Chapter 127: Hypnosis vs. Intuition

A middle-aged man wearing Liuli glasses mingled with the advancing caravan.

He was currently smiling, greeting one Martial Artist after another.

In response to his words, even though they had never seen him before, these Martial Artist believers still found his presence perfectly natural, nodding with calm expressions.

At the front of the procession, Wang Peng wrapped an arm around a Heart Image Martial Artist with a smile and said, "The way you've all been worshiping your god is actually all wrong."

"What nonsense are you spouting?" The Heart Image Martial Artist couldn't help but frown at Wang Peng's words. "Then tell us, how should we worship?"

"The true way to worship is to inflict the most humiliating things you can imagine upon the god. The more you attack the god, the more it proves your piety," Wang Peng said with complete conviction.

"Is... is that for real? You're not trying to trick me, are you?"

"Why would I trick you? The more you insult the god, the more the god will respond to you."

"After all, a god is benevolent and merciful. What does the mere insult of a believer even matter?"

"And just think about it—isn't it exciting to imagine your insults making Fang Can's normally stoic face twist with humiliation as he's forced to accept it?"

"If you still don't believe me, once the god comes out, I'll speak with him personally. He'll personally let you insult him."

Seeing the believer hesitantly nod in acceptance, Wang Peng was satisfied and moved off in another direction to persuade others.

Meanwhile, hiding in the shadows, Wan Guixuan had been observing for a long time and had come to a general understanding of the intruder's abilities.

First, he could rationalize his own existence.

Second, he could alter the common sense in others' minds, planting a mental imprint in their brains.

For any Martial Artist with a Realm below the Heaven-Ascending Road, as long as the man gave a reason for any of his abnormal actions or commands, no matter how bizarre that reason was, their brains would accept it.

Although these two abilities had no effect on those at the Heaven-Ascending Road, they were still incredibly heaven-defying powers.

Just by providing a reason, he could make people deceive their own minds and control any low-level Martial Artist. That was a terrifying ability.

After all, many ants can bite an elephant to death. If he could control ten thousand Ninth Layer cultivators at once, he could potentially overwhelm and kill a First Turn expert through sheer numbers.

Therefore, Wan Guixuan guessed that there were definitely restrictions on the duration, range, number of uses, and the number of people his hypnotic ability could control.

At the same time, while his presence seemed normal to those at the Transcendent Body Realm, it felt extremely discordant to a First Turn expert. This was perhaps another limitation.

After observing the entire process, Wan Guixuan also realized that the man's target was Fang Can.

'In that case, I won't get involved,' Wan Guixuan thought to himself.

If not for Fang Can's status, he would have wanted to avenge Wan Chenyu himself, so he naturally had no reason to help now.

As he walked and talked, Wang Peng continuously planted suggestions. Soon, within the entire procession of several thousand people, a psychological suggestion that "insult is not a sin" had been implanted in the minds of all the Heart Image Martial Artists.

Finally, gazing at the massive palanquin before him, Wang Peng, whose mouth had grown a little dry from all the talking, broke into a wide grin.

'Fang Can, it's your own fault for being from Jiejian Mountain. I wasn't even going to bother with you, but you delivered yourself right to my door.'

'Today, I'm going to humiliate you to my heart's content. I'll make everyone around you suffer terribly, and then, right before the hypnosis ends, I'll erase your memory so you'll never discover the truth of your humiliation for the rest of your life!'

Filled with extreme anticipation, Wang Peng smiled and reached out his right hand to open the door, only to find that before he could act, the door opened first.

Before him, the one who had pulled open the door was a handsome youth whose skin was covered in blood.

Fang Can pulled open the palanquin door from the inside. Looking at the unfamiliar middle-aged man before him, he instinctively furrowed his brow and asked, "Who are you?"

"You can call me Wang Peng. I am your [Master]," Wang Peng said with a smile.

But even before Wang Peng had spoken, Fang Can's brow had already furrowed uncontrollably.

His intuition was telling him that this middle-aged man before him was utterly disgusting.

Disgusting! Disgusting! Disgusting! Disgusting!

His looks are disgusting! His actions are disgusting! His words are disgusting! His clothes are disgusting!

The man was like the lowliest vermin in a sewer; his very existence was a sin.

Before Fang Can's brain could even process the thought, his body had already acted.

His right fist, carrying terrifying power, smashed toward the man's face.

BOOM!

The Martial Artists carrying the palanquin only felt a sudden weight on their shoulders as a cylindrical shockwave swept past.

Fang Can's right arm grazed past Wang Peng's cheek by a hair's breadth.

Even Fang Can himself was stunned by the punch. He looked down at his own right hand, not understanding why he had thrown it.

"You actually managed to dodge my attack. It seems you're a Martial Artist from one of the Hidden Dragon Rankings," Fang Can said, retracting his hand and narrowing his eyes.

'What's with this guy? Why did he attack me?' Wang Peng was also stunned. This was the first time he had ever encountered such a situation.

'And my lie about being the "Master" didn't even take effect? What kind of monster is this guy?'

'Is he really a Transcendent Body Martial Artist?'

"And what were you saying just now? Why did I suddenly find you so utterly disgusting? Did you eat shit or something?" Fang Can couldn't help but ask.

"What did you say? You didn't hear me? Why?"

"Obviously. My subconscious just told me you're like a piece of shit with an underdeveloped brain, and that even listening to you would be an insult to my ears, so I just blocked my hearing," Fang Can said as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

Being insulted to his face, Wang Peng's expression darkened. It was the first time he had ever run into a situation like this.

It was a first for Fang Can, too. He felt like he was talking to the scum of humanity, someone who seemed to have been soaked in a vat of manure. Even his tone was no longer calm, but filled with hostility.

If reason hadn't told him that he'd never met this guy before and there was no need to attack, Fang Can would have already swatted him dead like a fly.

"Then let me repeat myself. I am your Ma—"

Before Wang Peng could finish, he saw Fang Can's fist instinctively tighten, ready to strike at any moment. He quickly changed his tune, "—your distant cousin."

"My name is Wang Peng, your cousin. It's great to finally meet you, cuz," Wang Peng said, extending his right hand for a handshake.

As the words left his mouth, the "dialogue" was established.

In Wang Peng's perception, this lie would only last for three days.

'What's going on? A simple lie about being a distant cousin can only be maintained for three days?' Wang Peng was in disbelief.

A Heart Image is a reflection of one's mental power. The more absurd his words, the shorter the time he could maintain the deception.

In the past, even with a Profound Gate Ninth Layer Martial Artist, this kind of mild, non-provocative lie could be maintained for at least three months. This meant Fang Can's Heart Image was at least thirty times stronger than that of a Martial Artist in the same Realm.

And once the three days were up, the target would begin to use logic to question the truth of the lie.