263: Second Peak

[Curio: indestructible flowing shadow (Eroded by The Gloom)]

Introduction: The user can control it through Mental Energy, changing it into any form and altering its size and weight.

Characteristics: This item possesses an indestructible trait. When subjected to powerful destruction, it will turn into a flowing shadow and can be reconstructed by consuming spirituality value.]

This was the item Chu Xuan obtained after killing the Great Buddha. It was a very practical transcendent weapon, but because it was eroded by The Gloom, it required 10 spirituality value per minute to use.

Before this, Chu Xuan could never afford to use it, and could not even store it in his Exclusive Space; it merely served as a medium for the Purifier sequence.

But now, his usual standard-issue long saber had snapped, and he no longer needed to worry about a few dozen points of spirituality value.

[You are using the indestructible flowing shadow; you will consume 10 spirituality value per minute.]

[Current spirituality value: 1307]

As the System prompts appeared one after another, the demon-subduing pestle in Chu Xuan's hand shifted like liquid, transforming into the shape of a Night Watchers standard-issue long saber.

However, there were slight differences.

The straight blade was slightly elongated, nearly 1.2 meters, matching the length of the eight-sided han sword he had obtained in the dormitory. Its weight was significantly increased, making it even more comfortable for the current Chu Xuan to wield.

The surface lacked the Vermilion Bird patterns, appearing entirely pitch-black, with a clear, cold light glinting at the edge as a dark luster constantly flowed over it.

Even more striking was the layer of frigid Black Flame wrapped around the blade, making the long saber look both mysterious and full of power.

At the same time, a thumb-sized diamond-shaped crystal appeared in his hand, and he exchanged it via the System for 16 skill points.

[You have consumed 160 spirituality value.]

[You have used 1 jiyue crystal and 16 skill points; your Basic Saber Techniques Rank has increased to LV.MAX+1 (Peak Perfection).]

At the very moment the King of Dona charged with his two-handed greatsword, a surge of enlightenment rose in Chu Xuan's heart, and he instantly shifted to a Yin grip.

Yang grip for distance, Yin grip for close-quarters killing; in saber techniques, the Yin and Yang grips adapt to different distances.

Once his Basic Saber Techniques reached Peak Perfection, Chu Xuan immediately realized the gap and deficiencies between the two sides.

Since his agility and strength were slightly inferior to the King of Dona's, and the opponent's greatsword was over two meters long, it was clearly more advantageous to use his technical superiority for close-quarters combat.

Clang!

Seeing the King of Dona strike with a furious downward Slash, Chu Xuan opened with an instantaneous Slash. This Slash, which consumed 20 spirituality value, was not only more powerful than before but also faster.

However, the King of Dona seemed to have learned his lesson and was prepared; he shifted the angle of his sword, shattering the Slash along with the attached Black Flame.

Boom!!!

A sound comparable to a bomb exploding erupted in the hall.

Meanwhile, Chu Xuan took the opportunity to lunge forward, leaving a massive crater where he had stood. His body was almost parallel to the ground as he shot like an arrow toward the King of Dona's right rear flank.

A horizontal Slash at the legs!

Through the investigation of the Eye of Insight and the previous rounds of attacks, Chu Xuan knew that he couldn't achieve an instant kill and that the opponent's combat power wouldn't drop just because he was injured.

This strike was at a tricky angle, intended to reduce the King of Dona's mobility.

However, the King of Dona seemed to possess a natural, sharp intuition and instinct; as if he had anticipated it, he raised his knee to dodge.

When the strike failed to land, Chu Xuan used the momentum to turn, thrusting the tip of the saber toward the King of Dona's abdomen. The latter pressed his sword down to block, and with a crisp "clang," the blade was parried away.

But in this close-quarters combat, the greatsword used by the King of Dona could not bring its strength advantage into play. Although it parried the strike, it failed to halt Chu Xuan's offensive.

Chu Xuan continued with the Yin grip, reversing the blade to Slash at the neck. The King of Dona hurriedly raised his sword to block again, while Chu Xuan took the opportunity to launch a series of horizontal slashes.

A string of explosive sounds rang out in the hall, and the remaining stained-glass windows in the palace were all shattered by the shockwaves with a loud crash.

A section of the glass roof, as large as a basketball court, was shattered by the vibrations and crashed down, allowing sunlight to stream in from outside.

The King of Dona's Domain, "Insane Will," perhaps because it was from a different world, had invisible ripples that didn't spread very far, only about fifty meters.

Chu Xuan hadn't detected it before, but now he felt that it was different from the Night Demon's "Nightfall," which suppressed spirit and body through the aura of an S-Rank Strange Creatures.

This Domain seemed more focused on corrupting consciousness. Chu Xuan vaguely felt a killing intent being stirred in his heart, an urge to disregard everything and engage in a mad slaughter just to calm his emotions.

Fortunately, Chu Xuan's exclusive skill Forbidden Darkness had reached max level, increasing his resistance to any Gloom aura invasion or interference by 10,000%.

This killing intent was merely like a seed that could not yet sprout.

Using a backhand grip, Chu Xuan forced the King of Dona back repeatedly, leaving multiple wounds on his face, arms, waist, and legs.

Although the wounds weren't deep, under the burning of the Fire of Nirvana, the spirituality possessed by the King of Dona had been completely incinerated, intensifying the real damage and pain from the Fire of Nirvana.

The King of Dona howled in madness, and even the Domain represented by the invisible ripples could no longer be maintained, dissipating completely.

Chu Xuan attacked relentlessly at close range. Seeing the King of Dona retreat explosively after taking several hits, the distance between them finally widened.

Chu Xuan's expression was cold. After adding another wound to the king's chest with an upward Slash, he switched from a Yin grip to a Yang grip, followed by an arrow-step thrust that instantly pierced the throat.

Under the burning of the Black Flame, Chu Xuan spent only 10 spirituality value to monitor the changes in the opponent's health points, discovering that this single strike had actually reduced the opponent's health points by 855.

In this brief span of just over half a minute, the opponent's current health points had dropped to 1340, less than half of the total.

Suddenly.

Out of the corner of his eye, Chu Xuan glimpsed a black shadow charging from a distance; it was that giant Three-headed Hellhound.

However, before the Three-headed Hellhound could get close, it was sent flying by a punch from Tang Zheng, who was radiating light.

Both sides were extremely fast, their clash like two Spell projectiles colliding repeatedly, leaving the massive hall in a state of ruin, with the thick surrounding walls covered in cracks and on the verge of collapse.

Below them, those ministers had also long since transformed into Strange Creaturess, turning into mad, Bloodthirsty-filled monsters as they fought furiously with Jian Mei, Huang Xiong, and the others.

Initially, these people were also affected by the King of Dona's Domain and nearly fell into madness, hurriedly retreating to a distance.

But once the Domain dissipated, the team's coordinated cooperation became apparent. Although they were still struggling and accumulating wounds, they managed to hold the line.

Beyond the archway, many more Armored Guards were rushing over.

“Hold on! Each guard's Berserk state can only last thirty seconds, at most one minute, before they fall into a weakened state. We just need to hold this entrance!”

Tan Ziming and Xu Shuya stood side by side in the wide corridor, fighting a bloody battle.

“We must kill the king as quickly as possible. At least for now, we are teammates on a Collective Mission...”

Tan Ziming grit his teeth and looked back.

He saw Chu Xuan's saber pierce the King of Dona's throat. In his roar, the king completely ignored the burning of the Fire of Nirvana, grabbing the blade with his left hand and swinging his sword in a fierce horizontal Slash with his right.

In an instant, the pitch-black blade turned liquid, slipping through the King of Dona's fingers just as the sword slashed across.

A pitch-black shield appeared in front of Chu Xuan.

[You have changed the form of the indestructible flowing shadow; your spirituality value -10.]

[Current spirituality value: 897]