Chapter 134: Intimidating the Entire Hall (3)

What kind of sinister, ghostly swordplay was this? Ian was a mage, and while he lacked the refined eye of a master combatant to appreciate the intricacies of swordsmanship, even as a layman, he could sense the sheer malevolence radiating from the opponent’s movements and techniques.

Truth be told, his eyes should not have been able to track the opponent’s speed, yet for some reason, that eerie, seductive posture exerted a powerful visual impact on him—dangerous, lethal, and yet so compelling that it made one crave to see more, even if it cost them their life.

Was this mental corruption? A cold sweat broke out as he regained his senses, feeling utterly bewildered. Even though the man’s profession was bizarre, Ian knew he hadn't yet crossed into the Silver tier. It was impossible for him to surpass Ian in mental power, yet he had still been ensnared! What kind of terrifying secret technique was this?

In the few seconds he had been distracted, half of the living corpses below had already been felled.

This man must die here! A fierce resolve flashed through Ian’s mind. He narrowed his eyes and curled his fingers slightly. Black-purple runic patterns surfaced on the gargoyle behind him. The gargoyle’s originally white, metallic-looking skin suddenly cracked, then began to slough off, revealing a black, muscular physique bulging with veins. Once the white outer shell was entirely shed, the creature surged to a size of five meters, its form now hideous and terrifying.

A piercing shriek echoed across the plaza. Fortunately, there were no ordinary people left, or this intense sonic boom would have shattered their eardrums, potentially proving fatal. Even Guo Lang and the living corpses, who had evolved to a certain degree, were momentarily stunned by the scream.

Boom! Despite its massive size, the gargoyle erupted with incredible speed as it charged at Guo Lang. Although the gargoyle was a utility-focused variant creature among the Silver tier, it was still a Silver-tier entity. Under the stimulation of special techniques, its burst speed was in no way inferior to Alice or Cang Mingyue, both of whom possessed royal bloodlines.

Yet, facing such an existence, Guo Lang remained unflappable. He sidestepped the pounce, his blade continuing its work as he pierced through another living corpse without the slightest hesitation.

The gargoyle possessed excellent agility, stopping its momentum almost instantly to strike at Guo Lang again. But every time, Guo Lang dodged with ease, not even letting it disrupt his efficiency in slaughtering the remaining living corpses.

Observing from mid-air, Ian was struck by a bizarre realization: while the two were not far apart in speed, the gargoyle simply could not touch Guo Lang. From his vantage point, he watched the gargoyle thrash about in vain, forced to look on as Guo Lang slaughtered the high-level living corpses like a butcher killing chickens. It couldn't even manage a single obstruction. How absurd!

A savage look crossed Ian’s face. With a sudden gesture, the gargoyle’s agate-green eyes became bloodshot, turning a deep crimson. The veins on its body grew more grotesque, and its speed increased by another gear.

Activating latent potential like this was akin to injecting adrenaline; the greater the effect, the more severe the damage to the body’s tissues. This gargoyle was his most expensive creation, and he had hoped to avoid such measures unless absolutely necessary.

"As a... mage, you are very... excellent, but... you do not understand!" Guo Lang dodged the gargoyle’s attack without pressure, and after finishing off the last few living corpses, he turned and spoke in a chilling, hollow voice. "For close-quarters combat, stats do not mean everything!" With that, he settled into a strange stance.

"Stats do not mean everything? Then what are you referring to? Technique? In your Central Asia region, wasn't it said that 'in all the world’s martial arts, only speed is invincible'?" Ian said, forcing his tone to remain calm.

"The person... who said... that!" Guo Lang enunciated with difficulty, "was not a sword... master, but a novelist!" As he spoke, his aura turned ghostly cold. Despite the late afternoon sun and the sweltering heat, Guo Lang’s presence seemed to warp the climate. Even Ian, hovering in mid-air, felt a chill—not just a psychological one, but a sensation that seemed to penetrate his very flesh.

Is he an elementalist? Ian frowned, but with his high mental focus, he could not detect a single trace of energy fluctuation. He sensed, however, that after assuming that stance, Guo Lang’s aura was being compressed!

"Kill him!" Although he didn't understand what "gathering momentum" meant, Ian knew he couldn't let Guo Lang continue, or the ensuing attack would be earth-shattering.

"Too late!" Guo Lang said coldly. His body transformed into a spectral shadow, and the military knife in his hand flashed with an eerie red light, as if coming to life.

Secret Technique: Evil Moon Tranquility Flow!

Boom! The tangible, demon-red sword energy sliced the gargoyle and the building behind it in two.

Ian, in mid-air, nearly bit his tongue off, but he did not show despair. The gargoyle’s regenerative capacity far surpassed that of any other mutated creature!

Sure enough, the gargoyle, split in half, suddenly fused its flesh back together. It wrapped its wings around itself, its body returning to its white state. Then, its skin began to harden, visibly turning to stone.

"In this state, its constitution is harder than diamond. You can try to see if your previous move can cut through it!" Ian called out coldly from above. "If not, it will entangle you endlessly until it fully recovers!"

"How ridiculous!" Guo Lang turned to look at Ian. "Why wouldn't I just take care of you first?"

Ian was startled and immediately controlled his body to ascend another several dozen meters!

"It seems you have no other tricks left..." Guo Lang’s speech became increasingly fluid; though still slightly slow, the initial struggle was gone. He looked up at Ian coldly. "Given the speed gap between us, what is the point of gaining this little distance?"

Ian’s pupils contracted sharply! Almost the next second, Guo Lang’s figure vanished from his field of vision, and a cold voice rang out behind him: "You see... whether it is twenty meters or fifty, when I get to you, you still cannot react, can you?"

A flash of despair crossed Ian’s eyes. Instinctively, he clenched his fingers, trying to rouse the gargoyle that was still recovering its body. He knew that at this distance, relying on it to save him was impossible, but it was his only hope.

"What a pathetic struggle!" Guo Lang gripped his head, forcing his eyes toward the gargoyle. Then, Ian saw that, at some point, the gargoyle had begun to bleed an inexplicable black liquid!

"Did you think I did nothing when I cut it open earlier?" Guo Lang said indifferently. As he spoke, the gargoyle visibly corroded and melted into a pool of black sludge.

"Your last straw is gone. What will you do now, Mr. Ian?"

"One day!" Despite reaching the point of despair, there was no fear on Ian’s face. He suddenly relaxed all his muscles and said with earnest sincerity, "One day, I will grip your head just like this, make you watch as everything you care about is slaughtered, and then I will torture you to death in ways you wouldn't dare to imagine!"

Guo Lang’s expression turned icy; he crushed the man’s skull instantly and let the limp body fall to the ground, smashing into a pulp. Yet, his expression remained cold. He could feel that there was no dissipation of energy in the vicinity. He knew exactly what that meant.

"A soul phylactery?" Guo Lang muttered. "To have created one so early, you really are a coward who fears death."