Chapter 72: Mimicking the Divine

Chapter 72: Quasi-God

[On Mount Chongwu there is a beast; its form resembles a monkey but with patterned arms, leopard-and-tiger-like, skilled at throwing; its name is Jufu.]

Watching Shi Chengfeng slap his chest with his saber, roaring like an ape, Li Jun’s heart suddenly surged with myriad thoughts and emotions.

Prosthetic modification, as the most widespread method of enhancement, counted its recipients in the Great Ming Empire in numbers simply too vast to count.

From the imperial court down to the common folk, whether porters and peddlers or cart drivers and tea sellers, every walk of life could boast users of prosthetics.

With such a massive population base, the number of Followers possessing the aptitude to implant a Mechanism Heart and ascend the Martial Sequence naturally led all other Sequences by a wide margin, far ahead of the pack.

It was precisely by virtue of this trait that the Martial Sequence managed to rank below the Three Teachings yet stand first among the Nine Streams.

Li Jun had crossed hands with no few Martial Followers: Hu Zhong and Ruan Yong who mingled in gangs; Fei Baiju and Gu Jia who served noble clans; even Luo Zhen who lurked in officialdom.

He had personally pierced and ruined many a Mechanism Heart: Thunder Division Celestial Soldier, Lord of Wind, Giant Spirit...

From the names of these Mechanism Hearts, one could accurately deduce their corresponding abilities.

Thunder Division Celestial Soldier commanded thunder; Lord of Wind drove the wind; Giant Spirit wielded strength.

Yet these Martial Followers who died by Li Jun’s hand, without exception, almost all passively utilized the abilities granted by their Mechanism Hearts.

Not a single one was like Shi Chengfeng, giving Li Jun that bizarre sensation of being fused as one with the Mechanism Heart.

As if he *was* Jufu, and Jufu *was* he.

The two merged into one, synchronized and attuned.

Recalling the Battle Array Killing Intent just born from the Great Perfection Po-Lu Saber Art, Li Jun’s mind suddenly flashed with understanding.

Starting from the Eighth Stage of the Follower realm, the Sequence Core within the Follower himself likely undergoes a unique transformation—a transformation sufficient to achieve a leap in class.

Martial arts break the Eighth to become Art; Officials break the Eighth to become Officers; the Martial Sequence breaks the Eighth to synchronize and simulate divinity.

Li Jun suddenly recalled a saying widely circulated in Chengdu Prefecture, or rather, the entire Great Ming Empire:

The Sequence is the cornerstone of the Empire’s order!

In the split second of a spark struck from flint, countless thoughts tumbled through Li Jun’s mind. Just as these thoughts threatened to extend and expand further, they were forcibly severed.

In the midst of a life-and-death struggle, idle speculation is merely the path to death.

No matter how grotesque Shi Chengfeng’s movements appeared at this moment, that piercing, ear-splitting hum of the Mechanism Heart was undeniably real.

There was no doubt—the old ape opposite him was burning his life force!

If he didn't strike now, was he waiting for the enemy to turn the tables?

Li Jun was about to charge forward with his saber, but his right foot had barely stepped out when two black shadows had already shot before his face. Their speed was such that he didn't even have time to raise his saber to block.

His body could not react in time, yet the martial genes buried deep in his flesh and blood reacted.

Only to see Li Jun’s right foot, not yet landed, suddenly stomp on empty air, driving his spine to twist, barely squeezing through the narrow gap between the two black shadows.

Even so, large chunks of flesh were shaved from Li Jun’s chest and back.

*Whoosh!*

The black shadows fluttered back, returning into those ape-like arms.

Only now did Li Jun see clearly—the black shadows were precisely the pair of butterfly sabers in Shi Chengfeng’s hands!

Jufu excels at throwing!

To hell with that!

Li Jun’s right foot shattered the blue bricks, forcibly wrenching his tilted body back upright, his figure erupting forward in a charge.

Ahead, ape arms swung, the twin sabers attacking again.

This time Li Jun was prepared, but the butterfly sabers spun with such speed that even with his all-out saber swings, he could only knock away one.

The other saber screamed through the air, shooting straight for his heart.

The instant the blade neared his body, the charging Li Jun barely twisted aside to avoid the vital point, taking the blow on his left ribs.

*Pu-chi!*

The arm-length butterfly saber pierced flesh and blood, embedding deep into his left side.

Li Jun gritted his teeth, forcibly swallowing the fresh blood surging to his throat, striding forward and swinging his saber!

*Clang!*

Shi Chengfeng was equally ferocious at this moment, a fierce light in his eyes. He actually crossed his arms above his head, using his mechanical bones to physically block Li Jun’s furious, rage-filled strike.

Iron filings flew, sparks flashed.

Li Jun pressed his right hand on the hilt, the ink-black saber rotating around his arm to cut into the enemy’s embrace. Simultaneously, his feet advanced to seize position, his left hand grasping the hilt, reversing his grip to slash forward.

*Sizzle!* The sound rose, sparks scattering.

A mechanical forearm was severed at the elbow, flung into the air by the residual force.

This change of move was utterly sudden; Shi Chengfeng simply had no time to react. Or perhaps, synchronized and overclocked with the Mechanism Heart as he was, he simply disdained to react.

He stared with blood-red eyes, deadlocked on Li Jun. His own saber-scarred right hand seized Li Jun’s saber-wielding wrist, pinning him in place!

Against Shi Chengfeng’s grappling technique—devoid of any martial skill, relying solely on desperate ferocity—Li Jun had countless ways to break free.

But before he could act, a shrill sound of tearing air had already reached his back.

It was that butterfly saber knocked away earlier!

Li Jun didn't understand why the knocked-away saber would return spinning, but at this moment, there was no time to pull back and dodge.

"Fight to the death? You think I'm afraid of you!"

The angry flood dragon in his heart lake churned up waves, rage rising, blood vessels swelling.

Left hand bound, the right hand naturally strikes out!

Elbow sinking down, arm swinging out, palm thrusting skyward!

The Three Strikes of Yama!

The vicious fist strike landed on Shi Chengfeng’s chest, smashing a terrifying depression. Cervical vertebrae twisted, his head drooping onto his shoulder at a grotesque angle.

*Pu-chi!*

The butterfly saber spinning in from behind sliced through his martial uniform, entering from the waist, rupturing organs and piercing intestines. A section of the blade tip protruded from Li Jun’s abdomen!

Li Jun violently coughed up a large mouthful of blood, spraying it onto Shi Chengfeng’s dazed face.

He leaned on his saber to halt his forward collapse, reached out to grab Shi Chengfeng’s topknot, and pressed his head against the blade edge, wiping hard with force!

*Thud.* A head rolled onto the ground.

[Gained 200 Proficiency Points]

[Remaining Proficiency Points: 253]

[Consumed 100 Proficiency Points, Golden Bell Shield upgraded to Eighth Grade Great Perfection]

The Yang family’s main hall, clamorous for half the night, returned to silence. The night wind finally dared enter the garden to clear away the gunpowder smoke and the scent of blood.

After another moment, a faint, subtle rustling sound suddenly rose before the main hall’s doors.

A figure missing both arms braced his forehead against the grandmaster’s chair, hauling himself upright step by agonizing step, swaying as he found his feet.

He craned his neck with painstaking care, casting his gaze into the main hall, his eyes brimming with hope and longing.

They should all be dead by now.

*Clang!*

A fierce wind rushed his face, blowing aside the tangled hair plastered to the youth’s forehead to reveal a pale visage streaked with blood and tears.

A ferocious, overbearing saber buried itself into the earth beside his nose, the blade trembling with a keen, unending ring.

Terror-stricken, the boy collapsed onto the ground, staring blankly at the figure perched atop a golden pillar.

Li Jun clutched the through-and-through wound in his abdomen, offering the boy a smile he fancied gentle.

The words he spoke nearly sent the youth fainting once more.

"Surprisingly, a survivor remains. You must be the contingency Yang Huchou left behind, no?"