Abundant Martial Arts Virtue

Darkness.

In the darkness, a kerosene lamp lit up.

Wu Xiaode snuffed out the flame on his fingertip and looked around with the kerosene lamp held high.

This was an underground passageway.

A chill breeze blew from deep within the narrow passage, like the mournful wail of ghosts.

The kerosene lamp was instantly snuffed out.

"Is human eyesight so weak that you can't make out your environment even in the dark?"

A voice full of mockery sounded.

Without looking, Wu Xiaode knew it was one of the nine people who had been transported here with him.

These people had all gone through two rounds of elimination.

After passing the preliminary test of the Jiuyao Sequence, these masters of the mysterious reached the underground passage.

They were much better at adapting to the human body than their peers.

Wu Xiaode didn't reply.

Not knowing what would happen next, he silently checked his current state.

"Holy Demon Lord."

"A title granted by the sequence."

"With each target killed, gain all of their power."

"——Only a seed player entrusted with high hopes would receive such a title."

Entrusted with high hopes...

It seemed that the sequence intended to find a group of leader-level beings from the endless mysterious life.

Otherwise, why would they create a "Council"?

Since he was already a member of the "Council," didn't he get any special treatment?

Wu Xiaode thought to himself while looking at his personal attributes.

"Master of the Ning Shen Temple in the Immortal Peach Orchard of Kunlun Mountain."

"Skin effect:"

"Strength +17;"

"Agility +17;"

"Spiritual power +10;"

"World Affinity +3;"

"Unique skin privilege:"

"Primordial evolution."

"Description: Your primordial ability shall undergo a Pangu-level evolution (completed)."

With such power, he should not lose to those mysterious beings trapped in human bodies.

After all——

Even before traversing time, these attributes far exceeded those of common human skin, even allowing the Book of the Dead to evolve.

——This was the Heavenly Realm Skin coveted even by the sequences!

Wu Xiaode's heart steadied.

He decided not to light the kerosene lamp; instead, he moved to a corner and leaned against the wall to rest for a while.

Noises gradually came from deep within the underground passage.

Everyone became alert.

Soon, a minecart came along the track, slowly coming to a stop in front of the nine people.

A row of glowing words appeared:

"Board the cart and arrive at the depths of the underground to join the other selected."

One by one, they boarded the cart.

The minecart moved slowly, then gradually sped up as it headed into the depths of the underground darkness.

"I really don't get it, the 'ascension' was right upon us, why did it suddenly turn out like this?"

A slender man crossed his arms and spoke.

No one responded.

Moved by a thought, Wu Xiaode took the initiative to continue the conversation, "Who knows? Maybe this is a necessary trial? To make us stronger?"

"It's not a trial, it's an accident." Another woman suddenly spoke up.

"Indeed, an accident," another person interjected: "When the critical point came, all that was needed was the sacrifice of civilization and life to activate the power within us, allowing us to undergo a true transformation——and all that was thwarted."

Another woman sighed:

"I really can't believe that we, the ultimate weapons, have turned into these ugly and weak beings."

She kept touching her cheeks and features, her face showing disgust.

After the cart traveled for a while, the speed began to slow down.

The wind around them started to die down as well.

Silence.

Apart from the "clack clack" of the slowly moving minecart, no other sound could be heard.

Darkness enveloped everything.

The conversation ceased, and everyone looked out of the minecart.

"Fire."

A man muttered.

Flames appeared in his hand, illuminating the surroundings.

The minecart was traveling above an abyss.

The nearest underground rock wall was hundreds of meters away from everyone.

"Click."

The minecart came to a halt.

A line of glowing words emerged before everyone's eyes:

"The cart will only move again when only one person remains on board."

In other words——

Only one mysterious life form would be able to continue this journey.

Everyone fell silent.

Suddenly, a man lashed out, punching the woman beside him and sending her flying into the darkness.

As she screamed and fell swiftly into the depths, she quickly became invisible.

This seemed to be a signal——

In the next moment, everyone started to attack those around them.

A woman kicked at Wu Xiaode, which he blocked with his knee.

The woman relentlessly attacked with three punches, which he countered with his elbow, leaving her no opening.

She had no choice but to step back, her face full of wariness, ready to strike again.

"Go find someone else to play with, you can't beat me,"

Wu Xiaode grinned and said.

The woman couldn't help but glance upwards at the health above their heads.

Wu Xiaode hadn't lost any health.

She, on the other hand, had lost half a bar.

That's right, he had blocked her attacks with his elbow.

When she had hit him with those punches just now, it seemed that she had broken a finger bone.

This guy is a tough nut to crack!

What's even more chilling is that this guy stands among the attacking crowd, exuding an air of "ease."

It's as if he has returned to his own den, with not a trace of tension on his face.

——He even seems somewhat excited.

Maybe he's adept at this kind of melee?

The woman developed the idea to retreat and suddenly turned to attack another person.

That person had just sent someone flying, attracting the attention of many, and now immediately faced a several-person onslaught, being thrown into disarray.

Wu Xiaode on the other hand blocked a few more attacks and slowly backed into a corner of the minecart.

He pressed his back tightly against the dead angle, cautiously guarding against others.

Suddenly.

A figure staggered backward, blood continuously spraying from mouth and nose.

Wu Xiaode squinted and, upon seeing his condition, quickly supported him, asking with concern,

"Do you need treatment?"

The person was already beyond help, spitting blood onto him while pleading,

"Save me, save me——"

Suddenly, Wu Xiaode used him as a shield.

Thud.

A dull sound.

The person was sent flying by an incoming red-haired man and fell into the abyss.

Wu Xiaode assumed a defensive stance.

The red-haired man saw him in a sorry state, sneered disdainfully, and was about to attack but got entangled with another person.

Wu Xiaode then took the opportunity to lie down on the ground, emitting groans as if he were on the brink of death.

He was covered in the blood of the man from before.

It looked extremely realistic.

In fact, in this kind of every-man-for-himself melee, Wu Xiaode did have some experience——

——Those who attract too much attention are bound to be ambushed by others.

The red-haired man was a case in point.

Even if he dodged this time, others would remember him, and should a similar situation arise, they would surely find an opportunity to stab him in the back.

So being able to fight doesn't necessarily mean one can survive in the martial world for long.

There was a very tough big brother who got stabbed in the back while eating noodles at night.

There was also a Double Flower Red Stick who got doused with gasoline and set on fire while using the toilet.

So, if you're not the boss, don't stick your neck out.

First, lie low.

Surviving to the end is the right way.

A few breaths later.

Several more people were thrown off the minecart, tumbling down the deep abyss.

Only three people remained on the minecart.

They were the woman who had attacked Wu Xiaode, a burly man and, of course, Wu Xiaode himself.

The woman was heavily injured, while the muscle-man wasn't hurt but was panting heavily.

Wu Xiaode lay on the ground covered in blood, continuously groaning.

The three exchanged glances.

The muscle-man immediately lunged at the woman.

"Wait, hit him first, he's uninjured!" the woman screamed.

"He's almost dead, I'll kill you first!"

The muscle-man snarled.

After a few exchanges, the muscle-man suddenly pushed with all his might, pushing the woman out of the minecart.

The woman let out a tragic scream, exclaiming resentfully,

"He really is uninjured——"

Her voice echoed into the darkness, not dying away for a long time.

The muscle-man instinctively looked back.

Without knowing when, the guy who had been lying on the ground was now standing, leaning on the edge of the minecart, looking out into the darkness as leisurely as if he were enjoying the scenery.

"You're really uninjured?"

The muscle-man asked incredulously.

"Listen to me, I don't want to kill you," Wu Xiaode said.

"Why?" the muscle-man asked.

"I need some followers and servants to handle errands for me, and with your skill, you're naturally fit for the job," Wu Xiaode said.

"Are you crazy?" the muscle-man shook his head and said, "The rule now is 'the cart will only regain power when only one person is left on it.'"

"You can always run behind the minecart," Wu Xiaode shrugged and said.

The muscle-man was stunned.

After a long while, he spoke, "Why didn't you say that before?"

"Would anyone have listened if I had spoken earlier?" Wu Xiaode countered.

Indeed.

Under those circumstances, everyone was too busy to care about anything else, only wanting to kill the people around them.

"Why do you think you can deal with me?"

The muscle-man asked.

"Blood bars, of course," Wu Xiaode said matter-of-factly.

The muscle-man was stunned again.

He looked at his own blood bar.

He had already lost two-thirds of his blood.

The other person—

Full health!

But! But!

Thinking closely, why didn't he see his blood bar before?

As though knowing what the muscle-man was pondering, Wu Xiaode said,

"You're wondering why you didn't see my blood bar before, aren't you?"

"Right," the muscle-man admitted.

"You see—"

Wu Xiaode lay back down and pushed his head against the cart's inner wall, explaining,

"The blood bar appears above one's head."

"When I lie down this way, the blood bar gets hidden by the inner wall of the cart; it's concealed within, and you didn't notice it."

Wu Xiaode stood up, speaking at his leisure,

"Alright, whether you want to follow me or not is up to you, but remember, I'm at full health."

The muscle-man silently regarded the bloodied man and the blood bar reemerging from beneath the inner wall of the cart, and struggled to say,

"...Have your actions always been like this?"