Chapter Fifty-Five: The Rift (Part One)

Wei Wuji and Grant seemed not to hear Lady Sera’s words; they merely stared at each other. At this moment, among everyone present, they were the only two capable of determining the outcome.

Grant remained silent for a long time until he slowly raised his head, revealing a wry smile as he said to Wei Wuji, "I know that from your perspective, what he did was truly reprehensible—killing husbands, seizing wives, and violating daughters. But our transmigration here was beyond our control, so the death of the real Mr. Hegel was not something he intended."

"I don't care about any of that! He is a devil!" Lady Sera shrieked, gesturing wildly like a cat caught by the throat. She longed to charge at him, but her fear of Grant held her back. Wei Wuji, however, merely watched Grant coldly without offering a reaction, which kept Lady Sera from daring to attack again.

Grant ignored her. He offered a bitter smile, spread his hands—which were significantly larger than an average man's—and continued to explain to Wei Wuji, hoping to make a final effort to avoid a total rupture. "Furthermore, as a fellow transmigrator, I understand some of his thoughts. His greatest misfortune was transmigrating into the body of the father of the woman he loved. It is impossible for him to be with Cecily, but I do not believe his crimes warrant death. Therefore, I stand by what I said: Mr. Wei, you may leave here immediately and take Cecily with you. I will not stop you. As for him, I will naturally keep him in check."

In the end, Grant chose the other transmigrator. Although Wei Wuji had been helpful, it was clear that this man would not necessarily remain at his disposal. Even if his Taoist arts were useful, a man who refused to serve under others could not be relied upon. Conversely, the other transmigrator, though inferior to Grant in power and intelligence, posed no real threat and could help him establish military industry. There was another point: the man who had transmigrated into Hegel was right, and it had touched him. For those who transmigrated here, this was the ultimate foreign land. The loneliness of being a stranger in a strange land far surpassed what Wei Wuji felt coming from the Far East to the Western Continent, for Wei Wuji treated his journey as a temporary stay and could eventually return. Grant, however, did not know if he could ever go back. In his confrontations with Fahrenheit, Grant had vaguely sensed that Fahrenheit was being aided by more than just one transmigrator; it was highly likely that an organization of them was working in the shadows. He needed like-minded people, and if those people were fellow transmigrators, it was ideal, as there was always a strange sense of alienation even with native followers.

However, the person involved did not see it that way. Hegel couldn't help but cry out, "No, you cannot do this to me, Grant! This is not what I want; I want to be with Cecily!"

Wei Wuji pondered for a moment before looking at Grant. "I am not a member of the Chan Sect. Regarding matters of human ethics, I have always simply refrained from violating them myself, but what others do is of no concern to me. I still do not quite understand what you transmigrators actually are."

Grant felt a flicker of joy upon hearing this, but Wei Wuji’s next words left him deeply disappointed. "Therefore, I will never execute him for violating moral codes. However, Cecily is the person Amango loved, and I promised Amango that I would protect her safety. Thus, my reason for killing him remains sufficient!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Wei Wuji acted. His figure flickered and appeared before Hegel, but in the next instant, Hegel felt his vision blur; Grant had already blocked his path. Hegel felt no clash of raw power, only the sensation that Grant was like a great mountain shielding him from an overwhelming torrent.

The mountain trembled slightly, and the ground beneath their feet cracked and splintered, but the immense force directed at Hegel was completely neutralized.

Grant smiled bitterly. "Since that is the case, it seems we must have a contest. However, Mr. Wei, if you are willing to stop now, my previous offer still stands."

With a roar of laughter, Wei Wuji threw a punch, saying, "Back when we were in prison, I wanted to test just how strong you really were. Now is the perfect time to fight to my heart's content."

As their fists met, the fissures beneath them expanded and deepened, yet Wei Wuji’s punch could still not break through Grant’s defense. His power acted like an invisible force field protecting Hegel.

One attacking and one defending, Wei Wuji unleashed hundreds of blows in moments, feeling an immense sense of satisfaction. He did not use any Taoist arts, relying instead on his formidable physical body to deliver peak-level martial arts. Few Taoist practitioners practiced both the path and the body like Wei Wuji; while physical techniques were technically a form of Taoist art, most practitioners did not specialize in them because they did not lead to enlightenment. They served only to grant a practitioner a strong body, increasing their chances of surviving the heavenly tribulation.

After those hundred-plus blows, Grant remained as immovable as a dam against a river. Having taken so many strikes, he still harbored a faint hope that once Wei Wuji had vented his frustration, he might stop. Unless absolutely necessary, he did not want to fight to the death with Wei Wuji. Besides, he didn't entirely agree with what Hegel had said; that mess of a situation could never be settled. To transmigrate into someone else's body and then fall in love with their daughter—what kind of situation was that?

But even a clay figurine has a temper. Seeing that Wei Wuji refused to stop, Grant became fired up himself. Bracing his fists, he shifted from defense to offense, channeling the Dragon-Elephant Prajna Sutra to counterattack.

In this world, the Dragon-Elephant Prajna Sutra was merely a legendary technique left behind by an enlightened being, but in the world Grant came from, it was the supreme secret art of a mysterious sect. It was said that once mastered, one possessed the strength of ten dragons and ten elephants. While the claim was somewhat hyperbolic, the power of even ten earth-drakes combined was formidable.

As he counterattacked, Wei Wuji could no longer suppress him with force alone. Wei Wuji let out a cold snort, sword energy erupting from his body. With every movement, in addition to his original, powerful force, he now wielded the Geng Metal Sword Radiance. The radiance was sharper than any blade or spear; with its aid, Wei Wuji compensated for his lack of strength and gradually saw hope of regaining the upper hand.

Grant offered a word of praise. He was somewhat curious about the mysteries of Wei Wuji’s Taoist arts, but not at the risk of his own life. "Mr. Wei, I am afraid I must use my weapon."

Wei Wuji laughed proudly. Grant drew the specially crafted longsword from his waist and attacked. The advantage Wei Wuji had finally secured vanished in an instant. Although the Geng Metal Sword Radiance was sharp, Grant no longer feared it with a weapon in hand. Furthermore, this sword was forged from meteoritic iron found in the Ctesibius Mountains, capable of bearing Grant’s divine strength. Moreover, when Grant transmigrated, he was fortunate enough to land in the body of a Grand Swordmaster, and he had since advanced to the level of a Sword Saint. In terms of sword technique and the application of Battle Qi, he was among the strongest in the continent.

Wei Wuji was forced to use both his Taoist arts and the power of the Golden Core in his Dantian just to barely withstand Grant’s counterattack. For a moment, both men felt a mutual appreciation and respect, secretly wishing they weren't enemies. But in the next second, they both dismissed the thought; both were the type of people who, once they started a fight, had to see it through to the end.

Just as the two were locked in an inextricable battle, and the other two parties, Lady Sera and Hegel, watched in awe and terror, several figures suddenly leapt from the woods, and someone shouted, "Attack! The target is the God-defier, Grant!"