It had poured everything into that killing blow. Now its old strength was spent, and its new strength had yet to rise!
Xiao Han's punch, meanwhile, contained all his will, all his strength, and the last of the origin power of his two god-level Martial Souls!
Pfft!
A faint sound rang out, like a bubble popping.
His fist, shimmering with chaotic slurry, struck with perfect precision at the center of the crack in the black crystal on the guardian's chest!
Time seemed to freeze completely at that moment.
There was no earth-shaking explosion, no dazzling burst of light.
Only deathly silence.
Then—
Crack... crack, crack...
A dense succession of crisp sounds came from within the black crystal, like a sheet of ice breaking apart.
The guardian's massive body stiffened abruptly, and the violent energy fluctuations around it rapidly receded like the tide.
It slowly lowered its head and watched as its chest crystal, the core of its power, became covered in spiderweb-like cracks at a speed visible to the naked eye. The cracks quickly spread across the entire crystal.
"Hah... urgh..."
A short, raspy sound came from within the guardian, filled with endless unwillingness and bewilderment.
The next second.
Boom!!!
The black crystal exploded with a roar, turning into hundreds of millions of pitch-black firefly lights that scattered in every direction!
Without its core to sustain it, the guardian's massive body, formed of pure shadow energy, began to melt and crumble inch by inch from the point where the fist had struck, like snow exposed to sunlight, or a sandcastle on a beach washed by the tide!
Countless black motes of light rose like drifting ashes, swirling and scattering through the air before gradually merging into the ancient, dark space and vanishing.
The terrifying pressure that had shrouded the entire sacrificial hall from beginning to end vanished like smoke with it.
Only the residual energy from the stone pillars' backlash remained. Like rootless duckweed, it rampaged through the air a few more times before gradually subsiding.
The entire sacrificial hall fell deathly silent.
All that remained... was Xiao Han's heavy, faint breathing.
[Ding!]
[Congratulations, host. You have successfully slain the Fourth Level of Martial Grandmaster Realm ruins guardian (elite template)!]
[Overall evaluation: SSS+!]
[The host has been detected defeating a formidable Fourth Level of Martial Grandmaster Realm enemy with a cultivation of the Sixth Level of the Warrior Realm, crossing two major realms and three minor realms. You have achieved the 'Impossible Challenge' achievement!]
[Distributing rewards...]
[Congratulations, host. You have obtained the special title: 'Fate-Defying Grandmaster Slayer' (when equipped, it exerts mental pressure on enemies at or below the Martial Grandmaster Realm and slightly increases all attributes when fighting Martial Grandmaster Realm enemies)!]
[Congratulations, host. You have obtained preliminary exploration access to the ruins' core area (restrictions on certain areas have been lifted, and some inheritance information can now be explored)!]
[The host's Eternal Night King Martial Soul has been detected absorbing a large amount of pure energy from the same source, and the host's fighting will has surpassed its limits. The opportunity for Martial Soul evolution has been fully triggered! Host, please choose an evolution path or meet the evolution conditions as soon as possible!]
[Congratulations, host. You have obtained a clue to the remaining fragments of the 'Annihilation Divine Fist' (stored in system space; the host may view it at any time)!]
A series of system notifications rang out in Xiao Han's nearly dried-up sea of consciousness, sounding like music from heaven.
Thud!
His taut nerves suddenly relaxed, and boundless exhaustion and agony instantly engulfed him like a tide.
Xiao Han could no longer hold himself up. His vision went black, and his body went limp as he fell backward, crashing heavily onto the cold, battered floor.
There was hardly a spot on his body left uninjured.
His bones were broken in numerous places, his muscles torn, his meridians severed inch by inch, and his internal organs had been shaken into something like mud.
The hole in his left shoulder was still a shocking sight. It was a permanent injury left by the power of annihilation, and even the Chaos Green Lotus was repairing it exceptionally slowly.
Yet an utterly ugly grin spread across his face, filled with the wild joy of having survived a disaster.
"Heh... hehe... I survived..."
The faint words escaped his cracked lips.
A moment before his consciousness sank into darkness, he could feel the Chaos Green Lotus Martial Soul giving off an unprecedentedly gentle green light, wrapping his ravaged body like a warm tide.
Vast, pure life energy began to mend his injuries slowly but surely, nourishing his dried-up soul...
He had won.
In the most brutal fashion imaginable, he had ultimately won this battle that had seemed utterly hopeless.
And the rewards were just as breathtakingly abundant.
Deathly silence.
After the guardian had completely dissipated, the vast sacrificial hall fell into a chilling, deathly silence. Only Xiao Han's own breathing, heavy as a broken bellows, echoed through the empty space.
"Cough... cough, cough..."
Every breath tugged at the broken bones and torn muscles in nearly every inch of his body, bringing piercing agony.
The hole vaporized into his left shoulder by the power of annihilation was especially conspicuous. The destructive energy lingering around its edges was still stubbornly resisting the Chaos Green Lotus's healing. Each surge of green light
was accompanied by a faint sound like ice crystals shattering and an indescribable sting.
He lay on the cold floor, feeling like a puddle of mud that had been violently kneaded. Even moving a finger was beyond his reach. The glaring "SSS+" evaluation and the title "Fate-Defying Grandmaster Slayer" on the system panel seemed especially ironic now.
"Damn it... I almost really bought it here..." Xiao Han pulled a grin, tugging at the wounds on his face. He grimaced in pain, yet couldn't help wanting to laugh. He had survived, in a way that was almost impossible, at the hands of a genuine Martial Grandmaster Realm expert.
The Chaos Green Lotus Martial Soul was now operating with unprecedented efficiency, its gentle yet vast life energy washing over his ravaged body again and again like a warm tide.
His broken bones were slowly knitting together, his torn muscles regrowing, and his dried-up meridians were being nourished and repaired bit by bit.
Though the process was slow, that inexhaustible life force gave him immense comfort and support.
System... I'll give you this much: you do have a bit of a conscience this time... Xiao Han silently grumbled, then began the arduous task of trying to get up.
He braced his right hand, which he could still barely move, against the floor and drew on the tiny bit of strength the Chaos Green Lotus had just restored, trying to push himself up.
The creaking of his bones grinding together was clearly audible. Agony surged through him like a tide, making his vision darken again and again as cold sweat instantly soaked his tattered clothes.
"Hiss..." He drew a sharp breath and clenched his teeth. Relying on his indomitable will, he forced himself up from the floor bit by bit and sat leaning against the wall behind him.
That one simple movement alone had nearly exhausted all the strength he had just recovered.
He gasped for breath and looked toward the center of the hall, where the guardian had dissipated.
There were no physical remains there, nor any treasure chest or altar as he had imagined.
Instead, there was a slowly rotating... vortex of energy, so deep it seemed capable of devouring all light.