Advancing to Star King Rank (2)
A huge surprise was mixed with a slight worry. The surprise came from not expecting to reach the critical point of S9 level so quickly. Li Wei had originally thought that the possibility of reaching this stage was not high. The worry came from the fact that he was not prepared. From S9 to 'Star King level', it seems that there is only one level difference, but the strength is like heaven and earth. Because the strength will advance by leaps and bounds, the dangers that come with it will also increase exponentially.
According to Pluto King and the Head Monster, of the 100 S9-level experts they know of who can successfully break through to the 'Star King' level, only one will succeed. Of the remaining 99, half will perish during the process because they cannot control the powerful force at the critical point. The rest will generally either suffer a significant reduction in cultivation or be reduced to their original form, becoming ordinary people. Even those few who do not lose any combat power will forever lose the opportunity to advance again.
This is reality. Opportunities exist, but not everyone can become an unparalleled powerhouse. Besides hard work, luck is also needed. However, for Li Wei, the slight worry about failing to advance only lasted for a moment before disappearing, because Li Wei already possessed the Celestial Sacred Fruit.
Li Wei hurriedly took out the Celestial Sacred Fruit from his bosom and swallowed it without any hesitation.
After the Celestial Sacred Fruit entered the stomach, it did not turn into a liquid like the Hades Fruit, but instead turned into a peaceful mist. Strangely enough, after this mist filled the body, the violent power instantly stabilized.
Outside the training chamber, everyone was waiting. Just then, Pluto King and the Head Monster that had taken over the body of the Prison-Suppressing Ming King rushed over. Hearing that Li Wei was in seclusion, they insisted on forcing their way in.
"What are you two doing?" Zheng Yutong knew she couldn't disturb Li Wei at this moment, so she stood up and stopped the two of them. Behind her, Nina, Xue Yan, and the others also stood up and stood there, glaring angrily at Pluto King and his companion.
Looking at these people whom they could crush with a single finger, Pluto King and the Head Monster both let out disdainful laughter. "Who do you think you are? Get out of my way!"
After saying that, Pluto King raised his hand, and Zheng Yutong and the others were surprised to find that their bodies were as if they were stuck in sticky mud, unable to move.
"Don't worry, everyone, Pluto King won't really kill us. After all, Li Wei has already written some rules to protect us into the code, right... Pluto King!" An Hei suddenly said with a smile, showing no fear of the intense killing intent on the other party's face.
Alliances and friends may seem similar, but in reality, they are fundamentally different. Alliances like Pluto King' are only united because of temporary shared interests; once Mordor is eliminated, they will immediately turn against him. An Hei had already learned this from Li Wei. In fact, while Li Wei was in seclusion, he and An Hei had deduced that Pluto King was likely to cause trouble. After all, if they could disrupt Li Wei's breakthrough, they could maintain a balance of power.
Yes, although Pluto King and the Head Monster are incredibly powerful, far surpassing the combined strength of Li Wei and the rest of them, Li Wei has gradually closed the gap in strength due to the existence of the 'Rule Codex'. A delicate balance has been formed between them, meaning neither can harm the other.
Li Wei and his group lacked the strength, while Pluto King and the others were deterred by the Rule Codex, as well as their fear of the Main God Mordor. It should be noted that the two of them alone could not defeat Mordor, so Li Wei remained an indispensable ally for them.
Even so, both Li Wei's and Pluto King' sides would be more than happy to suppress the other side if they could. That's why Pluto King and the Head Monster rushed over after hearing that Li Wei had gone into seclusion. They weren't stupid; if Li Wei really broke through to the Star King level, they would be in a very passive position.
Thinking of this, Pluto King and the Head Monster exchanged a glance, chuckled, and said, "You've misunderstood. Of course, I wouldn't attack our dear allies. It's just that we just learned some important information about Mordor, and we have to rush over to tell Brother Li Wei. The situation is urgent, and we really can't delay!"
With that, Pluto King continued walking towards the training chamber. He had made up his mind to disrupt Li Wei's training today, no matter what.
However, a figure blocked his way.
An Hei remained unchanged, devoid of joy or sorrow. Even when he wore a smile, it conveyed no genuine happiness. This composure remained unwavering, even when facing Pluto King, who was a hundred times stronger than himself.
"You two should stay here. Whatever important situation you have, just tell me. I'm his strategist, and when it comes to this, I'm far superior to Li Wei!" An Hei squinted and pointed to his head, his meaning clear: just say what you have to say, and I can handle everything. Besides, I'm smarter than Li Wei.
However, to Pluto King and the Head Monster, these words sounded slightly smug.
As powerful figures, they had been led by the nose by Li Wei for so long, yet they couldn't do anything to him. This was already driving them crazy. What made them even more resentful was that Li Wei was clearly much weaker than them, yet he still managed to manipulate them completely. Didn't that mean that the two of them combined weren't as smart as Li Wei?
This matter had already angered Pluto King and the Head Monster, and An Hei's words made them even more embarrassed. The claim that their brains were "smarter" than Li Wei's was just an indirect way of saying that they were both idiots with mush in their heads.
Pluto King' eyes flashed with murderous intent. He really wanted to kill the seemingly smiling but actually icy man in front of him with a single blow, and then extract his soul to torment him. However, he couldn't, because Li Wei's soul egg had already written the rule that one could not attack anyone, including this man, into the code. Of course, the price was that the other party could not attack him either.
Fart!
That's utter nonsense. With his Star King-level combat power, he could stand there and let these people beat him without suffering the slightest injury. He could crush this guy in front of him with just a little finger. There's no doubt that this rule is completely unfair. However, the Rule Codex adheres to the principle of 'relative fairness,' so this rule is enforced, and he absolutely cannot violate it, otherwise the consequence would be death.
Pluto King suppressed the overwhelming killing intent in his heart, sized up An Hei, and said hatefully, "What can your mere S1-level combat strength decide? You'd better call Li Wei out!"
An Hei remained unmoved, as if it had already anticipated the other party's thoughts.
Finally, both the Head Monster and Pluto King were enraged. The former sneered, glancing at the group of people he could easily crush, and said, "Don't think I can't do anything to you. You should know that even if Li Wei is lucky enough to reach S9 level, he is still no match for a Star King. And the possibility of him reaching Star King level is extremely slim. That monstrous genius, Mordor, took nearly 30 years to go from S9 level to Star King level. As for you... you are like ants. Now that the Rule Codex exists, you've become arrogant. Indeed, I can't kill you, but making you suffer a little shouldn't be considered a violation of the rules, right?"
Pluto King grinned maliciously, and then his belly suddenly swelled up, as if many things were wriggling inside. Then, this wriggling mass slowly rose and flowed down Pluto King's throat into his mouth. And then, a scene that horrified everyone happened: Pluto King opened his mouth wide and suddenly vomited a viscous mass of liquid.
Among these insects were many eggs the size of startle eggs, which then burst open one by one, and many small black beetles emerged.
"Underworld Beetle, aren't they adorable? These little bugs won't kill you, but they'll live inside your 'flesh.' Of course, if they're comfortable living there, they'll also lay their eggs inside your 'flesh.' I bet you've never experienced that wonderful feeling... Hehehe!" Pluto King chuckled, and no one knew what he did, but the black beetles on the ground scattered as if they had received a command, crawling towards An Hei and the others.
"Oh no!" Everyone, including An Hei, was shocked. If what Pluto King said was true, then what he did was not breaking the rules. But if he were really parasitized by this disgusting little insect, he would probably be unable to live or die.
The group began using their skills to attack the insects, but they soon discovered that their special abilities were insufficient to truly kill them. Like their creators, these black insects began to Regeneration rapidly after being destroyed, and for every one killed, two more would Regeneration. Soon, the area was filled with these black beetles.
"How pathetic. This is the difference in strength, understand? Even if you temporarily gain safety through some clever tricks, this safety cannot truly protect you. Stop struggling. These beetles are my creations. Their abilities are a hundred times stronger than yours. Just stay there and be parasitized. If you have anyone to blame, blame your own weakness..."
Before Pluto King could finish speaking, a black flame suddenly shot out from the secret chamber. This black flame transformed into thousands of black sparks in the air, which then shot towards the densely packed beetles. A series of crackling sounds were heard, and in the blink of an eye, thousands of black beetles on the ground were burned to ashes.
Before the shocked Pluto King and the Head Monster could react, a voice came from the secret chamber. "You're right, strength is paramount, which is why I've never stopped striving to become stronger. But now, facing an opponent of equal strength, shouldn't you take back what you just said, Pluto King!"