Chapter 3: The Current Era's Ascension to "Supreme Peak" Powerhouses Cannot Exceed a Certain Number, Otherwise Subsequent Ascensions Will Surely Fail. However, If a Previously Ascended "Supreme Peak" Falls, a Vacancy Opens, Allowing Later Comers to Ascend to "Supreme Peak."
In other words, the stronger one is before ascension, the higher the success rate. Additionally, in each era, the number of seats available in the Star Realm for ascension to "Supreme Peak" has an upper limit. It is estimated that this seat limit likely does not include Abyss Descendants.
What Su Xiao needed to do next was simple: enhance himself to the greatest extent possible. He estimated that maxing out his three technique abilities, using [Above Grandmaster] to fuse them, mastering several sufficiently powerful Supreme Passives, developing the true power of his physical attributes beyond 1000 points, and elevating that to a new height would be the path.
The wind whistled past his ears. The cold above the cloud tops made Su Xiao look at the increasingly dim sun of this world. He could feel that after using 120 [Initial Skill Points] and raising his Cyan Steel Shadow ability to Lv.95, his combat power had surged significantly.
The problem was that his current physique wasn't strong enough to fully unleash the enhanced power of his Blade Technique.
This resulted in his current strength, while absurdly reaching "Super-Peak Supreme," only barely managing to do so. As for "Supreme Peak," he clearly felt it was still very distant, perhaps even more so than before he became Supreme. Of course, that was because he hadn't understood this aspect well enough back then.
Recalling the "Supreme Peak" powerhouses: Underworld God, Blade Demon, Immortal Old Man, Soul Lord, Deer God, Demon Old Hag, the Tuanzhang before drinking the [Tree's Grace] secret medicine... Well, the weight of "Supreme Peak" had skyrocketed.
Corrupted Royal City, High Wall.
On the surface, everything seemed calm. In reality, the humans, elves, and giant experimental subjects originally here had been released from their cages. They had long been transformed into monsters by the mad scholars of this place.
Not only that, all the secondary clans from the other three major factions of the Dukain Family had gathered here, including humans, elves, and giants.
Even more Corrupted Ones were converging here, while the lower-level Corrupted lacked the qualifications to come.
Compared to the Empress City, no, compared to the Elf Kingdom, the Corrupted Royal City appeared dilapidated and worn. This was because its ruler, the Twin King, had no interest in managing industries or building a powerful force.
The Twin King's entire focus was on researching the Abyss and Abyss Descendants. His lifelong wish was to separate from his twin brother. These two brothers, who hated each other, were always together, their life sources tightly intertwined. What an irony and curse.
Bogil, Insect Man El, Evil Hao, Paladin Monipe—these core members under the Dukain Councilors—were naturally gathered here. They were all located in the Dragon Hall before the Royal Palace Square, a place where young dragons were once given names.
Inside the Dragon Hall, Bogil, Insect Man El, and Evil Hao were together, discussing something. Paladin Monipe stood coldly to the side, leaning against a stone pillar with his arms crossed.
A petite figure with a head full of snake hair, shark teeth, six arms, each hand like a wild beast's claw, sat atop a dragon sculpture. This was one of Council Leader Egu Baiya's trusted aides, Liana. Flanking the dragon sculpture she sat on were the tall, thin, mummy-like Hidden Abomination, and the five-meter-tall, obese, full-body armor filled with flowing liquid, Bogdo.
These three were the Council Leader's trusted aides. But at this moment, Liana was frowning, because the Council Leader she served was very off. This master, who felt to her like he was on the verge of dying of old age, had today actively sought out some female secondary clan members to engage in reproductive behavior that would never produce offspring for an Abyss Descendant.
Thinking of the Council Leader's abnormality, Liana grew more irritable. She complained, "Is there really any point in us waiting here?"
Liana's words were met with agreement from most of the Abyss Descendants present. But the order to wait here came from the Council Leader himself, and the two Councilors had agreed, so they had no right to object.
"Anything can be unexpected."
Bogil spoke. Hearing this, Liana's anger finally found an outlet. She sneered, jumped down from the dragon sculpture, and spoke rapidly:
"Unexpected? With the defensive power here, as long as that Law Destroyer has a normal brain, he won't come here. He might even throw a high-power explosive here. Although that means nothing to us, I believe that Law Destroyer absolutely, definitely, has no possibility of coming here!"
As Liana said this, a sharp sound of something breaking through the air came from above.
Boom!
The ceiling of the Dragon Hall was smashed through. Fragments of flower-glass-like crystal layers shattered. A figure landed, one hand pressing on the longsword at his waist, the other resting on the head of the short Abyss Descendant, Liana.
At that moment, the Dragon Hall was so quiet you could hear a pin drop. Liana, who had been so angry her shark teeth were grinding, instantly calmed down.
"Bogdo, save..."
Zheng!
Too fast. Giant Armor Bogdo had just vanished from his spot, space-jumping to Su Xiao's side, when a slash had already crossed Liana's neck. Her head flew up, shark teeth still grinding.
"Bastard, you wait for me! Within five seconds, no, right now..."
Before Liana's head could finish its furious shout, Su Xiao had used his Dragon Shadow Flash ability to appear before her, delivering a straight kick.
Bang!
Liana's headless body shattered. Her flesh and blood exploded into a mist of blood, while her pitch-black bones, like broken shotgun pellets, blasted into the charging Bogdo.
'Extreme Blade: World.'
Centered on Su Xiao, a spherical 'Extreme Blade Domain' appeared. Almost simultaneously, Insect Man El, Bogdo, Hidden Abomination, Bogil, and the others all leaped backward.
Zheng!
The old man-like Bogil, with most of his body remaining, stumbled backward and fell. Bogdo, Hidden Abomination, and Insect Man El remained suspended mid-air as they leaped back. Evil Hao had jumped away the earliest. Liana, because her head had been severed, actually escaped the attack.
It was fortunate that her head was her main body; otherwise, being decapitated by Su Xiao in one strike would have meant death even for a Dukain Family member. This was the unreasonable power of a Technique Grandmaster with Three Soul Severing Slashes, plus the Azure Shadow King's blade, each strike carrying Demon Blade execution.
Bogdo, Hidden Abomination, and Insect Man El shattered into sugar-cube-sized fragments and scattered. There was no healing or regeneration; they directly returned to the Abyss for a slow 'rebirth.'
Liana's body rapidly regenerated, while Bogil was helped up by Evil Hao. The corner of his eye twitched uncontrollably. The clansmen here were generally at the 'Veteran Supreme' level, and Liana was close to 'Peak Supreme.' Yet in a single exchange, this was the disastrous result. This Law Destroyer was likely a 'Super-Peak Supreme,' a human monster striving towards 'Supreme Peak.'
Yes, among Abyss Descendants, striving and advancing towards 'Supreme Peak' was also very rare. Abyss Descendants had many at the Supreme level, but the number of 'Supreme Peaks' was still quite limited. And such ancestral-level figures were generally restricted by the Abyss. This was the price of drawing power from the Abyss upon reaching 'Supreme Peak.'
"Since you're here, don't think about leaving alive."
Bogil's smile held a hint of ferocity, but the corner of his eye still twitched uncontrollably. Being soul-severed by this Law Destroyer was... truly unforgettable. Moreover, the pain from the energy known as Cyan Steel Shadow felt like piercing through the soul, followed by continuous lightning-like agony surging through the soul.
With a boom, the Dragon Hall was shattered from the outside. It was a giant clan member, a hundred meters tall, clad in forged armor, with iron chains repeatedly piercing through his chest.
Not only this giant, but the Dragon Hall where Su Xiao was located was near the center of the Royal Palace Square. The square, several kilometers in diameter and exceptionally open and vast, was now filled with secondary clan members. Most were elves, followed by humans, and a few giants. These secondary clan members all stared at Su Xiao with their gray-black eyes.
Countless black worms and scale leeches crawled and wriggled in the space above. Higher up were severely mutated flying monsters.
At this moment, all the secondary clan members, mutated creatures, and Corrupted Ones in the Royal City had only one goal: to surround and kill Su Xiao.
A surging mass of dark power mixed together, crashing down to envelop Su Xiao. The surrounding enemies were as numerous as a tide.
'Blade Path Sword: Super-Ring Break.'
Whoosh! A ring of black flame blade aura cut through the center of the enemy tide. A large swath of Abyss Descendants that had just surged forward were instantly cleared, leaving no corpses behind. They had been slain.
This Ring Break was exhilarating to the extreme. Unfortunately, the surrounding enemies were too numerous, and Su Xiao was once again submerged.
'Super-Ring Break!'
Whoosh! The ring of black flame blade aura expanded, clearing the surrounding enemies once more.
At this moment, on the top floor of the distant Royal Palace, Council Leader Egu Baiya, the Twin King, and Scorpion Lady stood before a massive window, watching the scene below.
"As expected of a Law Destroyer. How did you win against these terrifying beings in the past?"
Scorpion Lady sighed.
"We didn't win."
Council Leader Egu Baiya spoke with a faint, ambiguous smile. He looked at the tide-like siege below and continued, "The Law Destroyers back then were far more powerful than this. Although he's not weak, he's still far from Aqide, Waltz, and Jillian. They were the true nightmares of the past."
Hearing the Council Leader's sigh, Scorpion Lady shook her head and then asked:
"Council Leader, how long do you think this Law Destroyer can last? And are you sure you have the means to block his escape?"
"Yes."
Just as the Council Leader finished speaking, he suddenly saw a secondary clan giant slam down a massive hammer. The Law Destroyer under siege had a surge of even denser blue light in his eyes, and his aura suddenly swelled. Seeing this, an even more terrifying nightmare from the past surged into his mind.
"The Law Destroyer's... Azure King?"
The Council Leader's expression changed, becoming somewhat hesitant. But soon, his gaze turned fierce again:
"So young, how strong could his Azure Shadow King be? A preliminary grasp of the Azure King can't turn the tide."
The Council Leader's words steadied the nerves of Scorpion Lady and the Twin King, who had been shaken by his involuntary change in expression.
However, in the tide-like siege below, the fearless Evil Hao hurled a dark object. It crashed heavily onto Su Xiao. A faint, fleeting black-blue smoke armor flickered on Su Xiao's body surface before seemingly shattering.
Seeing this, Council Leader Egu Baiya's expression calmed. Because he no longer intended to stay in the Corrupted Royal City. This Law Destroyer had not only mastered the Azure Shadow King but had pushed it to its limit, even possessing the [Demon Spirit Armor]. If he didn't leave now, would he fight against an Azure Steel Shadow in its Azure King state? That wasn't bravery; it was suicide.
"I'll leave this to you two."
Council Leader Egu Baiya spoke with a composed expression. Hearing this, Scorpion Lady's heart tightened. She suddenly felt that this old thing was about to run. Her mind raced, and she said:
"Lord Egu Baiya, this is, after all, an old and new grudge with the Law Destroyer. Isn't it somewhat inappropriate for you to leave now?"
Hearing Scorpion Lady's words, Council Leader Egu Baiya frowned slightly, then nodded with a hint of agreement:
"Indeed. You two faced the Law Destroyers in your past lives during the Second Era. It should be me, who experienced this era, who sees off the last Law Destroyer."
Council Leader Egu Baiya said this, a look of difficulty appearing in his eyes. He continued:
"But I observe that this Law Destroyer carries the aura of several Original Sins. He should be carrying Original Sin Objects."
Hearing the words 'Original Sin Objects,' Scorpion Lady's heart tightened. As an Abyss Descendant, she understood the terror of Original Sin Objects better than outsiders. Still, she said:
"This... is difficult to handle. But banishing them back to the Abyss would suffice. No need to trouble the Council Leader personally."
"Mm. Leave this matter to you, Little Scorpion."
Council Leader Egu Baiya looked at Scorpion Lady with a hint of... relief in his eyes?
Noticing this, not only Scorpion Lady but even the Twin King, who had been watching the show nearby, felt a chill in his heart. He knew this Council Leader fairly well.
"I can do it too, but at least let me know which Original Sin Object it is."
"Judging by the aura, it's the Collector."
"!"
Scorpion Lady's pupils immediately constricted. She hesitated, then turned her gaze back to the human who, amidst the tide-like siege of secondary clans, was still fiercely slaughtering groups. This human killed ordinary secondary clan members like cutting vegetables—one slash cleared a swath, a ring of black flame cleared the area around him.
Scorpion Lady's instinctive perception extended to its limit. A dark-gold Original Sin Object gradually came into her view. Not only that, but within that dark-gold Original Sin, she also detected other equally terrifying Original Sin powers.
Scorpion Lady immediately withdrew her probe and said sincerely, "My sincerest apologies, Lord Egu Baiya. This is beyond my ability to handle. If these Original Sins break free due to this Law Destroyer's death, it's not impossible that we could become their targets."
"I will handle it."
Council Leader Egu Baiya smiled at Scorpion Lady, then, leaning on his cane, limped towards the elevator of the Royal Palace.
Meanwhile, in the tide of secondary clan members on the Royal Palace Square.
Zheng!
Su Xiao slashed diagonally upward. A fan-shaped area to his front right was filled with a large swath of secondary clan members being shattered, limbs flying everywhere. It seemed Su Xiao was being besieged, but as the siege continued, he moved as if through an empty land, slaughtering the surrounding secondary clan members like cutting melons and vegetables.
An elf tore open its own chest with both hands. The flesh and blood power within it boiled to the point of explosion. It laughed maniacally and leaped forward.
"With me, fall into eternal darkness together!"
The Corrupted Elf laughed maniacally, about to detonate all its bodily energy. But the next second.
Zheng~!
Like a gentle breeze, a slash passed through it. It shattered instantly, even the about-to-detonate bodily energy was severed. Yes, after the enhancement of 120 [Initial Skill Points], the Blade Technique ability was this terrifying.
"Roar!"
All the Corrupted Humans within a kilometer had their eyes turn pitch black and rapidly beastified. Clearly, a true Abyss Descendant was controlling them, making them burn their Primordial Life Force in exchange for an explosive surge in combat power. The price was that they would all die within a dozen seconds, regardless of whether they launched the next attack.
'Blade Path Sword: Blood Rain!'
Su Xiao pointed his longsword diagonally at the ground. The blood on the blade turned a burning, intense red. Almost simultaneously, above him, blood-red raindrops gathered and fell.
The moment the blood rain fell, all the secondary clan members within a kilometer radius froze in place. Upon closer inspection, their bodies were riddled with holes from the blood rain. This wasn't blood rain at all; it was tiny blood-qi-based blade auras.
As for how Su Xiao could use this move, he had never developed anything like it before. But one second before using it, he suddenly felt a comprehensive and integrated control over his Blade Technique ability.
It was as if he no longer needed to be constrained by his past Blade Technique moves. Instead, he could have a more core, more focused thing to cultivate, and from that, derive powerful Blade Technique abilities suited for different battles.
Unfortunately, this wondrous feeling was fleeting. However, Su Xiao speculated that this might be the form of the ultimate technique ability that would appear after fusing his three Grandmaster abilities into one. And the ultimate technique ability would certainly be far more powerful than this fleeting insight.
Just as Su Xiao was experiencing this wondrous combat experience, the sound of space shattering came. It was a powerful enemy. But against Su Xiao, who had reached the peak state of the Azure Shadow King, this powerful enemy wasn't so powerful anymore.
Disturbed from his wondrous experience, the red light in Su Xiao's eyes intensified. He met the violent attack with a single slash.
Clang!
A massive sword over ten meters long, seemingly made of black giant rock, slashed down. Wielding this giant sword was a giant over 20 meters tall, with four arms, many eyes on its head, a mouth full of jagged teeth, and many eyes on its chest. This was actually a member of the Dukain Family.
Judging by size, the Abyss Giant completely dwarfed Su Xiao. But after the black rock giant sword clashed with Dragon-Slaying Flash, the four-armed giant's arms trembled.
"Ah!!"
The four-armed giant roared in fury, pressing down on Su Xiao with all its might. Taking advantage of Dragon-Slaying Flash being occupied, the surrounding secondary clan members surged forward. Unfortunately, the perception circle of Instinct was always maintained.
Zheng!
Slash marks appeared out of thin air around Su Xiao. The four-armed giant opposite him was covered in bloody gashes. This didn't make the four-armed giant retreat in fear; instead, it aroused its ferocity.
The four-armed giant's eyes bulged as if they would burst. Its four arms swelled to the point of deformity. But the black rock giant sword pressing down on Dragon-Slaying Flash couldn't advance an inch.
Su Xiao slashed outward. This caused the pupils of all the four-armed giant's eyes to contract in shock. Its massive, heavy body stumbled backward, causing the ground to boom with each step.
After stopping, the four-armed giant was so enraged that its thick red braid burst open. Its dark red hair flew wildly as it charged forward in a frenzy, delivering a full-power slash. It actually had other means of fighting, but it had used them all earlier, not only failing to harm this Technique Grandmaster but also accidentally killing many allies. Hence, it risked charging into close combat.
The black rock giant sword slashed down. Su Xiao slashed horizontally, meeting the black rock giant sword. He stood firm, only the hem of his long leather coat lifted by the wind pressure. The aura of a Technique Grandmaster was fully displayed.
In contrast, the four-armed giant, after receiving this slash on its black rock giant sword, felt a tremendous force hit it, causing it to stagger sideways uncontrollably. The black rock giant sword flew out of its hands.
The black rock giant sword tumbled, smashing through a few secondary clan members before embedding itself in the stone slabs diagonally opposite. But the next second, the weapon could no longer withstand the strain. Cracks appeared at the two points where Dragon-Slaying Flash had struck, and then the entire weapon shattered with a boom.
"Even if I'm no match for you, you can't kill..."
Zheng!
A graceful wind-like trace slashed across the four-armed giant's neck. In the past, it would have scoffed at such a wound. But now, the muscles on its face twitched, and its eyes widened to the limit.
"I will, be reborn in..."
Its massive head fell. Su Xiao slashed upward, creating a cleared area several meters wide and a hundred meters long in front of him. He used Dragon Shadow Flash to reach the landing point of the massive head and delivered a side kick, hitting the falling head perfectly.
Boom!
Skull fragments shot out like a super-massive shotgun blast, clearing a large area to the right. Not only that, the city wall over ten kilometers away was riddled with holes. Besides the terrifying power of this strike, it was also because the structure was ancient.
The dark, bloody aura was exceptionally strong. Su Xiao looked around. These secondary clan members seemed endless. He decided not to waste more time, lest his main target take the opportunity to retreat. After all, the effect of [Azure Shadow King Lv.EX] in group battles was indeed unstoppable. The enemy retreating was a wise choice.
After locating the Demon Spirit, Su Xiao's pupils seemed to be composed of golden electric arcs.
'Heaven's Wrath: World Thunder Fall!'
At this moment, the darkness above vanished without a trace. The sky turned into a massive vortex of thunderclouds. Reflected by the sunlight behind the clouds, the thunderclouds showed a hint of gold. This scene had an epic, magnificent feel.
Boom!!!
A golden thunder pillar over a hundred kilometers wide crashed down. Almost simultaneously, all the secondary clan members, mutated creatures, etc., in the Corrupted Royal City below stopped their siege. They looked up at the heavenly might descending, unable to feel anything but fear of nature's wrath.
The violent World Thunder pillar filled the Corrupted Royal City with its towering walls, turning the place into a world of lightning. The buildings, ground, secondary clan members, mutated creatures, and even the Dukain Family members observing nearby, waiting for an opportunity, began to shatter and evaporate.
Hundreds of kilometers away, in front of the Lord's Train, Xilin watched this scene, her expression gradually turning to shock. She stiffly turned her head to look at Su Xiao, whose body surface still had golden electric arcs surging.
"That was... your doing?"
At this moment, Xilin truly doubted her life. Weren't Technique Types supposed to become more unadorned and simple in the later stages? This was anything but simple.
Crack, crack, crack~
Crystal layers spread under Su Xiao's feet. He waited for half a minute before the World Thunder stopped pouring down on the Corrupted Royal City. He had just used the Demon Spirit's 'Substitution' to reach hundreds of kilometers away. This was the ultra-long-range characteristic of 'Substitution' after the Demon Spirit had grown stronger.
With a thud, the teleportation array under Su Xiao's feet activated. Of course, he wouldn't teleport to the Corrupted Royal City. The space there must have been shattered by the World Thunder. Teleporting there now would lead to who knows what dangerous and eerie place. So he teleported to the top of the Corrupted Royal City, over a hundred thousand meters in the air.
The wind whistled past his ears. Su Xiao's falling speed increased rapidly. Just as he was about ten meters from the ground, his speed suddenly slowed. The tips of his feet touched the ground first, and he landed slowly. A Technique Grandmaster's control over world forces in the later stages was quite good.
As for flight ability... ahem, in 99.9% of cases, the enemy wouldn't fly in front of a Technique Type. That was that.
Looking around, the World Thunder brought down by [Heaven's Wrath: World Thunder Fall] had cleared the Corrupted Royal City. This place had become a vast, scorched black land. A surface-scorched black Royal Palace stood abruptly ahead. It could only be said that the Ancient Dragon Faction had a high level of architectural skill.