Chapter 13: The Beast Lord
Clang~
A seven-meter-long, half-meter-wide weapon was drawn from its sheath. Its shape was irregular, barely recognizable as a blade. Though this black sword was half a meter wide, its length prevented it from appearing bulky, instead giving it the form of a slender heavy blade. Its natural shape suggested it was a weapon born naturally within the Abyss.
Drip, drop~
Black liquid dripped from the black sword, and upon hitting the ground, it ignited with black flames with a whoosh.
The Beast Lord's posture was casual, the black sword in its hand pointing diagonally at the ground. Within its surrounding range, faint, flowing slashes were visible. This was unmistakably... a Technique Grandmaster?
And judging by the look of it, its technique ability might be above Lv.100. The only good news was that this being only had the aura of a single technique ability. If it were a dual Technique Grandmaster at Lv.100, this battle would be unwinnable.
Clang~
Dragon-Slashing Flash was drawn, pale blue arcs of electricity surging along its blade as blood energy gradually spread to the surroundings.
Across from him, the Beast Lord sensed Su Xiao's aura as a Technique Grandmaster. Its pitch-black eye sockets held pale pupils, which constricted slightly, and its gaze was no longer as condescending as before.
The Beast Lord had lived for an exceedingly long time. Obsessed with techniques and combat, it was an anomaly among the Abyss Descendants. Even after becoming one of the three councilors, its style of conduct was completely at odds with the other two councilors and the council chairperson.
Su Xiao had never before clashed with a Supreme-level Technique Grandmaster. This caused his pupils to turn blood-red, a result of switching to the "Soul Severing: Soul Core." Against a Technique Grandmaster, the Three Soul Severings were more suitable.
Su Xiao and the Beast Lord were evenly matched, but Xilin and the Abyss Princess had massive psychological shadows. Are you kidding me? Two Supreme-level Blade Grandmasters were about to start fighting, and they could only slowly retreat, unable to run quickly.
Within the surrounding space, dense slashing might was hidden. A slight misstep could mean touching these slashes and suddenly losing a body part. If unlucky, running a few steps could result in a severed throat.
The dark water droplets within the Old Dragon Church became denser, and the blood energy was exceptionally thick.
Boom!
Su Xiao and the Beast Lord vanished from their spots simultaneously. When they reappeared, they were less than a few meters apart, Dragon-Slashing Flash and the black sword clashing.
Thud~!
It wasn't a crisp metallic clang but a dull impact sound. The moment Dragon-Slashing Flash and the black sword clashed, the space within a radius of dozens of kilometers cracked with a crunch, like countless shattered mirrors.
A powerful dark aura surged forward, compressing Su Xiao's perception to less than two meters. The next second, an overwhelmingly intense sense of crisis rushed at him.
'Perfect Block.'
Clang!
The slightly curved black sword ferociously struck Dragon-Slashing Flash. However, despite the sword's immense momentum, its slashing force wasn't as terrifying as imagined; it was evenly matched.
But Su Xiao noticed something. Although he had successfully "Perfect Blocked" this strike, his body felt numb. This sensation of being penetrated by technique energy was similar to, if not exactly the same as, the numbness he inflicted on enemies with his straight kicks. It was definitely from the same system.
This meant it would be very difficult for him to dodge the next strike; he could only endure it. This was the Beast Lord's strength. After exchanging one slash, it became hard to counterattack.
Another slash came, this time with a wind pressure that shattered the space along its path.
Clang!!
He successfully parried again with "Perfect Block," sparks and black flames scattering. After blocking this strike, Su Xiao immediately realized the severity of the situation. The power of this strike was double that of the previous one. Moreover, from the first clash onward, everything ahead was pitch black, making it impossible to predict when the next strike would emerge from the darkness.
Clang!!!
He blocked the third strike, and Su Xiao felt a flash of red before his eyes. If the first strike's power was 2, the second was 4, and this one was at least 8.
Clang!!!!
The fourth strike was blocked, barely avoiding a broken guard. In fact, several cracks appeared on Su Xiao's body surface, with blood seeping out from the fissures.
With a crack, a thunderclap exploded in the sky, as if heralding the descent of the fifth strike. In an instant, Su Xiao saw something called death rushing toward him.
With a crackling sound, the black sword shattered the crystal shell and slammed into the ground. The slashing momentum spread along the ground, extending over a thousand kilometers. The trench it carved grew wider and wider, eventually forming a massive canyon dozens of kilometers wide. Beneath the canyon was pitch black, and after a moment, liquid began to seep out.
Drip, drop~
Blood dripped from Su Xiao's chin. He had just evaded using a newly developed technique. He had used this move several times while brutally beating a group of Absolute Strength beings in the Dawn Ruins, and it was now more refined.
The darkness ahead finally dissipated, revealing the Beast Lord. The arm holding the black sword was noticeably thinner than before, but the surging power within it was rapidly restoring the limb.
'Blade Path Sword: Flow.'
Clang!
The ethereal wind scar was shattered by the black sword. Without any visible movement, the Beast Lord took a step and was already in front of Su Xiao, as if distance meant nothing to it.
Crack~!
Feather-like crystal fragments scattered. Su Xiao leaped backward, penetrating through space. It was as if his soul had left his body. The crystal shell left behind was shattered by the black sword, while he himself successfully evaded the strike using this shell-shedding method.
This technique was named "Feather Shell" by Su Xiao. It was a defensive ability stronger than Dragon Shadow Flash but weaker than "Substitution."
Crack~, crack~, crack~!
The Beast Lord struck three times in succession, all evaded by Su Xiao's "Feather Shell," sending feather-like crystal fragments scattering.
'Blade Path Sword: Blood Blade.'
A blood energy phantom appeared, wielding a blood blade longsword, and slashed at the Beast Lord.
Clang!
The blood blade exploded upon contact, blasting the Beast Lord back a step.
'Blood Smoke Cannon.'
The Blood Smoke Cannon struck the Beast Lord's head, shattering a small portion of it.
The Beast Lord covered its shattered face with one hand. Instead of flesh and blood, a substance resembling clay scattered down.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
As these broken clay-like substances hit the ground, the earth trembled violently. Their weight was unimaginable. The truly terrifying aspect wasn't their physical weight but their weight in terms of the world, causality, and destiny.
With crisp cracking sounds, the 'Beast Lord' began to shatter. Clay-like chunks fell, causing the entire world to tremble with each impact. This wasn't just weight training; the Beast Lord had collected the causality and destiny of many worlds it had destroyed, adding them to itself. It sought to advance its technique abilities through these causal and destined weights.
Only very ancient Technique Grandmasters undergoing bitter cultivation would use this method. This approach wasn't abandoned because it was ineffective but because of the pain during cultivation, the causal weight of many worlds, and the resentment of countless deceased beings, which gradually affected the cultivator's sanity.
This cultivation method would either turn one into a lifeless statue or, upon breaking free, grant stronger techniques and a more powerful soul and will.
Clearly, the Beast Lord had long succeeded. As for why it hadn't shed its shell until now, there was no need. Since the Second Era, no opponent it had encountered was worth such an effort. Now, a formidable enemy worthy of its shell-shedding response had appeared.
The Beast Lord finally revealed its true form. It stood about five meters tall, with chaotic wooden horns on its head. Its bare upper body had muscle contours like marble sculptures, with slightly dark skin. Its right arm was covered in eyes, all of which had been destroyed.
Unknown to outsiders, the Beast Lord had destroyed these eyes itself. It always believed that relying on the innate powerful abilities of the Abyss Descendants would eventually lead to complacency and stagnation. Moreover, these innate abilities had limits.
The Beast Lord's waist was tightly bound with layers of straps. It raised its hand, and the outer shell of the massive black sword shattered with a boom. Inside was a longsword over three meters long, slightly wavy in shape, with a gentle curve.
The sword was entirely dark gold. The hilt, which made up a third of the sword, was wrapped in some animal skin with black fur strips, exuding a fierce and murderous aura.
The Beast Lord's hands were large but somewhat withered, a result of long-term bitter cultivation. It was not only different from its own kind but also completely different from its own subordinates. What it pursued wasn't occupation or devouring but the ultimate strength of self and the experience of continuously climbing to higher positions.
The Beast Lord raised its large hand and grasped the hilt of the "Abyss Weapon: Chi Sha."
Boom!
A thunderclap rumbled in the sky. The Old Dragon Church, where the two had been fighting, had its ceiling and upper walls blown away by the battle's impact. However, the lower half of the walls stood remarkably firm. From a distance, Su Xiao and the Beast Lord seemed to be in a death arena. The gap the Beast Lord had just slashed open resembled the only path of survival that only the victor could walk through.
After a few drizzling raindrops, a torrential downpour began. Two figures, each holding a longsword, faced off dozens of meters apart in the rain. The slightly weathered stone slabs on the ground and the half-ruined ancient rock dragon roaring in the rain heightened the killing intent.
Suddenly, everything around slowed to an extreme. A raindrop landed on the tip of Dragon-Slashing Flash. The moment it shattered, Dragon-Slashing Flash had already vanished.
With a clang, the two longswords clashed. The pouring rain seemed to hit an emergency stop switch, abruptly halting. Even the raindrops mid-fall disappeared, vaporized and rising upward as steam.
Crack, crack, crack~
The blades grated against each other. Dragon-Slashing Flash and Chi Sha were locked in a stalemate. Su Xiao and the Beast Lord locked eyes.
Su Xiao felt a dull thud in his head. Everything around him vanished, and he arrived in a dark space. His body became semi-transparent, clearly in a soul state. Across from him was the Beast Lord, holding the soul-state "Abyss Weapon: Chi Sha."
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Soul blades clashed. Su Xiao hadn't expected that the "Soul Blade: Secondary Weapon (Passive, X)," which he had thought had no other use in combat besides enhancing the "Proud Song Crystal," would now prove lifesaving.
Otherwise, just one strike from the soul-state "Chi Sha" would have shattered the soul blade he had formed, rather than allowing for successive clashes.
'Blade Path Sword: Extreme.'
With a resonant clang, Su Xiao forced the Beast Lord back a step. In his soul state, he could only use abilities derived from techniques, nothing else.
If he didn't have 1500 points of soul strength, in this soul battle within the specially created space, he would have been overwhelmed by the Beast Lord's powerful soul in terms of both strength and speed, rather than being evenly matched.
Having successfully pushed the Beast Lord back, Su Xiao delivered a straight kick.
With a boom in his ears, everything around Su Xiao changed abruptly. He and the Beast Lord opened their eyes almost simultaneously.
'Extreme Blade: White Night.'
'Chi Head.'
Both had the exact same idea: to land a vicious blow on the opponent just as they emerged from the soul battle state.
After a brief silence, golden light and black light burst forth, stalemating for a moment before fading.
Feather-like crystal fragments scattered. Su Xiao leaped backward like a soul shedding its shell. Mid-air, he emerged from the space-penetrating state, becoming solid.
The moment he landed, his aura surged.
'Blade Path Sword: Swift.'
Su Xiao vanished, moving forward at ultra-high speed for a few meters, delivering three consecutive slashes. This technique wasn't as powerful as "Extreme" or even "Azure Demon," but it was fast.
Yet even so, the first strike was blocked. The second was dodged by the Beast Lord with a casual sidestep. The third struck its shoulder.
Sizzle~
The blade grazed the edge of the weapon, sending a chunk of shoulder and blood flying. The original intent was to slice off a piece of the shoulder while diagonally cutting off half the Beast Lord's head. However, the Beast Lord seemed to foresee this and tilted "Chi Sha" sideways, causing Dragon-Slashing Flash's slash to slide diagonally upward along "Chi Sha's" edge.
Although the Beast Lord turned its head with the momentum, a piece of its wooden horn was still cut off.
"Hmph!"
The Beast Lord let out a muffled roar while stepping forward with one foot. Su Xiao felt as if a hammer had struck his chest, followed by a sensation of being firmly locked in place. He could only endure.
'Perfect Block.'
Clang!
He successfully blocked the strike, but the numbness returned. Before it faded, darkness enveloped the area ahead, and a second strike emerged from the darkness.
Clang!!
The Beast Lord was now in its peak state, incomparable to before. The power of this second strike hadn't just doubled; it had increased to an absurd degree.
Su Xiao was certain that if he dared to endure the third strike, his lifesaving ability "Blood Master" would be forced out. And the fourth strike would kill him.
Just as Su Xiao prepared to use "Feather Shell" to evade the incoming third strike, the air around him became viscous, then solidified like glass the next moment.
With a loud crash, the Abyss blade "Chi Sha" shattered this sealed space and the Su Xiao within it. The dark gold slashing momentum continued unabated, stopping only after extending far into the distance.
This battle allowed for five uses of "Substitution." Su Xiao used one, swapping positions with the Blade Demon Spirit dozens of meters away.
This was the Technique Type. Their abilities seemed simple and unadorned but were exceptionally deadly.
Su Xiao stood on the old dragon statue. The rain, which had been halted by the slash, began to fall again. His entire body ached, and blood dripped from his sleeves, indicating multiple cracks on his body from the slashing vibrations.
He had to find a way to break this ability that caused numbness after a clash. Otherwise, defeat was only a matter of time. He was now experiencing what it felt like for enemies when he kicked them, forcing them to one knee, their bodies numb.
A hundred meters away, a crisp snap came from the Beast Lord's mouth. The thread stitching its lips shut was broken by the force of its lips. With a series of snapping sounds as the threads broke, the Beast Lord's mouth opened, exhaling white vapor.
"Ma Wen's, disciple."
The Beast Lord spoke, making a virtual slash with "Chi Sha." Why was this battle so difficult? Because the Beast Lord's strength had severely declined after its deathmatch with Ma Wen Hua'erzi in the Second Era. The Beast Lord was once a "Supreme Peak"!
"Hah~"
The Beast Lord exhaled cold mist and said in a low voice, "Slept too long, finally awake."
As soon as it spoke, it seemed to take a step forward, but it ignored space and distance, crossing a hundred meters to appear in front of Su Xiao. It delivered a perfectly natural slash.
Clang!
After this slash, the Beast Lord was forced back a step. It narrowed its eyes slightly.
"Moon Wolf!"
Almost as it spoke, it slashed again.
"Swallow Darkness: Reveal Moon!"
Clang!
Although Su Xiao successfully blocked this strike, the sky above suddenly darkened. A pale crescent moon appeared overhead. The Beast Lord's wild, disheveled hair was dyed white by the pale moonlight.
"Moon Lion: Wild Song!"
The Beast Lord's lion-like mane flew wildly as it delivered another powerful slash.
Crack~!
Feather-like crystal fragments scattered. As Su Xiao leaped backward, a large spray of blood erupted from his chest, revealing a diagonal slash across his torso.
The Beast Lord thrust its longsword into the ground, and the earth was shrouded in darkness. It pulled the sword out with full force, and the dark ground within dozens of kilometers suddenly converged toward the Beast Lord.
Mid-leap, Su Xiao felt a pulling force. He was uncontrollably drawn toward the Beast Lord.
"Dark Moon: Lion Dance."
The Beast Lord leaped and spun, "Chi Sha" fully charged, delivering a spinning slash toward Su Xiao. Perhaps sensing its master's awakening, "Chi Sha" erupted with dark gold flowing flames, like ignited liquid, dripping and burning as they fell.
The Demon Spirit was slashed apart, dispersing into black mist, but it became contaminated with burning dark gold liquid. This prevented the Demon Spirit from condensing for a short time, rendering the "Substitution" divine ability unusable.
'Blade Path Sword: Flow.'
An ethereal wind scar was slashed out. Although both were Technique Grandmasters, Su Xiao would never approach an Abyss Descendant suspected of being a max-level Blade Grandmaster. That would be suicide. Moreover, the pale moon above was growing fuller.
"Steal Moon: Swap Sky!"
The Beast Lord pointed its longsword at Su Xiao. The next second, Su Xiao felt a slashing aura rushing toward him.
'Blade Path Sword: Extreme!'
With a clang, Su Xiao used "Blade Path Sword: Extreme" to disperse "Blade Path Sword: Flow." His right arm tingled. This was indeed his first experience of "Flow's" slashing power. Why? Because the Beast Lord had just swapped positions with him.
"Full Moon: Wild Wolf!"
The Beast Lord vanished from its spot. The "Chi Sha" in its hand changed from its original dark gold flames to silver moon flames.
'Blade Path Sword: Extreme.'
Ignoring the pain in his right arm, Su Xiao met the strike.
With a loud crash, blue arcs of electricity and moonlight scattered. Su Xiao was sent flying backward, landing in a half-crouch and sliding a hundred meters before stopping. Blood dripped from his chin.
Looking at the Beast Lord now, its entire body was covered in silver-gray fur, with a wolf's head. However, it still had chaotic wooden horns on its head.
Su Xiao seemed to understand why this Abyss Descendant was called the Beast Lord. It could acquire the abilities and combat forms of powerful beast races through killing or devouring. The Moon Wolf was clearly one such beast race.
Currently, the Beast Lord was displaying the form of an old Silver Moon Wolf it had once devoured.
The good news was that although the Beast Lord was awake, its strength was still at "Peak Supreme," on the same tier as Su Xiao. This meant the battle wasn't entirely hopeless. The Beast Lord had deep reserves of abilities, but Su Xiao was no slouch either. Moreover, in terms of technique ability, Su Xiao had no flaws, while the Beast Lord did. Although ninety percent of opponents couldn't see it, Su Xiao was among the top one percent who could.
The Beast Lord looked up at the full moon, and a flicker of flame ignited in its eyes. It wasn't in the habit of shouting out its techniques. Instead, it was using the Abyss language in a manner similar to "speaking it into existence" to control changes in this world.
"Seize Moon: Blazing Sun."
As soon as the Beast Lord spoke, a corner of the full moon above began to burn, causing the entire moon to trend toward becoming a sun. The Beast Lord was about to enter its strongest state, which was also the form most compatible with its technique ability: the Sun Ancestral Beast.
The blazing sun above seemed to burn. The Beast Lord had transformed from a half-human, half-wolf into a five-meter-tall, humanoid figure with sparse gray-white fur on its body. However, it still had chaotic wooden horns on its head.
After entering this form, the Beast Lord's eyes showed no more confusion. Or rather, the confusion earlier was one of the aftereffects of being severely wounded by the Law Destroyer Waltz.
Under the scorching heat of the sun above, the accumulated water on the ground began to vaporize. The Beast Lord's bare upper body manifested sun patterns. The "Chi Sha" longsword secreted a golden, greasy substance that burned with sun flames. A few drops of golden liquid energy fell to the ground, still fiercely burning.
The Beast Lord took a step forward, and the surrounding space let out a loud crash. It seemed to ignore space and distance. A moment ago, it was a hundred meters from Su Xiao; now, it was right in front of him. The golden longsword in its hand came crashing down.
Su Xiao felt a heavy pressure on his shoulder before the strike even arrived. This strike couldn't be dodged; it could only be blocked. After experiencing the numbness from his own straight kicks, he was now experiencing what it felt like to face a Technique Grandmaster: forced to endure, unable to evade.
'Perfect Block.'
Clang!
The numbness spread from his right arm, eroding most of his body. Not only that, but the powerful slashing force caused a surge of blood and energy.
Splashing golden liquid struck him. The moment it landed on his body, the crystal layer on his surface peeled off, preventing him from being burned by the golden liquid. If that stuff stuck to him, it would be trouble. Having his soul burned through would be the least of it.
Su Xiao was forced back half a step. Before he could steady himself, another strike came.
Clang!!
Clang!!!
The second and third strikes followed in quick succession. Fortunately, "Perfect Block" had been upgraded to "Supreme-level Passive"; otherwise, his guard would have been broken by now.
Clang!!!!
The fourth strike was blocked, but under his clothes, a dozen new bloody cracks appeared on his body.
'Feather Shell.'
Su Xiao leaped backward like a soul shedding its shell. The fifth strike, coming diagonally, shattered the crystal shell with a crash, turning into a terrifying slashing force that passed by Su Xiao's side and disappeared into the distance.
Su Xiao landed on a large, evaporating puddle. The moment he landed, his body went numb, and he uncontrollably crouched on one knee. His left hand pressed against the water's surface as he spat out a mouthful of blood mixed with organ fragments. His lungs were severely shaken by the impact. Not only was he spitting blood, but every breath brought a stabbing pain.
A beam of blazing sun light struck from above. Su Xiao sidestepped to evade but was still grazed. He flew sideways, burning, and landed in accumulated water a thousand meters away.
"Cough, cough~"
Blood seeped through Su Xiao's fingers. Before he could steady himself—
Clang!
The golden longsword struck again. As Su Xiao "Perfect Blocked," the blood within him seemed ready to boil. This feeling of battling a technique powerhouse was... indescribably wonderful.
Clang!!
The second strike was blocked, nearly breaking his guard. His body, on the verge of severe injury, warned him repeatedly that even if he blocked most of the slashing might with "Perfect Block," he might not be able to stand after this round of blocking.
Clang!!!
The third strike was blocked. The world before Su Xiao's eyes turned red, and a buzzing sound filled his ears. The numbness in his body was about to reach its critical threshold, rendering him immobile.
Clang!!!!
The fourth strike of this round was blocked. Almost simultaneously with "Perfect Block," he activated the "Spirit/Body Resonance" ability of the Demon Spirit Awakening.
"Spirit/Body Resonance (Passive): When the 'Blade Demon Spirit' is released, you can activate this trait through resonance with the Blade Demon Spirit, achieving spirit-body resonance. 50% of the damage you take will be transferred to the 'Blade Demon Spirit.' This state lasts for 5 seconds.
Usage Count: 1/1 (Using more than once per natural day will significantly increase the risk of backlash from the Blade Demon Spirit)."
Even so, the redness before Su Xiao's eyes worsened. But he knew victory or defeat would be decided in this moment.
'Time: Dominator.'
With a thud, centered on Su Xiao, the surrounding time field experienced "slowdown." He felt as if the "Time: Dominator" he had mastered was about to break out of its cocoon and be reborn. Or rather, because this ability was too powerful, what he had originally mastered was merely the adaptive version of "Time: Dominator."
That was the limit he could bear at the time, not the limit of the "Time: Dominator" ability.
Everything around slowed down. Su Xiao gradually saw through the darkness ahead. He saw the Beast Lord, within the hazy darkness, slashing at him. Because this strike was so powerful, the Beast Lord's body also bore a tremendous burden to deliver it.
Instead of retreating, Su Xiao stepped forward, his longsword slashing out.
Clang!
The Beast Lord staggered back several steps. From the first time he endured the Beast Lord's progressively stronger consecutive slashes, Su Xiao had noticed something. The first, second, and third strikes were perfectly seamless, as if enduring one strike forced you to face the next.
However, there was a noticeable stagnation and flaw between the fourth and fifth strikes. This allowed Su Xiao to evade the fifth strike twice with "Feather Shell" and once with "Substitution." Otherwise, he would have died in this battle.
When he endured the "progressive slashes" for the third time, he tried to evade and counterattack. However, his instinct ability told him it was pointless and would instead let the enemy discover that he had seen a flaw in their ultimate technique.
Su Xiao didn't believe that a technique powerhouse like the Beast Lord would tolerate such a flaw. That left only one possibility: this was a drawback from being severely wounded by the Ancestral Law Destroyer, causing a severe decline in strength. It couldn't be avoided, only compensated for with other methods.
Thus, the Beast Lord kept switching combat forms, from Moon Wolf to Sun, just to prevent the suppressed Law Destroyer from perceiving this flaw.
Although the Beast Lord delivered the fifth strike, it was instead forced back several steps by Su Xiao. This caused its hatred for the Law Destroyer to surge to the extreme. Its originally flawless "All Beings" had to be split into six strikes, and there was still a slight flaw between the fourth and fifth strikes.
If the opponent were from another system, it might not matter. But if the opponent was also a technique powerhouse, once the flaw was seen, it would be disastrous.
In fact, the Beast Lord's original six-strike consecutive slash ability could be used in a single strike, stacking the full power of the first through sixth strikes into one, shattering the enemy to pieces.
'Blade Path Sword: Swift.'
Su Xiao suddenly charged forward and slashed.
With a crisp clang, it seemed easily blocked by the Beast Lord. However, this meant that from the start of the battle until now, the Beast Lord's continuous suppression of Su Xiao had been broken, and Su Xiao had found an opportunity to counter-suppress.
Boom!
A straight kick sent the Beast Lord back several steps. Its body went numb, and it knelt on one knee, instinctively raising its left arm.
'Blade Path Sword: Extreme.'
Clang!
The longsword slashed through, and half of the Beast Lord's left arm flew off.
'Extreme Blade: World!'
A sharp, metallic slashing sound emerged. Centered on Su Xiao, a spherical "Extreme Blade Domain" appeared. It only existed for an instant, making the surrounding air seem darker. Every dozen centimeters or so, there was a rice-grain-sized flashing point of slashing.
The Beast Lord was covered in blood, but the numbness in its body had disappeared. It roared, swinging its longsword forward. With a sonic boom, golden liquid flames surged forward in a fan shape.
'Time: Dominate.'
The golden liquid flames surging toward Su Xiao suddenly slowed. He pressed forward with his left hand, encased in a crystal layer, touching the golden liquid fire wall. Surprisingly, the golden liquid fire wall became semi-transparent, passing through Su Xiao and returning to normal a few meters behind him.
Why was this? The answer was that Su Xiao used the "Dragon Shadow Flash" ability to make the golden liquid fire wall penetrate space.
To be more precise, if he had used "Dragon Shadow Flash" to penetrate space and dodge, the large area of golden liquid flames would have burned the space penetration zone he was in, inevitably burning through that small space area in an instant. However, if these golden liquid flames penetrated space, due to their massive volume, they would have to burn through a larger space area before touching Su Xiao.
Of course, the Beast Lord had seen Dragon Shadow Flash before. It was one of the more troublesome abilities of the Law Destruction system. But it had never seen a Law Destroyer use Dragon Shadow Flash like this.
'Blade Path Sword: Azure Demon.'
A blue-green slashing light flew out. Azure Demon's greatest characteristic was its speed.
With a crack, the Beast Lord easily shattered the incoming Azure Demon. However, based on its understanding of Su Xiao's blade technique abilities, it was certain that this seemingly useless move must have a second-stage characteristic. Naturally, it diverted some attention to guard against this. Yet, Azure Demon had no second stage.
Was the Beast Lord's combat experience insufficient? No. The Beast Lord truly hadn't expected that the Law Destroyer across from it would have such a... not necessarily weak, but completely out-of-tier ability compared to his other blade techniques.
The anticipated second stage of Azure Demon didn't come. Correspondingly, the diverted attention was wasted, immediately giving Su Xiao an opportunity.
Clang!
Su Xiao delivered a powerful slash. The Beast Lord's strength was above Su Xiao's. After blocking this strike, the Beast Lord's golden "Chi Sha" longsword came slashing in response. It was clearly forcibly activating some of the power of "All Beings" to send Dragon-Slashing Flash flying while cutting off Su Xiao's head.
Centered on Su Xiao, "Time Slowdown" occurred. Su Xiao used "Feather Shell" to leap backward three meters. The moment his toes touched the ground, he leaped back.
This resulted in the Beast Lord, having just delivered a reduced version of "All Beings," leaving its chest wide open. Moreover, its left forearm, which had just been severed, hadn't yet regenerated.
Pfft!
The longsword slashed through, blood splattering across the Beast Lord's chest. But this wasn't the end. Su Xiao delivered a straight kick. This was what happened when a Technique Type was suppressed. Unless an opportunity arose, counterattacking was difficult.
Boom!!
The Beast Lord knelt on one knee, its pale pupils trembling slightly.
'Blade Path Sword: Extreme.'
The longsword slashed toward the Beast Lord's neck. Dragon-Slashing Flash's blade successfully broke through the Beast Lord's tough hide, sinking into the flesh of its neck. The next second, it would decapitate the Beast Lord.
Suddenly!
Su Xiao's neck throbbed with pain. He and the Beast Lord had swapped positions. No, they had swapped situations. He was now the one kneeling on one knee, body numb, while the Beast Lord before him had already cut a third of the way into his neck with "Chi Sha."
This wasn't caused by illusions or the like. It was a genuine swap of situations by the Beast Lord on a physical and causal level.
His head was severed by "Chi Sha." However, as it fell, it turned into dark blue smoke and dispersed. The dark blue smoke was contaminated by dark gold flames, significantly extending the interval for the Demon Spirit's "Substitution" to be used again.
Dozens of meters away, Su Xiao held his neck with one hand, blood seeping through his fingers. Spirit Shadow Threads extended from his hand, entering the wound to perform simple and rapid cell-level suturing, reducing the wound to light bleeding and minimizing its impact on the battle.
'Blood Smoke Cannon.'
Su Xiao pointed at the Beast Lord. However, the charging Beast Lord merely sidestepped casually, dodging the "Blood Smoke Cannon." The golden longsword in its hand came fiercely. A sensation of being firmly locked in place confirmed to Su Xiao that this was a strike he couldn't dodge. If he dared to try, this seemingly ordinary strike would trigger a series of terrifying consecutive blade techniques, further severely wounding him.
With a crisp clang, the surrounding space rippled from the impact. After enduring the strike, the locked sensation didn't disappear but grew stronger. This was another powerful method of the Beast Lord.
Clang, clang, clang...
Five consecutive slashes followed, all blocked by "Perfect Block." However, the Beast Lord's pale pupils suddenly contracted to pinprick size. Su Xiao's head buzzed.
[Warning: You have been subjected to the execution of "Dark Beast Blade."]
[Execution judgment successful!]
[Blade Grandmaster: Blade Heart (Passive) activated. One "Blade Heart" consumed to resist this execution.]
[Resistance successful.]
...
Su Xiao felt a warmth in his ear canals, as if blood was flowing out. He instinctively slashed.
Clang!
[Warning: You have been subjected to the execution of "Dark Beast Blade."]
[Execution judgment successful!]
[Blade Grandmaster: Blade Heart (Passive) activated. One "Blade Heart" consumed to resist this execution.]
[Resistance successful.]
[Current remaining Blade Hearts: 1/3.]
...
Su Xiao's ears buzzed, his vision went black, his heart pounded, and his brain felt as if pierced by a thousand needles. Yet in this situation, his "Instinct" ability made the scene within a dozen meters exceptionally clear.
A few seconds later, Su Xiao realized his vision wasn't the problem; his five senses were being suppressed. This was another powerful method of the Beast Lord.
Tap, tap, tap~
Footsteps came from all directions. He could faintly perceive the Beast Lord calmly approaching before slashing at his throat.
'Feather Shell.'
Su Xiao leaped backward like a shell shedding. The surrounding darkness and void suddenly shattered. The crystal shell he left behind didn't explode but remained, gradually assimilated by the darkness into a dark shell.
With a crack, Su Xiao crushed the potion bottle in his hand. The semi-fluid "Crimson Secret Medicine" seeped into his skin, beginning to heal him.
The moment he emerged from the darkness, he was unusually fierce, slashing at the Beast Lord, whose strength surpassed his own.
Dozens of kilometers away, Xilin and the Abyss Princess, who had fled there, both breathed a sigh of relief. Xilin said, "It should be fine now. The range of Technique Types is generally smaller within the same rank. This distance of dozens of kilometers..."
Boom!
A clash like colliding meteors sent a gust of wind pressure. Xilin was forced to lower her body, crossing her arms in front of her face. She looked toward the source of the loud noise.
With a boom, a figure turned into a blur, flying straight upward. It was clearly sent flying by a tremendous force. Moreover, this figure was burning with golden liquid flames. However, after flying several thousand meters into the sky, it turned into a blood line and crashed down. It seemed to slash, sending the figure that had sent it flying crashing away.
With a loud crash, the ground within dozens of kilometers further cracked from the residual power of this slash.
Seeing this, Xilin's eyelid twitched. If anyone ever said that the range of Technique Type battles was small, she would punch them. Other systems used skills for large-scale attacks, but Technique Types? Every normal slash had astonishing power.
Xilin and the Abyss Princess exchanged glances and decided to run even farther. As for why they didn't use space-type abilities or items to teleport away, don't be ridiculous. Every time those two monsters clashed, the space within hundreds of kilometers trembled. Space movement at such a time? Suicide.
At this moment, at the center of the deathmatch between Su Xiao and the Beast Lord, Su Xiao delivered two powerful slashes in succession. Although his right arm was numb, he forced the Beast Lord back half a step. However, this wasn't an advantage. The Beast Lord raised its longsword for a powerful chop.
Clang!!
Su Xiao successfully "Perfect Blocked" but felt a surge of blood and energy. He was certain that continuing like this would lead to inevitable defeat. He could only try using "Honor Recovery Potion" + "World Thunder Fall" to see if he could severely wound the Beast Lord.
Although he would die in the process, the "God Clan Holy Emblem: Soul" gave him a chance to enter a false death and revive if his body wasn't too severely damaged.
"God Clan Holy Emblem: Soul: If you face death, you will not die completely. After 30 minutes of false death, you will regain vitality due to the 'Warm Sunlight' effect. Damaged body parts will gradually regenerate until your health recovers to 30%."
Moreover, the Beast Lord's current sun form made the "God Clan Holy Emblem: Soul" even more foolproof. Now, he just needed an opportunity.
Just as Su Xiao was about to do this, his perception suddenly stung. Something dangerous was about to happen.
The Beast Lord across from him also knew it couldn't drag things out. It was also wary of the Law Destroyer's hidden methods. Its vertical pupils turned blood-red, and its right arm visibly swelled. The dark gold flames on "Chi Sha" extinguished, and darkness once again dominated this Abyss weapon.
With a boom, the ground beneath the Beast Lord groaned in pain. It seemed to cross space and distance, appearing in front of Su Xiao in an instant. The black sword in its hand came crashing down.
Clang!
After the first strike, the Beast Lord gave Su Xiao no time to recover. The second strike was already upon him, and it seemed each strike would be faster and heavier than the last.
Clang! Clang! Clang...
Su Xiao continuously used "Perfect Block," but he was certain he was about to fail. Moreover, a darkness was eroding along the enemy's weapon, spreading across Dragon-Slashing Flash, eroding his right arm, and advancing toward his shoulder and chest.
Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang...
Sparks flew from the clashes. With each strike, Su Xiao's body was further eroded by darkness. His health dropped from 42.6% rapidly toward 30%.
When he blocked the tenth strike with "Perfect Block," Su Xiao's aura suddenly weakened. This meant the protective energy derived from his technique ability had been exhausted by continuous use of "Perfect Block."
"Ultimate Perfection (Passive): After a successful perfect block, you will only consume 10% of your maximum protective energy, and the cooldown of the perfect block ability will immediately refresh, entering an available state. After ten consecutive successful perfect blocks, your protective energy will be depleted, causing perfect block to enter its cooldown phase."
Not only that, but Su Xiao's health suddenly dropped a large chunk, from 29.8% to 9.8%. However, his aura surged to an astonishing degree.
"Perfect Block: Skill Effect 3: Limit Counter (Passive): Each perfect block accumulates 1 layer of 'Power Surge' state. When this state reaches 10 layers, your power will be immediately detonated, consuming 20% of your current maximum health. The consumed health transforms into surging power, granting your next blade technique melee attack double attack intensity."
Boom!
Blood energy erupted from Su Xiao. The longsword in his hand was enveloped in golden energy, clearly a sign of using "Extreme Blade: White Night."
Across from him, after the consecutive slashes, the Beast Lord seemed to have accumulated darkness. Behind it was shrouded in darkness.
'Swallow Heaven.'
'Extreme Blade: White Night.'
The two longswords clashed.
Crack!
A dull sound came from the sky, not thunder, but the sky being slashed open. The prolonged erosion of this world by the Abyss caused black liquid to seep from the cracked sky, forming a winding black crack.
Golden-red blood energy and darkness clashed and eroded. At the junction, Su Xiao and the Beast Lord faced each other's slashing might, both looking like vengeful spirits. Neither backed down.
"Hah!"
The Beast Lord roared, its right arm swelling again. Across from it, the red light in Su Xiao's eyes grew stronger. At that moment, a faint cracking sound spread between them. Su Xiao's expression remained unchanged, but the Beast Lord's face changed drastically.
Crack, crack, crack~
The originally small blade cracks rapidly spread across "Chi Sha."
Boom!
Longsword fragments scattered. Dragon-Slashing Flash slashed through, cutting off the upper part of the Beast Lord's head, along with its entire left arm and part of its left shoulder.
Not giving the Beast Lord any chance to turn the tables, Su Xiao delivered a straight kick.
Boom!
The Beast Lord staggered back. Darkness surged in its eyes, about to swap situations with Su Xiao.
Su Xiao pulled out "Dead Silence Annihilation" from nothingness, aimed, and pulled the trigger.
Bang! A gray-black Annihilation bullet flew out of the barrel, spinning slightly. The bullet was incredibly fast, and with the close distance between Su Xiao and the Beast Lord, it drilled into the Beast Lord's forehead the next instant, interrupting its ability. The "Guaranteed Interruption characteristic" was just that effective.
The Beast Lord didn't fall. It only raised its head slightly from the "Super Annihilation Bullet," reaching out to grab at Su Xiao. Black threads had already appeared in its hand.
Boom!!
A powerful shot. The "Super Annihilation Bullet" hit the Beast Lord's right hand, shattering a small part of the arm.
"Super Annihilation Bullet: Trait 2: If this attack successfully interrupts the enemy's attack or ability, the enemy will enter a state of body paralysis from guard break. The ultra-high concentration of dead silence power exploded by this 'Super Annihilation Bullet' will be immediately recovered by the Dead Silence Annihilation in your hand, forming a 'Super Annihilation Bullet' that can exist for up to 3 seconds..."
Ignoring the intense pain throughout his body, Su Xiao used "Extreme Blade: White Night" again. This time, dark blue smoke clung to the longsword.
Su Xiao turned into a blur, passing by the Beast Lord. The Beast Lord's head flew up, clean and decisive. From the side, with the black blood splashing from the Beast Lord's severed neck and the endless water surface on the ground, the scene was like an ink painting.
The longsword left a semicircular slash mark like a black residual flame at the point of the cut. As the Beast Lord's head fell, its vertical pupils were angry but fearless. However, even with its extremely strong will, it could only face the fact that it had been slain.
This was the nature of Technique Type clashes: life and death in an instant. Moreover, Su Xiao had perceived the flaw in the Beast Lord's blade technique, a flaw that had appeared after its defeat by Ma Wen Hua'erzi in the past. This was absolutely fatal.
With a plop, the Beast Lord fell onto the water's surface. An eye opened on its chest, staring at Su Xiao, who had stopped in front of it. A mouth appeared on its abdomen.
"Law, Destroyer, again, a Law Destroyer!"
"..."
Su Xiao didn't speak. The dark blue smoke on Dragon-Slashing Flash in his hand hadn't faded. He thrust the longsword into the Beast Lord's chest, using the "Demon Spirit Awakening" ability to devour the Beast Lord's "Abyss System Origin Power." The Beast Lord's opened eyes became completely lifeless.
After having the Demon Spirit absorb the "Origin Power" as quickly as possible, he forcibly suppressed its urge to fall into slumber. Suppressing it indefinitely was impossible, but it was fine for a short time.
The Demon Spirit turned into dark blue smoke, sinking into the water beneath his feet. Su Xiao seemed to use the Demon Spirit to perceive the surroundings, preventing any enemies from attacking while he was at his weakest. After confirming there were no enemies nearby, he stopped controlling the distant Demon Spirit, letting it sink into the water.
"Hoo~"
Su Xiao let out a long breath, nearly collapsing to the ground. He took out "Self Power," holding the badge-like item in his hand. He glanced at the team channel, saw Bubu Wang's message there, and decisively used this item. Almost simultaneously, he swapped positions with the Demon Spirit.
"Usage Effect: After using this item, you will simulate yourself, forming a doppelganger with 100% of your abilities. This doppelganger has two modes: control mode and automatic mode. In control mode, you will control the simulated doppelganger. In automatic mode, the doppelganger will autonomously attack enemies (the existence time of the simulated doppelganger depends on the user's true intelligence attribute).
Tip: Because you are a Technique Grandmaster, this doppelganger cannot fully exert your Technique Grandmaster combat power..."
Because he used "Self Power" and "Substitution" simultaneously, from others' sight and perception, it only seemed that Su Xiao suddenly recalled the Demon Spirit, as if preparing to leave.
"Cough, cough, cough~"
Su Xiao let out a series of dry coughs. He raised his hand to cover his mouth and nose but found that the speckled blood he coughed up was black. Moreover, the black blood in his palm had seeped into his skin, forming a mark that was rapidly spreading throughout his body.
A villain, nearly ten meters tall, with layers of fat and pitch-black, shiny skin, walked over step by step. It held a large piece of flesh in its hand, tearing at it with its teeth as it feasted. However, this obese villain stopped after a few steps.
"Pain High Priest: Zdenek."
The obese villain spoke in a deep, rumbling voice.
Indeed, standing beside Su Xiao was the Pain High Priest Zdenek, a powerful ally who had been absent until now. There were two reasons for this. First, Technique Type clashes truly didn't require assistance from others, especially between two Supreme Technique Types. Strangely enough, the assisted party might even fall into a disadvantage. Second, it was to prevent the current situation. The councilors of the Dukain family weren't just the Beast Lord; there were also the Twinborn King and Scorpion Lady. The obese villain who had just arrived was one of Scorpion Lady's right-hand men.
"The last time we fought was a few years ago. We're old friends."
The obese villain let out a laugh, but its smile grew more and more scheming.
"Unfortunately, you showed up too late to save this Law Destroyer."
As soon as the obese villain finished speaking, the black mark on Su Xiao's body activated. He was suddenly engulfed by darkness and vanished from the spot.
"Goodbye."
The obese villain was also swallowed by the same dark vortex, leaving only the Pain High Priest Zdenek on the water's surface.
Meanwhile, a dozen kilometers away, Su Xiao, who had completely concealed his aura and entered a breath-holding state underwater, suddenly opened his eyes. Having just fought a deathmatch, a trace of red light still lingered in the center of his pupils. The one that had been swallowed and teleported away by darkness was the doppelganger he had created with "Self Power." This precious item from the Reincarnation Paradise was extremely effective.
Step one of the plan was successful.
And this plan was called: Scorpion Lady's Treasure Vault Cultivation and Looting Plan.
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