Chapter 1214: Battle of True and False (Part Two)
The Death God's Dharma Body's fist was not small; its downward strike covered a considerable area. The reason the Spiritualist False God managed to dodge this blow was that he chose to shift horizontally, rather than dodge upwards or downwards.
Given the speed of the descending fist, dodging upwards was certainly unrealistic. After all, each step ascended on the Apotheosis Platform amplified the pressure on one's physical body. Furthermore, the Death God's Dharma Body's fist covered a substantial area, not just one, two, or a few steps. Therefore, for the Spiritualist False God to dodge upwards and evade the Death God's Dharma Body's fist in an instant was simply impossible.
If he were to dodge downwards, the Spiritualist False God was confident he could successfully evade the Death God's Dharma Body's punch, as the lower steps exerted less pressure on the body, making successful evasion no difficult feat. However, while dodging downwards was easy, after a successful dodge, he would have to re-ascend step by painstaking step. This would not only be a torment but also a waste of power, as re-traversing already climbed steps would similarly deplete his internal strength.
Therefore, the most sagacious approach was to shift horizontally. This way, he would remain on the same step, merely altering his position without changing the step's overall level. Although it would still incur some consumption, it would be the least taxing of the three methods.
This was the most sagacious approach, but its success hinged on his own capabilities. Because even horizontal movement was no simple matter on the Apotheosis Platform, and given the Spiritualist False God's already considerable height on the steps, such a shift became even more arduous. Moreover, the Spiritualist False God had to achieve an instant horizontal shift to dodge the Death God's Dharma Body's fist, naturally multiplying the difficulty.
Judging by the current outcome, the Spiritualist False God had indeed successfully dodged the Death God's Dharma Body's punch. However, his face was noticeably paler than before, indicating that this successful evasion had cost him significantly. He must have paid a considerable price to pull off that dodge.
The strike had missed its mark; not only did it fail to eliminate the Spiritualist False God, but it didn't even shake the Apotheosis Platform in the slightest. The punch landed as if an ordinary person had smashed a fist onto concrete—the concrete remained undamaged, and the fist was excruciatingly painful.
The Death God's eyes narrowed slightly. According to his initial plan, he had intended to completely destroy the Apotheosis Platform. Once the Apotheosis Platform was obliterated, the Spiritualist False God's ambition to become a god would naturally be thwarted.
The Death God was no stranger to the Apotheosis Platform. When he himself had become a True God, he too had stepped onto the Apotheosis Platform and successfully claimed his God Position, thereby becoming a deity recognized by this world.
Yet, at that time, as he walked upon the Apotheosis Platform, all his strength was dedicated to resisting the immense pressure the platform exerted on his physical body. His mind held but a single thought: to reach the summit of the Apotheosis Platform and claim the God Position to become a True God, no matter the cost. Beyond this ambition, he harbored no other notions, much less the extravagant idea of destroying the Apotheosis Platform.
After him, several other True Gods had successively appeared. He did not know if these True Gods had entertained thoughts of destroying the Apotheosis Platform at the time, but he did know that not a single one of them had ever struck out at it.
Before today, he had never laid a hand on the Apotheosis Platform, nor had he witnessed anyone else do so. Thus, he had never known just how sturdy the Apotheosis Platform truly was. Now, however, he had gained a profoundly clear impression.
He knew that destroying the Apotheosis Platform was simply too difficult; at least, in his current state, he had no confidence in achieving it. Therefore, to prevent the Spiritualist False God from becoming a True God by violently shattering the Apotheosis Platform was certainly unrealistic. To achieve his goal, he would have to resort to another method: kill the Spiritualist False God. Once the Spiritualist False God was dead, the problem would be resolved at its root.
As for why he hadn't thought of this initially, it was because he first wanted to inflict a massive psychological blow upon the Spiritualist False God before eliminating him.
To brutally shatter the Spiritualist False God's path to godhood right before his eyes would have been a truly devastating blow. But since that path was now unfeasible, he could only settle for the next best option: directly attacking the Spiritualist False God himself.
Having failed to slay the Spiritualist False God with a single strike, the Death God naturally wouldn't give up so easily. Without the slightest pause, under the control of his will, the Dharma Body's other two massive hands also launched an assault on the Spiritualist False God below, and the first giant hand, having swiftly recoiled, descended once more.
The three colossal hands alternated, slamming down punch after punch onto the Apotheosis Platform, granting the Spiritualist False God no time to breathe. In this situation, the Spiritualist False God could only continuously shift horizontally, laboriously and perilously dodging the Dharma Body's relentless attacks. He knew that if this continued, even if he wasn't killed by the Death God's Dharma Body's fists, he would be exhausted to death. The constant rapid evasions on the Apotheosis Platform were simply too draining; he could withstand it for a short time, but over a longer period, he would surely succumb. If he truly died of exhaustion on the Apotheosis Platform, he, a Spiritualist God, would forever become a laughingstock to the world—a fate he absolutely did not desire.
Therefore, he absolutely had to find a way to resist the Spiritualist Dharma Body!
Ordinary methods were clearly unfeasible; after all, he was facing a True God. Just like the Spiritual Art he had previously deployed, it hadn't bought him even a moment's time before being shattered by a single punch from the Death God's Dharma Body. Such tactics were not only ineffective but also depleted a considerable amount of his Communication Power. To truly withstand the Death God's Dharma Body's assault, he had to unleash a far more potent technique. Thus, he simply opted to follow the Death God's example and summoned his own Dharma Body.
A powerful surge of energy erupted from within the Spiritualist False God. This power also conveyed a strong sense of destruction, though the energy fluctuations he released were noticeably weaker compared to those of the Death God.
With a flicker of his will, the Spiritualist Dharma Body was summoned, rapidly coalescing above the Spiritualist False God, and proactively launched an attack against the Death God's Dharma Body.
The Spiritualist Dharma Body was far beyond what the bone fist conjured by his previous Spiritual Art could achieve. That bone fist had been utterly useless against the Death God's Dharma Body, shattered in an instant. However, the Spiritualist Dharma Body was not nearly as fragile as the bone fist. Not only did it successfully block the Death God's Dharma Body's attacks for the Spiritualist False God, but it also showed no immediate signs of breaking apart.
With his own Dharma Body now fending off the Death God's Dharma Body's assault, the Spiritualist False God finally had a moment to breathe. He didn't immediately advance to higher steps but instead remained rooted, gasping for air, large beads of sweat even trickling down his forehead.
If he hadn't been on the Apotheosis Platform, let alone short bursts of instant evasion, even prolonged periods of it would have caused him no strain. However, being on the Apotheosis Platform was different. Influenced by its power, it felt as though he carried a colossal mountain on his back. Under such circumstances, attempting instant evasions caused an unimaginable drain on his energy, which was precisely why he was now panting heavily, looking utterly exhausted.
Although the Spiritualist Dharma Body was indeed blocking the Death God's Dharma Body's attacks, it was clear to anyone that it was no match. On one hand, the power fluctuations released by the Spiritualist Dharma Body were inferior to those of the Death God's Dharma Body. On the other hand, when facing the Death God's Dharma Body, the Spiritualist Dharma Body was mostly relegated to passive defense, barely managing to withstand the onslaught, with precious few opportunities to counterattack.
From these two points, the Spiritualist Dharma Body's defeat was only a matter of time. If this continued, it wouldn't be long before the Death God's Dharma Body smashed it to smithereens.
The Spiritualist False God naturally understood this perfectly. He watched the fierce battle between the two Dharma Bodies above, wiped the sweat from his forehead, then promptly took out a Danya and swallowed it. Although his physical body hadn't sustained significant damage for the moment, his Communication Power had been severely depleted. Thus, he absolutely had to replenish it. Only by constantly maintaining a full reserve of Communication Power within him would he possess the ability to contend with the Death God's threat and continue ascending the Apotheosis Platform.
He had long anticipated that this path to godhood would be anything but easy, which was why he had prepared meticulously in advance. A large quantity of top-tier Danya, for both replenishing Communication Power and healing injuries, was among his comprehensive preparations.
After consuming the Danya, the Spiritualist False God's depleted Communication Power rapidly recovered. After standing and taking a few ragged breaths, his breathing gradually stabilized.
"If this continues, I won't be able to advance any further. And the Death God hasn't even used his full strength yet. It seems if I don't show some real ability, my path to godhood will find it very difficult to make significant progress!"
At this thought, the Spiritualist False God's brow furrowed, and a decision formed in his mind!
"Come out. The gap between a True God and a False God is too vast. Without your help, I fear I won't last long against him."
The Spiritualist False God's gaze fell upon the two battling Dharma Bodies in the sky. The corners of his mouth curved upward, revealing a wicked smile as he spoke.
Disregarding the meaning of his words, his speech sounded entirely like soliloquy, as there was no one beside him. However, when considering the implications of what he said, it became clear that he was most certainly not talking to himself.
As these words fell, arm-thick streams of Yin Qi suddenly surged forth from within the Spiritualist False God's body. These Yin Qi streams, like black serpents, drilled out from his form and immediately converged beside him, coalescing into a blood-red figure.
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