Free Web NovelChapter 297: Chapter 101: The Phoenix Reborn from the Ashes
Bai Wu.
This name was unfamiliar, but Jing Wu was certain that Zero’s Inner World had indeed been covered.
Or rather, it seemed more like a fusion.
It was filled with rage.
This anger was not due to the reversal of the situation, for in Jing Wu’s view, Zero was still no match for him.
What infuriated it was that Zero would rather merge with someone else than join itself.
In just a few breaths’ time, Zero’s damaged core began to repair itself at a speed visible to the naked eye.
The shattered parts within the mechanical body were also growing white bones. The originally silver hair was growing at a rate visible to the naked eye.
If before his form was half-human, half-mechanical, now he looked half-demon, half-mechanical.
Although this was the Inner World, a soul-to-soul confrontation would still manifest in forms similar to the real world.
One could still witness the destruction and rebirth of the flesh, still able to utilize one’s various abilities.
But the form that appeared on the body would undergo slight changes.
The difference between the Inner World and the real world lies in the fact that spiritual power and emotions can have a great influence on strength.
This is why the Lake God is so powerful, and also why one should not confront Hong Yin in the spiritual world.
Because of the accumulation of the Lau virus, Zero was beset with countless negative emotions that could neither be processed, deleted, nor utilized.
Because of the Mechanical Race’s traits, these negative emotions did not give him strength; on the contrary, they weakened him.
But this weakening, with the change in the Inner World and the appearance of those three strange rooms, the clouds of sorrow looming over Zero were rapidly devoured.
Zero’s strength was frantically recovering.
Jing Wu said,
"As expected, there isn’t an easy solution for existences at our level. But are you still you now?"
The once crimson eyes had turned azure blue, and the silver hair floated in the wind. Zero’s face was still the same face, and his expression seemed unchanged.
Yet inexplicably, that indifference had vanished. When he was calm, he no longer seemed cold and detached, only serene and gentle.
"Of course I am me."
Zero even smiled. The sunlight, piercing through the gradually thinning clouds of sorrow, fell upon Zero.
The entire scorched Inner World began to recover its colors.
The land beneath Zero’s feet already had color, but as the clouds of sorrow continued to dissipate, flowers unexpectedly sprouted at his feet.
In the Inner World, everything corresponds with reality; flowers signify vitality, as well as contentment and joy.
These things that should not be present in Zero’s world starkly appeared here, making Jing Wu become alert.
It shed its mocking demeanor. The black viscous liquid under its feet spread rapidly, soon creating a domain.
The sunlight seemed to become a dividing line at this moment. Beneath the partition of the clouds, where Jing Wu was, dark tides surged.
On the other side of the thin line, where Zero stood, life brimmed with vibrancy. It was as if a divine aura had enveloped his entire being.
Bai Wu and Zero, two lonely souls, unable to see such characteristics in each other’s Inner Worlds, yet after mutual redemption, presented a scene of a withered tree blooming anew.
[I have no way of observing it, and although there is no gap in strength between you two, I cannot be of any help in your confrontation until you have filled the critical gap.]
In the distance, Bai Wu’s surroundings began to regain color. Though his body had not fused with Zero’s, their information had already entered a state of complete sharing.
When the information given by Prayle’s Eye appeared in Bai Wu’s eyes, at the same time, Zero at the forefront of the battlefield said,
"It’s okay, I can calculate its likely actions."
Neither Zero nor Jing Wu made any rash moves. The true beginning of this confrontation had only just arrived.
This charred city still had vast areas that were pitch black; although many of the clouds of sorrow in the sky had dissipated, the accumulation of countless emotions from seven hundred years could hardly be easily absorbed.
Zero had not yet reached his peak, he and Bai Wu both knew very well that the current situation was merely a glimmer of hope snatched from a hopeless deadlock.
Jing Wu was simply too powerful, defeating such an adversary would require more than just the power Zero had now.
However, the eyes of Bai Wu and Zero were clear, free of any confusion or fear. The two, with their information completely synchronized, showed no sign of perplexity or dread on their faces.
"Let’s first probe the gap!"
The dividing line between light and darkness instantly vanished, and Zero and Jing Wu simultaneously made their moves.
The concept of time and space seemed to disappear in an instant.
As their thoughts turned, the two figures touched in a flash.
Wrapped beneath mechanical armor, the bony fist and Jing Wu’s fist collided head-on! At the moment of impact, a colossal energy fluctuation, powerful enough to destroy everything like a tsunami, wreaked havoc.
The buildings of the Mechanical City behind Zero, twisted and destroyed by the terrifying force, began to self-repair under some strange power!
The frontal collision with Jing Wu pushed Zero’s body back a hundred yards.
At the same time, under Jing Wu’s feet, the Soul-Devouring Swamp condensed from resentment began to spread at an alarming rate, engulfing the city on a large scale.
The black tide surged forth.
Zero, embedded in the wall of a building, spoke calmly:
"It’s not enough. It’s stronger than during our last encounter, and in the spiritual realm, I’m at a natural disadvantage."
Zero’s technology had a significant damage bonus against native biological entities, but this advantage couldn’t be realized in the spiritual realm.
"Let’s delay a little longer," said Bai Wu.
Zero nodded imperceptibly, his mind already clear, and he understood Bai Wu’s plan in an instant.
Vanishing again, Zero launched another attack.
Jing Wu noticed that although Zero had recovered much of his strength, their fist exchange had already shown a significant gap between the two.
The speed of both Zero and Jing Wu had reached the extreme; for them, distance in space was as if it didn’t exist.
The terrifying fluctuations of energy during their contact were like irregular whirlpools on the sea surface.
Even with Bai Wu’s abilities, the level of this battle was such that it was difficult to discern the intricacies, even as a bystander.
But merged with Zero’s will, he could clearly feel Jing Wu’s composure throughout the duel.
Effortlessly parrying Zero’s attack as if strolling through a garden, a seemingly light strike was enough to instantly throw Zero off balance.
Due to the incredible speed of the duelists, this suppression appeared fleeting and hard to observe.
In the reality of Mechanical City, even though the Mechanical Temple in Core City emitted intense light.
The city remained enveloped in darkness as the takeover by the Inner World had not been reversed.
In the Inner World, two supreme beings seemed as insignificant as a grain of sand to the entire Mechanical City, yet as a battleground, the city itself seemed barely adequate.
The Mechanical City within the Inner World was continuously shattered by powerful forces; despite the endless vitality that emerged from Zero’s body to repair this world, the speed of reparation was far outpaced by the rate of destruction.
During this process, Zero calculated a terrifying fact—
Even if Bai Wu completely absorbed the negative emotions accumulated in the sky, it seemed he still couldn’t defeat Jing Wu.
He quickly realized the reasons; because he could never return to his strongest state, and also because in the spiritual world, he lacked a certain kind of pure destructive power.
As Jing Wu continued to suppress Zero, the black tide relentlessly swept over the city.
"Do you feel like the moment you revealed your trump card, you sensed the exchange of victory and defeat?"
The raging power once again sent Zero tumbling into a deep pit.
Without waiting for Zero’s counterattack, Jing Wu’s even greater force collapsed the ground at the city center.
The terrifying power sent huge boulders flying off the ground, and Zero’s body was also shaken into the air by the tremor.
Jing Wu’s iron fists rained down on Zero like a downpour.
"Do you understand now? This is merely prolonging your death, or in other words, you’re only intensifying the agony you’ll need to endure!"
"I will not let you return to your full form!"
If Bai Wu’s fusion with Zero was an integration, then Jing Wu’s chosen method was devouring.
The Soul-Devouring Swamp was a power exclusive to it... or rather, exclusive to the six of them, a force that might not be comparable to a Legendary Tier Entry, yet was also a unique Entry.
This was a force potent enough to disintegrate an opponent’s Inner World. freewēbnoveℓ.com
Jing Wu was not just arrogantly overconfident.
It had already considered that Zero might possess some kind of trump card before entering the battlefield.
Therefore, before even initiating the attack on Zero, it had released the Soul-Devouring Swamp.
Its logic was crystal clear, and its understanding of the Inner World was profound.
The black city symbolized Zero’s hatred for this world, as well as the world’s betrayal of Zero.
The sorrowful clouds in the sky shrouded Zero, the immense negative emotions preventing Zero from using its full power.
But what if Zero suddenly had some means to disperse these emotions?
To prevent this from happening, Jing Wu unleashed the Soul-Devouring Swamp, a secret technique that allowed it to remain invincible in the spiritual realm.
The Swamp, formed from an extremely pure concentration of negative emotions, continuously devoured and occupied Zero’s Inner World.
If the world turned from black to colorful, then let it be eroded by even denser darkness. If the clouds of sorrow in the sky began to dissipate, then let them be filled by purer negative emotions.
During the constant exchange of offense and defense, Jing Wu had completely seized control of the fight’s rhythm, and both Zero and Bai Wu recognized the problem at hand.
That wave of blackness was accumulating unrestrainedly within the city, and if they didn’t find a way to clear it, Zero’s power would not be restored.
Soon, the battle had returned to its initial state, where Jing Wu’s power had not increased.
But Zero’s power... began to wane once more.
The opponent was just too powerful; even though Bai Wu absorbed a massive amount of negative emotions and Zero’s strength had greatly improved, it still could not keep up with the speed at which Jing Wu was injecting negative emotions!
The strong air currents pushed Zero into the sky, 1,700 meters high, while Jing Wu leapt up and, in an instant, positioned itself above Zero.
It lifted its foot to aim at Zero:
"See that beautiful black on the ground? Your resistance is futile!"
Jing Wu stomped down on Zero, pouring immense force into the blow, and Zero plummeted towards the ground like a meteor.
The instant it touched the Mechanical City’s ground, the entire city was as if hit by a nuclear assault, with most buildings in four districts shattered by a powerful gust.
In the real world, at 1,200 meters above ground, the massive core of the Mechanical City began to collapse thunderously!
If the Core City were to fall, the entire Mechanical City would inevitably face doom.
Seeing the core plummeting, whether it was the enraged infected or the criminals rampaging in the streets, all felt a sense of fear.
A Mechanical City without an energy supply would eventually become a Dead City, but at least it would give these Mechanical Race forces a chance to struggle for survival.
But if the core were to fall, the Mechanical City would be destroyed in an instant.
1,200 meters.
1,100 meters.
1,000 meters.
...
meters.
The Core City kept expanding, and the shadow it cast over Mechanical City suddenly enlarged as well.
This sense of impending despair halted every member of the Mechanical Race in their tracks.
Wu Jiu, his body shattered, raised his head, with a glint of sadness flashing in his eyes.
Xie Xingzhi lay on the ground, grinding his teeth as he watched everything unfold.
In the South District, Yan Zizai and Bai Xiaoyu, who had been preparing to save those in the sewers, also felt a fatigue that signaled the end of all things.
But just as the enormous Core touched the tallest structure of Mechanical City, starting to destroy it that very moment...
The Core City stopped!
The godly being that resided in the Core City seemed to have finally ended its prolonged slumber.
Emergency measures were activated in the Core City, which had started to resemble a Dead City, and powerful propulsion devices emerged at its base!
...
Seconds before in the Inner World, Zero’s body plummeted from a height of one thousand seven hundred meters, slammed into the ground by Jing Wu.
Water flows downward, and in the vast pit, the black liquid from the Soul-Devouring Swamp covered Zero.
In that instant, countless negative thoughts began to erode Zero. Painful memories from the past resurfaced once more.
Jing Wu floated in mid-air, looking down at the Soul-Devouring Swamp as the pure and intense negative emotions slowly engulfed Zero, an eerie smile on his face:
"Did you really think I came unprepared? I can cure your Laru Virus, but I can also let a far more terrifying virus consume you."
The accumulation of countless emotions over seven hundred years was the essence of the Laru Virus, but compared to Jing Wu’s methods, this vast Negative Emotion Tide was an even more fearsome weakening force for Zero.
Bai Wu had witnessed this power before.
When facing the heart of Jing Si, those black threads had also entangled it.
This black substance, born from the convergence of endless despair, had also eroded Bai Wu once.
But Bai Wu, being insulated from negative emotions, was not affected by this black substance.
Had it been the past, Zero would have fallen into a paralyzed state quite quickly. But now, he shared the same immunity as Bai Wu.
While their consciousness was under assault by negative thoughts, the two of them could still communicate clearly.
The exchange of thoughts was instantaneous.
"I’ve reached my limit... Bai Wu... it’s up to you. Merely absorbing is not enough... The spread of this Black Tide is too rapid. I can never regain my full strength."
"Leave it to me!"
As Bai Wu’s voice faded, in the corner of Mechanical City in the Inner World, the door of the red house... cracked open slightly.
The body of Zero, originally engulfed by the black substance, suddenly felt a burning sensation coursing through it.
Red flesh grew over white bones, and a blaze of Red Lotus Karma Flame, capable of burning away all negative emotions, erupted from within in an instant.
The fusion between the two seemed to have grown even closer!
The fiery figure that burst from the dark swamp, with crimson wings, was like a phoenix reborn from the ashes!
Meanwhile, the surging Karmic Fire spread like wildfire.
In reality, the immense Core City suddenly stalled in its descent!
Huge propulsive forces gently pushed it back into the sky!
In the Inner World, blossoms of Karmic Fire raged wildly, spreading unceasingly until the black Soul-Devouring Swamp finally met a force that could hinder it!
Across the sky, the phoenix, carrying infinite flames, crashed into Jing Wu, its wrathful roar echoing throughout Mechanical City:
"If it cannot be absorbed, then burn it to ashes!"
