Apex War God

Yang Wu had returned.

Carrying Wan Jiuzhong across his back, he finally made it back to his stone hut in block 68. Wan Lanxin followed him all the way, of course. She would have stayed in the cellblock, too, if he had not convinced her to return to her own residence.

The woman knew his plight well; someone deliberately moved against him. If she truly wanted the best for him, she could only play her part as the prison’s young miss and allow him small privileges when she could. She would also step in to stop the guards’ abuse if she had the chance.

Wan Lanxin was no fool. Thus, she said her farewells, and when she left, she gave the block’s captain strict orders to leave the young man alone.

Fortunately, he was not an idiot, either, and would not dare disobey the first young miss’s orders.

She was curious about the skin-clad skeleton Yang Wu carried, but once she realized he did not want to explain, she did not press the issue. She trusted that Yang Wu knew what he was doing.

Once Wan Lanxin left, Yang Wu ran off to find Skinny Monkey and Xiaoman, eager to reunite with his companions. As he approached, he heard shouting and fighting. Rushing over, he found Skinny Monkey on the ground, beaten, and a stranger openly threatening Xiaoman. He was enraged.

He had been all alone when they first threw him into prison, but by a stroke of luck, he had met Skinny Monkey. The man quickly became a trusted, sworn brother. Then, after some difficulty, they managed to save the housemaid-in-disguise. These two had become his followers, and as a viscount, it infuriated him to see them treated this way.

Having not seen her master over the last few days, Xiaoman was pleasantly surprised to spot him. “You’re back, Young Master!”

To the young woman’s eyes, Yang Wu was even more handsome than before. Though his prison rags had been nearly shredded in the bloody pit and his body was covered in grime, his exceptional air radiated from him. The very sight of him made the young woman’s heart race.

The interruption pulled Li Futu’s attention toward this newcomer. Narrowing his eyes, he demanded, “What did you say just now? Say it again! I dare you!”

“I just asked what you’re supposed to be once this piece of shit beats you into the ground. The past eighteen generations of your family had to kneel in respect at the very sight of me. So, why aren’t you on your knees, servant?!”

Li Futu watched as Yang Wu approached. Even from a distance, he could sense the young man’s unusual aura, and it forced him to take a step back. Embarrassed and annoyed, he barked a rebuke. “You have a sharp tongue, don’t you? Let’s hear you talk trash once I knock all of your teeth out!”

With a step forward, Li Futu swung a quick punch toward Yang Wu’s mouth.

That hit contained the strength of a Consummate Grade Foot Soldier, powerful enough to crush stone. Skinny Monkey had taken that hit earlier and still suffered. If Li Futu’s punch landed, Yang Wu would indeed lose a few teeth.

Alas, Li Futu was not facing Skinny Monkey this time, but the man’s big brother. He did not realize how doomed he was.

Before the fist could find its mark, it collided with Yang Wu’s palm. Shocked, Li Futu tried to jerk his hand back, yet the young man before him had such a powerful grip, he could not break free.

Fear crept through Li Futu, showing in his expression. But even as he opened his mouth to beg for mercy, a vicious punch slammed into his jaw.

“Ah!”

A few of his front teeth shattered, blood and spittle flew from his mouth.

The agonized scream was enough to pull the invading inmates’ attention away from Skinny Monkey. They turned just in time to see their boss’s incisors hit the ground. Ruthless and enraged, Yang Wu continued to beat the man, breaking this messenger’s teeth, one by one. Blood splashed across the ground, instilling panic in the unwelcome inmates.

“This is what happens when you talk trash!” Once the last of Li Futu’s incisors shattered, Yang Wu sneered at the man, kicking him away like a dead rat.

“Let’s take this guy down, everyone!” someone shouted. The people who had followed Li Futu suddenly found their courage and swarmed Yang Wu.

They held their crowbars high, unrelenting in their attacks. They went straight for his vitals, knowing they would only have one chance to defeat this man. If they failed, they would suffer the consequences.

Had this happened a few days earlier, Yang Wu might have struggled to defend himself, but things had changed. Now, their onslaught felt as sluggish as a tortoise, hardly a threat.

He caught the first incoming crowbar with a firm grip. Pulling the attacker into his arms, he used the prisoner as a human shield, blocking several more attacks from his companions. Tragically, the poor guy was beaten soundly.

Yang Wu then shoved the man away and into two other inmates. He raised a clenched fist at the same time, striking as fast as lightning.

The prisoners he attacked felt their faces explode with pain before they even noticed his fist move. Before they knew it, this young man had knocked out several of their front teeth.

“Ahhh!”

They all suffered the same, painful fate as Li Futu. Each of them screamed in pain as fresh blood flowed from their gaping mouths.

This is available on Hosted Novel.

Yang Wu’s strikes were now beyond what Foot Soldiers could handle. If he truly wished it, he could kill them with a single hit.

Xiaoman and Skinny Monkey watched how easily their young master punished these invaders, quite pleased with the show.

Ignoring the pain of his shattered teeth, Li Futu pushed himself off the ground and fled for his life. He knew the man who had beaten him was likely a Warrior, just like his boss. And he also knew such a cultivator was not to be trifled with.

“Go back and tell Black Ape that I will make a personal visit to block 7 soon. One by one, I’ll knock out his teeth, just like I knocked out yours!” Yang Wu yelled to the fleeing man.

Li Futu was so terrified that he stumbled and fell to the ground. Scrambling, he got up quickly and continued to run.

Cellblock 68’s inmates, who had watched this all happen from a safe distance, were shocked by the results of this battle. None of them had expected Yang Wu to defeat Black Ape’s men with just two or three blows. They immediately put him on a pedestal, realizing the Wuhou Gang’s true leader was this young man.

Finished, Yang Wu headed for Skinny Monkey, who was nursing his many wounds. “How are you holding up?”

From his position on the ground, Skinny Monkey laughed. “It was just a few dozen hits. It’s no big deal. I’ll be up and mining Scarlet Steel Rock again in a few days’ time, Big Brother.”

“I’ll avenge your suffering!” Yang Wu promised solemnly, grasping his sworn brother’s hand. He stooped down, lifting the injured man on his back, and headed toward the stone hut.

He was unaware that Skinny Monkey’s blood had soaked through his clothes, although the fact did not escape the injured brother’s notice. Skinny Monkey’s eyes began to tear without him realizing it.

Seek not fortune, but share the hardship!

It was easier said than done. How many could truly live that way?

Returning to the hut, Yang Wu untied the jade bottle tied to his belt, and offered a mouthful of the earthly spirit spring’s water to Skinny Monkey.

The thin man had no way of knowing how precious the spirit water was and took a huge swallow. He immediately felt a powerful force sweep through him, nourishing his body and revitalizing his spirit.

“Big Brother, where did you get this water? It’s so good,” Skinny Monkey asked as he felt his energy return.

Smiling faintly, Yang Wu explained, “I got this from an earthly spirit spring. It’ll be a big help to your recovery. Circulate your profound art to absorb the spirit water’s power.”

Surprised, Skinny Monkey considered the astounding qualities of this spirit water, and he quickly adjusted to a meditation stance to refine it.

If he had known that mouthful was worth ten thousand gold, he might have had a stroke.

But Yang Wu did not seem to mind. As long as Skinny Monkey had a swift recovery, Yang Wu did not care how much the man drank.

After all, he had acknowledged Skinny Monkey as his sworn brother.

He had never been stingy with those he called friends. Before his life in the prison, for example, he had passed the last of his coin and his jade pendant to a childhood cultivation companion.

“Who…who are you?” Xiaoman’s voice suddenly broke the silence as she cried out in panic.

She had just discovered Wang Jiuzhong in the corner, the skin-clad skeleton’s appearance frightening her.

“Why do you have such irrelevant people here?” The old man ignored Xiaoman, giving Yang Wu a dissatisfied glare instead.

“These people aren’t irrelevant, Senior. One is my brother, and the other is my maid,” the young man replied.

“Send them away! I don’t want to be bothered!” Wang Jiuzhong loudly rebuked.

Yang Wu smiled and answered calmly, “They won’t bother you.”

“Are you ignoring me?” the skeleton growled with a frown.

“Oh, I know what to do.” An idea sparked in his mind. Yang Wu walked over to Wang Jiuzhong and squatted down to throw the skin-clad skeleton over his shoulder.

“What do you think you’re doing, rascal?!” Wang Jiuzhong shouted, struggling.

“I thought you didn’t want to be disturbed. In that case, I’m getting rid of you!” Yang Wu turned his head to flash the skeleton a wicked grin.

Wang Jiuzhong’s eyes shone with menace. “Are you trying to court death?”

“Senior, I respect you as an expert, so I have tried to be polite and play along. But do not push me too far!” Fury flashed in Yang Wu’s gaze. This skin-clad skeleton had tortured him inside the blood pit in an attempt to escape the trap that had held him for so long. Although Yang Wu did not expect gratitude from the old cultivator, he would not tolerate this emaciated creature bossing him around.

Wang Jiuzhong was a King, having transcended the General Realm. He was currently the most prominent cultivator throughout the Xia Dynasty. Thus, how dared this young man have the audacity to challenge him of all people?!

Yang Wu, however, had sensed the man’s depleted state during the trek back from the bloody pit. Having exhausted his strength, the old man was extremely frail. Yang Wu had no reason to fear the consequences of speaking out against him.

The old man had not expected Yang Wu’s attitude to change so abruptly, and it really pissed him off. He wanted nothing more than to reach out, sending the young man to his death. But just as Yang Wu had expected, Wang Jiuzhong was even too weak to raise a hand. If he tried to exert any force, it just might claim the last of his pitiful life.

“Well, aren’t you just impressive!” Wang Jiuzhong was too upset to say anything else.

“Just sit here and recuperate, Senior. You can kill me off with a frown later, but please, spare my brother and my maid!” After whispering his request, Yang Wu moved to sit beside Skinny Monkey, protecting him.

Suddenly, Sooty appeared out of nowhere to pounce on the jade bottle. At first, Yang Wu was startled to see the pup grasp the bottle between his teeth, but then he softly scolded the black dog. “Sooty, don’t mess around. That is the essence of an earthly spirit spring, and it’s priceless. Don’t break the bottle.”

Knowing full well that Sooty was an intelligent being, Yang Wu did not try to take the bottle from it. The fact that it had gone straight for the jade bottle proved how sensitive it was to items of a spiritual nature.

Sooty seemed to understand. Wagging its tail, it straightened its back and gnawed at the bottle’s cork.

Yang Wu felt a twang and nearly winced, thinking to himself, You rascal, I hope you leave some for me.

Meanwhile, some Eagle Knights from the imperial court flew towards the Smoke Signal Mountain Prison.

------

Still working on the next chapter, so there might not be a teaser.