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"What the hell?"
On the rooftop, Zhou Chen couldnât help but cry out in astonishment when he saw the punch Yao Hu had just thrown.
He saw in it the technique of "Rock-Breaking Force" and a shadow of "Flame Burst."
âYao Hu shouldnât know Rock-Breaking Force... Hiss... Donât tell me he learned it just by watching me use it a few times?â
Zhou Chen was shaken. He relied on a cheat system to learn Martial Arts Skills, basically just copying them. But Yao Hu...
The man had clearly learned it after only a few glances, then adapted it to his own style. And when he unleashed it with a physique that far surpassed others of the same tier, its destructive power alone was four, or even five, times stronger than Zhou Chenâs own Rock-Breaking Force.
It was terrifying.
He had to admit, Yao Huâs mastery of techniques, application of Essence, and control over his Power were all far beyond anyone else from the Sword Forging Competition.
There were countless Ascenders in the world, and no shortage of people who could be called geniuses. But Yao Huâs talent could no longer be described with a word like "prodigy." "Monster" was more fitting. It was as if God himself was chasing after him, spoon-feeding him talent. Few could ever hope to compare.
Having just advanced to Tier Three, Yao Hu was already displaying a combat strength ten times greater than before. He was completely overwhelming the demonized Natas, each punch blasting a terrifying, gaping hole through the Demonâs body. He was like a Vajra Warrior equipped with an Annihilation Light Cannon Systemâimpossibly powerful.
But Zhou Chen narrowed his eyes, sensing something was wrong.
Father Natas, the man now calling himself Satan, wasnât just passively defending against Yao Huâs attacks. He was frequently striking back, probing and learning about his own abilities mid-fight. Sometimes, he would unleash Skills that even Yao Hu was unwilling to face head-on.
In reality, Natas was no King of Hell, Satan. He merely possessed a similar Power. To be more specific, he was a cheap imitation that happened to look the part. But the Power he wieldedâa Power derived from the seven Original Sins of humanityâwas not to be underestimated.
This kind of Power was extremely dangerous to any human. As long as one possessed reason, there was a chance their inner desires could be amplified, which was a fatal weakness in battle.
In the arena, the ground was a cratered wasteland.
Yao Hu pushed his power and speed to their absolute limits, intending to crush Natas with sheer brute force.
Suddenly, his Magnetic Gloves activated. The magnetic field spun, and a violent Thunder Magnetic Light condensed and focused into a single beam, like a high-pressure water jet. It sliced effortlessly across the Demonâs body, cutting it in two. The wound was as smooth as a mirror.
His Vajra-Transformed, scorching Iron Fist arrived a moment later. The rampaging Power surging through his muscles erupted with a deafening BOOM, and the Demonâs head was instantly obliterated by the devastating force.
However, the lower half of its body melted into a viscous black ooze that surged backward, putting distance between it and Yao Hu. Then, it boiled violently and reformed into a complete Demon body once more.
Its jet-black dragon wings flapped, kicking up a gale. Every gust of wind was like a sharp blade, carving dense slash marks into the ground.
Yao Hu didnât even try to dodge. His entire body underwent the Vajra Transformation, and he let the countless wind blades slice over him as he shot forward against the gale. He raised his fist and smashed it toward Natasâs head.
Natas retreated explosively to buy himself time to react. With a muffled THUD, his sharp, snake-scaled claws barely managed to block Yao Huâs fist. A violent shockwave erupted from the point of impact.
In the next second, the snake scales covering Natasâs arm exploded. The brutal power carried by the Fist Force traveled up his limb from the point of contact. With a BANG, his right arm blew apart, and the impact even sent several cracks spiderwebbing across his torso.
Suddenly, a sharp pain shot through Yao Huâs fist. He glanced down and saw that a chunk of flesh was missing from his scorching, Vajra-Transformed fist. Judging by the shape of the wound, something had bitten it off.
He frowned, stepped forward, and threw a straight punch.
Natasâs right arm was still regenerating, and it hastily raised its left arm to defend itself. But Yao Huâs punch was like a slippery fish, unpredictably changing its angle. It grazed past the palm and shot straight for its head.
A shockwave spread out as Natasâs head was once again annihilated. Yet, its body could still move on its own, evading Yao Huâs pursuit while simultaneously regenerating its shattered head and right arm.
And in that last instant, Yao Hu had seen it clearlyâa slit had opened in the palm of Natasâs hand, revealing a maw lined with sharp, serrated teeth.
âGluttony...â Yao Hu instantly identified the Original Sin that the maw represented, but he still didnât know the Skillâs effect.
Realizing it had been discovered, Natas let out a low, strange laugh. It raised its arm to block Yao Huâs incoming punch, then threw a punch of its own back at him.
Yao Hu was slightly surprised. He dodged the punch with incredible reflexes, then threw a hook, once again blasting the creatureâs head into dust.
Natasâs body scrambled to create distance, settling into a boxing stance.
The stance looked familiar to Yao Hu.
âI see. After the Maw of Gluttony consumes a piece of flesh, it can acquire some of the victimâs abilities from the fragments.â
Yao Hu recognized the boxing stance as identical to the one he had learned years ago, and from this, he deduced the Ability of the Maw of Gluttony.
He decisively pressed his attack.
Before the man he was today, that old boxing stance was laughably weak. It would have been better if Natas hadnât used it. The moment it did, Yao Huâs eyes saw nothing but openingsâan endless sea of fatal flaws.