Chapter 70: Heavenly Thunder
The Feather God was heavily kicked by Su Xiao, its health dropping by a small chunk. Don't underestimate the power of that kick; it was the Feather God's total health that was terrifyingly high.
As the Feather God steadied itself, a sound of wind breaking came from ahead.
'Blade Path Sword: Flow.'
An ethereal wind scar slashed forward. Multiple layers of mental barriers appeared before the Feather God, forcibly blocking the 'Flow.'
Su Xiao charged forward in a large stride, and seeing that all the mental barriers before the Feather God had shattered, he made a feint slash.
'Blade Path Sword: Azure...'
Before 'Azure Demon' could be unleashed, the Feather God's large hand reached forward, grasping toward Su Xiao from a distance.
With a *crack*, a massive dark hand suddenly grabbed Su Xiao. A crisp, rustling sound came from all over his body. Inside this dark hand formed of energy, countless black worms with sharp heads, like slender leeches, burrowed into every part of Su Xiao's body. If anyone with weaker mental fortitude were in this situation, they would surely be screaming in agony.
Veins bulged on Su Xiao's neck. He released a high-intensity burst of Cyan Steel Shadow Energy, dispersing all the 'leech worms' on his body back into energy form.
[Tip: The 'Annihilation Mark' you have endured has reached five layers!]
Unbeknownst to him, the 'Annihilation Mark' had accumulated to five layers. That last grab alone had increased it by three layers.
Su Xiao pulled up the sleeve of his right arm. Five black marks were on his right forearm. Around these black marks was a ring of fine lines, deeply embedded into his flesh, causing a dull ache throughout his body and a steady, albeit not slow, drop in his health.
Su Xiao tried to devour them with Cyan Steel Shadow Energy but immediately found that the 'Annihilation Mark' was not an energy body; it was formed from condensed mental power.
If he was hit one more time, there was a one-third chance he would die. If he was knocked back by a mental shock, he would die 100% of the time.
Conventionally, this would be the time to retreat. Su Xiao didn't intend to do that. The Feather God's various abilities were all inescapable, and the more inescapable the ability, the longer its cooldown.
Earlier, Amu had taken four layers of 'Annihilation Mark,' Baha had taken three, and he himself had taken five. Considering the various abilities the Feather God had already used, it likely didn't have many tricks left. Retreating would be unwise; it would only allow its abilities to recover.
To win, he had to seize the current opportunity.
It seemed like Su Xiao had been thinking for a long time, but in reality, he had considered all this the moment he landed. The stone slab beneath his feet shattered, and he shot forward like a blood-red arrow, heading straight for the Feather God. He was gambling that the Feather God couldn't use an inescapable knockback ability like 'Mental Shock' in a short time.
The Feather God's dark yellow pupils contracted. It raised its hand, and mental energy rippled. Finding that Su Xiao hadn't retreated, a dark blue-black orb of mental energy flew into its hand.
The Feather God made a stretching motion with its hands, pulling the dark blue orb into a greatsword nearly three meters long.
Seeing this, Baha's spirits lifted. Here was the chance. The Feather God actually wanted to fight his boss in melee.
"Kill it... *caw*?"
Baha's shout died in its throat.
With a *clang*, the longsword clashed against the greatsword. The Feather God appeared completely at ease. It had never admitted it could only fight with mental power. An ancient god who didn't even understand divine techniques wouldn't last half a month in Doom Star.
*Clang! Clang! Clang!*
The longsword and greatsword clashed repeatedly. The Feather God's other hand reached out, and another dark blue orb formed into a greatsword, which it held in its left hand.
The Feather God held a mental greatsword in each hand. It thrust both swords downward simultaneously, and a cloud of black mist spread.
Inside the black mist, Su Xiao looked around. His perception was severely suppressed; he could only sense a few meters around him.
A black shadow charged from the front. Su Xiao blocked horizontally with his sword. The blades clashed, and a powerful slashing force came through the hilt.
Almost simultaneously, Su Xiao sensed a sound of wind breaking behind him. Another black shadow holding a sword appeared.
*Clang! Clang! Clang!*
One black shadow after another charged from all directions. These were all avatars, possessing strength and speed similar to the Feather God's true body.
'Blade Path Sword: Ring Break.'
A ring-shaped slashing wave expanded, clearing the surrounding black mist figures. The mist also dissipated, and three greatswords stabbed down from above.
Su Xiao leaped back. The three greatswords crossed and stabbed into the ground where he had just been.
A pitch-black slashing scar came from the front. Su Xiao stabbed his longsword into the ground, crouched low, and used the blade to block the black slashing scar.
With a *boom*, Su Xiao slid backward, his feet plowing the ground, still maintaining the posture of his sword stabbed into the earth.
The Feather God ahead held a black greatsword in each hand, while three more black greatswords floated behind it.
"Ho... ly... shit!"
Baha, waiting for an opportunity, was stunned. The Feather God didn't seem to be a ranged type; its melee combat was also incredibly strong.
The Feather God released the twin swords in its hands. Its abilities had mostly recovered. It pointed a single finger forward, and an invisible cylinder fell from the sky.
*Thud!*
Su Xiao dodged sideways amidst flying gravel. As soon as he landed, he raised one hand to block. A half-meter-long black spike shot toward him, piercing through his palm and heading straight for his head.
As his left palm was pierced, Su Xiao forcefully raised his hand, deflecting the black spike's trajectory. The black spike only left a bloody scratch on his cheek.
Though he had avoided a fatal blow, a dire message came through: Su Xiao had been 'marked.'
The Feather God's attack didn't stop. As its mental power spread, countless black feathers appeared in the sky, each half a meter long, like countless arrows.
A torrent of black feathers fell. Strangely, these black feathers didn't spread across the surrounding four kilometers but tracked Su Xiao. He had been 'marked.'
Su Xiao turned into a blur of blood. Apart from maintaining high-speed movement, doing anything else could cost him his life.
Su Xiao had only moved a few meters when the distant Feather God pointed at him.
*Bang!*
Su Xiao was sent flying sideways, as if struck by a hammer. Before he landed, black feathers rained down from above.
*Ding, ding, ding...*
The crystal layer on Su Xiao's body clinked as the feathers struck. The fully activated crystal layer only lasted 0.8 seconds before shattering. There were simply too many black feathers falling; in that short time, thousands had struck Su Xiao.
Su Xiao rolled to his feet and blurred into motion again. The continuously falling black feathers chased him from behind, stabbing into the ground everywhere, leaving a path of feathers several meters wide in his wake.
The Feather God wasn't just watching. It moved the finger it was pointing. Whenever it pointed at Su Xiao, he would be blasted away.
"Moo!"
Amu appeared beside the Feather God. Ice erupted, freezing the surroundings. After 1.7 seconds, the shattered ice and Amu were both sent flying. Before Amu landed, Baha dragged it into an alternate space.
Just as the Feather God was about to continue attacking Su Xiao, Baha appeared not far away.
"Hey! Your daddy is here..."
Baha's taunt was cut short. The Feather God made a grasping motion with one hand. Compared to Su Xiao, who was fighting it head-on, the Feather God held a greater grudge against Baha. This feathered beast had been squawking incessantly.
"Oh yeah? Can't hit me, huh? Annoying, isn't it? Feather God, were you taught a lesson by the Underworld God and then hid in the Dark Star World? Look closely, you even have scars on you?"
Baha flew at high speed, occasionally teleporting through space. It had been careless this time. Taunting was one thing, but it shouldn't have brought up the Feather God's scars.
The mental energy around the Feather God surged. Its large hand pierced through layers of space, directly grabbing the distant Baha. When Baha came to its senses, it was already in the Feather God's grasp.
"Go ahead and kill me, you bastard."
Baha spread its wings, a red gleam in its eyes. An [Apollo: Wrath of the Blazing Sun] appeared, less than two meters from the Feather God's head.
Baha made a move to instantly detonate the [Apollo: Wrath of the Blazing Sun]. The Feather God swung Baha like a weapon, batting the Apollo away.
In the distance, Bubu Wang, waiting for an opportunity, saw something flying toward him.
"Woof!"
Bubu Wang was startled. An irresistible force clamped its jaws open, pulling its mouth wide. The Apollo slammed into Bubu Wang's mouth, and the momentum sent it flying backward.
"Gulp~"
Bubu Wang choked, rolling its eyes, and actually swallowed the Apollo. That wasn't the main point. The main point was, how did the Feather God detect Bubu Wang? Perhaps because the Feather God had the 'Star Eye'?
Seeing this, Baha knew it was over. Bubu Wang had swallowed the Apollo, so it couldn't detonate it.
The Feather God's hand tightened. The bones in Baha's entire body cracked and snapped. Just as the Feather God was about to set Baha off like a firework, a slashing scar flew in.
*Pfft.*
The longsword cut through. The Feather God's arm holding Baha was severed at the elbow.
"Boss, nice one!"
Although Baha wasn't afraid of death, it wasn't eager to die either. Relieved to have survived, it ducked into an alternate space, drank a potion, and prepared for battle again.
"Haah, haah~"
Su Xiao panted. He had been dodging the dark falling feathers the whole time, constantly moving at high speed, consuming a lot of stamina.
Su Xiao checked himself. The 'Annihilation Mark' on him had reached five layers again. In this state, he couldn't afford to fight the Feather God head-on.
He had endured multiple attacks from the Feather God, and with Amu and Baha's combined efforts, they had forced the Feather God to use many abilities. Now, the Feather God had entered another energy lull.
Thinking this, Su Xiao took a seemingly ordinary round stone from his storage space, one he had treasured for a long time: [Miracle Stone].
With a *crack*, Su Xiao crushed the [Miracle Stone]. Instantly, the five layers of 'Annihilation Mark' on him disappeared. It was time for a decisive battle; he needed to finish this quickly.
The moment Su Xiao's 'Annihilation Mark' was dispelled, the Feather God sensed it. It had felt immense pressure when fighting Su Xiao in melee earlier. Even as a god, it had felt the constant threat of having its head cut off. In its current form, it was not qualified to fight that Law Destroyer in close combat.
The Feather God was decisive. A crack appeared on its chest. It was going to change forms. It wouldn't be its flying form, but the form best suited for melee combat.
An arm reached out from the Feather God's chest. A figure about three meters tall, draped in a dark blue feathered robe, emerged. Now, the Feather God's skin was white. This wasn't a skin color white; it was closer to the white of a substance.
This was the Feather God's third form. It had two main eyes, and behind its temples were two rows of small eyes. In the center of its chest was a closed giant eye.
Looking at that closed giant eye, Su Xiao felt his hair stand on end. He was certain that if that giant eye fully opened, he would die immediately, right then and there. Whatever that eye looked at, it would instantly take its life. This might be the 'Star Eye' of Doom Star.
The Feather God floated a meter above the ground. It pressed one hand on the giant eye on its chest. The giant eye opened a crack, and a sword slowly emerged from within. After this was done, the giant eye closed.
Seeing this, Su Xiao breathed a sigh of relief. Strangely, the Feather God's mental energy also relaxed a bit. The 'Star Eye' was indeed powerful, but the cost of fully opening it was too severe.
The Feather God grasped the sword. Its figure charged forward, flickering left and right, its movements untraceable even by perception.
The Feather God pointed the sword forward. A black sphere appeared several dozen meters ahead. Everything there—matter, energy, etc.—vanished. Even space was being devoured. Being caught in this ability meant annihilation.
The Feather God was fast, but Su Xiao was no slouch. He vanished from his spot and reappeared, delivering a slashing clash.
The moment their blades clashed, Su Xiao's blood churned violently, his internal organs felt like they were tearing apart. The durability of Dragon-Slaying Flash plummeted by a fifth. The sword in the Feather God's hand was problematic; he couldn't keep clashing with it.
The recoil force on Su Xiao's body transmitted to his feet, shattering the rock beneath him. Seizing the opportunity, a crystal war scythe formed in his left hand—the Azure Shadow King ability.
With a *whoosh*, the crystal war scythe slashed out a pale blue chain, enveloping the Feather God. Wounds appeared all over the Feather God's body, and its health plummeted by more than half. Its ancient god energy was mostly depleted, and in its current state, its offensive power was off the charts, but its defensive power was lacking.
The Feather God released the sword in its hand. The sword shattered, and a millstone-sized eye appeared, staring intently at Su Xiao.
Su Xiao felt like he was suffocating, as if an invisible hand was gripping his throat. Blood sprayed from his entire body, and his health suddenly dropped to 4.59%. He had nearly died right there!
There was no time to drink a potion. Su Xiao released a massive amount of Cyan Steel Shadow Energy, using the Indestructible Shadow to recover from his injuries.
Su Xiao was in a bad way, but the Feather God wasn't much better off. After severely wounding Su Xiao, its body began to swell. The feathered robe on its back shattered, its white skin was torn open, turning to powder.
The Feather God reverted to its previous form. Its height approached five meters. Its exposed flesh was wrapped in a layer of fascia, its ribs were visible on its chest, and curved bone spurs grew from the back of its head.
In this state, the Feather God's survivability was terrifying. Transforming forms consumed ancient god energy, but it restored a large chunk of the Feather God's health and regrew its severed arm.
The Feather God pressed down with one hand. An invisible cylinder slammed down.
Su Xiao's head drooped. His shoulders cracked loudly. He dropped to one knee, blood spraying from the wounds all over his body. The ground beneath him shattered. He felt like he was being crushed flat.
That wasn't the end. The Feather God made a pulling motion. All the flesh on Su Xiao's entire left arm was ripped away. His left arm was nothing but bone, clean down to not a single blood vessel.
Su Xiao's flesh flew to the Feather God, merging into the wounds on its body. Its health skyrocketed, recovering to over 95%.
The Feather God's eyes showed surprise. This was the first time it had absorbed the flesh of a Law Destroyer. This flesh far exceeded its expectations. Compared to this, the flesh of other ancient gods was worthless.
The Feather God's gaze turned dangerous. In truth, even among ancient gods, the Feather God was infamous. Unless it was a mortal enemy, no ancient god was willing to provoke it easily. It had dared to steal from the Underworld God and gotten away with it, showing its ferocity and decisiveness.
Undoubtedly, the scales of victory had tipped heavily in the Feather God's favor. Its two form transformations had been masterstrokes in this battle.
A wave of chaotic energy spread outward. Su Xiao, charging forward, felt excruciating pain all over his body, as if it were being torn apart. A momentary ringing sounded in his ears. His health dropped by 0.5% per second, and it was true damage. Not only that, but the 'Annihilation Mark' was also stacking rapidly.
"Now!"
Baha suddenly appeared and shouted. Amu emerged from the alternate space in mid-air.
Baha spread its wings. Space feathers shattered, sealing the surrounding space. The Feather God was at the very center, its mobility suppressed, and its continuous mental shock wave slowed.
In the sky above, with a *crack*, a bolt of golden lightning struck down, hitting Amu. Its bovine eyes nearly rolled back. The Dragonheart Axe it held upright came crashing down.
Amu hadn't even landed yet. It was taking lightning damage. The subsequent electrocution would intensify after it landed.
Taking advantage of the Feather God being briefly suppressed by Baha's spatial power, the falling Amu brought its axe down, striking the Feather God on the shoulder.
Standing on the ground, the Feather God was, of course, a conductor. The golden lightning on Amu channeled through the Dragonheart Axe into the Feather God. Golden lightning surged in all directions. The Feather God's body convulsed violently, and it dropped to one knee. Amu crashed to the ground, smoke rising from its body.
'Blade Path Sword: Extreme.'
The longsword tore through space, leaving a black scar in the air as it slashed across the Feather God's chest.
The slashing scar cut diagonally across the Feather God's chest. Blood gushed out. That wasn't the end. Su Xiao stabbed his sword through the Feather God's neck and cut upward, intending to split its head in two.
The Feather God's eyes widened. With a *boom*, Su Xiao, Amu, and Baha were all blasted away by a 'Mental Shockwave.'
Amu flew through the air, blood spraying. It reached out a hand, forming a wisp of ice. Bubu Wang, hidden in the environment, sprinted at full speed on top of it and leaped.
Baha continuously teleported through space. When it got near Su Xiao, an eagle claw pierced Su Xiao's shoulder. With a forceful toss, it stabilized Su Xiao's flying body. Baha itself slammed into a statue, leaving a large patch of blood on it, a gruesome sight.
Just then, Bubu Wang had leaped to beneath Su Xiao's feet. Su Xiao stepped on Bubu Wang's head with one foot and its back with the other, then leaped with all his might.
Bubu Wang turned into a blur, landing on the ground with its four legs splayed, dispersing the surrounding clouds. It nearly shit itself from the impact.
Su Xiao leaped high into the air. He crushed a scroll in his hand. This scroll was called: Heavenly Wrath: Thunderfall!
Su Xiao raised his longsword. All the golden lightning in the sky converged into a single bolt, then, with a *crack*, struck down toward Su Xiao, ultimately attaching itself to his longsword.
All the golden lightning gathered on the sword in Su Xiao's hand. Golden arcs surged. He began to fall. Not only that, but his body speed and reflexes were stimulated, temporarily increasing by a large margin.
As Su Xiao descended, the Feather God broke through an afterimage and retreated into the distance. It clearly sensed that if it didn't retreat now, it would have no chance.
When Su Xiao was still a dozen meters from the ground, he flicked his longsword. The golden lightning spread out, forming a chain.
There was too much gathered golden lightning. In an instant, the surrounding few kilometers were filled with it.
*Crackle!*
The Feather God in mid-air fell. As soon as it landed, even more lightning converged on it, enveloping it. Only golden arcs could be seen.
'Blade Path Sword: Shadow Sever.'
As Su Xiao sprinted, half of the Cyan Steel Shadow Energy in his body wrapped around Dragon-Slashing Flash, turning the blade dark blue-black.
*Zing!*
Su Xiao left a dark blue-black slashing scar. When he reappeared, he was behind the Feather God.
Su Xiao sheathed his longsword with a *clack*. Almost simultaneously, countless slashes erupted around the Feather God. The slashes were so dense they formed a sphere around it, sending blood and shredded flesh flying.
*Zing! Zing! Zing!*
Three intersecting massive slashes finished the attack, tearing huge gashes in space. The three massive slashes eventually shattered.
Despite such a devastating blow, the Feather God was still alive. The exoskeleton on its head was covered in cracks, but it turned to face Su Xiao. A ray shot from its right eye.
The ray pierced through Su Xiao's chest, missing his heart by a hair's breadth. The temperature of the ray severely burned his heart. His chest felt tight, and his mouth felt hot.
Ignoring his injuries, Su Xiao's eyes flashed blue. Banishment formed into a hiltless rapier. Inside, a hair-thin line of fire appeared, entering an internal combustion state. This form of Banishment was one of Su Xiao's trump cards.
*Bang!*
Banishment broke the sound barrier, its speed terrifying. When it reappeared, it was behind the Feather God's head, dragging blood and bone fragments. It had pierced a fist-sized hole in the Feather God's skull.
"Try this."
Baha appeared behind the Feather God. An ordinary Apollo was in its claw. As it activated instant detonation, it tossed the Apollo into the hole in the Feather God's head.
*Thud!*
Golden flames erupted. The Feather God's body leaned back, frozen in place. But immediately, it straightened up, dragging smoke and flames, and pointed a single finger at Su Xiao. This monster was still alive!
'Ultimate Dark: Final Funeral.'
Everything around froze. Su Xiao assumed a backward-leaping posture, activating the Dragon Shadow Flash ability, successfully evading the enemy's capture. Timing was one of the strongest abilities of a technique-type fighter.
The surrounding world turned black and white. The only colors remaining were the longsword in Su Xiao's hand, wreathed in dark blue-black smoke, and the Feather God's bright yellow single eye.
Su Xiao and the Feather God charged at each other simultaneously. The Feather God's right hand was wrapped in darkness. In Su Xiao's current state, being touched by it meant certain death.
'Blade Path Sword: Demon Blade.'
*Zing!*
In the black-and-white world, Dragon-Slashing Flash slashed across the ancient god's chest, leaving a dazzling trail of blood. Su Xiao and the Feather God passed each other. Everything froze.
The crystal layer on Su Xiao's face fell off. Before it hit the ground, it was eroded by the darkness until not even a trace remained. Su Xiao had just brushed past death.
After a moment, dark blue-black smoke followed the wound into the Feather God's body. Its gaze was still ferocious, but it seemed to realize something. The darkness on its hand dissipated. It looked at the cloud-wreathed sky. There was no fear, anger, or reluctance in its eyes. It accepted its impending fall with calmness and serenity. It had lost, but it was an ancient god. Even in death, it would fall with the dignity of an ancient god.
"Law Destroyer."
Having said this, the Feather God fell to the ground with a *thud*. From beginning to end, it had only spoken these three words, without any unnecessary nonsense.
The surrounding world gradually regained its color. The stopped breeze began to blow again. Su Xiao flicked the blood off his longsword, then sheathed it with a *clack*. The clouds swirled around him, the scenery picturesque.
Su Xiao lit a cigarette and exhaled a puff of smoke. He checked his health: 1.62%. He wasn't dead. Profit.
The Feather God had been hunted!
PS: (A 6000-word chapter. Originally planned to finish the decisive battle tomorrow, but when I was about to end the chapter, a strange chill appeared on Feiwen's back, as if many gazes were staring. So, I honestly finished writing this battle.)