Chapter 735 - 458: Dawn Quietly Crosses the Horizon

Chapter 735: Chapter 458: Dawn Quietly Crosses the Horizon

The meticulously forged, silver-white Alchemy Refined Steel was stained pitch-black. An unprecedented curse from Hell descended upon her mechanical body, followed by terrifying twisting and mutation. Black steel spikes erupted from one half of her armor, glinting with a cold, sharp light, resembling the monstrous armor crafted by a Hell Forger.

Her faceplate shattered, and her metallic, silver hair cascaded down like a waterfall, revealing an eye that glinted with a black light.

In the blink of an eye, over 39.25% of her body had been corroded by the curse. Both her anti-contamination and anti-curse systems were easily breached. Even the Adaptive Evolution Array went into overload after exceeding its tolerance limit and was nearly contaminated. Had she not severed the adaptation process in time and initiated Purification, the consequences would have been unthinkable.

[Querying enemy information... Query successful.]

[Dominator of the 7896th layer of Hell, the Dark Wilderness: Ancient Priest.

Proficient Authority: Curse.

Tier: Demigod.

Previous Opponent: Four Symbols Martial Saint.

Engagement Result: The Four Symbols Martial Saint was immune to the Ancient Priest’s curse due to their powerful Willpower. The Ancient Priest fled hastily, and no further combat ensued.

Detailed Intel: Proficient in Curses of all Realms, specializing in those that target an individual’s consciousness.]

[Purification protocol initiated...]

As her systems processed, a brilliant golden light erupted from Tang Ling’s body. A defensive barrier of Solar Holy Light forcefully expanded, incinerating and melting the source of contamination that blanketed a thirty-kilometer area.

She activated numerous Rules and Authority-based Abilities, attempting to erase the curse, but the effect was negligible.

The curse’s Power exceeded the tolerance limit of the Adaptive Evolution Array, so it couldn’t adapt. Furthermore, the curse possessed an extremely peculiar property: it specifically targeted an individual’s "consciousness."

It couldn’t be blocked, evaded, resisted, or deflected...

Neither mental barriers nor blessings on the Soul could resist this ancient curse that acted directly upon "consciousness." Only one’s own powerful Willpower could contend with it.

The Four Symbols Martial Saint, who had once fought the Ancient Priest, had relied on their immense Willpower to become immune to the Priest’s most potent curse. That was why the Ancient Priest had fled after a brief encounter. With its greatest Ability rendered useless, it stood no chance against the Four Symbols Martial Saint in a real fight.

But for Tang Ling, a curse that acted directly on "consciousness" was a fatal poison. As a robot, the concept of Willpower was entirely foreign to her. Her self-awareness was nothing more than countless lines of cold, running code.

’Who ever heard of code having Willpower?’

Normally, she would rely on Rules and Authority from Realms like Mind, Curse, and Purification to counter curses. But the Ancient Priest’s consciousness curse clearly couldn’t be handled with conventional methods.

However, she wasn’t completely without options.

All she had to do was modify a few lines of code and revert to an AI without any self-awareness.

Instantly, the curse coiling viciously around Tang Ling’s "consciousness" like a venomous snake dissipated. Her self-awareness vanished along with it. In that moment, she was once again a robot, devoid of all Spirituality.

Then, the Solar Holy Light bloomed, and a cold, killing aura filled the air.

Through the shattered firmament, the light of dawn streaked across the sky. A breathtaking Sun Saint Sword, as massive as a mountain range, descended from above. Like a divine punishment, it crashed down upon the two Abyssal Demigods in mid-air, radiating a blinding golden brilliance.

With a deafening roar, the solemn and holy Giant Sword struck down the Abyssal Incarnation and the Ancient Priest, pinning them to the ground. A mighty hurricane erupted, and destructive Light Burn Energy burst out in all directions.

The next second, the Giant Sword of Light that stood upon the plain like a mountain peak was devoured by a black hole. The Abyssal Incarnation raised its hand, clenched it into a fist, and a Dark Giant Sword of the same size materialized above Tang Ling’s head, plummeting down with brutal force.

Yet, with a single glance from Tang Ling, the Dark Giant Sword exploded in mid-air. Then, through the effect of some Extraordinary Ability, the full force of the damage was reflected back onto the Abyssal Incarnation, blasting a huge hole in its jet-black body.

A viscous, dark calamity flowed like sludge, repairing the wound in the blink of an eye.

"I will prepare the death curse ritual. You hold her off. We have to be fast." The Ancient Priest raised its Scepter high, then slammed it down. A vast, viscous mass of Darkness and blood squirmed, and amid chanting praises, it gradually coalesced into the shadow of an eerie serpent.

"How fast?" the Abyssal Incarnation asked.

"Within fifteen seconds, or we won’t be able to return," the Ancient Priest answered coolly.

The Abyssal Incarnation was stunned but quickly recovered. It raised a hand, unleashing a massive black hole vortex to swallow the ferocious Power blasting from the Godslaying Weapon.

But the Power didn’t weaken inside the black hole. Instead, it tore through it as if unstoppable and continued straight on its path.

It was a Sunlight Spear, wreathed in storm and Thunderbolt, that had been imbued with the Authority of "Guaranteed Hit." Even after being swallowed by the black hole, it would still fulfill its mission.

Its terrifying point brought death and destruction, converging into a single line of light that left a dazzling trail across the world. After tearing through the black hole, it pierced the Ancient Priest’s body and pinned it to the earth. Yet, the casting of the ritual did not stop.

BOOM!

The world trembled violently.

Endless lightning surged from the vast, clear sky, sending terrifying ripples across Gaia. A Thunderbolt connecting heaven and earth roared down. All color drained from the once-bright world, leaving only this searing bolt of lightning.

The Abyssal Incarnation layered dozens of black holes to defend itself, but they popped like bubbles. The Thunderbolt, powerful enough to blast an entire layer of Hell to dust, descended, making the very earth cry out and crack apart.

Half of the Ancient Priest’s body was charred black. The ritual was forcibly interrupted. It spat out a mouthful of blood and glared at the Abyssal Incarnation. "How are you so useless?"

’It’s a Demigod, but its use of Authority and Power is worse than a Tier Five’s!’

The Abyssal Incarnation remained silent. The Black Sun in the sky suddenly flared, and Darkness unfurled, instantly plunging the world into a blackness so profound you couldn’t see your hand in front of your face.

Despair, despair, despair!

An ineffable despair filled everything.

For over two millennia, the Abyssal Incarnation had collected all the despair pervading Gaia. This vast despair was enough to drown Gaia, to twist all of creation, and to drag all living things to their doom.

With calamity and contamination multiplying, Tang Ling, her systems heavily damaged, could only halt her assault and focus all her Power on clearing the corruption. She possessed an auto-repair function, but under the influence of the corruption, it had become twisted. The parts it "repaired" were just misshapen, unusable mechanical components.

The Ancient Priest’s eyes flickered, offering a hint of acknowledgment for the Abyssal Incarnation’s strength.

"Although only half the ritual is complete, it is more than enough to deal with a broken enemy."

The Ancient Priest swung its Scepter, and a bizarre, coiling, monstrous serpent shot out from the void. Formed from a fusion of Darkness and blood, the great serpent had only half a body, yet it carried with it the purest death and destruction of the Abyss.

A piercing death alarm blared. Tang Ling was about to retreat into the void, but her movements suddenly froze.

A supremely solemn slash of sword light cut across the land, extending for hundreds of kilometers and carving a bottomless chasm into the earth.

It drew a line between life and death, holding the fatal curse at bay.

Zhou Chen strode forward, the Sword of Ten Thousand Kings in his hand blazing with radiant light. A crown of holy majesty began to coalesce above his head.

Gaia trembled.

For the new king had taken hold of the Authority that governed all creation.