Hong, Thunder God, I don't mind taking you both on

"Could his strength already rival the First Speaker's?"

It wasn't just the now-dead Atkin who had found it unbelievable. Councilor Fal and the others watching nearby also stared in disbelief as Atkin's lifeless body fell.

If Li Xin could instantly kill Fifth Speaker Atkin while he was wearing the Black God Set, he could instantly kill anyone present.

Everyone there felt profoundly relieved that they hadn't mocked Li Xin as Atkin had. Otherwise, they might have ended up dead just like him!

"Hmm?"

Just then, Hong, who had subdued the cloud-touching vine, sensed what had happened and immediately rushed over.

This was Li Xin's first time seeing Hong in person. He was a man in a black jacket and trousers, with short black hair and an icy gaze.

"First Speaker!"

When Councilor Fal and the others saw who had arrived, Hong's gaze sent a chill through their hearts, leaving them without even the slightest thought of resistance. He was the sole god between heaven and earth!

"Councilor Li Xin, you should know the rules of the War God Palace. Humanity is far weaker than the monsters. Every councilor is a powerful asset in our fight against them and should not die at the hands of a fellow human."

Hong stared at Li Xin and questioned him coldly.

"The strong make the rules. I remember you killed several Councilor Level experts to establish your authority when you first rose to power, didn't you? Now that I've just risen to power, naturally, I need to kill a few to establish mine. Otherwise, idiots will keep coming to provoke me."

"Besides, I can produce thousands upon thousands of pieces of trash at this level. Killing every monster and reclaiming humanity's territory is only a matter of time!"

Li Xin now had the strength to face Hong. He could say whatever he wanted and naturally had no reason to fear him.

"Hahahaha! Well said. The strong make the rules in this world. Back then, I was the strongest, so I established the rules of the War God Palace."

"Now that you refuse to follow them, you're saying you believe you have the strength to stand against me. Then let's fight!"

The moment Hong saw Li Xin, his powerful perception had already made it clear that the man before him was formidable. Naturally, he wanted to fight him.

"Hahahaha! Brother Hong, why not let me fight him first?"

A purple bolt of lightning raced over from the horizon, accompanied by hearty laughter.

Only after he arrived did Li Xin get a clear look at him: a bald monk in white robes, clearly of mixed ancestry.

Combined with the way he addressed Hong, there was no doubt that he was Thunder God, the master of the Thunder Dojo.

"I challenged him first, so naturally, I go first!"

Apart from Thunder God, Hong hadn't had an opponent on Earth for a very, very long time. Now that he had encountered someone as strong as Li Xin, he naturally wouldn't yield to Thunder God.

"There's really no need for you two to argue. I don't mind taking you both on!"

Li Xin's tone carried confidence and arrogance, as though he didn't take either of them seriously at all.

"Madman!"

Councilor Fal and the others could scarcely believe their ears.

In their eyes, Hong, the strongest man in the world, was as inconceivably powerful as a god. Thunder God's strength was roughly equal to his.

Yet Li Xin had declared that he would challenge both Thunder God and Hong together. It was simply the worst joke they had ever heard in their lives.

"Thunder God and I won't team up. I hope your strength is greater than your boasts!"

Laughing loudly, Hong charged forward with his spear in hand, instantly reaching a speed exceeding fifteen times the speed of sound!

"Too slow!"

That explosive burst of speed might have seemed fast to anyone else, but to Li Xin as he was now, it wasn't fast enough.

Two small golden swords from the Star Annihilation Circle immediately carried Li Xin streaking to the left, putting ten kilometers between them in the blink of an eye.

Having only learned the secret techniques of a Mental Master Controller so far, he naturally wouldn't choose to fight Hong at close range. Creating distance first was the foremost principle when a mental master fought a warrior.

Whoosh!!!

The 111 small golden swords instantly assembled into a three-foot golden longsword. Driven by Li Xin's telekinetic power, it became a streak of light and shot forward at extreme speed.

"That's the move that killed Atkin. It's even faster than before!"

Councilor Fal and the others cried out when they saw Li Xin unleash the move.

"So fast!"

Both Li Xin's earlier flight speed and his current attack speed astonished Hong.

Previously, the fastest speed he had ever seen was Thunder God's. Yet Li Xin was clearly much faster than Thunder God in every respect.

"World Annihilation!"

Hong didn't dare let his guard down in the slightest. Facing Li Xin's attack, he unleashed his strongest move.

His genetic origin energy enveloped his spear, and all the strength in his body poured into its tip. The spear struck like a dragon, capable of annihilating the world with a single blow. This was the highest realm of the World Annihilation technique he had created!

Boom!!!

As the spear tip collided with the sword tip, the aftershock of their terrifying power swept across dozens of kilometers, instantly scattering the clouds and mist within hundreds of kilometers.

"What terrifying power!"

Having taken Li Xin's attack head-on, Hong was blasted backward more than a dozen kilometers. Both hands gripping his spear throbbed with pain from the impact. Without the Black God Set, the bones in his hands might have broken.

"What? Brother Hong actually lost in a head-on clash with Li Xin!"

Watching this unfold, Thunder God's eyes nearly popped out of his head. He knew Hong better than anyone else in the world.

In this state, Hong was already fighting at almost full strength, with only his domain left unused. If he still lost like this, then his domain was the only thing that could turn the tide.

"No wonder he dared tell Brother Hong and me to team up. I really want to fight him myself!"

Despite those words, there wasn't the slightest fear in Thunder God's eyes, only a restless eagerness for battle.

For more than a decade, hadn't he and Hong been hoping that Earth would produce someone who could match them, or even surpass them?

Now, Li Xin's emergence fulfilled precisely that hope.

"Again!!"

After being driven back and experiencing Li Xin's terrifying strength, Hong's fighting spirit was ignited as well.

As he steadied himself, he used his power to accelerate with light, trying to close in on Li Xin. He knew perfectly well that his only chance of winning lay in getting close!

But while Hong's plan was sound, reality was cruel. Li Xin's flight speed far surpassed his.

No matter what Hong did, Li Xin consistently maintained a distance of exactly ten kilometers from him, no more and no less.

After their first clash, Hong stopped meeting Li Xin's attacks head-on. Instead, he used various methods, such as bending light and redirecting force, to evade them.

Yet the repeated clashes still left Hong suffering.

Being kited and attacked relentlessly while unable to reach his enemy was unbearably frustrating. If this continued, even with the Black God Set, he would lose to the injuries accumulating from their repeated clashes.