Saya's mind froze for a split second.
Killing Sarl and all the beasts. That way, we wouldn't have to betray humanity, nor would we have to die. The answer wasn't wrong. It seemed to make a certain kind of sense...
Wait, no!
In a thousandth of a second, Saya snapped back to reality. Countless question marks flooded his mind. Killing Sarl and all the beasts? Are you kidding me?!
This answer was like saying, "I don't want to die, so I'll just keep living—choosing eternal life."
Logically, it held no flaws. The issue was... Could you actually do it?
Saya nearly choked on laughter at Lu Sheng's impromptu "cold joke," but before he could react, with his next breath, he felt it. An indescribable, overwhelming pressure erupted from Lu Sheng, mere inches away.
Saya swore. He would never forget this sensation for the rest of his life.
That colossal, searing, frenzied, terrifying aura made every hair on Saya's body stand on end in an instant. Goosebumps erupted, and his spine convulsed violently.
It felt as though ten thousand starships, engines roaring at full throttle, had suddenly screeched past right before his eyes. Ten thousand stars exploded before his very eyes...
An indescribable terror that threatened to suffocate him. But it lasted only an instant.
Then the sensation vanished. Or rather, it receded into the distance. As if it had never existed at all, leaving Saya standing frozen in place, his expression dazed, doubting whether he was dreaming.
Then he snapped back to reality. He whipped around, gazing upward. His pupils contracted rapidly within a thousandth of a second, contracting. Contracting until they were pinpoint. Saya finally saw it. The breathtaking scene he would never forget.
It had been a long time since he last fought. Lu Sheng had almost forgotten the sensation of his last battle. Within his martial body, thirty-three thousand immortal cells breathed, stretched, expanded, burned, and swayed... Long-dormant battle intent sprouted from each immortal cell.
The battle intent born from thirty-three thousand immortals coalesced into a blazing sea of stars!
"Huuuuuuuu"
With a single step, Lu Sheng materialized before the closest of the dozen Level 12 martial artists attempting to surround and kill him and Saya. His abrupt appearance startled the man.
Though Lu Sheng's speed and the aura radiating from him caused momentary astonishment, that shock vanished almost instantly.
"At best, he's only Level 11.
A Level 11 is a Level 11. What could he possibly do?"
A cruel smile curled the corner of his mouth. His hands formed claws, each fingertip seemingly wrapped in swirling vortexes, radiating terrifying tearing and slicing power. This strike could easily shred ten 11th-ranks.
"Die!"
Lu Sheng stood motionless, his expression unchanged. If one looked closely, they would see that even now, facing this Level 12 martial artist, his eyes held nothing—absolutely nothing existed within them.
Empty gaze. Only when the twelfth-rank martial artist's claws closed to less than a millimeter from his eyes did he suddenly strike.
Time seemed to stretch infinitely in that instant. Everything around him froze. Within this absolute stillness, Lu Sheng raised his right hand and clenched his fist. Then, with a casual motion, he struck forward.
"Boom!"
The frozen time shattered, its flow returning to normal.
Everything seemed unchanged—except that the twelfth-rank martial artist who had stood before Lu Sheng vanished from the waist up. As if it had evaporated without reason.
A translucent, phantom-like figure drifted out from the mangled body, its face still bearing deep confusion and bewilderment.
Lu Sheng took a deep breath. The phantom figure instantly twisted and elongated, like a wisp of smoke being drawn into Lu Sheng's nostrils.
"Ugh..."
This scene left the several defectors following closely behind momentarily stunned. Lu Sheng's action had been too swift—so fast they hadn't even seen it. To their eyes, all that had just happened was the sudden disappearance of the upper torso of the Level 12 martial artist who had attempted to attack Lu Sheng.
They had no clue how he had fallen. Lu Sheng gave them no time to ponder. Thirty-three thousand immortal cells roared within his martial body. Once unleashed, the blood of a single man would be far from enough to appease them.
Lu Sheng took another step forward. As he stepped, his body.. every inch of his skin, every strand of hair, erupted with golden light as brilliant as stars.
Blindingly dazzling. He resembled a colossal, blazing golden fireball. Unabashed, he charged headlong into the encircling group.
"Die!"
The first defector, caught off guard, was instantly engulfed by the golden light. His hands flickered, and two battle blades instantly materialized in his grasp. Crossing them left and right, he swung them simultaneously at the golden mass.
But before his blades could strike, a searing, golden hand—as if cast from molten gold—suddenly emerged from the orb. It opened wide and slammed against his forehead.
"Boom!"
His massive skull exploded with a thunderous crack. The remaining torso swayed unsteadily, unable to collapse before. The golden hand already clawed downward, violently ripping the martial soul from within the body.
As the soul—its face contorted and drenched in terror—was forcibly dragged into the golden light, the nearby Level 12 defectors gasped in unison, their faces contorted with horror and dread.
Now they finally understood. They saw how the first two had died.
"How could this guy be Level 11?!"
"What kind of monster is this?!"
They stared at Lu Sheng as if they'd seen a ghost. But being Level 12 powerhouses, after a moment of shock, they made the optimal decision.
"Charge! All together! Slay him!"
A Level 12 defector gritted his teeth and roared. As he spoke, silver light surged from his body—the radiance of the Law Galaxy—as he unleashed his full power. The others exchanged glances and swiftly followed suit, charging forward together.
In that instant, all five Level 12 martial artists launched their assault upon Lu Sheng simultaneously. Each of them shimmered with the colors of the Law Galaxy.
Viewed from above, the scene resembled five silver fingers of a colossal hand abruptly contracting to seize the golden light sphere at its center.
Five shimmering silver figures slammed violently into the golden orb.
The combined might of five Level 12 powerhouses was terrifying, capable of crushing the golden orb as it was violently squeezed from the outside. As the golden orb visibly compressed and shrank, all five Level 12 martial artists showed slight expressions of relief.
But the next moment...
"Boom!"
Compressed to its absolute limit, the golden orb erupted. In an instant, the blinding golden light engulfed all five figures. The silver vanished.
The immense commotion drew the attention of many on the battlefield, who turned to look.
Then, they witnessed...