170: Parasitic Emperor

Domiロット had not yet emerged, but that frantic and hideous laughter already echoed from deep within the human-shaped crater in the iceberg, like the roar of a wounded beast, filled with twisted excitement and extreme malice.

This wave of frantic emotion was so intense that it even triggered Lin Luo's Divine Sense, causing him to furrow his brows tightly, his gaze locked firmly onto the deep pit.

Boom!

The ice wall shattered! A figure burst out from the pit!

At this moment, Domiロット was like a different person compared to before!

He no longer maintained that slender, eerie form; his whole body seemed to have been released from some kind of restraint. His muscles swelled and bulged frantically, his frame expanded several times over, and the veins beneath his skin protruded and writhed like coiled dragons, filled with a sense of raw, violent power.

His remaining left arm became exceptionally thick, his five fingers like steel hooks, gripping the edge of the pit tightly and leaving deep claw marks.

"Roar—!"

He let out an inhuman roar, the ice beneath his feet shattered instantly, and he shot forward like a cannonball, rushing towards Lin Luo with greater speed and a fiercer momentum than before!

His remaining left fist was clenched tight, tearing through the air and bringing with it a terrifying wind pressure as it smashed fiercely towards Lin Luo!

Bang!

The colorful halo on Lin Luo's body was once again violently shaken by this punch, which contained Domiロット's berserk power; the light flickered unsteadily, and spiderweb-like cracks appeared!

Lin Luo's eyes narrowed slightly; instead of retreating, he advanced, his right hand's fingers pressed together to form a palm blade, meeting the attack with precision!

Clap! Bang! Thud!

The explosive sounds of fists and feet colliding rang out densely in the ice valley! Their figures were as fast as ghosts, darting and shifting on the ice; every collision stirred up visible shockwaves and ice shards. Pure strength and speed were pushed to the limit at this moment!

However, Domiロット was missing an arm, after all, and his balance and power generation were inevitably affected. During a fierce exchange, Lin Luo seized a tiny opening and landed a tricky side kick, slamming it hard into his waist and ribs!

Crack!

A clear sound of bone breaking rang out!

Domiロット was kicked flying again like a broken sack, smashing heavily into the ice wall and sliding down.

But this time, the madness in his eyes did not subside; instead, like a fire doused in oil, it blazed fiercely, almost overflowing from his eye sockets!

Extreme humiliation, anger, and greed and fear regarding Lin Luo's eerie abilities completely twisted his mind.

The thought of killing the guy in front of him had surpassed everything else, becoming his sole obsession at this moment!

A murderous intent, so thick it almost materialized, enveloped him; his sanity had completely snapped, and at this moment, he was no different from a crazed Demonic Beast.

"Heh... heh heh..." He braced himself against the ice wall and slowly stood up, letting out a wheezing, strange laugh, staring fixedly at Lin Luo. "To be able to force me to this point... Lin Luo, you are truly not simple."

He grinned, his smile twisted and cruel: "Next... don't die too quickly, okay~ Let me... enjoy this properly!"

Before his words faded, he abruptly opened his mouth wide! This time, it was not to spew out a swarm of insects; rather, deep within his throat, a blurry and hideous ghostly phantom faintly emerged!

An unsettling aura—cold, violent, and filled with the desire for destruction, as if from the abyss—began to spread from his mouth!

Not far away, Fuji and Barry, who were fighting Toriko, Takimaru, and Machi, had their expressions change drastically at almost the same time!

Sensing that familiar and terrifying aura, they retreated without hesitation, abandoning their opponents and fleeing as fast as they could in the direction away from Domiロット!

"The Vice Chef's posture... is he going to...!"

"Run! Otherwise, we'll lose our lives!"

Both of their voices were filled with unconcealable fear, as if what they were about to face was something even more terrifying than death.

Domiロット's throat swelled abnormally like a balloon; something seemed to be frantically writhing and struggling beneath his skin! His withered body became even thinner at a visible rate, as if his entire vitality and spirit were being forcibly extracted and poured into his throat!

Ugh—!

He finally opened his mouth to its limit, and a large, thick, inseparable, and churning mass of pitch-black smoke was spewed out by him as if he were vomiting!

The black smoke landed but did not immediately disperse; instead, it twisted and expanded frantically as if it possessed life, emitting a cold and violent pressure that made one's Soul tremble! The surrounding light seemed to be swallowed by this black smoke, and the temperature plummeted!

"Ah... he spat it out!"

"This is bad... this is too bad!"

Seeing that mass of black smoke, Fuji and Barry, who had fled into the distance, were left with only despair on their faces.

As the black smoke completely left his body, Domiロット seemed to have been instantly drained of all moisture and energy; his previously swollen muscles quickly withered, his skin clung to his bones, his eye sockets sank deep, and his aura was at its lowest point, causing him to collapse from a half-kneeling position onto the ground. Yet, the corners of his mouth still hung with that frantic and satisfied smile.

"This guy... if possible, I wouldn't want to give birth to it at all..." Domiロット gasped, his voice hoarse. "It's just because it's too ferocious, a 'demon' that indiscriminately devours everything... Most of my stamina is usually used to suppress this... 'problem child' that wishes to be born..."

At this moment, the churning black smoke finally dispersed slowly.

An extremely grotesque and terrifying beast, indescribable in words, appeared before everyone!

It possessed six long, sharp, jointed limbs like a giant spider, two strong hind legs like a grasshopper, two giant mantis claws at the front that were sharp like sickles, and a scorpion tail hook that was raised high, its tip glistening with a faint blue toxic light. And its head... was a centipede head covered in compound eyes and hideous mouthparts!

On its body, there were also mixed features like the thick armor of a beetle, the scales of a moth, and characteristics of various other insects; it was a terrifying freak entirely "stitched" together from dozens of ferocious insects!

Parasite Emperor—the ultimate hybrid beast nurtured within Domiロット's body!

"Parasite Emperor... you little troublemaker... heh heh, you took away almost all of my stamina..." Domiロット, lying on the ground, looked at the back of the massive monster and continued to laugh frantically. "Go ahead... wreak havoc... devour everything here!"

The Parasite Emperor let out a terrifying roar that mixed the hissing of various insects and was enough to make anyone's sanity plummet! Its compound eyes reflected everyone's figures, filled with a pure, greedy appetite for the essence of all life!

The battle on Toriko's side had long since come to an abrupt end due to the flight of Barry and Fuji. The moment they saw this monster, even the battle-hardened Toriko felt a pang of trepidation. Machi and Takimaru felt their scalps tingle, their bodies stiffening; they wanted to retreat, but their legs felt like they were filled with lead and wouldn't obey.

"This monster..." Toriko took a deep breath, suppressing the shock in his heart, and was about to step forward to stand side-by-side with Lin Luo.

However, just as he lifted his foot—

A sudden change occurred!

Lin Luo's figure had quietly floated into mid-air at some unknown point.

The aura around him became incomparably heavy and vast, and behind him, the holy and majestic phantom of the eight feet Goddess was slowly materializing in a posture clearer than ever before!

The goddess was draped in a simple, ancient feather garment of light, wearing a divine crown; her face was obscured behind a soft radiance, with only a pair of eyes containing endless compassion and tranquility clearly visible. She stood quietly behind Lin Luo, like the most steadfast guardian deity.

An indescribable, gentle, and vast warmth quietly spread with the appearance of the goddess's phantom, dispelling the cold and fear brought by the Parasite Emperor.

Toriko, Takimaru, Machi, and even the terrified Fuji and Barry in the distance, the moment they saw this goddess's phantom, found that the fear and unease churning in their hearts miraculously calmed down, replaced by a strange sense of peace. It was as if, as long as she was there, any disaster and terror would be quelled.

The eight feet Goddess's phantom slowly raised her arms, making a gesture of "acceptance."

Hum—!

In an instant, a brilliant and soft milky-white divine light burst forth with her as the center!

This light was like the first ray of sunshine at dawn piercing through the dark night; holy, pure, and full of vitality, it instantly illuminated the entire ice-sealed valley, even briefly dispersing the clouds and snow that had shrouded the sky all year round!

Countless ribbons of light, condensed from the divine radiance—flexible yet tough—shot out from the light like living spirit snakes, layering over one another and wrapping precisely and swiftly around the roaring Parasite Emperor, which was preparing to launch an indiscriminate attack!

The Parasite Emperor struggled frantically, its six spider legs tearing with all its might, its giant mantis claws hacking wildly, its scorpion tail stabbing fiercely, while it constantly spewed out dark green venom and corrosive acid mist from its mouth!

However, those seemingly soft ribbons of light were exceptionally tough; no matter how it attacked, it could not cut or corrode them! The ribbons tightened, like a net cast from heaven, firmly binding the Parasite Emperor's massive body, rendering it unable to move!

"Refine."

Lin Luo, floating before the goddess's phantom, softly uttered a single word, while his right hand slowly grasped at the empty air.

With his movement, the face of the eight feet Goddess's phantom seemed to become even more compassionate, her hands pressed together in front of her chest in a gesture of pious prayer.

Hum...

The Parasite Emperor, bound by the ribbons of light, let out a terrified and painful wail!

The essence of life on its body, mixed from dozens of ferocious insects, was forcibly extracted and stripped away by an irresistible, higher-level power, like a flood breaching a dam! Its massive body withered and shriveled at a visible rate, its shell lost its luster, and its compound eyes quickly dimmed...

The incredibly pure life essence, so concentrated it had almost turned into liquid, flowed along the ribbons of light, like a hundred rivers returning to the sea, pouring continuously into Lin Luo's body!

Lin Luo's aura, which had been slightly depleted due to the fierce battle, rapidly recovered and climbed under the infusion of this massive vitality; it became even deeper and more condensed than before. The wound on his abdomen healed completely, and a precious light faintly flowed beneath his skin.

The entire process, seemingly slow, actually took place within just a few breaths.

Whoosh—

Lin Luo slowly descended from the air, and the huge eight feet Goddess phantom behind him gradually faded, eventually disappearing completely. The colorful light in his eyes flashed and vanished, returning to calm.

Everyone stared blankly at this scene, as if they had just witnessed a miracle.

And the Parasite Emperor, which had brought despair to everyone, had turned into a huge, dried-up insect specimen, gently placed on the ice by the ribbons of light, with no sign of life left.

Lin Luo's gaze swept towards Domiロット, who was collapsed on the ground in the distance, and further away, Fuji and Barry, who were trying to hide their figures.

Everyone felt a blur before their eyes.

Bang! Bang!

Two dull thuds of impact rang out almost simultaneously!

Fuji and Barry didn't even see what happened; they only felt an irresistible force strike them, their chests aching intensely, a sweetness rising in their throats, and they were sent flying backward as if hit by a battering ram, screaming as they traced a long arc, finally crashing heavily beside Domiロット, spitting blood, bones broken, and completely losing the ability to resist.

Lin Luo's figure appeared in the original spot again like a ghost, casually brushing off the non-existent dust from his hands.

"Alright," he said in a flat tone, as if he had just casually swatted a few flies. "The trouble is solved. Let's hurry and regroup with Komatsu and the others." As he spoke, he strode off on his own towards the direction of the ice cave that Erina and Komatsu had entered earlier.

Machi and Takimaru looked at each other, only bitter smiles remaining on their faces.

With such a monster-like powerful existence present, their previous thoughts of competing for the century soup now seemed so ridiculous and unrealistic. Perhaps, they really could only be "runners-up."

"Don't be so depressed!" Toriko laughed heartily, walking over and patting the two on their shoulders firmly. "Something like the century soup is, of course, more delicious when shared by everyone! Alright, don't just stand there, let's go! I can already smell that intoxicating aroma!"

His laughter dispelled the last trace of solemnity. The group no longer hesitated and quickly followed Lin Luo's footsteps.