Chapter 43: Fire Resistance +6

"Damn it!"

Wei Cheng cursed inwardly, but in the end, he did not choose to back down.

The last shred of conscience left in this ordinary man compelled him to go all in.

Of course, the more pressing reason was: if he couldn't even defeat the infiltration of a demonspawn now, what confidence would he have to face the full-scale invasion three centuries from now?

Bolstering his resolve, Wei Cheng slowly reinforced himself with the basic version of the Golden Bell Barrier.

This way, he could enjoy considerable defense and, depending on the situation, swiftly activate the Path of Non-Contention or the Immovable Golden Bell.

He had to admit, in this moment, the profession of Mountain Mover gave him a deep sense of security. If he were in one of the other two professions, charging in alone like this would likely be a death sentence!

A few seconds passed. Seeing that the eerie liquid did not attack on its own, Wei Cheng's heart stirred. He deliberately turned, gathering Mountain Mover's inner energy in his left hand, and threw a punch in the direction he had come from. In reality, he used only a tenth of his strength.

With a dull splat, the bizarre liquid did not even attempt to defend itself. In that instant, Wei Cheng sensed the world outside the apartment building, meaning that if he wished, he could leave at any time.

But to re-enter, that chance would be lost.

Ha! Got you, you bastard!

Wei Cheng sneered inwardly, swiftly retreating. Golden light flared around him as he charged up the stairs, the viscous liquid sealing all space. At this moment, it felt as disgusting as swimming in a cesspool.

Worse still, strange, worm-like creatures squirmed to and fro, trying to break through Wei Cheng’s defenses, but his Golden Bell Barrier was not mere reputation.

He didn’t even need to use the Path of Non-Contention, let alone the Immovable Golden Bell. That brief test a moment ago made it clear to Wei Cheng: the enemy was weak, desperate to buy time. What more needed to be said?

Just fight!

The Mountain Mover’s inner energy surged, flowing ceaselessly with the rhythm of the Mountain Visualization, gathering a roaring power.

With every bellow, Wei Cheng shattered and repelled the foul, sticky liquid. He gave chase relentlessly, fists and feet flying—wherever there was slime, he struck, never giving the foe a moment to breathe.

From the first floor to the sixth, he smashed through a wall into the next unit.

No, he didn’t stop there. Wei Cheng turned and kicked open every security door, wreaking havoc in every room.

Time was the enemy’s weakness.

If he dawdled, not only would it be hard to find the foe, but he might even lose the fight.

After clearing out two units with such shameless ferocity, the infiltrating demonspawn finally panicked. Countless streams of viscous fluid quickly contracted, converging toward a single direction—clearly, the foe meant to accelerate, shifting from infiltrating the whole building to targeting a specific individual.

But Wei Cheng had long anticipated this move. He didn’t bother with stairs or windows, simply transformed into a human tank, smashing through every obstacle before him. Concrete walls were no sturdier than sheets of paper.

He gave relentless chase, wasting not a moment.

When he reached the final unit, the mass of slime had already coalesced into a single form. Suspended in its midst was a pale young man.

Behind him, dozens of tentacles were rapidly sprouting, and in the center of his brow, a sinister eye opened, staring straight at Wei Cheng.

He was a step too late.

In that instant, their eyes met.

Without warning, Wei Cheng felt as if his head were being hammered three thousand times by rolling pins as thick as a man's head.

His whole body threatened to fly apart. Chaotic, alien, indescribable thoughts—not his own—flooded his mind, like strands of Sadako’s hair forcing their way into his mouth, eyes, nose, ears, and even his pores.

The sensation was excruciating, but Wei Cheng’s resistance was equally fierce. After repeated exposure to divine light, his mental fortitude had grown formidable.

"Get out of my head!"

Wei Cheng howled, regaining control of his body and mind in an instant. Then, to his horror, he realized he was being pierced—no, was in the process of being frantically impaled by dozens of sharp tentacles.

The sight was both horrific and absurd.

How to describe it?

It was like a delicate beauty, reared in a secluded chamber, wielding a heavy iron hoe to weed and till the hardened yellow earth—so preposterous it was almost endearing.

My deepest apologies: I'm actually a Mountain Mover with unmatched defense?

I keep my Golden Bell Barrier up at all times?

How terrible for you that you can’t break through my defenses—I truly am unforgivable!

Without hesitation, Wei Cheng grabbed several slippery, eel-like tentacles and whirled them against the ground like a windmill.

"Help me!"

The young man uttered a weak cry, as if Wei Cheng’s assault had finally worked—even the evil eye in his brow had disappeared.

But Wei Cheng did not hesitate for a second. He raised his fist, as large as a cooking pot, and hammered it down on the young man’s head.

"Earthlings don’t attack earthlings"? Did you think I read all those stupid web novels for nothing?

First punch, his face caved in; second, it squared off; third, it was a parallelogram.

And you still dare claim to be one of us?

Mountain Mover’s inner power surged and raged. Wei Cheng’s fists left countless afterimages, pounding away until half the apartment building had collapsed and the ground was left with a huge crater.

There was nothing left of the young man.

Indeed, from the moment he was infiltrated, he had been dead.

The remnant slime was gone. Only a crimson pearl remained, no larger than a fingertip. Wei Cheng picked it up, but in a flash it vanished, and on his finger, the blazing Flame Ring flared into being.

A faint line of text appeared—

Fire Resistance +6.

—

"Woo-woo-woo!"

Sirens blared. Ambulances, fire trucks, even a rescue helicopter arrived.

In this old neighborhood, many people were wailing and terrified, unable to comprehend how a building could have just collapsed.

Wei Cheng stood a kilometer away, his face calm, like a hero who does good deeds without leaving a name.

Well, he was just an ordinary man—he didn’t mind.

The authorities were a bit slow, though. It had been five minutes before they arrived.

He had already rescued those trapped in the rubble, watched the commotion, and gotten bored of it.

Turning away, Wei Cheng left. If his memory served, this was the only site in P City with demonspawn infiltration. As for other places, he was powerless to intervene.

This world, it seemed, was about to descend into chaos.

Yet, as Wei Cheng walked away, he was unaware that dozens of meters below the collapsed building, a black, flower-shaped sigil was quietly waiting...