Chapter 546 - 326: Death
THUD!
A thunderous crash echoed the instant the world regained its clarity, as Yang An’s body plummeted from the sky and slammed into the ground.
Another crater scarred the already devastated landscape.
Fortunately, the inverted world righted itself at that moment. The blinding light receded in a flash, fading from a piercing brightness back to a gloomy murk, and the sky grew dark once more.
Yang An gasped, his chest rising and falling violently.
Just a moment ago, he had unleashed all of his power, using the Qi Guang Technique to continuously draw upon the Power of Rules within the Forbidden Artifact Fragment, pushing himself to the very brink of his limits.
Thankfully, the attack had concentrated all his strength. Its power was so astonishing that Jishan hadn’t even had time to defend himself before being obliterated by the blow.
’The Insect Dao is really something else.’ To defeat that man, Yang An had given it his all, nearly dying at Jishan’s hands in the process.
He had been just one step away from death.
But that single step made all the difference. In the end, Jishan was outmaneuvered and defeated.
HUFF—HUFF—
Yang An struggled to stabilize his condition. His Mana was almost completely depleted; at this point, even the appearance of a single Zombie God would pose a significant threat to him.
Fortunately, thanks to his Mora Buddha’s Acupoint, his Mana was rapidly recovering.
’In terms of combat prowess, Jishan’s Cultivation Level was at the Middle Stage of the Insect Dao, and at full strength, he could even fight someone at the Late Stage of the Insect Dao.’
’Yang An had only managed to defeat Jishan because he had unleashed an unexpected power at the very last moment.’
’In battle, any unpredictable variable could be fatal.’
This also gave Yang An a clear understanding of his own combat capabilities.
’Killing someone at the Middle Stage of the Insect Dao is still very difficult for me, but fighting—or even killing—someone at the Early Stage of the Insect Dao shouldn’t be a problem.’
’Although my Cultivation Level is only at the Middle Stage of Zombie God, when I combine it with my own Power of Rules, my combat prowess reaches the Early Stage of the Insect Dao, bordering on the Middle Stage.’
Even before fusing with the Forbidden Artifact Fragment, Yang An had been strong enough to slaughter Zombie Gods. Now, he had taken another huge leap forward.
’Of course, my ability to fight those in the Insect Dao depends on me being at my absolute peak.’
’I need both my Celestial Gnomon Body and Nine Forces Shocking Dragon to have accumulated enough power. Without them, my combat strength would drop significantly.’
The Forbidden Artifact Fragment of the Life Rejuvenation Spell materialized in Yang An’s hand, and he put it away in his Storage Magical Artifact.
A moment ago, their great battle had shattered the isolating effect of the Life Rejuvenation Spell, freeing this pocket of the world from its confinement.
But just then, a faint aura flared to life. It rose from the vast, rotting mud as a black shadow and shot away from Earth Demon Cliff.
Yang An lay motionless on the ground. He knew that fellow Jishan wasn’t dead, but he figured his condition couldn’t be much better than his own.
’After a blow like that, even if some flesh and blood remained, it would be impossible for him to recover quickly.’
That’s why Jishan had no intention of using this opportunity to attack Yang An again; his only thought was to escape.
’But how could he possibly escape?’
A cold smirk touched Yang An’s pale, weak face.
The moment the aura appeared, it shot away from Earth Demon Cliff at full speed, covering less than a kilometer.
In the next second, a spectral figure suddenly appeared between heaven and earth.
It was a ferocious behemoth with hundred-meter wings, a bird’s head, a sharp beak, a red crest, and a human torso. A single, massive eye stared from each wing, and it wielded a Magic Staff. The creature radiated a terrifying, oppressive aura, like that of a Demon God.
Yang An had seen this figure before in Lower Hu. During the great battle between Huan and He, Huan had used this exact same technique.
Clearly, Huan had made its move.
The colossal creature gripped the Magic Staff with both hands. With a swing, it brought the staff crashing down, directly striking the frantically fleeing Jishan. The entire earth quaked once more.
Even from a great distance, Yang An could hear a blood-curdling scream and an enraged roar.
"Death Lord!!! You bastard!!! Do you want to make an enemy of my Golden Soul Sect?!!"
A cold snort echoed through the sky above Earth Demon Cliff. The giant creature struck the ground again with its Magic Staff, as if trying to stab it into the planet’s core.
A shockwave erupted, sweeping far and wide. In an instant, all sound ceased, and everything fell deathly silent.
By this time, Yang An had recovered slightly and slowly pushed himself to his feet. However, the price for his earlier actions struck, and he plopped right back onto the ground, his face contorted in pain.
He had used the Forbidden Artifact Fragment, the Life Rejuvenation Spell, at the start of his battle with Jishan. Now, the backlash was beginning. His power spiraled out of control, he lost his sense of self, and he felt completely cut off from the world.
Fortunately, he was still incredibly weak and hadn’t recovered his strength. Otherwise, his rampaging internal power would have caused immense self-inflicted damage until it was completely exhausted—a state commonly known as a self-destructive power surge.
’But I know I won’t die,’ he thought. ’At worst, I’ll just have to endure the pain for a little while.’
’Even if I wanted to die, Huan probably wouldn’t let me.’
Meanwhile, the colossal phantom between heaven and earth vanished. Deep within Earth Demon Cliff, a fist-sized lump of flesh appeared before Huan, who was sealed by the Stone Stele. The flesh twisted and squirmed, struggling ceaselessly. Jishan’s aura emanated from within, but escape was impossible.