Chapter 267 - 264: The Black Phantom Reappears

Chapter 267: Chapter 264: The Black Phantom Reappears

Feng Hao was also well aware of how dominant Divine Thought Mages were when it came to level suppression, which was why he still had no confidence.

It couldn’t be helped. There were almost no other ways to enhance one’s Divine Sense strength. It could only be accumulated slowly through leveling up and gathering Gene Essences. On top of that, his perceptual root system’s growth potential was rock bottom, making its inferiority inevitable.

Of course, Feng Hao had considered ending the battle quickly like Fang Jie, but Shadow Assault had a limited range. To instantly close the distance to Yanziqing, he would need at least four consecutive Shadow Assaults. In that time, Yanziqing would have more than enough time to activate a Divine Thought Secret Technique.

As for using Shadow Escape for a sneak attack, Feng Hao didn’t even consider it. It was a joke. In front of a Divine Thought Mage with high Divine Sense and powerful Divine Sense strength, stealth was completely useless. Even a true invisibility Secret Technique would be ineffective.

Although Feng Hao’s aura suppression was very high after activating Black Pupils, Divine Sense and Divine Sense strength were two complementary attributes. When Divine Sense strength reached a certain level, the detection ability of one’s Divine Sense was also amplified.

Therefore, even if Shadow Escape could bypass 500 points of Divine Sense, it couldn’t stop Yanziqing’s Divine Sense from detecting him.

As for the doubled concealment ability of his Hidden Root System after its Hundred-Base Evolution, the effect was mostly limited to hiding from the five physical senses, not weakening detection by Divine Sense. Only the aura suppression attribute was the true genetic ability for countering Divine Sense scans.

"You’re Feng Hao, right?" Yanziqing said, his eyes glinting with amusement. "Running into me is the worst thing that could have happened to you."

"Is that so?" Feng Hao’s brows knitted as he scoffed.

Yanziqing continued to taunt him. "Heh, honestly, it’s impressive that you’ve maintained a winning streak at only level thirty-nine. It makes me very curious about your secrets. Of course, if you don’t want to talk, I don’t mind just prying into your memories."

"Prying into memories?" Feng Hao was startled, his heart pounding in his chest. He had never imagined a Divine Thought Mage could actually pry into someone’s memories.

’This makes things damn difficult,’ he thought. ’Are you kidding me? Every single one of my secrets is lethal. If they were exposed, the consequences would be unthinkable.’

"What? Scared?" Yanziqing taunted. "If you’re scared, you can just concede."

Feng Hao couldn’t help but hesitate. To be honest, he really felt the urge to concede, but the pride of the Mad God within him told him he couldn’t.

But Yanziqing’s ability to probe memories was a serious problem, and he wasn’t confident about this match in the first place.

’Damn it all, this is the first time I’ve been threatened like this.’ Feng Hao gnashed his teeth in turmoil. Looking at Yanziqing’s punchable expression, his rage instantly overwhelmed his reason. ’Screw it, why worry so much? If it comes down to it, I’ll just find a chance to get rid of the bastard later.’

With that thought, Feng Hao no longer hesitated and proudly drew Su Mu’s Dual Daggers.

He wasn’t confident about a head-on duel in the arena, but in a true life-or-death fight, he had a hundred ways to make the guy kick the bucket.

If this guy really could pry into his memories, then after the match, he would have no choice but to send him to meet King Yama.

On his end, Yanziqing looked slightly surprised to see Feng Hao draw his daggers. "Heh, you’ve got some courage. Worthy of someone from our Thief God Hall."

"Enough talk. Let’s see what you’ve really got!" Feng Hao wasted no more words and glanced at the Referee Elder, signaling him to begin.

The Referee Elder shot Feng Hao a meaningful glance before turning to the countless spectators below and announcing loudly, "The match begins!"

The battle erupted in the next instant.

Feng Hao immediately activated Shadow Assault to charge forward, while Yanziqing simultaneously activated a Divine Thought Secret Technique. Eerie waves of Divine Sense rippled out from his eyes, instilling a silent terror.

It turned out Feng Hao’s analysis had been correct. Shadow Assault wasn’t fast enough to get him in close before Yanziqing could cast his technique. As he executed his third consecutive Shadow Assault, his consciousness blurred, and he froze in place.

"You overestimate yourself." Yanziqing sneered as his immense Divine Sense flooded into Feng Hao’s sea of consciousness. "Haha, let’s see what secrets are hiding in your memories!"

Meanwhile, the crowd below erupted in gasps, everyone wondering if Feng Hao could resist the bewitching effects of the Divine Thought Secret Technique.

Lu Linfei and the others were extremely nervous, especially Ting Xiaoxue. She clutched Ming Xin Yan’s arm tightly and asked, "Xin Yan, do you think Brother Feng can break free from the Illusion Techniques?"

"It’s unlikely," Ming Xin Yan said with a bitter smile and a sigh. "Feng Hao’s Divine Sense strength is far too low. He’ll likely be controlled until he’s killed."

"Then what can we do?" Ting Xiaoxue asked in a panic.

"All we can do now is hope Feng Hao has another ace up his sleeve," Ming Xin Yan said, shaking her head with a wry smile. "But I really can’t think of any move that could enhance his Divine Sense strength."

Lu Linfei’s expression was grave. "So you’re saying Brother Feng is probably going to lose?"

"Sigh... Let’s just keep watching. Maybe Feng Hao has some special trick," Ming Xin Yan said, holding on to a sliver of hope.

On the arena stage, Feng Hao’s eyes were shut tight, his expression fraught with anxiety. It was a battle without smoke or steel, yet it was utterly nerve-wracking to watch.

Fang Jie was also watching Feng Hao’s match. When he saw Feng Hao fall under the Illusion Techniques, he couldn’t help but breathe a sigh of relief.

The underling next to him immediately started sucking up. "Congratulations, Boss! As long as Feng Hao loses this match, you’ve basically locked up the championship for the point-based tournament!"

"Don’t celebrate too early. The match isn’t over yet," Fang Jie said with a straight face, though inwardly he was ecstatic.

The underling continued with a fawning smile, "No need to be tense, Boss. I don’t see any suspense left in this match. Feng Hao’s level is low, and his Divine Sense strength is pitiful. There’s no way he can break free from Yanziqing’s control."

"That’s true," Fang Jie chuckled to himself.

"At this rate, the position of Fifth Thief is as good as yours, Boss."

Fang Jie replied irritably, "It’s too early to say that. The real test is the battle for the Thief positions a year from now. Those three Thief ’seeds’ are no ordinary opponents. Each one is stronger than the last. Even with a Divine Soul Weapon, I’m not that confident."

"Uh, are those three really that amazing?" the underling asked curiously.

"Amazing doesn’t even cover it. They’re terrifyingly strong," Fang Jie said, his expression grave. "You have to understand, the Thief seeds are geniuses who were handpicked as children and received special training in the Grand Hall."

...

The duel on the stage continued. Feng Hao’s health was unknowingly draining away, and in the blink of an eye, it had dropped to just over eighty points.

At that moment, Feng Hao felt as if he had returned to the day the apocalypse broke out on Earth. Countless terrifying, otherworldly monsters descended from the sky, wantonly destroying familiar buildings. Family and friends fell one by one into pools of blood, and his heart was consumed by pain and despair.

Suddenly, a piercing pain from his very soul jolted him awake. Within his sea of consciousness, he saw pale golden tentacles of Divine Sense closing in on his Genetic Tree. In the haze, he heard Yanziqing’s insidious laughter: "Relax your body and mind. Let me erase those painful memories for you~!"

Yanziqing’s voice seemed to possess a strange Magic Power, and Feng Hao’s briefly lucid consciousness instantly grew hazy again.

However, just as Yanziqing’s Divine Sense tentacles were about to envelop the Genetic Tree, an overwhelming aura erupted from it. A massive, black phantom appeared above the Genetic Tree. Its left eye was dark as the abyss, its right eye as azure as the ocean. It was the very same black phantom that had appeared when Feng Hao first awakened his bloodline.

The moment the black phantom appeared, Yanziqing’s Divine Sense tentacles instantly dissipated into nothing.

Yanziqing didn’t even have time to react. With a bloodcurdling scream, he collapsed backward onto the arena floor...