Chapter 555 A Dead End Above a Dead End
Both of these magical fluctuations reached the realm of gods and demons, and were filled with destructive intent.
One of them evoked the oppressive weight of the deep sea—dark, cold, and heavy—just like the magical fluctuations of the Great Demon Xuanwu I had encountered not long ago. The other evoked the damp, decaying soil of a grave, filled with the smell of death, making it difficult to breathe, as if one were being buried alive as a corpse, unconsciously giving rise to a sense of despair.
The two waves of magical energy shared a common thread: heaviness and suffocation. Number Seven, who had rushed towards us, immediately displayed an expression of immense pain, his body unable to maintain its balance. Little Bowl could clearly also sense the overwhelming magical energy fluctuations; as if about to lose consciousness, its body fell backward.
I immediately sensed the scene outside the Tai Sui Army's stronghold and my consciousness detected the source of two fluctuations in magical power.
The Great Demon Xuanwu had appeared sometime earlier, only two kilometers from the Tai Sui Army's stronghold. For this kind of dimensional monster, two kilometers was no different than two centimeters. This creature likely didn't move in a normal way, but rather used the chaotic spacetime to teleport here, which explained its sudden appearance.
The source of the other magical fluctuation, although I recognized its true identity the instant I sensed it, and knew very well that the other party was most likely not truly dead, still involuntarily gave rise to a feeling of astonishment when I actually saw it. I could see a man dressed in a black Chinese formal suit, with a deathly expression, floating next to the Great Demon Xuanwu; it was Huang Quan.
It's utterly laughable. How ironic. We were just making plans with Number Seven to raid the Yellow Springs Gospel Temple, and before we even had a chance to get into the actual operation, we saw Yellow Springs himself and the Great Demon Xuanwu launch a surprise attack on this place.
It's just bad luck—no, it can't be simply attributed to bad luck. It's very likely inevitable. Just as Xiaowan predicted, even if the misfortune brought by the jinx is temporarily suppressed by her strong luck, it will only escalate into an even stronger backlash, forcing us to reap what we sow. The current situation is a perfect example of this, at least that's what I believe.
The Great Demon Xuanwu, who should have been casting murderous intent upon all humanity, seemed oblivious to Huang Quan's presence, unleashing a deafening roar upon approaching. I sensed the Tai Sui Army's stronghold plunging into boundless darkness. Looking up, I saw endless black water appear out of thin air, cascading down at speeds surpassing even industrial water jets.
The Tai Sui Army's stronghold was like an anthill placed beneath a great waterfall; its fate was self-evident. It's likely the Tai Sui Army will be erased from the afterlife. Because of the surprise attack, I didn't have time to escape the Great Demon Xuanwu's attack range with Xiao Wan. I could only grit my teeth and try to at least save Xiao Wan's life.
Fortunately, at the critical moment, just like last time, Number Seven unleashed a speed that shouldn't be found in a character of her caliber. She grabbed Little Bowl's arm, and then they both vanished into thin air.
As expected of the woman who once led me to escape right under the nose of the Great Demon Xuanwu, she easily took Xiaowan and disappeared into the deepest layer of space-time, avoiding the Great Demon Xuanwu's attack range.
Immediately afterwards, the Tai Sui Army's stronghold was completely shattered by the Blackwater Waterfall, and the mountain behind the stronghold was also broken into pieces like a sandcastle built on a beach.
Because this wasn't an attack specifically designed to target me, but rather a wide-ranging attack aimed at the entire area, the power density was relatively loose. I simply took the attack head-on without resistance, only having my body and soul shattered, but my true spirit unharmed. In an instant, I fully recovered and hovered above the land that had turned into a swamp.
Huang Quan's gaze immediately fell on me, and he exclaimed in astonishment, "...Zhuang Cheng? Aren't you dead?"
"Likewise," I replied, deliberately giving a calm response.
However, unlike his calm tone, the thought that this enemy was also the mentor of both Meiko and Asahi made him feel a sense of irony.
At the same time, I also understood his underlying meaning—it seems he wasn't specifically targeting me.
The leader and strongest fighter of the Tai Sui Army was only a Grand Completion level cultivator, number seven. The rest were nothing more than "shrimp soldiers and crab generals." Huang Quan not only personally led the attack but also brought the Great Demon Xuanwu with him, making it like using a cannon to kill a mosquito. However, this also reflects the importance that the Gospel Academy attaches to the Tai Sui Army, or perhaps it reflects the Gospel Academy's emphasis on the Tai Sui, who is suspected to be the Lord of the Divine Seal and may be resurrected and return.
The Great Demon Xuanwu seemed to only belatedly realize my presence. I sensed its entire spirit locked onto me, filled with the same unwavering will to kill the Vermilion Bird's successor, just like the former Naval Xuanwu. It also possessed an eagerness to finally finish the hunt on the prey that had escaped its grasp last time.
It still completely ignored Huang Quan beside it. Although the fact that I was on the Great Demon Xuanwu's kill list with higher priority was partly due to that, it couldn't fully explain this differential treatment that had been present since the beginning. Huang Quan was like a transparent person in its eyes.
Could it be that the Gospel House has truly mastered the method to manipulate the Great Demon?
A black water cannon that seemed capable of piercing through everything shot towards me. At the same time, I summoned the Slag Straight Sword and transformed into my third form, the Light Body.
For the Great Demon Xuanwu, it makes no difference whether I am in my second or third form. Therefore, even if I complete the transformation, my only option at this stage is to dodge.
Unlike last time, this time it was noticeably easier for me to dodge the opponent's black water cannons.
Due to the influence of the chaotic spacetime, the Great Demon Xuanwu's attack accuracy cannot benefit from attribute advantages; however, as the king of the oddities of the "Apocalyptic Era," it can use its power to rebuild the super accuracy bonus it deserves as a god and demon. But in this respect, I am now quite formidable. Thanks to Xiaowan, I have completed most of the analysis of the orderliness of the chaotic spacetime, enabling me to fully utilize the super evasion bonus befitting the Great Impermanence.
In the Witcher's jargon, it's like the Great Demon Xuanwu granting itself a "guaranteed hit" status, while I grant myself a "guaranteed evasion" status. In this exchange, neither of us receives a buff. Leaving aside attack and defense, at least in terms of hit rate and evasion rate, we are equal.
Naturally, since we're evenly matched, I can't possibly dodge all of the Great Demon Xuanwu's attacks as easily as I would dodge attacks from a weaker opponent. If the battle drags on, I'll be killed before my third form's combat time runs out.
The more pressing issue isn't even here. You see, I'm currently in a situation where I'm fighting two opponents at once.
The Great Demon Xuanwu let out a deafening roar like a volcanic eruption, and black water cannons rained down like Gatling guns. Almost simultaneously, Huang Quan approached me from behind like a ghost.
A spiral of yellow-black magic power coiled around Huang Quan's right arm, transforming into a treacherous attack aimed directly at his true spirit.
I had anticipated his sneak attack and dodged it, but I still couldn't completely defend myself against the attacks from the Great Demon Xuanwu. One of the black water cannons hit me, shattering half of my body. My true spirit, which had only recently been fully repaired, was damaged again. A dizzying sensation, like being struck on the head, spread through my consciousness.
The single Great Demon Xuanwu was already an invincible foe, and I thought that was the worst possible situation. Now, to make matters worse, there's the Yellow Springs. Misfortunes never come singly, but there's a limit. Even I, who never cares about the fairness of battles, can't help but marvel at how unfair this fight is.
"Such a profound movement technique... Has he adapted to the laws of 'Apocalypse' so quickly?" Huang Quan observed me calmly.
"Last time it was against the Dog, and this time it's against the Great Demon Xuanwu? You really never fight a one-man battle," I said. "In terms of cowardice, you can definitely see that you are the mentor of Mingzhuo, truly a character trait passed down from generation to generation."
"You even know about that kind of thing?" Huang Quan remained unmoved, as if a gentle breeze had brushed against his face. "But don't forget, I'm not just Meizuo's teacher, I'm also Asaha's teacher. Did you include your little girlfriend in that insult too?"
I retorted, "Isn't it precisely because Asaho's character is completely different from yours that she abandoned you without a second thought?"
"Ma Zao's betrayal of her sect was indeed due to my inadequate education. I never expected her to make such a short-sighted choice, unable to distinguish between 'temporary bloodshed' and 'the continuation of the race,'" Huang Quan said calmly. "And now you can only rely on your words. Although I don't know how you escaped from the void, it's just a matter of killing you again."
After saying that, he closed in again, seemingly wanting to engage me in a prolonged fight. Just then, another black water cannon shot towards us. We separated instantly, the black water cannon flying through the gap between us.
The Great Demon Xuanwu's attacks were clearly indiscriminate. Although it showed no hostility towards Huang Quan, it also didn't consider whether it would harm Huang Quan.
Huang Quan is not the Great Demon Xuanwu, so there is no attribute advantage between us. In my third form, I can be described as a sun in human shape. To damage my true spirit through this defense, he must attack at point-blank range; long-range attacks are mostly ineffective. And if the distance gets too close, he will inevitably enter the Great Demon Xuanwu's range.
To avoid being accidentally injured, he became extremely cautious, circling around me, looking for an opportunity to attack me.
This tactic also exposed his problems in other areas.
(End of this chapter)
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com