Chen Tian and Xie Ou watched the vortex of light spots above, from which terrible auras emanated. The surrounding space flowed and vibrated as if a colossal entity was emerging from within. Both Chen Tian and Xie Ou felt a sense of impending death; the being inside was far beyond their ability to contend with.
However, they had no idea how to close the vortex of light spots. What were they to do?
"Hahaha! I have finally descended upon this realm. Excellent."
"Roar, roar, roar!"
A wild laugh echoed from within the tunnel, accompanied by beastly roars. Three beams of light erupted from the vortex of light spots. The moment the light emerged, the vortex sealed itself as if it had never existed.
Chen Tian and Xie Ou faced the three figures before them as if confronting great enemies. One was a black and white fierce tiger. Its fur was entwined with black and white, its fangs sharp, and its eyes piercing. A savage aura emanated from its entire being, with sharp, colossal limbs and claws, and powerfully built muscles. Its body size approached seven hundred meters. On its back, on the left side were white wings, and on the right side were black wings. A pair of black and white wings, and its tail was composed of a rhombus of black and white crystal.
Beside it was a small bird, seemingly insignificant, yet the aura it exuded made Chen Tian and Xie Ou wary. This bird was not to be underestimated. Its body was deep crimson, its wings shimmering with silver light within the crimson. Its claws bore intricate patterns, and its entire presence was immensely powerful and imposing.
The last figure was a youth seated on the fierce tiger. The youth had an evil countenance, radiating an extremely terrifying and bizarre aura. The surrounding space and material energy seemed to subtly disintegrate around him.
The youth's expression was placid, his eyebrows sharp, and his eyes held a look of longing. His short black hair framed a face that exuded an aura even more formidable than the two beasts.
Chen Tian and Xie Ou ceased their fight because of this development. Both parties looked at the youth. Xie Ou spoke, "Who are you, esteemed sir?"
"Who I am is not for you to know. You, beings of a lower world, you are not even worthy of knowing the evil spirit qi I possess."
The youth's arrogance and disdain were evident. Xie Ou's face flushed with anger. Chen Tian extended his arm, stopping Xie Ou and preventing him from acting. Now was not the time. They were no match for the opponent. Acting rashly and provoking them could lead to a fate they wouldn't even comprehend.
Chen Tian said calmly, "Esteemed sir, you are from the Sacred God Realm, correct?"
"Oh? You know of the Sacred God Realm, boy? Indeed, I am from the Sacred God Realm."
The youth looked at Chen Tian with some astonishment. Chen Tian could discern his origin at a glance. Could it be that he, too, was a scion of the Sacred God Realm, traveling the world for training?
"Esteemed sir, since you hail from the Sacred God Realm, do not disturb our world. If you have no business here, please depart."
"Depart? What are you talking about? I have come to this realm precisely to refine this world and the universe to elevate myself to a higher state. Thousands of years ago, those individuals exhausted their lifespans to seal me away. If it weren't for the energy collision between you two that weakened the seal, I wouldn't have broken free."
"Speaking of which, I should thank you two. To repay you, kneel down now and swear allegiance as my servants, and I will spare your lives."
The youth had not cast a single glance at Chen Tian or Xie Ou from beginning to end. The disdain in his eyes, as if looking at ants, made Chen Tian and Xie Ou deeply uncomfortable.
Xie Ou immediately became enraged. "Kneel and swear to become your slave? You wish! If I am not mistaken, you are an enemy to this world. What grounds do you have for pride?"
"Chen Tian, shall we join forces? Cease our conflict for now. This opponent will not let us go."
"Agreed!"
Chen Tian did not refuse Xie Ou's proposal. Individually, neither of them could contend with even one of the three opponents. Only by uniting did they have a sliver of a chance.
The youth laughed maniacally. "Do two ants think they can defeat me by joining forces? Such a pipe dream."
"Demon Phoenix, show them your might."
The small bird on his shoulder flew into the sky at the youth's command. Its body grew, obscuring the sun and covering the clouds. Its crimson wings, silver claws, and black markings were all evident, its body immense.
Chen Tian's Divine Eye flared, emitting silver light that illuminated his surroundings. Information appeared in his mind.
The youth's eyes lit up upon seeing Chen Tian's gaze. "Divine Eye, Heaven-Gazing Divine Eye! Hahaha, boy, I didn't expect you to cultivate the Heaven-Gazing Divine Eye. Those eyes are mine now."
Demon Cloud Red Phoenix
Realm: Emperor Annihilation Realm, Ninety-ninth Layer
Martial Art: "Demon Cloud Scorching Phoenix Art"
Traits: Demonic race, Phoenix power.
Skills: Demon Phoenix Fire Cloud, Saint Demon Raging Roar, Heavenly Strike Phoenix Shadow, Wild Hunt Claw.
Talent: Demonic Fire, Phoenix Might, Nine-Colored Demonic Light.
Chen Tian looked at the information. Good heavens, Emperor Annihilation Realm, Ninety-ninth Layer! What was he supposed to do against such power?
Chen Tian had only reached the second realm. The Emperor Annihilation Realm was an unknown layer, at least beyond any realms he was currently aware of.
"System, help me!"
Chen Tian could only appeal to the system; otherwise, if he died, the system would perish with him.
"Ding! Initiating solution..."
"Ding! Solution One: Host can fuse all items to contend with Emperor Annihilation Realm, Ninety-ninth Layer. Duration depends on the rarity of the items, including host's martial arts, techniques, and items in the system space, etc."
"Solution Two: Fuse with Xie Ou. Divine-Demonic Union can achieve peak power, with a fifty-fifty chance of victory."
"Solution Three: Detonate this system. Host will be sent back to the game world, but will be unable to enter the game afterward."
Chen Tian fell into a dilemma. All three solutions carried risks. How should he choose?
The Demon Cloud Red Phoenix let out a cry. The sound directly caused Chen Tian and Xie Ou's ears to bleed, and their internal energies plummeted.
Their bodies began to rupture, blood flowing. Black blood and nine-colored blood spilled out. Upon seeing the nine-colored blood, the youth's eyes shone with an even more intense desire.
He stared intently at Chen Tian, then said with interest, "Heaven-Gazing Divine Eye, nine-colored power, Chaos origin. Boy, the things you possess are truly alluring. I will strip them from you bit by bit and absorb them into my own body. That way, I am sure to reach that realm."
Chen Tian listened to the youth's words, not fully understanding. What was so special about these things that made him so eager?
At this point, he had no other choice. Chen Tian secretly transmitted a message, "Xie Ou, I have a way to contend with the three of them. Are you in?"
"What way? Tell me."
Xie Ou knew that at this critical juncture, having a way to survive was better than dying.
Chen Tian explained his plan to Xie Ou. Xie Ou's expression flickered, as if making a difficult decision. "Alright, but you must win."
"I promise you. We'll fight again then."
Chen Tian's face broke into a smile as Xie Ou agreed to his terms. Xie Ou's body dissolved into wisps of black energy and entered Chen Tian's body. Chen Tian spoke from the depths of his heart, "System, use Solution Two to fuse with Xie Ou."
"Fusing..."
As Xie Ou's black energy entered Chen Tian's body, a colossal celestial cauldron appeared and enveloped Chen Tian. The youth was shocked. What had happened to trigger the protection of the celestial cauldron? He couldn't break it, but he didn't give the order either, simply waiting quietly. It was rather interesting.
The youth wanted to see what these two were up to, to have actually invoked the protection of the celestial cauldron. As time passed, cracks began to appear on the celestial cauldron. With a bang, it shattered.
Countless fragments scattered outwards. The youth, the fierce tiger, and the red phoenix paid them no mind; such attacks were ineffective against them. A figure appeared before the three.
It was a youth. His techniques were dark, his skin nine-colored, and his back bore a combination of black and radiant wings. Eight pairs of wings, each distinct, adorned him. His body was slender, his eyebrows silver, and his eyes a mixture of nine-colored and gray. His left arm was etched with nine-colored patterns, and his right arm with black patterns.
Chen Tian took a step forward, and waves of powerful aura formed shockwaves. The Demon Cloud Red Phoenix instantly felt like it was facing a great enemy, its eyes filled with terror.
Chen Tian merely glanced at it. With a single look, the Demon Cloud Red Phoenix's body exploded, its essence and very existence vanishing.
The youth roared in fury, "Boy, how dare you!"
The youth was utterly shocked. Chen Tian was no longer the same person as before. If Chen Tian had been an ant before, he was now an equal, their auras matching, on par with each other.
"It seems you have many secrets, boy!"
The youth's greedy gaze appraised Chen Tian. He intended to capture Chen Tian and claim all his secrets for himself.
Chen Tian saw through the youth's intentions, his killing intent radiating, "Come here and die."
"Boy, do you think you have the capital to contend with me now?"
Chen Tian and Long Motian's gazes locked. With a rumble, the surrounding space shattered, and the entire sky and earth turned to dust. Pang Yuan, on the ground, saw the surrounding buildings disintegrate into dust, not knowing what had happened. A dark space enveloped everything.
Pang Yuan had no way to escape.
Pang Yuan was perplexed. What had Chen Tian done to cause a giant city and its surrounding hundred-mile radius to be annihilated?
The collision of Chen Tian's and Long Motian's gazes had such destructive power. Both were evenly matched. Long Motian slowly rose, his body emitting crackling sounds. Long Motian said indifferently, "It seems I can finally stretch my legs."
He stood still, and Chen Tian stood still. Three seconds later, the sounds of explosions echoed all around. Chen Tian stood motionless, and a deep pit appeared in the space around him. Chen Tian did not move, and neither did Long Motian.
Pang Yuan was lost in the darkness, lamenting, "Who will help me get out of here?"
How had a perfectly normal tomb-robbing expedition turned into this? It was truly strange.
The attacks from Chen Tian and Long Motian at this level were mere probes. Both had only exerted one percent of their strength.
"Not bad, boy. It seems you have the capital to contend with me. I should have ended you in one move. My greed got the better of me."
"You have many more things to regret."
In this form, Chen Tian, fused with Xie Ou's origin, the union of divine and demonic, naturally had no fear of the youth before him, Long Motian.