Apart from Granny Sue, every elder of Oldridge Village had their own unique strengths. Each had cultivated a particular aspect to the god-realm, reaching heights that set them apart.
When the Divine Bridge path was severed, they could no longer advance to higher realms, so they poured their life's effort into mastering a single field. Paradoxically, this allowed their power to rival the gods of High Heaven—they were in no way weaker than false gods like the Dragon-Keeper Lord.
Just reaching the god-realm in a single discipline was enough to stand against the strongest of High Heaven. But what if someone could attain god-realm mastery in every aspect?
Wouldn't that make them a true god?
Clearly, this formidable figure named Aiden Starr has chosen this very path. But instead of painstaking self-cultivation, his strategy is to seize what he needs directly from others.
After all, a person's energy and lifespan are limited—without repairing the Divine Bridge, one can only live a little over eight hundred years. If he relied on his own research and cultivation, he might only reach the god-realm in one or two fields in a lifetime. But by stealing from others, he could assemble every god-realm aspect and become indistinguishable from a true god!
He was a peer of the Village Chief's generation, and by rights should be as aged as the Village Chief. Yet he still appears as a youth, which means he has stolen not only Crippled Joe's legs and Grandpa Blind's eyes, but must have preyed upon other experts as well!
No one can say for sure how far his strength has reached now.
Grandpa Blind's eyes—the mightiest god-eyes; Crippled Joe's legs—the swiftest god-legs. Just these two alone are enough to place him among the strongest.
He has certainly claimed other god-realm body parts from powerful experts as well.
Now such a formidable expert has set his sights on Grandpa Mark's arms. Even though Grandpa Mark has become the World-Honored One, it's doubtful he could withstand Starr.
Butcher rose and headed outside, saying, "I'm going to see Old Mark."
"Butcher, is your greatest strength your blade?" Village Chief suddenly asked.
Butcher paused. "No. My greatest strength is actually my heart."
Suddenly, a thunderous roar erupted from within him, like heavenly thunder or a giant's war drum on the battlefield. It was the sound of his heartbeat—each pulse so powerful that everyone's eardrums buzzed.
He stirred his qi and blood, and the sound of his heart beating was like the sharpest, heaviest Heavenblade being drawn—majestic, piercing, and unstoppable!
The Heavenblade isn't just the butcher knife in his hand—he himself is the blade.
His Heavenblade requires a powerful source of energy to drive it, and that source is his heart.
Qin Mu opened his Fiery Firmament Heaven Eye and looked at Butcher—not seeing a man, but a blade!
At the center of the blade squatted a throbbing heart, with veins like great dragons stretching from it, spreading like a network through the entire blade.
With each beat, his heart pumped incomparable qi and blood throughout every part of the Heavenblade!
Butcher had refined his own heart into a god heart.
Village Chief said, "He wants your heart—a god heart."
Butcher shook his head. "I'm not afraid of him."
Village Chief replied, "He's not afraid of you either. Even if I fought him, my chances of winning wouldn't be great. If you go to see Grandpa Mark alone, he'll surely intercept you. Mute Smith, what's your greatest strength?"
Mute Smith sat there smoking his water pipe. At the question, he tapped out the pipe and tucked it into his belt.
Suddenly, the forge on his back ignited without any fuel, but everyone quickly realized it wasn't his yuanqi fueling the flames, nor was it the forge itself generating the power—it was coming from within him.
His yuanqi grew fiercely intense, as if a great furnace was blazing inside his abdomen—a miniature sun spinning wildly, its terrifying energy surging ever stronger!
Sitting there, he was like a sun storing energy, waiting for an earth-shaking eruption!
"Mute Smith, you've refined your dantian into a god furnace. Starr needs your dantian too."