When Zhang Nu sensed that something was amiss with the invaders this time, he swiftly arrived on the scene. This had allowed him to intervene promptly, rescuing the Elven King from the grasp of the intruder. The Qi energy Yan Qianjun had condensed on his blade was rapidly absorbed at an astonishing pace, and even the MP within him was swiftly drawn out.
He felt as if the figure before him was akin to a humanoid black hole. What astounded him even more was that, from the way this figure was conversing with the Elven King, it seemed as if this individual were the actual Demon King! What was going on?
Glancing between Zhang Nu and the humanoid manifestation of Long Yi, Yan Qianjun noticed that both of their races were undoubtedly Abyssal Dragons. However, when it came to their auras, presence, and overall demeanor, there was a stark contrast, and the current figure before him significantly overshadowed Long Yi in these regards.
Zhang Nu carefully sized up Yan Qianjun.
[Hero: Yan Qianjun] Level 6 Overlord.
Skills: Rebirth from within the Flames (S rank), Spatial Turbulence (A rank), Tempest Qi (A rank), Gale Steps (A rank), Dance of Death (A rank), Spatial Movement (A rank), etc.
Description: Once hailed as the most renowned adventurer in the southern borders of the Thunder Empire, Yan Qianjun survived numerous life-threatening situations, earning him the moniker of the Undying Phoenix...
Through the information prompt, Zhang Nu gained insights into the source of Yan Qianjun's abilities.
Hubert, the Undying Phoenix, had encountered peculiarities within ancient ruins, granting him the power of resurrection and spatial magic. Upon becoming a Hero, he slew numerous Demon Kings, acquiring many Demon King talents and breaking through his initial limitations. He had recently advanced to Level 6, showcasing incalculable strength.
Zhang Nu was taken aback. This was the first time he had encountered a Hero of such high caliber and possessing an S ranked skill. "Rebirth from within the Flames " was familiar to him from his encounter with the Inferno Daemon, but Yan Qianjun's version of it far surpassed the latter's one.
The Inferno Daemon's revival relied heavily on its surroundings, requiring locations like lava-filled volcanoes or areas abundant in fire elements. In contrast, Yan Qianjun's resurrection could be triggered anywhere and was incredibly swift, unlike the sluggish nature of the Inferno Daemon's revival.
What an exceptional skill! As for Yan Qianjun's spatial magic abilities, they seemingly stemmed from a top-tier epic equipment called the "Heart of Space," obtained during his extraordinary adventure. It came as no surprise that he managed to reach the rank of Level 6 overlord. Such prowess was undoubtedly well-deserved, even someone as formidable as Nancilia, the Elven King, had nearly succumbed to his might.
"You're the true Demon King!"
After closely observing, Yan Qianjun finally reached a surprising conclusion that was hard to believe. Zhang Nu sneered, "How ridiculous. You 'Heroes' can't even discern your true targets, yet you people are so eager to rush ahead to your own deaths?"
In reality, this wasn't entirely the 'Heroes' fault. The Great Demon King had been exceedingly covert and incredibly shrewd. His appearance was infrequent, and the times in which he personally intervened was even scarcer. This made it remarkably challenging for the Heroes to accurately gauge his real strength. Furthermore, each of his subordinates was fiercer and stronger than the next, which created an overwhelming aura reminiscent of a Demon King. Long Yi being an Abyssal Dragon himself, it was natural for the Heroes to prematurely label him as the Demon King.
Zhang Nu saw this as advantageous. He had no intention of dispelling these misconceptions; instead, he would disseminate misinformation and misleading snippets to perpetuate these misunderstandings and underestimations. This strategy would not only enhance safeness but also maintain his strategic upper hand.
Yan Qianjun's mind raced through countless thoughts, his expression changing repeatedly. Eventually, he decisively activated his spatial magic, vanishing from his original location instantly. Nancilia's face twisted in shock, "Your Majesty, he used his spatial abilities to escape."
Without even trying to fight me? How decisive!
"No worries!"
The Demon King possessed the power to perceive all information, which allowed him to predict that the Hero's spatial abilities were potent. However, the Demon King had not immediately used his domain to trap him, as he was absolutely confident that the Hero could not escape his grasp. Ever since activating the "Spatial-Temporal Dragon" talent, Zhang Nu's vision and perception capabilities had undergone some alterations. He could see spatiotemporal ripples that were invisible to the naked eye and could hear or sense spatiotemporal fluctuations across a radius of hundreds of miles.
"I'll be back in an instant!"
The space surrounding the Demon King contorted, as if strolling into the surface of water, he took a single step forward. In the blink of an eye, he appeared dozens of miles away. Ever since the Spatial-Temporal Dragon talent had enhanced his spatial manipulation ability, long-distance teleportation posed little challenge to the Demon King. Barely had Yan Qianjun completed his teleportation when the Demon King effortlessly closed the gap and caught up to him.
"This can't be!" His expression twisted into sheer horror.
Zhang Nu nonchalantly remarked, "Feel free to keep running. Let's find out if you're faster or if I'm quicker at catching up. Or, if you'd like, you can conserve some energy and have a go at me."
Yan Qianjun was torn between shock and fury, "Damn it!"
"Do you dare belittle me?"
The Demon King's tone carried a mocking note, his attitude akin to a cat toying with a mouse it already had within its grasp. For Yan Qianjun, this was an unprecedented humiliation. Having slain countless Demon Kings, he derived great satisfaction from employing his overwhelming strength to toy with the defeated ones, savoring their futile resistance. Such an experience added a distinct layer of pleasure to his hunts.
However, Yan Qianjun could never have fathomed that such a scenario would befall him. The roles of the Demon King and the Hero had been inconceivably switched.
"Who do you think you are?"
"Really thought you had me figured out?"
"Even if I die, I can take you down with me!"
Yan Qianjun grasped his sword with both hands, dividing himself into four ethereal forms that slipped into shadowy states. He lunged from various angles, launching his attacks against the Demon King. Yet, an uncanny spectacle played out -- his precision and cunning strikes sliced right through the Demon King's figure as if penetrating through thin air. Although his strikes seemed to hit, he felt no physical presence. The figure before him seemed like a mere illusion.
Yan Qianjun made repeated attempts, cycling through skills and harnessing his innate talents, but his efforts proved utterly ineffective against the Demon King. "Is this the extent of your strength? How disappointingly dull. I've grown tired of this game," the Demon King taunted.
In an instant, scores of thick abyssal lightning bolts erupted, striking Yan Qianjun's shadowy form and shattering his combat Qi. The onslaught dealt a series of injuries. What chance did he have? Nothing seemed to affect the Demon King. The Demon King's power dwarfed himself, the vast disparity in their strengths was too absurd.
Before Yan Qianjun could react, the Demon King teleported beside him, effortlessly clutching the Hero's head in his sizable hand and lifting him off the ground. A peculiar energy swiftly pervaded Yan Qianjun's being. He keenly sensed that his once vaunted repertoire of over a hundred skills and abilities was rapidly nullified, rendered useless against this force.
[You are tainted by the "Source of Corruption"! Your talent effects are nullified!]
[You are tainted by the "Source of Corruption"! Your skills are being sealed!]
[You are being eroded by the "Source of Corruption"! All stats permanently decreased by 10%!]
[You are being eroded by the "Source of Corruption"! All stats permanently decreased by 20%!]
A sealing skill? No, this was no mere sealing skill! Ordinarily, it was typically difficult for sealing skills to nullify talent effects, yet now, not only were his talents suppressed, but even his stats faced a substantial reduction. And it was a permanent decrease! What sort of power was this? How could such a force exist in this world?
"Damn you, you wretched monstrosity! Even if I die, I'm taking you down with me!" Yan Qianjun seized the opportunity before his strength dissipated entirely. He channeled every ounce of his power into a ring adorning his left hand.
In the next heartbeat, the area around the ring manifested signs of collapsing and crumbling space. An intense maelstrom of spatial turbulence surged forth, engulfing both the Demon King and the Hero. In the blink of an eye, the chaotic space enshrouded them, emanating a twisting force capable of rending and annihilating all forms of matter. Despite being mostly shattered, Yan Qianjun's face still bore a wild and triumphant grin. "Even if you're immensely powerful, what does it matter? No one can survive this attack. Join me in death!"
Tightening his grasp, Zhang Nu crushed and obliterated the Hero's head.
[You've slain a Level 6 Hero. Hero's soul +1! Skill stone +4!]
Zhang Nu could sense that some of his scales were beginning to fracture. The Demon King's defenses were staggeringly formidable, thus his scales were more resilient than any metal. However, when faced with an assault at the spatial level, even his defense could not guarantee unscathed survival. All tangible entities depended on the foundation of space. If space ruptured or ceased to exist, how could any matter endure? That was the terror of spatial attacks.
In truth, with the Demon King's abilities, he could easily extricate himself and retreat from the spatial turbulence. Yet, his gaze locked onto the epicenter of the spatial rift where a ring was rapidly plummeting along the collapsing point. This ring was none other than the supreme epic equipment: the Heart of Space! The Hero's spatial power originated from this item. As things stood, the ring was about to fall into the collapsing point, vanishing into the boundless void.
What a pity! It had to be retrieved!
If anyone else knew of this, they would surely deem the Demon King mad. No form of matter could draw near the chaotic currents of space. Despite this, the Demon King moved resolutely toward the heart of the maelstrom. He triggered his Spatial-Temporal Dragon form.
In an instant, a transformation overcame the Demon King's body. Those obsidian gold scales shifted into a shimmering silver-white. His body assumed a dreamlike, ethereal quality, suspended between matter and energy. Though the tempestuous special currents lashed against him, it could not budge him an inch. This was the power of his newfound talent. The Spatial-Temporal Dragon form endowed him with the ability to defy the resistance of time and space. Hence, he possessed exceptional temporal resilience. Even amidst the tumultuous currents of spatial rifts, he remained entirely unaffected.
Zhang Nu strolled casually into the epicenter of the chaos. Surveying his surroundings, he marveled at how the whole world had twisted due to the warping of space. It felt as though he existed within an abstract oil painting.
Amusing.
With a deliberate pause, Zhang Nu savored the scene for a couple of seconds. Only then did he act. He ensured that, just before the ring disappeared into the void, he retrieved it from the point of collapse. Then, he advanced slowly, undeterred by the spatial vortices. With a composed stride, he emerged from the spatial turbulence with ease. Dismissing his transformation, the silver-white radiance faded. Zhang Nu's form reverted to its usual, deep golden obsidian hue.