Body command feeding world

Leaving the inner city, the sky was already beginning to set in the west. The orange-red sunset cast long shadows on the houses outside Rock City. A cold, acrid wind from the western wilderness swept over them, carrying a faint scent of malevolent dust. Wu Wei gripped the still-warm sword-shaped talisman in his arms, his steps steady, walking in silence.

Elder Qingyun's bestowal of treasures, the profound meaning in the eyes of the Master of the Evil Suppression Division, and the two extremely low-voiced words "Lord of Evil" in the hall weighed heavily on his heart. He knew very well that today's peace was only a brief calm before the storm, and the shadow deep within the Black Bone Evil Nest would sooner or later once again shroud the entire city.

He didn't immediately return to Ping An Inn; instead, he subconsciously turned and slowly walked towards the direction of the Elementary School.

The alley where the elementary school was located was regularly cleansed of evil spirits by warriors from the Evil Suppression Division, and was also protected by low-level talisman arrays casually set up by outer disciples of the Qingyun Sect, making it one of the few safe places in the outer city. The courtyard walls were low, and the clear voices of children reading and playing could be heard from inside. Even from a distance, one could feel the pure warmth that was untouched by bloodshed or evil spirits.

Wu Wei stopped in the shadow of a withered tree at the alley entrance, neither approaching nor showing himself, but simply standing quietly, his gaze peering through the slightly open gate into the courtyard.

Before long, a small figure skipped and hopped by. Her hair was simply styled in a bun, her eyebrows and eyes were clean and bright, and when she smiled, her eyes curved into crescent moons. Her cheeks had a healthy rosy glow. It was Ya Ya. She was chasing and playing with her companions, clutching half a coarse grain cake in her hand. Her clothes were covered in dust, but she laughed without a care in the world. She knew nothing of the dangers of the Western Wilderness, nothing of the mountains of corpses and seas of blood, nothing of the ferocity of the Child Head, nothing of the Fiend Lord, and nothing of the life-or-death situation.

Wu Wei stood motionless in the shadows, neither calling out nor approaching, his face expressionless. Only in the depths of his eyes, where the perpetually frozen desolation had quietly softened, did a barely perceptible trace of tenderness appear.

Shi Meng is gone.

But Ya Ya is still here.

This is the only person he wants to protect, can protect, and must protect with his life in this cold, cruel, dog-eat-dog city. As long as she is safe and happy, free from killing and danger, he has all the meaning in fighting among all evil spirits, moving forward in desperate situations, and struggling to survive under the curse of heaven.

After observing quietly for a moment, confirming that the courtyard was peaceful, without any malevolent activity or disturbance, Wu Wei slowly withdrew his gaze, turned around, and walked step by step towards the direction of the Peace Inn.

There was no turning back.

Some protections don't require meeting, making a fuss, or letting her know about the storms; all that's needed is for him alone to stand before all the darkness.

Back in his small room on the third floor of the inn, Wu Wei closed the doors and windows, shutting out all the noise and chaos of the outer city. He sat cross-legged, suppressing all distracting thoughts, and sank his mind into the depths of his marrow sea, softly calling out, "Shu."

The next instant, a gentle yet steady thought, like an ancient bell, slowly unfolded deep within his soul, as if it had been waiting for a long time.

"You want to ask about the medullary organs."

It's not a question, it's a statement of certainty.

Wu Wei nodded, his voice calm yet firm: "The three core members of the Suppressing Evil Division and the two deacons of the Azure Cloud Sect are all high-level Martial Masters who have condensed marrow artifacts. I have already achieved some success in cultivating both blood and bones, and my Yangyan Bone Armor is becoming increasingly refined. The purity of my blood essence far surpasses that of others of the same level. However, my marrow sea is empty, and I cannot stand without an artifact. If I want to step into the high-level Martial Master realm, face Tong Shou, and deal with the future crisis of the Evil Lord, I must condense a marrow artifact."

Having experienced the desperate situation of the Black Bone Fiend Nest, the cat-and-mouse game played by the Child Head, and the peak pressure of the two Martial Body Envoys in the Inner City, he understands better than anyone else that without a marrow weapon, one is not a true strongman. If he encounters a mid-level Fiend Head again, he will still only have the option of fleeing, and he will not be qualified to touch the Body Token that is the ultimate weapon of a martial artist.

Shu remained silent for a moment, as if sorting through the cultivation memories passed down through the ages. Then, a rigorous, precise, and uncompromising method of condensation was slowly poured into Wu Wei's mind.

"Marrow artifacts are born from the sea of ​​marrow, with marrow as the foundation, evil as the catalyst, one's own will as the model, and the source energy of heaven and earth as the fire. Ordinary cultivators, greedy for quick results and easy methods, pile up mid-grade evil treasures and barely manage to condense incomplete marrow artifacts. They lack sharpness and toughness, are incompatible with their own soul and bloodline, and will never have the hope of stepping into the Martial Body Master realm, let alone withstand the fifth layer of curse of the Body Token."

"You possess extraordinary Yang Flame Bone and blood essence, and with me guarding your marrow sea, you cannot follow a mediocre and degenerate path. You must condense a perfect marrow artifact that is completely in harmony with your bones, blood, and soul."

Wu Wei's mind focused slightly; he knew that the real core condition was about to arrive.

Shu's resolve intensified, becoming unwavering and resolute:

"A perfect marrow vessel requires a demanding foundation; nothing can be missing."

Five top-grade evil treasures are needed as a catalyst, to cleanse the marrow with evil essence and solidify the form with the energy of the treasures, in order to forge an immaculate marrow weapon with boundless potential, which can accompany you all the way to the realm of Body Rank.

Five top-grade evil treasures.

Every word is as heavy as a thousand pieces.

Wu Wei's fingers tightened slightly, and he understood. Top-grade evil treasures are extremely rare. Only evil leaders, high-level evil spirits, or the core of large evil nests can drop them. One such treasure is enough for ordinary martial artists to fight to the death for. Some small families and sects may not be able to accumulate even one in half a lifetime. Five such treasures are simply a fantasy, an astronomical number that most cultivators dare not even dream of in their entire lives.

But he showed no despair, no resentment, and no complaints. He simply spoke calmly, revealing his only source of confidence:

"I have one."

The voice was soft, yet exceptionally clear.

Having traveled through Qinglu Village, risking his life to obtain this top-grade evil treasure, which Shu repeatedly warned him not to touch lightly, he had always kept it close to his body, never using it or showing it to anyone. Even when facing the two great martial arts masters in the inner city, he never revealed the slightest trace of its aura.

Shu's thoughts paused slightly, then he responded:

"I know. That is the foundation of your existence, and it must never be taken out until the very last moment of the marrow artifact's condensation."

"But one is far from enough."

"Five minus one, four more are needed."

"The four top-grade evil treasures still require traversing thousands of mountains and rivers, and facing nine deaths and one life. Ordinary missions in the outer city are impossible to obtain in one's lifetime. Only by venturing deep into the Western Wilderness, breaking into the evil nest, slaying the evil leader, and hunting high-level evil spirits, is there even a sliver of a chance."

Wu Wei closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and when he opened them again, there was no longer any confusion in his eyes, only a calm and resolute determination.

Even if it's difficult, we must keep going.

Even if it's far, we must reach it.

Shi Meng risked his life to save him, not to stop him from facing difficulties; Elder Qingyun bestowed upon him the talisman sword, not to make him complacent; he had to protect Ya Ya's lifelong peace, to eliminate all evil spirits in his way, to condense the Body Token, to bear the curse, and to reach the pinnacle of humanity, so there was no way back.

"I know."

He slowly rose, carefully concealing the sword-shaped talisman weapon bestowed upon him by the Qingyun Sect, carrying the Xuan Tie spear behind his back, his robes neatly arranged, and his aura as restrained as deep water, without the slightest stagnation.

That concludes my seclusion.

Daydreaming is useless, worrying is useless, and blaming others is even more useless.

Top-grade evil treasures don't fall from the sky; they can only be obtained by fighting one's way out of the myriad evil spirits with just a spear, a talisman, and a suit of armor.

Pushing open the door, the one-armed shopkeeper downstairs saw his solemn expression and knew he was about to venture out into danger. He quickly whispered a reminder: "Sir, the list of high-risk missions on the Zhenxie Division's roster at the street corner has been updated today. Most of them are located deep in the Western Wilderness, near the outer edge of the Black Bone Fiend Nest. The rewards are extremely high, but... few who go return."

Wu Wei nodded slightly, his voice calm: "I know."

He stepped out of the inn and headed straight for the wall displaying the list of evil spirits in the center of the outer city.

On the towering stone wall, red, yellow, and blue mission talismans were densely packed, containing low-level scattered evil spirits, bloodclaw fangs, and demon rats. The rewards were nothing more than silver coins, broken evil spirit fragments, and low-level pills. Even if there were occasionally mid-grade evil spirit treasures, they were far from enough to support his path to mastering marrow artifacts.

He glanced at the list, skipping over all the safe and low-risk tasks, and fixed his gaze on the purple list at the very top of the stone wall, where the talismans were yellowed, few people paid attention to it, and the words "high-risk" were marked on the edge.

Several purple-listed missions all point to the depths of the Western Wilderness, the outer area of ​​the Black Bone Fiend Nest, marked with "Clear the Fiend Nest", "Hunt the Poison Claw Chief", and "Investigate the Yin Fiend Anomalies". The mortality rate is extremely high, but the rewards are also extremely astonishing - mid-grade fiend treasures, bone-tempering pills, materials, talismans, and one of them is clearly marked: there is a suspected high-grade fiend treasure aura in the nest.

Wu Wei stretched out his hand, his fingertips steadily touching the purple list that was the most dangerous, the farthest, and the closest to the shadow of the Black Bone Fiend Nest.

"I'll take this one."

The warrior guarding the talisman was taken aback. He looked him up and down and saw that he was just a lone cultivator, without any companions or help, yet he dared to accept such a dangerous mission with a nine-out-of-ten chance of death. He couldn't help but show his surprise, but he still took down the talisman according to the rules and reminded him in a deep voice: "Boy, think it through. In the past three months, of the seventeen people who accepted this talisman, only two have returned, and both of them were half-dead."

Wu Wei took the talisman and put it into his pocket. His fingers, gripping the spear on his back, tightened slightly. The yang energy of the sword-shaped talisman flowed quietly in his chest, resonating faintly with the Yang Flame Bone Armor.

He raised his eyes, gazing at the heavy twilight pressing down on the western horizon, at the vast, desolate forest where countless demons lurked. His voice was calm, yet carried immense weight, each word clear and distinct:

"I understand."

"I want to kill the demons."

"I want a bone marrow organ."

"I need to collect five top-grade evil treasures."

After saying this, he stopped talking, turned around, and slowly walked towards the Western Wilderness.

As the sun sank completely below the horizon and night began to envelop the land, the dark mist of the Western Wilderness slowly rose, like the gaping maw of a giant beast, awaiting the flesh and blood of every intruder.

Wu Wei's figure, solitary, composed, and resolute, disappeared step by step into the vast twilight and mist.

There is already one.

Four more are needed.

He would cut them out one by one by his own hands.

For the marrow, for the body's command, for survival, for guarding that undying light.