Chapter 420: Fighting a Gold King!

Su Mu had a faint guess as to why a Gold tier advancing to a Gold King required the essence blood of a Saint Grade Nightmare Creature—it was to alter the human body.

Simply put, the human body had its limits. To continue ascending, one had to choose to stop being human.

Normal, self-driven progression would hit this ceiling early on. Any further advancement could only rely on external forces, and right now, Su Mu was relying on the external force of Supreme Heaven.

But it wouldn't be long before Supreme Heaven could no longer boost him either. He had to assimilate the essence blood of a Saint Grade Nightmare Creature to break through that limit.

Of course, he could just wish for the essence blood through Supreme Heaven, but there was no need. The return on investment was far too low; it was actually much more convenient to directly hunt and kill a Saint Grade Giant Demon.

"I make a wish: sacrifice all my spiritual energy to enhance my physique." Su Mu instantly restored his spiritual energy to full and continued wishing for enhancements.

After repeating this several times, he finally stopped when he sensed his physical body had reached its absolute limit and could not be enhanced any further.

"It is about time to make a move. But before that, there is a minor matter to handle."

...

...

Nightmare World, Holy Brilliance City.

"Hongye greets the Lord Divine Envoy." Hongye bowed respectfully to Su Mu, his etiquette and attitude flawless.

Because they were in the Nightmare World, Hongye still didn't know that Shangguan Chen was dead, so he continued his meticulous performance.

"Has the Lord Divine Envoy come to order this lowly one to continue hunting Nightmare Creatures in that dreamscape?"

"Correct. Follow me," Su Mu said impassively.

Hongye paused slightly. "Will it just be me this time?"

"You alone are enough."

Suspicion flared in Hongye's heart, but he didn't dare refuse Su Mu within the Primal Divine Cult. The Divine Envoy's status was now unshakeable. With a single word from Su Mu, the fanatical cultists would tear him, a red-robed archbishop, to pieces.

He believed he hadn't exposed any flaws and couldn't have been discovered.

"Yes, Lord Divine Envoy."

The two figures vanished. When they reappeared, they had arrived in an empty, desolate expanse of the Black Fog.

Looking at the churning Black Fog around them, Hongye's heart skipped a beat. He probed cautiously, "Lord Divine Envoy, this doesn't seem to be..."

"It is only you and me here. There is no need to keep acting," Su Mu interrupted.

Hongye's expression shifted slightly, but he maintained his disguise well. "Lord Divine Envoy, this lowly one does not understand what you mean."

"The Primal Pope you follow is already dead. Are you sure you want to keep pretending?"

The moment those words fell, Hongye's face changed drastically. His muscles tensed, and without the slightest hesitation, he struck.

His right fist shot forward, wrapped in a raging gale, but Su Mu was faster.

A hand darted out like lightning, effortlessly catching Hongye's fist. The terrifying gale clinging to it dissipated in an instant.

"You!"

Brilliant holy light erupted from Hongye as terrifying Primal Divine Magic brewed madly.

Bang!

Su Mu's leg blurred into an afterimage and slammed directly into Hongye's chest. Hongye's chest caved in instantly, his eyes bulged, and he was sent flying violently backward.

"Has my physique, after countless enhancements, finally gained the strength to rival a Gold King?"

Su Mu murmured to himself. He wasn't surprised by this. Anyone who could make this many wishes with Supreme Heaven could reach the same level.

After all, how could power gained through bitter cultivation compare to the speed of simply parting one's lips to make a wish?

Hongye was not weak. Not only was he a Gold King, but he also wielded Primal Divine Magic. With such power, assuming the Seven Kings did not use their Royal Power Artifacts, only the Dragon King could overpower him.

Of course, after enduring the Nightmare Invasion recently, the Seven Kings, who had long lived in comfort, had also improved through constant combat. They were gradually beginning to display the bearing of their ancestors, their strength vastly improved. If they faced Hongye now, the outcome would truly be hard to predict.

Combat was not a pure comparison of numbers. It wasn't a matter of 'my stats are higher than yours, so I'm guaranteed to win.' Many factors were involved, such as ability matchups, terrain advantages, combat experience, physical condition, and the grasp of timing in battle.

Just like now—Hongye had been heavily injured by Su Mu before he could fully unleash his power.

It was because the distance between them was far too close. Hongye was the equivalent of a mage, while Su Mu was a warrior. The consequences of a mage being caught in melee range by a warrior were obvious.

At this moment, the wounded Hongye on the ground had already realized the danger. He immediately transformed into a fierce wind and fled into the distance.

As a wind-attribute Gold King, his speed was absolutely peerless. In an instant, he vanished without a trace.

Damn it! How could His Holiness the Pope fail? Impossible! He must be bluffing. Just wait until I contact the Pope...

Hongye, who was fleeing frantically, suddenly froze. His expression contorted wildly as he slammed to a halt.

Right in front of him stood a figure wearing a black suit and Tinted Glasses.

This is impossible! When did he get in front of me!?

With no time to be horrified, Hongye hastily turned around.

However, after sprinting for a moment, he saw Su Mu again.

Su Mu stood calmly in place, as if he had never moved.

Hongye grew increasingly terrified, constantly changing directions in an attempt to shake off Su Mu. But no matter which way he fled, Su Mu was waiting ahead of him.

Gradually, he realized something was wrong. He noticed that Su Mu's position didn't seem to have changed at all.

"It's an Illusion Technique!! Damn it... since when..."

Hongye's expression turned exceedingly ugly. He finally realized that he had been hit by an Illusion Technique. He had seemed to be changing directions and fleeing, but under the influence of the illusion, he had just been spinning in circles on the spot like a fool. Su Mu hadn't moved a single step from start to finish, simply waiting for him to crash right in.

Knowing he couldn't escape, Hongye slowly came to a halt. He took a deep breath, a vicious glint surfacing in his eyes.

"Extreme Wind: Thousand Meteors!"

Gales surged from all directions, and endless air currents gathered in his palm, ultimately transforming into a high-speed rotating cyan orb of light.

"Primal Divine Magic!"

A dazzling holy light erupted from Hongye's body and continuously poured into the cyan orb. Gradually, the cyan orb was dyed with a touch of gold. Its light became blazing and radiant, just like a sun.

The terrifying power contained within almost caused the surrounding void to tremble and distort.

Finally, Hongye's ultimate attack had formed.

At this moment, an impassive voice sounded behind him. "Your wind-up is too long."

"What!?" Hongye's face twisted in shock. With absolutely no time to turn his head, he hurriedly thrust the orb of light backward. However, just as he raised his hand, he felt a massive force strike his waist.

Boom!!

The howling wind of a fist, carrying the weight of a thunderbolt, slammed into Hongye's spine. As this punch landed, time seemed to freeze.

Immediately following, a dull, bloodcurdling impact echoed in all directions. Hongye's body instantly bowed into an exaggerated arc, his feet leaving the ground involuntarily as he was sent flying out like a cannonball.

His speed was so fast that it even produced a ring of white shockwaves in his wake.