Chapter 560 - 374: Acquiring a Peerless Cultivation Technique: Devouring Spirit True Understanding

Then he noticed a detail.

Zero's range of movement never seemed to stray too far from the study. No matter how fierce his attacks were, he would subconsciously keep the battle contained near the study.

'Could it be...'

Without the slightest hesitation, he abruptly spun around and charged toward the study's entrance!

"Trying to escape? Not so easy!" A sharp glint flashed in Zero's eyes. His figure blurred again, and in an instant, he was behind Wu Liangchen, a claw striking for his back.

However, just as Zero was about to succeed, Wu Liangchen's figure came to a dead stop at the doorway. He then twisted back at an unbelievable angle, the firearm in his hand—assembled at some unknown point—now aimed squarely at Zero, its dark muzzle pointing directly at him!

"BANG! BANG! BANG!"

The bullets flew toward Zero in a triangular pattern!

Zero clearly hadn't expected Wu Liangchen to pull a feint like this. He was even more surprised that Wu Liangchen would so decisively abandon his escape, choosing instead to counterattack from the doorway. Caught off guard, he could only conjure the blue light to protect his body once more.

The bullets struck the light barrier, erupting in showers of sparks, but failed to penetrate it.

But Wu Liangchen's goal wasn't to injure his enemy, but to probe!

He clearly saw that when Zero pursued him to the entrance, his movements had faltered for an imperceptible moment, as if an invisible boundary was restricting him.

"You... don't dare to come out?" A cold smirk curved Wu Liangchen's lips. He quickly changed his magazine while continuously harassing Zero with steel balls.

Zero's expression instantly turned hideous, his eyes burning with rage. "You bastard! You think you can hurt me with these toys?"

He roared, furiously counterattacking with blue light blades that swatted away each incoming steel ball. But Wu Liangchen's Body Technique was as slippery as an eel, and he constantly maintained a delicate distance, firing his gun from time to time to harass Zero, yet never stepping deep into the study.

"If you have the guts, come out and kill me." Wu Liangchen's tone was calm, but every word was a dagger to the heart.

"You're courting death!" Zero bellowed. The blue light around him fluctuated violently with his rage, but just as expected, he didn't cross the invisible line at the study's entrance.

'It's just as I thought!'

Wu Liangchen's confidence soared. Zero's power was indeed closely tied to this study, or rather, to this specific area.

Once he left this area, his power would likely weaken significantly.

Moreover, Wu Liangchen noticed another detail.

When Zero became agitated and his power fluctuated wildly, a trace of confusion and pain would occasionally flash in his eyes. Although it was fleeting, Wu Liangchen still caught it.

'It seems manipulating Spiritual Qi is also a huge burden for him.'

Wu Liangchen's hands never stopped moving. Steel balls rained down on Zero from all sides, forcing him to constantly expend his blue energy to defend himself.

Zero was fuming. When had he ever suffered such humiliation?

To think that he, as the representative of the "masters," had lorded over Zhongjing for years, holding the power of life and death, living in such glory! And now, he was being pinned at the entrance of his own core territory and utterly humiliated by some ant-like figure!

"I'm going to tear you to pieces!"

Zero let out a beast-like roar. His eyes turned crimson, and the blue light around him grew even more frenzied, even showing faint signs of uncontrolled chaos.

His expression also began to turn savage, no longer the calm and detached look from before.

"Cough... COUGH COUGH..." Suddenly, Zero began to cough violently. A trickle of black blood oozed from the corner of his mouth, and the blue light on his body flickered intensely, as if about to go out at any moment.

"Looks like the scraps your 'masters' bestowed upon you don't taste so good." Wu Liangchen keenly seized this opening. He pushed off forcefully, his body shooting forward like an arrow released from a bow. Instead of retreating, he advanced, charging at Zero once more!

He had already figured it out. Not only was Zero trapped in this area, but the remnants of Spiritual Qi he relied on must contain some kind of slow-acting poison! Years of absorption had already caused problems for his body and mind. The intense drain from his anger and power use was only accelerating the toxin's outbreak!

After this, Wu Liangchen used this knowledge to engage Zero in a drawn-out fight. Whenever he was at a disadvantage, he would immediately retreat outside the study. He repeated this process to wear down Zero's stamina.

Finally, the aura around Zero grew increasingly chaotic. Wu Liangchen saw his chance and threw a punch.

This time, the blue radiance on his body didn't block the attack. Instead, it flickered a few times before collapsing completely.

"BOOM!"

Without his protection, how could Zero withstand the furious blow of a Martial Artist at the Vision of God, Indestructible Body realm?

He flew backward like a kite with a snapped string, crashing violently into a bookshelf and sending countless books scattering to the floor.

"PUU—" A large mouthful of black blood sprayed out. Zero's aura instantly weakened, and the youthful skin on his face began to lose its luster at a visible rate, fine wrinkles appearing.

"No... My Spiritual Qi... My youth..." Zero's eyes filled with incredible fear. He struggled to gather the blue light again, but it was like a candle in the wind, flickering and unstable.

Wu Liangchen approached step by step, his gaze as cold as ice.

"It's over."

He raised his hand, preparing to deal the final blow.

"Even if I die... the masters... the masters will never let you go!"

Zero used the last of his strength to issue a venomous curse. "They will descend soon, and when they do, the entire world will be buried with me! And you—you will die a death ten thousand times more miserable than mine!"

Wu Liangchen remained expressionless. "Then tell them to hurry."

"CRACK!"

The crisp sound of a neck bone shattering rang out.

Extreme malice and unwillingness lingered in Zero's eyes, but all sound came to an abrupt halt.

The life force in his body receded like a tide. His young face aged at an astonishing speed, his skin shriveling, his hair turning brittle and falling out. In the space of just a few breaths, he became a skeleton curled up on the floor, the white casual clothes he wore now looking abnormally large.

The remnants of Spiritual Qi he had once treasured, the very things he relied on to maintain his power and youth, had ultimately become the poison that claimed his life.

Wu Liangchen silently stared at the skeleton, feeling no great stir of emotion.

He began to search the ransacked study.

'Zero operated this place for many years. He must have left something useful behind.'

Sure enough, aside from a large amount of top-secret information about the Qiongding Group and the Alliance Government, Wu Liangchen also found a safe.

The safe was extremely sturdy. It must contain the thing Zero valued most.

Wu Liangchen placed his hand on the surface of the safe. His powerful Spiritual Power seeped into it, and he quickly opened the lock.

Surprisingly, there was nothing valuable inside, only a tattered ancient book.

But Wu Liangchen's eyes lit up, and he immediately put on gloves to pick it up.

The cover of the ancient book was inscribed with a type of script he had never seen before, twisted like tadpoles, almost like some kind of mystical runes.

And when he opened the book, he couldn't recognize a single word inside either.

Just then, the long-silent Ten Thousand Laws Tripod in his mind suddenly trembled slightly, and a screen of light appeared before his eyes.

[Cultivation Technique Name: Devouring Spirit True Understanding]

[Cultivation Technique Grade: Peerless - Intermediate]

[Estimated Cost: 43,422 wisps of Life Fire]

[Consume Life Fire to deduce?]

Wu Liangchen's heart pounded.

'A Peerless Grade Cultivation Technique!'

To think, the Star-Swallowing Meridian Opening Skill he had practiced before was merely at the Treasure Grade.

The Ten Thousand Laws Tripod's Cultivation Technique grades were roughly divided into Lower, Middle, and Upper Vehicle, as well as Treasure Grade, Peerless Grade, and Immortal Grade.

But Wu Liangchen had never seen a Peerless Grade Cultivation Technique before.

'And the required Life Fire cost is too ridiculous! Over forty thousand wisps?'

However, Wu Liangchen wasn't shocked, but delighted, because this was proof of the Cultivation Technique's value.

Moreover, Wu Liangchen speculated that this was very likely a true... Cultivation Skill!