As their confrontation continued, Niu Chang couldn't help but notice subtle mistakes in Huang Zhi's actions.

'This Huang Zhi is clearly stronger than anyone I have encountered so far, but why didn't it make any fancy or stronger moves? It only used needle throwing and sword hands to deal with me. Is it hiding something? Or is it waiting for something?'

'Well, thanks to Huang Zhi's relentless attacks, I can further improve my already perfected Closed Loop Protection,' Niu Chang thought, yawning within his safe and stable qi barrier. Three rings floated around his body, rotating constantly.

Yellow shadows kept flashing in front of his eyes, but none could reach his physical body. There were many attempts, but nothing managed to penetrate his impenetrable qi barrier.

The severed woman's head on Huang Zhi's branch neck gritted her teeth. After multiple attacks, Huang Zhi finally realized that it couldn't bypass Niu Chang's qi barriers.

Huang Zhi stopped its sword hands and sneered, "Boy, do you think this is all of my strength?"

Huang Zhi merged its tree branch sword hands together, causing them to move like tiny snakes accompanied by yellow qi, fusing into a larger sword.

"Is that so?" Niu Chang raised an eyebrow without much interest. "If you're truly that strong, why don't you try to finish me off in one blow?"

A smile crept onto Niu Chang's face, accompanied by Captivating Smile Under the Shade and Red.

"Or perhaps you can't use all of your power? Are you afraid of something? Like that red fruit on your chest. I can't help but notice that the fragrance in the air grows stronger the more you utilize your qi. So why don't you try to kill me with everything you have?"

The white qi around Niu Chang's body became tainted with a red hue, expanding its range.

Huang Zhi fell silent for a moment but quickly regained its composure. "So what if you've realized this? Your words are nothing but baseless assumptions. Do you think I didn't use my true strength because I'm planning something? Hmph, you don't deserve my full power."

"Hehe, you know what's funny about sentient beings? They tend to react when their secrets are exposed. Some choose to be silent, while others attempt to answer vaguely," Niu Chang remarked, watching Huang Zhi intently.

Huang Zhi's gaze pierced through Niu Chang as its big sword hand reached completion. However, it was still waiting.

As Niu Chang continued to spam Captivating Smile Under the Shade and Red, he spoke casually, "See, look at that livid expression of yours."

"Great yellow slash!" Huang Zhi dashed forward, swinging its big sword hand vertically from above.

Niu Chang didn't want to be a sitting duck, so he kicked his feet and evaded Huang Zhi's attack. He knew he was slower compared to Huang Zhi, but taking action was still better than doing nothing.

While in motion, Niu Chang felt the surge of the sweet fragrance becoming even more apparent. Before he could think further, he sensed a tremendous force pressing down on his body.

The big sword hand slashed from above, instantly obliterating every qi barrier in its path. However, new qi barriers swiftly formed, pushing the big sword backward.

But these new barriers were still unable to halt the advance of the sword. Niu Chang found himself under immense pressure, desperately maneuvering his body to evade the fast-approaching weapon.

Within a brief moment, Niu Chang felt the right side of his body suddenly warm, gradually intensifying into a burning sensation.

When he turned his gaze, he witnessed the breach of the qi barrier he relied on, and the enormous yellow sword pierced through his right side, severing it. From his right shoulder to a small part of his thigh, his body was cleaved, and blood flowed like a small waterfall.

Despite the shock and pain, the invigorating vitality from the system and his heightened adrenaline subdued his senses. However, before Niu Chang could tend to his condition, he saw the massive yellow sword abruptly change direction, returning towards him.

"Shit!" Niu Chang cursed helplessly as he watched his body being split into two.

Thud.

The upper half of his body, the only part he could still feel, hit the ground. Even in that dire situation, Niu Chang felt an absence of any particular sensation, perhaps due to the influence of the system's endless vitality or his own indifference.

"What a short journey," he remarked to his pitiful state. 'But why don't I feel the sudden urge to resist and fight back? Where are the flashbacks of my life and the surge of power? Haha, I'm truly not the main character after all.'

Accepting what had just transpired without an excessive response, Niu Chang shifted his gaze to the yellow branch legs of Huang Zhi.

Then, slowly, his eyes ascended to meet Huang Zhi's mocking smile and contemptuous gaze.

Stolen novel; please report.

"Heh, no need to be so thrilled, are you winning something?" Niu Chang casually engaged in conversation with Huang Zhi, exposing his true nature.

Huang Zhi's face contorted in peculiar ways. "What an interesting human you are. Despite your youth, you possess such a level of mental fortitude. Tsk tsk, if given more time to grow, you could become a remarkable individual who surpasses others and achieves greatness. But alas, you encountered me here, and all those possibilities are now merely potential."

The boundless vitality from the system began its wondrous work. Niu Chang's upper body, severed in half, ceased bleeding as if contained by a thin energy membrane, and his body regenerated at a visible speed.

Yet, that was not the primary concern at the moment. "Well, this was already within my expectations, and it's something I wanted to experience regardless. What difference does it make if it's completed now or in the future?"

"What matters more is what you intend to do. Didn't your sudden appearance stem from an interest in the secret within my body? So why not attempt to unearth that secret now? Perhaps it can alleviate the anger in your heart."

"Who knows, maybe I'll even plead for mercy?"

The more Huang Zhi listened to Niu Chang's calm and nonchalant voice, the greater its disappointment grew. "You are more of a monster than I am."

Numerous thoughts raced through Huang Zhi's severed woman head, but in the end, only that brief sentence was uttered.

"Hahaha... How amusing it is to hear those words. From the beginning, I expected others to speak such phrases to me. I thought it would awaken the last remnants of normalcy and mediocrity within my being, but who would have thought I'd feel nothing at all? Perhaps the circumstances were wrong. Maybe someone close to me would be required to achieve such an effect."

"Normalcy? Mediocrity?" Huang Zhi echoed, its eyes darkening and growing more profound.

"I see, you're that kind of person. Unbound by societal constraints and even your own emotions, yearning for a greater purpose within your limited existence. Despising others for their ignorance of life's profound blessings and willingly choosing to be normal and mediocre."

"Hey! It seems you understand better than I anticipated. So, does that mean we've become friends now? Can you answer a few of the questions that have been lingering in my mind?" Niu Chang's once-bored expression brightened with emotion, becoming more friendly.

Huang Zhi walked towards Niu Chang, his body consisting only of his head, upper torso, and left arm.

"You can, but wouldn't it be a loss for me if I'm the only one answering your questions?" Huang Zhi continued with a slight smile. "I'll answer one of your questions in exchange for you answering one of mine."

"Sure, no problem." Niu Chang nodded. "My first question is about that snake. Did it become like that after consuming some miraculous herb inside this forest in the last three years?"

Niu Chang contemplated his missed fateful encounter, considering various clichés from his previous life and deducing possible outcomes for those significant encounters.

"That snake?" Huang Zhi turned to look at the snake nearby, which had dismissed the haunting smile it had suffered earlier. It now watched quietly from the sidelines.

"I thought you would ask something more interesting, but you want to know about it? Alright. After I woke up from my deep sleep, this foolish snake, weaker than its current strength, attempted to steal my fruit. So I defeated it and tamed it. Afterwards, I asked about its past, and it told me that it had recently consumed a precious ginseng and embarked on its cultivation path."

Niu Chang also directed his gaze towards the demonic snake, struggling to do so but ultimately succeeding. "Tsk tsk, one ginseng and three years were enough for it to reach such heights."

'If in the past, I had chosen to help the original body's parents, would I have also obtained that miraculous ginseng? With the assistance of the system, I could have surpassed the achievements of that stupid snake in just three years.' Niu Chang contemplated the possibility of his first missed fateful encounter, feeling a sense of pity but not regret.

"Now it's your turn. Ask me anything you want."

"I have many questions, but we'll have plenty of time together. Right now, I want to know what you desire the most." Huang Zhi approached Niu Chang's position, standing in front of his face. Its shadow enveloped Niu Chang, although not entirely due to its thin body made of tree branches.

"Right now? Heh, you wouldn't believe me." Niu Chang smirked and bantered. "I want to be embraced by a beautiful lady I once met by chance. I always wonder how she smells, how she feels, and how she sounds. Let me tell you, this lady is truly breathtaking if you ever have the fortune to encounter her!"

With a serious tone, Niu Chang offered some advice to the severed woman's head before him.

"Is that truly what you desire right now? Hahaha, you're truly different from any other human I've encountered in the past. You speak without hypocrisy or foolish teachings from your elders. It seems you truly live for yourself." Although Huang Zhi didn't utter any derogatory words, the woman's head displayed a contemptuous expression towards Niu Chang.

'How can you think of another beauty when there is already a beautiful woman right in front of you?' Huang Zhi scoffed in its heart.

"What's with that look?" Niu Chang frowned, but he didn't care and continued. "As I mentioned before, she is truly beautiful. There's no need to compare yourself to her. Now, my next question is about that head of yours. Can you tell me what happened after I left that woman deep in the forest?"

Huang Zhi's woman's head snorted in displeasure. "Nothing significant happened after you left her body in the depths of the forest. She possessed a unique constitution, and it was thanks to this that I was able to awaken from my hibernation. I initially intended to take over her entire body, but her special constitution allowed her to retain her cultivation base even after you killed her and she turned into a headless zombie."

"As a result, I could only take control of her head and slowly recuperate myself. I kept an eye on her headless body, but I never anticipated that it would possess a random girl, whom you then killed for the second time."

Huang Zhi glanced at Shen Sanhua's current body, lying naked on the ground with visible bruises and an unrecognizable chest. If not for its location on the upper torso, no one would be able to tell.

Unable to contain its curiosity, Huang Zhi asked, "Did you have to kill her in such a brutal manner?"

Huang Zhi had planned to claim the body to complete its cultivation, but Niu Chang's disdain for unnecessary plot developments didn't allow it any chance.

"Is that your second question?" Niu Chang inquired.

"Ah, you're right. That's not what I wanted to ask." Huang Zhi's facial expressions changed for Niu Chang's kind reminder. "You never cease to surprise me. My second question is to understand what made you become who you are now."