Chapter Forty-Nine: The Mysterious Tome

Chapter Forty-Nine: The Mysterious Tome

All those from the martial world watched the contest of true energy between the two men, utterly transfixed. It was not that no one wished to come to Wu Hong's aid, but simply that none could approach the battlefield where the two clashed.

With a resounding crack, the giant hammer met the web-like energy. It did not immediately smash through; instead, the web endured immense pressure until, with a metallic snap, one strand broke, echoing the sound of steel splitting.

A mouthful of blood sprayed from the false Wu Hong's lips. The force pressing down from above was overwhelming. His true energy was adept at using softness to overcome hardness, yet his opponent wielded a force of unparalleled strength. The vast net woven by his true energy could not withstand the hammer.

His face flushed crimson with strain.

Wu Hong's earth-shattering hammer descended like Thunder God's bolt shattering the earth, as if smashing a mountain to pieces. The massive head crackled and rumbled with lightning, making the hearts of the gathered martial artists uneasy, awed by Wu Hong's power and coveting his hammer.

Some opportunists had already prepared themselves. Should both warriors suffer mutual defeat, they would rush in to seize the hammer.

Wu Hong now understood why all the monkeys of Monkey Valley treated their weapons as sacred relics, worshipping them with grand ceremony. The two weapons he possessed grew in quality alongside his strength. When he absorbed the two Fruit Kings, the hammer underwent unfathomable changes, startling the monkeys into believing it was a divine artifact. The hammer, though small, was astonishingly heavy, prompting the monkeys to hold such a grand ritual.

Seeing that the false Wu Hong could withstand his downward strike, Wu Hong's mind moved. A Mystic Yin Fruit appeared in his hand. Without hesitation, he swallowed it whole.

A chill swept through him, but his body, having been tempered by the Fruit King, was no longer threatened by an ordinary Mystic Yin Fruit; instead, his true energy surged greatly.

With a rush, the hammer in his hand, empowered by the fruit's energy, instantly grew larger—nearly a thousand meters wide. Its vast bulk shrouded the sky above Monkey Valley, plunging the world into darkness. All the martial artists were petrified; could mortal powers withstand such force?

Thunder roared as the giant hammer no longer lingered against the web of true energy but smashed through it with unstoppable momentum, crashing down upon the false Wu Hong with the sound of mountains collapsing.

The ground shook violently beneath the impact, as if the earth itself were quaking. Those nearby lost their footing, tumbling in disarray. None uttered a word, stunned into silence by the spectacle.

Where the hammer struck, a crater a hundred meters deep yawned in the earth. Wu Hong slowly withdrew his true energy, and the hammer shrank with the wind.

Behind the crowd, the Monkey King of Monkey Valley was equally astonished by the hammer's power.

Even Wu Hong himself was stunned. The hammer continued to shrink until it reached its normal size, then vanished entirely. Yet Wu Hong knew he had not returned the hammer to his Universe Ring; how could it disappear so suddenly? He still felt the hammer in his grasp. Raising his palm, he saw a faint golden imprint—a hammer, identical to his own. His anxious heart finally relaxed.

Wu Hong walked to the edge of the deep crater and looked down. It was pitch black, without a trace of light. He could barely see the bottom—truly terrifying.

He wondered what kind of destruction an attack from the legendary Innate Realm might bring. With such force, the false Wu Hong surely could not survive. Wu Hong had intended to capture him, but in the heat of the moment, had struck him dead.

Just as Wu Hong felt a sense of anticlimax, a glimmer of light rose from the bottom of the pit. He was startled—what was that?

His reaction drew the attention of the martial artists.

Unbeknownst to Wu Hong, what he saw differed entirely from what the others saw. A tidal wave of shock surged in his heart.

The false Wu Hong was enveloped in a mysterious orb of light, and around him floated a book. Wu Hong's pupils contracted; he saw it clearly.

The Silkworm Scripture…

"Everyone, attack quickly! Wu Hong must have acquired some treasure that lets him hover in the air!"

The crowd erupted. Dozens of marrow-refining masters unleashed their true energy at the false Wu Hong, but all attacks were absorbed by his protective aura, to no effect.

Wu Hong was utterly astounded. From the words exchanged among the martial artists, it was clear that none could see the tome orbiting the false Wu Hong. Was this tome also sold to Wu Hong by that mysterious elder?

Wu Hong's heart became a tangled web of confusion. What was happening here? If the Silkworm Scripture could shield Wu Hong in crisis, he must have cultivated the martial arts within it to achieve such power.

At last, some of the mystery was resolved. The false Wu Hong had cultivated not the family secret of King Wu Wei—the Divine Silkworm Technique—but instead an insubstantial, invisible tome known to outsiders as the Silkworm Scripture, though fundamentally different. Who knew what wonders it held?

In a blink, the battered false Wu Hong ascended ten meters above the crowd, hovering in midair, eyes shut, blood at his lips—clearly injured by Wu Hong's hammer.

To the martial artists, it was inconceivable. The false Wu Hong hovered aloft, no energy visible around him. In legend, only those who had reached the Innate Realm could fly freely, but this defied common sense.

All concluded that the false Wu Hong must have acquired some miraculous treasure granting flight.

"Quick, bring him down! Don't let him escape!" someone shouted, and hundreds of formless true energy blasts surged toward the false Wu Hong.

But Wu Hong saw clearly: each blast vanished, absorbed without so much as a ripple.

With a whistle, the false Wu Hong shot upward, disappearing into the sky in the blink of an eye.

The crowd stared blankly at the heavens.

"Friend, would you permit me to examine the divine weapon you've obtained?" As everyone gazed skyward, someone addressed Wu Hong.

Wu Hong turned to see an elder with the bearing of an immortal, dressed in Daoist robes.

The old man, seeing Wu Hong look his way, hurried to explain, "Friend, I mean no harm. I merely wish to have a look and will return it at once."

His expression was sincere, and Wu Hong's guard dropped.

The surrounding martial artists grumbled inwardly. This Daoist from Kunlun—Master Zhou—was utterly shameless. Who would lend such a treasure for inspection?

Though all coveted Wu Hong's divine weapon, none dared attempt to seize it, awed by his earlier display and the weapon in his hand.

Yet Wu Hong's response surprised everyone. He smiled and said, "Certainly! But my weapon is rather heavy, so please be careful, Master."

Wu Hong channeled his true energy, and the short hammer appeared in his palm. The martial artists had heard of the wondrous Universe Ring, but to witness the divine hammer materialize in Wu Hong's hand was astonishing.

This young man had been unknown before entering the Book Cave. Not that he shunned fame, but he hadn't the strength to be recognized. Yet within the cave, he must have encountered a great opportunity, for his power had soared in so short a span.

Everyone now regarded Wu Hong as a youth blessed with extraordinary fortune.

Wu Hong handed the hammer toward Master Zhou, saying, "Master, this hammer is rather heavy. Please be careful!"

Master Zhou, the upright leader of the Kunlun Sect, had achieved the mid-stage of marrow refinement, but was a hypocrite, famed yet infamous for his secret misdeeds.

Wu Hong, however, was completely unguarded, believing the elder wished only to examine the weapon.

As Wu Hong released the hammer, it fell toward Master Zhou's hands, emitting a piercing sound as it dropped.

Even with Wu Hong's double warning, Master Zhou had not anticipated this outcome. As he caught the hammer, he felt a colossal force pressing on his hands—like tens of thousands of pounds.

"Ah!—Boom!" Master Zhou's hands failed to halt the downward momentum of the half-meter hammer. As it passed through his grasp, his body shuddered violently, and the hammer crashed onto a giant log, sending wood chips flying everywhere.