Just as the golden sword was about to strike, a guttural roar erupted from Huang Bai. Obsidian dragon scales tore through his skin, knitting into a suit of jagged armor that pulsed with necrotic light.
His eyes bled into a uniform, pupil-less crimson, glowing with demonic hunger. Even more jarringly, his charred scalp suddenly sprouted thick, coarse hair at an impossible speed—not black, but a deep, ominous violet that whipped around his head like a nest of snakes.
Black scales like those of a monster, red eyes like that of a demon, and violet hair that signaled a devilish transformation—all signs pointed to the fact that this bastard, somehow, had the ability to undergo some sort of demonic transformation.
If it was just his appearance that had changed, then it wouldn't have mattered. The problem was that his cultivation was also starting to rise; it slowly grew stronger, rising from the 8th level of the Nascent Profound Realm all the way to the 9th level of the Nascent Profound Realm.
BOOM!
A powerful burst of dark black lightning erupted from him, but this time, it wasn't just pure black; in between that light, there were some hints of purple.
Shit... what the fuck is going on? Is this guy some sort of demon?
Just as his confusion reached its peak, the person in question suddenly calmed down. His pure red eyes stared at Huang Shi with malice before, all of a sudden, he gave a smile—a horrifying, jagged smile that sent shivers down Huang Shi's spine.
"Fucking bastard, I didn't think you would actually force me to use my final trump card. Now that you know my secret, you definitely have to die now."
Huang Shi felt goosebumps on his skin as he stared at the human… no, the creature before him, his mind racing.
Okay, calm down... your fucking enemy just turned from a human into some sort of red-eyed, violet-haired demon... everything is okay, definitely okay... fuck...
Despite his internal turmoil, he didn't let it show on his face. His eyes remained cold and calculating as his golden flames started to burn on his body, the heat calming his nerves.
Fuck it... it doesn't matter if this thing is some sort of demon... what I have to do doesn't change... I just have to find a way to kill him.
Huang Shi's eyes turned back into pure murder as he observed his new enemy, trying to find weak spots that he could maybe exploit. After a few seconds, he found something.
His injuries are still there. His spiritual energy and vitality are still dangerously low. My crimson lightning is also stopping him from healing his injuries.
After realizing this, he stopped his overthinking mind and forced his body to move, overcoming the slight sense of fear he felt at the back of his mind.
Let's go.
WHOOSH!
Huang Shi blurred into a streak of gold and crimson, reappearing inches from the creature's face. He threw a punch backed by every ounce of his cultivation, but Huang Bai was no longer the man he once was.
"Did you really think that would work again, you fucking ant?!"
The demon's voice was like nails screeching across a blackboard. Before Huang Shi's fist could connect, Huang Bai's clawed hand caught his wrist in a crushing grip. The violet-tinged black lightning surged from the demon's palm, bypassing Huang Shi's defenses and searing his skin.
BOOM!
Huang Bai delivered a brutal headbutt that sent Huang Shi reeling, blood spraying from his nose. Before he could recover, the demon followed up with a kick to the gut that sent Huang Shi skipping across the dirt. Huang Shi gasped for air, but the demon was already upon him, moving with a speed that defied common sense.
They collided again, and this time, it was a desperate, bloody melee. Every time Huang Shi landed a blow, Huang Bai returned two. A clawed swipe tore through Huang Shi's shoulder, leaving deep gouges that smoked with dark energy, while a punch from the demon sent a shockwave through Huang Shi's ribs that made his vision go white.
CRASH!
A massive explosion erupted as their fists clashed again. This time, it was Huang Shi who was blown back, his feet carving deep furrows in the earth. He could feel his opponent's physical strength had skyrocketed; the impact had left his arm trembling and numb.
However, he noticed the demon's movements were jerky—his existing injuries were acting as a shackle, preventing him from utilizing the full extent of his improved cultivation base.
Seeing an opening as the demon winced from a flared wound, Huang Shi ducked low. Golden flames hissed from his fingertips, solidifying into jagged daggers of pure heat. With a guttural snarl, he drove them upward.
SLASH!
The golden daggers carved through the thick, dark scales, drawing a spray of viscous, dark blood. The flames rampaged within the demon's body, spreading through his meridians like molten lead.
"Wh-what the fuck is going on! What did you do to me? My spiritual energy is much weaker than it's supposed to be! Fuck!"
The demon screamed in agony, but in his madness, he lashed out with a backhand filled with purple lightning. The strike caught Huang Shi in the side of the head, sent him spinning through the air. Huang Shi crashed into a tree, the wood shattering behind him as he coughed up a thick glob of blood.
He struggled to stand, his legs shaking, while across the clearing, the demon roared, his body engulfed in the parasitic golden flames. Huang Bai's breakthrough to the 9th level began to flicker and become unstable as the flame and crimson lightning worked together to tear his foundation apart from the inside out.
Move... move... I can do this... my flames and lightning has clearly made him weak
Huang Shi stood up and stared at his enemy with pure murderous hatred, both of them panting heavily as their blood stained the ground beneath them while their spiritual energy caused the ground to turn black, staring each other down like two wounded beasts waiting for the other to drop.