Chapter 424: Another Breakthrough, Transcendent Refinement
Uchiha Dali's divine Devour and Refine technique—its terrifying power was something everyone present had personally experienced before.
At this very moment, feeling the overwhelming restraint wrapping around their bodies, Ōtsutsuki Aoshe and the Ōtsutsuki King's expressions changed drastically.
They immediately tried to resist.
Yet to their shock, they realized they couldn't break free from this terrifying bind.
Still, there was one thing to be thankful for—they were no longer ordinary beings. Having obtained divine power themselves, though they were being suppressed by Uchiha Dali's Devour and Refine, the energy within their bodies had not yet been successfully seized.
"Lord Shibai!"
The two of them hurriedly called out for help.
At that moment, Shibai's face darkened as he glared at Uchiha Dali, preparing to strike.
"Since you've already made a move, there's no room for negotiation anymore, Uchiha Dali."
Even now, Shibai couldn't help caring about appearances.
He just had to say something pretentious like that before acting.
In the next instant, he too unleashed his own Devour and Refine against Uchiha Dali.
A tremendous suction force erupted, slamming into Dali's body, making his blood surge chaotically as waves of unease struck his heart.
However, just as Dali's power had failed to completely seize the energy of Ōtsutsuki Aoshe and the Ōtsutsuki King, Shibai's Devour and Refine also couldn't directly plunder Uchiha Dali's energy.
Uchiha Dali resisted fiercely, struggling against that dreadful pull.
The two sides were locked in a stalemate.
Shibai's gaze darkened as he shouted at the other two, "What are you waiting for? Help me!"
"Hurry up and use your Devour and Refine to drain his energy!"
Ōtsutsuki Aoshe and the Ōtsutsuki King, hearing his command, dared not hesitate. They immediately activated their own powers.
In an instant, two more mighty forces crashed down upon Uchiha Dali.
The pressure on his body skyrocketed.
His energy and blood churned violently inside him, rampaging uncontrollably, until he felt on the verge of losing control—his body ready to collapse.
Uchiha Dali's expression hardened.
Facing the combined assault of three gods at once was indeed crushing.
Yet he didn't give in. Instead, he focused his willpower, holding on with everything he had.
Right now, it was like a colossal tug-of-war.
Uchiha Dali's divine Devour and Refine clashed head-on with Shibai's.
In the air, red, blue, and black energies erupted from the four combatants, spreading toward one another.
The black beam came from Shibai—his manifestation of the Devour and Refine.
The blue belonged to Ōtsutsuki Aoshe and the Ōtsutsuki King; since their strength was nearly equal, their energy appeared the same color.
And the red belonged, of course, to Uchiha Dali.
The crimson beam battled against the black and twin blue ones.
At first, Dali's red energy had the upper hand—but now, it was clearly being overwhelmed.
The other colors were gradually eroding away the red light, creeping closer and closer toward him.
Judging by the current situation, if nothing unexpected happened, Uchiha Dali would soon be defeated.
When that happened, his power would be divided among Shibai and the two Ōtsutsuki.
His enemies seemed to already see victory before them.
Smirks of cruel satisfaction curled on their lips.
"At last, this troublesome man will be dealt with. After that... it'll be a showdown between us and Lord Shibai, won't it?"
The Ōtsutsuki King's eyes gleamed coldly, the thought flashing through his mind.
Ōtsutsuki Aoshe harbored the same idea.
Shibai's face remained calm—neither joy nor sorrow.
But everyone knew that inwardly, he too must be scheming to discard his allies once they'd served their purpose.
What none of them realized was that at this very moment—under the crushing pressure of a life-and-death crisis—Uchiha Dali's monstrous comprehension was awakening once again.
Information began to surge naturally into his mind.
Moments later, a familiar system prompt echoed in his head:
[You are undergoing a life-or-death crisis. Your potential has been unleashed. Your comprehension of the Divine Art: Devour and Refine has increased tenfold! Proficiency: Perfect Mastery! You have comprehended Divine Art: Transcendent Devour and Refine!]
[Your body has activated automatic defense. Cellular evolution initiated. You have comprehended Divine Art: Reversal of Yin and Yang!]
[Divine Art: Transcendent Devour and Refine — vastly superior to the ordinary Devour and Refine, it can instantly convert the energy of one or more chosen targets into usable power for yourself, with no additional energy cost!]
[Divine Art: Reversal of Yin and Yang — a divine passive ability. When subjected to an enemy's Devour and Refine, this art automatically activates, reversing the effect to the greatest extent possible, slowing and weakening the opponent's energy absorption!]
…
The moment the two prompts echoed in his mind, Uchiha Dali couldn't help but smile playfully.
At the same time, he saw it clearly—the expressions on Shibai's, Aoshe's, and the Ōtsutsuki King's faces all turned to shock at once.
Clearly, they had sensed it.
"What's going on, Lord Shibai!?"
"Why is there such a powerful counterforce coming from his body!?"
The Ōtsutsuki King's voice trembled in disbelief.
He could truly feel it—a tremendous reverse pull emerging from within Uchiha Dali, clashing against his own suction.
It felt as if he were straining to push a mountain—no matter how hard he exerted himself, he couldn't move it an inch.
Yet that sensation hadn't existed just moments ago.
"I feel it too… that crushing resistance. Damn it, what kind of monster is this brat?"
Ōtsutsuki Aoshe gritted his teeth hard.
He, too, could feel the enormous pushback—his divine Devour and Refine could no longer act freely upon Uchiha Dali.
That power was being forcefully reversed!
He even felt a terrifying premonition—if things continued like this, his own suction might end up being reflected back upon himself.
If that happened, he would be the one in danger, as Uchiha Dali could then directly devour his energy instead.
That was how it felt—yet, paradoxically, their devouring still seemed dominant in appearance.
This could be seen from the tug-of-war between the black, blue, and red energies before them.
So… what exactly was going on?