Within Xiao Han's body, a powerful pressure suddenly erupted, far exceeding the previous probing, vast and boundless.
The imperial aura of the [Eternal Night Void Emperor] (pseudo), along with the chilling shadows and void power, actually rivaled the Iron-Faced Guardian, who was at the peak of the Martial Grandmaster Realm Third Layer, and did not fall behind!
Deep in the valley, beside the stone platform, a figure shrouded in ferocious blood-red armor exclaimed in surprise, "It's you?!"
The Iron-Faced Guardian clearly recognized Xiao Han, and his tone was one of surprise.
How long has it been? This kid's aura has surged to this level!
The initial shock was quickly replaced by an even stronger killing intent and greed.
"You choose the path to heaven but refuse to take it, you insist on barging into the gates of hell! Xiao Han, hand over the Primordial Shadow Source Crystal, and this protector will grant you a quick and painless death!" The Iron-Faced Protector's voice was hoarse, exuding an undeniable domineering authority.
His response was a sudden attack from Xiao Han!
"So noisy!"
Before the words had even faded, Xiao Han's figure had already become a blur.
The "A Step to the Ends of the Earth" footwork, enhanced by the nascent [Eternal Night Void Realm], transformed into fleeting shadows, instantly leaving countless afterimages amidst the encirclement of dozens of elite assassins from the Blood Fiend Hall.
These assassins, the weakest of whom were at least at the fifth or sixth level of the Martial Master Realm, and many of them were at the seventh or eighth level, were laughably slow-witted in front of Xiao Han.
"Puff!"
A flash of cyan sword energy, and a Seventh Level of the Martial Master Realm assassin clutched his throat and collapsed in disbelief.
The purifying power of the Chaos Green Lotus instantly robbed him of his life force.
"Bang!"
The wind howled from the punch.
An assassin at the Eighth Level of the Martial Master Realm, who attempted a sneak attack from behind, was struck in the chest by a fist energy containing the Annihilation True Meaning before he could even touch Xiao Han's clothes.
He exploded, his flesh and blood flying everywhere!
Xiao Han moved with impunity, and every time he made a move, a Blood Fiend Hall elite would perish.
The Eternal Night Monarch's eerie footsteps, the Chaos Green Lotus's sharp purification, and the Annihilation Divine Fist's domineering destruction intertwined in his hands to create highly efficient slaughter.
"How dare you, you brat!" the Iron-Faced Guardian roared, his blood-red figure shooting out.
His withered claws extended, the fingertips flashing a chilling dark red light, and a thick stench of blood and resentment permeated the air.
Blood Soul Claw!
Five blood-red claw shadows, each several meters long, tore through the air with a sharp whistling sound, blocking all of Xiao Han's escape routes.
Wherever the claws passed, rocks silently turned to dust—a vicious and domineering act.
Xiao Han did not take the hit head-on.
He lightly touched the ground with his toes, his body gliding gracefully backward. Using the cliff face and vines, he skillfully changed direction, narrowly avoiding the Blood Soul Claw's direct attack.
Rumble!
The crimson claw shadow landed where he had stood, blasting open five bottomless craters, sending debris flying through the air.
While dealing with the Iron-Faced Guardian, Xiao Han's [Illusion-Breaking Spirit Eyes] was operating at high speed, allowing him to see the entire scene.
He soon discovered a strange phenomenon.
Whether they were ordinary Blood Fiend Hall assassins or the Iron-Faced Protector, during certain lulls in the battle, they would release a barely perceptible amount of their own blood energy, which would silently flow into the pulsating blood-red heart crystal above the stone platform in the center of the valley.
Each time blood and qi flowed in, the blood-red heart crystal beat more powerfully, immediately feeding back purer and more malevolent blood energy that merged into their bodies, making their attacks more ferocious and their aura more sinister.
"I see, this thing is an amplifier, and also a life-sucking pump." Xiao Han realized.
[Ding! Host detected knowledge of the Blood Fiend Hall's sacrificial ritual. God-Level Choice System activated!]
[Option 1: Concentrate your firepower and fight the Iron-Faced Guardian to the death! It's all or nothing! Upon successful defeat, you can seize the core of his cultivation technique. Reward: Blood Fiend Arts), three top-grade healing pills.]
[Option Two: Take a risky gamble and strike at the heart of the problem! Destroy the strange, blood-red heart crystal, triggering its energy backlash and severely injuring the Blood Fiend Hall members. Reward: One Mysterious Soul Jade, [Illusion-Breaking Spirit Eyes] evolution opportunity (low probability).]
Xiao Han glanced at the blood-red heart crystal, a slight smile playing on his lips.
A direct confrontation with the Iron-Faced Guardian?
That old guy is skilled in the Blood Fiend Demon Art, his skin is thick and tough, even if I win in a real fight, I'll be badly injured, not to mention there might be other tricks up my sleeve.
"System, I choose option two! It's all about the thrill!"
The thought flashed through my mind.
On the battlefield, Xiao Han faced increasingly ferocious attacks from the Iron-Faced Guardian, gradually finding himself overwhelmed and in grave danger.
"Kid, let's see how long you can hide!"
The Iron-Faced Guardian grinned maliciously, his attacks becoming increasingly ferocious. Bloodthirsty palm prints piled up one after another, the air seemingly dyed dark red, and a stench filled the air.
Each palm strike carried the power of a landslide, seemingly intent on crushing Xiao Han into dust.
Xiao Han dodged and weaved amidst the fierce attacks, his figure elusive, seemingly in grave danger, yet always managing to avoid a fatal blow by the slightest margin.
The Iron-Faced Guardian unleashed another Blood Fiend Seal, its immense force sealing off all of Xiao Han's escape routes!
Just as the palm print was about to touch Xiao Han's head, Xiao Han's figure twisted strangely, sliding out at an angle that completely defied common sense, just along the edge of the palm wind!
At the same time, a terrifying aura far exceeding the previous one suddenly erupted from Xiao Han's body!
The aura was profound and vast, as if it connected to an ancient and desolate void!
"Not good!"
An alarm bell rang in the Iron-Faced Guardian's mind, and a strong sense of crisis instantly seized his attention.
This kid has been hiding his true strength!
Xiao Han crossed his arms in front of his chest, and the power of the [Eternal Night Void Emperor] (pseudo) within him surged forth without reservation, pouring entirely into his palms!
An extremely deep darkness slowly condensed and compressed in his palm.
Within that darkness, countless minute, imperceptible spatial rifts appeared and disappeared, spewing terrifying fluctuations that sent shivers down one's spine!
It was as if that was not the power of the human world, but a declaration of annihilation from the depths of the netherworld!
"Void - Dark Annihilation Slash!"
With a low shout, Xiao Han thrust both palms forward!
A jet-black blade of light, condensed to its extreme and seemingly capable of devouring everything in the world, burst forth from the void!
Where the light blade passed, visible ripples appeared in space, causing it to slightly distort and deform.
All the attacks launched by the Blood Fiend Hall assassins along the way, whether they were sword flashes, fist winds, or palm strikes, melted silently the moment they touched this dark blade of light, like ice and snow meeting the sun!
This blade of light completely ignored all obstacles on the material level!
Its target is not the Iron-Faced Protector who is right next to it!
Instead, it shot straight toward the center of the valley, onto the stone platform above which stood a blood-red heart-shaped crystal that beat eerily and ceaselessly!
"How dare you!!"
The Iron-Faced Guardian, his eyes blazing with fury, let out a hysterical roar that shook the entire valley!
He wanted to defend, to stop it, but the speed of that dark light blade was too fast, faster than his reaction limit!
It's too far away to reach them!
He never dreamed that Xiao Han's true target was actually the core that the Blood Fiend Hall was refining here— the Blood Fiend Source Core!
This kid is incredibly audacious; he actually wants to destroy their foundation!
"Pfft!"
A soft sound, like a sharp blade piercing rotten leather.
The all-consuming Void Dark Annihilation Slash struck the blood-red heart crystal with perfect precision!
There was no earth-shattering explosion as expected, no deafening roar.
Only a muffled, mournful cry, as if a heart had been pierced, echoed eerily through the valley.
Immediately afterwards, the blood-red heart crystal suddenly trembled violently!
The countless intricate crimson patterns covering the surface of the crystal suddenly shone to their fullest extent, as bright as a blood-red sun!
However, this intense light lasted only a moment before fading away even faster, until it fell into complete silence.
A terrifying power, more than ten times more violent than the bloodthirsty energy previously fed back from the crystal, completely spiraled out of control!
Like a flood bursting its banks, it surged and swept in all directions with a deafening roar!
"Ah--!"
No! My power! My life force!
"Help! Protector, save me!"