The Programmer Cultivator

The instant Nangong Cheng threw the Gavel, a cold glint flashed in Tong Hou’s eyes. His body froze at the same moment as the Human Ape Elder’s. Just as the elder crossed his arms to mount a defense, Tong Hou struck first.

Rune Technique: Yin Yang Chess Dao: Trapped Position!

A small chessboard quickly formed, barely enclosing the Human Ape Elder and himself before it stopped expanding. The moment the Technique’s chessboard materialized, Tong Hou didn’t hesitate for a second and activated another Technique.

Rune Technique: Chess Dao Shell Shedding!

His figure trembled and then vanished, leaving behind only an afterimage of Spiritual Power on the chessboard.

The Human Ape Elder, still in his defensive stance, froze solid before he could even activate his Martial Techniques, instantly rooted to the spot.

Though the chessboard shattered just an instant after Tong Hou used his Escape Technique, lasting for perhaps less than half a second, it was enough.

After Tong Hou disappeared, the Human Ape Elder shattered the restraints. But before he could make another move, the Gavel, wrapped in a mountain-like phantom and radiating an immense sense of weight, crashed into his crossed arms.

"CRACK!"

A quiet, yet distinct sound of breaking bones rang out, and the next moment, the elder was sent flying like a cannonball.

"BOOM..."

He crashed through countless trees and ruined walls along the way, plowing a long trench in the ground.

He didn’t stop until he reached the foot of the mountain, where he blasted a huge crater into the mountainside before finally coming to a halt.

Tong Hou’s figure reappeared. Looking in the direction the Human Ape Elder had been sent flying, he let out a faint sigh of relief.

Nangong Cheng’s expression, however, remained unchanged. With his vast combat experience, he would never pass up such a rare opportunity to kick a man while he was down, nor would he let his opponent catch his breath.

His aura surged once more, his clothes billowing and his hair floating around him. A budding lotus flower appeared before him, slowly rotating.

The lotus flower was pristine white, its stem as clear and translucent as jade, yet it glinted with a sharp, cold light.

"One lotus ’neath the vast blue sky, to cleanse the world of all injustice!"

The lotus paused briefly, then shot forward, stem-first and bud trailing, transforming into a streak of light that flew toward the dust-shrouded Human Ape Elder.

At that moment, a figure suddenly flashed into view, blocking the crater at the foot of the mountain. It was none other than the youth from before.

The young Lu Yongsheng had never imagined that Cultivators were this powerful. In the single moment he had hesitated, Uncle Fu had been brought to the brink of death.

They had been in the mountains for half a year now. Though devouring Demon Beasts wasn’t as effective as devouring humans—and the drawbacks were far greater—he, unaware of those specific dangers, had devoured countless Demon Beasts in that time.

Because Uncle Fu had secretly taken on all the negative consequences without ever telling him, his Cultivation speed had become countless times faster than it had been back home.

Back home, a part of him still clinging to his humanity, he had been completely unable to accept the methods used by his family and the Martial Alliance.

They captured Cultivators and Immortals, treating each one as a human-shaped Spirit Medicine to be devoured for rapid advancement in Cultivation. It might have seemed different on the surface, but how was it fundamentally any different from cannibalism?

One was eating flesh, the other was Soul Devouring to cultivate one’s spirit. If you really compared them, the latter was far more monstrous.

So, back home, even though he cultivated the clan’s core North Nether Firewood Skill, he had never devoured a single person as a Resource.

In terms of his training, he was a Martial Artist prodigy, the likes of which hadn’t been seen in centuries. But compared to his peers in the family and the Martial Alliance who engaged in Devouring, his progress was laughably slow.

It wasn’t until after they entered the mountains that Uncle Fu told him he could also rapidly advance his Cultivation by devouring Demon Beasts. He had been against it at first, afraid of becoming addicted to the bloodlust—after all, it was a common enough occurrence in his clan.

But the Hengduan Mountain Range was crawling with Demon Beasts. How could it not be dangerous for two Postnatal Martial Artists whose strength was only equivalent to that of Junior Apprentices?

Therefore, after they had managed to find their ancestral lands and survival grew ever more difficult, he had finally chosen to give it a try.

Uncle Fu had insisted they do it together, and he hadn’t thought much of it, so the two of them began Devouring. He never imagined that this method of "devouring Demon Beasts also works" would lead to such dire consequences.

Uncle Fu had shouldered the vicious soul-backlash from the Demon Beasts all on his own. No wonder the clan hunted Immortals instead of devouring Demon Beasts—this must be the reason why.

And when devouring Immortals, if given the choice, they would almost always be brought back to the clan first. They’d be subjected to prolonged torture to wear down their will before the final act. So that was the reason. It wasn’t that his clansmen were inhumane; they were trying to prevent the backlash.

It was only at the moment Uncle Fu went mad that he felt a pang of regret, wishing his revulsion hadn’t stopped him from learning more about the North Nether Firewood Skill.

In the past half-year, they had both become legendary Divine Power Martial Artists—Tier Two Divine Power Martial Artists, at that. He had become powerful beyond his wildest dreams.

And yet, despite all that, Uncle Fu had nearly lost his life in the single moment he’d been stunned.

No wonder the clan had remained hidden for so many years. They had plenty of Tier Two Divine Power Realm Martial Artists, and even some at the Tier Three Divine Power Realm. Yet they were still so cautious when dealing with Immortals. So this was how powerful they really were.

As these thoughts flashed through his mind, the young Lu Yongsheng planted himself in front of the massive crater. Gazing at the approaching lotus, he sank his breath into his Dantian and let out an explosive roar.

"HAA..."

Martial Arts Divine Power: Desperate Golden Bell!

A large, golden bell materialized around his body and began to spin rapidly. The bell glowed brilliantly, Runes flowing across its surface, within which the faint figures of various beasts could be seen moving.