Shackles of Humanity

Despite this, the blond man was somehow still alive. He lifted his head to look at Luo Kai in terror, his nose twitching. Suddenly, his expression changed drastically, and he cried out in panic, ”Lord Blood Ancestor, spare me!”

Countless fine red threads appeared in his wounds, constantly splitting and multiplying as if weaving new flesh. In the blink of an eye, the gashes had closed. However, the shattered bones within were not so easily healed, and his body remained twisted. It was then that Luo Kai noticed a familiar sensation from the blond man’s blood—it was somewhat similar to his own. ”You’re really a Vampire?” he asked in surprise.

The blond man struggled to his knees, proclaiming with reverence, ”Lord Blood Ancestor, I am your servant.”

Not far away, Li Jingyang watched in utter horror as the young man who had appeared out of nowhere instantly struck down the expert he had paid a fortune to hire. Others might not have known, but he did: the blond man’s power was in no way inferior to that of a High-level Martial Artist, and his Recovery Power was astounding. He could heal from any injury, no matter how severe. In a real fight, even a High-level Martial Artist would be no match for him. ’Who is this kid? How can he be so strong?!’

Seeing the blond man kneeling before the youngster, seemingly begging for his life, Li Jingyang cursed under his breath. ’These Westerners are so unreliable.’ He began to inch sideways, preparing to flee. The older one gets, the more one clings to life. Even with so many subordinates to help, he had no desire to risk his life against an opponent who was, at minimum, a High-level Martial Artist.

Luo Kai looked at the blond man prostrated before him, a complicated feeling in his heart. ’This man must be a human modified by Blood Energy. It seems the refinement method for Blood Energy doesn’t just have one successor in Li Gui. That old bastard Li Gui really did hide a lot of secrets from me.’

’His combat skills are average, but his physique is incredibly strong, possessing a formidable Recovery Power akin to Rebirth. Even a High-level Martial Artist would have a hard time dealing with someone like this. It’s only because he ran into me that he was utterly powerless to resist. The force-generation technique of my Azure Wave Force, combined with my ability to accelerate my own blood flow, lets me unleash ferocious Power. It’s not the least bit inferior to a casual strike from a Body Master. In the face of absolute Power, nothing else matters.’

Ignoring the blond man, he flickered and appeared in front of Li Jingyang. Before Luo Kai could even do anything, Li Jingyang fell to his knees with a THUD and pleaded, ”Young man, please spare my life.”

Looking at the white-haired old man before him, Luo Kai once again paused his hand, which had been ready to draw his saber. Even now, he found it difficult to kill so decisively. He sighed inwardly. By now, the explosions on the sea had ceased, and he could faintly see a great deal of blood staining the water. ”What were you doing just now?” he asked.

Li Jingyang replied respectfully, ”We were here to assassinate Gao Zan, the Grand Commander of the Dragon Shark Camp.”

”Aren’t you from the Jiuyuan Farm Stronghold on good terms with the Dragon Shark Pirates?” Luo Kai asked, a little confused.

Li Jingyang said with an air of righteous indignation, ”The Dragon Shark Pirates are monstrously sinful. Before, they were too powerful, so we had no choice but to feign cooperation. Now that Lord Su Chengbo has ordered the pirates’ extermination, the Jiuyuan Farm Stronghold must naturally do its part.”

Luo Kai, of course, didn’t believe his nonsense. ’The whole world bustles for the sake of profit.’ The Jiuyuan Farm Stronghold must have known the Dragon Shark Pirates were finished, so they decided to kick them while they were down. Assassinating Gao Zan was merely their pledge of allegiance to Su Chengbo.

He turned his head and said coldly to the blond man, ”Go back to where you came from. I don’t want to see you or your kind ever again.”

’Anything that exists has its reason for being,’ he thought. ’These Vampire-like humans are certainly not a good thing, but they are one avenue for humanity to research the uses of Dark Energy.’

The blond man, still prostrated on the ground, didn’t dare to even glance at him. ”Yes,” he said respectfully. He then limped backward, only dashing away once he was a great distance off.

「...」

Luo Kai looked out at the ocean’s surface. With a sudden wave of his hand, a massive wave surged up from the sea, carrying two figures with it and tossing them onto the shore. Both were covered in blood, clearly having been savaged by the explosions.

The taller man was in better shape. Though covered in blood, he wasn’t critically injured. He immediately scrambled to his feet and waved his hand, trying to summon a current of water. But he found that a powerful spiritual frequency was completely overriding his own. The ocean paid him no mind at all; instead, it seemed to resonate with that other frequency, emitting a unique pulse.

His expression changed. He hurriedly pulled a Crystal Ball from his clothes. Specks of the Essence of Water flowed out from it, forming a transparent Water Shield that enveloped him. Only then did he let out a sigh of relief, his gaze fixed on Luo Kai with a mixture of shock and suspicion.

The other young man, however, was gravely injured. Blood continuously seeped from his mouth and nose; his internal organs had been damaged by the Water Thunder. He lay limply on the ground, looking half-dead.

This young man was none other than Gao Fei. Seeing his miserable state, the killing intent that had been rising in Luo Kai gradually subsided. ”Are you going to settle this yourselves,” he said coolly, ”or should I settle it for you?”

Li Jingyang hadn’t expected Gao Zan to still be alive. He said in a fawning tone, ”It’s all up to you, young man. We’ll do whatever you wish.”

Luo Kai shook his head. ”What I wish is to kill you both. But I don’t particularly enjoy killing. You two can duel. Whoever wins gets to leave.”

Li Jingyang’s expression immediately turned grim. He was over fifty, and years of living a pampered life had dulled his edge. Moreover, they were right by the sea—the perfect place for a Water Elemental Master to unleash their power. How could he possibly be a match for Gao Zan? He quietly took a few steps back and secretly gestured to the Black-clothed Guards who were closing in.

Gao Zan’s expression was also shifting between light and shadow. He had been about to escape, only to be effortlessly tossed ashore by the young man’s control over the water. This youth was clearly a far more powerful Water Elemental Master than he was. Originally, his control over the sea meant he could fight or flee as he pleased, but now, his one and only advantage was gone.

He knew the bitterness of his situation all too well. He had already exhausted his stored Elemental Essence resisting the dense explosions underwater. Aside from controlling external water currents, an Elemental Master’s combat techniques rely on Elemental Essence. Condensed Water Elemental Essence can be formed into Shields for defense or sharp weapons for attack.

Without Elemental Essence, and with the external water flow sealed off by Luo Kai, his current combat strength was now less than that of an ordinary Martial Artist. Meanwhile, Li Jingyang had already been a Martial Artist back in his seafaring days. With so many years having passed, he had to be at least at the Middle Stage, if not High Rank.

The two men were wary of each other, both believing they would lose. Gao Zan casually turned his head and saw Li Jingyang secretly gesturing to him. It was the unique sign language used by those who made their living on the sea. Whenever they encountered storms with great winds and waves, sound wouldn’t carry, so sailors had to communicate with hand signals. The message Li Jingyang was sending him was: team up.

Gao Zan began to think it over. ’With so many Black-clothed Guards around, if I team up with Li Jingyang, we might just be able to kill this kid. Even if we can’t, if we can weaken his control over the water, I’ll have a chance to escape.’ He then made the same gesture back, trying not to be noticed.

Luo Kai saw their secretive little movements. Although he didn’t know what they were communicating, he could sense the accelerated heartbeats of the surrounding Black-clothed Guards and heard the clicks of them chambering rounds. A weariness grew in his heart. ’Is doing this just a waste of time? Wouldn’t it be easier to just kill them both and be done with it?’

Just as he was hesitating, the dense sound of gunfire erupted. Countless bullets flew toward him. At the same time, Li Jingyang retreated with an agility that completely betrayed his physique, pulling out two revolvers and firing continuously. The bullets flew in an arc, completely sealing off the area around Luo Kai.

Meanwhile, Gao Zan waved his hands. Specks of the Essence of Water gathered, forming a chillingly sharp Water Arrow that shot toward Luo Kai.

The two pirate leaders, who moments ago were plotting against each other, had instantly reached a consensus and attacked Luo Kai in unison.

Luo Kai sneered, and his figure vanished. The countless bullets all hit empty air. The speed he had just unleashed surpassed that of a bullet. At this point, he finally no longer needed to hold back. As his blood and qi surged violently, his thought processes accelerated infinitely. Everything around him, completely enveloped by his Spiritual Power, appeared in frame-by-frame slow motion, as if his own personal flow of time had become different from the outside world’s.

A flash of his blade, like a bolt of lightning, danced along the shore. No one could block its light, including Li Jingyang. Luo Kai appeared before him in a flash, and a single strike sent his head flying. It landed on the ground, his face still frozen in an expression of disbelief.

Only as his consciousness faded did he realize just how powerful his opponent was. They were no longer beings on the same level of existence. In the face of absolute Power, all schemes are worthless.

The slaughter ended, and Heaven and Earth returned to silence. Normally, Luo Kai would have felt deeply unsettled, but now, he was perfectly calm.

A realization dawned in his heart. The recent period of peaceful life had soothed his body and mind, and no negative emotions rose during his sleep. An old saying went that powerful martial force must have its violent aura tempered by Buddhist Technique. He now felt as if he were simply removing disharmonious elements on behalf of nature itself. Naturally, not a single ripple of disturbance arose in his heart. ’Perhaps this is the true meaning of acting on Heaven’s behalf.’

He lifted his head, gazing at the brilliant Stars in the sky. His pupils, which seemed to contain swirling Star Systems, reflected the Starry Sky above. His Spiritual Will entered a strange state of serene clarity. A feeling of completely melting into the embrace of Heaven and Earth filled his heart. It was a sense of ultimate freedom, of being unbound by any rule or Energy, free to roam Heaven and Earth as he pleased—because he was Heaven and Earth itself!