Chapter Five: Displaying Remarkable Skill

Seeing Desai vanish, Wu Jue knew this was a chance not to be missed. Standing atop the electric scooter, he suddenly unleashed his lightness technique, soaring into the air without warning and landing squarely on the airship above. The explosive power of his leap surpassed the limits of the human body—Wu Jue himself was startled by the feat, having vaulted over a dozen meters in an instant.

Without time to hesitate, Wu Jue sensed the airship’s cannon turning, its muzzle targeting the crowds below. He scrambled over, seized the barrel with both arms, and wrenched it upward with all his might, determined to break it off. The metal groaned and screeched under the strain as Wu Jue summoned every ounce of strength he possessed. At last, with a sharp crack, the cannon ruptured in his grip.

At that moment, the gun discharged, but the round detonated right at the broken joint. The violent blast hurled Wu Jue through the air, tossing his body hundreds of meters before he crashed heavily against something solid.

Jolted awake, Wu Jue reached out to grab a cold metal hatch and realized, to his astonishment, that the blast had propelled him onto the battleship of the Heaven’s Judgment Clan. He quickly rolled over and nimbly slipped inside, eyes scanning the interior.

This was the warship of the Heaven’s Judgment Clan—a vessel that, according to Huron's memories, embodied the universe’s most advanced biochemical technology. The enemy used the ship’s bio-labs to capture large numbers of humans, transforming them into terrifying zombies before unleashing them upon the life forms of Earth.

Wu Jue crept forward with utmost caution, regulating his breath and calming his nerves. The trauma of the blast had left its mark. Though he had trained in the ways of invulnerability since childhood and perfected the Iron Shirt and Golden Bell skills, the overwhelming force of such advanced technology still left him at a disadvantage.

Huron’s experience had taught him that the Divine Martial Clan’s martial arts were capable of fusing technology and physical prowess to reach even higher realms of strength. If he could survive this ordeal, Wu Jue was confident he could elevate the Seventy-Three Unique Skills of Dalin Monastery to new heights.

For now, he needed only to destroy this warship—halt the enemy’s production of zombies, or perhaps even seize the vessel for his own use. Wu Jue advanced carefully, channeling the Nine Talon Blood Condensing technique, ready to strike at the first sign of danger.

Soon, alarms blared throughout the ship; his intrusion had been detected. Wu Jue listened to the shifting currents of air, attuned to every movement within the vessel. He concealed himself by a corridor, poised to ambush the enemy as soon as they emerged.

But instead of soldiers, a dozen enormous mutated loaches slithered forth, brandishing razor-sharp blades as they lunged at Wu Jue. He reacted instantly, gripping the weapons embedded in their flesh and slicing them apart—only for the severed creatures to fall to the floor, still writhing, still alive.

He pressed forward, but the loaches, undeterred by their injuries, coiled around him, binding him tight. Wu Jue fought back, wielding the broken blades in a desperate bid to free himself, but the creatures seemed endless. Just as escape seemed impossible, a voice cried out behind him, “How shameful! Even now, Wu Jue, you remain too careless.”

A figure streaked into view—none other than his nemesis, Desai, whom Wu Jue had presumed dead. With a few swift movements, Desai seized the mutated loaches and summoned blue flames in his palm, incinerating them to blackened husks.

Wu Jue regarded his unlikely rescuer with icy indifference. Tearing off the remaining loaches, he said coldly, “Don’t expect my gratitude. Once we’re out of here, I’ll kill you without hesitation.”

With that, he slipped deeper into the ship. Desai laughed behind him, “Well said! I feel the same. I only saved you for my own purposes. Do you think you can get out of here? I’ve already scouted ahead—there’s nothing but empty space.”

Desai’s words sparked a realization in Wu Jue. According to Huron’s memories, this was a crewless warship of the Heaven’s Judgment Clan—fully automated, save for the core control chamber, which housed the viral devices used to infect humans. To destroy the ship, one had to breach the control chamber and obliterate the virus dispersal machinery.

Wu Jue turned to Desai. “Since you arrived first, what places seemed most suspicious? Was there anywhere you couldn’t access?”

Desai, no fool, recognized the importance of this question and relayed all he had observed. Comparing their findings, Wu Jue determined the most likely location of the control chamber and set off at once toward the warship’s core.

By then, the ship began to lurch violently. The previous impacts, combined with their recent sabotage, had triggered the self-destruct protocol. Time was running out.

Wu Jue sprinted through the corridors, arriving at an inconspicuous hatch that appeared sealed shut. He rapped his knuckles against its surface—hollow echoes suggested the space beyond was empty.

He wasted no time, unleashing the full force of his Vajra Palm; the metal door groaned and warped under his blows. With a surge of inner energy, he delivered a final kick that sent the door flying.

Before them stood something ominous and strange—a massive machine, its surface gleaming with a ghostly light. Its intricate metalwork and precision parts radiated an aura of mysterious power. At the very top, beneath a glass dome, churned a mass of purple liquid, bubbling endlessly and feeding through countless tubes that branched into every corner of the chamber.

Huron’s memories confirmed it: this was the warship’s control core, the viral engine responsible for spreading the infection.

“If we destroy this, we can avert disaster,” Wu Jue declared. Without hesitation, he snatched up the fallen hatch, ready to hurl it at the machine.

Desai stepped in front of him, catching the hatch. “Are you mad, monk? Why destroy something so valuable? Wouldn’t you rather claim it for yourself and become a hero in this apocalyptic world?”

“Hero?” Wu Jue sneered. “I have no interest in the kind of sordid tricks you admire.”

With a sudden burst of strength, he shoved Desai toward the machine—an ideal moment to eliminate his nemesis. But Desai was not to be outdone. His eyes flashed with a ghostly light, and a sinister aura seemed to envelop him as he launched a ferocious counterattack.

The two clashed amidst the warship’s core, their duel shaking the chamber as the ship trembled violently. At last, the machine exploded in a bizarre self-destruction. Venomous liquid spewed forth, drenching Desai before he could escape. His skin erupted in hideous pustules, his face twisting in agony.

Wu Jue shielded himself with the hatch, escaping harm. He watched as Desai writhed and roared in torment, but before he could react, another blast sent him stumbling backward.

In an instant, the chamber was torn asunder. Wu Jue was hurled from the warship by the immense shockwave, sailing through the air. He collided with something that sent him spinning once more, before he finally hurtled far into the distance.

Thus concludes Chapter Five: A Display of Prowess.