A century of trials

Meanwhile, at the other end of the Nether God Secret Realm.

Hu Yanbo knew nothing of Bloodfang King's escape or its repercussions.

Besides, even if he had vaguely suspected that the defeated Demon Race King Rank immortal might bring back a stronger foe, Hu Yanbo's resolve, tempered through life-and-death struggles, would never have allowed him to flee in fear without so much as facing the enemy.

Why had he ventured deep into the Nether God Secret Realm?

Wasn't it precisely to make another leap forward through life-and-death combat?

After watching Marquis Glorious Light and his companion leave the secret realm, the Yunmo Star Ship became a streak of light, cruising steadily toward the core region, where the energy was denser and the environment more treacherous.

Inside the cabin, Hu Yanbo stood with his hands clasped behind his back, gazing through the viewport at the increasingly magnificent-and increasingly dangerous-wonders of the secret realm.

Teacher Yuan Huang has already made all the arrangements. Once I return to Chaos City, I need only turn in the Sky-Splitting Divine Envoy Inheritance Crystal to exchange it for a chance to receive the Void Evolution Divine General inheritance.

Hu Yanbo recalled his teacher Yuan Huang's words, full of anticipation for the future.

In that case, there's no need to hurry back. The unique environment of the Nether God Secret Realm makes it an ideal place to hone my secret techniques, Hu Yanbo thought.

I'll explore this secret realm for several hundred years, perhaps even a thousand. There's no harm in waiting until I've fully mastered my High King strength before leaving.

He was confident that, with his current strength, he could roam freely through the Nether God Secret Realm as long as he avoided the deadly zones at its very core.

Aboard the ship, Babata deftly steered around massive energy storms and spatial rifts, pressing deeper along their chosen course.

Hu Yanbo sat cross-legged, leaving a sliver of his attention on the outside world while sinking most of his consciousness inward. He began reviewing his battle with Bloodfang King and working out further variations of the Void Lotus.

Several days later, the Yunmo Star Ship reached a shattered star region swept by exceptionally violent energy tides. Spatial rifts riddled the area, and enormous energy whirlwinds drifted freely like ribbons of colored silk. Ordinary Immortal Army Lords would not dare enter lightly.

"Boss, the scanners show powerful fighters battling up ahead," Babata said.

Hu Yanbo slowly opened his eyes, a sharp gleam flashing through them. "Perfect. Let's go test my edge."

With a thought, he put away the Yunmo Star Ship. His figure slipped silently into space, teleporting behind an enormous asteroid.

In the void ahead, three Immortal Army Lord Peak fighters of the Human Faction were jointly controlling an enormous flaming cauldron, locked in fierce combat with a massive, giant-lizard-like Demon Race High-level Marquis immortal.

The heaven-scorching flames spewing from the cauldron were completely suppressed by the curtain of black water surrounding the Demon Race immortal. The three human immortals were clearly losing, their divine body auras steadily weakening as danger closed in.

"Humans, submit and become nourishment for me!" the Demon Race immortal roared wildly. Its enormous claw tore through the void, sweeping toward the three human immortals with a surge of corrosive black water.

The three human Army Lords went deathly pale, despair flickering in their eyes.

Just then-

"Die."

A calm voice sounded as though it had descended from the highest heavens.

Hum!

Yet his figure appeared like a phantom, without the slightest warning, diagonally above the Demon Race High-level Marquis.

Then he merely raised his hand, aimed a fingertip at the Demon Race immortal, and willed it.

Hum...

A phantom black lotus, its petals still closed and its edges flickering with an illusory black radiance, silently appeared above the Demon Race immortal's head, as though it had always belonged there.

Its savage roar cut off abruptly, and boundless shock and terror flooded its slit pupils!

An absolute chill and a tearing sensation erupted from the deepest reaches of its soul-not from outside, but directly from the very core of its immortal soul!

It was as though countless invisible blades, designed to target its very essence, were frantically slicing apart and dismantling its soul!

"Awooo-!!!"

It let out a distorted, agonized scream unlike any it had ever uttered!

The pain in that scream was hundreds, even thousands of times greater than any injury to its divine body!

Its outstretched claw drooped helplessly. The black water curtain surrounding it rippled violently, then collapsed with a crash.

Its enormous divine body appeared completely unharmed, but its soul aura weakened in an instant like a collapsing avalanche, then was annihilated!

In the blink of an eye, all light vanished from its ferocious slit pupils, and its massive body froze in place.

One strike!

Under the Void Lotus, its soul was utterly destroyed!

Only an instant passed between Hu Yanbo's appearance and the death of the Demon Race High-level Marquis.

The three human Army Lords stared at everything in dumbfounded silence, their minds blank.

A Demon Race High-level Marquis who had driven all three of them into a desperate corner had just... been killed instantly?!

They had not even seen how he had attacked!

With difficulty, the three turned their gazes toward the figure shrouded in faint, flowing flames, his aura as deep as an abyssal sea. Shaken to their cores, they hastily bowed respectfully, their voices trembling with shock. "Th-thank you for saving us, Senior!"

Hu Yanbo gave a slight nod in acknowledgment.

He raised his hand and collected the spoils left behind by the Demon Race immortal, scarcely sparing them a glance before his figure blurred again and vanished in a teleport. The three remained where they were, staring in the direction of his disappearance, unable to recover for a long time, their hearts filled with awe and astonishment.

Over the next several hundred years, Hu Yanbo prowled the depths of the secret realm like a ghost.

Sometimes, he unleashed the Void Lotus, leaving an entire demon alliance squad dazed with a single thought as their souls silently perished;

Sometimes, he overwhelmed technique with sheer force, shattering the sturdy divine body of a Machine Race Early Marquis with a single blade strike imbued with spatial power;

Sometimes, he manipulated space law with exquisite precision, forming an unbreakable prison that trapped his opponents until they died.

At other times, Hu Yanbo sought out a shattered continent or asteroid belt where the energy was relatively stable, carved out a temporary dwelling, and settled into contemplation with the aid of his small scanner.

He reviewed every recent battle. Each reaction from his opponents, every use of energy, and every subtle change in his Void Lotus was replayed and analyzed at high speed within his consciousness.

If I teleport from here to there, I can make the attack arrive one ten-thousandth of an instant faster...

If I can restrain the fluctuations of the soul erosion a little further, its power might become more concentrated...

Drawing on these insights, he continually adjusted and refined every detail of his secret technique, making the black lotus ever more mysterious and unpredictable.

None of the enemies he encountered-whether Early Marquis, High-level Marquis, or eventually even Peak Marquis-could withstand a single exchange with him!

Against immortals below Peak Marquis, Hu Yanbo did not even need to use his full strength. A casual strike was often enough to annihilate their divine bodies.

Marquis-level opponents... can no longer withstand even a single blow. Hovering above a silent asteroid belt, Hu Yanbo felt the divine power surging through his body and gained a clearer, firmer understanding of his current strength.

No wonder true soul masters become rarer and rarer the higher you climb in the universe... he reflected.

In terms of killing efficiency, soul attacks truly are unrivaled at the same level. They can even let you fight above your rank!

Hu Yanbo recalled the descriptions in the original story. Even Peak Kings skilled in physical attacks generally needed a dozen or even dozens of full-power attacks to completely annihilate the divine body of a Peak Marquis with an immortal body.

Yet he, merely a High King, could rely on the strange power of the Void Lotus to strike several times before a Peak Marquis even had a chance to react, directly attacking their soul essence and utterly destroying their soul, leaving the divine body a soulless, walking corpse!

His efficiency was more than a hundred times greater!

Part of that is certainly due to the unique and overwhelming nature of soul attacks themselves. But more importantly, it's because of the Void Lotus... Hu Yanbo knew perfectly well that this was his greatest asset.

A flash of inspiration had guided him when he created the Void Lotus. Its intricacy and destructive intent had far exceeded even his initial conception.

Born from his insights into the Nine Universes Chaos Stele and the soul mysteries of the Abyssal Seal, this secret technique had already reached a terrifying level of power.

If I measure it against the standards that great beings like the Chaos City Lord set for their disciples... Hu Yanbo assessed inwardly.

Although he did not know the exact details, he could vaguely sense the level of his own secret technique.

Even when he had first created it, his Void Lotus had likely possessed the potential to defeat more than nine hundred opponents!

Through these years of secluded cultivation and trials, he had continually refined it, incorporating more of the mysteries of spatial cutting and Soul Annihilation. The lotus of destruction had grown ever more uncanny and unpredictable, its power advancing yet further until it approached the limits of a top-tier secret technique!

Such was the overwhelming might of a soul attack secret technique beyond the highest tier!

It was also his greatest source of confidence: despite being only a High King, he could regard Marquises as ants and even feel certain he could crush an ordinary Initial King!

This realization lifted Hu Yanbo's confidence to an unprecedented peak.

He looked deeper into the secret realm, where the energy was even more violent and rumors spoke of signs of King Level beings.

Perhaps... I could venture a little deeper? Try killing an Initial King immortal? The challenging thought arose in Hu Yanbo's mind.