In a small hut at a corner of the village, Monk White sat cross-legged on a mat in the main room, meditating. Beside him sat a dozing dwarf.

  The dwarf looked young, but was hunchbacked; the bulge on his back was the size of a head.

  "Master, when are we going to start work? It's so boring here."

  The dwarf seemed to wake up, glanced around, and finally looked at Monk White beside him, asking.

  "After I've eaten everyone in this village, I'll return to the mountain."

  "Master, aren't you already Nascent?"

  The dwarf was puzzled.

  "Heh heh, back in the mountains, where would I find so much blood and flesh to feed on? I have just entered the Nascent realm; my cultivation still needs consolidation. And unfortunately, the divine statues are all used up, so I can only feed on these mortals."

  Monk White glanced at the dwarf beside him, then said:

  "Your Uncle Green is a prime example. He doesn't pursue vigorous progress; he believes in nurturing according to destiny. Now, look at the situation: we don't even know where his remains are."

  The dwarf chuckled oddly, ready to speak, when he noticed Monk White's head suddenly turning to the door.

  The dwarf felt puzzled. Then, with a loud crash, three dark figures burst through the window and rushed at the two people sitting in the living room.

  Monk White raised an eyebrow. He gripped the hilt of his longsword and leaped into the air like a magnificent vulture. With a flick, thrust, and slash of his longsword, he intercepted all three flying figures.

  "Huh?"

  Monk White sensed something was wrong the moment his longsword touched the figures. He landed with a flourish, his right hand twirling the sword. And his left hand covering his chest. His brow furrowed as he gazed at the three figures on the ground.

  By the moonlight, Monk White could finally make out the faces of the three people, and his pupils contracted.

  The three were the village chief and his family from Stream Village!

  But their faces were pale, clearly showing they had been dead for some time. Monk White immediately felt a sense of foreboding. Just then, something fell from the man's mouth—a wooden, tube-like object.

  "Retreat!!"

  Monk White immediately turned and flew back, shouting. The dwarf, hearing this, hurried to run towards the back of the house. At that moment, a loud explosion came from behind them.

  Standing outside, Stirling let the red rope slip from his hand. He then looked at the sudden burst of white light inside. He shouted,

  "What demon dares to attack the people of Farfield City?!"

  "Here is William from the Night Watch! Surrender now!"

  After the shout, Stirling stood at the doorway. He had no plans of entering right now.

  "You son of a bitch!"

  In the next moment, a scream echoed from inside. A figure leaped through the shattered window, sprinting towards Stirling.

  The figure darted forward, swift as a hawk. His longsword shone coldly in his hand. The strong wind generated by the moving clothes pressed down as if it were a solid object.

  "Nascent!"

  Stolen novel; please report.

  Stirling's heart trembled with a quiver. He realized that Monk White had indeed reached the Nascent realm. He had sensed this unique Virl-Malice from Lilith many times before. Thinking this, the longsword approaching him.

  Stirling blocked with his blade and stepped back a few paces to keep his distance from Monk White.

  "The flashbang failed again. He's definitely an old hand."

  Stirling watched Monk White's elusive movements, still in one piece by the flashbang. Without a doubt, the enemy's level is higher; therefore, the flashbang effect is less.

  At this moment, Monk White was also observing the stranger in front of him with great care.

  Monk White didn't believe for a second that this young man was from the Night Watch. Who would announce their identity before a fight?

  But this kid looked far too young. Could he be a worshipper from the Yearning Palace?

  Stirling looked at Monk White standing before him, a sense of reflection washing over him.

  Just a month ago, this monk, who could instill fear in Stirling with a mere stomp of his foot, now looked at him on edge. This feeling of power gave Stirling a sense of security, of being in control of his destiny.

  "Come, show me what skills you demonic monks have got after all!"

  Stirling spoke, feeling his blood race. The Virl-force inside him surged, making his clothes flutter.

  "A samurai!"

  Monk White recognized the young man was a samurai focused on viscera-refining. His heart skipped a beat, and he held his longsword across his chest, assuming a defensive stance.

  But Stirling struck first. He flicked his wrist, and a beam of yellow light shot from his sleeve, hurtling towards Monk White.

  "The Malice-Breaking Orb!!! You're from Yearning Palace!!"

  Monk White screamed in surprise when he saw the yellow light. Without thinking, he drew a circle with his sword straightaway.

  "Boom!!"

  The Malice-Breaking bead exploded just half a foot from Monk White's sword tip. A wave of fire engulfed him completely.

  "Come on, play

  Laughing wildly, Stirling didn't expect a single Malice-Breaking Bead to subdue Monk White. He whipped his hands around, sending beads flying from his sleeves as if they were free.

  Muffled thuds rumbled through the village, and thick smoke wrapped around Monk White. In an instant, it lit up half the village.

  Lights flickered on in several houses. The noise had woken people, and they got up to see what was happening.

  Stirling frowned at the thick smoke. He didn't dare approach it, so he took a few steps back.

  Sure enough, a red light shot out from the smoke, aiming for the spot where Stirling had just stood. Stirling dodged to the side with the agility of a gorilla., slashing at the thing with his blade.

  "Clang!"

  Stirling's blade struck the red tentacle, producing a metallic clang. But Stirling had expected this. He swung his sword and rolled the tentacle several times in mid-air before slamming it into the ground.

  This locked Monk White's long tentacles in place, freeing Stirling to act more at will.

  Stirling casually lifted the hem of his robe, draping it over the tentacle. He crouched low, gripping the tentacle through the hem with one hand. His body formed a strong arc as he roared, "Rise!"

  With this roar, the Aether and blood within Stirling surged, producing a muffled thud. An irresistible force instantly propelled the Monk White, shrouded in smoke, towards Stirling.

  "Come to Daddy!"

  Stirling roared, moving his fist fast like a gorilla jumping over a river, like flying towards the monk.

  Monk White looked utterly astonished, disbelief etched on his charred face.

  When did Visceral-Refining samurai become so ferocious? It's no wonder he's so stunned. Stirling has pushed past all extremes with his Nine Heavens and Ten Earths Malice-Refining Technique. This gives him strength far surpassing other samurai at his level. Let alone Monk White, Stirling has the strength to challenge even a samurai at the late stage of Viscera Refinement. His cautious approach, however, makes him prefer to use an overwhelming strategy against the enemy. A risky high-level challenge? Absolutely impossible. Who knows if some other cunning guy might wear something like a magic ring?

  Seeing Stirling's fist coming, Monk White countered at once. A wisp of Virl-Malice flared on his longsword. He thrust three times at Stirling's vital parts.

  Stirling's boxing was now well honed. It switched without a hitch between hard and soft moves. He threw a punch at his opponent's face with his left hand but pulled it back halfway, while his right hand followed up to attack his heart. His constant energy flowed through his body like a python as he dodged the attack. He twisted his waist and hips, unleashing a punch. It broke through Monk White's protective Virl-Malice and hit him in the chest.

  The King Kong boxing Virl-force surged into Monk White. In no time, it wrecked most of his viscera, burst his blood vessels, and hurled him away.

  But the long tentacles that had shot out from Monk White's chest were still fixed to the ground. Halfway through the flight, Stirling yanked him back and punched with his elbow again.

  "Bang! Bang! Bang!"

  Stirling unleashed a flurry of punches, breaking Monk White's joints with four strikes. He pinned him to the ground like a dead dog. Then, grabbing his skull, Stirling used the "Malice-Refining Technique."

  A month ago, while with Lilith, Stirling wondered about drawing malice from a worshipper. He wondered if he could use the Malice-Refining Technique to turn it into life force.

  However, at that time, he was too weak. Since he was staying on the Yearning Palace's land, he never had the chance.

  This time, he left the city to find Monk White for three reasons: revenge, to kill him, and to test his idea!