The Eternal Night King Martial Soul's "Shadow Devour" ability operated passively, greedily absorbing the pure shadow energy drifting through the air, even the wisps of origin power leaking from the cracks in the guardian's core.
Compared to what he was expending, it was only a cup of water on a burning cart, but it was better than nothing. At least it let the Eternal Night Monarch recover a little strength and keep A Step to the Ends of the Earth going.
Yet the suppression of the guardian's Domain still clung to him like maggots on bone, present everywhere. Every dodge was exceptionally difficult, and every spatial jump felt as if it would tear his soul apart.
This won't work... I can't outlast it by just dodging and harassing it! Xiao Han's thoughts raced.
I have to find a way to weaken its Domain's suppression, even if only for an instant!
Twin Martial Soul... Domain Prototype... overlap?
A crazy idea surged into his mind. The Chaos Green Lotus's Domain governed purification, life and defense, while the Eternal Night Monarch's Domain governed shadows, space and suppression. Their attributes were completely different, even somewhat opposed. What would happen if he forced them to overlap?
No time to worry about that!
Xiao Han's gaze hardened. At his command, the phantoms of the Chaos Green Lotus and the Eternal Night Monarch appeared behind him again. Though much dimmer and more illusory than before, they still radiated the distinctive pressure of god-level Martial Souls.
"Merge!"
With that low shout, he tried to guide the two utterly different Domain powers together and make them converge!
Hum—!
The emerald halo of life and the deep, dark shadows collided!
There was no violent explosion as he had imagined. Instead, like water and oil, they repelled each other, yet under the forceful restraint of Xiao Han's powerful spiritual power, they reluctantly intertwined and merged.
A bizarre Domain spread out with Xiao Han at its center. It was extremely unstable, its light flickering while its edges twisted and trembled.
Half was a verdant green brimming with life, and half was a pitch-black darkness that devoured light. Where the two met, their energies clashed violently, constantly annihilating each other and being reborn, forming a hazy region of chaos.
The moment this makeshift dual Domain formed, the omnipresent sense of spatial distortion and pressure around him really did weaken a little!
Though its range was small and it was extremely unstable, liable to collapse at any moment, it had indeed won Xiao Han a precious sliver of breathing room!
The guardian also seemed to sense the strange Domain interfering with its power. Its attacks grew even more frenzied, countless spatial rift blades surging toward Xiao Han like a tide, seeking to tear the obstructive Domain apart along with the person inside!
But with that brief respite and the slight resistance the dual Domain provided, Xiao Han dodged with noticeably greater ease.
His A Step to the Ends of the Earth footwork also became smoother and more unpredictable. He could even draw on the Eternal Night Domain's power to make shorter but more frequent shadow jumps.
Like a tireless ghost, he darted and roamed through the raging energy storm. Occasionally, he even managed to seize an opening between the guardian's attacks and unleash a trace of Annihilation Fist Intent.
He used it to harass the guardian, striking parts of its body away from the core. Though the attacks could not cause any substantial damage, they further enraged it, making its attacks more chaotic.
Just as Xiao Han struggled to hold on and search for another opening, his pupils suddenly contracted.
The cracks that had covered the black crystal in the guardian's chest had begun slowly... knitting back together, visibly nourished by the shadow energy surging around it!
Though it was not fast, it really was healing itself!
Damn! It can even recover its health? Xiao Han's heart sank.
This damned thing's recovery is way too outrageous! It can even repair the cracks I risked my life to make?
At this rate, once its core fully recovers, that little advantage I have will vanish without a trace. Then I won't even be able to dodge around and harass it. I'll be dead for sure!
I have to hurry! I have to find a way to destroy it completely!
Merely attacking the core crystal was not enough. Or rather, his current strength was insufficient to destroy the crystal completely in a single blow.
There had to be another weakness, or... a special way to counter it!
As he dodged at high speed, Xiao Han's gaze swept quickly across the entire sacrificial hall.
Since this was the ruins of some powerful being, and the guardian had clearly been created to guard the place.
Could the being that created it have left behind some information about it? Or a means of countering it?
His gaze finally fell on the broken stone pillars and the ancient murals on the walls. Though blurred and flaking, their general outlines were still visible!
When he had entered earlier, he had seen what seemed to be depictions of the origins of the Chaos Green Lotus and the Eternal Night Monarch, as well as an earth-shaking battle. The guardian's figure also seemed to have appeared in certain corners.
Could the key to breaking out of this predicament lie in these seemingly unremarkable murals and stone pillars?
The instant his attention wandered, the guardian seized the opportunity. A thick spatial rift appeared abruptly at his side like black lightning and slashed down!
Not good! Alarm bells rang wildly in Xiao Han's mind. He instantly drove the dual Domain to its limit while using A Step to the Ends of the Earth, twisting his body at an incredible angle!
Squelch!
The spatial rift grazed his waist. Though it missed his vital points, it still tore away a large chunk of flesh.
A gash was also instantly ripped open in the dual Domain. The violent clash of energies churned his qi and blood, nearly making him unable to keep the Domain stable.
"Pay attention, kid! Even if you want to die, don't be in such a hurry!" The system's slightly teasing voice suddenly rang out in his mind, lifting Xiao Han's spirits.
"System? Do you have a way?" Xiao Han asked urgently as he dodged in disarray.
"A way, huh... This system is naturally capable of anything," the system said cheekily. "But where's the fun in telling you the answer outright? I've already given you a hint. Go find it yourself. Friendly reminder: if you drag this out any longer, that lump of rock will be back at full health~"
With that, the system fell silent again.
"..." Xiao Han was speechless. This damned system only knew how to keep him in suspense at critical moments.
A hint? The murals? The stone pillars?
He forced himself to calm down. As he continued maneuvering against the guardian, he devoted more of his attention to observing his surroundings.
The scenes depicted in the murals were magnificent: a green lotus towering between heaven and earth, swaying and shining; a dark monarch that devoured all things, reigning over the night sky; and the two fighting side by side against unknown enemies with twisted forms and evil auras.
The guardian's image had indeed appeared in the corners of several murals depicting the great battle. They seemed to be the unknown enemies'... servants or weapons?
Then Xiao Han's gaze suddenly froze on one of the murals!
The mural seemed to depict the end of the great battle. Though the Chaos Green Lotus and the Eternal Night Monarch had routed their powerful enemies.
They themselves had also suffered grievous injuries, their light dimmed. And at the center of the image was neither the green lotus nor the monarch, but a building extremely similar to the sacrificial hall before him!