Chapter 652 - 444: Ganging Up (Part 2)

Then, the Confusion Insect inserted its paw into it. With a light nudge, a fragment bearing Hao Shi’s image shifted, turning in another direction.

At the same time, in the real world, Hao Shi’s body involuntarily veered to one side as if manipulated by some invisible force. That was precisely where Qiqi had set her trap.

A pitch-black void was forming in front of Qiqi, its edges a complete blur. No matter how a Cultivator tried to look, they couldn’t see it clearly.

Evidently, this was a temporarily opened void passage—and only half of one at that. After seeing Hao Shi’s transformation, Qiqi and the Confusion Insect had wisely concluded that his defenses were too formidable for ordinary attacks to be of any use. Thus, they resorted to using the Space Cutting Technique.

Even the sturdiest object in the world cannot withstand the slice of a spatial fissure, as they do not exist on the same dimensional plane.

The same was true for Hao Shi’s body. He could only watch as he neared the void. If Qiqi and her companion succeeded, he would be split in two.

At the critical moment, the golden patterns on Hao Shi’s body flared with brilliant light, shattering all the Space Power that had been placed upon him.

The instant Hao Shi broke free, the Confusion Insect let out a muffled grunt, blood trickling from the corner of its mouth. But it hadn’t given up. It once again nudged the mirror-like surface before it.

But this time, the Confusion Insect discovered that with the enhancement from the golden light on Hao Shi’s body, its technique was no longer working.

Not only that, but all other techniques aimed at Hao Shi’s body suddenly lost their intended effects.

Of course, these techniques hadn’t had much effect on Hao Shi to begin with; they only served to utterly destroy the furnishings within the Grand Palace Hall.

Chunyu Hua watched the scene unfold, his heart aching. He desperately wanted to shout, ’If you’re going to fight, take it outside! Stop fighting in here!’

However, Commander Xu still needed the support of the Palace Array. Otherwise, given the commander’s strength, he would have been defeated by Hao Shi long ago.

At this moment, empowered by the Magical Power of numerous guards and the Palace Array, Grand Commander Xu brandished his sword and forced his way forward within the cramped Grand Palace Hall.

Right now, he was the only one who could hold the line, because Fang Qingyuan—who also had the means—was quietly observing Hao Shi’s response after launching a Godslaying Needle.

At that moment, Fang Qingyuan skirted the center of the battlefield, approached Chunyu Hua, and voiced the question on his mind:

"This transformation of Hao Shi’s... have you seen it before?"

The two beauties, Jin Zhi and Yu Ye, had already vanished. The moment the situation turned sour, they had quietly slipped out the back door. This was at Chunyu Hua’s direction; he couldn’t bear to let them join the fray.

Of course, the most crucial reason was that even if the two had stepped forward, they wouldn’t have survived a single slap from Hao Shi.

Hearing Fang Qingyuan’s question, Chunyu Hua shook his head. "This type of transformation is known as ’Spirit Beast Transformation’ at the Beast Taming General Mountain. Our Beast Taming Sect specializes in dealing with Spirit Beasts, so naturally, we’ve attempted to borrow their power. One such method involves replacing one’s own bloodline with that of a demon beast, then fusing it with the bloodline of a favored Spirit Beast. It used to be a fairly mainstream school of thought in the sect."

As he listened to Chunyu Hua’s explanation, Fang Qingyuan was reminded of a cultivation technique he had once practiced. ’Didn’t Zuo Changsheng, the creator of that technique, also want to avoid replacing his own bloodline, and thus blazed a new trail by devising such a method?’

"Is that school of thought still prominent now?"

"It has been completely banned. Disciples who underwent the transformation later discovered that their thought patterns began to align with the instincts of the bloodlines they had absorbed. The more bloodlines they took in, the stronger they became, but they also lost their moral compass as Cultivators. This was undoubtedly a terrifying prospect, so it was halted by the higher-ups. The technique itself was sealed away. I never expected Hao Shi to have access to this, and it seems he knows quite a lot about it."

"Can you identify the species of demon beasts he has absorbed?"

Fang Qingyuan was genuinely curious. Lechuan had never told him about these hidden matters; only a direct Divinity Transformation Descendant like Chunyu Hua would be privy to such secrets.

Furthermore, in the wake of Hao Shi’s betrayal, Chunyu Hua’s resentment toward Fang Qingyuan for defeating him and forcing him to eliminate Hao Shi had diminished considerably. This was why he was now willing to speak with him in such detail.

"The Black Gold Ink Lizard, the Iron Wall Shield Turtle... The red light in his eyes comes from the Red-eyed Terrifying Ape. Ah, and the Earth Storage Serpent!"

Chunyu Hua’s knowledge was vast; he was no simple good-for-nothing. Before meeting Fang Qingyuan, he had been the real winner at life.

Fang Qingyuan felt a headache coming on as he listened. ’This Hao Shi really knows how to stack abilities. Was he a shish kebab in a past life?’

Qiqi had also revealed her true form by now. Coordinating with Xiong Ba, Qing Ji, and the Heavy-Armored Commander Xu, a total of five Golden Core Demon Beasts and one human Golden Core were ganging up on Hao Shi, yet they were still unable to take him down.

’However, Chunyu Hua and I haven’t joined the fight yet. If we did, that would be seven Golden Cores ganging up on Hao Shi. In that case, Bear Wind, who’s waiting outside, probably wouldn’t need to intervene personally... right?’

...

In just over a dozen breaths, the Grand Palace Hall that Chunyu Hua had spent a fortune to build could no longer withstand the clash of so many Golden Core experts. With a great RIIIP, the dome was blasted open. Precious materials rained down, CLATTERING everywhere.

The Third-stage Formation laid over the palace shattered. Hao Shi forcefully dragged Qing Ji and Qiqi’s bodies along as he flew upward.

But his towering, black-gold body erupted with boundless strength. Neither Commander Xu’s spiritual sense lock nor the Cyan Flood Dragon’s coiling body could pull him back down.

Of course, this was partly because those two were holding back. Hao Shi was being incredibly ferocious, and both Commander Xu and Qing Ji were just here to do a job. Why would they risk their lives fighting him now?

The only ones using their full strength were the four Bear Beasts, Qiqi and the Confusion Insect among them. Unfortunately, given their current abilities, they still lacked the power to forcibly stop the transformed, powered-up Hao Shi.

But Hao Shi was clearly unhappy about being so weighed down. He formed a blade with one hand, his palm instantly turning the color of black gold, and in the next moment, he chopped down at the forehead of the fiercely pouncing Qiqi.

’Black Gold Soul-Seizing Saber!’

Hao Shi’s palm-blade emitted a sharp shriek. It wasn’t caused simply by friction with the air, but by rapid vibrations that formed a unique offensive saber technique.

Moreover, this saber technique wasn’t limited to a single strike. As Hao Shi unleashed his power, saber energy erupted all around him.

Even Fang Qingyuan, standing dozens of yards away, could sense it. ’The saber intent is bizarre. The saber energy forms rings that spin at high speed, with a strong corrosive force gathering inward. The rings react with one another, creating endless variations. In the blink of an eye, there are thousands, even tens of thousands of them. If you get cut or trapped by these spinning rings, you’ll be torn to shreds!’

Faced with Hao Shi’s sudden killing blow, Qing Ji was the first to retreat. Meanwhile, Commander Xu, who should have been the one to block the attack, hesitated. He chose not to take the hit head-on with his armor.

Without the support of the Palace Array, Commander Xu’s strength had already waned significantly. Besides, Hao Shi’s main target was Qiqi. He reasoned that he had no obligation to take a blow for the Bear Beast.

Just then, the brutishly strong Xiong Ba roared and charged forward, a powerful tide of Earth Spiritual Power erupting from his body as he shielded Qiqi.

Among this batch of Golden Core Bear Beasts, Xiong Ba was the descendant who had most truly inherited Bear Wind’s skills. He had inherited Bear Wind’s hereditary Earth Spirit Root, and his techniques were very similar.

In an instant, a series of CLANGS echoed around Xiong Ba. The saber rings unleashed by Hao Shi flew everywhere, intersecting and shifting like a storm. The assault caused the Earth Spiritual Qi shield around Xiong Ba’s body to continuously burst, shrinking in the blink of an eye from its initial ten-foot radius to less than half its size.

Xiong Ba’s enormous frame was sent flying by the powerful impact. But no matter how the saber rings shifted and wore away at his defense, they could not penetrate the inner layer of his Earth Spiritual Power Shield. Qiqi remained firmly protected behind him, not a single ring getting through.

After a few breaths, a sudden whistle sounded. The sky-filling Sword Ring Storm abruptly ceased. A smell like strong acid filled the hall, making the air SIZZLE.

Only then did everyone’s spiritual sense notice that Fang Qingyuan was slowly lowering his raised finger. At the same time, Hao Shi let out a muffled grunt, blood staining the corner of his mouth.