Chapter 35: Formidable
Seeing the information on the Moon God, Su Xiao's cheek twitched involuntarily. The Moon Gods of the three great empires were not mere figments of imagination; they had all truly existed.
And the Moon God before him was the ancestor of those three Moon Gods. For some unknown reason, this Moon God had eradicated his own descendant, the Moon Goddess.
Compared to the Moon God Su Xiao faced, the other three Moon Gods were nothing. The upheaval at the Moon God Monastery was not caused by this Moon God; he disdained acting personally, instead allowing the monster beneath him to descend upon the monastery.
Under normal circumstances, Su Xiao would likely be instantly killed by the Moon God. However, he had an advantage: his high soul strength, and due to the bonus from his blade technique, he could negate 50% of soul damage. Otherwise, he wouldn't even have the qualifications for a frontal battle.
Su Xiao could feel a sharp, stabbing pain in his soul, and his health was dropping at a rate of 4% per second.
A runestone appeared in Su Xiao's hand, and he decisively crushed it.
[You have used a Will Rune Stone.]
[Your soul resilience has been greatly enhanced, lasting 30 minutes.]
[You will negate 29% + 50% (Soul Blade passive) of soul damage effects for 30 minutes.]
...
The Will Rune Stone Su Xiao had obtained earlier came in handy. Without its temporary boost, he would have had to choose a strategic retreat. The Moon God's soul damage was simply too monstrous.
The surrounding air seemed to distort, caused by the Moon God's ability. Moreover, the monster beneath him was no easy opponent. Hundreds of tentacles were covered in fluorescent blue mucus, capable of assimilating other creatures, turning them into the monsters found in the Moon God Monastery.
The Moon God raised his arm, revealing gray bone armor that looked exceptionally sturdy. Though muscles were exposed, there was no bloody sensation.
The moment the Moon God raised his arm, Su Xiao felt a tearing sensation, as if something was being ripped from within him.
[Warning: The Hunter is experiencing the 'Soul Severance' effect, taking 143 points of soul damage per second (79% negated).]
[Warning: If the damage taken during 'Soul Severance' exceeds 50% of your maximum health, the Hunter will suffer an instant death effect.]
...
Intense pain radiated from every part of Su Xiao's body. The monster beneath the Moon God flicked its tentacles and charged toward Su Xiao, causing the ground to tremble.
"Dead Silence."
Su Xiao clenched his left fist, and a wave of energy spread from the [Black King's Fall Sacrifice] bracer.
The surroundings suddenly fell silent. The massive monster halted in its tracks, its speed becoming incredibly slow.
Within a 300-meter radius centered on Su Xiao, the world turned gray and black. Fluffy, cotton-like substances drifted across the ground, and the soil began to yellow and crack. This area was being assimilated and eroded.
It was as if this region had been abandoned by the world, filled with nothing but death.
The monster beneath the Moon God let out a mournful howl as the power of Dead Silence rapidly corroded its massive body. The surfaces of all its tentacles turned gray and began to crack.
Dead Silence Descends (Set Ultimate Ability Active): Upon activating this ability, the wearer cannot move. Within a 300-meter radius centered on the wearer, the area will be rapidly assimilated by Dead Silence City. All enemy units within this area have their movement speed reduced by 99% (this control has no judgment), their nerve reaction speed and dynamic vision reduced by 80%, and they take 7% to 20% of their maximum health as erosion damage per second (depending on resistance).
Tip: Dead Silence Descends (Active) lasts for 10 seconds.
...
Gray-black Dead Silence energy filled the surrounding 300 meters. Not only was the monster corroded by this power, but the Moon God was also affected.
The power of Dead Silence had nearly destroyed a sixth-rank world, so its terror was evident.
The Moon God, standing atop the monster, lowered his arm, interrupting the Soul Severance effect. Su Xiao's health stopped plummeting like water.
Su Xiao couldn't move now. As for Bubu Wang and Baha, they couldn't approach the area. The Moon God's aura ability was too powerful; if they got close, they would die within 30 seconds.
Su Xiao could withstand it only because his soul strength had been temporarily greatly enhanced. Even so, he couldn't hold out for long.
Though the Moon God was being eroded by Dead Silence energy, he remained calm. The red moon in the sky appeared larger than before, seemingly drawing closer to the ground.
A blood-red lightning bolt tore through the air, starting from the red moon and striking directly at Su Xiao's head.
Crack!
The thunderous roar echoed far and wide. Soil flew within a dozen meters of Su Xiao, creating a crater nearly 200 meters in diameter. Blood-red arcs of electricity spread across the pit.
At Su Xiao's location, a nearly two-meter-tall rhomboid crystal encased him. The upper half of the crystal was shattered, formed by Su Xiao's Azure Steel Shadow energy.
Blood dripped from Su Xiao's chin. He glanced at his health—only 36% remained. If not for the Slaughter Shadow breaking through its limits twice, greatly increasing the crystal layer's defense, he would have died just now, ending his journey through Reincarnation Paradise.
Though Su Xiao was badly injured, he remained motionless. He had to kill the monster beneath the Moon God within a short time, or there was no way to win.
The Moon God, dozens of meters away, looked down at Su Xiao. He seemed somewhat surprised that Su Xiao was still alive.
"Idiot! Kneel!"
A flamboyant shout came from above. It was Baha, flying at an altitude of 600 meters, perfectly avoiding the Moon God's soul aura.
"Woof!"
Bubu Wang, on Baha's back, let out a long howl. This was an ability he had developed himself, capable of greatly drawing aggro.
The Moon God looked up at Bubu Wang and Baha. The next moment, Baha's body went rigid, and he began to fall freely.
After dropping a few meters, Baha's eyes snapped open. He flipped his body and hurled Bubu Wang as far away as possible, keeping him out of the soul aura's range.
After flying some distance, Bubu Wang's eyes regained clarity. Watching Baha fall toward the Moon God, he pulled a grappling hook gun from his storage space and fired at Baha.
Before the grappling hook could hit Baha, his body regained sensation. Just moments ago, he felt as if his core (soul) was about to freeze—a sensation he would never forget.
Baha spread his wings, dodging the grappling hook, and dove downward, heading straight for the Moon God.
The Moon God raised his arm, making a grasping motion. Throughout, he showed no strong emotional fluctuations—cold, powerful, looking down on everything.
Deep wounds appeared on Baha's body, reaching the bone, but he didn't stop. His true agility of 125 points allowed him to unleash his full speed.
Bang!
Baha broke through a layer of air, appearing above the Moon God in an instant. His sharp claws fully extended, aiming for the Moon God's head.
The light in the Moon God's eyes flickered. His arm turned into a blur, reaching for Baha's throat.
Baha was fast, but the Moon God was faster. Though his abilities were all soul-based, his terrifying physical attributes gave him formidable close-combat prowess.
Just as the Moon God was about to grab Baha, the monster beneath him stumbled and fell flat on its face with a thud, causing the Moon God to miss his grip.
With a tearing sound, Baha's six claws scraped across the Moon God's head. The impact was impressive, but it only left a few scratch marks on the Moon God's exoskeleton, failing to penetrate the outer bone.
"Worth it."
Baha flapped his wings, banking to the side and flying away. In just that short moment, his health had dropped to 41.5%. In a few more seconds, he might have perished here.
Baha and Bubu Wang's risky move wasn't without value. The monster beneath the Moon God was now prostrate on the ground, its hundreds of tentacles grayish-white, with the tips gradually turning into gray ash.
The Dead Silence Descends effect ended. Su Xiao took a walnut-sized round capsule from his pocket, tossed it into his mouth, bit it open, and swallowed the liquid inside. Being able to concoct his own potions truly allowed him to do as he pleased.
Su Xiao drew the Dragon-Slaying Flash from his waist. The ground beneath him cracked open with a loud bang.
Boom! Su Xiao shot forward, charging straight at the Moon God. If he could take down this ancient god in one round, he would win. If not, this place would become his grave.