Chapter 126: Hao After His Transformation

"What a shocking reversal!" Xingmeng, who had been sitting on the arena floor, scrambled to her feet. She looked up at Hao, who was being bitten by the man-eating flower above, and wiped the cold sweat from her forehead. It was terrifying—had Hao really been devoured by the plant so easily? The sheer horror of it made her pat her chest and take a deep, shuddering breath before she turned to the audience and resumed her commentary: "Hao, who had already gained the upper hand, was suddenly defeated by the transformed contestant, Bai Ying! How incredible! The outcome was decided in a single instant!"

"Great!" Seeing that Bai Ying had taken care of Hao, Zhang Yang and Qin Xiaochuan cheered loudly. "You finished him off so quickly! You’re amazing, Bai Ying!"

"Since contestant Hao is no longer able to continue fighting," Xingmeng said, pointing toward Bai Ying, "I hereby declare that the winner of this match is Bai Ying of the Qin Xiaochuan team!"

"BOOM!!!"

Just as Xingmeng announced the results, an unexpected event occurred. The man-eating flower in mid-air exploded violently. The deafening blast caught Xingmeng off guard, and she jumped in fright on the arena floor.

"Who did you say couldn't fight?"

"My mistake, my mistake!" Seeing Hao descending from the air, completely unscathed, Xingmeng frantically waved her hands. *Good heavens, how is this guy still alive?* she thought. *Even that terrifying plant couldn't consume him—his body is incredibly durable.* Seeing Hao’s menacing glare, she gestured awkwardly and apologized, "I'm sorry, I was mistaken, haha." Without a second to lose, she hurriedly corrected her announcement to the audience: "The match continues! The match continues!"

"I really like you, Bai Ying," Hao said, ignoring Xingmeng and staring directly at his opponent with an evil grin. "I want to kill you even more now!"

"He took off his mask. This is bad." Sikong Lang’s expression shifted slightly. Even to him, the aura exuded by the unmasked Hao was chilling—it was the terrifying power belonging to a Dominator.

Having fought Hao before, he knew well that Hao wore the mask to suppress the uncontrollable, monstrous power within him. Now that the mask was gone, Hao was like a walking powder keg, completely beyond control. Turning to Mr. Yujing, who was sitting on a sofa smoking, Sikong Lang said with concern, "Mr. Yujing, you would be better off standing behind me."

"Aaaaaah!"

Hao opened his mouth wide, inhaling air into his body. The air made a shrill, screeching sound as it entered his system—the result of him drawing all the combustible materials from the surrounding air and compressing them within himself.

At this moment, Hao's body was enveloped in a visible, bright white aura, as if he were surrounded by white flames. His body underwent a qualitative transformation; much like Bai Ying’s transformation, Hao’s long, jet-black hair began to turn white as the demonic energy within him surged.

"!!"

"Oh my god, why has contestant Hao’s hair changed color?" Xingmeng, standing to the side, felt a surge of fear. "Even I can feel a massive amount of demonic energy rising from him. It’s terrifying! The energy around him is like a lit powder keg, ready to explode at any moment. It’s too dangerous here!" With that, she leaped to the edge of the arena and jumped off.

Clinging to the edge of the platform with her hands, Xingmeng peered at Hao with only her eyes visible. She felt a destructive, chilling aura emanating from him that made her whole body tremble. Even as a spirit with no combat ability, she could sense the devastation to come. Prioritizing her survival over the global broadcast, she knew that if she stayed on the stage, she might die without even knowing how.

"This guy is no simple matter," Feiyan noted, a bead of sweat forming on his brow as he watched the aura-clad Hao. To him, such a lethal opponent was just as dangerous as Bai Ying. "He’s concentrating explosive materials from the air into his body through his mouth. He’s like a lit fuse—he could blow up at any second!"

"And his hands are the detonators," Zhang Yang added, his face tense as he noticed sparks flying from Hao’s hands. He pulled Qin Xiaochuan and Little Yama aside, whispering, "We should get further away. If this guy explodes, we might get caught in the blast."

"Heh, heh, heh—die!"

No longer hiding his aura, Hao funneled all the compressed demonic energy into his hands. A bomb, crackling with destructive power, formed between his palms. The compressed energy shone with a brilliant white light, so intense that onlookers could barely keep their eyes open.

"He’s not holding back at all... step back further," Sikong Lang commanded, moving Mr. Yujing even further away. While he didn't fear Hao’s attack, Mr. Yujing, as a human, lacked the physical resilience of a warrior and would be in grave danger if caught in the blast.

Leaping into the air, Hao raised the bomb over his head and hurled it at Bai Ying with all his might.

"BOOM!!!!!"

The sound was ten times louder than the explosion that had taken out the untransformed Bai Ying. The moment the bomb struck, it detonated, blinding everyone with a flash of white light. The shockwave shook the ground as if a magnitude-nine earthquake had struck. Spectators were jolted from their seats, and the thunderous roar of the explosion echoed throughout the arena. Many in the crowd clutched their ears and rolled on the floor in agony, unable to withstand the secondary effects of the blast. Many demons were bleeding from their noses and ears, wailing in pain.

Those injured were the lucky ones. The spectators sitting directly behind Bai Ying met their end instantly, saying goodbye to the world in a heartbeat. They never imagined the bomb would have such terrifying range and power, leaving them no chance to escape. It was a senseless death; they had come to watch a match, only to lose their lives in a sudden, horrific explosion.

Hao had channeled every ounce of his power into that bomb. Like Feiyan had said, his body had become a massive powder keg, and he himself likely didn't know the full extent of the destruction that would follow. In his mind, there was only one thought: to erase Bai Ying from the world entirely.

Hao left no room for mercy, and he certainly didn't care about the spectators behind his target. The destructive force of the blast tore through the seating area, completely obliterating the spectators behind Bai Ying. A massive hole was blasted through the arena wall, revealing the landscape outside. The explosion had destroyed a tenth of the stadium, killing at least ten thousand people. It seemed that watching a live final was no longer a safe endeavor; one wrong move could cost you your life.

"Bai Ying!!?"

As the shockwaves settled, Zhang Yang shouted toward the arena. Something was wrong—the figure of the fox spirit had vanished from the stage, and in his place, Luffy’s body had reappeared.

"This is unbelievable! Contestant Bai Ying has returned to his original form! It seems the blast caught him, and he has sustained some minor injuries."

"He changed back just like that?" Qin Xiaochuan stared at the stage in surprise. "Did the medicine wear off that fast?"

"How could it?" Zhang Yang asked, unable to believe it. "It’s only been five or six minutes. That medicine should have lasted fifteen or sixteen minutes. Why would it fail so quickly?"

"Ugh..." Feeling the aftereffects of the blast, Bai Ying winced in pain. Clenching his teeth against the agony in his left arm and back, he was confused. *This shouldn't be happening,* he thought. *Even with an explosion like that, I shouldn't have been forced back into my original form. What is going on? Based on the previous doses, the transformation duration shouldn't be this short. Have I developed a tolerance? If so, that would be disastrous...*

"I apologize for interrupting your thoughts," Hao said, walking toward Bai Ying across the shattered remains of the arena floor with a sinister smile. "It’s time to pray. I’ll try to make your death as painless as possible."