Peerless Genius

As Li Che challenged higher and higher levels of the Heavenly Bridge, the scenery within this independent plane constantly shifted.

The sea, the firmament, the starry sky, the stars... Starting from the ocean port at the lowest level, as he defeated one powerful opponent after another, this great bridge stretched all the way upward, extending toward the end of the firmament.

By the sixteenth level, the Heavenly Bridge had arrived inside a star. This was a gigantic sphere that burned eternally, and even though it was merely an illusory thing simulated by the Virtual Universe, it still continuously radiated terrifying heat, scorching the challenger's soul.

"Choose your opponent. You can choose a martial artist, a mental-reader controller, or a mental-reader illusionist. Choose any opponent you wish. Defeat your opponent, and you will pass the sixteenth level." The same ethereal and mighty voice remained unchanged since the first level.

"A martial artist!" Li Che still did not hesitate.

"Swoosh!"

Within the raging, burning star, a ball of hot golden-red flame suddenly descended. The flame slowly writhed, and in the blink of an eye, it transformed into a figure clad in crimson-red battle armor. With dark-gold intricate masks on their faces, their aura shifted slightly, completing synchronization with Li Che.

"Truly formidable. From the first level to the fifteenth level without a hint of pressure; a World Lord like you can truly be called bound for boundless prospects."

The mysterious figure looked at Li Che, seeming to reveal a smile on the face beneath the mask, and said in a deep voice,

"On the sixteenth level, my strength is completely different from before. Be careful; even though you are very strong, you could die at my hands at any moment."

"Swoosh!"

As they spoke, the mysterious figure's aura sank slightly, and the armor on their body surface rippled like flowing water. That armor possessed a deep dark-red hue throughout, wrapping around the mysterious figure's entire body like a dragon-man mecha, with a prismatic crystal embedded in its chest position, from which dense, mysterious patterns spread outward.

Behind that mecha-like armor, there was also a thick, gigantic tail that stirred faint spatial ripples with every swing.

"Flame Crystal Ninefold Tempering Body?"

Li Che was startled. The mecha aura of the sixteenth-level opponent was far too familiar; the "Black Hole Evolution" recorded a body-tempering secret technique named the "Flame Crystal Ninefold Tempering Body", and its aura was extremely close to that armor.

"Flame Crystal Divine Armor. This is an advanced Divine Battle Armor personally designed by the creator of the Ninefold Tempering Body-the Flame Crystal Nation Lord. It is basically sufficient before invincible King. If you are interested, you can go take a look at the points mall."

The sixteenth-level opponent lowered their center of gravity, locking their aura onto Li Che, and spoke in a deep voice.

"Thanks for the reminder."

Li Che raised an eyebrow. He had also discovered a pattern: the higher the level of the opponent, the more they would display a desire for communication. The opponents on this Heavenly Bridge ought to exist like intelligent lifeforms, and they were quite willing to communicate with the strong.

A flash of light crossed his hand, and the heavy, pitch-black Dark Sea Battle Spear appeared in his grip. He had never encountered any weapons over the years that he particularly liked or found especially suitable, but a single battle spear was already sufficient to evolve all combat methods.

"It begins!"

Once both auras climbed to their extremes, the mysterious figure gave a low roar, their entire aura growing increasingly savage and brutal. Dense, illusory scales appeared on their body covered in the Flame Crystal Divine Armor, and they charged fiercely toward Li Che.

That sensation made the opponent seem to transform into a monster carrying a star on its back, reaching the extreme in speed, strength, and technique under the blessing of the might of the laws, smashing toward Li Che.

"This Flame Crystal Divine Armor has some substance to it!"

Li Che raised an eyebrow. He had to acknowledge the prowess of the Flame Crystal Divine Armor; this was akin to perfectly fusing a complete body-tempering secret technique into a set of battle armor, making it quite formidable in both defense and attack power.

Yet it was still not enough!

"Collapse!"

He raised the Dark Sea Battle Spear high, surging powers of the spatial laws rippling outward to condense a deep black hole in midair, carrying peerless might and laws as it smashed fiercely toward his foe.

The pitch-black black hole enveloped the powers of the earth and origin laws of space. The instant it made contact with the Flame Crystal Divine Armor, muffled sounds of metal collisions exploded across the void, layer upon layer of spatial collapse might rippling outward to make even the Flame Crystal Divine Armor seem to emit a mournful wail.

This was the power of the ultimate collapse of the laws!

"Boom!"

Even though the sixteenth-level opponent was very strong, they were still sent flying from this strike. The dark-red flame crystals on their surface were blasted to pieces, and their body crashed heavily against the guardrail at the edge of the Heavenly Bridge.

"So strong!"

The law comprehension and degree of secret techniques of the sixteenth-level opponent on the Heavenly Bridge had already reached the level of advanced Marquis, so naturally they were not so easily defeated. They rolled on the ground, facing Li Che on all fours while the prismatic crystal on their chest throbbed, rapidly brewing a new move.

"Roar!"

The next moment, a low roar resembling a beast issued from the opponent's mouth. They vanished abruptly from where they stood, lashing a giant flame crystal tail toward Li Che. There were tens of thousands of dense tail afterimages, and every single illusory image carried the power of a star.

That was another top-tier combat secret technique recorded in "Black Hole Evolution"!

Without a doubt, this move was completely sufficient to endanger the life of an Undying Deity, even when wielded by a World Lord.

"Guixu Suppression!"

Faced with the dense, indistinguishable whip images, Li Che remained unhurried. The Dark Sea Battle Spear in his hand rose once more, the pitch-black black hole phantoms rapidly intertwining.

Yet this time, many vastly different elements had appeared atop the black hole-that was a type of mighty, sweeping spatial lockdown force that imprisoned all the whip images in place within a split second.

"Boom!"

The spear tip, combining the profound mysteries of spatial lockdown, swept forth with overwhelming force, directly shattering all phantoms of the flame crystal tail with crushing power. The battle spear, containing infinite might, branded itself upon the opponent once more, directly shattering the mysterious figure into pieces right through the Flame Crystal Divine Armor.

"Such a brilliant move!"

In the Virtual Universe, within the palace of Venerable Shi Huo, King Yongbo watched Li Che puncture and kill the sixteenth-level opponent in two moves, unable to help his gaze shining bright as he praised him.

He had previously claimed that Li Che might stop at the sixteenth level, yet he had not expected that this sixteenth level could not obstruct Li Che's footsteps at all.

This indicated that Li Che's law comprehension had completely reached the standards of the Giant Axe Secret Realm, rivaling many advanced Marquis-level Undying Deities.

"That move integrated at least five minor branches subordinate to spatial lockdown; its suppression capability is indeed outstanding enough." Venerable Shi Huo clearly also appreciated Li Che's second move immensely. From that single move alone, one could tell that Li Che's comprehension and application of the laws were both extremely adept.

"For a genius like this, I can accept even something more preposterous," King Yongbo laughed. "Teacher, I now feel that little martial uncle can storm past the seventeenth level."

Hearing this, Venerable Shi Huo-who sat high upon the throne of boundless black flames-glanced at this disciple of his and spoke softly:

"Naturally. Although Yan Poluo's 'Black Hole Evolution' is not as suited to him as the Ancestral God Religion's Black Light Divine General inheritance, given my little martial brother's aptitude, passing the seventeenth level will not be all that difficult."