Chapter 534: You Are Unworthy

Chapter 534: You Are Unworthy

Xing Ling's body dematerialized into a form of dark energy, and while the distorted magnetic field weakened control over him, it was still more than enough.

Ji Xinghuo's appearance took him completely by surprise.

He didn't even have time to dodge.

Boom!

Ji Xinghuo's Electric Light Spiral Fist struck Xing Ling. Even though he was in a dematerialized state, immune to physical damage and highly resistant to energy-based attacks, the punch contained an overwhelming amount of electrical energy and scorching heat that far exceeded Xing Ling's endurance.

A gigantic, eerie blue firework bloomed in the sky, as the ionized flames instantly incinerated the surrounding air, and the resulting shockwave created a spherical vacuum.

Within the flames, black smoke dissipated—the remains of Xing Ling's body, which had existed only for a fleeting moment. A delicate sword and a uniquely shaped dimensional ring flew out from where he had been.

Everything else was destroyed.

Ji Xinghuo used his spiritual energy to control the sword and the dimensional ring, sending them flying towards one of his shadow clones in the distance, to be taken away.

He had not absorbed any mental source energy.

Xing Ling wasn't dead!

It wasn't easy to kill a Dark Master, especially one like the Yin Shadow Star Spirit, who was an extraordinary being. He was sure to have a backup plan.

Indeed, the next second, over five thousand meters away on the ground, beneath an inconspicuous tree in the forest, there was a faint dark energy fluctuation. Ji Xinghuo immediately sensed the anomaly and dived towards it in a flash of electricity.

Thunder rumbled!

A bolt of lightning split the tree asunder. Despite Ji Xinghuo's haste, Xing Ling had already been reborn.

A towering figure emerged from the ground.

It stood over ten meters tall, its body composed entirely of pitch-black flames that constantly shifted and changed. It stood on two legs, with massive claws at the ends of its four limbs, and a pair of broad wings spread out from its back. Its head was thick and robust, its features resembling those of a baboon, with two crimson orbs of light where its eyes should be, exuding a sinister aura.

Ji Xinghuo's spiritual lightning struck the creature, causing the black flames to falter momentarily, and it let out a furious roar. The flames then raged even more fiercely, burning with increased intensity!

An awe-inspiring aura emanated from the creature.

Dark Matter Demon!

Ji Xinghuo, who was diving towards it, furrowed his brows. He wasn't very familiar with these monsters formed from the combination of dark matter and etheric energy, but he had some knowledge of them.

Demon Refiners had the most contact with them, sealing demons within their bodies to gain extraordinary abilities and strength.

The only Demon Refiner Ji Xinghuo knew was Jiang Nancaiyi, to whom he had once given a Night Demon.

Demon Refiners fell under the category of "Dark Masters".

Xing Ling had entered a demonized state.

The Dark Shadow Void Demon he had transformed into was extremely rare, bearing some resemblance to the Night Demon, but evidently far more powerful. Even Ji Xinghuo was seeing it for the first time, though he had heard Jiang Nancaiyi mention it before.

"Dark Star Shadow Demon, the demon that Demon Refiners dream of!"

It was equivalent to the Divine Dragon species among Dragon Masters!

This was one of the most powerful dark matter demons, born in the dark stars of the Milky Way galaxy. It possessed not only formidable strength and a robust body but also incredible speed and defense. It could directly convert dark energy into lethal attacks, amplifying its destructive power. Moreover, as long as it remained in an environment with dark energy, it could continuously regenerate, making it nearly immortal!

The Dark Shadow Void Demon had no weaknesses. Any Demon Refiner or Dark Stringer who fused with it would experience a qualitative leap in their strength.

Hence, it was the most crucial core ability of a Dark Master.

"Earthling!"

After his transformation, Xing Ling roared at the diving Ji Xinghuo, "You were not my assassination target, but now you've enraged me. I will show you..."

As he shouted angrily, his body continued to grow, swelling to a height of nearly a hundred meters. The surrounding forest within a few hundred meters was reduced to ashes. A massive black flame spear took shape in his right hand, aimed directly at Ji Xinghuo.

The "Dark Star Spear", condensed from spiritual energy, dark energy, and dark matter, had been responsible for the deaths of countless powerful enemies.

Boom!

Just as Xing Ling was about to face the incoming Ji Xinghuo, he didn't have enough time to condense the Dark Star Spear to its most powerful form, so he threw it hastily.

He was confident in his accuracy, and at such close range, it was almost impossible to dodge.

However, Ji Xinghuo didn't even try to dodge.

His body also expanded, growing to a height of over ten meters. Electricity crackled in his eyes, the left one turning completely black. His physique ballooned tremendously.

A monumental transformation!

Overload!

Electromagnetic Polarization!

The Nine Abyssal Entity brought forth the King of Darkness, entering the Dark Incarnation!

The Primordial Kun Giant and the power of the stars!

In an instant, Ji Xinghuo's strength surged, approaching his own limit, falling just short of unleashing the Thunderous Ship-Cleaving Blade's mighty force.

He threw a punch, shattering the dozens of meters long Dark Star Spear into pieces before it could inflict any damage. The Electric Light Spiral Fist struck the Dark Shadow Void Demon from a distance, and the hundred-meter-tall demonic figure seemed to be crushed under a mountain, sinking deep into the earth.

The Dark Shadow Void Demon had been blown to bits.

Ji Xinghuo abruptly stopped his high-speed descent, hovering above the massive crater as he scanned the surroundings with his electromagnetic sensing ability to locate his enemy.

Soon, he discovered his target.

This time, Xing Ling was reborn over three thousand meters high in the sky. Ji Xinghuo soared upwards, carefully observing his enemy's rebirth process. It relied on the ever-present dark energy, drawing etheric energy towards the place of rebirth.

As soon as Xing Ling appeared in the sky, he sensed danger, his face contorting in panic as he realized that even the Dark Shadow Void Demon couldn't withstand a single blow.

"You..."

Xing Ling demonized himself again, shouting wildly.

But Ji Xinghuo didn't want to hear a word he said. He charged forward recklessly, ignoring the various attacks Xing Ling unleashed, catching up to him in mere seconds and delivering a devastating punch.

BOOM!

The Dark Shadow Void Demon was blown to smithereens once more, but this time, its rebirth was different.

Ji Xinghuo instantly located Xing Ling's rebirth position, not too far away. He directly performed a Star Realm Leap towards it, his left eye, the Dark Orb, emitting a black glow as the King of Darkness controlled the dark energy, drawing and absorbing the gathered dark energy.

Xing Ling's rebirth was immediately affected, his appearance slowed down a hundredfold, taking over ten seconds to barely take shape.

Furthermore, Xing Ling was in a feeble state.

He didn't even have enough energy to enter the demonized state.

He had sensed something amiss during his rebirth process, and now, looking at the imminent Ji Xinghuo, his eyes were filled with terror.

"King of Darkness!" Xing Ling screamed in despair.

"You guessed it," Ji Xinghuo said with a smile. "But there are no rewards." Then, he threw another punch, unleashing the Electric Light Spiral Fist.

Bang!

Xing Ling's body exploded into a cloud of black mist.

As Ji Xinghuo attacked, he controlled the dark energy within a radius of several kilometers with the King of Darkness, repelling the dark energy to form a dark energy vacuum, isolating the environment necessary for the Dark Shadow Void Demon's rebirth.

He hovered in the air, waiting quietly.

Xing Ling did not reappear, and after a few seconds, a prompt appeared on the interface of the Myriad Phenomenon Star Pupil.

[Mental Source Energy +61,232]



"He's really dead now," Ji Xinghuo muttered. He deactivated the power amplification on his body, returning to his normal state.

He looked around, but there was no sign of Xing Ling's body or any traces of him. Shaking his head, he said, "Bad luck for you."

This Yin Shadow Star Spirit was actually very powerful, an almost invincible existence below the seventh stage, and highly skilled in assassination. Very few could survive his sneak attacks, but he had just happened to encounter Ji Xinghuo.

Not only had his assassination attempt failed, but he had also lost his life.

Perhaps, in Xing Ling's eyes, Earth was just a backward planet, and infiltrating to kill the leader of a lowly human race was a simple task.

Xing Ling would never have imagined that he would encounter an enemy possessing the "King of Darkness" on Earth.

The Dark Shadow Void Demon was nearly immortal.

However, the King of Darkness was one of the few abilities in the world capable of killing the Dark Shadow Void Demon.

"I wonder how much the American Federation paid to hire this Yin Shadow Star Spirit?"

"They have the money to spend, but not the lives to spare."

One of his shadow clones flew over, handing the delicate sword and the dimensional ring to Ji Xinghuo. The Macrocosmic Eye fell upon the sword, and an information interface popped up before his eyes.

[Treasure: Shadowless]



[Grade: Revelation Two-star]



[Function: Piercing Armor, Cutting Through All]



"It's only a Revelation Two-star?" Ji Xinghuo frowned, slightly disappointed. He had expected it to be a Revelation Three-star weapon. However, based on the information identified by the Myriad Phenomenon Star Pupil, this delicate sword was not ordinary.

Its most powerful ability was piercing armor.

It could penetrate most defenses in the world, including but not limited to physical armor and energy barriers, and it was extremely sharp.

Ji Xinghuo gripped the sword with his left hand and lightly touched the tip of the sword with his right index finger, immediately cutting his skin.

But it was just a superficial cut and didn't cause much harm.

"Being able to break through defenses is already its most significant use," Ji Xinghuo thought. "This sword is too light and can't withstand much force, so it can't utilize the advantage of strength and is unlikely to inflict severe damage."

Combat was not just about breaking defenses and cutting.

This type of lightweight weapon was more suited for agility and skill, not his style.

It was more appropriate for swordsmen and shadow blades like Yin Yan.

"No wonder it's only a Revelation Two-star," Ji Xinghuo said, looking at the beautifully crafted and delicate sword, his interest in it instantly waning.

This dimensional ring likely contained all of the Yin Shadow Star Spirit's possessions. The ring itself came with a 256 cubic meter dimensional space, an incredibly valuable item. Inside were over four hundred thousand ether crystals, a large number of high-value dragon crystals, the currency of the Star Spirit Empire, and various treasures, exotic items, and expansion curios.

The total value was definitely over a million ether crystals, possibly more.

But now wasn't the time for an inventory.

Ji Xinghuo sheathed the "Shadowless" fine sword at his waist and kept the dimensional ring, then swapped places with one of his shadow clones in the People's Palace.

On the podium, the leader was still giving his speech.

Most of the people behind the scenes and in the audience hadn't noticed Ji Xinghuo's return, except for Luo Baoguo, who glanced at him and raised an inquiring eyebrow. Ji Xinghuo gave a slight nod, and Luo Baoguo breathed a sigh of relief.

"...In the future, the South Asian subcontinent will play a significant role..."

As Ji Daosheng gave his speech on stage, his mental voice sounded in Ji Xinghuo's mind, "Well?"

"The assassin is dead," Ji Xinghuo replied.

"Good."

Ji Daosheng and Ji Xinghuo communicated discreetly, maintaining their composure as the speech continued.

At that moment.

As Ji Xinghuo returned to New Bharat, on the other side of the Earth in South America, outside the Asuncion Star Gate, the battle between Ji Xinghuo's shadow clone and the False Sun King had been raging for several minutes, reducing the buildings around the star gate fortress to rubble.

However, with Ji Xinghuo's intervention, the False Sun King was unable to inflict further slaughter upon the crowd.

From the start of the battle, the False Sun King hadn't uttered a single word.

In the sky.

As Ji Xinghuo's shadow clone expended his stellar power, his strength gradually weakened. The two figures, fast as lightning, collided once more.

Boom!

What was once an evenly matched clash now ended in victory and defeat.

The False Sun King flew backward, crashing into a building and becoming buried under the rubble. With a loud explosion, he burst out of the pit beneath the debris, only to see Ji Xinghuo's shadow clone hovering in the air before him.

The shadow clone appeared unchanged, but the False Sun King's expression shifted, and he halted his assault.

"I regret it," the False Sun King finally spoke.

"What?"

"Your growth has far exceeded my expectations," the False Sun King said gravely. "Years ago in Ivangela, when I first saw you, I should have killed you on the spot. Then, we wouldn't be in this situation today."

Only then did Ji Xinghuo understand what he meant. It was during the Global Marathon, in Ivangela, that he had first met the Sun King.

This guy sure knew how to put on a show.

He had deliberately sought out Ji Xinghuo before the Imperial Star Team's match, declaring in front of everyone, "I've just made a decision. I won't lay a hand on you until you're promoted to Heavenly King."

At the time, Ji Xinghuo was infuriated. Who was this guy to try and act cool in front of him?

"Hehe..."

Ji Xinghuo let out a mocking laugh. "It's too late for regrets now."

"I admit, this is the biggest mistake of my life," the Sun King nodded, his expression solemn. "But I assure you, I won't make the same mistake twice. Ji Xinghuo, you are indeed my greatest opponent in this lifetime."

Ji Xinghuo sized him up carefully, then shook his head.

"You are unworthy."

The Sun King's face contorted with rage. He had never suffered such humiliation, but he forcibly suppressed his anger, his voice cold and steady, "Ji Xinghuo, are you trying to provoke me? If so, I'm afraid you'll be disappointed."

"Anthony John," Ji Xinghuo suddenly called out the Sun King's true name.

The Sun King paused.

"I don't know if you've heard this saying before: one should not lose their temper easily, because when you do, you have to show your true skills, and then others will find out that you have no skills at all." Ji Xinghuo's eyes held a hint of amusement. "Today, it seems you have excellent control over your temper."

"Hmph..."

The Sun King's face turned ugly, his lips pressed into a thin line, his cheek muscles twitching, and his hands and feet trembling with suppressed anger.

He truly didn't know how to respond.

Losing his temper seemed wrong, but not losing it didn't seem right either.

"Sun King, hahahaha..." Ji Xinghuo burst into laughter.

His voice rose sharply, reaching the cameras that were broadcasting the event globally: "How dare you call yourself the Sun King? Hiding in Saint Louis, afraid to face me directly. I think 'Turtle King' would be a more fitting name for you!"

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end