Chapter 232: His Excellency Pride Has Taken an Interest in Me!

"Do you know? His Excellency Pride, the Head of the Seven Deadly Sins, has taken an interest in me! He promised me a chance—a chance to join the Seven Deadly Sins!" A touch of madness surfaced in Lin Canyang's expression.

Yet Chu Shang only grew more horrified. He didn't fear his subordinates' betrayal, nor did he fear Lin Canyang escaping, confident he could suppress it all. But everything was shaken by the name Seven Deadly Sins.

"As long as I pass the test, I can join the Seven Deadly Sins! And the test is... you! Hahaha... Your Excellency Pride, I know you are watching me, and I absolutely will not disappoint you!"

The Head of the Seven Deadly Sins! Pride!!

Chu Shang's pupils shrank violently as he anxiously scanned his surroundings. Just the thought that Pride might be hiding nearby filled him with a bloodcurdling sense of panic.

In that instant of distraction, Lin Canyang let out a sinister, triumphant smile. The black energy coiling around his body instantly erupted. He flashed to Chu Shang's side, the terrifying black energy gathering madly over his fist until it took the shape of a massive, ferocious wolf's head.

"You!" Chu Shang's expression shifted wildly as he stared at the wolf head looming so close. He tried to transform his body into flames, but it was too late. He could only raise his arms to block.

Surging flames poured from his arms, crashing into the black-energy wolf head.

Boom!

A visible shockwave expanded in a violent circle from the two of them. The sheer force of the impact squeezed and twisted the air, letting out a deafening blast.

Dust and gravel swept into the air like a gale, forming a murky curtain of dirt.

"Ah!" Chu Shang screamed. The faint sound of cracking bones came from his arms as his body was sent flying backward uncontrollably.

Distraction was the greatest taboo when experts clashed. Yet under Lin Canyang's verbal assault, he had still lost focus, allowing Lin Canyang to seize the chance and close the distance.

As the most common Transcendent Tier pathway, the Follower of Strength was the only one made public by the Empire. The path was clearly disregarded; even if one reached its zenith—the Giant Demon state—they would still sit at the very bottom of the Gold tier's chain of contempt.

Every Gold-tier powerhouse looked down on a Giant Demon, but not a single one ever wanted a Giant Demon to get close.

Kept at a distance, a Giant Demon was just a clumsy fool, a human punching bag to be toyed with at will...

But a Giant Demon at close range... "Daddy, please go easy..."

"Die!" Lin Canyang's eyes were completely bloodshot. The hatred he had suppressed for years finally found its release. He grabbed the retreating Chu Shang and forcefully yanked him back.

Then, gripping the man's arm with one hand, he clenched his other into a fist and began madly bombarding Chu Shang's body.

Bang, bang, bang...

Chu Shang was repeatedly blasted away, yanked back, blasted away again, and yanked back once more in a brutal cycle.

Watching from close by, Su Mu admired the brutal scene before him with great interest. He hadn't expected Lin Canyang to give him such a pleasant surprise.

Originally, the test he had given Lin Canyang was simply to escape the base. That would have been enough to pass. But Su Mu had underestimated the hatred in Lin Canyang's heart.

After his successful sneak attack, and seeing Chu Shang's subordinates turn against their master, Lin Canyang had actually chosen to seize the opportunity and kill Chu Shang.

Between saving his own life and taking revenge, Lin Canyang clearly chose the latter. He knew full well this was the best chance he would ever get to kill Chu Shang. The opportunity was fleeting, and he would not let it slip even if it cost him his life.

What was even smarter was that, despite being clearly outmatched, Lin Canyang took the initiative to bring up the Seven Deadly Sins. He feigned absolute confidence to distract Chu Shang and successfully closed the distance.

"Bastard!" the battered Chu Shang suddenly roared. Catching a gap in Lin Canyang's assault, he lashed out with a vicious kick. His flame-wreathed right foot shattered Lin Canyang's ribs, knocking the man back several paces.

"Turn to ashes! Blazing Heaven's Wrath!" He rapidly swung his palm downward, and the brilliant, scorching sun that had been hanging in the sky came crashing down.

Rumble!

The blazing sun plummeted from the sky, trailing a long tail of flames like a falling meteor. The surrounding air ignited in a flash. An oppressive wind rushed forth, and the entire steel-cast base actually began to melt like a candle.

Madness covered Lin Canyang's face. He hated how weak his body was; otherwise, he could have killed Chu Shang outright rather than letting the man seize a chance to counterattack. But even now, he refused to give up. Enduring the agonizing pain, he lunged at Chu Shang and grabbed him in a death grip.

"You want to kill me? Then let's die together!!"

He clung to Chu Shang's body for dear life, ignoring the man's frenzied attacks.

Shocked and furious, Chu Shang yelled, "Let go!"

Bang, bang, bang...

Lin Canyang's broken body grew even more mangled, his mouth filling with bloody froth, yet he still refused to let go.

Finally, the scorching sun crashed into the mortal realm, completely swallowing the two of them.

In that moment, time seemed to stand still. A blinding light erupted, followed by an earth-shattering boom. The ground trembled violently, as if struck by a magnitude-ten earthquake. A furious shockwave of flames swept out in all directions, obliterating everything in its path as it rose into a massive mushroom cloud.

A long time passed before the dust settled.

It revealed the figures of Chu Shang and Lin Canyang.

Lin Canyang had long since collapsed. His entire body looked like a piece of charcoal, and even one of his eyeballs had melted away. If not for his faint breathing, anyone would have thought he was already dead.

But Chu Shang was still standing. Though he was in a miserable state and bleeding all over, he had ultimately survived the blast.

"Damn it! Damn it! Damn you!" Enduring the severe pain wracking his body, he kicked Lin Canyang over and over, venting his madness.

"It's all because of you! My years of hard work, ruined!!" He looked at the destroyed base, his heart aching as if pierced by a knife.

"Pri... Your Excellency Pride..." Lin Canyang's feeble voice squeezed out from his charred body, his one remaining eye shifting slightly.

"Still trying to trick me at death's door!?" Chu Shang roared. "If the Seven Deadly Sins were really here, they would have shown themselves long ago! Why would they let a cripple like you deal with me?"

Lin Canyang ignored the enraged Chu Shang. He stared blankly into the distance and gave a weak, grinning smile.

Tap, tap, tap...

The sound of two sets of footsteps approached from afar.

Chu Shang, who had been busy kicking Lin Canyang, froze. As if realizing something, he lifted his head in disbelief, his body suddenly trembling violently!

Amidst the ruins and the sea of fire, two figures dressed in black tailcoats and wearing Silver-White Masks slowly walked over. The soaring black smoke blurred their forms, leaving only those two piercing Silver-White Masks shining brightly.

One radiated contempt, the other a lazy indifference.

"The... the Seven Deadly Sins!?" Chu Shang was instantly horrified. Without a second of hesitation, he dragged his heavily injured body and turned to flee, leaving a trail of bloody footprints across the ruins.