After the dust and smoke settled.

A crater several meters wide, like one left by a meteorite, had formed in the center. Of the Golden Bell-shrouded Mao Ba, only his lolling head remained visible; the rest of him was buried inside!

The might of a single punch was this terrifying!

This was the Power that came from fully unlocking the body’s potential after stepping into the Heroic Domain!

Within his Steel Body, all of his organs, muscles, and microscopic tissues tensed, the countless threads of their kinetic energy twisting into a single, unified force!

If the power of a normal Harmonizing Force was a high-explosive bomb, then the force Wu Dao unleashed with every punch and kick after becoming a Hero was comparable to a small missile strike!

"Gwah..."

Mao Ba, who had yet to fully recover, took the hit. Even with the protection of the Golden Bell Talisman, he still coughed up a huge mouthful of hot blood, feeling as if the shockwave had shattered his internal organs!

CRACK! CRACK!

But what terrified Mao Ba even more was the sound of the Golden Bell cracking by his ears.

Just one punch!

A single punch had broken the Golden Bell Talisman, something even an expert at the peak of Harmonizing Force would struggle to break with their full strength!

This proved one thing beyond a doubt—

Wu Dao truly stood in the realm of the Second Rebirth!

’Danger! Danger! DANGER!!’

An endless aura of death flooded his mind.

This was absolute suppression by sheer power!

Any scheme would be rendered meaningless!

But.

A sliver of hope remained in Mao Ba’s heart.

’The most formidable aspect of the Golden Bell Talisman isn’t its defense!’

’After all, once the turtle shell shatters, death is still death.’

’The Talisman’s greatest strength is its ability to turn an enemy’s attack back on them! When the Talisman reaches its breaking point, all the power it has absorbed will be reflected back at the attacker!’

Mao Ba was gambling!

He was betting that Wu Dao wouldn’t notice anything strange about the Golden Bell Talisman!

A pity!

His gamble failed this time!

After reaching the Micro Level, a person’s Essence, Qi, and Spirit connected with the world. Within one’s personal domain, the slightest change was as loud and clear as a clap of thunder!

How could Wu Dao fail to notice the Golden Bell before him continuously condensing and gathering power, like an electromagnetic cannon about to fire?

The moment his next strike landed!

It would immediately explode!

But was it any use?

"A desperate struggle."

At this thought.

Wu Dao sneered and clenched his fist once more.

The flawless muscles across his body rippled like dragons and snakes, his internal organs tensed, and a vast power gathered before he brought down another earth-shattering Whale Hammer Technique! 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝕨𝕖𝗯𝚗𝚘𝕧𝕖𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝕞

BOOM!

The ground trembled again. The earth dragon turned over; after one layer was pulverized, countless more chunks of mud were thrown up. The compressed, raging airflow formed a gale that spread out, carrying dust that coated the surrounding dense forest in an earthen hue.

SHATTER!

The second punch!

Its power instantly exceeded the Golden Bell Talisman’s limit, and the talisman shattered with a deafening roar!

"Die!!"

In that same instant.

Mao Ba bellowed. With a flicker of his Spiritual Thoughts, the shattered Golden Bell reformed into a golden arrow, thick as a thumb, and shot toward Wu Dao’s head!

This arrow!

It contained the condensed power of two of Wu Dao’s "full-strength" blows.

And it was released in the span of a single thought!

Mao Ba refused to believe Wu Dao could dodge it!

However.

Did Wu Dao need to dodge?

Even though his Micro Level perception had long since detected it, he didn’t need to dodge at all!

CLANG!!

It was like an iron nail striking a steel plate!

The golden arrow pierced a layer of Wu Dao’s iron-like scalp but could not advance another inch. It stopped against the surface of his skull, which was as hard as high-grade steel, leaving only a negligible mark.

’Bones are the load-bearing beams for the body’s power!’

’A perfectly evolved Essence Devouring System naturally prioritizes the evolution of the skeleton for perfect control over Power!’

In that case.

How could a Heaven Stealer possibly be harmed by their own power?!

Unfortunately.

Mao Ba was completely unaware of this fact.

So self-righteous, so conceited!

"Are you done playing around?"

With a flicker of thought, Wu Dao’s damaged scalp writhed like a nest of wireworms and healed itself. He flashed a savage grin at Mao Ba, whose face was ashen with despair.

At this moment, Mao Ba had reached the end of his rope.

He was like a squishy mage who had used up all his spells, now facing a full-tank warrior who also possessed insane attack power.

All he could do was wait for death!

But he couldn’t accept it!

’I once dreamed of roaming the world with my sword. How can I fall right after stepping out the door?’

At this thought.

Clenching his teeth, Mao Ba resorted to his final tactic—

"Wait, if you kill me, in the future..."

THUD!

A giant foot stomped down, and the earth shook!

The large head burst open like a watermelon.

Mao Ba would never finish his sentence.

And so.

In the battle of Canyun Mountain.

Every participant!

Aside from Wu Dao, was now dead!

What happened in the mountains.

Would be forever buried here, known only to heaven, earth, and Wu Dao.

’No, wait!’

’Someone else knows!’

A vicious glint flashed in Wu Dao’s Black Gold eyes. He bent his legs, kicked off the ground with explosive force, and launched himself after the three fleeing Boxers, stirring up a violent gale.

With his Micro Level perception!

Every single clue appeared clearly in his mind!

In just a dozen breaths’ time, Wu Dao, wreathed in a turbulent aura, cut off the three frantically fleeing Boxers.

There was no idle talk!

And not a shred of mercy!

After a brief, violent slaughter, the three were torn to pieces, deader than dead!

If Mao Ba hadn’t returned to the scene.

Wu Dao wouldn’t have taken their lives.

A pity...

They could only blame Mao Ba.

Mao Ba was a disciple of the Yellow Dragon Temple.

From the Former Zhao Wei’s wary tone.

It wasn’t hard to tell.

That this Yellow Dragon Temple was a major power in Guangqing Prefecture, on par with the Four Seas Gang.

More importantly.

The Yellow Dragon Temple was full of Immortal Dao Cultivators with mysterious and unfathomable techniques!

If word of Mao Ba’s death were to leak, it would be like stirring up a hornet’s nest!

For a long time to come.

He would have to live in constant fear!

Wu Dao never allowed any "what ifs" to exist.

If he had the ability to strangle a threat in its cradle, he wouldn’t put his faith in human nature. He had to pull out the problem by its roots!

WHOOSH~

A fresh mountain breeze blew past.

Wu Dao glanced at the fragments of flesh and blood all over his body. Just as he was about to return to where Mao Ba had died, he recalled Mao Ba’s final words.

With a flicker of thought.

His vast Spiritual Power swept over his entire body, inside and out, not missing a single detail. Soon, he found something unusual.

"Heh, this old trick again."

Wu Dao sneered.

Under the perception of his Spiritual Thoughts.

He found that, at some unknown point, a tumor-like mark resembling a miniature yellow dragon had appeared in his brain, bypassing his Spiritual Perception.

Before advancing to the Hero rank.

He might have been helpless against it.

But now, Wu Dao could use his powerful Spiritual Thoughts to control every inch of his body’s tissue, essentially performing surgery on himself.

’Such a petty trick.’

’It’s not even worth mentioning!’

With a flicker of thought.

He cut off the nutrient supply to the yellow dragon mark, locked down his blood and qi, and controlled his microscopic tissues to "excise" it. His skull split open, ejecting the mark, and then rapidly healed.

CRACK!

Wu Dao’s iron palm closed around the ejected yellow dragon mark. Probing it with his spirit, he could sense an illusory, miniature "Mao Ba" inside.

SQUISH!

His iron palm clenched shut, sending sparks flying!

The tumor-like yellow dragon mark dissolved into a pool of bloody water.

After dealing with the hidden danger.

Wu Dao didn’t leave immediately. Instead, he meticulously cleaned up the battlefield, covering his tracks.

Finally.

He started a huge fire, the raging flames incinerating all of Huilong’s bodily fragments and belongings!

WHOOSH WHOOSH WHOOSH~

The mountain wind was strong. It fanned the flames, and soon, thick smoke was billowing into the sky. But Wu Dao, the arsonist, had long since vanished from the mountainside.