1039: Chapter 1038 A Special Cage Reveals the True Form

At this moment, there were only a dozen or so people in this space.

And in the outermost cage, the person inside was none other than Black Abyss.

He curled up in a corner, his body pierced by thirty-six dark-gold chains.

The chains were not physical entities but were condensed from Law dao marks, with dense sealing runes carved onto every link.

These chains pierced through his shoulder blades, spine, and limbs, even wrapping directly around his heart and brain, ensuring he couldn't mobilize even a sliver of energy.

Wu Zhankong had made a deal with the Dark Star Auction House, exchanging Black Abyss for a large amount of precious resources and some Legacies of the paths of strength and Qi-blood.

"Ah—!"

Suddenly, Black Abyss, who should have been unconscious and waiting to be auctioned, let out a wretched wail.

Immediately after, his chest actually caved in, followed by the sound of shifting bones as a ball of flesh squeezed out from his chest.

That flesh ball sprouted blood-colored tentacles that sank into Black Abyss's body; Black Abyss's skin shriveled at a visible rate, while the flesh ball rapidly expanded.

After a short while, a humanoid silhouette stood before the dying Black Abyss; this person was actually Wu Zhankong.

"It really wasn't easy to sneak in."

Wu Zhankong cracked his neck and spoke, then he stepped down and crushed Black Abyss's chest, completely ending the other's life.

Before being imprisoned, all of Black Abyss's methods and trump cards had been removed, which allowed Wu Zhankong to kill him without any hesitation.

The energy fluctuations coming from below penetrated layers of spatial barriers, like a pebble thrown into a still lake, rippling through Wu Zhankong's perception.

"It's starting," he murmured in his heart.

The battle between Qing Li and the Starfall Cult, the collision of those two powerful forces capable of shaking space, produced more than just destruction.

More importantly, an energy impact of this level would briefly interfere with the stability of all the Dark Star Auction House's defense Systems—including the Seal on this cage.

Wu Zhankong slowly raised his head.

His movements were very slow and light, as if afraid of startling something.

And in his eyes, a speck of purple light lit up.

At first, it was as weak as a candle in the wind, but within a thousandth of a second, that purple light surged, seemingly turning into two balls of burning purple flames; at this moment, Wu Zhankong saw a sight that ordinary people could not comprehend.

Threads emerged in the surrounding space, each thread connected to the energy source at the core of the auction house.

But now, due to the battle below, those connections were fluctuating violently, with tiny, fleeting breaks appearing.

Now is the time.

Wu Zhankong took a deep breath—this was his first active breath in several days.

Then, his body began to change.

It wasn't a superficial change in appearance like a transformation technique, but a thorough remodeling starting from the cellular level.

His original flesh cracked inch by inch, revealing jade-like, translucent white skin beneath.

His ordinary features flowed and reorganized like melting wax, finally setting into a sharp-edged, rugged, and resolute face.

"Crack... Snap..."

Fine popping sounds came from within his body as Wu Zhankong's body expanded—not a simple increase in size, but a qualitative change.

Muscle fibers writhed and reorganized like living things, each one becoming denser and tougher, capable of withstanding the energy impact of a supernova explosion.

The sound of his heartbeat was like ancient war drums, each pulse pumping blood containing terrifying energy.

This process lasted only a few breaths.

But to Wu Zhankong, it felt like he had undergone a long evolution from a Mortal to a God of War.

Standing there was a red-haired God of War, over two meters tall, with muscles like finely carved works of art.

"Crack—!"

Taking a step forward, the spatial cage he was in emitted an overwhelmed hum, and in the next moment, he appeared outside the cage.

He stood up straight and rolled his neck.

His joints let out thunderous pops, and the space trembled along with them.

The moment Wu Zhankong stretched his body, the dead silence within Folded Space No. 1244 was completely shattered.

Like a pack of sharks smelling blood, within the other nine cages, auras that were either weak, frenzied, or cold suddenly awakened.

Countless gazes pierced through the barriers of their respective cages, dead-locking onto that figure with loose red hair and Qi-blood burning like a furnace.

"Hmm?!"

"Someone... got out?!"

"How is it possible... void stones plus dao marks chains..."

Shock, doubt, greed, ecstasy... various emotions surged within the narrow space.

The first to speak was a voice as raspy as metal grinding, coming from a cage diagonally across from Wu Zhankong.

Inside, a mass of constantly shifting shadows curled up, with only two crimson points of light remaining constant: "Friend! Help me! Break open this cage door! I am the Lord of 'Thousand Illusion Star', controlling seventeen resource star Systems!

Let me out, and I will offer you half of my domain!"

Immediately after, an enchanting plea came from another direction, the voice seemingly carrying a soul-hooking magic.

"Young man~ what a sturdy body... I am the last descendant of the 'Charm Soul Sect', proficient in ancient Dual Cultivation methods, and I have countless secret treasures hidden in the sea of stars.

As long as you are willing to let me out, everything I have... is yours~"

"Hmph! What use is pleading!"

In a cage to the right, a blue-skinned giant, whose body was mostly frozen by countless ice crystal chains and only whose head could move, roared with a voice like thunder.

"Kid! I am an Elder of the 'Ice Soul Clan'! If you know what's good for you, open all the cages immediately!

Otherwise, once my clan detects this place, they will surely grind your bones to ash! Even the Dark Star Auction House won't be able to protect you!"

Temptations, entreaties, threats... noisy voices instantly filled the space.

Those who could be thrown into this level were all once powerful figures who ruled over a region or possessed shocking secrets; even if imprisoned, they were by no means easy to deal with.

Wu Zhankong acted as if he hadn't heard them; he just tilted his head slightly, his gaze calmly sweeping over the cage from which the threat came—the Ice Soul Clan Elder.

He moved.

Without warning, without gathering power, he simply took a step forward.

"Boom!"

The entire folded space seemed to shake violently with his step.

In the next instant, he was like a red flash of lightning, ignoring the distance of space, and "slammed" directly into the void stone door of the cage where the Ice Soul Clan Elder was!

That cage's barrier, along with that void stone door claimed to be an absolute imprisonment, was like snow encountering a blazing sun before him, letting out a "sizzling" wail.

By that pure, overbearing Qi-blood power that seemed to contain the destruction of all rules, a large hole was forcibly "melted" out!

Wu Zhankong just walked right in.

"You... what do you want to do?!"

The ferocity on the Ice Soul Clan Elder's face instantly froze, transforming into unbelievable horror.

He could feel the undisguised, wild aura coming from the other person, like a prehistoric behemoth.