’This Black Tuo phantom is strong, but not despair-inducingly so. I fought it in a hurry, completely unprepared, and still managed to last for about ten minutes... If I get more familiar with it...’
Su Chen rubbed the small sphere between his fingertips, his eyes glinting. The Fog Ashes was indeed interesting. For those with too many attachments and mental weaknesses, it would create an Illusion Realm using their family and friends.
For those with extraordinary Talent who looked down on everyone else, it would suppress them with a battle against a peer of the same Tier, or even just directly begin its corrosion.
In short, this thing first destroys the mind, then begins its corruption.
However, he had the Great Venerable to help him. Whenever a problem was about to occur, it would pull him right out.
"Great Venerable, since you’re so powerful, why not just purify this thing directly?" Su Chen muttered. He secretly glanced at his panel, but there was no reaction. He pursed his lips in disappointment.
Even now, Su Chen didn’t know if the professions recorded in his panel were just text simulations or if they had truly formed some kind of life.
The extent of their Power was also a mystery.
Currently, the only one with the ability to slightly influence reality was the Great Venerable.
’Actually, the panel is the really amazing thing...’ Su Chen thought for a long while before turning his gaze back to the Fog Ashes.
He tried again, wanting to ascertain the specific gap between himself and Black Tuo. After several attempts, he finally re-entered the combat environment.
Just like before, the cross-legged Black Tuo’s feet touched the ground.
Su Chen immediately tried to summon his weapon. He didn’t know what state he was in; it felt like the Nether Realm, but his physical body was definitely present. He could use the abilities of his body and professions, and could even bring his weapons inside.
He looked at the Formless True Edge in his hand and, for the sake of easier slashing, had it take the form of a ring-pommel broadsword.
This time, he didn’t lose the initiative. He directly entered the Professional Fusion state and enhanced it with Holy Hand.
This time, he used his physical body to activate the Crimson Dominator ability. His Spirit Core abruptly disintegrated, gradually merging into his flesh.
A dim red light shone from beneath his skin. In an instant, a flaming, electric radiance erupted from his body with a crackling sound. A heatwave billowed out, and the coiling, crimson-flamed lightning gradually spread to the Formless True Edge in his hand.
Moving like a thunderclap, Su Chen’s muscles tensed abruptly. His figure tore through the air, so fast that only an afterimage remained.
PFFT—
The blade, wreathed in the power of thunder, chopped down. Black Tuo’s form silently disintegrated, spreading out like ink dropped in water, but Su Chen did not let his guard down.
Sure enough, the scattered black mist twisted and gathered like a living thing, condensing into slender black snakes. Their scales were dark and gloomy, their hissing was piercing, and a foul stench assaulted his nose.
Su Chen’s expression tightened. A scorching ring of fire abruptly erupted from his body, and a heatwave rolled out. A portion of the snake swarm twisted and turned back into black mist within the blaze, but some still lunged forward to attack.
Su Chen unleashed a flurry of slashes, their sharp light radiating in all directions.
But then, the drifting black mist rapidly gathered again, coalescing into dense black ice pellets that rained down like a sudden storm. A bone-chilling cold instantly spread, freezing the air until it felt sluggish.
Thunder boomed and cracked. Su Chen retreated continuously, wild arcs of electricity dancing around his body. The Thunder Realm barrier suddenly expanded, its crimson light surging. It collided with the unremarkable ice pellets, creating a series of sharp, crackling pops.
In the blink of an eye, the scattered black mist roiled and rapidly converged, forming a burly giant. It had four hideous heads and eight knotted, muscular arms, each hand gripping some kind of weapon.
Su Chen’s eyelid twitched. Just like last time, Black Tuo had used at least four or five different abilities in the blink of an eye, the transitions between them silky smooth.
DANG! DANG! DANG!
Su Chen struggled to defend himself, but with his experience from last time, he managed to drag the fight out for fifteen minutes. Just as he was about to be swallowed by Black Tuo, the Illusion Realm before him suddenly shattered.
His vision suddenly cleared. Su Chen gasped for breath, and the black tide covering his body re-condensed into the Fog Ashes.
Although he hadn’t moved from his spot in the Nether Tower, the physical exertion was real.
’I can’t fight a battle of attrition. Even though I have Gourmet, this thing’s energy supply is probably damn near infinite. I’m the one at a disadvantage.’
Su Chen carefully took stock of the pros and cons. ’In other words, I’d have to rely on pure, overwhelming strength to beat it... or at best, we’d take each other down.’
Su Chen pondered, his eyes flickering. ’But... this Black Tuo doesn’t seem as strong as I imagined.’
He had been startled when they first clashed, but after carefully experiencing it again just now, it felt different.
He had his panel and an extremely high number of professions, giving him a huge advantage over normal people of the same Tier and similar age.
But against a Deceitful God like Black Tuo, which had existed for who knows how long, his small advantage was nothing.
But in the fight just now, the gap between them wasn’t as large as he had imagined.
’Don’t tell me... that thing is also Black Tuo in its Tier Five state?’
He couldn’t help but speculate, but then he dismissed the idea. ’Tier Five Netherworld Creatures are still like Xiao Hei. They’d get excited and beat their chests if you gave them a piece of candy.’
’In other words, this really is the Deceitful God Black Tuo, just suppressed to a Tier Five state.’
But even if its Tier was suppressed, the number of professions it held wouldn’t be. It was like if the Bronze Ancient King were suppressed to Tier Five; its powerful professions, accumulated over many years, would still exist. The gap shouldn’t be this small.
Could it be... Su Chen suddenly thought of the "faint" marking on the Fog Ashes.
’Because it’s "faint"? Is that why it’s not that powerful?’
He felt he was close to the truth. But this "faint" was probably only relative. He had no idea what level of Fog Ashes was the one wreathed in Flame Fire.
’I’m not in my strongest Tier Five state yet.’
He glanced at his panel. The development progress for his two professions was only around 40%.
However, by his estimation, he wouldn’t necessarily need to reach his 100% strongest state to defeat the "faint" level Black Tuo.