Just as Yun Ming and the other two settled on a basic plan in a few short sentences, Zhong Yuxing revealed his form once again.
At this moment, compared to before, his appearance had changed drastically. Set off by a suit of dark red divine armor engraved with Hundred Beast Demon Markings, Zhong Yuxing finally possessed the look a god should have.
The entire set of armor was complete: thick chest armor, waist armor resembling fish scales, a Hundred-Leaf Battle Skirt with flowing luster, simple yet symmetrical and ferocious shoulder armor, arm armor, and leg armor. Coupled with the blood-colored gemstone on his headband—the materialization of his soul—a majestic, kingly aura was unleashed upon the world without restraint.
Yun Ming and the others did not care about his costume change, but the surging power he manifested in physical form was something they could not afford to ignore.
Zhong Yuxing looked at the three struggling to stand firm under his divine might, the corners of his mouth curling into a mocking smile.
"I actually thought you would be smart enough to run for your lives while I was busy reassembling my divine armor. I didn't expect that not a single one of you would leave."
"What! Do you really think that in front of a true god, you still have the power to resist?"
Seeing the smug look on Zhong Yuxing's face, Qian Daoliu retorted without backing down.
"Who knows! After all, a certain god was just trembling under my Judgment Light a moment ago; perhaps your cultivation is fake!"
Zhong Yuxing's face stiffened, and his smile vanished. As a god, being beaten so miserably by mortals was a deep humiliation, so these humans below had to die. None who had seen his dark history could be allowed to live.
"Heh—"
"Sharp-tongued. I hope you can still be this eloquent before you die by my hand later."
As he spoke, he raised his right hand, and a Demon Blade carrying monstrous baleful energy appeared in his grasp. A layer of blood-ink light patterns spread rapidly with Zhong Yuxing at the center, surrounding Yun Ming and the others.
"Fallen God Domain."
Under the envelopment of the domain, both Qian Daoliu's Angel Domain and Bo Saixi's Sea God Domain were rapidly suppressed, their areas shrinking drastically until they were on the verge of collapse. The waists of the two peerless masters were forced to bend under this immense pressure.
Seeing that the opponent had displayed absolute crushing power the moment he made a move, Yun Ming and the others dared not hold anything back and immediately erupted with all their might. The two peerless masters stabilized their domains. Yun Ming's first, third, fourth, and seventh soul rings, all of different colors, emerged one by one and lit up.
Sky Support True Body, Atlas Overlord Spear, Void Power, and Source of Void—all four amplitude soul skills were activated.
Soul light spread from the Atlas Divine Spear onto Yun Ming, and the four soul rings—black, silver-gold, black, and yellow—instantly enveloped both man and spear.
Brilliant three-colored sacred fire ignited upon the Atlas Divine Spear, alternating rapidly until it turned into pure white Void Flame. Then, to the astonishment of those present, the Atlas Divine Spear completely dissolved and merged into Yun Ming's body, and Yun Ming was enveloped in white flames, disappearing from their sight.
Generally, the Spirit Avatar of a weapon spirit is an enhancement of the weapon itself and rarely merges into the host's body. The few that do, like Snake Lance Douluo, involve the weapon spirit becoming a beast spirit, but the form Yun Ming displayed was clearly not that.
A moment later, the flames dissipated, and Yun Ming reappeared in a brand-new posture.
Unlike when he only used the first three amplitude soul skills, Yun Ming's changes after using the Sky Support True Body were immense.
His entire body seemed to have been converted into energy. His upper body was bare, revealing a streamlined physique with tight, non-exaggerated muscles that displayed an introverted and powerful aesthetic. From his heart, gold, silver, and white gradient patterns spread across his torso like an Ukiyo-e, outlining a magnificent world scene; if one looked closely, one could almost see the sun and moon rising and setting, mountains and rivers shifting, and the myriad phenomena of the void. Below his waistline, he was covered in layers of white energy resembling pure white silk. Overall, there was an indescribable sense of coordination and ferocity.
Yun Ming's face had also changed significantly. His black hair had turned into a state of white flame, cascading down to his waist, interspersed with strands of gradient hair that swayed in the wind. A crown-shaped divine pattern appeared on his forehead, and with his eyebrows and pupils completely replaced by silver-white, he exuded an indescribable sense of indifference, majesty, or rather, divinity.
This was the Sky Support True Body form of Yun Ming. Man and spear as one; Yun Ming was the Sky Support, and the Sky Support was Yun Ming.
Even though it wasn't his first time feeling it, Yun Ming was still intoxicated by the power contained beneath every inch of his skin, as if it could erupt with astonishing energy at any moment. Although this seventh soul ring provided by the Evil King was somewhat lacking in "masculine virtue," the power was indeed strong, and this method of true body manifestation was perhaps more suitable for him in this life.
Yun Ming looked at the crumbling domain above his head, raised his right hand, and whispered.
"World!"
A pitch-black soul ring appeared at his feet and lit up. Yun Ming's fifth soul skill activated, and a gradient barrier erupted from him, integrating the Angel Domain and the Sea God Domain to prop up a blue sky once again within this hellish Fallen God Domain.
Zhong Yuxing looked at the world domain Yun Ming had opened and was shocked, unable to stop himself from shouting.
"How is it possible? A mere mortal, how can you control this kind of power?"
He did not understand how something like World Force could be controlled by a mortal. What had happened to this world? It didn't seem like this before he was imprisoned!
It wasn't just Zhong Yuxing; the two peerless masters were also surprised. Their abilities were not exactly 180 degrees opposite, but they deviated by at least 120 degrees. How could the water of extreme yin and the fire of the sun coexist?
Yun Ming saw the doubts of his two teammates and explained briefly via telepathic transmission.
"My domain can control everything. If I say water and fire can merge, then they can."
"Also, you will receive the blessing of the triple domain when you attack later."
Qian Daoliu and Bo Saixi didn't understand, but they were deeply shocked. Could a person's domain really be this strong?!! Yun Ming indicated that it could; as long as the two did not resist, this was not difficult.
Yun Ming turned his gaze back to Zhong Yuxing and spoke calmly, the entire world resonating as if it were a divine oracle.
"Nothing is impossible in this world."
"And you are surprised too early. Today, mortals will kill a god. So, are you ready to face the fate of defeat?"
Clench, clench, clench.
A series of blue veins popped out on Zhong Yuxing's forehead. These ant-like humans not only refused to bow before him but were also so arrogant; he could no longer endure it and roared.
"Defeat?! Then let's see who is the one to be defeated!"
Following this, his figure turned into a streak of blood-colored light. He raised the Demon Blade in his hand, wrapped in endless baleful energy, and slashed down fiercely.
His speed was immense; the Demon Blade was almost in front of Yun Ming before the sonic boom of his rapid flight reached the ears of the three.
Facing Zhong Yuxing's fierce offensive, Qian Daoliu regained his focus. Sacred Fire condensed in his hand, forming a holy sword. In an instant, surging scarlet-gold flames rose violently, and his divine sense merged with this sword. His spirit and energy reached their peak in an instant. His six wings flapped in unison, and he transformed into a similarly rapid streak of light. Combining the power of the triple domain, he also swung his sword, clashing head-on against Zhong Yuxing.
Feeling the power contained in this sword after being infused with World Force, Qian Daoliu felt his heart surge. With this sword, which vaguely surpassed his peak, perhaps he could truly slay a god as a mortal.
"Boom—"
The holy sword and the Demon Blade met, colliding with an incomparably dazzling light. The clash between the two opposing forces of holy and evil was even more intense than that between water and fire. Unfortunately, there was already a dimensional gap between their powers, and the sacred light shattered in the blink of an eye.
The blood light on the Demon Blade in Zhong Yuxing's hand surged, and he roared.
"Break for me!"
In the next instant, resentment surged to the heavens, the Holy Fire was nearly extinguished, and the Sacred Sword in Qian Daoliu's hand was covered in cracks, on the verge of shattering.
Sensing the monstrous evil power ahead, the illusions Qian Daoliu had just formed shattered, returning him to reality. However, he had no time to think of anything else; with the Sacred Sword about to break and the two of them standing too close, how to successfully escape was the only problem on his mind.
Watching the Demon Blade draw closer, it was impossible to dodge it completely. Qian Daoliu gritted his teeth, preparing to adjust his posture and take a light injury to evade. But suddenly, a long spear of white flame appeared before his eyes, its tip thrusting directly at the blade's edge.
"Ding--"
Blade and spear collided head-on, emitting a sharp, piercing sound. The power of the triple domain poured frantically into the spear's body, desperately resisting the advance of the blade. With this brief gap appearing, Qian Daoliu moved like a phantom and hurriedly retreated.
Following the line of the flaming spear, what Zhong Yuxing saw was naturally Yun Ming. Watching as this long spear was formed by the condensation of white flames surging from Yun Ming's right hand, he was disdainful; how could a creation of Soul Power contend with a Demi-Artifact? With this thought in mind, he immediately prepared to repeat his old trick; just as he had shattered the Sacred Sword, he would shatter Yun Ming's white flame spear.
Zhong Yuxing used the force of the collision to retract the Demon Blade, then followed up with a head-on slash, the blade trailed by the galloping phantoms of a beast horde, striking down in fury.
"Ten Thousand Beasts Calamity!"
Although a blade is also a sharp weapon, it is not like a sword; most do not rely on agility, but rather on momentum and heavy force, and Zhong Yuxing's blade was the same. As he slashed down a second time, it carried even more dominance and force than the first.
Facing this powerful strike, Yun Ming did not dodge or evade. He exerted force through his feet again, thrusting the long spear in his hand to meet Zhong Yuxing head-on. The power of the triple domain entered the spear once more, and an imperial aura of "Heaven Supporting Earth Upright, moving forward without hesitation" erupted from Yun Ming, the tip of the long spear shining with Lapis Light.
"Absolute Dominance!"
"Ding--"
Blade and spear collided again. It had to be said that the difference between human and god was truly like a chasm; even with the blessing of the triple domain, the Demon Blade could still steadily suppress Yun Ming's white flame spear. Even though Yun Ming mobilized the power of space and the Blood Soul Core to bolster his strength, he still could not cross the line.
Feeling that no matter how much force he used, the struggle was essentially futile, Yun Ming's eyes flashed, and he vanished. Fine, he had confirmed it; this kind of head-on brute force approach was completely unviable.
"Rumble--"
As Yun Ming withdrew, Zhong Yuxing's Demon Blade lost its target and slashed into the ground. A blade light that seemed to cut the heavens shot into the sky, and after a series of earth-shaking tremors, a new, bottomless rift three thousand meters long appeared outside Heaven Dou City.
However, Zhong Yuxing clearly did not care about the destruction he had caused to the ground; he was more concerned with the way Yun Ming had just disappeared and the spear in his hand. It could actually contend with his Demi-Artifact Demon Blade? This was unreasonable! It wasn't a creation of divine power; the energy level of Soul Power shouldn't be able to achieve that.
Had it not been for the fact that after Yun Ming's previous "Eternity," things changed too quickly and his attention was entirely occupied by Qian Daoliu's "Light Judgment," he would have certainly learned the obscure but true fact that Yun Ming's Spirit was a divine artifact.
After Yun Ming activated his Spirit Avatar, the Atlas Divine Spear would become energy and merge with Yun Ming, maximizing his personal abilities. But this did not mean Yun Ming had no spear to use, because Yun Ming also became energy; the two integrated, allowing the energy spear held by Yun Ming to reach the strength of the Atlas Divine Spear. Of course, if it were only this, Yun Ming's Spirit Avatar would be no different from an ordinary one, as both were just enhancements.
The most crucial characteristic of his Spirit Avatar did not lie here, but in other aspects.
Yun Ming did not give Zhong Yuxing a chance to be surprised. Since he had determined that a frontal assault was hopeless, he could only resort to a Blitzkrieg. Suddenly, Yun Ming appeared eerily behind Zhong Yuxing again, his white flame spear thrusting out like lightning, with an exceptionally eye-catching small black ball on the tip of the white spear.
Seeing Yun Ming appear in such an eerie way again, Zhong Yuxing was caught off guard and let the long spear strike his back.
"Crack--snap--"
The total lack of effect he expected did not occur; on the contrary, the moment the spear touched his divine armor, the back armor began to shatter rapidly.
In an instant, a strong sense of crisis surged into his heart. With no time to think, he hurriedly turned around and swept his blade, a shocking blade glow a thousand meters long slashing horizontally. Seeing the blade glow approaching, Yun Ming did not bother to attack further and vanished again, dodging the blade glow while intending to launch an attack from behind once more.
But this time, Zhong Yuxing had clearly learned from the previous lesson. After turning and slashing, he did not retract his move but swung it in a full circle. Sensing Yun Ming's specific location, he adjusted the angle of the blade and unleashed the blade energy once again.
Seeing that nothing could be done, Yun Ming naturally would not force it. His figure flashed, and he arrived beside Qian Daoliu, preparing to find the next opportunity to attack.
This was the first important characteristic of Yun Ming's Spirit Avatar: the merging of man and spear, which took Yun Ming's affinity for and control over space to a new level. In the state of Spirit Avatar, Yun Ming could even enter the Void with his body for a short time. Whether it was the nearly traceless Teleportation or the "Atlas, Annihilation" which had reached a new peak in condensation, both were the results of the Spirit Avatar.
Zhong Yuxing felt the lingering coolness on his back, and his consciousness, previously affected by rage, calmed down. He turned to look at Yun Ming, his eyes filled with disbelief and solemnity.
A mere human actually had the ability to break through divine armor, and his Teleportation was so elusive and traceless that he could only locate him based on where Yun Ming appeared afterward. Didn't this mean the opponent really had the possibility of severely wounding, or even, with a very low probability, killing him! This had already achieved a breakthrough from zero to one. If he still wasn't clear-headed now, then all those years of being imprisoned would have been in vain.
Qian Daoliu and Bo Saixi, who had been watching the battle, were also on the verge of having their jaws drop. The sight of Qian Daoliu's long sword being shattered by a single slash was still fresh in their minds, so why was Yun Ming's style so different from Qian Daoliu's? And the subsequent development was different from the plan they had discussed earlier! How did Yun Ming almost break through the opponent's defense in a single exchange!
Not to mention them, even Yun Ming, who had taken the initiative to attack, hadn't expected it.
If only the Sea God chronicles of his past life had recorded Tang God King fleeing in panic under the Angel God, then Yun Ming would have known. As for the so-called divine armor, even the divine armor of a First-Class God could be pierced by Tang God King's Ring Detonation and Goddess of Mercy's Tears; that his "Atlas, Annihilation" could be reacted to by the opponent was already a sign that he hadn't used his full strength.
However, Yun Ming indeed hadn't used his full strength. He had just attacked to test the waters and probe the opponent's bottom line, while still holding back enough power to retreat at any time! Who knew that the armor on the opponent's body looked intimidating but was so brittle when struck, as if he were acting for him.
Zhong Yuxing said in a deep voice.
"I didn't expect that the human with the lowest cultivation would end up posing the greatest threat to this god."
"To be able to break through this god's defense, you are quite good. This god acknowledges your talent."
The tone shifted, and Zhong Yuxing's voice turned sharp.
"However, it ends here. Next, you will not have another chance!"
Yun Ming could do nothing about the unintended alerting of the enemy; who could have foreseen such an unexpected event. But it was fine; after clearly recognizing the opponent's strength, he felt there was even more hope.
Yun Ming raised his long spear, pointing it directly at Zhong Yuxing.
"You should win before you say that!"
Receiving Yun Ming's signal to attack, Qian Daoliu held his Sacred Sword and followed Yun Ming to launch an attack on Zhong Yuxing once again.
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Translated by: randomtranslator.com
Proofread by: DaoistReader