998: Chapter 997 The Last Chance, the Star-Suppressing Envoy

Endless humiliation and fear surged into his heart, but immediately following that was a desperate, cornered ferocity!

Since he couldn't escape or avoid that hidden existence, he would kill this "blade" first!

Kill this root of all evil! Perhaps... perhaps there was still a sliver of hope for survival!

"Little bastard! Even if I'm suppressed to the Second Rank, killing you is as easy as turning over my hand!"

A murderous light flashed in Chi Liao's eyes. He completely abandoned the idea of finding the person behind the scenes and locked all his killing intent onto A-Mu.

He stopped using wide-range, energy-consuming Battle Techniques. His figure suddenly dove down from the air, the flaming longblade in his hand turning into a condensed crimson streak of light, slashing straight at A-Mu's head!

Speed, skill, and experience—he was still far beyond an ordinary Second Rank!

This strike condensed all his anger and fear, seeking a one-hit kill!

"A-Mu, watch out!" the tribespeople cried out in alarm.

A-Mu stood up abruptly. In those black-hole-like eyes, for the first time, what burned was not a desire to devour, but an icy Battle Intent and determination.

He understood; this was a test and also a gift.

If he survived and devoured this "whetstone," he would become even stronger!

Facing the sharp, incoming blade light, A-Mu let out a low growl. Instead of dodging, he actually raised his hand to meet it!

Between his palms, that strange force field that devoured everything emerged again, and the surrounding light instantly twisted and dimmed!

As Chi Liao's blade entered the range of the force field, its speed suddenly slowed. The violent flame energy on the blade seemed to have met its nemesis, letting out a "sizzling" wail as it began to rapidly dissipate, be decomposed, and be devoured!

"What the hell is this?!"

Chi Liao was shocked; he could feel the Essence Power he injected into the blade draining away frantically!

But a Third Rank expert's combat experience was rich after all. He immediately changed his move, shaking the blade to break free from the suction. His figure moved like a ghost to A-Mu's flank, the blade light flashing again, aiming straight for A-Mu's waist and abdomen!

A-Mu's reaction was half a beat slower. Even though his devouring ability was strange, his absolute speed and combat skills were far inferior to the battle-hardened Chi Liao.

Slash!

Despite his best efforts to dodge, a deep wound reaching the bone was still carved into his side, and blood gushed out!

But strangely, the blood that flowed out did not drip. Instead, it wriggled like a living thing and was quickly absorbed back into the wound, which began to heal at a speed visible to the naked eye!

At the same time, A-Mu grabbed back. Although he missed, the devouring force field he emitted still grazed Chi Liao's armguards.

Amidst a piercing grinding sound, the light on Chi Liao's armguards flashed and instantly dimmed, as if they had lost much of their spirituality!

Chi Liao's heart pounded in fear. He hastily retreated, looking at the clear mark on his armguard with both shock and anger.

The opponent's ability was too strange; he absolutely could not let himself be touched easily!

Their figures blurred together as they instantly engaged in a fierce battle.

Relying on his rich experience and speed, Chi Liao's blade light fell like a waterfall, continuously adding wounds to A-Mu's body.

Meanwhile, A-Mu was like a monster that knew no pain or fatigue. Relying on his terrifying recovery power and that overbearing devouring force field, he tanked the attacks and constantly tried to close in, touch, and devour!

Every successful contact, even if it was just a graze, would make Chi Liao's aura slightly weaker, while A-Mu's aura would grow a bit stronger!

One ebbed while the other flowed!

In the center of the battlefield, a strange cycle formed. Chi Liao was like a highly skilled craftsman continuously carving a hard and dangerous raw stone, only to find that the chisel he was using was being blunted and devoured bit by bit by the stone!

The tribespeople watched with fear and trepidation, yet they didn't dare to step forward. The shockwaves from a battle of that level were enough to shake them to death.

They could only watch as A-Mu was wounded again and again, only to stand up each time, his eyes growing brighter and the aura on his body becoming increasingly terrifying and daunting!

Chi Liao's heart sank completely.

He knew that he, this "whetstone," was probably really going to be... worn down and broken!

The more Chi Liao fought, the more shocked and chilled he became!

He had originally thought that even if he was suppressed to the Late Stage of the Second Rank, with his strength and combat experience far exceeding the opponent's, it would be enough to easily crush this kid who had just made a Breakthrough and only knew how to rely on instinct.

But reality slapped him hard in the face!

A-Mu's fighting style was certainly crude, even savage, but that recovery speed which was terrifyingly illogical, along with that overbearing and strange ability that injured anything it touched, left him feeling constrained.

What was even more frightening was that this kid was learning, adapting, and growing at a jaw-dropping speed during the battle!

From being completely passive and taking hits at the beginning, he gradually became able to predict some of Chi Liao's feints, and occasionally even launched some highly threatening counterattacks.

Every wound, every collision and devouring of energy, seemed to be tempering him, making him more dangerous and more refined!

As one ebbed and the other flowed, Chi Liao discovered to his horror that he was actually starting to fall into a disadvantage!

The consumption of Spiritual Power in his body was far faster than its replenishment. There were more and more marks on his armguards, and even the circulation of Spiritual Power in his body began to show a trace of sluggishness—the consequence of being continuously eroded by the opponent's strange force field!

"I can't go on like this!" Alarm bells rang in Chi Liao's heart. "If this drags on, I will definitely die! I must find a way to break this situation!"

He forced A-Mu back with a sudden strike and used the momentum to retreat rapidly, trying to open up some distance.

At the same time, he suppressed the fear in his heart and shouted sternly at the surrounding Void Realm, his voice infused with Spiritual Power to reach the entire mine.

"Great one in the shadows! Do you truly intend to make an enemy of Marshal Jiu Ji for the sake of a lowly Mine Slave?!"

"This is a strategic Mineral Planet personally overseen by the Marshal!

Everything that happens here will eventually be reported to the Marshal's desk!

If you condone this villain's violence today, you will be making an enemy of the entire Black Cloud Empire's military! An enemy of the Empire!"

"The Marshal's Divine Might is peerless; he is a bona fide Fifth Rank expert, and the Empire's iron hooves are invincible!

Even if your cultivation reaches the heavens, do you really want to provoke such a massive disaster and fight to the death?!"

While he roared, he tensely sensed his surroundings, hoping that the hidden existence would show some restraint out of wariness for the names of Marshal Jiu Ji and the Empire.

Even a momentary distraction or hesitation might create an opportunity for him to escape or even counter-kill!

However, the surroundings were lonely, with only the sound of the wind and the echoes of his own words.

That cold, absolute, invisible force suppressing his power didn't waver in the slightest, as if the names of Marshal Jiu Ji and the Black Cloud Empire were no different from dust in the opponent's eyes.

This complete disregard caused Chi Liao's heart to sink into an ice cellar, fear biting at his heart like a venomous snake.

The other party simply didn't care!

And indeed, it was so. In the partial memories Li Wuji had absorbed from the Lord of Chaos, it just so happened...

As for A-Mu before him, upon hearing the words "Marshal Jiu Ji" and "Black Cloud Empire," a more substantial hatred and killing intent suddenly erupted in those black-hole-like eyes. With a low growl, he lunged forward again, his offensive even more frenzied!

"Damn it! Damn it!"

Chi Liao cursed frantically in his heart, parrying and dodging in a pathetic manner.

Since the soft approach didn't work, he could only resort to the hard way!

This was his last chance!

During the intense clash, he very covertly crushed a jade talisman as thin as a cicada's wing hidden inside his wrist guard.

That was an Emergency Distress Talisman directly connected to the highest-ranking officer guarding this Mineral Planet No. 9527—the Town Star Emissary!