Chapter 620: Soul Domain

"What’s happening?" Bai Chengsheng demanded, confusion clear on his face. "Why aren’t you affected by the Brain Eating Gu?"

He tried activating the Brain Eating Gu a few more times, but nothing happened at all.

"Must be a skill issue," Maximilian shrugged mockingly.

Bai Chengsheng’s veins bulged in anger as he pulled his sword from the ground. "You have been repeatedly disrespecting me. I’m not going to hold back anymore."

The sword’s blue Aura turned even wilder, reaching several feet into the air. When he swung the blade at Maximilian this time, the space twisted along the blade’s motion and tore apart like fragile glass.

"I only heard rumours that the power of a Demi-God could break reality," Lin Feng gasped, mesmerized by the sight before him. "I have finally seen it with my own eyes."

Just as the sword was about to strike Maximilian, he dodged the attack at lightning speed.

The blade struck the ground and tore it open for several kilometres. Bai Chengsheng had no intention of giving Maximilian a moment’s respite.

He followed him in an instant, launching another strike at him.

Bam!

Bam!

Bam!

Numerous fractures spread across space with each swing of Bai Chengsheng. Frustratingly, Maximilian dodged each strike at the very last moment.

Thanks to his Lightning attribute, his speed was close to that of a Demi-God even though he was only a True Sage. That was what Bai Chengsheng thought.

After failing to land even a single blow for five straight minutes, Bai Chengsheng’s fury reached its peak. His junior was watching the battle. How humiliating would it be when word spread that the Great Demi-God Bai Chengsheng couldn’t catch up to the speed of a mere True Sage junior?

"Stop running like a coward and face me head-on," Bai Chengsheng shouted, his sword striking the empty air as Maximilian moved away at the last moment.

"Aren’t you ashamed of demanding that a True Sage fight a Demi-God head-on?" Maximilian asked, barely holding back his laughter. "Your pathetic abilities didn’t live up to your title as a War Marshal."

That was the final nail in the coffin. Maximilian could see the veins popping on his old, wrinkled face.

"You are really asking for it now," Bai Chengsheng muttered, every syllable laced with suppressed fury. "Let me show you the true power of a Demi-God."

He began forming hand signs that dramatically increased his Soulforce. The space around them began distorting, the air turning heavy. Fumes of blue energy rose from his body, reaching several metres into the air.

Maximilian immediately vanished from his place, bolting towards Wukong.

"It’s too late to run away now," Bai Chengeng declared, forming the final signs.

Strangely, the moment Maximilian grabbed Wukong, instead of running away, he moved back towards his previous position.

"Soul Domain:

Endless Tsunami!"

The world around them suddenly changed. Maximilian and Wukong found themselves standing atop still water. It was an endless ocean stretching in every direction, as far as the eye could see.

"Arthur," Bai Chengsheng called, standing on the blue ocean a few metres ahead of him. "Feel honoured to be dying by this divine skill."

He swayed his hand forward, releasing a gigantic tsunami. Its height reached over a hundred metres, covering the clear sky behind it.

"Wh-whoah, what is this place, brother?" Wukong asked, his dark eyes widened in bewilderment.

"When a cultivator reaches the Demi-God Realm, a seed of divinity appears in their Sea of Soulforce, and they gain the power to project their insight into divinity outward," Maximilian explained, standing calmly before the tsunami. "That is what is called the Soul Domain. Inside the domain, its owner becomes an untouchable God who can control anything and everything."

"Hahaha, so you know about the Soul Domain," Bai Chengsheng laughed, moving his fingers through his beard. "And you still pulled in your brother as well."

A bead of sweat trickled down Wukong’s temple. Even he knew that he could not stand against the cataclysmic tsunami that was coming for them at a terrifying speed.

"Brother Max, what should we do now?" he asked, clearly panicked.

"A Soul Domain can be cancelled," Maximilian revealed, putting his sword back into his storage pouch. "By an even stronger Soul Domain."

The vertical mark on his forehead began vanishing. A pair of obsidian-like horns emerged from his head. Dark scales spread across his torso from the golden gem at the centre of his chest.

His silhouette was covered in dark, abyssal mana that sent shivers down Bai Chengsheng’s spine.

Just as the tsunami was about to hit them, Maximilian closed his eyes and whispered,

"Soul Domain:

Black Hole!"

When his eyes opened, they had completely changed. His irises turned into black holes while his sclera looked like miniature galaxies. It was as if the whole cosmos was contained within his eyes.

The tsunami stopped just a few inches before them. From his feet, his dark shadow spread outward in every direction, devouring the domain projected by Bai Chengsheng.

In the blink of an eye, the scenery around them had completely changed. Both Bai Chengsheng and Wukong were left with parted lips, looks of absolute terror on their faces.

They stood in the empty cosmos, the darkness covered in countless small and large stars.

However, what turned their faces pale was the thing behind Maximilian. It looked like a dark sphere that seemed to be devouring everything around it. Even a mere gaze felt as though the Black Hole was pulling them towards it.

"Hah... hah... hah..." Wukong’s breath turned ragged, his chest rising and falling in terror, his eyes refusing to turn away from the ominous black hole that seemed to be slowly pulling him towards it.

Maximilian placed his hand on Wukong’s shoulder. It was only then that he was able to move his eyes away.

"Wh-what is this place, Brother Max?" he asked, the look of terror palpable on his face.

"This is my Soul Domain," Maximilian revealed. "I’m showing it to you to gain experience. Observe everything carefully."

Wukong nodded. Maximilian covered him in his Soulforce so that he wouldn’t be affected by the Soul Domain.

As for Bai Chengsheng, he hadn’t moved an inch from his place.

"Wh-what’s going on?" he muttered, confusion and fear slowly consuming him. "I can’t see. The sight of that strange sphere took my vision. I need to escape."

He was about to move when Maximilian’s deep voice echoed.

"Event Horizon: Absolute Imprisonment."

The Black Hole suddenly spread, its dark outer region capturing Bai Chengsheng.

’I-I can’t move. I can’t speak or hear either,’ Bai Chengsheng gasped, frozen mid-motion. ’All of my senses are gone.’

"This is one of the many abilities of Black Hole," Maximilian explained to Wukong. "The Event Horizon part of the Black Hole strips anyone of their control and sense of their body the moment they enter it."

He reached the Event Horizon of the Black Hole and grabbed Bai Chengsheng’s head. "If my opponent is too weak, they won’t even know when they are killed."

He tightened his grip on Bai Chengsheng’s head and began pulling it upward. His skin began stretching at his neck, yet there was no change in his expression.

His emerald eyes were still widened, and his lips were slightly parted.

With a little more pull, the skin began tearing, and his head separated from his body.

"Keep this sensation of Black Hole in your mind," Maximilian told Wukong in a serious tone. "This will be helpful when you reach divinity."

The domain vanished in the blink of an eye, and the duo returned to the dark battlefield.

Bai Chengsheng’s headless body fell to the ground. His head was still in Maximilian’s hand.

He threw it to the ground, feeling a bit disgusted.

Wukong didn’t say a word for several seconds. He was left completely bewildered by what he had just experienced.

"Brother Max," he murmured, taking a gulp. "I didn’t know you were so powerful."

"Cultivate diligently, and you will also reach there," Maximilian told him in a casual tone.

Wukong knew that Maximilian was completely downplaying his powers. He had said that the Soul Domain could only be dominated by a stronger one. Bai Chengsheng had reached the Demi-God Realm hundreds of years ago. Naturally, his Soul Domain comprehension must have been very high. Yet, his Soul Domain was completely engulfed by Maximilian’s without facing the slightest resistance.

Not to mention, Maximilian had said that the Event Horizon was only one of the many abilities of Black Hole, and it had easily defeated a Demi-God. Wukong could not even gauge the depth of the power that Maximilian possessed. He truly seemed like an untouchable divine being now.

Bonk!

Maximilian hit his head, pulling him out of his thoughts.

"What’s that for?" Wukong growled.

"Punk, I told you to take care of him," Maximilian muttered, pointing at Lin Feng, who was bolting away at full speed.

"Oh, I forgot," Wukong chuckled, rubbing the back of his head.

Maximilian was about to hit him again when he bolted towards Lin Feng at full speed.

"N-no! Please don’t kill m—"

Slash!

Lin Feng’s body was sliced into multiple pieces by the wide swing of Wukong’s claws.