With a squelch.
Several purple-gold light bands surfaced across the body of the Demon-Transformed Giant Ape, and the heaven-and-earth spiritual energy he had just absorbed immediately surged into the massive blade in his hands like a tidal wave.
After a row of silver runes on the blade flashed to life, a green sword beam over a hundred zhang long swept outward from it, but in a blur it transformed into a crescent shape and vanished into thin air.
"A Profound Heaven Treasure — it's a Profound Heaven artifact!"
The giant transformed from King Xionsi sensed the fluctuations of Law radiating from the dark green blade and was immediately struck with alarm. He hastily formed a series of hand seals with both hands, attempting to execute some secret technique to dodge.
But it was clearly already too late.
The next moment, spatial fluctuations suddenly appeared above the giant transformed from King Xionsi, and a misty green crescent moon emerged amid ten thousand rays of resplendent light. With a single spinning rotation, an utterly terrifying force of Law descended upon him.
King Xionsi felt the surrounding void suddenly constrict. Both his limbs and body went cold as he was restrained by the force of Law — it was as though his entire body were pinned down by a colossal iceberg, and no matter how he struggled, he could not move a single inch.
The power of the Profound Heaven Spirit-Slashing Sword, driven to its fullest, far exceeded what King Xionsi had anticipated. The might of the Laws from other Profound Heaven Treasures he had previously encountered was simply incomparable to what he now faced.
"No — I concede this battle! Release the restriction!" The giant transformed from King Xionsi finally showed a look of panic. After shouting his concession, the two layers of light barriers enveloping the entire mountain peak instantly dissipated and vanished.
But the green crescent moon paid no heed to any of this, and continued pressing downward amid the flickering green radiance.
"Power of a Thousand Ghosts — Explode!"
Having tried several secret techniques in succession, none of which allowed him to break free from the Law's suppression, King Xionsi finally steeled himself in desperation.
In an instant, the thousand ghost faces on his body's surface suddenly turned a vivid, blood-red hue. Then, amid a series of booming explosions, they detonated one after another.
A wave of blood mist immediately swept outward in all directions, actually neutralizing the majority of the surrounding force of Law.
At the same time the blood mist erupted, the giant transformed from King Xionsi's body suddenly shrank to the size of an ordinary person, as if deflating. Then, with a whoosh, he broke free from the Law's restraint and shot skyward.
The distant giant ape snorted coldly at the sight. The dark green blade in his hand suddenly flicked forward in a lightning-fast horizontal slash.
The seemingly ordinary slash was anything but — the front half of the blade vanished in a blur the instant it was swung. At the same moment, King Xionsi, who had just transformed into a streak of blood flame and flashed past the green crescent moon, suddenly had a blinding burst of green light erupt from the void beside him. A semi-transparent phantom blade flashed and vanished in an instant, slashing clean through King Xionsi's waist and severing him into two pieces.
King Xionsi's protective blood flame proved utterly ineffective against this phantom blade's strike.
King Xionsi let out a shrill scream, but he did not truly lose his composure. Instead, without a moment's hesitation, he swiftly formed a hand seal with one hand, and his lower half immediately exploded into a burst of blood mist. His upper body, enveloped by the blood mist, let out a muffled boom and vanished from its position in a flash.
Upon seeing this, Han Li's giant ape form displayed a hint of mockery. He extended one finger and pointed into the void.
With a bang.
The misty green crescent moon spun around once before similarly detonating.
With a sharp hissing, countless dark green threads of light instantly pierced toward the spot where the blood mist had vanished. They flashed and vanished, then eerily disappeared into the void.
The surrounding void suddenly convulsed violently. King Xionsi let out a wail of anguish as his half-body reappeared once more, tattered like a rag.
However, his body's surface was now riddled with countless holes, and nearly a third of it had completely vanished.
Even so, King Xionsi had not yet perished. Instead, without hesitation, several yin-qi-laden treasures flew out from his ruined body. Wrapping himself in their protection, he pivoted and shot toward a mountain peak in another direction.
But Han Li had deployed the Profound Heaven Spirit-Slashing Sword — he would naturally never let his opponent escape alive.
With the treasures shielding him, King Xionsi had barely shot forward over a thousand zhang at lightning speed when the void ahead suddenly flashed with golden light. The several-hundred-zhang-tall Demon-Transformed Giant Ape materialized soundlessly. One arm moved, and a massive golden palm as vast as the sky crashed down upon him.
A thunderous boom shook the earth and mountains.
The several defensive treasures King Xionsi had released, along with his own mangled body, were all easily crushed by the golden giant palm in a single strike.
With two whooshing sounds, two wisps of black gas pierced through the blurred flesh and blood, fleeing desperately in different directions.
The giant ape furrowed its brow and traced one finger through the void toward one of the wisps of black gas. Immediately, a hazy azure sword light flashed and vanished, slicing whatever was hidden inside in two — it was that monkey-like yet not-quite-monkey creature. Then, a booming sound echoed from the azure sword light as countless golden arcs of lightning sprang forth. In an instant, they enveloped the gaunt creature and reduced it to ash.
Without the support of King Xionsi's Magical Power, this so-called "Second Primordial Spirit" proved unexpectedly fragile, unable to be reborn as it had been before.
Just as the other wisp of black gas was about to seize the chance to flee, the void on both sides flashed with crystalline light. A wail emanated from within the black gas as a monster with an ox's head and a serpent's body burst out from it. But after rushing only a few steps, the monster's body suddenly split apart in every direction. Countless streams of black gas surged out from within, and the wailing of ghostly cries could be heard.
Just then, golden light flashed above the black gas. A golden figure appeared in a flash, raising both hands as invisible sword qi swept down from the sky. In the span of just a few breaths, every trace of ghostly qi was swept clean.
Only then did King Xionsi, one of the Ten Kings of the Underworld, truly perish in this battle.