The Junior Priest raised his shield once more, but the Piercing Spear technique from earlier had drained him significantly, making it a struggle to hold his ground.
Su Luo struck with another sword slash, and the Junior Priest could no longer withstand it—his defenses crumbled under the overwhelming sword energy.
For a moment, the Junior Priest considered fleeing. *This man is too strong… and his tricks are even stranger than mine.*
*I trained so hard to master the powerful secret arts of the Beast Priest, yet I’m still no match for him.*
But if he left now, without gathering any intel, this entire mission would be for nothing.
Unacceptable.
One of the Ten Great Secret Arts—
**"Gaze Upon the Origin."**
The Junior Priest opened his third eye, fixing it intently on Su Luo.
This technique allowed the caster to glimpse random fragments of their target—past, future, weaknesses, cherished possessions… anything that could be exploited.
But the cost was steep. It consumed the caster’s lifespan, and the stronger the target, the greater the toll.
The Junior Priest could *feel* his life force plummeting.
*Quick, show me something—anything!*
At the very least, he needed to bring back useful intel before retreating.
*"I see… nothing."*
The Junior Priest couldn’t believe it. *Why is there nothing? What kind of monster is he?*
**"So, what did you see?"** Su Luo asked, indifferent. Whatever the Priest had glimpsed, it didn’t matter—he was already dead.
**"You… you—!"**
The Junior Priest shut his third eye. His lifespan was nearly spent, and yet… *Nothing.* Only gods or immortals could resist Gaze Upon the Origin.
But this man was neither.
*No… he must die. If left unchecked, he’ll become a dire threat to the Beast Army!*
**"Altar’s Power—grant me strength!"**
The Junior Priest abandoned all caution, ignoring even the High Priest’s warnings. *This man must be eliminated!*
He drained the last remnants of the altar’s energy, causing the structure to collapse—but in exchange, his power surged.
He was now *this close* to the Great Ascension realm, though he couldn’t break through.
This was a battle fought with his life. Win or lose, he wouldn’t survive.
**"You really go all out, huh? Perfect—you’ve hit the execution threshold."**
Su Luo, too, prepared to unleash his full strength.
**[Your power… I accept it.]**
The Dice rolled—**8.**
Time seemed to freeze around Su Luo.
Meanwhile, the Junior Priest was engulfed in frenzy.
**"Junior Priest—DANGER!"**
Even the Shadowwind Leopard King sensed the impending calamity. Abandoning Lin Xuan and the others, he rushed to protect the Junior Priest, leading a group of beasts.
Lin Xuan’s group, however, remained locked in combat with the stone beast constructs.
The moment the Shadowwind Leopard King and his forces entered the battlefield, they were caught in the force field between Su Luo and the Junior Priest—instantly torn to shreds.
The mere *pressure* of their clash was enough to annihilate them before either combatant even struck.
A bolt of lightning split the sky.
The Junior Priest raised his staff high.
One of the Priest’s Ten Great Secret Arts—
**"Axe of the Beast God—Annihilation!"**
A colossal spectral figure materialized behind him, wielding a massive axe that descended with apocalyptic force.
Su Luo, in response, drew his sword in a half-moon arc.
**"Where my blade passes, existence ceases."**
**"Eclipse of Sun and Moon."**
Two world-ending forces collided—
**BOOM!**
The shockwave that followed scoured the land clean.
The Junior Priest’s life had already been extinguished, but his power didn’t fade. Instead, it absorbed his remains, growing even stronger.
**"A shame. I’m just a little better."**
Su Luo *pushed further*, amplifying his energy—his sword’s power continued to rise.
A cataclysmic explosion erupted skyward.
And then—
Silence.
It was over.
Su Luo fell from the sky, landing hard on his back.
**"Easy win."**
Well… not *that* easy.
He was drained, injured—especially after forcibly absorbing the Junior Priest’s power. His body had been pushed to its absolute limit.
*Good thing I invested so many points into Constitution.*
Fighting at this level was always tricky. The higher the realm, the vaster the gap. Overcoming it? *Nearly impossible.*
**"Oh right… still have to put on a show."**
Su Luo forced himself up. That battle? Just a warm-up. The *real* performance was about to begin.
*How’s Lin Xuan doing?*
He arrived just as Lin Xuan and the others finished off the stone beasts.
*Huh. Lin Xuan hasn’t broken through yet?*
*Wait—where’s the Shadowwind Leopard King?*
Oh. Right. Su Luo suddenly remembered—*he charged straight into my earlier attack. No wonder I felt something gross.*
This was bad.
If Lin Xuan didn’t break through now, he’d be useless in the battles to come.
Su Luo drew his sword.
**"Su Luo?"** Lin Xuan blinked, then quickly confirmed it was really him.
The Su Luo before him was disheveled—hair mussed, robes torn, cuts and blood visible across his body.
This was the first time Lin Xuan had ever seen him so… *battered.*
**"Who is he?"**
Not all present were from the Seven Stars Sword Sect.
But someone recognized him. **"He’s from the Heavenly Demon Sect!"**
Instantly, everyone tensed, weapons at the ready.
Su Luo didn’t bother with theatrics.
**"Lin Xuan. I’m going to kill you."**
Short. Direct.
**"I’ll handle him."** Lin Xuan stepped forward, shielding the others.
He had a theory: Su Luo was putting on another act. They’d played this game before—Su Luo would attack, Lin Xuan would "defeat" him, and everyone would walk away none the wiser.
*No words needed. We understand each other.*
If Su Luo could read his mind, he’d have snarled, **"Get lost. There’s no ‘understanding’ here."**
The others protested. **"Lin Xuan, he’s from the Heavenly Demon Sect! We don’t need to fight fair—let’s take him down together!"**
**"No. He’s mine."** Lin Xuan’s voice left no room for argument.
*Why is Su Luo so heavily injured? Was he the one in the black robe earlier?*
*That explosion—was that him?*
*…That’s a bit excessive, isn’t it?*
**"Demon scum, surrender now—"**
The speaker didn’t finish before Su Luo kicked him into the horizon.
**"All of you will die."**
Lin Xuan’s expression darkened. **"…You’re serious?"**
The killing intent was *real.*
Su Luo slashed—Lin Xuan barely dodged.
Su Luo glanced at his own hand, assessing his condition. *Injured. Slower than usual. This might be the first time in this life I’ve looked this pathetic.*
Still. More than enough to deal with this rabble.
First, clear the trash.
A single swing—**Violent Cyclone Slash.**
The others were hurled away by the tornado of sword energy.
Now, only Lin Xuan remained.
Su Luo leveled his blade. The pressure was crushing.
**"Su Luo… what’s going on?"**
**"You die. Or I die."**
No further explanation. Another strike.
Elder Yan’s voice rang out in Lin Xuan’s mind. **"DODGE! He’s not holding back!"**
Lin Xuan barely rolled aside—the ground where he’d stood split apart.
*No choice. If I don’t fight for real, I’m dead.*
Su Luo pressed the attack.
Even wounded, he was still a nightmare to face—though not as overwhelmingly dominant as before.
Lin Xuan gritted his teeth. *He’s definitely injured. Not as strong as usual.*
**"You’re hurt."**
**"Not your concern."**
…
Lin Xuan exhaled. **"I understand."**
No more questions. He’d trust Su Luo. Whatever this was… there had to be a reason.
Then let's get serious about this fight.
Lin Xuan directly activated his Raging Fury Lotus Mode—this battle would be even fiercer than the last.