Battle to Madness

The Abyssal Will went berserk.

Faint ripples spread outward. One, two, three... a full thirteen phantoms flashed into existence: a mutated Abyss Snake with nine heads, a humanoid demon wreathed in lightning and thunder... Each one stood tall and majestic, their dominance soaring to the heavens. Though they were merely phantoms shaped by the Abyssal Will, simply standing there placed immense pressure on Er Dongsheng.

Thirteen extraordinary figures from Abyss history had been replicated by the Abyssal Will, yet they still carried the overwhelming dominance of their original masters, an aura that had awed countless planes and made all races tremble in reverence, never once fading away.

"What is this?"

As Er Dongsheng stared at the thirteen overwhelmingly dominant phantoms before him, his Martial Dao Will continuously warned him that these were dangerous demons capable of annihilating both his body and soul in an instant!

"These are the Abyss's supreme overlords. Across endless ages, only thirteen ever appeared. All of them were Ancient Demons. Though they were Demon Lords, they possessed power far greater than ordinary Demon Lords. Each was an unparalleled figure who had dominated the ages, and every one of them had led Abyss Demons in invading and destroying countless Sunlight Planes. They were sung of by innumerable Abyss Demons and feared by countless planes!" The system found the answer within Er Dongsheng's inherited memories.

Heavenly might surged boundlessly. Though it was merely a wisp of the Abyss's Heavenly Dao Will, it possessed the complete majesty of the Heavenly Dao. At the final moment, seeing that it could no longer endure, the Heavenly Dao Will revealed its trump card.

"Roar..."

A golden figure emerged. It was the phantom of a Nine-Headed Serpent. Its nine heads stared coldly at Er Dongsheng, their eyes filled with indifference, without the slightest ripple.

"Boom!" It suddenly stepped forward, one foot breaking through the obstruction of the Ink Spirit Flame and planting itself before Er Dongsheng.

"Damn it, it can come out? Is it forcing me to fight personally?" Er Dongsheng gritted his teeth and decided to take the field himself.

Those who pursued martial arts refused to bow beneath others. They possessed their own unyielding will. Since ancient times, a single disagreement meant blades drawn against one another, blood splashing five paces away. That was a warrior—battling heaven and earth, never admitting defeat. And Er Dongsheng happened to be the sort who would still refuse to turn back even after crashing into the southern wall.

"Then come. Fight!"

Such an opportunity—to battle Ancient Demon Lords renowned across the myriad worlds—was something one could only dream of. To a martial artist, it held extraordinary meaning.

With one step forward, all nine heads attacked Er Dongsheng at once. Wind, water, fire, lightning, light, darkness, poison, and more—nine elemental attacks arrived in an instant.

Worthy of the Ancient Nine-Headed Serpent, a Demon Lord that controlled the elements of countless planes.

This was a world of consciousness, perfectly recreating Er Dongsheng at his strongest. His twin claws shot forth, striking the streams of elements flying toward him. "Bang! Bang! Bang!" Ringing metallic clashes echoed out. Those elemental attacks could not break his defense at all; they were nothing but futile effort!

"Good! I am at my strongest right now, while you are only puppet phantoms summoned by a weakened Heavenly Dao Will. Since that's the case, let's have a proper battle. Let me see just how powerful you Ancient Demon Lords truly are!"

"Boom!" A cannon fist crashed viciously into the Nine-Headed Serpent's body.

Er Dongsheng's fist split the vast starry sky. He fought to the point of madness, attacking head-on with broad, unrestrained movements. Every punch resonated with that simulated body; his essence, energy, and spirit twisted into a single strand, unleashing this body's strongest offensive force. It was as if he had transformed into a Demon Lord himself, his dominance towering over the heavens.

"Inch Force, Consecutive Strikes!" His attacks accelerated. Sharp fist force poured through his fists and blasted into the Nine-Headed Serpent's body. Every blow drew blood, piercing deep into its interior. Vast chunks of black matter peeled away and dissipated—that was the Heavenly Dao matter forming the Nine-Headed Serpent phantom.

"Boom!" With a crisp crash, Er Dongsheng exchanged another blow with the Demon Lord. Both sides retreated several steps at once.

"Worthy of a renowned ancient Demon Lord. It is only a phantom, and it is even on someone else's home ground, yet it is still this formidable. Admirable, admirable!"

"But it isn't over yet! Come, fight again!"

At this moment, Er Dongsheng seemed possessed by a war god, controlling his strongest self as he once more battled the strongest ancient demons!

His most primal instincts were unleashed. He existed only to fight!

Kill!

Once again, he flashed before it, leaped into the air, and unleashed that incomparably familiar Heavy Cannon strike. Then...

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

The enormous Nine-Headed Serpent phantom was sent flying backward, crashing back toward the Heavenly Dao Will as its form began to collapse!

Er Dongsheng did not press his advantage. He halted his forward charge and looked domineeringly at the remaining twelve figures opposite him. Now, he was brimming with confidence.

Roar!

Er Dongsheng let out a long, piercing howl, releasing every humiliation the Heavenly Dao had inflicted upon him during this time!

Come, fight again!

Er Dongsheng roared. Specks of blue light began to shimmer in his eyes. He was exhilarated to the extreme. Within this soul space, free from every form of Heavenly Dao suppression, his abilities had been completely unleashed.

At this time, the system began using the Ink Spirit Flame to actively restrain the Abyssal Will, while Er Dongsheng charged toward the thirteen phantoms and became locked in battle with them.

"Ah!"

With a long roar, Er Dongsheng sent a humanoid Ancient Demon Lord flying with one punch. He spun and smashed his fist toward another demon attacking from the side, only to suffer a sneak attack from behind. It was a demon outside the battle circle, attacking from afar!

One misstep led to missteps upon missteps; a single wrong step meant a bottomless Abyss. After being successfully ambushed, Er Dongsheng endured even fiercer attacks from the other Demon Lords. Demons knew nothing of shame—striking when you were sick and taking your life was their style! Though these were only phantoms, the Heavenly Dao's simulation was no careless imitation. If it was not a hundred percent accurate, it was at least eighty or ninety percent alike!

"Pfft!" He crashed heavily to the ground and spat out a mouthful of rebellious blood, which turned into a wisp of black smoke and dissipated!

"Fuck, what a huge loss!" Er Dongsheng stared at the fading black smoke. That had been his precious mental energy!

It seemed he had no choice but to get serious! He rose and exchanged another blow, then turned and retreated.

His left hand formed a hand seal while his right hand tapped several points across his body in succession. Since this was a mental world and he was in his most ideal state, the Daoist School arts from his previous life could also be used here.

"Eight Gates Technique—Gate of Opening, Gate of Rest, Gate of Life, open for me! Open! Open!"

"Boom!"

As Er Dongsheng's words fell, an even more immense aura erupted from his body. It was as though a level-twelve storm had swept through the game hall. For a moment, Er Dongsheng's transformation drew the attention of every demon present. Even the system and the Heavenly Dao Will stopped fighting, as if waiting for the outcome here!

"Hahaha, so strong, so strong! I never expected the enhancement of these arts to make me this powerful!"

"But this still isn't enough. Far from enough!"

Specks of crimson had begun to surface in Er Dongsheng's blue eyes. His expression was frenzied. To him, this battle was now an enjoyment; a worthy opponent was not easy to find!

"Come, come, fight again!"

"Gate of Injury, Gate of Limit, Gate of View, Gate of Wonder—blast them all open for me!" His right hand continuously tapped across his body. By now, he had opened seven of the Eight Gates, reaching his body's limit. He was mad to the extreme!

"Come!"

His savage eyes locked viciously onto the twelve phantoms opposite him, each as unfathomable as an abyss and as vast as a sea. In an instant...

Boom!

It resounded through the heavens...