Williams rolled dozens of meters away, but he was still alive. He spat out a mouthful of blood and, without a word, brought his hands together.
Imago—
Punishment Demon Saint!
Rumble.
A faceless demon giant, dozens of meters tall and covered in black demonic markings, appeared on the snow.
The instant it appeared, it opened its mouth toward Lu Feiming and spat out a ball of light.
There was no chance to dodge—
A blinding flash.
Lu Feiming took the hit head-on. A thunderous blast shook Heaven and Earth for dozens of miles around him.
The ground collapsed.
A hole tore open in the sky.
The blazing pillar of destruction lasted seven or eight seconds before slowly fading.
Xi hovered far above, gazing down at the world-Annihilation scene. She murmured:
"What astonishing power... All of it compressed into one area, leaving the rest of the world intact while multiplying the destruction within it severalfold."
"What a terrifying Imago!"
Every last glimmer went out.
Lu Feiming reappeared, covered in wounds, yet understanding shone in his eyes.
"Advanced Imago... So that's how it works..."
He murmured under his breath.
In truth,
This battle had begun before Williams even arrived.
It began the moment he said, "I have a feeling he'll be back";
the moment Xu Yuan said, "...I have something to impart to you";
that was when their preparations for this battle began.
Xu Yuan had imparted the method for cultivating Advanced Imago to him.
And Xu Yuan himself?
He had left Xi behind as support outside the fight, then stepped away for the time being. That ensured he could join the battle whenever needed and use the thirty-second ad to separate the two sides.
That still wasn't enough.
To counter the killing power of Advanced Imago, Xu Yuan had skipped the