Chapter 113: The Violet Flame Emerges from the Tower

"No!"

Feeling the life energy within him draining rapidly, Ke Bei grew terrified and began to cry out in panic. He never expected that his Nine Suns Divine Technique, which had always proven invincible, would fail him this time! Not only did it fail to stop that sliver of purple energy, but it actually made the energy even more terrifying.

"What do I do? What do I do?"

Ke Bei's thoughts raced frantically, various ideas flashing through his mind, only to be rejected one by one. He had never imagined that a God-King realm expert could be this formidable. He had assumed that with his current mastery of the Nine Suns Divine Technique, even if he couldn't defeat a God-King, he should at least be able to retreat unscathed.

But the moment they clashed, Ke Bei realized he was wrong!

The horror of a God-King realm expert was far beyond his imagination. That purple energy was something his internal force could never contend with. He even had the chilling illusion that even if his internal force were ten or a hundred times stronger, it still wouldn't be a match for that sliver of purple energy.

His internal force and that thread of purple energy seemed to exist on entirely different planes of existence.

The God-King, clad in purple armor, watched Ke Bei's withering body with a cold, sinister smile. As for the Nine Suns Divine Technique energy Ke Bei had blasted into the God-King's body, it was swallowed up instantly without a trace. A God-King's body was composed of pure energy; there was no Divine Core within. Ke Bei’s plan to kill a God-King the same way he killed high-level divine beings had clearly failed.

"Hmph, a Mortal-Shedding realm expert is only a Mortal-Shedding realm expert, after all. No matter how high your talent, you are destined to die when facing a War-God realm powerhouse!"

The God-King in purple armor wore an excited, eerie smile on its face. Being able to eradicate a future super-genius of humanity, to snuff out a future supreme War-God, gave it a profound sense of accomplishment. Filled with this subtle excitement, the God-King could not help but smile.

Meanwhile, Ke Bei was trapped in a life-or-death crisis. In just a moment, that sliver of purple energy had devoured fifty percent of his life force. Perhaps in another moment, he would be dead.

"No, I won't accept this! I refuse to accept this!"

Ke Bei roared in agony. Though his Dantian was filled with vast internal power, he dared not use it; his formidable strength was suddenly rendered completely useless. His face twisted, and he bit his lower lip until blood flowed into his mouth. Suddenly, a flash of inspiration struck the near-crazed Ke Bei!

"The Golden Pagoda! I still have the Golden Pagoda!"

Ke Bei grabbed onto this thought like a drowning man clutching at a straw. The tiny golden pagoda at the center of his brow became his only hope. When he had only mastered the first six levels of the Nine Suns Divine Technique, he had tried to force the pagoda’s gate open and had come tantalizingly close!

"Nether Purple Fire!"

As Ke Bei thought of the purple flame inside the Golden Pagoda—the legendary God-Slaying Flame—a spark of hope reignited in his desperate heart.

*Boom!*

Since he had no way to deal with the purple energy rampaging through his body, Ke Bei simply stopped trying. He ignored it and let the energy continue its frantic destruction. He concentrated all his focus on the tiny golden pagoda at his brow. The pool of golden liquid in his Dantian began to boil violently, and surges of immense internal power rushed toward his brow.

*Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!*

Under the control of his will, the Nine Suns internal force slammed repeatedly against the gate of the Golden Pagoda. As the force intensified, the gate began to tremble slightly.

The purple flame inside the pagoda seemed to sense Ke Bei's intent and grew jubilant.

"Alright, alright, I'll bring you out right now!"

Ke Bei's consciousness entwined with the purple flame. Feeling its excitement, he couldn't help but smile; the flame was like a mischievous child, yet it seemed to rely on him greatly.

*Click, clack...*

Under the relentless impact of the Nine Suns power, the gate of the Golden Pagoda slowly creaked open.

"Go!"

Ke Bei smiled, and with the purple flame, he rushed out from the Golden Pagoda!

"Purple Fire, everything depends on you now. You are the God-Slaying Flame! Please, don't let me down!"

As the flame surged out, Ke Bei's heart tightened. This was his final gamble. If even the purple flame couldn't stop the rampaging energy, he was a dead man today!

*Boom!*

The moment the Nether Purple Fire rushed out, it was like a dragon unleashed. It raced through Ke Bei's body. Before the pagoda had recognized him as its master, even a tiny sliver of this fire had nearly cost him his life. Now, as it flowed through him, Ke Bei felt no scorching heat, only a gentle, comfortable warmth, as if a current of heat were flowing through his veins.

Finally, the Nether Purple Fire and the purple energy met!

"Purple Fire, you must hold on!"

The moment they collided, Ke Bei’s heart clenched into a ball. He gripped his fists tightly; he could not help but be tense—the moment that would decide his life or death had arrived! If the fire couldn't drive out the energy, he would perish in the next instant.

*Pop.*

The two collided silently. A scene that left Ke Bei wide-eyed suddenly unfolded: the moment the Nether Purple Fire touched the purple energy, without even a second's hesitation, it burned that sliver of energy into nothingness!

"This purple fire is too tyrannical!"

Ke Bei’s eyes were wide with disbelief. He knew exactly how terrifying that purple energy was—his invincible Nine Suns internal force had been useless against it! Yet, that formidable energy was nothing before the Nether Purple Fire, incinerated into void before it could even resist.

*Boom!*

In an instant, the Nether Purple Fire flowed through every part of Ke Bei's body.

"Cough, cough..."

Under the astonished gaze of the God-King, Ke Bei’s withered body slowly stood up. His form looked bizarre; the upper half of his body, untouched by the purple energy, looked muscular and strong, but his lower half looked like a skeleton draped in human skin.

"That shouldn't be..."

The God-King in purple armor shook its head in confusion, its face filled with bewilderment. Ke Bei ignored the high-level divine being's confusion and slowly pulled a jade bottle from behind him, dripping a single deep-cyan droplet into his mouth.

The purple energy had consumed much of his life force, and the Cyan Spirit Liquid was meant to replenish it. As the drop touched his tongue, his withered lower body instantly began to swell, and within a single breath, his body was completely restored!

The God-King didn't care about these small actions. A little thing in the Mortal-Shedding realm could be crushed with a flip of its hand. It was simply curious about how Ke Bei had resisted its energy.

The gap between the Mortal-Shedding realm and the War-God realm was as vast as the difference between heaven and earth; they were not on the same level. This was the first time it had encountered a Mortal-Shedding expert capable of resisting God-King energy.

Logically, a Mortal-Shedding expert couldn't resist a War-God, not even a sliver of energy. But the human before it had truly done it. If it hadn't seen it with its own eyes, it wouldn't have believed it.

"Relying on the energy of the Mortal-Shedding realm itself, it's impossible to resist... unless..."

The God-King’s purple eyes flashed with a brilliant light.

"Unless this human possesses a Divine Artifact!"

At this thought, the strange man trembled, and a flame of greed surged within him.

"A Divine Artifact! The entire Divine Race only has one! If this human truly possesses one, and I could obtain it..."

Greed flared in the God-King's eyes. It stared intensely at Ke Bei. It couldn't be certain yet; after all, Divine Artifacts were incredibly rare. On Earth, there were only two—one held by the strongest human, and the other by the ancestor of the Divine Race.

"No, that's not right."

Although Ke Bei's performance suggested he might have one, the God-King found it hard to believe. If Ke Bei really had a Divine Artifact, the top human experts would never have allowed him to leave the base city. The God-King shook its head bitterly, and the greed in its eyes slowly faded.

"Perhaps it's just a freakish natural talent. Heh... an existence like a Divine Artifact, how could it be in the hands of a Mortal-Shedding brat? Even if humans possess one, it should be in the hands of the other two transcendents who have surpassed the War-God realm."

Ke Bei stood silently, unaware of the God-King's internal struggle. He was busy trying to control the Nether Purple Fire. While it had been easy to control inside the Golden Pagoda, now that it was out, it seemed lively and kept darting around his body.

"Let's try again!"

Even though the God-King doubted Ke Bei possessed an artifact, it felt a lingering anticipation.

*Boom! Boom!*

With a light clench of its hand, the entire purple light barrier fluctuated violently. Purple light points converged on the God-King's palm, forming a purple sphere that hovered above it.

This attack was a hundred times stronger than the first!

If the human had resisted the first attack due to sheer natural talent, he certainly wouldn't be able to resist this one, which was a hundred times more powerful, relying on talent alone. No matter how strong a Mortal-Shedding expert was, the God-King had absolute confidence that no one in that realm, not even the strongest in the world, could withstand this strike!

*Boom!*

A cold light flashed in the strange man's eyes. He glanced coldly at Ke Bei, who was slightly closing his eyes, and launched the purple sphere of light toward him.

(To be continued)