The roar of the Soul-Devouring Demonic Lion grew closer, rocks continued to fall from the cave ceiling, and the entire cave shook violently. Loran shielded the Qilin cub behind him, his eyes fixed intently on the cave entrance.
"Come out, Loran! Do you think you can escape death by hiding here?" Karen's mocking voice came from outside the cave.
Loran took a deep breath, channeling his Divine Essence to its limit, golden light blazing around him. He knew that today's only option was to fight. Even if he couldn't win, he would fight with all his might, at least to protect the innocent Qilin cub behind him.
At the cave entrance, the massive body of the Soul-Devouring Demonic Lion squeezed in, its eerie green eyes fixed on Loran, black saliva dripping from its mouth corroding the ground with a sizzling sound. Karen followed closely behind, standing with her hands behind her back, looking at Loran with icy eyes, as if she were looking at a dead man.
" Loran, give up resisting. Just accept your death, and I might leave you a whole corpse." Karen's tone was indifferent.
"You think you can take my life?" Loran sneered, forming hand seals as golden Divine Essence condensed into two spears that hovered in front of him.
"Stubborn fool!" Karen's eyes flashed with anger as she said to the Soul-Devouring Demonic Lion, "Kill him!"
The Soul-Devouring Demonic Lion roared and pounced on Loran, its claws carrying a destructive aura, aiming straight for his chest. Loran was prepared; two golden spears in front of him shot out instantly, carrying a dazzling golden light, piercing towards the Soul-Devouring Demonic Lion's eyes.
Seeing this, the Soul-Devouring Demonic Lion hurriedly dodged to the side, the golden spear grazing its cheek and leaving two deep holes in the rock. Taking advantage of the opportunity, Loran lunged forward, his fist enveloped in dense Divine Essence, and slammed it hard towards the Soul-Devouring Demonic Lion's head.
With a loud bang, the Soul-Devouring Demonic Lion was forced back, a crack appearing on its scales, from which blood seeped. It roared, opened its mouth, and spat out a black beam of light to retaliate against Loran.
Loran dodged the black beam of light with a flash, and at the same time, a golden blade of light condensed at his fingertips, slashing towards the neck of the Soul-Devouring Demonic Lion. The golden blade of light was extremely sharp, but when it came into contact with the scales on the neck of the Soul-Devouring Demonic Lion, it was deflected, leaving only a shallow white mark.
"The defense of these scales is incredibly strong!" Loran was secretly shocked. He could sense that the Soul-Devouring Demonic Lion's scales had been enhanced by the power of the Destruction Divine Power, making them impenetrable to ordinary Deity Level attacks.
Karen watched coldly from the sidelines, occasionally intervening to distract Loran and keeping him busy. Loran was attacked from all sides and gradually fell into a disadvantageous position. The golden shield around his body had developed multiple cracks, and his Divine Essence was also greatly depleted.
" Loran, you're finished." Karen chuckled, raising her hand to conjure an even more powerful blade of destruction. "Prepare to die!"
The black blade of destruction, carrying terrifying power, slashed towards Loran. Loran's pupils shrank sharply as he tried to dodge, but he was entangled by the Soul-Devouring Demonic Lion and unable to break free. Just at this critical moment, the Qilin cub behind him suddenly let out a clear roar, and its body burst forth with dazzling golden light.
A golden beam of light shot out from the single horn atop the Qilin cub's head, instantly striking Karen's Blade of Destruction. The golden beam of light collided with the black Blade of Destruction, producing a deafening roar, and both vanished into thin air.
Karen and Loran were both stunned. They hadn't expected that this seemingly weak Qilin cub would possess such immense power.
The Qilin cub landed, wobbled over to Loran's side, rubbed its head against his leg, and its golden eyes were filled with determination. It seemed to be saying that it wanted to fight alongside Loran.
Loran felt a warmth rise in his heart. In this desperate situation, this unfamiliar Qilin cub had chosen to believe in him and protect him.
"Good partner!" Loran whispered, reaching out to stroke the head of the Qilin cub.
Karen's face darkened; he hadn't expected things to turn out this way. This Qilin cub possessed pure life force, which perfectly countered his Destruction Divine Power. If Loran and this Qilin cub joined forces, things would likely become much more troublesome.
"Since that's the case, then let's die together!" Karen's eyes were fierce, and the Destruction Divine Power around him surged wildly. Black mist enveloped him, and his aura became increasingly violent.
" Divine Punishment of Destruction!" Karen shouted, forming hand seals. A gigantic black palm materialized in the sky, carrying the power to destroy everything, and slammed down towards Loran and the Qilin cub.
Loran's expression turned solemn; he could sense the terror of this attack. He shielded the Qilin cub beneath him, and at the same time, his Divine Essence energy erupted, condensing into a massive golden shield to block the attack from the black palm.
"Bang!" The black palm collided with the golden shield with a loud crash. The enormous impact caused Loran to spit out a mouthful of golden blood, and the golden shield was instantly covered with cracks.
The Qilin cub let out an angry roar, and the golden light around its body became even more dazzling. A more powerful golden beam shot out from the single horn on its head, striking the black palm. Under the impact of the golden beam, cracks appeared on the black palm, and it finally vanished with a bang.
Karen was forced back by the backlash, his face pale and black blood spilling from the corner of his mouth. He hadn't expected the young Qilin to be so powerful.
Loran seized the opportunity, unleashing all the remaining Divine Essence within him, transforming into a golden streak of light as he charged towards Karen. In his hand, a golden longsword materialized, its blade covered in mysterious runes and radiating powerful divine energy.
" Judgment of the Gods!" Loran shouted, his longsword flashing with golden light as he slashed towards Karen. This strike contained all his power, as well as the hatred and obsession in his heart.
Karen's pupils contracted sharply as he tried to dodge, but it was too late. The golden longsword pierced his chest in an instant, shattering his Divine Spark. Karen stared at Loran in disbelief, his eyes filled with fear and resentment.
"No... I'm not reconciled..." Karen's voice grew weaker and weaker as her body gradually turned into black energy particles and dissipated into the air.
Having dealt with Karen, Loran could no longer hold on. His legs gave way, and he collapsed to his knees. His Divine Essence was completely depleted, and he felt intense pain in the damaged parts of his Divine Spark. His vision blurred.
Upon seeing Karen's death, the ferocity in the Soul-Devouring Demonic Lion's eyes faded.