Chapter 29: Victory and Defeat

Chapter 29: Victory and Defeat

The blood flame, devoid of warmth, burned within the empty grand hall. Though it appeared incapable of causing burn damage, it would continuously reduce sanity values, eventually driving one into madness.
However, Su Xiao felt nothing. With over 1,800 points of sanity, he could withstand this blood flame for a long time. The more pressing issue was the Ancestor, who had fully entered combat mode.

Normally, the Ancestor stood three meters tall, resembling a desiccated corpse wrapped in dark-gold bandages. But now, its withered body had become robust, its height exceeding four meters. Its torso, bearing twisted muscle contours, was covered in faces with tightly shut eyes.
These were all powerful beings who had once fought the Ancestor to the death, posing varying degrees of threat to it. They were also the last hopes of many worlds. Unfortunately, those hopes had been shattered, and they were now devoured and absorbed into the Ancestor's body.

The Ancestor laughed maniacally, its right hand gripping a spine-chain blade. This chain blade, made of vertebrae, was over three meters long, covered in blades and barbs, with filth insects constantly spewing from its gaps.
The Ancestor's left arm had transformed into a grotesque, massive limb, its end bearing a beast's head capable of spewing flames and filth insects.

Patter, patter~
As Su Xiao took a few steps forward, the blood around him exploded with a bang, and he vanished. Simultaneously, the Ancestor opposite him disappeared as well.
The next instant, both reappeared, now less than two meters apart. The long blade and the spine-chain blade clashed together.

Crack!
The surrounding space shattered. Large numbers of filth insects scattered from the spine-chain blade, while the slashing might of the long blade dispersed. The two forces corroded each other, neither gaining the upper hand.

The impact of Su Xiao and the Ancestor's clash instantly cleared the bloodstains on the ground, dyeing the surrounding walls red. Moreover, dense cracks appeared on the walls.
The long blade and the spine-chain blade pressed against each other. The Ancestor's physical strength was terrifying, far surpassing Su Xiao's. However, the Blade Grandmaster skill, enhanced by 6 Primordial Skill Points, was no pushover, fully capable of contending head-on with the Ancestor.

Just then, the Ancestor's left arm—the grotesque beast arm—rose, its beast maw aimed at Su Xiao, preparing to spew blood smoke and filth insects.
"Super Blood Smoke Cannon!"
A blood qi phantom formed behind Su Xiao, and a barrel-thick blood smoke cannon blasted straight into the beast maw of the grotesque arm, causing the Ancestor's limb to swell even larger.

"Roar!"
The Ancestor let out a chilling roar capable of polluting the spirit of living beings. Su Xiao's ears rang, and his stalemate began to falter.
With a whoosh, the spine-chain blade swept Su Xiao away. While he was still midair, the blade lashed out like a whip, striking him.

Slap!
Shattered crystal layer fragments scattered. Su Xiao turned into a blur, crashing into the wall beside him. He felt a surge of blood and qi but had no time to recover. Slapping the massive crater in the wall, he used the reaction force to leap out even faster.
With a bang, the spine-chain blade struck the crater in the wall where Su Xiao had been. The corruption force turned it dark purple, with many filth insects left inside.

Midair, Su Xiao landed and raised his blade to block.
"Perfect Block."
Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!
A series of dense, rapid sounds rang out. After the spine-chain blade slashed down onto Dragon-Slaying Flash from above, the countless blades and barbs on the chain blade clashed against Dragon-Slaying Flash's edge, sending sparks flying everywhere.

Su Xiao excelled at blocking single, ferocious attacks, but this multi-hit assault clearly countered Perfect Block. His block was broken, and the tip of the spine-chain blade grazed his shoulder, tearing off a large patch of flesh while leaving filth insects gnawing at the wound.
Azure Steel Shadow energy surged, evaporating the filth insects at the wound. Even so, the broken block caused Su Xiao to stumble half a step.

The Ancestor naturally wouldn't let such an opening slip by. Its grotesque beast arm, already charged with blood flame, spewed toward Su Xiao. Meanwhile, a deformed, pale arm sprouting from its side aimed at Su Xiao, its mid-section bulging with stored energy. Hundreds of needle-like parasitic insects shot forth from it.

Su Xiao was engulfed in blood flame, filth insects, and parasitic insects. The Ancestor laughed wildly until Su Xiao fell and turned into black smoke.
Indeed, Su Xiao had swapped positions with the Demon Spirit before being overwhelmed by the attacks. As for where the Demon Spirit had been, that traces back to 1.5 seconds earlier, when his shoulder was struck by the spine-chain blade.

As a Blade Grandmaster, would Su Xiao have his block broken? Of course not. This was a deliberate opening he created. The Ancestor's abilities were too troublesome; he couldn't close in, and the Demon Spirit struggled to approach it. So, he had to bait it.
Just moments ago, the Demon Spirit, in its black smoke form, had been clinging to the inside of Su Xiao's long leather coat, attached to his shoulder and left torso. When the Ancestor's spine-chain blade heavily wounded his left shoulder, tearing off flesh, it also carried away a certain amount of the Demon Spirit's black smoke.

In the heat of battle, the Ancestor wouldn't focus on its weapon, especially when its opponent had its block broken and was momentarily numb. Under such circumstances, it wouldn't notice the Demon Spirit's black mist flowing through the gaps in the spine-chain blade.
Now, with Su Xiao swapping places with the Demon Spirit, he appeared directly in front of the Ancestor, which was still unleashing a full-powered spewing attack, with over half its body energy concentrated in the grotesque beast arm.

Su Xiao's sudden appearance two meters in front of the Ancestor startled it greatly. Despite its manic laughter, it had never underestimated the Blade Grandmaster it was fighting. It had done its utmost to avoid close combat, believing that maintaining mid-range engagement would ensure the Law Destroyer's death.
What the Ancestor didn't expect was that Su Xiao, having closed to this distance, didn't choose to strike first. Instead, he delivered a straight kick aimed at it. This left the Ancestor both puzzled and somewhat relieved.

Boom!!
The straight kick struck the Ancestor's abdomen, causing its dozen or so eyes to widen to their maximum. Its powerful, resilient torso visibly arched backward from the abdomen, with cracks spreading through the flesh.
After a piercing sound of air being torn, the Ancestor turned into a straight blur, followed by a loud crash against the wall. From an aerial view, the entire Scarlet Castle trembled. Inside the adjacent building, all the vengeful spirits and ghosts huddled together, trembling—perhaps an exaggeration, but close enough.

Inside the grand hall, the Ancestor, embedded in the massive crater in the wall, bent forward and spewed a large amount of dark-red blood from its mouth. Its eyes held a hint of disbelief.
Opposite, several dozen meters away.
"Blade Path Sword: Azure Demon."
Clang!
A blue-black slash struck the Ancestor, causing it to lose balance just as it tried to rise. Seizing the opportunity, Su Xiao closed in and delivered another straight kick, this time with 30% less force but full penetrating power.

Bang!
The Ancestor was kicked into an opening. As it rose from the wall breach, it dropped to one knee, instinctively raising a hand to block.
"Blade Path Sword: Extreme."
The blade sliced through, severing the Ancestor's grotesque beast arm cleanly.

"Roar!"
The Blood Beast lunged out and exploded. This was a standard three-hit combo: a straight kick, a powerful close-range slash, and finally the Blood Beast's charge.
Just as Su Xiao was about to retreat, his pupils contracted. The "Grandmaster Instinct" triggered, showing him the scene 0.5 seconds ahead. He immediately began charging "Blade Path Sword: Slay."

With a bang, a wave of black parasitic insects erupted from the Ancestor. These insects were incredibly fast, flew with immense force, and had tracking capabilities. Su Xiao's "Grandmaster Instinct" had shown him retreating to avoid a counterattack ability from the Ancestor, which would have left him vulnerable to this move.
Counterattack abilities weren't exclusive to the Ancestor; Su Xiao had them too, such as Extreme Blade: World and Ring Break, which could prevent sustained suppression by an enemy.

As the swarm of black parasitic insects flew toward him, Su Xiao, having charged for less than a second, unleashed "Blade Path Sword: Slay."
With a whoosh, a blood-colored chain slash shot out. Enhanced by Blood Soul, the "Slay" slash appeared dark red, dotted with tiny sparks.
All the black parasitic insects turned to ash in an instant, and even the Ancestor was enveloped in the slash chain, its counterattack ability broken.

This was why many powerful beings were reluctant to engage technique-type fighters. Having a counter broken was not only humiliating but also invited another round of heavy punishment.
Blood qi clung to the long blade as Su Xiao delivered a series of rapid slashes at the Ancestor, leaving arc-shaped slash marks in the air.

A shocking scene unfolded: the Ancestor endured Su Xiao's slashes and activated "Filth: Corruption Domain." A dark-red rift appeared above, pouring down massive amounts of filth insects and corrupt spawn, threatening to engulf Su Xiao. The world around him plunged into darkness.
"Extreme Blade: World."
A crisp slash sound dispelled the darkness. Every dozen centimeters or so, tiny, grain-sized flash points of slashes appeared, including around the Ancestor, covering its body with deep, bone-reaching cuts.

Twice the Ancestor activated "Filth: Corruption Domain," and both times Su Xiao broke it with "Extreme Blade: World." The domain-breaking ability of Blade Grandmaster Lv.80 was incredibly useful, with a fast startup and high damage.
After enduring repeated heavy blows, the Ancestor's health dropped below 150%. At that moment, all the eyes on the faces across its body opened.

Clang! The descending long blade blocked the spine-chain blade, followed by a shockwave that sent Su Xiao flying.
Landing in a crouch, Su Xiao saw the Ancestor's body surging with gold-red energy. Filth insects no longer spewed from it, but the spine-chain blade had transformed dramatically. Biological tissue clung to it, connecting the blades on one side, ultimately forming a recurved greatsword with a spine core wrapped in flesh.
This spine-blade bore many faces filled with hatred, earning it the name "Hatred."

Fleshy tendrils sprouted from the Ancestor's right arm, connecting to the hilt of the Hatred greatsword, causing crimson energy to appear on it.
"Hah~"
The Ancestor exhaled white mist, gripping the Hatred greatsword with its right hand. In the blink of an eye, its overgrown, robust form condensed, reducing its height to just over three meters. Its muscles tightened, radiating explosive power.

The Ancestor had entered its second phase, transitioning to close combat.
Whoosh!
The Ancestor streaked past as a gold-red blur, appearing in front of Su Xiao. Only then did the roar of space being torn follow. It swung the Hatred greatsword down in a heavy slash.

From an aerial view.
Boom~!!
The entire Scarlet Castle shattered. The Scarlet Force was dispersed by the violent power. Half a kilometer away, the watching vengeful spirits and ghosts were instantly killed by the shockwave.

A blur shot diagonally from the rubble, crashing into the ground several kilometers away. The impact sent soil flying a hundred meters high, like a towering wave of water.
Inside a pit covered in blue crystals, Su Xiao covered his mouth with one hand. Despite this, blood and tiny organ fragments seeped through his fingers. After quickly steadying his breathing, he tugged at the Spirit Shadow Thread embedded in his right arm, pulling it taut. The cell-level stitching forcibly closed the flesh wound on his arm.

The Ancestor's second phase brought a qualitative leap in combat power. That heavy slash had nearly overwhelmed Su Xiao.
Before he could catch his breath, a foul wind approached. He leaped sideways, barely dodging the descending Hatred greatsword.

The Hatred greatsword struck the ground.
Boom!
The ground within a kilometer radius shattered. But it didn't end there. The Ancestor raised the Hatred greatsword again, slashing furiously at Su Xiao.
"Roar~"
A miniature Blood Beast lunged out. Though it couldn't interrupt the Ancestor's attack, it triggered "Breath Opening," activating the "Time: Dominator" effect, slowing everything around them.

Su Xiao leaped back. The Hatred greatsword barely missed his face as it swung past, striking the ground a second time.
Boom!
The ground within a ten-kilometer radius shattered, forming a disc-shaped rupture from above.

Having dodged the second heavy slash, the Ancestor roared and delivered a third. This time, as the Hatred greatsword descended, the space along its path cracked and shattered with a popping sound.
This slash couldn't be taken head-on. Even Perfect Block would come at a great cost.

Su Xiao swapped positions with the Demon Spirit, hovering a hundred meters above. The Hatred greatsword's third slash passed through the Demon Spirit and struck the ground.
Boom!!
The ground within a hundred-kilometer radius shattered and flew upward. From above, the cracked ground formed a massive disc a hundred kilometers in diameter.

Soil fell like a curtain of rain. The land was devastated, the earth turned gray-white by corruption.
Su Xiao landed and immediately charged at the Ancestor. The long blade clashed with the Hatred greatsword.
Crack!
The originally dark sky split down the middle. Daylight streamed through the trench, illuminating Su Xiao and the Ancestor below.

Threads of life force drifted from Su Xiao's wounds toward the Ancestor, a dozen meters away. With Su Xiao's health exceeding a million points, the Ancestor's health regeneration was considerable as it absorbed his life force.
This was the Ancestor in its second phase, the Bloodthirst State. Whether it was the unstoppable Hatred greatsword slashes, the life force absorption, or the black filth insects spreading across a hundred kilometers and converging on them, it all meant this battle couldn't drag on.

Su Xiao confirmed that the Mysterious Eye was enveloping the [Intense Emblem] in the team storage space, one of the rewards from completing a world mission in Wind Sea Continent.
He exhaled slowly. If the Ancestor entered its third phase, the Frenzied Blood State, he would surely lose. He had to go all out, preventing the Ancestor from reaching that phase. Even if it couldn't be avoided, the Ancestor must be heavily wounded before entering it.

End this deathmatch within ten minutes—either the enemy dies or he does. Fleeing was never an option.
"Blade Path Sword: Azure Demon."
Clang~
A black slash shot out, incredibly fast. The next instant, it was in front of the Ancestor.

The Ancestor swung the Hatred greatsword, shattering the incoming black slash. Black mist erupted. This time, when Su Xiao unleashed Azure Demon, he had infused the Demon Spirit into the slash, turning it from blue-black to black.
Su Xiao swapped positions with the Demon Spirit and delivered a powerful slash.

Clang!!
The long blade clashed with the Hatred greatsword. A terrifying shockwave spread from the center point of Su Xiao and the Ancestor. After this clash, Su Xiao took a step back. The Ancestor's second-phase strength was terrifying.

The Ancestor gripped the Hatred greatsword with both hands, raised it above its head, and aimed a heavy chop at Su Xiao. Though not as fearsome as the final strike of its three-hit combo, its momentum was still daunting.
"Perfect Block."
Clang!!
The long blade blocked the Hatred greatsword. Even with protective energy distributed across his body, Su Xiao felt as if his skeleton was about to fall apart.

The Ancestor's smile grew more manic. It dragged the Hatred greatsword down, scraping its edge against Dragon-Slaying Flash's blade. Then it raised the greatsword above its head again, sprouting a dozen more arms, all gripping the hilt to amplify the power of the next chop.
The sound of wailing wind and shattering space came simultaneously. Su Xiao attempted to sidestep but was a moment too slow due to unstable blood and qi. The Hatred greatsword descended.

The Hatred greatsword passed through Su Xiao's head and torso—he had used Dragon Shadow Flash to phase through space. The Bloodthirst State Ancestor was indeed powerful, but it had a weakness: its excessive mutation meant its control over battle details had deteriorated.
With a crackle, arcs of electricity appeared, then blue lightning clung to Dragon-Slaying Flash. This strike was swift and light, slicing through the Ancestor's throat.

[Soul Electrification (Passive): Greatly enhances the control properties of Azure Steel Shadow energy. When Azure Steel Shadow energy burns an enemy's body energy, there is a 15% chance to trigger a paralysis state (this is an absolute control effect, cannot be resisted by any means). The abnormal state lasts 0.2 to 3 seconds.
Note: This effect can stack continuously. Each time Azure Steel Shadow energy burns an enemy's body energy without triggering the "Absolute Control" effect, the trigger probability of this trait increases by 20% until it reaches 100%. The next slash imbued with Azure Steel Shadow energy, upon hitting the enemy, will guarantee the "Absolute Paralysis" state.]

Su Xiao had struck the Ancestor more than six times. However, Soul Electrification wasn't entirely uncontrollable. Once its trigger probability reached 100%, he could decide which slash carried this ability.
As the slash imbued with Soul Electrification passed through the Ancestor's throat, it was paralyzed in place. Though the control lasted only an instant, it was enough for Su Xiao.

He had already taken out a "Solar Holy Sword." Smashing the glass vial with the back of his blade, the liquid Apollo inside flowed out, and the fist-sized gelatinous Apollo quickly liquefied.
The liquid Apollo, equivalent to one "Solar Holy Sword," clung to Su Xiao's right foot and calf, which were wrapped in a crystal layer. Normally, he wouldn't do this, but now he had the overloaded [Inscription Base: Divine Sacrifice].
[Inscription Effect: Supreme Blazing Sun (Core: Passive: Overloaded): Immune to 85% of Solar Flame damage.]

As the blue arcs on the Ancestor's body faded, Su Xiao delivered a Solar straight kick aimed at the center of its chest.
Initially, there was no deafening roar—only a blinding flash of light, followed by a dull, heavy boom.

After the earth-shaking sound, Su Xiao kicked the Ancestor away. Around him, the ground cracked and spread in rings, extending dozens of kilometers.
The corruption force in the ground was dispersed by the impact. The falling soil gradually returned to the wet salt region's pitch-black color.

The Ancestor turned into a straight gold blur. As it flew backward, it plowed a several-hundred-meter-wide trench in the ground. The trench glowed red-hot from the high temperature, dotted with flickering sparks, eventually vitrifying after the heat subsided.
After flying over a dozen kilometers, the Ancestor finally stopped its horizontal flight, crashing heavily into the ground, causing a tremor.

Even so, the Ancestor didn't fall. It knelt on one knee, stabbing the Hatred greatsword into the ground. Dark-red blood mixed with glowing red sparks spewed from its mouth.
A sound of breaking wind approached. The Ancestor raised the Hatred greatsword to block.

Crack!
The long blade pierced through the thick blade of the Hatred greatsword, stopping just ten centimeters from the Ancestor's head. Pale arms grabbed onto Dragon-Slaying Flash.
"Blood Smoke Cannon!"
A blood qi phantom appeared, firing a blood smoke cannon at the Ancestor's head from above, sending it flying backward a dozen meters.

Su Xiao closed in, slashing off a small portion of the Ancestor's skull. But to the Ancestor's confusion, the Law Destroyer's slash had lost much of its threat, with the soul-severing power significantly reduced.
Why? Because Su Xiao had switched the Soul Core of Soul Severing Shadow from the Soul Severing Core to the Thunderstrike Core.

Crack! The sky, which had darkened again, suddenly rumbled. The Ancestor immediately looked up, sensing an unprecedented threat.
Above was a slowly rotating vortex of dark clouds, containing terrifyingly powerful World Thunder. Remember, this was the Eternal Light World, where World Thunder was already incredibly strong. Moreover, Su Xiao was channeling it with 996 points of Elemental Affinity.

The Ancestor's first thought was that this Law Destroyer intended to die together with it. It erupted with proliferating dark-red flesh, which quickly enveloped it and hardened into a gray-white, bone-like substance.
Boom!!!
A lightning pillar over a hundred kilometers thick descended, standing between heaven and earth, continuously pouring down golden lightning. Most of the wet salt region was instantly filled with World Thunder. If Baha hadn't quickly taken Amu out of the area, they would have been caught in it.

Su Xiao and the Ancestor were submerged in the immense golden lightning. The ground cracked, sinking at the center of the lightning strike zone, rapidly forming a massive, exaggerated crater.
Within the lightning, Su Xiao's entire body went numb. The empty potion vial in his hand was instantly vaporized. His health, which had just recovered to 80%, stopped regenerating. Before the World Thunder struck, unlike the Ancestor, he hadn't formed a defense. Instead, he drank a [Honor Recovery Potion] that restored 100% health and mana.

Additionally, Su Xiao's base lightning resistance was 564 points, further enhanced by the following:
[Thunderstrike Core: Greatly increases lightning resistance.]
[Limit Constitution: Heaven's Wrath (Passive): When your health drops below 30% due to World Thunder attacks, you immediately gain lightning resistance equal to True Stamina × 2.1 for 30 seconds.]

In an instant, the "Limit Constitution: Heaven's Wrath" bonus triggered, boosting Su Xiao's lightning resistance by 832 points to an extreme level.
Surrounded by golden lightning, Su Xiao's preparations weren't meant to withstand the Eternal Light World's World Thunder head-on. These resistance boosts ensured he wouldn't be instantly reduced to ashes, giving him a chance to trigger a life-saving item. That was all. Withstanding World Thunder in this world through resistance alone was nearly impossible; the extreme elements here produced incredibly powerful World Thunder.

An eggshell-shaped shield appeared—an invincibility shield. This was Su Xiao's method for enduring the World Thunder of this world.
[Intense Emblem]
Origin: Reincarnation Paradise
Category: Special (No need to wear directly; stored in team storage space to take effect)
Durability: 2/3 (Enhanced by Mysterious Eye)
Equipment Effect: When stored in team storage space, if you or any team member receives a high-intensity attack causing health to suddenly drop to 1%, this emblem activates, locking the unit's life force for 10 seconds, granting absolute invincibility.
Note: Only triggers when health drops by more than 70% in an extremely short time.

With the life-saving item triggered, Su Xiao suppressed the ultimate effect of Blood Spear Grandmaster. Inside the invincibility shield, with only 1% health remaining, he took out an injector and injected a [Vitality Essence] into his neck. Due to the short usage interval, his health only recovered to 12.8% before stopping.

The World Thunder's power was terrifying, but it receded quickly. After about seven or eight seconds, the lightning stopped falling from the sky, and the spreading lightning on the ground gradually dissipated.
Looking at the wet salt region now, the entire area's space was covered in cracks and gaps. At the center of the lightning strike, a semi-circular crater had formed. If there were groundwater here, this crater would have become the largest lake in the world.

At the bottom of the crater, on the flat ground, Su Xiao's invincibility shield shattered. He looked ahead. A hundred-meter-wide, honeycomb-like gray-white sphere was slowly breaking apart.
With a dull bang, the Ancestor emerged from within, swinging the Hatred greatsword in a heavy slash at Su Xiao.
"Perfect Block."
Clang!
Su Xiao was sent flying dozens of meters, his health plummeting by nearly half to just over 6%. Moreover, his entire body was covered in cracks, oozing blood. As for the [Wild Hunt Night] long leather coat, if he hadn't removed it earlier, it might have been vaporized by the World Thunder, especially since its defense hadn't been upgraded to Eternal Rank.

Though the Ancestor hadn't died from the World Thunder, its body was covered in charred cracks. Most of the faces on its torso were shattered. Its skull was cracked, and its left arm and part of its left torso were reduced to charcoal, barely clinging to the body.
Beyond that, the Ancestor had used its ultimate life-saving ability to resist the World Thunder, shaking its previously confident mindset.

"You... don't have the right... to kill me!!"
The Ancestor suddenly lunged, closing in on Su Xiao in a few steps and swinging the Hatred greatsword down.
Clang!
Su Xiao was knocked back several steps, leaving a trail of blood. Worse, his "Corruption Value" maxed out, triggering a death effect.
[Warning: You are about to suffer a death effect.]
[Blade Grandmaster: Soul Blade (Ultimate Passive) has negated this death effect. Soul Blade is now on cooldown.]

Su Xiao's Corruption Value cleared, but his strength felt drained for an instant.
Bang!
The Ancestor delivered a straight kick. Crystal fragments scattered as Su Xiao's crystal-wrapped left arm blocked the kick, preventing the Ancestor from avenging the two straight kicks it had suffered.

"Extreme Blade: World!"
As the crisp slash sound began, Su Xiao's entire body ached. His poor condition caused his ability to overdraw.
Seizing the moment his ability was interrupted, the Ancestor swung the Hatred greatsword.
Clang!
The long blade blocked the strike, but the ensuing force sent Su Xiao flying, crashing heavily to the ground. He tried to get up but felt dizzy. Over 90% of his blood had been lost, and weakness was setting in. If not for his extraordinary physique, a human would have already died from such blood loss.

His vision blurred. Through the double image of the Ancestor, he saw it dragging the Hatred greatsword, step by step, approaching him.
"Blood Smoke Cannon!"
A blood smoke cannon shot out. With a clang, the Ancestor blocked it with the Hatred greatsword, but the greatsword broke.

The Ancestor stopped, glanced at the broken Hatred greatsword, and discarded it. A meter-long bone spear grew from its palm, which it gripped.
The Ancestor's condition was also dire, but it could still walk, advancing step by step toward Su Xiao.
"Blood Smoke..."
As Su Xiao tried to activate Blood Smoke Cannon, his vision blurred again. Worse, recovery potions had little effect in his current state, and the Ancestor wouldn't give him a chance to use one.

"Blood Smoke Cannon!"
Boom! The advancing Ancestor was knocked back two steps. Its charred left half crumbled, but it grinned, showing its sharp teeth.
"Law Destroyer, your subordinate... has doomed you."
The Ancestor laughed with glee and madness. Killing a Law Destroyer in this way gave vent to the hatred born from being imprisoned for a hundred thousand years.

A green orb of light appeared in the Ancestor's chest—a mass of life force. In this situation, if the Ancestor absorbed it, it would surely be the victor.
This life force had been absorbed from Amu at the start of the battle. To ensure it wasn't problematic, the Ancestor had kept it trapped in its body without absorbing it. Now, having confirmed no issues, it prepared to absorb it.

Like rain after a drought, as the Ancestor absorbed the life force, the cracks on its body rapidly healed. But the next second, its manic, gleeful expression froze. The alchemical poison it had already been afflicted with suddenly intensified to its limit.
Pfft!
Black blood sprayed from the mouths and noses of the faces on the Ancestor's body. Its health, which had just recovered to 30%, suddenly dropped by 15% and continued to fall.

Why, after confirming Amu's life force was safe, did absorbing it still intensify the poison?
[Amu: Skill 5, Elemental Constitution (Core Skill, X: Passive): Elemental Constitution grants extremely strong natural elemental affinity, allowing a good cycle with natural elements to strengthen oneself.
Note: Each completed natural element cycle permanently increases health, True Strength, True Stamina, and True Intelligence by a small amount.]

If someone else's life force contained elemental power, the Ancestor would have detected it. But Amu was different. It completed natural element cycles daily, so even if its life force contained natural elements, there was no unusual fluctuation. This was the normal state of Amu's life force, not a deliberate addition.
To use an analogy: if life force were cells, integrating natural elements into another's life force would mean the elements and cells coexisting side by side, which the Ancestor would notice. But Amu could wrap elemental power within its life force cells, embedding it at the very core.

Amu performed natural element cycles, not devouring elements. Its life cells made elemental forces feel affinity. So, when a life cell wrapped around a natural element, the element wouldn't try to escape. Instead, it would rest comfortably for a while, like a tired little spirit finding a safe haven.
From the "Life Crystal" to the poison, Su Xiao's target had always been the Ancestor. Among the Four Giants, Su Xiao had learned about the Ancestor and the Star Devourer's abilities through the Grocery Brother, Soens. Naturally, he dealt with these two first.

Multiple people ganging up on the Ancestor wasn't wise; more life force would only give it a chance to turn the tables. That's why Su Xiao didn't have his other teammates join him in the Scarlet Hall to fight the Ancestor, only having Amu there to fight alongside him.

A dozen meters away, the Ancestor staggered. Seizing this brief respite, Su Xiao regained some strength. He stood up and charged at the Ancestor with less than 5% health.
Ten meters, five meters, three meters.
When Su Xiao was just three meters from the Ancestor, it suddenly clenched its hand. A massive swarm of filth insects erupted from it—the Ancestor's finishing move.

Under the impact and gnawing of the filth insects, Su Xiao's health dropped to 1%. He was about to die here.
Thump, thump!
Su Xiao's heart pounded violently. In his chest, his heart turned crimson red, visible through flesh and bone as it beat rapidly.
[Blood Spear Grandmaster Lv.80 Ultimate Ability: Blood Master (Ultimate Passive): When your health is only 1%, all remaining soul energy, spiritual energy, and 80% of body energy are instantly transformed into blood qi through the Devouring Core. This massive blood qi protects your "Life Source" for 6 seconds. During these 6 seconds, if your Life Source (heart) and the human race's vital point (head) are not highly damaged, your health will not drop to 0%, even under high-intensity attacks.]

With all the blood qi in his body, Su Xiao's strength and speed recovered significantly. The blood qi erupted, shattering the filth insects surging toward him. Dark-blue smoke appeared on Dragon-Slaying Flash.
Su Xiao stepped forward, and within two meters of the Ancestor, he swung his blade. Opposite him, the Ancestor's right hand, thick with corruption, reached for his head.

The slash, carrying dark-blue smoke, cut diagonally. Everything around seemed to freeze—the filth insects clawing toward Su Xiao and the Ancestor's corruption hand about to press against his face.
Pop~
A filth insect burst, triggering a chain reaction. All the surrounding filth insects exploded one after another, turning to ash before hitting the ground.

The Ancestor remained in the pose of reaching for Su Xiao's face. Its fingers twitched but couldn't advance another inch.
Moreover, dark-blue flames appeared on its body, rapidly burning it to ash. A gray-white, ugly insect about five centimeters long fell to the ground. Though dark-blue flames appeared on it, they burned slowly.

"Law Destroyer, wait... wait. I know a shocking secret. No, no, no, I know where many treasure vaults are. I've hidden wealth you can't imagine outside..."
The Ancestor made a final desperate attempt. It looked up at Su Xiao, only to see him raising his left foot, the sole of his shoe aimed at it.

Once, when the Ancestor invaded worlds, it hovered high above, looking down at the billions of wailing creatures below.
Now, it stared up at the descending shoe sole. It was just a sole, but after being reduced to its original form, it seemed like the falling sky, inescapable. The Ancestor's expression twisted with fear as it roared:
"No!"

Su Xiao stepped forward with his left foot, stomping down with a pop, crushing the monster that had destroyed many worlds.
The World-Destroying Existence: Ancestor, has been slain.