Luoshui Lake.
"This is..."
Seeing Shi Xiaoyuan's transformation, Jiang Ning was momentarily stunned.
At this moment, Shi Xiaoyuan's body had undergone a dramatic change.
He now stood over seven and a half feet tall, his muscles bulging grotesquely, turning him into a monstrous figure.
His arms were as thick as barrels, his skin a purplish hue, with veins like black tree roots spreading across his body, exuding an eerie sense of oppression.
He looked more like a monster, a demon, than a human.
Meanwhile...
Shi Xiaoyuan felt an overwhelming surge of power coursing through his body. He had never felt this strong before, and his confidence soared.
This transformation made him grin, his white teeth gleaming in the dim underwater light.
The White Dragon Fish, seeing this, also showed a human-like expression of surprise.
In the next moment, Shi Xiaoyuan moved.
His speed increased dramatically, more than doubling.
The water, which had once been a hindrance, now seemed to aid his movements.
The sudden burst of speed caught the White Dragon Fish off guard. By the time it reacted, Shi Xiaoyuan had closed the distance to within ten feet.
At this range, even underwater, Shi Xiaoyuan could strike in an instant.
His arm span alone was over five feet, and the blade in his hand was longer, thicker, and heavier than usual, measuring over four feet.
This distance instantly put the White Dragon Fish on high alert.
It flicked its tail, turning into a white streak as it tried to put distance between itself and Shi Xiaoyuan.
"Too late!" Shi Xiaoyuan said.
With a swing of his blade, the water parted, creating a vacuum-like path in the deep water.
The strike was as fast as lightning.
Clang
The sound of metal clashing echoed through the water.
Sparks flew, briefly illuminating the dark cabin.
At the same time, outside the cabin...
Jiang Ning felt the vibrations from the water.
"So strong!" Jiang Ning thought.
This strike completely overturned his previous assessment of Shi Xiaoyuan.
The power Shi Xiaoyuan was displaying now made Jiang Ning feel that even he might not be able to match it.
This level of strength was far beyond what an ordinary eighth-grade Divine Strength realm martial artist could achieve.
If Tian Buyi had been able to unleash such power back then, a single punch would have incapacitated Jiang Ning.
There was no way Tian Buyi would have met such a humiliating end.
But clearly, Shi Xiaoyuan's current state wasn't normal.
His sudden transformation and the power he was displaying were highly suspicious.
In terms of strength, Tian Buyi, an eighth-grade Divine Strength realm expert, had been stronger than Shi Xiaoyuan.
After all, Tian Buyi had earned the nickname "River Dragon."
Someone with a nickname like that couldn't be weak.
Moreover, Tian Buyi had managed to evade the Medicine King Valley's pursuit for so long.
And the pursuers from the Medicine King Valley included a seventh-grade martial artist.
Meanwhile...
The White Dragon Fish was sent flying by the strike, blood spraying from its wound and mixing with the water.
"Such tough scales!" Shi Xiaoyuan sneered.
As he spoke, he didn't stop moving.
The water, which had once been an obstacle, now felt like solid ground to him.
With a step, the water beneath his feet exploded, propelling him toward the White Dragon Fish.
At this moment, the White Dragon Fish's eyes showed a human-like fear.
It sensed extreme danger.
I regretted making such a risky move.
In the next moment...
"Trying to run?" Shi Xiaoyuan's voice rang out.
The White Dragon Fish had just stabilized itself and was about to dart away when it felt its tail caught in a powerful grip.
The immense strength in that grip filled it with terror.
Once caught, there was no escape.
Hiss
A powerful hiss escaped the White Dragon Fish's mouth.
Then, its slender body suddenly unleashed a burst of strength as it tried to break free from Shi Xiaoyuan's grasp.
But in the next moment...
Boom
Shi Xiaoyuan slammed the White Dragon Fish into the cabin wall, shattering the wooden planks.
The struggling in his grip weakened slightly.
Then, holding the White Dragon Fish by its tail, Shi Xiaoyuan charged out of the cabin, swinging the fish like a massive whip, smashing everything in his path.
Boom
Boom
Boom
Wood splintered, and the water churned, stirring up the sediment.
In an instant, the cabin was filled with murky water.
"It seems I won't be playing the fisherman today," Jiang Ning chuckled.
The situation was clear. Although the White Dragon Fish was stronger than expected, Shi Xiaoyuan's transformation had given him the upper hand.
With the White Dragon Fish now in Shi Xiaoyuan's grasp, it had lost its speed and agility, leaving it to rely on brute strength.
But how could it match Shi Xiaoyuan's newfound power?
Boom
Another loud crash.
Shi Xiaoyuan burst out of the shipwreck, still holding the White Dragon Fish.
In Shi Xiaoyuan's monstrous form, the White Dragon Fish, which had once seemed long, now looked like a thick, white whip.
At this moment...
Hum
A dragon's roar echoed, and a white blade light flashed in the dark cabin.
"You..." Shi Xiaoyuan's sneer turned to shock.
In that instant, his right leg stomped down, sinking deep into the soft sediment.
His forward momentum came to an abrupt halt, and his body leaned backward.
But Jiang Ning's blade was incredibly fast.
Even in the deep water, with the resistance of the lake, the horizontal slash was swift and precise, like a flash of lightning.
This strike had been building up, and now it was aimed at taking Shi Xiaoyuan's life.
If it landed, Shi Xiaoyuan would die on the spot.
In the next moment...
Slash
The blade cut into flesh.
Even though Shi Xiaoyuan was a powerful eighth-grade Divine Strength realm expert, and his current monstrous form had increased his strength several times over, his skin, tougher than bronze, was no match for Jiang Ning's blade.
The blade sliced through his chest as easily as cutting through tofu.
Dark red blood sprayed from his chest, gradually staining the surrounding water.
"It's you..." Shi Xiaoyuan spoke slowly, seemingly unable to believe what he was seeing.
At the same time, Jiang Ning was also in disbelief.
Because even with Shi Xiaoyuan's desperate dodge, the blade had still cut through nearly half of his chest.
Such an injury would kill an ordinary person in moments.
But Shi Xiaoyuan wasn't dying.
From the nearly severed wound, flesh began to grow, rapidly healing the injury.
At the same time, the bleeding stopped.
After two breaths...
"Can't believe it, can you?" Shi Xiaoyuan grinned.
Jiang Ning asked, "What kind of monster are you?"
Shi Xiaoyuan pretended to think for a moment before slowly replying, "This is a divine blessing from the great god!"
"Divine blessing?" Jiang Ning looked puzzled.
He knew Shi Xiaoyuan was stalling for time.
Even though Shi Xiaoyuan's wound was healing rapidly, the injury Jiang Ning had inflicted was severe.
Half of his chest had nearly been severed.
Such an injury would be fatal to an ordinary person.
Even for a monster like Shi Xiaoyuan, it was a serious wound.
No matter what method he used, healing such an injury wouldn't be easy.
So Shi Xiaoyuan was buying time to recover.
But Jiang Ning played along.
He was confident that even if Shi Xiaoyuan fully recovered, he could still deliver a fatal blow.
This confidence came not only from his strength but also from the fact that they were deep underwater.
[Skill]: Water Affinity (First Breakthrough 1693/2000) (Trait: Underwater Breathing)
After breaking through, his Water Affinity skill allowed him to move through water as if he were on land, able to unleash his full strength.
For someone like Shi Xiaoyuan, being underwater limited him to only 30-50% of his land-based strength.
With such a gap, Jiang Ning had no fear.
Moreover, he was genuinely curious about Shi Xiaoyuan's current state.
Especially the rapid healing ability, which filled him with envy.
Having such a skill would be an incredible lifesaver.
At this moment, facing Jiang Ning's question, Shi Xiaoyuan, to buy time, said, "Have you heard of the God Worship Cult?"
"Of course," Jiang Ning replied.
Shi Xiaoyuan nodded slowly. "Since you've heard of it, let me tell you more. The God Worship Cult worships the Flesh God."
"By joining the cult and devoutly worshiping the Flesh God, one can receive divine blessings."
"But..." Shi Xiaoyuan paused, looking at Jiang Ning.
Then he continued, "To receive a blessing like mine, you need to offer the Flesh God's favorite sacrifice. By offering the sacrifice, you can receive a precious divine blessing."
Hearing this, Jiang Ning began to understand.
The God Worship Cult had been active in the outer city of Luoshui County for some time.
It had many followers.
Since Jiang Ning rarely visited the outer city, he hadn't had much interaction with the cult.
But he knew the cult worshiped a so-called evil god.
If it was an evil god, what kind of blessing could it possibly offer?
Moreover, Shi Xiaoyuan now looked like a complete monster.
This further proved that the divine blessing wasn't something good.
But Jiang Ning still asked the question he wanted answered.
He remembered how, when he first arrived in this world, he had absorbed the memories of his predecessor and learned the reason for the attack.
The God Worship Cult.
The naturally gifted.
And the words his predecessor had heard before losing consciousness.
"We've found another naturally gifted soul. Capturing this soul will surely earn us the divine envoy's blessing!"
From Jiang Ning's perspective, it was because of this that his predecessor had been attacked.
So now Jiang Ning asked, "What is the sacrifice?"
Shi Xiaoyuan replied, "I can tell you this secret, the secret of the Flesh God's sacrifice. But in exchange, you must let me go."
"Speak," Jiang Ning said.
"The most precious sacrifice is the soul of a naturally gifted individual," Shi Xiaoyuan said slowly.
"So that's it," Jiang Ning nodded.
Hearing this, he knew Shi Xiaoyuan wasn't lying.
Because Shi Xiaoyuan's explanation matched what Jiang Ning already knew.
He was a naturally gifted individual.
His predecessor had been targeted by a member of the God Worship Cult for this reason.
Because the soul of a naturally gifted individual was the most precious sacrifice to the Flesh God.
"So, you received this divine blessing because you offered the soul of a naturally gifted individual?" Jiang Ning asked.
"Exactly!" Shi Xiaoyuan nodded slowly. "This ability of mine comes from the divine blessing of the Flesh God."
"If you want this ability, you can join the God Worship Cult. Just offer the soul of a naturally gifted individual, and you can receive a blessing like mine."
Then Shi Xiaoyuan said, "I've told you everything. Can I go now?"
Jiang Ning glanced at the White Dragon Fish in Shi Xiaoyuan's hand.
The fish now hung limply, as if dead.
He smiled. "What do you think?"
"I knew you wouldn't keep your word," Shi Xiaoyuan sneered.
Then his eyes burned with greed as he looked at Jiang Ning.
This was his first time experiencing the healing power of his transformation.
The effect was astonishingly strong, far beyond his expectations.
What would have been a fatal injury for an ordinary person had nearly healed in the short time they had been talking.
The external wound had completely closed, and the internal injuries were rapidly healing.
This miraculous effect made him even more eager for the Flesh God's blessings.
If one blessing had such an effect, what would two do?
Where could he find the second sacrifice? Right in front of him.
This thought consumed Shi Xiaoyuan's mind, leaving no room for anything else.
In the next moment...
Roar
With a roar, Shi Xiaoyuan charged at Jiang Ning, still holding the White Dragon Fish.
"How dare he?" Jiang Ning thought, surprised.
After nearly being killed by Jiang Ning's blade, Shi Xiaoyuan was still charging straight at him.
"Is he out of his mind?" Jiang Ning wondered.
-support me on Patreon for more chapters, 410+ chapters in there
patreon.com/LordoftheReader