The People's God: Sacrificing Trillions to Ascend

“Brother Zhang, have you heard? Four troublemakers showed up in Jiang City recently!” a guard named Little Liu said outside the Black Mountain Hall.

“Tell me about it,” the other guard replied with a sigh. “My cousin’’s group, the Red Sand Hall, got hit by those four. They beat the brothers to a pulp.”

“How bad was it?” Little Liu asked curiously.

“Put it this way. Not a single person in the entire hall could stand up afterward!”

“That’’s brutal. Did they break everyone’’s legs?”

“Worse than that. They crippled everyone’’s martial arts.”

“Monsters! Brother Zhang, you always know things. Do you know what the four of them look like? I want to be ready in case I run into them, so I can get the hell out.”

Old Zhang eagerly shared the information he had gathered. “You’’re asking the right person. The four of them are all different: tall, short, fat, and thin. The first one is apparently old, incredibly ugly, and creepy-looking. His footwork is unreal, though. He moves like a rat. Even Second-rate fighters can’’t lay a finger on him.

“The second one is nine feet tall with broad shoulders and a thick waist. His whole body is like a pincushion of steel spikes. He carries hidden weapons everywhere. With a flick of his wrist, he can skewer several people at once.

“The third one is supposedly the strongest of the four. He’’s young and good-looking. He keeps a little black demon hidden in his shadow most of the time. When things get serious, the demon jumps out and chops people to pieces with an axe. Rumor has it that he’’s also the one who used some vicious technique to drain everyone’’s internal energy.

“As for the fourth, she’’s a young girl. Red lips, white teeth, pale skin, gorgeous. A real beauty. The problem is that she’’s ruthless. Everyone she hits ends up charred black, as if they were struck by lightning.”

Old Zhang was getting carried away with his story when Little Liu suddenly started trembling and tugging at Old Zhang’’s sleeve.

“What?” Old Zhang asked irritably. He hated being interrupted when he was on a roll.

Little Liu’’s legs had gone weak. “Brother Zhang, am I seeing things? Look, are those the Four Terrors?”

Old Zhang followed his gaze and nearly stumbled. “How did they end up here? What are you waiting for? Get inside and report it!”

Before he could move, Jia Gui’’s voice drifted into his ear in its signature creepy tone. “Report what? Why don’’t you tell me about it?”

Old Zhang’’s heart slammed against his chest so hard he thought it would burst. He let out a yelp and fainted on the spot.

Little Liu was pinned by Jia Gui’’s hand on his shoulder and didn’’t dare move a muscle. Han Wu walked over and placed his hand on Old Zhang’’s body. A pulling force radiated from his palm and targeted the man’’s internal energy.

Old Zhang twitched once, then went still. Without his internal energy, he fell into a deep sleep. Little Liu was terrified.

Then Han Wu’’s voice sounded beside his ear. “Relax. This’’ll be over quickly.”

The next moment, Little Liu felt a suction force surge through him, pulling out every last scrap of internal energy he had. Without it, he went limp and collapsed to the ground.

“Let’’s go. Inside.” Han Wu pushed the gate open.

Inside, a number of disciples were training. They spotted Han Wu’’s group of four and froze, instantly thinking of the infamous Four Terrors of Jiang City.

Before any of them could react, Han Wu gave the order. “Begin.”

Qin Shuang burst into the crowd like a bolt of lightning, paralyzing everyone she touched with her electricity. He Xu swung his fists, and with each punch, steel needles formed from his hair and shot out like hidden weapons, striking every enemy in their path.

Jia Gui darted through the melee with a dagger, looking for openings. The moment someone let their guard down, he slipped behind them and drove the blade in before retreating. He lived for the thrill.

As for Xun, he naturally sought out the strongest opponents. With his abilities, ordinary Second-rate fighters were no match for him. His favorite pastime was dragging Second-rate fighters over to Han Wu like dead dogs so that the latter could drain their internal energy.

By the end of the beatdown, every Black Mountain Hall member lay sprawled on the ground. Han Wu went through them one by one and used the Kunpeng Divine Art.

Through repeated practice, he had mastered the technique of draining internal energy from a distance. He could now extract someone’’s internal energy without physical contact from as far as thirty centimeters away. This progress sped things up considerably.

After draining every member, Han Wu felt his stored internal energy finally reach the threshold required to activate the second stage of the Demon King Transformation, the True Black Dragon King Transformation.

This was a massive breakthrough. Han Wu was confident that even a single use of the True Black Dragon King Transformation would be enough to defeat a First-rate fighter like the Lotus Heart Sage.

The time had come.

Han Wu immediately led the other three to the White Lotus Sect’’s Jiang City branch. It was only a branch, but its layout was elegant. Stone lotus carvings flanked the entrance, so lifelike that they seemed real. Inside the courtyard was a large lotus pond with a subtle current of flowing water beneath the surface.

The four of them had barely stepped through the gate when two young women in white veils approached.

“What brings the four of you here?”

Qin Shuang glanced at Han Wu, then stepped forward. “I’’m here to see the Lotus Heart Sage and pay the ransom.”

The two veiled women didn’’t understand what she meant by ransom, but they led the group to the Lotus Heart Sage’’s quarters.

The path was paved with white pebbles that gave it a refined appearance. Qin Shuang paid no attention to the scenery. Her eyes were fixed on the door ahead.

It opened, and the Lotus Heart Sage stepped out in white ceremonial robes. He was a middle-aged man with a five-petaled white lotus etched between his brows. He walked with a peculiar swaying gait that gave him an almost effeminate air.

“You’’re Qin Shuang?” the Lotus Heart Sage asked. When he looked at her, a flash of lust crossed his eyes.

“Where is my family?” Qin Shuang demanded.

“If you want to see your family, hand over the ransom first,” the Lotus Heart Sage replied.

Han Wu stepped forward with a cold laugh. “No ransom. I came instead. Do I look like a ransom to you?”

The Lotus Heart Sage got a clear look at Han Wu’’s face and burst out laughing. “Holy Mother’’s mercy, there really are fools who walk willingly to their own deaths. You’’re Han Wu, aren’’t you? My orders say that your death is worth more than any ransom. So tell me, how would you like to die?”

“I’’d like to watch you die.” Han Wu’’s voice was glacial.