RoleplayNovel Chapter 342 - 335: Shi Ming VS Abyss Lord
Chapter 342 - 335: Shi Ming VS Abyss Lord
Even though he had fought the Abyss Lord three or four times before, Shi Ming, now in his three-headed, six-armed form, could still feel a terrifying malice rising from the depths of the sea.
At the same time, an alarm rooted in his most basic survival instincts crept up his spine.
Such was the presence of the most ancient of the Holy Hall-level Sea Beasts.
The Red Pattern on Shi Ming’s right arm flashed, and the oppressive presence vanished. Gripping the Blade of Chaos, his eyes flickered as a notification from the Eye of the World quietly appeared in his mind.
[The Eye of the World has seen an opportunity for evolution and brings you first-hand intelligence!]
[Holy Hall 006: Abyss Lord]
[...]
[As an ancient creature, its intelligence is also exceptional!]
[In previous battles, the Abyss Lord realized the power of the "Eternal Life Law." A top-three S-rank skill is a significant nuisance even for a Holy Hall-tier Sea Beast. Therefore, it will initiate ranged attacks first this time to prevent its core from coming into direct contact with the "Eternal Life Law," which would cause a brief period of paralysis.]
[Its 1,069 evil tentacles will attack simultaneously! The Evil Touch Forest is about to descend!]
SPLASH!
Overwhelming malice surged up from within the tsunami!
More than a thousand evil tentacles shot straight up from the deepest part of the ocean, raising a thorny forest that blotted out the sky within the Chaotic Divine Country. It overlapped with the slowly tilting ground, and Other Shore Flowers grew upon the blinking-eyed forest of tentacles. The combination was possessed of a strange, malevolent beauty!
The Abyss Lord was using its ultimate move right from the start!
Extremely Evil Sanctuary!
Shi Ming activated the Black Tortoise Shield just in time, perfectly deflecting the first wave of tentacles from the Extremely Evil Sanctuary. The dozen or so tentacles that struck his body were hit with 50% reflected damage and were reduced to a pile of gore.
Even when facing a skill one tier higher than his own, the Black Tortoise Shield could provide him with perfect defense.
In a battle between experts, every second counted.
A chilling aura emanated from the six eyes on Shi Ming’s three heads. In the oppressive heat of the Sea of Boiling, this cold became tangible, and brilliant ice crystals formed on his bristling hair and eyebrows. The Blade of Chaos in his hands instantly condensed a frigid blade glint. As he swung, a river of ice crashed against the evil tentacles. Like a scythe through grass, the Blade of Chaos mowed them down, cleanly severing nearly a hundred at once!
ROAR!
The Abyss Lord’s body, hidden on the seafloor, let out a piercing shriek!
The severed tentacles did not sink to the bottom of the sea.
They dissolved into a thick slime that floated on the real sea’s surface, above the illusory Divine Country. As the waters swayed, small eyes began to open one after another. Their pupils reflected malice, sin, and corruption, and from between them, new, smaller tentacles began to sprout!
They latched onto the Other Shore Flowers within the Chaotic Divine Country and began to devour and merge with them.
The corruption also began to invade Shi Ming’s mind.
Skill: Sinful Abyss!
But the Abyss Lord had clearly underestimated the strength of Shi Ming’s Spiritual Power. Unlike other creatures that were easily corrupted, Shi Ming’s mind was perfectly clear and unshakeable. Even though this corruption originated from a Holy Hall Origin, it could not sway his will. With his mind lucid, the Ice Blade in his hand moved even faster, cutting down more of the sky-blotting tentacles.
"Abyss Lord!"
"Hiding your main body beneath the ocean? Are you too afraid to come up?"
"If that’s the case, then I’ll just have to turn the entire Sea of Boiling upside down!"
The water was the Abyss Lord’s domain.
The corruption used the seawater as a medium, allowing it to spread and seep in faster. Shi Ming had no desire to enter his opponent’s home turf. He gripped the Blade of Chaos and activated the powers of the Nine-Headed Sanctuary and the Fallen Sanctuary. His three-headed, six-armed form swelled to a height of twenty meters, and the sharp blade in his hand grew in proportion!
Three heads and six arms, wielding a colossal blade.
ROAR!
A draconic roar rumbled from Shi Ming’s throat. He wielded the giant blade, its cold light streaking through the Sea of Boiling like the Milky Way. Across this scorching sea, a glacier formed, stretching for several nautical miles. Wherever the ice advanced, the evil tentacles snapped and fell, crumbling to pieces.
The corruption spread.
Shi Ming’s fourth arm summoned a destructive catastrophe.
A kilometer-long fissure tore open in the sky above the Chaotic Divine Country.
Lava poured down from the fissure like blood, drenching the forest of tentacles. SIZZLE SIZZLE SIZZLE! Ah Jian, who was hiding and ready to act at any moment, even smelled a tempting, fragrant aroma, like perfectly grilled octopus with a blend of sizzling fat and savory sauce. It made the little insect’s mouth water.
To Shi Ming, however, the smell was not the least bit appealing.
As the master of destruction, Shi Ming could trigger multiple disasters at once.
The tsunami continued to rage. The glacier and the lava created a world of two extremes, ice and fire, turning the Sea of Boiling into a vision of hellish apocalypse. Fortunately, no other living creatures dared to venture into this sea anymore, so the collateral damage was nearly zero.
Pure Destructive Power, the power of chaos, and the power of corruption tore at one another. In the eye of the storm, the twenty-meter-tall figure of Shi Ming stood indomitably, like the core of a meat grinder.
A feast of flesh and blood was underway upon the Sea of Boiling.
’I’ll see how long you can keep cowering.’
...
...
...
The Three-Eyed Golden Crow trembled at the bottom of the sea.
Though not a part of the battle, it could already feel two—no, three—powerful and extreme forces clashing and tearing at each other on the surface.
These powers far surpassed the S-rank level.
If it dared to show its face, it would surely become a casualty and perish on the spot.
’Is this the scene the Great Prophecy Technique foresaw?’
’No.’
’It can’t be.’
It sensed that the one fighting the Abyss Lord was a human. The human’s aura was quite familiar—it was the same one who had nearly killed it before, the one who possessed the "Descent of the Titan" ability!
’Thank goodness it’s not a black dragon.’
’It seems today is not the day of the prophecy.’
’That’s good. A close call, but no real danger.’
It lowered its head and rested in silence. ’Things have come to this... I might as well get some sleep! As long as it’s not the day of the prophecy, if the sky falls, the Abyss Lord will be there to hold it up. This will also be a good chance to teach that detestable human a lesson!’
’Still... how has his power climbed to this level in just a few short months?’
...
After mowing down another wave of tentacles, Shi Ming began a tactical "show of weakness," feigning a realistic, yet deliberately concealed, "lack of Physical Strength."
Combat intelligence could only be honed through actual battle.
Humans were inherently intelligent creatures. The strategic thinking and tactical knowledge accumulated over millennia of internal strife and external wars were no weaker than this Holy Hall-tier Sea Beast’s. For Shi Ming, things like the Thirty-Six Stratagems were merely entry-level.
He would reveal a calculated opening, while hiding his real one.
It made it easier for the prey to take the bait.
He used an opportunity created by the "Twin Mirror" to let his mirrored body be struck by one of the Abyss Lord’s tentacles at the perfect moment.
The corruption of flesh and mind began to spread.
BANG!
The Abyss Lord did indeed seize the opportunity. A tentacle covered in barbs shot forward, piercing the mirrored man straight through the chest.
The mirrored "Shi Ming" staggered, and the Blade of Chaos fell from his hand, clattering onto the surface of the Chaotic Divine Country, which was now tilted at a dozen-degree angle. The vortex of disaster in the sky faltered, then deliberately began to collapse.
It was all incredibly realistic.
So realistic that even Ah Jian began to grow anxious.
A massive, round eye descended upon the sea’s surface amid the giant waves, using the skill Ten Thousand Hooks Tentacles.
It intended to swallow Shi Ming’s Holy Hall Origin in one fell swoop.
A glint flashed in Shi Ming’s eyes. The twenty-meter-tall mirrored man shattered into light, and his true body emerged from behind the fragments. Then, his three-headed, six-armed form rapidly expanded once more. Black dragon scales materialized on his skin, and his eyes became utterly inhuman—cold, merciless, and filled with a destructive malevolence, like an ancient being that had lived for nearly ten thousand years.
ROAR!
Nine-Headed Sanctuary, Second Stage!
Dragonification!
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PS: Three Chapters today.