Chapter 1637: Wits and guts (II)

The cultivators inside the Gu Sect watched with shock, awe, and sheer horror as Cain’s hand pierced the young boy, only for the boy’s body to suddenly explode into an overwhelming fiery blast.

The resulting explosion unleashed terrifying waves of fire and energy that instantly cracked the fabric of space, causing massive fissures to form in the sky and the earth beneath their feet to violently tremble.

Fortunately, the powerful forcefield protecting the sect held firm, shielding the cultivators from the apocalyptic destruction outside. Behind the safety of this formidable barrier, they could safely observe the breathtaking devastation that filled the heavens.

Yet the attack didn’t conclude with the initial explosion alone. To everyone’s astonishment, the flames did not dissipate. Instead, through an exceptional display of mastery over the Laws, the flames began to converge, collapsing inwardly upon themselves. All that tremendous power and fiery energy concentrated rapidly back to the epicenter—right where Cain stood.

“He must have replaced his real body with a decoy during the initial blast,” Cain murmured with genuine appreciation. He had to admit that the child-like Third Realm Master, Karter, was exceedingly cunning and decisive.

Not only had Karter replaced himself with a perfect clone, but he’d also embedded fragments of his soul and ego within it. The resulting imitation was so flawlessly executed that even Cain himself had momentarily fallen for the ruse.

Furthermore, the boy had masterfully performed his part, displaying fear, horror, and panic with astonishingly realistic emotion, giving the impression of desperation while, in reality, he was deliberately luring Cain deeper into his trap. It was so good that it even tricked The Flow!

“The sheer strength of this explosion isn’t bad either,” Cain noted as his eyes traveled down to inspect his right arm—the arm that had pierced through Karter’s false body.

The flames had charred the flesh severely, leaving burnt tissue, yet fortunately, Cain’s muscles and bones beneath remained intact, shielded by his formidable physique. “If he had used any element other than fire, I might have actually sustained considerable damage.”

Cain didn’t dwell on Karter’s clever tactics for long. Instead, he quickly refocused his attention on the ocean of intensely compressed flames surrounding him.

Thanks to his Indestructible Herculean Technique and natural affinity for fire, he managed to endure the scorching heat, but with each passing second, the intensity became harder and harder to bear. Escaping from this fiery prison would normally be a formidable task—unless he resorted to Liberación Total.

Yet Cain wasn’t in a rush to do that. After a momentary pause, a carefree smile crossed his face. His nebula-like eyes suddenly radiated brilliant golden light, as intense as a supernova. Then, with elegant composure, he calmly extended the index and middle fingers of his left hand forward, pointing into the ocean of flames.

Far away, observing the compressing inferno from a safe distance, Karter—the real Karter—wore a victorious smile. His face appeared pale and exhausted, and significant damage to both his life force and soul was evident.

Despite that, he felt no regret; this was one of his most powerful trump cards, a devastating move he had used to triumph against countless enemies before.

“Surely, that explosion must have injured him,” Karter whispered hopefully. “Maybe I even have a chance to escape…”

Yet, before that hopeful thought fully solidified in his mind, Karter’s eyes widened with absolute shock. Right in front of his disbelieving gaze, the enormous, compressed explosion abruptly froze midair, suspended impossibly still.

In the next instant, the massive sea of flames reversed its momentum, rapidly converging to a single, pinpoint location—Cain’s outstretched fingers.

Karter, along with every cultivator behind the Gu Sect’s protective field, watched speechlessly as that enormous inferno flowed directly into Cain’s body, effortlessly guided and neutralized through the sheer dominance of The Flow.

Cain skillfully channeled the inferno through his fingers, directing it towards his core. However, just as the flames reached his stomach, Cain’s expression changed abruptly. His eyes widened in surprise as he looked upward.

What he saw coming from above was an immense dragon plunging downward, dark and relentless, like a pillar of divine punishment.

Every scale and muscle of Lancer’s colossal draconic body radiated destructive force, magnified by the momentum and mass behind his charge.

Cain found himself genuinely impressed once more. Under normal circumstances, Cain could easily counter such a predictable assault. But now, with an ocean of volatile fire energy coursing through his abdomen, he was momentarily trapped—unable to dodge, counterattack, or effectively redirect the strike through The Flow.

Lancer’s dive wasn’t a reckless gamble—it was a meticulously prepared attack that demanded impeccable timing and extraordinary courage. While Cain had focused entirely on Karter, the Deus Behemoth had quietly charged this devastating move.

The instant he sensed something unusual occurring with the collapsing explosion, Lancer committed fully, diving down without hesitation, despite not fully comprehending what was happening. Had Lancer acted even a fraction of a second later, Cain would have completed the redirection process, instantly killing him. However, the dragon’s decisive bravery paid off big time.

“Brave,” Cain softly acknowledged, a note of genuine admiration escaping his lips just before the colossal dragon collided with him, smashing him downward with monstrous force.

“BOOOOOOOOOOOOOMMMMMM!”

A deafening explosion echoed across the battlefield as Lancer’s massive form slammed Cain violently into the ground. The earth shattered violently, massive cracks splitting the landmass open for hundreds of kilometers. Yet even that was merely the beginning.

A second, even more terrifying detonation instantly followed—the stored energy from Karter’s redirected flames exploded violently outwards from Cain’s body, creating a blazing inferno that engulfed the surroundings in searing fire.

The flames and debris surged wildly, racing outward until they reached the edges of the Gu Sect itself. Luckily, the protective barrier once again absorbed the damage, sparing the sect’s cultivators from harm.

Moments later, a dark, humanoid figure slowly emerged from the destruction. Lancer, who had reverted to his humanoid form, rose shakily from the devastated crater and quickly rejoined Karter. Bruises and cuts covered his muscular body, evidence of the immense toll his powerful attack had taken on him.

“Totally worth it,” Lancer murmured softly, grimacing slightly as he readjusted his dislocated shoulder back into place.

Neither he nor Karter dared to move as their eyes fixed intently on the epicenter of devastation. From within the swirling dust and flame, Cain’s figure slowly emerged.

Burns marred the entire right side of his body, evidence of the severe damage inflicted by the fierce explosions. Even worse, there was a gaping hole in Cain’s abdomen, clearly revealing where the fiery energy had violently erupted from within.