Chapter 1544: Battle of Apotheosis (Part 6)
Had this been the previous Apotheosis War, for the Demon Hunter Guild Master to dare directly confront the Spiritualist False God would have been nothing short of courting death. At that time, the Spiritualist False God's power was at its absolute peak, while the Demon Hunter Guild Master's strength was far from as formidable as it was now. The Demon Hunter Guild Master was certainly no match for the Spiritualist False God, much less dared to directly engage him.
The current situation was precisely the opposite. The Spiritualist False God's power had plummeted, leaving a vast gap compared to his peak. Conversely, the Demon Hunter Guild Master's strength had greatly increased over the years. A huge disparity in power still existed between the two, but the roles had been reversed; the stronger party was no longer the Spiritualist False God but the Demon Hunter Guild Master. Therefore, in a direct clash, the Spiritualist False God was no longer a match for the Demon Hunter Guild Master.
The reason the Spiritualist False God had been able to exert a certain influence on the Demon Hunter Guild Master just now was because the Demon Hunter Guild Master had been preoccupied with ascending the Apotheosis Platform. He was merely coping with the Spiritualist False God's attacks, meaning the Demon Hunter Guild Master hadn't gotten serious yet.
The situation was different now. The Demon Hunter Guild Master understood that the Faith Power empowering him was far from sufficient to support his ascent to the top. Thus, he left the Apotheosis Platform's power circle and no longer focused on reaching the summit. He also stopped merely fending off the Spiritualist False God's attacks as before, instead counterattacking with fury. This led to the Spiritualist False God steadily retreating. Not only did he fail to successfully block the Demon Hunter Guild Master from approaching Yang Haoran, but he was also severely wounded by the Demon Hunter Guild Master in a short amount of time.
The Demon Hunter Guild Master knew his hopes of ascending the Apotheosis Platform were dashed, so he shifted his attention to Yang Haoran. Since he couldn't ascend the Apotheosis Platform and obtain a God Position, he naturally didn't want Yang Haoran to succeed either. If Yang Haoran successfully obtained a God Position and became a True God, it would be a fatal blow to him and the entire Demon Hunter Guild. Therefore, after severely wounding the Spiritualist False God, he did not pursue him relentlessly but decisively made his move against Yang Haoran.
The Demon Hunter Guild Master acted this way because he knew what took precedence. Compared to the Spiritualist False God's life, preventing Yang Haoran from ascending the Apotheosis Platform and obtaining a God Position was far more important.
After being severely wounded, the Spiritualist False God did not continue his assault on the Demon Hunter Guild Master, for he knew that continuing would likely cost him his life. He certainly wouldn't risk his life for Yang Haoran, so he decisively abandoned his pursuit of the Demon Hunter Guild Master, consumed a pill, and sought a relatively quiet area to heal.
Even without the Spiritualist False God's interference, the Demon Hunter Guild Master's attacks still failed to harm Yang Haoran, because all of his assaults were blocked by Zhong Siyu.
Given Zhong Siyu's power, challenging True Gods like the Death God or Talisman Ancestor was clearly impossible. However, when it came to dealing with the Demon Hunter Guild Master, Zhong Siyu was brimming with confidence.
True Gods like the Death God and Talisman Ancestor didn't frighten Zhong Siyu; she even dared to challenge them. But she knew perfectly well that there was a significant gap between her power and that of a True God. The Demon Hunter Guild Master, however, was different. He wasn't a True God; his strength was a world apart from theirs, and she certainly didn't think she was outmatched by him.
As for whether she feared the Demon Hunter Guild Master, the answer was definitively no. If she, knowing full well she was not a True God's match, didn't fear a True God in the slightest, then how could she possibly fear the Demon Hunter Guild Master, who was not a True God?
The Demon Hunter Guild Master's attack was sudden and sharp, yet Zhong Siyu easily neutralized it. From her casual movements, it was evident that Zhong Siyu hadn't used her full power at all.
The Demon Hunter Guild Master's expression remained unchanged. Zhong Siyu hadn't used her full power, and neither had he. He certainly wouldn't give up just because one attack didn't yield the desired result. However, one thing was perfectly clear to him: unless he settled Zhong Siyu first, he wouldn't be able to stop Yang Haoran from continuing his ascent. Yang Haoran was getting closer and closer to the God Position at the very top of the Apotheosis Platform. If he didn't stop Yang Haoran soon, Yang Haoran would truly obtain the God Position.
To prevent the outcome he least desired from happening, he launched a fierce attack on Zhong Siyu. Without a single wasted word, the two clashed in battle, their momentum tremendous.
On the Apotheosis Platform, Yang Haoran paid no mind to the battle outside the platform's power circle. Even the fierce clash between Zhong Siyu and the Demon Hunter Guild Master didn't merit a glance from him. All his attention remained focused on ascending the Apotheosis Platform.
Through his unremitting effort, he now had only the last nine steps remaining to reach the summit of the Apotheosis Platform. However, these final nine steps felt like nine insurmountable mountains, making him feel an unprecedented pressure.
At this moment, Yang Haoran was drenched in sweat, veins bulging, his breathing ragged, and his eyes bloodshot. While others couldn't be certain if he could reach the summit of the Apotheosis Platform, he, being on the platform, knew deep down that given his current physical condition, he felt it would be incredibly difficult to overcome these nine steps.
From the moment Yang Haoran stepped onto the Apotheosis Platform until now, he hadn't consumed much of his internal power. This was because he had relied entirely on the Faith Power empowering him throughout his journey, barely expending any of his internal energy. Therefore, his internal power had hardly been depleted.
Now, he felt his physical body was nearing its limit. If he took another step, his flesh might very well shatter from the immense pressure released by the Apotheosis Platform. The most rational course of action at this point was to stop ascending and leave the Apotheosis Platform's power circle. Forcibly continuing to ascend would likely lead to his death on the Apotheosis Platform, just like the Spiritualist False God back then.
Back then, Yang Haoran hadn't quite understood the Spiritualist False God's actions. Yet now, he himself had become that Spiritualist False God, and he understood the Spiritualist False God's choice. After undergoing countless hardships and spending a vast amount of time and effort, he had finally stepped onto the Apotheosis Platform, with the God Position within reach. To give up at this moment was truly unwilling.
At this moment, Yang Haoran not only understood the Spiritualist False God of the past, but his choice was the same as the Spiritualist False God's back then: he still decided to continue ascending.
Yang Haoran also knew that this decision was unwise, but he had his reasons for it. Besides his intense unwillingness, other factors also existed.
Because if he gave up ascending the Apotheosis Platform today, all his previous efforts would be for naught. He was uncertain if he could survive this Apotheosis War. Even if he survived, the Death God definitely wouldn't let him off, and the Talisman Ancestor might not continue to help him.
Without the help of the Talisman Ancestor, the next Apotheosis Platform had yet to appear, and he might die at the hands of the Death God first. After all, the gap between him and a True God was like a massive chasm. If by chance he didn't die at the Death God's hands, when the Apotheosis Platform appeared, as long as he dared to appear and ascend the Apotheosis Platform, he would still become a living target for the Death God's attacks, and the outcome would still be death.
Though the Talisman Ancestor was willing to help him this time, he knew perfectly well that the Talisman Ancestor didn't take him seriously at all. Once this contention for the God Position failed, it was highly probable that the Talisman Ancestor would abandon him.
Furthermore, according to the forbidden technique pact he signed with the Spiritualist False God, when the Apotheosis Platform next appeared, he and the entire Great Night Empire would fully support the Spiritualist False God in obtaining the God Position. This meant he wouldn't even have the right to contend for the God Position, unless the Spiritualist False God failed to contend for the God Position. Once the Spiritualist False God successfully obtained the God Position, he would have to wait for the next appearance of the Apotheosis Platform.
Therefore, considering the many factors detrimental to him, coupled with the intense unwillingness in his heart, he wasn't going to give up. He would continue to ascend. If the Faith Power empowering him wasn't enough, then he'd find other ways.
With a decision made in his heart, Yang Haoran mobilized his internal power. Thick black smoke enveloped his body. His physical body was already struggling somewhat, so he decided to use his internal power to reinforce his physical body, making it more resilient. He just didn't know if this would help him clear these last nine steps!
Comments