The lightning explosive shot displayed unparalleled power as it pierced through the wave like barrier and into the prototype god’s chest. Its body began to crumple from the point of penetration. In an instant, a hole of four meters in diameter opened up, the depth of which went all the way through. Yet, the arrow’s path was altered when it passed through the barrier. It pierced through the god’s left chest instead of dead center.
Purple liquid surged from the damaged chest. This was perhaps its unique blood. The prototype god roared as its crystal began to radiate a blinding light. The group on the front line picked up their feet and ran immediately out of fear.
However, the god did not blast an explosion as it had done before. A silver light emerged from every inch of its body. The damaged left chest slowly recovered. Reddish purple flesh wriggled from the wound. Numerous tiny tentacles reached out from the flesh and repaired the damage it took. The wound was healing at visible speed. In just several seconds, the tentacles had patched a majority of the hole.
(Powerful attacks, recovery, and defense. Is that what a prototype god was like? And this is one sealed in power. What’s a complete god like?) Zheng thought to himself.
The arrow did not kill nor critically damage the god but it delayed its pace. Zheng finally caught up to the god by using Soru in Destruction. When the other piece of land was less than three hundred meters away from the god, he leaped, shattering the ground that he stepped on and jumped a hundred meters. He then propelled himself to right above the god’s head using Geppo. Tiger’s Soul slashed down at the barrier without a moment of hesitation.
A large area of white mist came down with the blade and splashed on the barrier. It was as though the mist formed by the blade’s energy had physical form as each collision spawned a sound of impact. Normal people would have been shredded to pulp from this attack. Yet, there was not even a crack on the barrier in front of Zheng. The only outcome was it was drawing out more waves into the barrier. Also that the impact of the slash hurt his hand as though he hit a hard surface. Zheng was staggered.
He had witnessed the Force of the Soul in the dream world. Despite the different names given to this power, he came to realize the nature of it was life force. Man would begin to tap into this force at the fourth stage as they grasped energy manipulation. The Lambda Driver was driven by the same source even though it took a different form. Rui-Kong was already so powerful yet her Force was much weaker. And this god’s Force was condensed to the point that it was nearly solid. It also had an almost endless source of energy. What did team China have to break through this Force? The Magic Cannon?
Zheng had never underwent any systematic combat training nor did he have any powerful sword abilities. However, the numerous trials forced upon him on the border of hell taught him to break through any obstacles with strength and speed. Infinitesimal control while in the fourth stage also bestowed him absolute control over his strength. The seemingly normal slash was actually a full power attack in Destruction. If he had this power in the dream world, Rui-Kong would have fallen in this one hit. Her Force of the Soul was not strong enough to block this power. However, Zheng didn’t even break the god’s barrier.
Zheng didn’t back away after the slash. He continued striking at the god one slash after another under the power of Destruction and the fourth stage. Those standing afar could only see a glimmering white mist painting several meters of space above the god. Two seconds later, the barrier waves rippled violently and then began to crumble. Zheng actually managed to shatter this barrier.
The god did not give him the opportunity to slide into the opening. An enormous volume of the Force of the Soul surged from around the it. If he were to compare this volume to the Force Rui-Kong possessed, it was a torrent compared to the volume of a hand. The gap was beyond worth mentioning. Zheng had no choice but to back away using Geppo, as getting hit was would at least fatally injure him.
(What should I do? There’s no way to break through to it. We aren’t going to win like this. I can continue to fight it for a while longer but our time limit is looming. It also has an endless supply of energy so it will eventually wear us out… Yet, I can’t let Xuan use the Magic Cannon. Just… fight with all I have!)
Zheng made up his mind as he flipped backward. He cried to Xuan, “Give me the One Ring! I am going to use it!”
The rest of the group had stopped running. After suffering from the arrow, the god was struck down from the sky by Zheng. With a loud thump, its feet landed and blasted a crater on the ground. The rest of the group escaped the risk of it approaching them and killing them, so they didn’t have to worry for the moment.
Zheng let out a sigh of relief seeing the god turned to him instead. His comrades were his support and also weakness. He grew to this point with their existence and the same people became his only weakness.
(Perhaps Lori is also my weakness. Luckily she only exists inside God’s dimension.)
Zheng shook the thoughts away from his head. He gradually relaxed his body. Qi and Blood Energy also returned into the body. Once the god’s eyes were set on him, its crystal began to radiate once more. Zheng on the other hand was still standing in place without any sign of dodging the incoming explosion. Finally, a flash of silver light and fire consumed him.
The rest of the group stared in shock, except for Xuan who continued to disassemble the Magic Cannon. It felt as though he was aware that Zheng was consumed by the explosion. WangXia pushed Xuan and said, “Zheng looks like he got blasted again, this time without the Dragonshard Necklace. He might be…” Xuan didn’t even raise his head.
“No. He’s not dead.” YinKong suddenly spoke. “I can’t be certain but he should be fine… Somehow, I just have this feeling. And a desire to go into battle.”
The situation was too urgent for Heng and WangXia to listen to her mumbling. Only Xuan glanced at her when he heard her voice. He then turned back to disassembling the Magic Cannon, mumbling something about glasses.
The fire and dust slowly dissipated from the center of explosion. Zheng stood on top of a crystallized ground. However, he no longer looked human and resembled the devil in mythologies. Two smalls horns rose from his forehead. His clothes were bursting. Two dragon like wings extended upward from his back. These wings differed slightly from bat wings. Some tiny scales surfaced on his skin.
“Dragon Transformation.” This was Zheng’s most powerful form in mid-fourth stage after he overcame the heart’s devil. It utilized the dragon’s genes as the foundation and was enhanced with the strongest of the ancient genes residing in his body. Zheng could achieve speed and strength equal to Explosion without using Qi or Blood Energy. If he were to activate Explosion and Destruction in this form, his power would ascend to another tier. The crucial factor was that this was a form and not ability, which required nothing special to maintain. It was how his clone was always in the devil form. There was however, one drawback.
An urge of violent feeling burst from every hidden gene in his body. Even though Zheng did not fear the feelings since he had overcame his heart’s devil, they made it difficult for him to hold back.
“You don’t look like someone I need to hold back on… come, round two starts!”
Zheng took a deep breath. Pure white flame engulfed his body in the same way the black flame that engulfed his clone. He flapped the wings and propelled toward the god.