Seeing the Demonic Buddhist Holy Son guarding the way in and out of the ruins, Lin Huang’s state of mind was anything but relaxed.
Before this he had been worried that someone might be guarding the entrance and exit point at the ruins; the scenario that he feared the most had still come to pass. Moreover, it was worse than he had previously imagined.
Among the Abyssal creatures, the Demonic Buddhist Holy Son’s abilities were at the peak of those at the same level of combat strength.
If this had been just an ordinary ninth-rank True God, Lin Huang would not have worried at all because he had a Provisional Combat Strength Upgrade Card at hand. This would be enough to raise his ability to ninth-rank True God-level.
However, the Demonic Buddhist Holy Son in front of him might be at ninth-rank True God-level, but his ability might not be far from that of a Heavenly God.
Facing a powerful enemy like never before, Lin Huang frantically went through countermeasures in his head.
Right now though, the Demonic Buddhist Holy Son did not make a move to attack, instead asking Lin Huang and the others, “Have you seen the Bug Tribe in these ruins?”
“No,” Lin Huang denied without a second thought.
The Demonic Buddhist Holy Son quirked his lips again. “You are lying.
“Little black-haired brother, you denied my question too quickly. Almost without thinking, you gave a negative answer.
“If you really haven’t seen the Bug Tribe, when this humble monk brought up this question, you should have had some doubts and would have taken a moment before answering. You would definitely be uncertain in your mind as to why I asked such a question. You would also be curious as to why the Bug Tribe would appear in this Abyssal ruin. However, you did not show any doubts, as if you knew that the Bug Tribe was here…
“Therefore this humble monk infers that you’ve either seen the Bug Tribe in these ruins… or you’re in league with them!”
Lin Huang thought about it for a moment, then played along with the other’s line of thought and gave a new response.
“Alright, I admit that we’ve seen the Bug Tribe. I denied it before because I just don’t want to get involved in any matters between you and them.
“As for your second inference, it’s complete nonsense. When have you ever seen the Protoss fraternizing with Bug Tribe creatures?”
The Demonic Buddhist Holy Son thought about it for a moment and then spoke again, “Very well, this humble monk will take it that you’re telling the truth this time.
“Among the three of you, whoever first provides information on the Bug Tribe, this humble monk can let them go free. As for the other two, my humble self can only apologize.”
Lin Huang had initially thought to avoid conflict as best as he could, so he had lied and distanced the three of them from the Bug Tribe. However, the attitude of the Demonic Buddhist Holy Son was already very obvious from his words. Whether or not the three of them had any connection to the Bug Tribe, he did not intend to let them go.
Although he said that he would let one person leave, he was unlikely to keep his promise in the end. He was probably only saying this just to fish for useful information.
Now that he had ascertained his opponent’s attitude, Lin Huang knew that this particular battle was inevitable.
He used the telepathic bond to stealthily communicate with the two Sword Servants.
“Both of you exit the battlefield. I’ll delay him while you two find an appropriate moment to leave the ruins as fast as you can!”
“Lord Swordmaster, I am afraid that his ability is already very near heavenly god-level…” Sword301 was not at ease with the thought of leaving Lin Huang alone.
“I have the means to save my life and get away. If you don’t leave, not only will that not help, but it will also encumber me.” Lin Huang was not worried about whether he himself could escape; he was worried that the two Sword Servants would be killed.
After all, there was a huge gap between the combat strength of a third-rank and a ninth-rank, and the Sword Servants’ abilities were restricted. In Sword301 and Sword302’s current state, if they were to face the Demonic Buddhist Holy Son, they would be instantly killed. There was no other way around it.
Only after the pair had successfully escaped would he be able to find a way to get out of the battle without being encumbered.
Although they were not comfortable leaving their Sword Master behind to face a powerhouse like the Demonic Buddhist Holy Son, the two Sword Servants also knew that what Lin Huang said was true. The two of them would only be a burden to him.
Both Sword Servants had no choice but to obey Lin Huang’s instructions.
The telepathic bond was considered a conscious level of communication. It seemed as if they had been talking for a while, but in fact, only a moment had passed.
Once he had persuaded the two Sword Servants, Lin Huang finally turned his full attention to the enemy before him.
Three Provisional Combat Strength Upgrade Cards quietly appeared in his hand. He moved two fingers slightly and crushed all three cards. They turned into three golden gleams invisible to bystanders and sank into his body.
The next instant, his combat strength began to soar!
Virtual God rank-4!
Virtual God rank-5!
Virtual God rank-6!
Previously, when he was at Virtual God rank-3, his abilities were sufficient for hunting most sixth-rank True Gods. Now that his combat strength had soared again by three minor levels, his abilities had also elevated to the level of a ninth-rank True God.
The Demonic Buddhist Holy Son could not discern Lin Huang’s true combat strength beneath Thousand Face’s disguise. He merely thought that Lin Huang had advanced from third-rank True God-level to sixth-rank True God-level in one breath, and could faintly sense the danger emanating from Lin Huang.
This sense of danger not only forestalled any desire he had to retreat, but it also excited him.
“You’re just a mere sixth-rank but you can appear as a threat to me—your abilities are very good indeed. I wonder how long this kind of temporarily improved combat strength can last?”
“It’ll sustain until the end of this battle!” Lin Huang gripped the bladeless sword hilt in his right hand. The blade quickly condensed into form, transforming into a long, narrow blood-colored sword.
“That sword isn’t too bad either. Looks like you have status and position in the God Territory. What I like most is hunting geniuses like you—reading your minds, exploring your secrets…”
While the Demonic Buddhist Holy Son was speaking, Lin Huang had already boosted the God Rule Power and Elemental Enlightenment on the blade to the maximum.
He transformed into a bolt of red lightning and attacked instantly!
This move was the fastest he had pulled in his entire life.
Boosted by Seraphic Speed and various rapid speed sword skill Enlightenments, the long narrow sword was as fast as actual lightning flashing across the sky. At practically the very moment the attack was made, the weapon was already in front of the Demonic Buddhist Holy Son.
Just as the point of Lin Huang’s sword drew close and was about to impale his head, the Demonic Buddhist Holy Son suddenly made a sweeping gesture through the void with one hand and unleashed countless scattered shadows. Despite moving last, he pointed a finger even before Lin Huang could complete his action.
The golden fingertip instantly intercepted the blood-red sword point’s advance.
The sensation Lin Huang felt in his hand was as if his sword point had run up against a shield of the same standard as his blade, blocking all his moves.
“Your speed is alright, but it’s nowhere near the peak of true god-level.”
After this evaluation, the Demonic Buddhist Holy Son flicked his finger and the tip of it tapped against the blood-red sword point.
At that moment, Lin Huang felt only a massive amount of force coming from the point of his blade, and the weapon nearly flew out of his hand. The arm of his sword-wielding right hand turned numb and his entire figure was suddenly sent flying away.
“So strong!”
In this first head-on confrontation, Lin Huang was finally fully aware of the strength of his opponent.
“At your sixth-rank combat strength, having this sort of ability is really not bad at all. With this, you can still fight when you meet an ordinary ninth-rank, but it’s not enough when you meet the ultimate powerhouses of the ninth-rank.
“Your level of Sword Dao true meaning, as well as the number of God Rules and Elemental Enlightenments that you’ve mastered still have a lot of room for improvement.
“However, it’s a pity you won’t have a chance like this to improve further…”
Before he had finished speaking, the Demonic Buddhist Holy Son’s figure disappeared on the spot and reappeared less than ten meters before Lin Huang.
As he waved his hands ‘slowly’, it seemed as though he grew thousands of arms in an instant. Layer upon layer of arms transformed into waves and shot forward.
Endless golden palm shadows swelled upon the wind. At first, they were just the size of a normal palm, but they expanded several times whenever they surged forward. By the time they were about to reach Lin Huang, the golden palm shadows covering the sky had already blotted out the heavens and Lin Huang’s figure was completely swallowed up in an instant…
