Chapter 226 : Absolute Domination
Chapter 226: Absolute Domination! Jia Xu's Terrifying Methods!
Inside Netherblood City.
Lord Xie Ming had been closely monitoring the operation at Wan City.
Gan Ning's infiltration and surprise attack capabilities were exceptionally powerful, while the Acolyte Secret Guards possessed methods to conceal any leakage of their aura. The only explanation was that the human Lord had somehow predicted this operation—otherwise there was no way their plan could have been exposed!
Simply being on guard was not enough. If anyone else had been stationed in New Wan City, even with utmost vigilance, it would have been useless. Unless the Death Storm had already taken shape, no one could have sensed or foreseen it in advance.
Even if they located the formation and destroyed it immediately, New Wan City would still have suffered catastrophic losses.
However...
The one defending New Wan City was no ordinary person.
It was Jia Xu.
As an extraordinarily powerful warlock, Jia Xu possessed an astonishing variety of abilities and techniques. His formidable spiritual power and perception were already exceptional, and because he himself specialized in death-based arts, preventing and dealing with this crisis happened to be exactly within his area of expertise.
No matter which city near New Wan City Gan Ning chose to infiltrate and deploy the formation, Jia Xu could detect the disturbance in advance through the methods he had arranged throughout the region and accurately pinpoint its location.
Xie Ming had never imagined that, besides Zhang Zhongjing, Wen Ping, and Zhou Cang, this Human Territory still possessed another hidden top-tier powerhouse.
Moreover, this Jia Xu's strength was likely even greater than the others.
Did this Human Territory really have this many outstanding talents under its command?
Through the Acolyte Secret Guards,
Xie Ming immediately ordered Gan Ning and the other skeletons.
"Kill him immediately!"
This Wraith Jia Xu was merely a Commander-class unit.
By himself, he was insufficient to threaten Gan Ning.
However, once he appeared here,
the human Lord behind him would certainly become aware of the situation as well.
If the human Lord descended and joined forces with Wraith Jia Xu, Gan Ning might not be able to safeguard the formation.
The plan had not yet failed!
The formation had already been successfully activated.
All they had to do now was eliminate this powerful opponent as quickly as possible, hold off the human Lord for a short while afterward, and the summoned storm would destroy New Wan City.
With Gan Ning's abilities, escaping afterward would be effortless.
After receiving Xie Ming's order, Su Fei declared,
"I don't care who you are!
Don't even think about stopping us!"
Jia Xu chuckled.
"Breaking a formation like this is child's play for me.
But since there's still some time, and opportunities like this are rare,
I'll entertain you for a while."
He casually waved his hand.
Ten black talismans materialized.
The moment they landed, the ground rapidly liquefied and boiled.
Ten pitch-black, towering, ferocious Extreme Yin Skeletons emerged from beneath the earth.
Although Jia Xu's current strength was far below his peak, every one of the summoned Extreme Yin Skeleton Assassins possessed the strength of a super first-rate Tier-Three elite.
They instantly transformed into ten black shadows and charged toward the enemy.
"This guy is no ordinary opponent!"
Su Fei inwardly shuddered after blocking one of their attacks.
Even his casually summoned creatures possessed such overwhelming strength.
Just how terrifying was Jia Xu himself?
Judging from his calm and unhurried demeanor, he clearly wasn't bluffing.
At this moment, they absolutely couldn't waste time fighting these summons.
As long as the summoner remained alive, more would continue appearing endlessly.
Regardless of whether they could quickly kill Jia Xu, they had to at least keep him occupied to ensure the ritual proceeded smoothly.
"We'll handle these summons!
Xingba, go deal with him!"
"Understood!"
Gan Ning activated his Shadow Movement Technique, transforming his body into a shadow.
Almost simultaneously, he appeared behind Jia Xu, unleashing an invisible Shadow Slash.
"What an exquisite blade technique."
Naturally, Jia Xu sensed the incoming attack.
Gan Ning's attacks appeared and disappeared without warning.
He could attack while in shadow form.
His blade techniques were completely invisible and impossible to track.
This sort of high-mobility, high-burst assassin fighting style was practically the natural nemesis of warlocks.
Yet Jia Xu remained completely unmoved.
Just as the longsword wrapped in shadow energy was about to strike, countless runes suddenly appeared around him.
The runes formed the phantom of a gigantic coffin, which rapidly solidified into a dark crimson stone coffin, instantly enclosing Jia Xu inside.
The Shadow Slash, capable of ignoring ordinary armor and physical defenses, could not penetrate the stone coffin.
It merely left behind a tiny crack. Gan Ning paused in surprise.
"What is this?"
The crack he had carved into the stone coffin visibly healed before his eyes.
Not only did the coffin possess astonishing defensive power, it also seemed capable of repairing itself.
Clearly, it was an extraordinarily powerful defensive piece of equipment.
It was obvious that this mysterious treasure from beyond the world had now been completely refined and mastered by Jia Xu.
The special equipment possessed numerous functions.
Defense was merely one of them.
Jia Xu commented,
"Your blade technique may be elusive, but its offensive power seems somewhat lacking."
Gan Ning had never possessed a good temper.
How could he tolerate such ridicule?
In the next instant, countless invisible Shadow Slashes erupted from every direction, relentlessly assaulting Jia Xu.
Fast!
Far too fast!
Being fast alone would have been one thing.
The truly terrifying part was that every slash was completely invisible.
The stone coffin was struck again and again, its surface instantly becoming covered with blade marks.
Gan Ning's Shadow Slashes were not entirely ineffective.
Some of the blade energy even partially penetrated the stone coffin, inflicting damage upon Jia Xu inside.
Although far from fatal, they still posed a genuine threat.
"Remarkable indeed...
Such talent serving an alien race is truly a pity."
Jia Xu suddenly developed an interesting idea.
Of course, he wasn't going to remain on the defensive.
Several pitch-black rune chains condensed from the surrounding air.
Before long, they spread through the surrounding space like an enormous spider web.
A three-dimensional prison woven entirely from iron chains took shape.
This technique restricted Gan Ning's Shadow Movement, preventing him from weaving freely through the crisscrossing cage.
The moment his speed decreased, chains wrapped around his legs, dragging him out of his shadow form and forcing him back into physical form.
He could actually break my Shadow Movement...
Gan Ning immediately sensed the suppression exerted by the chains.
Meanwhile, the surrounding space became densely packed with countless rune chains.
Every chain carried a powerful sealing effect.
Like dozens of enormous pythons, they slithered through the air, rapidly closing in around him.
Once completely sealed, even someone as powerful as Gan Ning would be in serious trouble.
Naturally, he had no intention of waiting for death.
He instantly sheathed his sabers, drew his bow, and released six or seven Shadow Arrows in one breath.
The arrows followed bizarre trajectories, as though they possessed minds of their own, avoiding every rune chain before breaking through the encirclement from different directions.
At the exact moment the sealing formation was about to close,
Gan Ning vanished from where he stood.
An instant later, he appeared at the location of one of the Shadow Arrows.
"Oh?
He actually escaped."
Jia Xu immediately saw through Gan Ning's method.
Gan Ning used the Shadow Arrows as spatial coordinates, teleporting to the energy contained within them.
This allowed him to effortlessly evade any encirclement or attack.
In other words, as long as Gan Ning fired arrows, he could use the energy inside them as teleportation anchors.
Once enough arrows had been fired, it became virtually impossible to predict where he would next appear.
Jia Xu attempted to continue pursuing him with the sealing chains.
Gan Ning's figure continuously flashed from place to place.
As expected, his position could not be locked onto.
Moreover, every time he reappeared, he immediately fired even more arrows.
Countless Shadow Arrows gathered in midair, forming a torrential current of shadows.
"Interesting."
Jia Xu could clearly sense how terrifying the attack being prepared had become.
Once unleashed, even the stone coffin's current defensive capabilities would be unable to withstand it.
Although the stone coffin possessed the property of indestructibility and could not truly be destroyed, once shattered, it would be unable to serve as a defensive barrier for quite some time.
At that point, Jia Xu would have to confront Gan Ning head-on.
At present, Jia Xu possessed only the strength of a Level 25 Abyss Commander.
Many of his techniques and abilities could not yet be used.
Even those he could use had been greatly weakened.
Gan Ning, however, was still a Level 28 Abyss Overlord.
Facing him directly with his current strength offered little advantage.
As if that weren't enough, under Su Fei's leadership, the Buried Bones elites gradually destroyed every one of the previously summoned Extreme Yin Skeletons.
In other words, Jia Xu would soon have to face not only Gan Ning, but Su Fei and the others as well.
His situation would become even more precarious.
With his current strength, there seemed to be no possible way for him to hold them off.
Even worse, under the combined casting of the ten Acolyte Secret Guards, a massive sphere of death energy had already begun gathering at the center of the formation.
At this rate, it would fully mature within one or two minutes, transforming into an unstoppable Death Storm.
The situation had become unimaginably critical!
If they failed to stop it now, it would soon be too late!
Gan Ning declared,
"If this is all you're capable of, then the extinction of all life within a hundred li is already inevitable.
And you...
are destined never to leave this place alive!"
Despite finding himself in such a dire predicament, Jia Xu remained completely composed.
Rather than worrying about his own safety, he instead spoke with genuine curiosity.
"Your heart is filled with contradiction and confusion."
Gan Ning frowned.
"What do you mean?"
Jia Xu calmly continued,
"Although you're giving everything you've got to stop me, deep down, you don't truly want to defeat me.
In fact...
you don't even wish for this plan to succeed.
Am I right?"
"Ridiculous!"
Gan Ning dismissed the claim with utter contempt.
"I've heard that you were once a human yourself—
a renowned hero raised by this very world—
only to become what you are today because of fate's cruel tricks."
Jia Xu continued, "I suspect you've never truly accepted your current Lord.
Nor are you willing to spend eternity as an alien race's obedient hound.
Unfortunately, you lack both the strength and the courage to reclaim the dignity you've lost."
Gan Ning shouted furiously, "You're about to die, yet you still talk so much!
I'll silence you forever!"
By now, hundreds of Shadow Arrows had completed their charging process.
They transformed into an invisible yet violently destructive torrent of shadows, sweeping toward Jia Xu with overwhelming force.
Gan Ning's strongest ultimate attack slammed directly into the stone coffin.
Countless cracks instantly spread across its surface.
The fractures expanded with unstoppable speed.
"It's broken!"
Su Fei cried out in delight.
Having shattered the final Extreme Yin Skeleton, he immediately led the remaining eight Buried Bones elites forward.
The instant the stone coffin broke, they would join Gan Ning in unleashing a thunderous assault.
Jia Xu's abilities were indeed formidable, but they were insufficient against Gan Ning alone—
let alone all of them together.
The outcome had already been decided.
Meanwhile, the death energy summoned by the ten Acolyte Secret Guards had already condensed to nearly half its full strength.
As long as they eliminated Jia Xu, this troublesome obstacle, the operation would essentially be complete.
Boom!
With an earth-shattering explosion, everything unfolded exactly as expected.
The invisible rain of Shadow Arrows shattered the stone coffin.
Gan Ning, Su Fei, and the other Buried Bones warriors prepared to launch a joint attack the instant Jia Xu emerged from the broken coffin.
Yet what happened next was beyond anything they had anticipated.
When the coffin shattered...
Jia Xu wasn't inside.
Only a substitute skeleton remained.
The Buried Bones warriors had charged forward, only to find themselves attacking empty air.
Gan Ning frowned.
"What happened?"
The soul flames inside Su Fei's eyes trembled violently.
"This is bad!
We've been tricked!"
When they turned around, they discovered that Jia Xu had somehow circled behind the grand formation long ago.
He stood there smiling leisurely, watching the undead who had been completely toyed with.
"Strength alone isn't enough.
Without brains,
it gets you nowhere."
Jia Xu slowly raised one hand.
Nearly invisible threads extended from his fingertips, connecting themselves to each of the ten Acolyte Secret Guards.
Extreme Yin Puppet Manipulation Secret Art!
This was Grandmaster of Extreme Yin Jia Xu's signature ability.
Had Jia Xu still possessed his peak strength, this technique could effortlessly seize control of Abyss Commanders of the same level, turning them into marionettes manipulated at his whim.
He could control not only their thoughts, but even their physical bodies.
Anyone reduced to one of Jia Xu's puppets would have every one of their abilities completely controlled by him.
The technique was horrifying beyond measure.
At present, however, Jia Xu possessed only one-tenth to one-fifth of his former strength.
Controlling Commander-class opponents remained impossible.
But the ten Acolyte Secret Guards were merely elite units, still half a step away from Commander rank.
Given sufficient preparation time, they could still be successfully controlled.
When Gan Ning, Su Fei, and the others had all been drawn away, the rear had naturally been left undefended.
Jia Xu had already secretly moved behind the formation, using his unique secret technique to seize control of all ten Acolyte Secret Guards.
From this moment onward, the servants most valued by the Lord had become nothing more than puppets dancing on Jia Xu's strings.
"Let me show you something entertaining."
With one hand, Jia Xu manipulated the Acolyte Secret Guards, forcing them to stabilize the death energy within the formation.
With his other hand, he condensed a black talisman, then launched it directly into the massive sphere of death energy.
"Stop!"
Su Fei roared in uncontrollable fury.
Even Gan Ning was too late to stop him.
Under Jia Xu's manipulation, the death energy twisted violently, ultimately forming an enormous vortex that swallowed all ten Acolyte Secret Guards.
Just before one of them disappeared into the darkness, he spoke.
"By the Lord's command—
retrieve the sacrifice...
retreat immediately."
It was over.
The operation had failed completely.
Gan Ning and Su Fei attempted to recover the Eternal Darkness Relic.
However, before either of them could approach the treasure box containing it, the dark vortex underwent another dramatic transformation.
A gigantic upper-body skeleton, standing nearly eighty meters tall, appeared before them.
Though not a physical body, it consisted entirely of unbelievably concentrated death energy.
Its terrifying aura far exceeded ordinary imagination.
【Extreme Yin Colossus】
Level 30 Boss Unit...
Description: One of the strongest secret arts of the Extreme Yin Sect. Once successfully summoned, the Extreme Yin Colossus possesses terrifying power capable of contending against an entire army.
Jia Xu possessed only the strength of a Level 25 Commander.
Yet he had summoned a Level 30 Boss-class monster!
Even Gan Ning, standing before the mountain-like skeletal giant, felt an overwhelming pressure unlike anything he had ever experienced.
This was no ordinary Boss.
Even among Boss-class beings of the same level, its strength ranked at least second- or third-rate.
Jia Xu controlled the summon with nothing but his thoughts.
The colossal skeleton, whose strength exceeded Jia Xu's own by more than tenfold, raised its enormous hand and casually slapped toward the Buried Bones warriors as though swatting flies.
"Dodge!"
Gan Ning and Su Fei hurriedly evaded.
The other eight Buried Bones elites were nowhere near as fortunate.
Despite its massive appearance, the Extreme Yin Colossus attacked with astonishing speed.
Its enormous palm instantly crushed all eight Buried Bones warriors into ashes.
Gan Ning immediately fired an arrow at the colossus.
The attack was effortlessly deflected by the powerful energy surrounding its body.
Only then did Gan Ning realize he stood absolutely no chance against it.
Rather than confronting the summon,it would be better to eliminate the summoner.
With that thought, Gan Ning activated his Shadow Movement Technique.
Using his speed, he bypassed the colossus and appeared directly before Jia Xu.
"Hm?
Trying to kill me again?
A clever choice.
But you've still underestimated your opponent.
After all...
I'm a rather terrifying individual."
Jia Xu rapidly formed a hand seal.
The upper-body colossus suddenly disappeared.
An instant later, it enveloped Jia Xu, who appeared within the giant's ribcage.
Gan Ning's Shadow Slash struck the colossus, yet achieved absolutely nothing.
Jia Xu casually waved his hand.
The Extreme Yin Colossus mirrored the motion.
Its gigantic palm instantly slammed into Gan Ning, sending him flying over a hundred meters, smashing through more than a dozen giant trees.
Terrifying.
Absolutely terrifying.
Su Fei felt nothing but despair before such overwhelming power.
He simply couldn't understand how a mere Level 25 Abyss Commander could wield such incredible strength.
Even if Lord Xie Ming himself descended, he would probably have to expend considerable effort to defeat this monster.
"Xingba!"
Ignoring everything else, Su Fei hurried toward where Gan Ning had crashed.
Gan Ning lay at the bottom of a massive crater.
Most of his armor had shattered.
Even his bones were covered in cracks.
His twin sabers had been flung over ten meters away.
Clearly, his injuries were severe.
Even someone as powerful as Gan Ning could not withstand many attacks from the colossus.
Jia Xu advanced while controlling the giant.
A spear of black flames formed in its right hand.
An even more terrifying attack was about to descend.
It's over!
Both Su Fei and Gan Ning fell into despair.
Gan Ning had not yet recovered from the previous blow.
Su Fei possessed no ability whatsoever to resist the colossus.
If he chose to dodge now,
Gan Ning would undoubtedly die.
"Xingba!
Forget about me!
Run!"
Instead of retreating, Su Fei charged forward, raising his saber and striking toward the giant.
"No!"
The soul flames inside Gan Ning's eyes burned violently.
He immediately realized Su Fei intended to exchange his own life for Gan Ning's chance to escape.
"Heh.
A moth flying into the flames.
Your courage is commendable."
Jia Xu controlled the colossus, driving the black flame spear forward.
The instant it collided with Su Fei's saber, the terrifying force crushed the ground beneath them.
Su Fei's armor exploded into countless fragments.
The soul flame inside him flickered weakly, like the last flame of a dying candle.
If any players had been present, they would have witnessed it clearly.
This Commander-class Boss, far stronger than Zhang Hu, had his life force rapidly evaporated beneath that single strike.
Cracks spread continuously across Su Fei's skull.
Seeing Gan Ning attempting to rush toward him, he used the last of his mental strength to shout, "Run!"
Gan Ning understood.
His closest friend could no longer be saved.
If he charged forward now, the only outcome would be dying alongside him.
Gan Ning did not fear death.
Sometimes, he even longed for it.
But if he acted now, Su Fei's sacrifice would become completely meaningless.
Jia Xu raised the colossus's other hand.
A second black flame spear condensed.
He immediately hurled it toward Gan Ning.
Gan Ning violently clashed his twin Shadow Blades together.
The next instant, shadow energy engulfed his body.
Just before the black flame spear could obliterate him, Gan Ning activated a long-range Shadow Leap, vanishing from sight.
"He escaped."
Jia Xu's attack missed.
Yet rather than showing anger, he actually seemed pleased.
His gaze shifted toward Su Fei.
The Buried Bones warrior was already on the verge of death.
Jia Xu needed only the slightest exertion of force to crush him into dust.
Yet...
he did not kill him.
Instead, at the final moment, he withdrew his strength.
What?
This terrifying Wraith Warlock had actually shown mercy.
Before Su Fei could understand what was happening, Jia Xu summoned the Abyssal Stone Coffin once more, sealing Su Fei inside it.
"It's over."
Jia Xu dismissed the colossus.
A wave of weakness immediately washed over him.
Although he had borrowed external power, controlling such an overwhelmingly powerful colossus had pushed his current strength to its absolute limit.
Maintaining it for even thirty seconds had already been impossible.
In the end, Gan Ning's group had simply been too foolish.
Otherwise, they might not have lacked a chance to turn the situation around.
Jia Xu shook his head.
In his opinion, truly intelligent people were rarer than phoenix feathers and qilin horns.
Most people simply lacked enough brains.
At that moment, Zhang San, Li Si, and the other Azure Dragon Guards arrived at the scene.
These Azure Dragon Guards had been stationed near Jia Xu by Hang Yu.
In fact, they had already been waiting nearby and could have entered the battlefield at any moment.
Which meant, even if Jia Xu had failed, their intervention would have been enough to resolve the situation.
Jia Xu had deliberately chosen not to rely on the Azure Dragon Guards.
Instead, he defeated Gan Ning's group entirely through his own abilities.
His only purpose was to demonstrate his worth and capabilities before his Lord.
After returning to New Wan City carrying the Eternal Darkness Relic and the stone coffin,
a tall, handsome young figure appeared before him.
"This humble servant greets my Lord!"
Jia Xu respectfully bowed.
The person standing before him was none other than the sole ruler of this territory—
the Lord whom he now, and in the future, would faithfully serve.
Hang Yu nodded in satisfaction.
"Very good.
As expected of the Grandmaster of Extreme Yin.
Even in your current condition, you're far beyond the reach of ordinary opponents."
Hang Yu had watched the entire battle from beginning to end.
Jia Xu's intelligence, methods, and abilities had been displayed to perfection throughout the fight.
In terms of raw strength, he still couldn't defeat Gan Ning in a direct duel.
Yet he had won the battle with almost overwhelming dominance.
Was this the capability of a truly top-tier talent?
Successfully recruiting Jia Xu had truly been an enormous gain!
Hang Yu was already eager to completely resurrect him.
Once that happened, the territory would not only gain another supreme combat powerhouse, he also wanted to see what kind of Fate Skill someone like Jia Xu would awaken.
Jia Xu respectfully replied, "When the Lord is humiliated, the servant deserves death.
I would never allow my Lord to suffer disgrace."
Hang Yu suddenly asked, "Why did you let Gan Ning escape?"
He had already informed Jia Xu in advance about Gan Ning's abilities.
Therefore, Jia Xu knew perfectly well that Gan Ning possessed long-range Shadow Leap.
Given the circumstances, he had an opportunity to predict Gan Ning's escape and kill him.
Although success wasn't guaranteed, judging by Jia Xu's performance, he had clearly held back.
Jia Xu immediately explained, "I would never dare deceive my Lord.
I merely felt that allowing someone with Gan Ning's abilities to remain forever unable to serve the territory unable to serve you would be far too regrettable."
Hang Yu replied, "After receiving the Lich's mark, Gan Ning became permanently bound to the Lich Territory.
He has virtually no means, nor any ability, to betray his current Lord.
Under present conditions, the territory cannot recruit him."
Jia Xu nodded.
"I am fully aware of that.
However, I have another method.
It may allow us to obtain his power.
That is why I acted on my own initiative.
I ask my Lord to punish me."
Really?
After hearing Jia Xu's detailed plan,
Hang Yu couldn't help sighing.
This old schemer truly lived up to his reputation.
Crafty, vicious, and utterly ruthless.
There wasn't a shameless trick he wouldn't use.
Still, if it benefited the territory, it wasn't necessarily a bad thing.
Gan Ning's methods and abilities were certainly troublesome.
However, they still weren't enough to pose a truly significant threat to either the territory or Hang Yu himself.
Hang Yu chose not to reprimand Jia Xu over the matter.
After all, he had come here for something else.
"Where is the Lich Territory's sacrificial offering?"
Jia Xu immediately presented the treasure box.
When Hang Yu examined the Eternal Darkness Relic inside, his eyes immediately lit up.
As expected—
it was a Divine Source Material.
Although some energy had been consumed while activating the formation, the Divine Source Material itself had not been depleted.
As for restoring the lost energy, that wasn't particularly difficult.
This item would be of tremendous value to both Hang Yu and the territory.
The Extreme Abyss Blood Lotus.
The Eternal Darkness Relic.
That now made two Divine Source Materials.
If they could obtain one more material of the same grade before capturing Old Wan City,
Zhang Zhongjing's plan would have a considerable chance of success.
Of course, although they now lacked only one final material, it was still far too early to celebrate.
Items like these were true treasures that could only be found through extraordinary luck.
If fortune favored them, they might stumble upon another one just as unexpectedly as these two.
If fortune did not, then failing to find one even after ten or twenty years would be perfectly normal.
"You've done exceptionally well this time."
Hang Yu said to Jia Xu, "I've already found the item needed to reconstruct your physical body.
Once you've finished your work in New Wan City, I'll personally conduct your resurrection ritual."
"Thank you, my Lord!"
Jia Xu was naturally overjoyed.
He immediately bowed in gratitude.
The remaining work here would take at most two more days.
In other words, two days from now, he would finally return to the main city and regain his physical body.