Boom!!!
The massive shockwave seemed to flip the entire lakeside, with dust and shockwaves shooting up into the sky!
A terrifying heatwave, carrying flames hotter than thousands of degrees, churned like a raging tsunami, devouring everything within hundreds of meters.
Amid the deafening roar, the destructive field of "King's Blazes" filled the entire area, with extreme heat destroying everything in its path!
When the smoke and dust finally settled, Chu Zihang lay on the ground, his scales shattered, looking as if he were dead, in a crater over ten meters wide and nearly fifteen meters deep.
The entire crater had been crystallized by the intense heat, with melted iron slag and lava everywhere, and at the center of the explosion, Pompeii was in equally bad shape.
Enduring such a large-scale explosion, even a 'demigod' body wouldn't have survived.
Moreover, the mythical creature form came with massive 'side effects'!
"AAAHHH!"
The intense pain in his soul made Pompeii unable to maintain the 'mythical creature form.'
Not only that, he could clearly feel his will being consumed by some invisible force!
Just at this critical moment, Chu Zihang's choice of Lu Mingfei had completely avoided the damage from the explosion, standing unharmed in front of him.
"Leave it to me now, Senior Brother."
Lu Mingfei stepped forward, standing before Pompeii, his eyes cold and determined: "Pompeii, you're finished!"
"No… no!"
Pompeii clutched his head, the sharp pain and his consciousness sinking deeper, making him feel incredibly weak.
"No, we must retreat!"
Given the current situation, fighting head-on with Nidhogg is like seeking death!
Pompeii immediately made a decision and without hesitation, turned around, controlling the winds and lightning, trying to escape into Nibelungen.
As long as he could get into Nibelungen, even the Black King Nidhogg would never catch him!
Pompeii thought to himself, the plan was perfect.
But... can Lu Mingfei really let him have his way?
The space rippled, but just as Pompeii was about to reach it, Lu Mingfei grabbed his arm, his eyes cold: "I knew you'd try to escape!"
"Senior brother, Xia Mi... After so many sacrifices, there's no way I'm letting you run away!"
Golden pupils blazed, and without hesitation, the young man threw a punch.
Boom!
The void seemed to turn into a lake, the air rippling like water, making a sound like crashing waves.
Pompeii felt the world go dark. He raised his arm to block, but in an instant, immense force hit him. His arm, along with his ribs, shattered, and he was punched so hard that his chest caved in.
Next, he was sent flying like a cannonball, trailing a sonic boom, crashing into the edge of a pit, raising a cloud of dust and debris.
Lu Mingfei stomped his foot onto the ground again, and with a thunderous explosion, his figure moved as fast as a startled swan, covering dozens of meters in an instant, pouncing on Pompeii like a fierce tiger.
"Wait!"
Before the word could leave his mouth, what awaited Pompeii was a storm of punches.
In that moment, the air cracked and exploded, the sky filled with overwhelming punches, and the fierce winds cleared the surrounding air, leaving only the sound of repeated heavy hits.
Even though Pompeii resisted the blows, he couldn't withstand Lu Mingfei's relentless hammering. In an instant, he was reduced to a bloody pulp.
Boom!
Dust rolled in all directions, and the enormous tremors caused the pit to collapse once again.
In the ruins, Pompeii's arms were broken, blood flowing freely, and his body lay collapsed in the mud. It was hard to tell how many punches he'd taken—his form barely resembled a human anymore.
Huff... Huff...
Lu Mingfei gasped for air, his bloodshot eyes fixed on Pompeii.
Even so, he could not shake his anger, desiring nothing more than to tear him apart, crushing his bones!
"That's enough, brother."
Lu Mingze spoke softly.
It wasn't out of pity for Pompeii, but because he didn't want to see his brother fall further into the path of slaughter.
"Zaratul, save me—!"
Pompeii, on the brink of death, shouted for help once more.
"Not a chance!"
Lu Mingfei's expression changed drastically. He'd fallen for this trick before—there was no way he'd be fooled again!
With that, he clenched his fist and struck toward Pompeii's head, his speed almost beyond comprehension.
But once again, the same outcome appeared before him.
An elderly man, draped in yellow robes, appeared out of nowhere and easily stopped his punch with just a finger.
Damn it!
A vein popped on Lu Mingfei's forehead. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't push forward even an inch.
Immediately, Zaratul grabbed Lu Mingfei's wrist and threw him harshly toward the other side of the pit, slamming him down.
After finishing that, he turned toward the half-dead Pompeii on the ground, his lips slightly pursed.
"Pompeii, you really disappoint me. I gave you such great power, yet you were still defeated by a few kids?"
"Save me, Zaratul!"
Pompeii, though deeply ashamed, knew his life came first and had no choice but to beg.
"You can't lose me. I'm the Holy Son; only I can hear the voice of the Lord!"
"Of course, you are the Holy Son. I should save you."
Zaratul stroked his beard and smiled lightly. "However, your repeated failures have deeply disappointed the 'Lord'."
"What do you mean?"
Pompeii was horrified, faintly sensing the strange tone in Zaratul's voice.
"Not much to it."
Zaratul took out a crystal bottle from his chest, inside which was a deep blue potion. He smiled and said, "You have to prove to the 'Master' that you still have value."
"What... is this?"
Pompeii had an idea, but he still didn't dare to speak it out loud.
"Sequence 3: Sea King!"
Zaratul smiled and said, "Drink this, and you'll advance to Sequence Three."
"No, I can't!" Pompeii forced down his inner desire, fear evident in his eyes as he said in horror, "I can feel it, my consciousness is being devoured by something. If I drink this, I'll completely disappear. I can't drink it!"
"Power always comes with risk, doesn't it?"
Zaratul tilted his head, gazing at Pompeii with a meaningful look, and said faintly, "Once you drank the first potion, there was no turning back. The only choices left for you are: drink it, or I'll pour it into your mouth myself."
"Zaratul, I'm the Holy Son!"
Pompeii finally realized that the old man before him was no savior. The power of the potion hid dangers he had never imagined!
"Alright, Holy Son~"
Zaratul crouched down and snapped his fingers: "Then let me help you take the 'potion' personally."
"No, no!"
Pompeii didn't want to open his mouth, but his body couldn't be controlled. His mouth involuntarily opened, his pupils constricting in shock and fear as he cried out, "What have you done to me?!"
"Nothing, just a little measure."
Zaratul smiled and shoved the entire crystal bottle into Pompeii's mouth.
With the Dragon race's digestive system, even a crystal bottle was nothing.
"Zaratul—!!!"
Pompeii's pupils expanded. He could clearly feel the potion merging with his body.
********
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