Chapter 1162: The Successor

Xuanwu looked around, feeling that the situation before her was a bit unusual.

Aside from the corpse whose neck she had just broken, only the short and stout man remained, half-kneeling nearby.

Wang Ba struggled to clear his mind, then slowly sat down on the ground and raised his head to look at the woman who seemed as vast as the universe in front of him.

After a moment, a bitter smile appeared on his plump face.

"Laughing...?" Xuanwu was puzzled. "Why are you laughing?"

"That whistle just now was truly wonderful," Wang Ba said. "I’ve never heard of such a simple, crude, and entertaining plan."

"But it seems they've all left," Xuanwu continued. "You're the only one left here. What are you going to do?"

"I'm done for anyway," Wang Ba whispered. "Being able to witness the succession of a 'shen shou' here is already a blessing from three lifetimes."

"Succession is not an easy matter..." Xuanwu murmured softly. "In all of Taoyuan, few are stronger than me, not even Baihu or Zhuque."

"Are you saying... that if we made a move, Zhuque and Baihu would be easier for you to kill?" Wang Ba chuckled softly. "Is that what you mean?"

Xuanwu seemed to realize she had misspoken and shook her head, her long hair swaying. "I didn't say that."

No sooner had she spoken than Xuanwu suddenly detected an extremely familiar aura from nearby. She turned her head towards the corner of a nearby low building and stared intently.

A moment later, she instinctively took a step back.

A slender, pitch-black figure, as brilliant as the vast universe, emerged from the billowing smoke.

Upon closer inspection, the person was not walking on the ground but floating in the air.

His arms were spread wide to the sides, and a strange ring hovered in front of him, as if a true deity had descended.

Xuanwu looked at him curiously, trying to discern his origins.

"Xuanwu, lay down your weapon and enjoy the kill..." The person paused. "No, enjoy the slaughter."

A voice, equally ethereal and elusive, emanated from him, causing Xuanwu to tilt her head in confusion again.

...

In the low building behind Jiang Shi, nearly all the "Mao" were crouched at the windows, watching carefully.

They had started gathering at the low building after hearing the earlier whistle.

The whistle was brief—just one line:

"‘Mao’ emergency evasion, direct all faith effects to ‘Shi’."

Everyone stared at Jiang Shi's dark silhouette. Although Jiang Shi appeared fine, Luo Shiyi was already drenched in sweat.

"I really hope Brother Shi isn't in pain right now..." Luo Shiyi said, his face pale.

"Don't worry, Brother Shiyi," Ma Shier of "Noyou" said. "You're exhausted like this, so Brother Shi's pain must have been completely ‘Wangyou’-ed."

"That makes sense..." Luo Shiyi nodded blankly, but then felt it didn't quite add up and retorted, "You're the one who's exhausted."

As Xuanwu and Jiang Shi began to converse, Song Qi turned back and issued orders to Ma Shier of "Noyou," Wu Shisan of "Zhikong," and Cui Shisi of "Chuansuo," telling them to fully prepare for "Huixiang" at any moment.

Officer Li quickly moved to the window upon seeing this, slipping his right hand into his pocket.

At that moment, only Su Shan stood apart on the rooftop, looking down at the astonishing scene below.

Jiang Shi's state was identical to Xuanwu's, with "Bumie" ripples flickering continuously on both of them.

However, the "Bumie" ripples on Xuanwu were vastly stronger than those on Jiang Shi, not even in the same league.

Hers surged like massive ocean waves, rippling out from her as the center, vast and ferocious, as if endless and on the verge of colliding.

In contrast, Jiang Shi's ripples were like gentle drops of water falling into a pond, creating faint circles that spread slowly, appearing tender and delicate, and could vanish at any time.

The phrase "You Jin Deng Ku" flashed through Su Shan's mind. She didn't know the final plan that Song Qi and the others had decided on, but she knew Jiang Shi couldn't hold out much longer.

Perhaps three minutes, or maybe the next second, the child named Jiang Shi would dissipate all his "Bumie" ripples and collapse to the ground, unable to rise again.

Su Shan looked more closely and noticed that besides the "Bumie" emanating from Jiang Shi himself, several strange ripples surrounded him.

The outermost was a powerful ring of "Wangyou" ripples, which echoed with "Bumie" but were teetering on the edge of collapse.

Beneath his feet was "Zhikong," and the floating ring before him included not only "Zhikong" but also "Chuansuo."

Amid the chaos, these numerous ripples maintained an order, all revolving around Jiang Shi like satellites orbiting a planet.

Xuanwu finally couldn't hold back and asked, "Who are you?"

"I am here to take your place in guarding the rules," Jiang Shi replied. "With me here, you can die in peace."

Xuanwu clearly didn't understand his words. The person before her looked exactly like her, but how could he replace her just like that?

"You say you want to replace me... How exactly do you plan to do that?"

"Xuanwu, I am far stronger than you," Jiang Shi said. "Even stronger than the Pu Sa you speak of."

"How dare you," Xuanwu said. "You think you can surpass Pu Sa?"

"How dare you!!" Jiang Shi snorted coldly. "How dare you question me?"

Whether out of anger or competitiveness, Xuanwu extended her remaining left hand into the air, and in it appeared a heart.

Jiang Shi froze, wanting to touch his own chest, but remembered his chest was already empty.

If not his, then whose heart was this...?

Wang Ba instantly furrowed his brow beside them and clutched his chest with his remaining left hand.

"Brother Ba..." Jiang Shi paused, his featureless face turning toward Wang Ba.

"Don't mind me..." Wang Ba gritted his teeth. "Do what you need to. I was meant to..."

Before he could finish, Xuanwu crushed the heart in her hand. The blood inside sprayed out like water squeezed from a sponge, scattering in all directions.

Wang Ba's mouth gaped open, and his wide eyes lost their life in an instant.

Without even a final word, he died quietly in Xuanwu's grasp.

"Brother Ba... rest in peace." Jiang Shi fell silent for a brief second, then turned back to Xuanwu. "Xuanwu... what a crude method..."

"Crude...?" Xuanwu tossed the crushed heart to the ground and asked, puzzled, "Then what would you do?"

Jiang Shi responded by slowly turning his head toward Luo Shiwu's corpse on the ground.

He extended his hand, pointing at the body, and his lips parted slightly:

"Heart, come."