Chapter 1213: Battle of Truth and Falsehood (Part One)
The Death God's Law Aspect was colossal, no less massive than the Apotheosis Platform itself. It hung suspended in the sky like a towering mountain, confronting the platform.
Moreover, the Law Aspect summoned by the Death God himself was far more corporeal than those summoned by others; at a glance, it appeared to be a true, flesh-and-blood entity, utterly unlike a construct of concentrated power.
Most crucially, the terrifying power emanating from the Death God's Law Aspect left everyone aghast. Leaving others aside, even Yang Haoran, though he was now far from the Apotheosis Platform and even Snow Fox Mountain, could still sense a destructive force emanating from this Law Aspect.
Yang Haoran harbored a degree of quiet satisfaction with his current strength. After all, not much time had passed since he became a Night Watcher; compared to other veteran Underworld Officials, his tenure was barely a fraction of theirs. Yet, in such a short span, he had elevated his cultivation to the peak of the Earth Soul realm and had even become one of the forty-five Guardians of the Underworld Office. This was no small feat, so a little self-satisfaction was perfectly normal.
However, this strength, which brought him a touch of pride, amounted to nothing before the Death God's Law Aspect currently before him. If this Law Aspect were to attack him, he knew he wouldn't be able to withstand a single blow, nor even manage to escape. One strike would be enough to claim his life.
Before today, he had never seen a true deity. Sometimes, he had even doubted if gods truly existed in this world. But today, he had seen one, and even before the two great gods had truly begun their confrontation, he had already suffered a significant shock.
At this moment, he had profoundly grasped the vast chasm between gods and mortals like themselves. The two were entities from entirely different worlds; in the eyes of a god, even someone at the peak of the Earth Soul realm like him was merely a mortal as weak as an ant.
Yang Haoran was still relatively composed; though shocked internally, his expression didn't change much. But for others, it was different. Upon sensing the mighty power fluctuations released by the Death God's Law Aspect, their faces not only drastically changed, but some even showed expressions of terror.
In their understanding, such powerful methods as summoning a Law Aspect were reserved for the very last moment, only to be deployed when there were truly no stronger means to subdue an opponent. After all, this technique consumed a significant amount of one's own power, and its casual use would impose a considerable burden. Thus, under normal circumstances, no one would typically resort to such a potent method before the final critical juncture.
It was entirely normal for the crowd to harbor such doubts, as they viewed the situation from a different perspective. The Death God was unaware that his actions had already sown confusion in many hearts, but even if he knew, he wouldn't have cared.
Once the Law Aspect was summoned, the Death God remained motionless, but the Law Aspect above his head stirred. One of its fists rose high, then smashed down towards the Apotheosis Platform!
The instant the fist was about to strike the Apotheosis Platform, a golden light barrier suddenly materialized, enveloping and protecting the entire platform. The Law Aspect's punch was perfectly intercepted by this unexpected golden barrier.
Boom! !
A colossal boom shook the heavens and earth. The golden barrier merely trembled slightly, showing no significant fluctuation. However, the force of that strike, radiating outwards, flattened nearby mountain peaks, demonstrating the immense power of that single blow.
Inside the Apotheosis Platform, the Spirit Master False God glanced at the faintly trembling golden barrier, a sneer spreading across his face.
"The Apotheosis Platform is a divine artifact forged from the very laws of heaven and earth. How could you hope to forcefully destroy it so easily? Surely, you don't imagine you possess the ability to contend with the laws of heaven and earth themselves?"
The Spirit Master False God mocked him, and after uttering these words, he spoke no more. He even averted his gaze from the Death God, then ignored him completely, turning to continue his ascent towards the summit of the Apotheosis Platform. Compared to before, his steps were noticeably swifter now; in the span of a single breath, he ascended four more steps.
The reason the Spirit Master False God proceeded step by step towards the divine position at the summit of the Apotheosis Platform was due to the restrictions imposed by the laws of this world: one could only walk, not fly, on the Apotheosis Platform. This was a rule, and a gesture of respect towards the laws of this realm.
As for the sudden appearance of the golden barrier, it was not conjured by the Spirit Master False God. Instead, the Apotheosis Platform, sensing a threat, had spontaneously released this protective shield, naturally to prevent anyone from causing damage to itself.
Furthermore, influenced by the laws of heaven and earth, gods were not permitted to set foot on the Apotheosis Platform. Thus, the Death God could only remain outside the platform and could not enter it. This was why the Death God chose to act from beyond the Apotheosis Platform, rather than entering it to attack the Spirit Master False God.
The Spirit Master False God was naturally aware of these rules. His current decision to directly ignore the Death God and proceed alone towards the summit of the Apotheosis Platform was precisely because he understood the rules: as long as the golden barrier released by the platform remained intact, he, being within the Apotheosis Platform, would not be threatened by the Death God.
However, he also understood the principle that delay breeds complications. Therefore, he didn't engage in verbal sparring with the Death God; unwilling to waste time, he chose to accelerate his pace towards the Apotheosis Platform's summit. After all, his main objective today was to attain a divine position and become a true god, not to exchange taunts with the Death God. Besides, it was clear at a glance that the Death God wasn't the type to enjoy verbal contests; even if he wanted to, the Death God might not even acknowledge him.
Furthermore, even if he wished to humiliate the other party, there would be ample time once his objective was achieved. There was absolutely no need to waste time on trivial banter at such a critical juncture.
The Death God observed the Spirit Master False God's reaction. His usually expressionless face now bore a slight frown. However, he wasted no words, instead manipulating his Law Aspect to launch an even more ferocious assault on the Apotheosis Platform's barrier. What had initially been a single fist attacking the platform instantly transformed into three fists simultaneously striking three different sections of the golden barrier.
Each descending punch unleashed a deafening roar that not only shook the very earth but also caused the space around the Apotheosis Platform to tremble violently. Especially at the three points where the Law Aspect's fists struck, the surrounding space, unable to withstand such immense power, shattered directly into black holes. This truly showed the terrifying might of each of the Law Aspect's blows!
And the barrier released by the Apotheosis Platform, facing such a furious assault from the Law Aspect, progressed from slight tremors to violent oscillations. If this continued, the golden barrier would likely shatter before long.
The Spirit Master False God felt the violent tremors of the golden barrier. He knew that if this continued, the golden barrier would surely shatter under the Death God's fierce onslaught. However, his steps did not falter; instead, they became even faster than before. From this, it was evident that he hadn't been using his full strength previously, otherwise, his speed couldn't have increased further. After all, each ascended step on the Apotheosis Platform increased the pressure on the climber, so if the Spirit Master False God had already been exerting his full power, his speed absolutely couldn't have improved at this moment.
As for whether the Spirit Master False God was now exerting his full strength, that remained unknown. Only he himself knew.
Time passed little by little. The Apotheosis Platform had a total of nine hundred and ninety-nine steps. When the Spirit Master False God reached the halfway point, his speed noticeably slowed, and the serene composure he had maintained earlier gave way to a much more serious expression. Meanwhile, the golden barrier released by the Apotheosis Platform, under the Death God's relentless assault, was no longer merely trembling violently but had begun to twist and deform.
Suddenly, the Spirit Master False God seemed to sense something. His steps halted, and he looked up towards the sky. The very moment he looked up, a tremendous roar echoed from above: the barrier released by the Apotheosis Platform had ultimately failed to withstand the Death God's fierce onslaught, shattering with a deafening crash!
The Spirit Master False God, looking up, happened to witness this scene, and his expression changed accordingly. While he showed no fear, his face clearly darkened considerably.
With the golden barrier shattered, the Death God's Law Aspect did not cease its assault. Its mountain-sized fist descended from the sky, its target none other than the Spirit Master False God, who was looking up.
From the looks of it, the Death God intended to finish off the Spirit Master False God with a single punch!
Seeing this, the Spirit Master False God let out a cold snort. A terrifying wave of power erupted from his body. Without forming any hand seals or uttering any incantations, a massive bone hand extended from the void, its five fingers clenching into a mighty fist, and slammed directly into the descending fist of the Death God's Law Aspect.
Boom! !
The bone fist only held for an instant before shattering into countless fragments, which then dissolved into vast amounts of Yin Qi, vanishing into nothingness.
Although this bone fist was merely a temporary technique conjured by the Spirit Master False God, the power fluctuations it unleashed were utterly terrifying, and its size was by no means smaller than the Death God's Law Aspect's fist. Yet, with a single clash, the bone fist was completely destroyed, utterly unable to contend.
Having pulverized the bone fist, the Death God's Law Aspect's punch had lost little of its power, still descending with an earth-shattering momentum.
Boom! !
The Death God's Law Aspect's fist successfully slammed onto the Apotheosis Platform, precisely where the Spirit Master False God had stood moments before. But what was astonishing was that the Spirit Master False God now appeared at the very edge of that step, having just managed to evade the Law Aspect's punch. Yet, even more astounding was that such a powerful punch from the Death God's Law Aspect hadn't shaken the Apotheosis Platform in the slightest!
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