Chapter 224: Ancient God’s Whisper
Alarm bells screamed in Duane’s mind.
The power of the Black Bear’s strike far exceeded his expectations.
He quickly regulated his breathing, his eyes locked onto its every move.
He wasn’t trying to kill it in this battle; at the very least, he needed to figure out the extent of its abilities.
In the large crater, the Black Bear lifted its head, baring its fangs as it stared daggers at Duane.
Blue-white arcs of electricity began to crackle around its body. In the blink of an eye, the lightning intensified, making it look like a Thunder God incarnate.
Suddenly, it slammed its thick paw onto the ground.
"BOOM!"
The ground instantly fractured, and countless serpents of lightning shot out from the cracks, coiling toward Duane like living creatures!
Duane didn’t dare to be careless. Fighting Qi erupted from under his feet, and his figure flickered like a phantom, dodging and weaving to narrowly avoid the pursuing lightning serpents.
’This beast’s control over lightning is actually this Skilled!’
Duane was secretly alarmed.
He had originally thought the Black Bear was just tough and incredibly strong, but he never expected its control over the Elements to have reached such a level.
SWISH!
The Black Bear no longer stayed put. With a flash, its massive body left the crater. In the blink of an eye, it was behind Duane, raising a huge paw to slap him in the back.
Duane’s pupils contracted, his heart lurching. ’This speed... It’s so fast!’
As danger descended, Duane spun around and unleashed his most powerful Spear Technique.
"Mountain Collapse!"
The tip of his spear met the Black Bear’s giant, thunder-wreathed paw.
"BANG!"
Amidst the violent explosion, Duane was thrown back, his arms numb from the impact.
The shaft of the spear in his hands couldn’t withstand the immense force and snapped in two.
The Black Bear was also knocked back, but seeing that the human before it was now unarmed, it excitedly beat its chest and charged again.
’This damn beast...’
Anger flared in Duane’s heart. He drew his Big Ring Saber with a reverse grip.
’You’re fast, but I’m faster!’
SWISH SWISH SWISH~
Duane constantly adjusted his position, not only dodging the Black Bear’s attacks again and again but also seizing opportunities to counterattack.
The Black Bear used its Thunderous Power to stimulate its body, greatly increasing its speed.
But in the face of Duane’s Body Skill, its massive size became a weakness.
In the midst of their back-and-forth, Duane unleashed his Perfection Level Combat Techniques without holding anything back.
BOOM!
BOOM!
BOOM!
One violent collision after another, the immense power completely altering the surrounding terrain.
After dozens of exchanges, the Black Bear was covered in wounds.
Duane finally let out a grunt and flashed backward to retreat.
After multiple violent impacts, a sweet taste filled his throat, and a trickle of blood seeped from the corner of his mouth.
’Its defense is too thick...’
Duane’s brows furrowed tightly.
If it had been that Level 6 Long-armed Ape, it would have died long ago under Duane’s relentless assault.
But this Black Bear’s fur and muscles were like walls of bronze and iron, and it had an incredible amount of health.
Even with his Strength, it was difficult to inflict a fatal wound.
The Black Bear was constantly being wounded and bleeding, its injuries gradually worsening, yet it seemed to be growing more excited.
Its mouth twisted into an eerily human-like smile, making it look even more terrifying.
A sudden sense of unease washed over Duane.
’Something’s not right.’
Duane chopped down with his saber. Sword Rain Storm raged out, shattering the incoming lightning and enveloping the Black Bear, sending a flurry of fur into the air.
Countless sprays of blood erupted from the Black Bear’s body.
In that instant, the Heaven and Earth Elements in the area suddenly went berserk!
Countless streams of dark green energy shot up from the ground, completely enveloping the area where Duane stood.
Duane felt his vision warp, and then he found himself in a pitch-black void.
"Human..."
Duane’s platinum-gold Celestial Python’s Eye constricted to the size of a pinprick.
He had actually heard a human voice while fighting the Black Bear!
Just when he thought he was hearing things, the voice spoke again.
The voice seemed to originate from the deepest abyss, filled with endless resentment. It pierced through time and space to land directly in Duane’s mind.
"Humble believer, I have seen your childhood, cowering in the mud."
"The injustice of fate was like a rusty chain wrapped around your throat..."
"Look, their laughter still gnaws at your marrow to this day!"
The voice was like the wailing of ten thousand ghosts, chilling one to the bone and unconsciously drawing one in.
"Now... submit to me, and I shall grant you the power to change your destiny!"
"Make those who mocked you, make the entire world, tremble at your feet!"
"Who are you?" Duane asked instinctively.
"I am the ruler of this world, the most powerful being. You may call me..."
But Duane had already snapped back to his senses and cut off the whisper.
"You’re the so-called Ancient God, aren’t you?"
With that question, the voice vanished.
But it had not truly left.
In a daze, Duane saw terrifying images.
There was a Blood-Eyed Lion roaring at the sky, a Purple-eyed Golden-haired Ape of immense strength, and a world-destroying Nine-headed Serpent Emperor...
Each of these giant beasts radiated a terrifying might.
Before them, Duane felt like a lone boat in a vast ocean, in danger of being capsized at any moment!
At the same time, countless feelings of despair and negativity flooded Duane’s mind.
He even saw himself back in junior high, before he crossed over, collecting cardboard in the pouring rain to make ends meet—days of loneliness and helplessness.
Back then, he had wondered: why were other people’s lives so vibrant, while his was always filled with hardship, helplessness, and ridicule? Why was he even still alive?
These negative emotions were sharper than any blade, threatening to pierce his spirit and leave it riddled with holes.
"But it was from that time that I knew what I wanted!"
Duane bit his tongue sharply. The searing pain broke him free from the grip of his negative emotions.
He opened his eyes. Activating the Celestial Python’s Eye to its fullest, a platinum-gold light blazed within them.
"Those difficult days are my most precious treasure!"
Duane murmured softly.
"Every time I had to bow my head taught me how to straighten my spine; every drop of cold rain taught me to cherish the sun!"
"I never wanted much!"
His eyes were filled with determination, and the surrounding darkness began to fade.
"I just want to do my best, do what I have to do, and live my own life!"
VMMM~
The dark space trembled and shattered, inch by inch.
[You have successfully resisted the corruption of the "Ancient God’s Whisper" through your own willpower. You have gained Adamant Will and will no longer be affected by "Ancient God’s Whisper". Attribute Points +20]
Duane was stunned. He had just gone through a process of Enlightenment, but he never expected to receive such a huge reward for it.
Twenty attribute points... how long would he have had to grind for that?
「At the same time.」
The Black Bear, covered in wounds from the Sword Rain Storm, was sitting on the ground, resting.
It had paid a steep price to trigger the Ancient God Dream Realm, losing several barrels’ worth of blood alone.
It had thought everything was over, that this human would soon become its comrade.
But it never imagined there would be a twist!
The mass of dark green energy froze for a moment, then began to disintegrate.
"ROAR!"
The Black Bear let out an indignant roar. It scrambled up furiously and swiped at Duane.
Its paw, wreathed in black flames and lightning, seemed intent on smashing Duane to pieces.
’Assign points!’
Having just snapped back to reality, Duane didn’t hesitate, allocating four attribute points to his Strength Attribute.
[Strength]: 56.0→60.0
[Level]: Shooting Star Warrior, Level 4 Mage
[Spirit]: 30.0→33.0
Becoming a Shooting Star Warrior had also increased his Spirit Attribute by 3.
At this moment, blue-white lightning flickered around Duane’s body. This was his Fighting Qi Attribute.
A surge of Heaven and Earth Elements poured into his body, furiously tempering it.
However, Duane had no time to observe the changes in his body.
Facing the giant paw that the Black Bear had swung a step ahead of him, he had no way to dodge and could only raise his Big Ring Saber to block.
BOOM!
The giant paw slammed down. The lightning and black flames destroyed the Big Ring Saber before colliding with Duane’s left fist.
The scene was visually stunning!
The massive paw was like a small tabletop, and in front of it, Duane’s fist looked as fragile as an egg.
As the two forces collided, both sides endured a tremendous recoil.
"CRACK!"
Duane’s expression changed, his face twisting in pain.
The sharp pain from his left arm told him—his bone was broken!
A Celestial Tier Warrior’s skin, bones, and organs were tempered by Fighting Qi, making them incredibly tough.
Not to mention Duane was now a Shooting Star Warrior who had just undergone Elemental Body Tempering with the Heaven and Earth Elements.
And yet, this one blow had still broken his bone.