"Are you the king here?" The Plague King raised an eyebrow, asking unhurriedly.
"King?" Gu Yue hesitated for a moment, her clear and bright eyes without a trace of impurity, like the brightest and most transparent crystal in the world. After a flash of an unusual light, her ethereal and calm voice slowly drifted out, "I am not a king, but I am the sovereign of the soul beasts."
"Interesting." The Plague King licked her lips. She felt a surge of energy emanating from this silver-haired woman, something that neither the Snow Empress nor the Ice Empress could match. For some reason, she had a desire to taste the other's flesh and blood, just as she had wanted to try the flesh and blood of the Shadow King.
"You mad insect woman!" Just then, Nash, who had broken free of his restraints, shouted an insult, almost pointing at the Plague King.
"What did you say?" The Plague King was furious and raised her hand to attack Nash, but as soon as her palm was raised, Gu Yue, floating in mid-air, launched the first attack on her.
"You're courting death!" Sensing the anomaly in spatial energy, the Plague Queen was enraged. She wanted to kill everyone present!
"Bing'er, help," the Snow Empress said.
"Mm." The Ice Empress nodded slightly, and then launched an attack on the Plague Queen together with the Snow Empress.
...
While Gu Yue, Nash, the Snow Empress, the Ice Empress, and the Shadow Legion were fighting the Plague Queen, Cheng Xiao's attention was entirely focused on the Demon King and the Beast King.
He didn't know how much time Nash and the others could buy, but from the current perspective, it was more than enough to stall for time.
Cheng Xiao took a deep breath, and then ran towards the Demon King with all his might. He had been on the defensive all along, but now he wanted to take the initiative.
Thump thump thump thump!
With each step, the ground cracked from the impact of magic.
Staring at Cheng Xiao charging towards him, the Demon King disdainfully took out his spear from the subspace. In his eyes, Cheng Xiao's behavior was no different from courting death.
Just as he was about to collide with the Demon King, Cheng Xiao suddenly made a sharp turn and ran towards the Beast King. In his hand, there was no weapon, only an unfathomable shadow power.
"…!"
The Beast King's pupils contracted. His attention had been focused on Cheng Xiao, who was about to attack the Demon King, but now, this overconfident human had made him his target?
"Dare to provoke the Beast King? You're courting death!" The Beast King swung his greatsword with one hand, the magical vibrations from the blade causing the earth to tremble. At the same time, Cheng Xiao drew the Demon King's longsword to meet him.
Bang!
As the greatsword clashed with the longsword, intense sparks shot downwards from the blades, and two completely different magical fluctuations erupted, a powerful wave of magical energy sweeping outwards.
Simultaneously, the Beast King and Cheng Xiao were forced back several steps, and spiderweb-like cracks appeared on the ground, spreading outwards.
Cheng Xiao's face stiffened. He had assumed the Beast King had expended considerable energy, but the previous encounter had clearly demonstrated the overwhelming power of the opponent—pure, unadulterated brute force, devoid of any skill.
Looking down, Cheng Xiao noticed his arm trembling slightly, though barely noticeable.
Truly formidable power, worthy of the Beast King.
Just as Cheng Xiao marveled at the Beast King's strength, a wave of energy rushed towards him. His body instinctively reacted, but the opponent's speed was too great. He was forced to hold the Demon King's longsword horizontally in front of his chest.
Clang!
The sword hummed, and a tremendous force surged from his chest, sending Cheng Xiao flying backward like a cannonball. His feet sank into the ground, sliding dozens of meters before finally coming to a stop.
"Tsk, quick reaction indeed," the Demon King scoffed, flicking his wrist.
Boom!
Suddenly, a loud noise came from the side. The two kings and Cheng Xiao looked over at the same time and saw the Plague King furiously unleashing her magical fists, leaving a trail of destruction in her wake.
Many shadow soldiers, after being killed, even lost contact with Cheng Xiao, meaning that the shadow soldiers killed by the king had returned to rest.
Sensing all this, Cheng Xiao quickly released the soldiers from their summons. Except for Nash, who was at the legion commander level, he recalled the general-level Ah Yin and Titan.
The shadow soldiers were the main fighting force of the Shadow Legion, and he could not let these soldiers die in vain.
"I will kill you all!" The Plague King's eyes were filled with killing intent, but even so, she was not skilled in combat and could not effectively harm her enemies. So, her gaze turned back to Cheng Xiao.
"Kill you, and all of this will be over." With a terrifying magical roar, the Plague King spat out a mouthful of green vomit at Cheng Xiao. However, Cheng Xiao was not afraid and even charged towards the vomit.
"What is he going to do?" The Demon King couldn't hide his inner doubts. Although the Plague Queen's combat skills weren't particularly high, her poison terrified all the kings.
"Not good, this guy is immune to poison." The Beast King suddenly realized this possibility. He remembered that the second-generation Shadow King had killed the Plague Queen in the same way, by being immune to poison .
As it turned out, the Beast King's guess was correct, but unfortunately, by the time he realized this possibility, it was too late.
Because Cheng Xiao had already arrived in front of the Plague Queen. His Dominator's power easily blocked her vomit, and the remaining poison gas in the air was immune to by the Great Wizard's blessing.
Under the Beast Wizard's blessing, Cheng Xiao was immune to all negative effects and abnormal statuses, meaning that any control had no effect on him.
From this moment, the roles of hunter and prey were reversed. The Plague Queen's power posed no threat to Cheng Xiao; what awaited her was a deadly attack.
The Beast King wanted to help, but Gu Yue casually created an ice wall to block their path. Although it wouldn't buy them much time, it was enough.
As Cheng Xiao approached the Plague King, a glint flashed in his eyes. In that moment, he seemed to see through the fear in the Plague King's eyes the figure who had killed her before—yes, the figure of the Second Shadow King, Cheng Xiaoyu!
Reaching the Plague King, Cheng Xiao held the Shadow Short Sword in both hands, his palms already teeming with magic.
"Wild Blades!"
The
short swords, like a shotgun blast, dealt the Plague King its heaviest blow. With a flurry of stabs, her body instantly shattered.
"Aaaaaah!"
But the maggots inside her body still gathered together, allowing the Plague King to quickly recover.
"It's regeneration." A cold glint flashed in Xue Di's eyes. The next moment, her right hand gleamed with cold light, and an ice sword radiating extreme cold was instantly thrust out.
"Emperor Sword - Unparalleled Ice!"
A cold light swept through the air, and the Plague King, who was still rapidly repairing her body, suddenly stiffened. The extreme cold caused the maggots inside her to stiffen.
Taking advantage of this opportunity, Cheng Xiao relentlessly attacked the Plague King's body. He began to use the skill "Chaotic Blade" continuously, without interruption.
The shadowy short swords wrapped in black aura were like countless bullets, endlessly piercing the Plague King's body, while the Plague King, whose body was filled with cold air, could only passively endure it all.
"Ughhhhh!"
Cheng Xiao, who was using the "Chaotic Blade" skill endlessly with all his might, left the Plague King no possibility of regeneration, cleanly and neatly piercing the Plague King's body into countless fragments, and then completely crushing these fragments.
Then finally, a bright crystal, radiating terrifying magical energy, fell into his hand.
The moment Cheng Xiao grasped the magic crystal, he felt his heart pounding—a weary throbbing that urged him to absorb it to recover from his exhaustion.
He desperately wanted to absorb the crystal, but the murderous aura emanating from behind forced him to hastily retract it and turn around. However, the enemy was already a fraction faster.
While dealing with the Plague King, the Demon King held off Gu Yue, while the king, possessing beast-like speed, silently rushed forward and extended its sharp claws towards Cheng Xiao.
Five gusts of biting wind instantly swept behind him, and in an instant, Cheng Xiao's scalp tingled. He realized a possibility, but the exhaustion in his body prevented him from immediately raising his sword to block.
*Thud!*
The sound of claws piercing flesh rang out suddenly, and the excruciating pain caused Cheng Xiao to vomit a large amount of blood mixed with fragments of internal organs. He looked down and saw five fingers piercing his chest.
The beast king, who had somehow completed its spiritual transformation and become a fully-fledged werewolf, accurately plunged its blade-like claws into Cheng Xiao's back. Even more unusually, it grabbed his beating heart and crushed it to pieces.
With his heart burst, Cheng Xiao's body instantly stiffened, the shadow power he hadn't yet gathered in his hands dissipated, and his pupils quickly lost their color.
"It's over, the third Shadow King." The Beast King's voice slowly echoed. "Without a heart, even the Shadow King can't be resurrected, right? After all, without the System Creator, he won't create a new heart for you."
At the same time, the Demon King, who was locked in battle with Gu Yue, noticed all of this. A satisfied smile appeared on his lips. Although it had been somewhat troublesome, they had still completed their mission.
With the experience of the previous two times, this time they should be able to kill him completely, right?
"My King!" Nash shouted the last two words in anger, and was forcibly released from the summons, returning to the shadows.
Despite their stubborn resistance and unwillingness to leave, what could the shadow soldiers do without the Shadow King's power?
Convinced of his victory, the Beast King opened its blood-red maw, eager to enjoy the Shadow King's magical flesh and blood.
"Shadow King, you've killed me three times, but this time, shouldn't I win?"
The beast king muttered to itself, a malicious smile spreading across its face. Yes, it had been killed by the Shadow King three times, but this time, it had killed the Shadow King, and more carefully crushed its heart. Although a king could live without a heart, how could a human who wasn't a complete king possess such an ability?
"Woman, the Shadow King is dead. Do you still wish to resist?" The Demon King faced the silent Gu Yue. It could clearly sense the energy fluctuations emanating from this woman. Although it wasn't the same as magic, it could still see that she was injured and that her strength was limited.
Otherwise, the power displayed by a being of the same king level was far too weak.
Gu Yue remained silent. She knew the enemy before her was powerful, and her injuries hadn't fully healed. Continuing the fight would be disadvantageous.
Suddenly, an invisible spatial fluctuation spread out, and then an old man dressed in black robes, completely shrouded in them, appeared beside the Demon King. He held a staff and looked like a magician.
"It seems your mission is complete." The Illusionary Realm King casually glanced at the human pierced by the Beast King's claws and immediately spoke.
"Thanks to your spatial magic." The Demon King dispelled his spirit form, reverting to his original handsome appearance. "The Shadow King has been killed. Now, what we need to do is to bring war to the creatures of this land. The more people die, the stronger the Dragon Emperor's power will become, and our strength can gradually be unleashed. Otherwise, being constantly restricted in our strength is quite troublesome."
"Well said." The Illusionary Realm King nodded, then waved his staff. Instantly, a rift was torn in space, and a thick stench of blood spread out.
As space was torn open, a black figure darted out. His entire body was badly injured, even his black robe was tattered, and he carried an unconscious boy in his arms.
"The humans of this world are more interesting than I imagined. I observed them, and they seem to possess something called a Martial Soul. This Martial Soul provides them with a significant boost; at least ordinary soldiers would find it difficult to kill them," said the Illusionary Realm King.
"Emperor's Palm - Great Cold Without Snow!"
On the other side, just as the Beast King was about to devour Cheng Xiao's body, the Snow Emperor suddenly appeared behind him and delivered a light, effortless palm strike.
Driven by the most extreme instincts of a beast, the Beast King vanished the moment the Snow Emperor's palm struck, leaving only an afterimage as it appeared behind her.
"Wrath of the Ice Emperor!" The sudden, sharp shout made the Beast King abandon its attack. Relying on its extreme speed, it dodged the attack of the Ice and Snow Emperors.
"What a nuisance." Arriving at an open space, the Beast King dispelled its full werewolf form and reverted to its human body, much to its displeasure. However, maintaining its spirit form consumed too much magic, forcing it to maintain a human form like the Demon King.
"Alright, Beast King, now that the Shadow King has been killed, our mission is complete." The Illusion King pondered briefly before saying, "Our ultimate goal is still to wage war. Now that the Shadow King, a necessary prerequisite, is dead, we can move on to our next mission."
"Hmph, that's the only way." The Beast King and the Demon King nodded simultaneously, then, along with the Illusion King, disappeared from everyone's sight.
The Snow Empress, having saved Cheng Xiao's body, breathed a sigh of relief. Deep down, she felt that Cheng Xiao wasn't completely dead. If he had truly been killed, their partnership contract should have been dissolved. But even now, the contract remained, meaning he… wasn't dead.
"My lord, I'm so sorry." Covered in wounds, Di Tian approached Gu Yue and whispered, "I…"
"Di Tian, you've done enough." Gu Yue didn't say anything more. She turned to look at the badly injured Da Ming and Er Ming, especially Da Ming, whose horn was even broken off—a truly pitiful sight.
"Take them to get treatment," Gu Yue said softly.
"Yes, my lord." Di Tian nodded slightly, then went to the two brothers and led them away.
Next, Gu Yue's gaze fell on Ghost Douluo and Chrysanthemum Douluo. Although their soul power was exhausted, they had still protected Hu Liena and the other two very well.
Gu Yue said nothing, giving Ice Emperor and Snow Emperor a brief glance before turning to leave.
"Wait." Suddenly, Snow Emperor called out to Gu Yue.
"What is it?" Gu Yue turned her head.
"Take him to get treatment."
"Why?"
"He's not dead."
"...Come with me."
Xue Di nodded, then picked up Cheng Xiao's body, not caring about the blood staining her white dress, and followed Gu Yue with him in her arms.
Bing Di saw this and followed as well.
As they left, Gui Douluo and Ju Douluo, who had been on high alert, finally breathed a sigh of relief.
"Old Ghost, we really owe our survival to these soul beasts." Watching Gu Yue depart, Chrysanthemum Douluo slumped to the ground. At this moment, he couldn't care less about anything else; surviving was enough for him.
"Truly terrifying..." Ghost Douluo murmured after a moment of silence.
"Fortunately, Nana and the others weren't too badly injured. But Tang Hao, that guy, his cultivation will probably regress again." Chrysanthemum Douluo suddenly recalled the scene of Tang Hao being surrounded and attacked by numerous otherworldly beings during the battle in the alternate dimension, and sighed.
"Yeah, don't worry about that now. Focus on recovering our soul power and returning to the Spirit Hall; that's the most important thing." Ghost Douluo whispered.
Hearing this, Chrysanthemum Douluo nodded and began meditating to recover his soul power.
When the Beast King crushed his heart, Cheng Xiao desperately wanted to move his body, but he didn't even have the strength to twitch a finger.
His senses vanished, and his consciousness rapidly drifted away. Soon, everything he saw, heard, and felt was plunged into deep darkness.
The human heart vanished, and then… in the final moments before losing consciousness, Cheng Xiao heard the last words:
"All conditions for the passive skill (unknown) have been met."
[Using passive skill (unknown).]
......................
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