Chapter Forty-Three: Eruption, the Power of the Divine

The Immaculate One had not yet made his move when he caught a smile from Xiao Zi, one whose meaning was impossible to decipher. At the sight of that smile, the Immaculate One instinctively sensed that something was amiss, but it was already too late. Unbeknownst to him, Xiao Zi's presence had shifted and now emanated from his right. He had only just begun to turn his head when a blade of wind came hurtling toward him at blinding speed.

“Ah!”

There was no time to react; another powerful aura surged at him. Only after enduring several such assaults did he finally regain his bearings. With a sweep of his great hand, the Immaculate One vanished from where he stood. “Die!” he roared.

Yet, faced with this overwhelming suction, Xiao Zi seemed utterly unconcerned. He glanced toward the Immaculate One. “Don’t you think you’re a little slow?”

As the words left his mouth, the six ethereal wings at his back began to stir, though his body did not move in the slightest. The Immaculate One, however, halted his attacks, for he realized there was no aura at all from the figure before him—this was merely an afterimage, left behind due to Xiao Zi’s incredible speed!

“Where is he? Where is he?” This was the first time within his own forbidden domain that he could not sense the direction of his enemy. His rhythm shattered, he was at a complete loss.

“But I haven’t moved at all, have I?” A voice sounded beside him, and the 'afterimage' by his side struck out in reverse, launching a soul-infused wind blade.

The attack landed squarely on the Immaculate One, carving a massive fissure through his body, energy pouring from the wound in torrents. Xiao Zi had used the Eye of the Blood Demon to see a flaw in the Immaculate One’s body and, aiming for this weakness, found his strike alarmingly effective. It seemed the Eye of the Blood Demon not only revealed the colors of human souls but also exposed the strange flows of energy within these bizarre beings—and, most crucially, their weaknesses.

The Immaculate One dared not tarry. He quickly summoned the surrounding mist to his wound, trying desperately to mend the damage.

“It’s useless.”

Another elusive voice echoed. By the time he reacted, the surroundings had shifted once again. Now, it was as if he was trapped in an exceedingly tight space, assaulted by endless, turbulent streams of energy. The space itself was voidlike; he could not discern where he was, left only with a boundless confusion.

This was Xiao Zi’s skill—Infernal Void.

Feeling the Immaculate One’s aura inside the Infernal Void growing weaker and weaker, Xiao Zi finally allowed himself to relax. So the so-called boss of Tenjing City was little more than this, after all.

But before he could truly let his guard down, he darted away at great speed. No sooner had he vacated his spot than the Infernal Void exploded with a thunderous force. At that very moment, the Immaculate One emerged slowly from the mist, all the fog within the forbidden domain converging upon him.

“You are indeed something, but inside my domain, at best you are a fish writhing on the chopping block, waiting to be slaughtered!”

Sensing the other’s current aura, Xiao Zi knew he was outmatched and wasted no words. Grabbing the nearby Clown, he fled at once. Yet the mist grew ever more sinister, no matter how he ran, there was no exit to be found.

“What’s the matter? Thinking of running away?”

Heh heh, I was just worrying about how to get close to this fellow, and now he’s walked right into my trap.

In an instant, the six wings behind Xiao Zi vanished, blood began to surge backward through his veins, and his aura soared to unprecedented heights. Xiao Zi was about to overdraw the body of the Sili-man, unleashing the strongest strike he could muster—aimed straight at the Immaculate One’s vital spot.

He was wagering everything on this blow—there could be no room for error.

Whirling around, he threw a punch, soul-forged wind blade energy enveloping his fist, its aim clear: the Immaculate One’s chest!

Sure enough, the Immaculate One was caught completely off guard by Xiao Zi’s sudden counterattack after fleeing, and was forced to receive the full force of the blow.

Xiao Zi’s fist did not stop upon impact. Instead, energy intensified where it struck, until the entire fist sank deep into the Immaculate One’s body.

“Ah!!”

The Immaculate One could bear it no longer. He let out a harrowing scream, his body cracking like a shattered eggshell, fissures spreading across him as though he might collapse at any second.

But just then, Xiao Zi collapsed weakly to the ground.

He had no energy left to draw upon. His own reserves had long since been exhausted, and the Sili-man’s body, already depleted from helping the Immaculate One reshape himself, had been utterly drained by Xiao Zi’s exertions.

Gazing at the Immaculate One, now less than a meter away, Xiao Zi simply closed his eyes. “Ha, farewell, my world of horrors.”

This was true despair—there was no hope of turning the tables.

“I’ll kill you!”

At that moment, he heard the Clown’s voice. Looking up, he saw the Clown striking at the Immaculate One with his pitiful excuse for martial arts.

Yet the Clown possessed no real offensive skills, and his strength was still only F-rank—his attacks on the Immaculate One were little more than a tickling sensation. Still, he struck again and again.

Witnessing this, Xiao Zi was incensed. “Damn it! After all that fighting, you didn’t run? Now you’re just throwing your life away?”

To his surprise, the Clown froze at his words. “Huh? You never told me to run.”

Then, turning back to face the Immaculate One, he added, “Besides, what if you don’t want me anymore if I run? I’m still hoping you’ll give me a share when you rule the world.”

No sooner had he spoken than the Immaculate One grabbed him in one hand.

“You’re an amusing one. I’ll devour you first, then deal with the rest of the nuisances!”

But as the Immaculate One prepared to consume the Clown, he suddenly discovered something interesting inside the Clown’s body.

“Extraction!”

Activating his skill, the Immaculate One forcibly drew a strange object from within the Clown. It resembled a seed, but radiated an eerie aura.

The Immaculate One studied it for a moment, then burst into laughter. “So that’s why you two are so unusual! It all comes down to this little thing, eh?”

Xiao Zi and the Clown were both stunned, but Xiao Zi quickly recovered and offered a kindly warning.

“You’re not thinking of devouring it, are you? I’d advise against it.”

The Immaculate One shot Xiao Zi a scornful look. “A mere wraith wants to outwit me? You think you can trick me? If I’m not mistaken, this thing contains an extraordinary power. If I devour it, my strength will soar!”

Thinking of how Xiao Zi could explode with such power at D-rank, the Immaculate One grew even more exhilarated. He tossed the demonic seed into his triangular maw and began to savor it.

“I can feel myself getting stronger!”