299: Ten Tips

Hao Duo's expression was gloomy; he hadn't expected this young man to be capable of such a feat. Not only did Xiao Zhuo force him to unleash his power to the Peak of a Demonic General, but he even managed to damage his clothing!

In his long years, facing opponents of the same Realm or even lower, this was an unprecedented occurrence!

As a Peak powerhouse who had traversed numerous Great Thousand Realm Domains for millions of years, he truly couldn't go back on his word, and for a moment, he felt extremely stifled.

At this moment, Xiao Zhuo, suppressing his surging Qi and blood, spoke again: “Senior, Junior would like to make another bet with you.”

Hao Duo’s expression shifted slightly, suppressing the inexplicable irritation in his heart, and said indifferently: “Speak!”

“Junior wishes to challenge Senior alone,” Xiao Zhuo’s eyes were burning, yet his tone was exceptionally respectful, “Senior only needs to control his cultivation at the Half-step Demon Lord level!”

Hao Duo's expression instantly turned unfriendly, his scarlet eyes narrowing: “What? Do you think you alone can fight this Venerable One at the same Realm?”

An invisible pressure permeated the air.

“Naturally, I wouldn't dare!” Xiao Zhuo immediately bowed, his posture extremely low, “Senior's Dao Principle is as vast as an abyss; Junior can only vaguely perceive a thing or two. Senior's two Great Dao of Death and Annihilation are exceptionally profound, far beyond what this Junior can achieve.” His words were sincere, then he changed his tone, pleading: “However, everyone here is Junior's comrade; Junior dares to ask Senior for a path to survival for them! If Junior can withstand ten moves from Senior, under the premise that Senior suppresses his cultivation to a Half-step Demon Lord, and not die, please show mercy and let them live!”

Upon hearing this, Hao Duo's expression softened slightly.

An old-timer like him naturally wouldn't be swayed by a few compliments, but this “ten-move agreement” was undoubtedly a way out.

Regardless of the outcome, it wouldn't harm his reputation.

The earlier damage to his clothing, due to being somewhat caught off guard and suppressing his Realm too low, had bothered him.

Now, this young man actively proposed even harsher conditions, practically seeking his own demise, so how could he refuse?

This was a perfect opportunity to completely erase that unpleasantness.

“Alright!” He glanced at the Demonic Generals who had just participated in the battle, their faces ashen and their auras weak, and the other Demonic Generals filled with fear, his voice indifferent, “If you survive ten moves, they live.”

“Thank you, Senior! Please enlighten me!” Xiao Zhuo's expression instantly became as stern as iron, with no trace of cowardice left in his eyes, only endless sharp intent.

He took a deep breath, and the dormant power within him erupted!

The Dao Principle of Freedom circulated around him, connecting with the zizai world in his glabella, and a continuous surge of World Power poured in, constantly amplifying his strength!

At the same time, a low hum, like the roar of an ancient Vicious Beast, emanated from his body—the Heavenly Demon Hegemon Body!

Dark golden demonic patterns instantly covered his entire body, his muscles bulged, his bones cracked, and his physique rapidly expanded. A terrifying Physical Body power, far exceeding the Demonic General level, spread out with a roar!

Under the Hegemon Body's enhancement, his Physical Body's strength was forcefully elevated to the Early Stage of a Demonic Lord!

Simultaneously, the blood god armor also condensed, covering his entire body in black and red demonic armor.

“A bit of skill.” A trace of surprise flashed in Hao Duo's eyes, but it immediately turned into cold indifference, “First move.”

He didn't even change his stance, merely raising his right hand and pointing it at Xiao Zhuo from a distance.

There was no light, no energy fluctuation from his fingertip, only an extremely pure “intent of death” that instantly descended!

It was as if all life force in heaven and earth withered under this finger!

“Pfft!” Xiao Zhuo was struck as if by an invisible giant hammer, his chest violently caved in, and fresh blood spurted from his mouth!

Even with a Demonic Lord's Physical Body, that “intent of death” that pierced directly through his Divine Soul and annihilated his life force still made his vision blur and his internal organs ache intensely!

But the demonic patterns on his body flickered wildly, his Blood God Body operated to its extreme, his Qi and blood surged like a raging Dragon, forcefully stabilizing his figure. His caved-in sternum, nourished by the boundless life force transmitted from the jade blood saber, emitted a grating “crack-crack” sound, actually healing rapidly!

“Oh?” Hao Duo raised an eyebrow slightly, seemingly surprised that Xiao Zhuo had withstood it and recovered quickly. “Second move.”

His palm gently pressed forward.

This time, space seemed to solidify, and an unimaginably heavy gravity of annihilation appeared out of thin air, pressing down fiercely on Xiao Zhuo!

“Boom!” The incredibly sturdy black rock beneath Xiao Zhuo's feet instantly turned to dust, and he was forcefully pressed several feet into the ground!

His bones groaned under the immense pressure, as if they would shatter at any moment!

The World Power surged frantically, resisting this terrifying suppressive force. The jade blood saber floated above his head, casting down streams of green light full of life, nourishing his Physical Body that was on the verge of collapse, forcefully keeping him alive.

In the next few moves, Hao Duo's attacks became faster and more bizarre.

Sometimes it was silent death Qi eroding the Divine Soul, sometimes it was annihilating wind twisting space and tearing apart all things, or annihilating flames igniting the demonic fire from the earth's core to incinerate everything... Each attack precisely struck Xiao Zhuo's weak points in defense, and each time, it severely wounded him to the brink of death!

Xiao Zhuo was like a small boat in a raging storm, covered in blood, his bones shattered countless times, his demonic patterns dimming and brightening again. He relied solely on the Heavenly Demon Hegemon Body's might, the replenishment of World Power, and the abnormal vitality fed back from the Blood God Body and the jade blood saber to desperately hold on!

Ye Zhenyu and the others trembled all over as they watched. They all knew that Xiao Zhuo was doing this to secure a path to survival for them, otherwise, he would never have taken such a risk.

He was sent flying, slammed, and pierced through again and again, yet he struggled to his feet each time, the flame in his eyes never extinguishing!

Hao Duo did not attack continuously, each time giving Xiao Zhuo some time to recover. As the moves progressed, his gaze towards Xiao Zhuo changed from initial indifference to something rather peculiar.

In the seventh move, Hao Duo pointed a finger, and a black finger-light, condensed to the extreme, pierced through Xiao Zhuo's shoulder blade, leaving a terrifying bloody hole that went straight through. Destructive annihilating power furiously ravaged the wound.

In the eighth move, Hao Duo's palm wind swept past, and the flesh on half of Xiao Zhuo's body peeled off like weathered sand, revealing stark white bones, which then painstakingly Rebirth under the green light of the jade blood saber.

In the ninth move, a trace of genuine seriousness finally flashed in Hao Duo's eyes.

He formed hand seals, and a miniature black orb, seemingly containing the annihilating spectacle of all the stars in the heavens, condensed in his palm.

The moment the orb appeared, the space of the entire underground palace began to twist and disintegrate!

“Tenth move.” Hao Duo's voice was cold, “Eternal... Annihilation Finger!”

The black orb suddenly compressed, transforming into a dark finger-force as fine as a strand of hair, yet seemingly capable of piercing through the river of time and ending all existence. It silently pointed towards Xiao Zhuo's heart!

The terrifying Dao Principle of universal sorrow contained in this finger, and the purity and terrifying power of the Great Dao of Death and Annihilation within it, far exceeded the limits of what a Demonic General could comprehend!

This was Hao Duo's strongest attack, unleashed at the Half-step Demon Lord level by forcefully employing his supreme Realm. This was practically using a Demonic General's body to unleash a quasi-Saint level Dao Principle Divine Ability!

Xiao Zhuo's pupils contracted violently; the shadow of death had never been so clear!

He roared, raising his surrounding power to its Peak. A huge devouring vortex appeared before him, and layers of spatial barriers were condensed by him. The remaining immortal power was almost entirely used up in one go, and the defensive Great Dao of various palaces were one by one controlled and applied to the layers of spatial barriers.

Hiss—!

There was no earth-shattering explosion.

The dark annihilating finger-force, like a red-hot iron skewer piercing through ice, continuously penetrated the devouring vortex and several layers of spatial barriers! The nine barriers Xiao Zhuo had set up were instantly shattered sevenfold, and the last two only delayed it for a breath before announcing their collapse!

The finger-force pierced his chest with extreme precision!

“Aargh—!” Xiao Zhuo let out an extremely mournful shriek, his entire chest seeming to disintegrate and annihilate from within by an invisible force!

A huge void appeared, its edges still covered in a desolate black aura, frantically preventing the regeneration of flesh and blood!

The jade blood saber let out a mournful cry, blasted out from where Xiao Zhuo's heart once was, its blade's light instantly dimming by more than half!

Xiao Zhuo's body flew backward like a broken sack, soaring hundreds of feet before heavily smashing into the wall of the underground palace, embedding himself within it. Blood gushed from beneath him like a small stream, his aura was extremely weak, and at the edge of that terrifying wound on his chest, green light and black Qi fiercely contended.

Hao Duo slowly withdrew his finger, standing with his hands behind his back.

He looked at Xiao Zhuo, embedded in the wall, his life or death unknown, and deep within his scarlet eyes, extremely complex emotions churned—there was unyielding cold killing intent, a trace of annoyance at being forced to reveal his true capabilities, but more than that, there was a kind of… shock that even he had not anticipated.

He clearly perceived that Xiao Zhuo was not dead; that tenacious life force was still struggling.

This Junior actually managed to withstand his move!

This move was actually impossible to appear at the Demonic General level. Although the power level he exerted was only Demonic General level, the Dao Principle's intensity had already reached the quasi-Saint level. Even if a Demonic General could comprehend the Dao Principle to such an extent at the Demonic General level, a Demonic General's Physical Body would not be able to support him in executing such an attack; he had actually cheated!

“Demonic General Peak... ten moves...” Hao Duo murmured in his heart, a thought that even he found somewhat absurd emerging: “If this Venerable One had encountered this child at the Demonic General level back then... I'm afraid... within three moves, it would have been me who perished.”

At the same time, another thought emerged: “If it's this boy! Perhaps he can enter that place for me!”

As soon as the thought appeared, it continuously spread within Hao Duo's mind.

In the underground palace, there was dead silence, only the faint hissing sound of green and black light intertwining at Xiao Zhuo's wound. The jade blood saber, blasted out of his body, had automatically flown back, and wisps of green light were continuously pouring into Xiao Zhuo's body.

Dark golden blood splattered several feet around, spreading silently, soaking the cold ground.

Xiao Zhuo's seven orifices bled, his body trembled, and the large hole in his chest was incredibly conspicuous.

But he forcefully pulled his body out of the wall.

“Thank you... Senior... for... showing... mercy!” Xiao Zhuo spoke with great difficulty, blood gushing out with each word, but even so, he stubbornly managed to say it.