Chapter 382 - 377: Suppressing a Tier 5, Showdown with the God Lord
Meanwhile.
「Giant Stone City Ruins.」
A cityscape of ruins, nearly razed to the ground.
A human palm over a hundred zhang long—the fifth-order aberrant creature known as Spider Hand—had been defeated by Nether Mirror!
The terrifying monster was not yet dead. It continued to struggle, but this was nothing more than a powerless rage; it had already lost the ability to move.
"Don’t waste your energy..."
"Forget it. With your intelligence, you wouldn’t understand anyway."
Clad in a gold and white robe, Nether Mirror stood atop Spider Hand’s head—or what one might call the back of its hand. He shook his head and chuckled.
Spider Hand had already lost all of its fingers. Without them for support, its terrifying size and sheer weight made even standing an extravagant hope, to say nothing of moving!
Of course, strictly speaking, Spider Hand’s fingers had not been destroyed.
The stumps where its fingers had been were completely covered by a layer of pitch-blackness. This was not a damaging ability, but a doorway.
A doorway connecting to another world!
The world of Nether Mirror.
—The Nether World!
After severing Spider Hand’s fingers, Nether Mirror opened doorways right at the stumps.
This caused the fingers, which were rapidly regenerating due to Spider Hand’s fifth-order Regeneration Skill, to grow directly into the Nether World.
Then.
Within the Nether World, he launched a continuous barrage of high-frequency attacks, repeatedly severing the fingers and forcing the simple-minded Spider Hand to regenerate them over and over.
This rapid regeneration caused the parts of its limbs inside the Nether World to swell dramatically, their volume expanding at a rate that seemed to violate the law of conservation of energy until they outweighed its main body!
Thus.
It not only had to contend with the power of Nether Mirror but also fight against its own crushing weight.
This ultimately led to Spider Hand being completely crushed by its own weight, unable to move an inch!
"A brainless brute, after all."
"Even with god-level power and a Regeneration Skill, this is all it amounts to."
Nether Mirror commented, his expression impassive.
Moreover, Spider Hand’s Regeneration Skill was not without its costs.
Nether Mirror could feel that as it continuously regenerated its severed limbs, the life force of this aberrant creature was being consumed at an extremely rapid rate.
Before long, Spider Hand would surely perish.
After all, it clearly couldn’t truly violate the law of conservation of energy.
"Alright."
Nether Mirror did not intend to waste his precious time on a brute like Spider Hand.
His gaze shifted, turning to the only building in the Giant Stone City Ruins that could be called completely intact—the courtyard of the Withered Wood Elder!
"The Golden Fruit."
"It should be here, right?" Nether Mirror murmured.
The final product of the Orbit, the mature Golden Fruit nurtured by Divine Blood—that was his true objective!
It was for this reason that he had consciously contained his earlier battle with Spider Hand, ensuring the aftershocks did not reach the courtyard.
’Hmm... It probably hasn’t been harvested yet.’
’But... perhaps it would be best to get rid of that eyesore, Fog Forest, first?’
Nether Mirror mused.
With the Orbit having progressed to this stage, the Withered Wood Elder’s existence was no longer important.
Even if he were to die now, the Orbit would continue to operate on its own. Naturally, Nether Mirror’s killing intent surged!
...
But.
Just then.
He froze, his head snapping up to look into the distance.
He saw a dark blue Escape Light streaking toward him from the distant horizon!
’Flying?’ Nether Mirror’s gaze grew solemn.
Even though the rules of the Mist Forest Divine Kingdom were loosening as the Orbit progressed and its countdown to destruction had begun...
...the power needed to break the flight restrictions was still terrifyingly high!
’Near-god combat power?’ Nether Mirror asked himself, his brow furrowing.
’And... this aura is very familiar...’
SWOOSH!
The dark blue Escape Light drew closer!
A magnificent and noble armored figure appeared from within!
A devastating power of wind and lightning enveloped his body, as if guarding a king!
An incomparably savage, bloodthirsty, and terrifying aura radiated from the armored figure—one filled with coldness, cruelty, and an eerie power!
RUMBLE!
A vortex of rain clouds churned as water-aspected Spiritual Qi converged!
Within the entire divine kingdom, a nigh-countless, inexhaustible supply of spiritual energy became his servants, ready to be commanded!
’An Old God...’ Nether Mirror narrowed his eyes.
—An Old God!
During the First and Second Epochs, he had fought countless times against these monsters that came from the deep sea, seeking to slaughter an entire world!
’It’s just...’
’The pure-blooded descendants of the Old Gods should have been completely exterminated.’
’Could a mixed-blood descendant of the Old Gods, even with help from Fog Forest, really reach this level?’ Nether Mirror’s brow furrowed, his tone tinged with confusion.
This was near-god combat power. On the Divine Continent of today, cultivating a being with such strength was an incredibly difficult task!
Many gods’ incarnations did not even possess near-god combat power!
’It’s simply...’
’...inexplicable...’
Nether Mirror mused.
And at that moment.
Su Ye, who had just arrived via Escape Light, had already noticed Nether Mirror’s presence!
To his senses, Nether Mirror’s divine aura was as dazzling as a bonfire in the dead of night!
"A god..."
"DIE!"
The rampaging Divine Blood in his veins caused the muddle-headed Su Ye to attack without a moment’s hesitation!
HUMMM!
A magnificent dark blue luster enveloped his entire body, its brilliance blooming!
Behind Su Ye, magnificent dark blue light flickered and intertwined, and an ice-silver eye appeared!
As bewitching as a fey, as wicked as a demon!
—The Eyes of Eternal Union!
Now, even without the aid of Quasi-Techniques, Su Ye could summon the Eyes of Eternal Union in his Divine Blood-fueled rampage!
Moreover, compared to the outside world, the special environment within this divine kingdom, shaped by the Orbit, was so saturated with water-aspected Spiritual Qi that it even surpassed the conditions of the deep sea!
This battlefield environment was most advantageous for Su Ye!
With the power of his Divine Blood, all water-aspected spiritual energy was his to command!
Thus.
Bolstered by the ambient spiritual energy, this manifestation of the Eyes of Eternal Union was terrifyingly powerful and immense in scale!
The spiritual energy for miles around was mobilized by him, fueling this single strike!
HUMMM!
The Eyes of Eternal Union flickered!
In an instant!
A thousand miles of ice, ten thousand miles of drifting snow!
A frigid aura surged forth, as if the Ice Age had returned!
A suffocating killing intent descended from the heavens, sweeping over everything, as a cold and tyrannical divine will saturated every inch of space!
Flesh, Spiritual Power, mind, space... everything seemed on the verge of freezing solid!
Had an ordinary fourth-order being faced this attack from the Eyes of Eternal Union, they would have been frozen solid in moments, turned into a lifelike ice sculpture!
However...
The one he faced was Nether Mirror!
"From the Second Epoch until today."
"I have slain twelve Sea Successor Old Gods!"
"You want to kill me?"
"You are not worthy!"
Nether Mirror’s voice was bone-chillingly cold!