting that even though Sequence 4 could use the Mythical Creature Form, it was incomplete.
Only upon reaching Sequence 2 could one display the form in its entirety, which was why Sequence 4 was called "Half-God."
But Nan Fusheng, by using the Source Castle and his uniqueness, was now wielding the complete form, though he couldn't maintain it for long.
Looking at the four writhing in pain, the semi-transparent clock face behind him began to turn its hands. A nameless wave pulsed outward, sweeping over their bodies, then stretching further into the distance.
"Ugh…"
As the wave passed through them, the four seemed about to speak, but before any words could leave their mouths, their bodies began to wither and decay at terrifying speed — until they crumbled into nothing but dust.
Left behind was a single semi-transparent worm with twelve translucent rings. Nan Fusheng beckoned, and four such worms returned to his body.
From farther away, streams of light approached. Looking closely, they were all Time Worms — densely packed, numbering at least in the hundreds.
Nan Fusheng gathered them, drawing them into himself, then quickly used the abilities of the Door pathway to seal away the life force and pure spiritual power they carried.
The Door pathway was not only about space manipulation — recording, sealing, and many other abilities were part of its arsenal.
After sealing the gathered life force, Nan Fusheng exhaled slowly and withdrew from his Mythical Creature Form.
"Ugh… my head's spinning… I think I'm going to puke."
He collapsed onto the ground, gasping for air, savoring the rare sensation of utter weakness. This time, he had overused his strength. Still, it was his first time wielding power so far beyond his own — it was easy to get carried away.
He had just tapped into Sequence 1-level power — no wonder he was dizzy. But the harvest was enormous.
First, there was the thick life force and pure spiritual energy, not only from the evil soul masters but also from the passengers on the Soul Guidance Train.
Of course, he hadn't killed all of them — he'd deliberately spared a few dozen. Otherwise, if an entire train was attacked and only he survived, even if people didn't suspect him outright, endless questioning would be unavoidable.
Besides, without his intervention, those passengers would almost certainly have been slaughtered by the evil soul masters anyway.
Now, with dozens of survivors, they'd probably be grateful to him. But Nan Fusheng wasn't the type to take credit for good deeds — he wouldn't tell them.
Secondly, there was the soul power left behind by the slain soul masters, all filtered clean by his Time Worms.
When using the Thief pathway's Sequence 1 ability, "Time Worm," Nan Fusheng had first sent countless worms to parasitize his targets. Upon their death, their soul power, spiritual power, life force, and more would be absorbed and purified by the worms, then transferred to him.
He had also gleaned the memories of the two Soul Sages and two Soul Emperors, learning the truth behind this ambush.
From the evil soul masters' side, their target was indeed Soul Emperor Fu Huaian.
But as for why, they didn't know — it was simply an order from above. Even the Soul Sage known as "Scorpion" had no idea of the real reason.
From their memories, Nan Fusheng also learned something interesting: these evil soul masters were part of a hidden assassin organization, used as "black gloves" by certain people.
Dirty work was handed to them, and if things went wrong, they'd be abandoned. Even if they were caught, who would believe the words of an evil soul master?
For the evil soul masters, it was a win-win — they got to kill for cultivation, and they earned extra income. Evil soul masters needed money too, after all.
The organization was extremely secretive — members rarely contacted each other. Only the higher-ups knew their identities, and they only reached out when there was work. This greatly reduced the risk of exposure.
As for Fu Huaian, there was nothing particularly special. He had graduated from Shrek Academy's outer court but hadn't made it into the inner court. Even his graduation had been barely up to standard.
After graduation, he returned to his hometown. A Shrek Academy diploma was a "golden credential," so he joined the city guard of Rising Sun City. After some effort, he became the deputy head of the city's Finance Department, responsible for goods sold outside the city.
Because of his Shrek Academy background, he also handled Rising Sun City's supply of rare resources to the Academy.
This trip to Sun-Moon City was just for leisure — he hadn't expected to encounter an attack from evil soul masters, let alone one led by a Soul Sage. Luckily, his good friend — that muscle-bound man — was with him.
Then, in the chaos, they ran into Nan Fusheng… and their fates took a turn.
"The target was Fu Huaian, and he just happens to be in charge of trade with Shrek Academy… That's no coincidence."
Nan Fusheng's mind turned to the future event when Shrek Academy and the Tang Sect would be devastated by a God-Killing Soul Guidance Cannon — an attack in which many evil soul masters had somehow infiltrated as well.
How had they gotten inside? It couldn't have been in one massive group — otherwise, they'd have been instantly targeted and eliminated, and the Federation, Tang Sect, and Shrek would have been on full alert.
…Forget it. His head was still swimming. No point overthinking for now — this harvest was more than enough.