Three days later, the Holy Mother announced the dissolution of the White Lotus Sect. All members were to retreat to White Lotus Peak for group training.
Outsiders assumed the White Lotus Sect was lying low and biding its time. Only Han Wu knew the truth. The Holy Mother was pulling every member into her Microcosm to use as training fodder, setting them to train on her behalf.
Han Wu was no stranger to ruthless tactics, but even he had to tip his hat. When it came to shamelessness, the Holy Mother had him beat.
The sect members would be trapped inside her Microcosm and forced to train nonstop. That existence wasn’t much different from being a slave in a mine. Still, Han Wu felt no pity for them. Most were involved in human trafficking. They deserved what they got.
After sorting out her training fodder, the Holy Mother followed through on her deal with Han Wu. She sent a fake message to the True Martial God King telling him to come to the Martial Arts Civilization and collect Han Wu’s corpse.
The ever-suspicious True Martial God King first descended into the body of a White Lotus Sect officer to inspect the scene and confirm that Han Wu’s corpse was real. The avatar was so convincing that even the Butcher hadn’t been able to tell the difference during the divine war, much less the True Martial God King.
So, he excitedly made plans to travel to the Martial Arts Civilization in person. Once he had Han Wu’s corpse, he could trace it back to Han Wu’s divine realm and seize the Origin of Mutation. The True Martial God King’s future from there would be incomparably bright.
Of course, even if his plot had succeeded, Han Wu and the Origin of Mutation shared a life link. If Han Wu died, the Origin of Mutation would die with him—not that the True Martial God King knew this.
With the True Martial God King’s arrival confirmed, Han Wu spent his time training intensely. He even followed the Holy Mother’s example and adopted the same approach.
His own units didn’t include any species suited to learning martial techniques, so Han Wu snatched some people from the Martial Arts Civilization and locked them in his Life Microcosm alongside the rats.
Unfortunately, he couldn’t just grab anyone. Taking too many civilians would attract attention from the major clans, and they might band together to wipe him out, so he stuck to capturing criminals. River bandits, regular bandits, and cultists were all fair game.
They had committed terrible crimes and deserved punishment. If the heavens wouldn’t punish them, Han Wu would. He acted as their judge, jury, and executioner.
Over the course of a month, the public safety in Han Wu’s area improved noticeably. He even became known as the Crime Slaying Hero.
The name was not the most elegant, but it reflected the respect of the residents in the region. Han Wu would’ve liked to keep hunting, but time was running out.
During that month, the True Martial God King had cleared his schedule and journeyed to the Martial Arts Civilization. When Han Wu received the Holy Mother’s signal, he slipped into White Lotus Peak to set up his ambush.
The True Martial God King arrived on time. After greeting the Holy Mother, he demanded Han Wu’s corpse. She haggled with him, requesting rare treasures in exchange. This wasn’t greed on her part, but Han Wu’s idea for her to squeeze out some extra loot and strip the True Martial God King of defensive items.
The Will of the Martial Arts Civilization was extremely strict. Even exploiting loopholes, the True Martial God King couldn’t bring many items with him.
As expected, the True Martial God King soon caved to the Holy Mother and begrudgingly handed over his personal 9-Star God soft armor.
The armor hung like a dress on the Holy Mother’s tiny frame, but the coverage was undeniably excellent. It protected both her upper and lower body, making it quite the bargain.
After receiving the armor, the Holy Mother finally showed him Han Wu’s corpse. The True Martial God King was overjoyed. All his planning and spending had been worth it.
That was when Han Wu revealed himself as if he were the star of a surprise party, appearing right in front of a stunned True Martial God King.
The True Martial God King’s eyes darted between the corpse in the coffin and the Han Wu before him, looking as though he had seen a ghost.
Quickly catching on, he glared at both of them. “You two cheated me!”
Han Wu smirked.
“I never lied to you,” the Holy Mother explained earnestly. “You just failed to ask the right questions. Why would I volunteer information?”
Han Wu nodded in approval at this airtight logic. The True Martial God King was furious, but there was nothing he could do. He’d come in person! Under the Martial Arts Civilization’s rules, at least 50% of his power was sealed.
The only option was to fight. He charged in with his powerful Celestial Martial God Body, tanking the combined attacks of Han Wu and the Holy Mother. In the end, he lasted less than half an hour before going down.
However, the Martial Arts Civilization was the civilization best aligned with the True Martial God King’s Divine Jurisdiction. Exploiting a loophole in the civilization’s laws, he used a forbidden technique called Disintegration to detonate his body and convert the energy into an escape path for his soul.
Neither Han Wu nor the Holy Mother had ever seen anything like it. They watched helplessly as the True Martial God King fled. Nevertheless, the outcome was still favorable, as this would undoubtedly leave the True Martial God King severely weakened.
Han Wu relayed the news to Wisdom God King Xu Hai through his Divine Invocation.
Upon learning what his student had endured in the Martial Arts Civilization, Xu Hai immediately filed an application with the Will of the Divine Civilization, declaring a divine war against the True Martial Faction!
It had to be done. Without a war, the True Martial Faction would think the Holy Son of the Wisdom Faction was an easy target.
After the declaration went through, Sun Qingnian used his resources to embellish Han Wu’s story and broadcast it across the Divine Civilization.
Overnight, Han Wu became a hero willing to brave a foreign civilization for the woman he loved. Wisdom God King Xu Hai’s willingness to wage a life-or-death war for his student also solidified his reputation as the ideal mentor.
The True Martial God King, on the other hand, was exposed for scheming against a student, and his reputation was left in tatters. Members of his faction started defecting after learning the full story. The war hadn’t even started, but the True Martial Faction had already lost half the battle.