Shackles of Humanity

Luo Kai knew he was trapped in a desperate situation. The speed of his Qi and Blood Circulation had already begun to slow, his strength was draining away rapidly, and his entire body and spirit were on the verge of collapse.

Pang Kun’s face was twisted in a savage grin as his blade flashed even faster, forcing Luo Kai into a corner step by step. It had been a long time since he’d met such an opponent. The fight was exhilarating. This kid in front of him clearly didn’t know any weapon-based fighting styles, yet his speed and sharp mind were unlike anything he had ever seen. And this was with his opponent in a weakened state. ’If he were at his peak, I’m afraid I wouldn’t even be a match for him.’

Gradually, the two reached a corner in the hallway. With a sickening THUD, Luo Kai failed to dodge in time and the blade struck his shoulder again, exposing the white of his bone. The force of the blow sent him staggering back several steps, and he crashed right through the solid wood door behind him, creating a large hole. The stench of feces and urine assaulted his nostrils. It was a public restroom.

Luo Kai dropped to one knee, his vision darkening in waves as an endless exhaustion welled up within him. After barely managing to dodge another strike, he caught sight of a faucet to the side. A sudden idea struck him. ’Why not try to summon the water to help me right now!’

Using the momentum from his opponent’s attack, he threw himself backward, shattering the ceramic sink. A powerful jet of water immediately burst out. Mustering what little strength he had left, he punched the main pipe inside the wall. The gushing water quickly began to flood the room. The formless yet tangible current gradually came into resonance with his will, as if it had a life of its own. It deftly avoided him and instead swept toward Pang Kun.

At first, Pang Kun paid it no mind, thinking it was just a coincidence. But after a moment, he noticed that the water wasn’t flowing out of the room. Instead, it was pooling inside and surging toward him. The realization finally hit him. His face filled with horror as he stammered, "You... you’re also an Elemental Master!"

More and more water swirled around Pang Kun, noticeably slowing his movements. Even this slight delay was enough to prevent him from locking onto Luo Kai’s position any longer.

The water itself didn’t possess much power, nor could it block Pang Kun’s blade. But water is the most yielding substance in the world; it cannot be grasped by force. That which is most yielding can overcome that which is most hard!

Pang Kun’s terror was beyond words. He had studied the cultivation path of Elemental Masters in depth. To put it simply, they abandoned physical training to instead focus on condensing the mysterious Spiritual Will Power, hoping to achieve resonance with the natural world. The requirements to become an Elemental Master were far stricter than for Body Techniques. One had to possess a corresponding Elemental Affinity Constitution. The Elemental Coral was what granted a person this kind of constitution, which was why it was so incredibly precious.

The Cultivation of an Elemental Master required long periods of seated meditation and perception. Even with an Elemental Affinity Constitution, one might go their entire life without achieving resonance with their corresponding Element. This was why Elemental Masters were so rare. After all, a person’s energy is finite. The various Cultivation Methods for Body Techniques were complex and diverse, and practicing any one of them required an immense amount of effort, let alone trying to meet the harsh requirements for an Elemental Master at the same time.

’I can’t imagine how terrifying this person would be if he were allowed to mature.’ Pang Kun burst through the water’s obstruction with all his might, intensifying his assault. He was now determined to kill Luo Kai here and now.

Luo Kai, however, was on his last legs. Though his eyes were open, all he could see were black spots—a consequence of insufficient blood flow to the brain from his massive blood loss.

As his consciousness faded, not only did his movements become sluggish, but his control over the water also weakened. Finally, he bit his tongue hard and forced the water to completely submerge Pang Kun. He suddenly tossed aside his Military Dagger and, ignoring the blade stabbing toward his chest, charged forward.

The sharp Curved Long Saber pierced straight through him, but Luo Kai paid it no mind. He wrapped both arms around Pang Kun’s waist, and the two of them crashed to the ground together.

Pang Kun was startled by Luo Kai’s ferocity and hesitated for a fraction of a second. He could have disemboweled him with a simple flick of the blade, but that tiny pause sealed his fate. Once Luo Kai had him in a grapple, he could no longer bring that final slash down. He had no choice but to release the hilt of his saber and start punching at Luo Kai’s head.

In close-quarters combat, Luo Kai was still no match for him. But his body was incredibly resilient. He coiled around Pang Kun like a Flood Dragon, ignoring the rain of fists and sinking his teeth into Pang Kun’s flesh. The life-and-death struggle between masters had instantly devolved into a street brawl between thugs.

The formless, tangible water became the key to the battle. Not only did it significantly reduce the power of Pang Kun’s punches, but it also seeped into every opening, pouring into his mouth and nose. Under normal circumstances, he could have easily sealed his senses to block the water’s entry, but now, he was completely unable to do so.

Once the water entered Pang Kun’s body, it was no longer under Luo Kai’s control and couldn’t harm his powerful physique. However, he couldn’t suppress the rising panic in his heart. The combat methods of an Elemental Master completely defied the laws of physics; there was no way to counter them. In his alarm, he ignored Luo Kai clinging to his body and scrambled toward the door.

It was at this exact moment that Luo Kai straightened up and bit down hard on his neck. What part of the human body can exert the most focused power? The bite force, of course. And with Luo Kai putting every last ounce of his life into it, even the tough skin Pang Kun prided himself on couldn’t stop it.

Gushes of foul, coppery blood poured down his throat. Once the Energy-rich blood reached his stomach, it was rapidly broken down and absorbed. His body, which had grown cold, began to warm up.

...

A long time seemed to pass. Luo Kai staggered to his feet and looked down at Pang Kun’s body, which had become little more than a desiccated corpse. His hazy consciousness cleared, and he remembered what had happened. He had drunk the blood of a Snake-man before, ’but that wasn’t a real person!’

His body trembled slightly. Unable to bear the revulsion any longer, he bent over and began to retch violently. Unfortunately, nothing came out except for some sour bile. The blood he had just drunk had already been completely absorbed.

Gunfire still echoed throughout the building. Their fight had seemed to last an eternity, but in reality, it had been no more than ten-odd minutes. The red-furred monkey was still on a rampage, drawing the attention of nearly all the soldiers. Otherwise, even if Luo Kai had managed to kill Pang Kun by some miracle, he would have been gunned down by the other soldiers.

Perhaps because he had drunk human blood, he had actually recovered a bit of strength. He shakily retrieved his Military Dagger and was about to leave when his gaze was drawn to a Curved Long Saber on the ground, gleaming with a cold light. It was Pang Kun’s weapon.

After a moment’s hesitation, he went back and picked up the long saber. The blade, which radiated a cold light, was covered in a spiraling pattern. Just looking at it made him feel slightly dizzy. The hilt was engraved with two ancient seal script characters: "Final Cut." Just like Liu Hou’s straight-bladed saber, this was a Fierce Weapon, saturated with Evil Qi!

Luo Kai’s expression suddenly turned strange. As far as he knew, this world had abandoned most of its original writing systems. The new script was more like an international hodgepodge, containing phonetic, symbolic, and block-style characters. The seal script of Ancient China from before the Cataclysm had been lost long ago. Yet this Curved Long Saber was named using ancient seal script. ’Could it be a relic from before the Cataclysm?’

A savage roar snapped him out of his thoughts. He hurriedly grabbed the long saber and ran out. The giant Blood Monkey was also on the brink of death. Its body was riddled with bullet holes, and one of its legs was crippled. It cowered behind a collapsed wall, hurling bricks at the soldiers behind it while roaring continuously. Its cries were filled with sorrow and despair.

This was the scene that greeted Luo Kai. An endless rage filled his heart and mind. He stuffed a length of intestine that had spilled out back into his abdomen. His weakening heartbeat began to accelerate once more. Raising the saber, Final Cut, he charged out to kill!