Chapter 224: Another Encounter

Chapter 224: Another Encounter

"You again?"

Karl's hands trembled as he glared at the Fallen Angel that had suddenly appeared before him, his eyes flashing with anger.

It seemed that the Fallen Angel had taken a particular interest in him, appearing multiple times whenever Karl ventured outside the Phantom City.

However, none of the others who left the city had encountered it.

"Perfect!"

"Let me show you how much I've improved!"

With the divine gift and divine marrow, his martial arts prowess and mental strength had significantly increased, and his overall strength had risen accordingly.

Thousand Buddha Hands!

Great Radiance Seal!

Countless rays of light burst forth from his palms, illuminating all directions, and causing the Fallen Angel to instinctively halt in its tracks.

Dragon Tiger Seal!

The roar of dragons and tigers echoed.

An enormous Buddha, carrying the might to subdue dragons and overpower tigers, rushed towards the demonic being with three pairs of wings.

In their previous encounters, Karl had fled without a fight, knowing he was no match for the Fallen Angel. But now, with his newfound strength, the outcome was uncertain.

"Peng!"

"Pa..."

The two figures crossed paths in a blur.

Karl lowered his head to look at his chest, where a fist-sized hole had appeared.

The hole was right where his heart should be.

If not for his unique physique, this blow would have been fatal, even for a Holy Knight.

"Although restricted by the rules to possess only first-tier strength, this being possesses third-tier qualities."

"Undying body, death authority, spatial manipulation..."

"The fourth layer of the Holy Demonic Transformation is like a flimsy piece of paper before it, easily torn apart with a single strike."

"Fortunately, there's still a chance."

He raised his head and looked across at his opponent.

Thin streams of water, as fine as hair, had appeared on the Fallen Angel's body, tightly binding its limbs and wings.

There were also several palm imprints on its body, which were rapidly healing, indicating that it had sustained injuries in their previous encounters.

"Again!"

Karl's muscles rippled as his heart regenerated, and he charged forward once more, his body enveloped in thunder.

Thousand Buddha Hands!

Hundred Hands Realm - Wisdom Seal!

First-Circle Wizardry - Tidal Force!

With a mental strength of 17, seemingly not far off from 15, but in reality, it was significantly more powerful.

The wizardry's might had increased by several folds, and he could now cast it instantly, even capable of simultaneously executing two to three first-circle spells.

Furthermore, the strength of his mental power allowed Karl's Thousand Buddha Hands to become more agile, each move seamlessly flowing into the next.

With a mental strength exceeding 20, he felt confident that his Thousand Buddha Hands could reach an even higher level.

Reaching the Thousand Hands Realm!

The Fallen Angel's wings trembled, and its body vanished from sight, as if merging with the void.

When it reappeared, its body was fully healed, and the wizardry that had bound it had disappeared.

"Peng!"

With a simple lift of its hand and a clap of its palm, the terrifying palm strike dissipated into nothingness.

Disintegrate!

Devour!

Mighty Counterattack!

These were innate abilities of the Despair-Rank demonic being, even capable of defying the world's rules.

Karl's face tightened, and his attacks became more frantic.

He felt like he was fighting a third-tier powerhouse who had been reduced to the first tier, as the Fallen Angel's experience from its previous life as a third-tier being gave it a significant advantage.

No matter how fiercely Karl attacked, he struggled to break through its defenses and truly harm its core.

"Hmmph!"

Karl grunted, and his eyes flashed with a ghostly light. Three death wraiths burst forth from his pupils, charging towards the death wraith.

Curse Killing Spell!

Six-Star Soul Annihilation Spell!

Although he had not fully mastered the Six-Star Soul Annihilation Spell, the three death wraiths were sufficient to engage the enemy.

Moreover, the high rank of the death wraiths ensured their lethality.

"Screech!"

The combined screeches of the three death wraiths formed a sharp spike, piercing towards the Fallen Angel's sea of consciousness.

If it had one, that is...

But Karl didn't stop there.

He unleashed a barrage of seals, wizardry, and divine techniques, even transforming his body into the form of a Deep Abyss Giant Squid to launch a fierce assault.

However, it was to no avail!

The Fallen Angel's body seemed to be bound by some sort of rule, making it difficult to inflict significant damage unless a certain threshold was reached.

For Karl, this threshold was not far off, but just out of reach.

If only he could become a little stronger, just a little more...

But even a little more was not enough!

"Swoosh!"

Tearing off two late-stage first-tier Consecutive Fireball Seals, Karl temporarily halted the Fallen Angel's pursuit and dashed towards the Yun Lou Phantom City.

Midway, he reached out and grabbed a death wraith, dragging it into the clouds.

"You all go ahead!"

Taking a deep breath, Karl rubbed his temples and said, "I'll rest for a while. We can discuss other matters later."

Compared to his previous encounters, Karl looked even more disheveled this time, but his spirit remained high.

During his first encounter with the Fallen Angel, he had been terrified by its mere presence and had fled in panic.

The second time, he had attempted to fight back before escaping.

This time, Karl had faced off against fallen angels on multiple occasions, and after exhausting all means, he had no choice but to flee.

Each encounter brought improvement, which was worth celebrating.

Half a year later, Karl held another trading event.

In addition to Mashi and a few others, there were nine more Divine Envoys from various places, one of whom brought Divine Flame.

"Whoosh!"

Two flying vessels appeared in the arena.

Karl controlled the vessels, demonstrating their capabilities to the crowd by maneuvering and transforming them.

6◇9◇Book◇Bar

"Wonder - Flying Vessel, capable of carrying over a hundred people, with moderate speed and defense."

"Starting bid: eight Divine Marrow!"

With their experience from the previous event, Mashi and the others were accustomed to Karl's terms and promptly offered their prices.

It wasn't much.

They had been tirelessly accumulating Divine Marrow during this time, but their own veins were barren, making it difficult to obtain by other means.

So, most of them were financially strained.

In the end,

The two flying vessels were acquired by Divine Envoys from other phantom cities, sold for fourteen and fifteen Divine Marrow each.

"Improved Earth-Fattening Silkworm."

Karl introduced the worm in front of him:

"It can reproduce nine times, producing two to three offspring each time, and by the ninth generation, it can yield over three hundred."

"Each Earth-Fattening Silkworm can survive for ten days. From the fifth day, its body will secrete meat gel, reaching its peak on the eighth day, and by the tenth day, when it grows to the size of a basin, it will die. Its corpse is also edible."

"In theory..."

"A single Earth-Fattening Silkworm mother can feed the residents of a phantom city for half a year."

"Selling for five Divine Marrow!"

As soon as he finished speaking, whispers spread through the crowd, and many eyes gleamed with excitement.

"Divine Envoy Karl!"

Someone spoke up:

"Will it definitely die after reproducing nine times?"

"No." Karl shook his head:

"It will aberrate, most likely transforming into a Level 2 Abomination, the Thousand-Eyed Poisonous Spider, or a Level 1 Abomination, the Ten Thousand-Eyed Poisonous Spider."

"So, the three hundred corpses from the ninth generation can't be kept, and of course, they can't be eaten either."

"In other words, this is a one-time deal." The questioner furrowed his brows:

"If we want to rely on the Earth-Fattening Silkworms to sustain the survival of our phantom city's residents, we'll have to purchase them again?"

"For now, that's correct." Karl nodded:

"We're continuously improving the Earth-Fattening Silkworms' resistance to aberration, and in the future, we might be able to create a variant that ignores aberration."

Actually,

John had already cultivated Earth-Fattening Silkworms adapted to this world.

However, these silkworms didn't secrete meat gel and couldn't be eaten, rendering them useless for economic purposes.

"Alright, I'll take one."

"I'll take one too."

Only two people chose to purchase the Earth-Fattening Silkworms, while the others hesitated, their eyes flickering with indecision.

Poverty!

This was Karl's systematic summary of this batch of participants.

Actually, this was quite normal.

Mashi and the others, roaming the chaotic Collapse Divine Realm, were naturally skilled and fearless.

They also possessed relatively rich foundations.

As for the other phantom cities...

Not to mention the others, just take Divine Envoy Bowen, who, despite his strength, could only find two Divine Marrow in the entire phantom city.

The situations of the other Divine Envoys were more or less the same, some with slightly more Divine Marrow, others with less.

Never too much.

"I heard that Mr. Karl wants to comprehend the Divine Gifts of other phantom cities?" A white-haired elder spoke up:

"Our phantom city's Divine Gift is very special. We can let you comprehend it once, but we need a flying vessel in exchange."

"A flying vessel?" Karl didn't refuse outright but asked instead:

"What's special about your phantom city?"

"Thousand Wisdom!" The elder's voice was deep and slow:

"Wisdom penetrates, and all techniques are comprehended. Our phantom city's ancestor was once one of the strongest in this End Times."

"Oh!" Karl became interested:

"Alright!"

A few hours later.

After seeing off the crowd, Karl waved his sleeve and collected the Divine Marrow in front of him.

Essence +0.1

+0.1

+0.1

...

With a thought, the essence transformed into mental power.

The mental power column flickered and rose from 17.1 to 18.3, expanding the mental sea once more.

"Ugh..."

Karl hummed, enduring the pain and satisfaction of the surge in mental power, his eyes narrowing:

"Now I should be able to construct the Second Circle Witchcraft, Water of Life."

"With this witchcraft, my recovery will greatly increase. Then, I can join forces with the Divine Envoys to clear out the abominations, attracting more Divine Envoys to come, and collect more Divine Marrow."

"However..."

"But first, let's examine the two Divine Gifts acquired this time."

The Divine Gift related to 'Wisdom' was a stone book, and the one related to 'Hunting' was a broken bow.

Karl contemplated the two Divine Gifts before him, then reached out and placed his hand on the broken bow.

"Mis!"

"Mis!"

A faint cry echoed in his sea of consciousness, and Karl's eyes lit up as he found himself in a primitive forest.

He examined his body, with sturdy limbs imbued with terrifying power, facing the vast wilderness with a sense of dominance.

Hunt!

Sensing!

With a thought, a longbow appeared in Karl's hand, and he nocked an arrow, aiming at a distant three-headed dog with black smoke rising from its three skulls.

A Level 3 being—Hell Three-Headed Dog!

"Disintegrate!"

The bowstring vibrated.

An arrow seemed to pierce space and time, suddenly appearing on the three skulls of the Hell Three-Headed Dog.

Like a string of sugar-coated hawthorn berries, three skulls impaled on a single arrow.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end