Chapter Twenty-Three: The Struggle for the Soldier Embryo

Just like the first time the Weapon Spirit spoke to him in that strange small space—utter darkness, yet his vision was unhindered—Chen Hongxu now found himself somewhere that could no longer be called a small space. He gazed into the endless blackness, unable to see the boundaries, and roared, "Weapon Spirit, show yourself!"

No one answered, but above his head, faint red threads began to appear, swirling and entangling in a dense, chaotic web, like strings pulled and knotted at random by a child. Anyone with obsessive tendencies would have felt their scalp prickle at the sight.

But Chen Hongxu was not afflicted with such compulsions. He had no urge to untangle these imaginary threads. In fact, he was secretly pleased, because once these red threads formed a circle and grew more solid, they would become the core of his Weapon Embryo.

"As I thought, the connection with the Weapon Embryo isn't completely severed," Chen Hongxu thought, not daring to linger. Who knew what calamity the Weapon Spirit might unleash for every minute wasted here?

He sat cross-legged, like a meditating monk, his face calm and expressionless. His breathing gradually steadied; even his heartbeat seemed to slow.

Unaware of the changes in his body, Chen Hongxu focused his entire mind on a red dot below his chest.

He silently practiced the Art of War, channeling his energy through his body's acupoints. The red dot beneath his chest acted like a magnet, drawing the red threads above toward itself.

"One... two..." Chen Hongxu's lips curled into a smile. The progress was slow, but at least he was reestablishing the connection with his Weapon Embryo. If he kept drawing them in, sooner or later he would regain control. By then, no matter how eloquently the Weapon Spirit argued, he would never allow the embryo to be exposed again.

As time passed, the number of red threads he drew swelled to tens of thousands. No longer a chaotic tangle, they now wound themselves in orderly fashion around an invisible sphere.

"The power contained in these threads seems..." Chen Hongxu's breathing quickened. As the threads multiplied, he felt as though he might be overwhelmed, his body unable to contain so much spiritual energy.

This torment, so far beyond his body’s limits and with no end in sight, left him with nothing to do but grit his teeth and endure.

By now, the red dot within him was taking shape. It no longer required his control; it was drawing in the threads on its own.

But the Weapon Embryo was currently possessed by the Weapon Spirit—a terrifying entity with imperial-level strength. For Chen Hongxu, whose seventh-rank power was so far beneath hers as to be laughable, reclaiming the Weapon Embryo was a fool’s dream.

…

The Weapon Spirit watched anxiously as Chen Hongxu’s body, like a burst sack, seeped blood in all directions. She frowned and muttered, “Idiot.”

Apart from Fan the Fool, who was still weakly and angrily resisting, everyone else had already submitted. The Weapon Spirit exhaled, walked to Chen Hongxu’s side, and embraced him tightly.

Immediately, his battered body began to heal once more.

After a while, she released him, severed his connection to the Weapon Embryo with a dissatisfied flick, and gazed at him with complex eyes. The once-dominant goddess of war now betrayed a rarely seen vulnerability.

Within Chen Hongxu, the embryo that had almost taken shape suddenly shattered; the red threads spilled out again, returning to their original state of chaotic entanglement.

Realizing the Weapon Spirit’s interference, Chen Hongxu was secretly annoyed, but he also knew he was no match for her.

He slowly opened his eyes and glared at the Weapon Spirit, who now felt so foreign that it chilled him. He barely had time to register the fullness and difference brought by the spiritual energy within him before he was startled by Fan the Fool’s near-death state.

“What happened?” No longer in the mood to quarrel with the Weapon Spirit, Chen Hongxu hurried over, bent down, and helped Fan the Fool up, asking in confusion.

“Su Xiaoxiao and Su Ning are dead. She killed them.” Fan the Fool gritted his teeth, raising a trembling hand to point at the Weapon Spirit.

“What? Dead?” Chen Hongxu was stunned. His teammates had been slain by his own spirit—he couldn’t process the feeling. Glancing at the cowering Bear, he began to understand.

“I’ll take care of it. Rest for now.” Forcing a smile, he gently laid Fan the Fool down, then rose to face the Weapon Spirit, who stood with pursed lips. “Why?” he asked quietly.

A master in her own right, the Weapon Spirit had her pride. She had intended to explain, but seeing Chen Hongxu’s cold, distant demeanor, she bristled and sneered, “Ants like them—what does it matter if I kill them? I do as I please. Why should you care?”

“Yes, now that you possess the Weapon Embryo, I’ve lost all value to you, so you have no reason to treat me sincerely,” Chen Hongxu said, lowering his head in self-mockery.

“You…” The Weapon Spirit’s eyes reddened at his words. She raised her hand, wanting to speak but stopping herself.

Chen Hongxu snorted coldly, then sighed, a bitter smile on his lips. “There’s nothing more to say. Even though you’re now beautiful, dignified, and formidable—every man’s dream—I still prefer the roguish Weapon Spirit I once knew.

I remember you telling me the Weapon Embryo can only be removed when its master is near death. I’m alive and well, which means the embryo is still connected to me; you’re just suppressing that connection by force.

I also realized that if you intended to possess the Weapon Embryo alone, you’d have simply taken it from my mind, not lingered in my consciousness. Maybe my death would harm you in some way?”

Though it’s only a guess, I want to take the gamble and force you to let go.”

As soon as he finished speaking, Chen Hongxu crouched, grabbed the short dagger Fan the Fool had dropped, and drove it into his own chest without hesitation.

The Weapon Spirit did not stop him. Tears traced two glistening lines down her face as she cried out, “Must you do this? What have I done wrong, that you’d hurt yourself to hurt me?”

“You’ve done nothing wrong; I just can’t accept it.” Chen Hongxu frowned, pulled the dagger from his chest, and made to stab himself again in the same spot.

“That’s enough…” In a flash, the Weapon Spirit appeared beside him, knocked the dagger from his hand, and sighed. “I am your spirit; I always will be. When it comes to important matters, I’ll never go against your will. I will…”

A thunderous boom cut her off. The crack in the barrier suddenly changed—black lines surged from the fissure, coalescing into a gigantic face that roared with deafening might.

The Weapon Spirit’s words died on her lips. She turned to glare at the monstrous face, eyes blazing with a fire so intense it almost became tangible.

She strode into the air toward the face, calling back without looking, “The energy from my fight with Su Ning has attracted vermin. Wait for me, Chen Hongxu. I will do as you wish.”

As she departed, Chen Hongxu suddenly felt the red threads within him stripped away, leaving him weak and empty, his connection to the Weapon Embryo completely severed.

In contrast, the Weapon Spirit’s retreating figure was enveloped in a cloud of red threads, stretching out to shroud the sky.

Chen Hongxu’s face was full of bitterness. He could not understand why, when she so easily controlled the Weapon Embryo, the Weapon Spirit would still accommodate him. Her words echoed in his mind: “You’ll never know what I’ve given up.”

Hidden Saint, Chapter 23: The Struggle for the Weapon Embryo—Complete.