158: Chapter 158 You dare to renege on my money?

"Crack—!"

That crisp sound was exceptionally piercing on the deafening battlefield, like a naughty child smashing the most expensive glazed cup with a hammer.

Emperor Abra's pride and joy, the [Divine Protection] golden light shield—claimed to be able to withstand a strike from a god—lasted for less than 0.01 seconds before Qin Ji's green copper block, which was wrapped in purple calamity lightning.

The rusty copper block carved through the golden light like a hot knife through butter, without any resistance, heading straight for Abra's forehead with a suffocating physical wind pressure.

"Protect the Emperor!!"

Emperor Abra's pupils shrank to the size of pinpoints. Under the threat of death, this Empire Dominator erupted with an astonishing desire to survive. He suddenly bit the tip of his tongue and spat a mouthful of essence blood onto a pitch-black ring in his hand.

"Buzz!"

Just as the green copper block was about to crack open Your Majesty's skull, a massive hexagram star Formation appeared out of thin air between the two.

Space distorted instantly, and a mound of flesh, seemingly piled up from countless pieces of rotting meat, squeezed out of the Formation, bringing with it a sickening stench.

[Abyssal Sarcoma (Mutated · Legendary)]

[Rank: LV.190]

[Traits: Physical Devour, Kinetic Energy Conversion]

"Pfft!"

The heavy green copper block smashed hard into that mound of flesh.

However, the expected spray of flesh and blood did not happen. That sarcoma was like a living swamp; the moment it touched the copper block, it squirmed frantically, actually absorbing all of the terrifying kinetic energy that was enough to shatter mountains. Its volume then ballooned, and the blood vessels on its surface pulsed wildly like earthworms, making "gurgle-gurgle" swallowing sounds.

"Hmm? It ate it?"

Qin Ji raised an eyebrow, performing a graceful backflip in mid-air and landing steadily on the nearby ruins. He looked at the green copper block, of which only a corner remained visible as it was buried in the sarcoma, and a cold smile curled at the corners of his mouth. "Quite an appetite, daring to swallow even my brick."

"Roar—!"

The sarcoma monster let out a roar like a burp. Its size had already more than doubled, clearly having converted all the energy from the previous strike into its own maximum health.

Emperor Abra, hiding behind the sarcoma, was still shaken. Taking advantage of this opening, he quickly pulled a green whistle from his robes and blew it.

"Screech—!"

A bird's cry, sharp enough to pierce metal and stone, echoed through the clouds.

A massive green bird with a wingspan of over fifty meters tore through the clouds, diving down like a bolt of green lightning. Emperor Abra scrambled onto the bird's back, not even having time to retract the sarcoma monster, and directly rode the giant bird into the sky.

"Trying to run?"

Qin Ji watched Abra fly higher and higher, the data stream in his eyes flashing frantically.

He didn't chase the bird but instead turned his gaze back to the sarcoma that was still expanding in front of him.

"Since you love to eat so much, I'll let you eat your fill."

Qin Ji extended his right hand, palm aimed at the sarcoma, a hint of madness flashing in his purple-gold pupils.

[Infinite Data Stream · Attribute Infusion]!

Boom!

This time, it wasn't a physical attack, but a materialized torrent composed of pure data garble that surged from Qin Ji's palm, pouring directly into the sarcoma monster's body.

If the green copper block earlier was a bullet, then the current Qin Ji was like someone using a high-pressure fire hose to pump water into a balloon.

The sarcoma monster, which had been smugly digesting the energy, froze instantly.

Its simple unicellular brain could not process such a massive amount of data. Its body began to expand uncontrollably and frantically, its skin stretched as thin as a cicada's wing, so thin that the churning purple energy inside could be clearly seen.

"Eat! Why aren't you eating anymore? It's a reward from me; no leftovers allowed!"

The smile on Qin Ji's face became even more brilliant as he increased the data output power once again.

"Gurgle... gurgle..."

The sarcoma monster let out a painful wail. Its body had expanded to its limit, like a supernova about to explode.

"Boom—!!!"

With an earth-shattering explosion, this Legendary monster that had terrified countless top-tier players was blown into a sky full of stinking blood rain under Qin Ji's unreasonable "force-feeding."

Even before the "-999,999,999" damage number could float up, its health bar had been completely emptied.

"Ding! You have completed the first kill of the [Abyssal Sarcoma]. A server-wide announcement is about to be made. Do you wish to hide your name?"

"Hide it." Qin Ji casually closed the System prompt, not even glancing at the loot on the ground.

His gaze pierced through the rain of blood, locking onto the figure in the high sky that was turning into a black dot.

"Debts must be paid; it's only natural. Old Emperor, even if you run to outer space today, you're going to settle this account with me!"

Qin Ji stomped his foot, and his whole body turned into a beam of light, soaring into the sky.

However, something awkward happened.

Although Qin Ji's attributes were ridiculously high, he was ultimately an "Earthbound Immortal," relying entirely on the skill [Void Walk] for flight. Meanwhile, the large green bird beneath Abra was clearly a flying mount specialized in speed.

The distance between the two sides, instead of narrowing, was actually widening bit by bit.

[Azure-Winged Bird King (Gold · Mount)]

[Speed: 5,000 km/h]

"Tsk, two legs really can't outrun wings."

Qin Ji looked at the Bird King's attributes, which were full of question marks in his vision, and curled his lip in annoyance.

Just then, a faint blue light suddenly shot out from the ruins below, accurately hitting the Azure-Winged Bird King high in the sky.

"Curse: Gravity Shackles!"

The Bird King, which was originally fast as lightning, suddenly sank as if a mountain had been placed on its back, its speed plummeting.

Qin Ji's eyes lit up, and he looked back. He saw the Necromancer named "Glasses" (the passerby player Qin Ji had just saved) sweating profusely while maintaining a casting gesture, shouting at him: "Great God! Go for it! I can't hold this for long!"

"Nice job! I'll reward you with a piece of orange gear later!"

Qin Ji laughed loudly, seized the opportunity, and flashed through the air repeatedly, instantly closing the distance with Abra.

"Damn it! These lowly commoners!"

Abra, on the bird's back, watched the approaching Qin Ji and frantically pulled a stack of golden Talismans from his robes.

"Golden Light Talisman! Block him for me!"

Slap, slap, slap!

One Talisman after another was activated, turning into layers of golden light shields that blocked his rear.

Qin Ji didn't slow down at all. The green copper block appeared in his hand again, turning into an afterimage as it smashed down frantically.

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

One layer of shield shattered.

Two layers of shields shattered.

Three layers...

Abra threw the Talismans fast, but Qin Ji's demolition speed was even faster. Those priceless life-saving Talismans were like paper in front of Qin Ji; their only effect was to slightly delay his advance by 0.1 seconds.

"How is this possible... Just how high is this monster's attack power?!"

Abra looked at the man who was grinning ferociously while smashing shields and closing in, and his mental state completely collapsed. His inventory was almost empty, yet that bringer of death hadn't even broken a sweat.

Just as Qin Ji was about to reach him, the situation on the battlefield suddenly changed.

"Ice and Snow: Eternal Frozen Sky Prison!"

Just as Qin Ji was preparing to give Abra the final blow, heavy snow suddenly began to fall from the sky. A massive ice-blue magic Formation formed over Abra's head without warning.

Crack, crack, crack!

Extreme cold Qi erupted instantly, freezing Abra along with the Azure-Winged Bird King into a massive ice sculpture.

Qin Ji's figure paused, and he looked to the side in some surprise.

He saw a woman in a plain white dress with a cold temperament stepping through the clouds. The staff in her hand emitted a heart-stopping chill, and her eyes were filled with deep-seated hatred as she looked at Abra.

"Qing Fuyun?"

Information about this NPC flashed through Qin Ji's mind. The former Chief Court Mage, who defected from the Empire because the Queen was sacrificed by the Emperor.

"The enemy of my enemy is my friend? Interesting."

The corners of Qin Ji's mouth curled slightly. Since someone was helping to crowd-control the target, he wouldn't be polite.

Taking advantage of the moment Abra was frozen, Qin Ji went all out.

Countless pitch-black Void blades appeared around him, pouring toward the ice sculpture like a torrential rain.

"Clatter, clatter!"

Ice shards flew, and damage numbers cascaded from the top of Abra's head like a waterfall.

-50 million!

-80 million!

-120 million (Critical)!

However, as the Emperor of the Empire, Abra had too many life-saving items. Even in a frozen state, his imperial robes automatically activated their protection function, stubbornly withstanding Qin Ji's burst of damage.

"Crack!"

Cracks appeared on the surface of the ice sculpture; Abra was about to break free from the control.

"Mystic Ice: Six Harmonies Sealing!"

Just then, another dark figure darted out from the shadows, waving a staff and adding a thicker layer of Frost to Abra once again.

Qin Ji raised an eyebrow. How bad was this Emperor's reputation? Why was the whole world wishing for his death?

"Good opportunity!"

A sharp light flashed in Qin Ji's eyes, and the green copper block in his hand began to charge.

But at this critical moment, a sharp whistling sound came from behind him.

"Stop! Do not harm Your Majesty!"

A golden Sword Qi tore through the sky, aiming straight for the back of Qin Ji's heart.

The newcomer was none other than the commander of the Royal Guard, Luolin Muye, who had just escaped the entanglement of the undead!

This loyal commander was now covered in blood, having clearly suffered quite a bit in the previous melee, but he still resolutely blocked Qin Ji's path.

"You again, you meddler."

A hint of impatience flashed in Qin Ji's eyes.

Normally, he might have been interested in playing with this commander and maybe getting some gear drops. But now, he had only one goal—that moving treasury trying to escape.

"Get lost!"

Qin Ji didn't even turn his head, waving his left hand backward.

[Space Fold · Reflection]!

That golden Sword Qi, which was enough to split mountains and crack stones, strangely turned around when it hit the air wall behind Qin Ji, reflecting back at an even faster speed.

"What?!"

Luolin Muye was shocked and hurriedly raised his sword to parry. He was sent flying hundreds of meters by his own Sword Qi, coughing up blood.

Without any interference, Qin Ji could finally focus on his harvest.

By now, Abra had shattered the ice and was about to activate a Space Displacement Talisman to flee.

"Empress Houtu bless me, this one must be a critical hit!"

Qin Ji took a deep breath. The green copper block in his hand was no longer a simple throw, but a Fusion of the massive spatial Law power accumulated in his body.

[Ultimate Profound Truth · Causality Brick]!

This strike didn't lock onto Abra's body, but onto his "existence coordinates."

No matter where he fled, even if he hid in sub-space, this brick would cross dimensions to smash his forehead.

"Whoosh—!"

The green copper block left his hand and vanished into the air.

The next second.

Abra, who was in the middle of tearing a spatial scroll, suddenly froze.

A rusty copper block appeared out of thin air at the back of his head, and then, with a will that seemed to want to crush the entire world, it slammed down heavily and solidly.

"Smack!!!"

This crisp sound was clearer and more pleasant than any before.

Like a ripe watermelon being smashed by a hammer.

Emperor Abra's protective golden light, imperial robe defense, and Physical Body resistance all vanished into nothingness before this strike.

A massive, golden, and even somewhat dazzling damage number slowly floated up from his head:

-∞ (Lethality Judgment)

That was the low-probability instant-death effect—[Reincarnation Collapse]—that Qin Ji finally triggered after stacking countless passive layers.

Abra's eyes instantly lost focus, and the spatial scroll in his hand slipped powerlessly. His body began to disintegrate bit by bit from his feet, turning into countless golden data fragments that dissipated in the wind.

"Ding, you have killed [Emperor of the Holy Empire · Abra]. A server-wide announcement is about to be made. Do you wish to hide your name?"

Hearing the pleasant System prompt, Qin Ji hovered in mid-air, caught the green copper block that automatically flew back, and showed a simple and honest smile like a farmer during a bountiful harvest.

"Hide!"

The next moment, a blood-red System announcement began to spam the retinas of all players in the entire world of "God's Domain."

[Server Announcement: Congratulations to player "Hidden Name" for successfully killing the World Boss "Emperor of the Holy Empire · Abra"! The Empire faction has collapsed, and a new era is about to begin! This announcement is made to encourage all players to continue their efforts!]

[Server Announcement: Congratulations to player "Hidden Name" for successfully killing the World Boss...]

...

The setting sun was like blood, dyeing the clouds a dark red.

Qin Ji stood high in the sky with one hand in his pocket. Below him were the collapsed ruins of the Imperial City and countless stunned NPCs and players. He casually tossed the brick in his hand, which was still dripping with golden divine blood. His purple-gold pupils shone brightly in the twilight, just like an ancient Vicious Beast that had just had a full meal, looking down coldly and greedily at the massive Empire that had lost its master.