Chapter 125 – True Fiend Transformation

“Boom—”

As the earth trembled, many nearby Professional squads detected unusual movements.

“What’s happening?”

“Did something occur?”

“Are Phantom Demons coming?”

“But this commotion…”

People were both puzzled and astonished. Some even drove toward the source of the disturbance, causing unusual unrest in the B-2 Zone.

Some worried about potential accidents, while others were driven by curiosity to investigate.

Under these circumstances, multiple off-road vehicles successively headed toward the epicenter of the tremors.

Unbeknownst to them, an extraordinary battle was unfolding there.

“Cough, cough…”

At the edge of a thin transparent barrier, Xu Qianqian rose with difficulty while coughing.

She had been blown here.

Or rather, she had narrowly escaped disaster here.

Watching the sandstorm raging before her and the land crumbling as if struck by a terrifying natural disaster, even someone as composed as Xu Qianqian couldn’t help but feel horrified.

“Is this the power of an Upper-Rank Hunter?”

No, it wasn’t.

Xu Qianqian had encountered Upper-Rank Hunters before and wasn’t inexperienced—how could she not know their capabilities?

This power that destroyed everything like a natural disaster was beyond not just Four-Star Hunters, but even Five-Star or Six-Star Hunters.

Such destructive force no longer fell within the realm of Hunter abilities. Only the Advanced Spirit Arts mastered by renowned Upper-Rank Sorcerers could possess such might.

Advanced Spirit Arts were hailed as power capable of reshaping heaven and earth, something even upper-level Phantom Demons couldn’t ignore.

Yet such power had appeared in a battle between Hunters?

How could Xu Qianqian not be horrified?

“Him…”

Thinking of that cloaked, masked rescuer, Xu Qianqian was stunned.

Not only Xu Qianqian—even Xu Yanyan, who had been blown to the other side of the transparent barrier, stared incredulously at the scene before her.

“Sir!”

Xu Yanyan shouted, her face as pale as paper.

Clearly, she was terrified by this catastrophic power.

She never expected such a battle to occur during this ambush.

Nor did she anticipate that this mission, for which she was willing to risk her life, would ultimately attract such power.

Originally, with Gao Xu present, Xu Yanyan never doubted her success.

But now, that confidence had vanished, replaced only by panic.

She had to admit: they were in trouble.

That mysterious newcomer might even be someone Gao Xu—whom her own father held in high regard—couldn’t withstand.

“Why?”

“Why did such a mysterious powerhouse suddenly appear?”

“What’s his relationship with Xu Qianqian?”

Xu Yanyan bit her lip, struggling to calm herself.

Unfortunately, she couldn’t.

The situation had completely slipped from her control—even from Gao Xu’s control—becoming fraught with uncertainty.

And the battle continued.

“Whoosh!”In the center of the continuously collapsing ground, a figure was sent flying backward, scraping through the atmosphere, before finally coming to a halt after being forced back a considerable distance.

“Huff…”

Su Ming, holding the Firefang Saber, landed on the relatively intact ground that was finally visible, breathing slightly heavily.

On his right arm, an eerie glow flickered like burning flames, as if it had nothing to do with the devastation just caused.

Yet, without a doubt, this catastrophic destruction was the result of the power emanating from this right arm.

“Did I take him down?”

Su Ming lifted his gaze, looking ahead.

Ahead, dust and debris billowed wildly, making it impossible to see anything clearly with the naked eye. All that was visible was the still-crumbling ground and the incessantly falling rubble.

As for Gao Xu’s figure, it had completely vanished from sight.

Su Ming had lost track of Gao Xu.

He wasn’t sure if Gao Xu had been defeated or killed under the attack of the [Silver Arm] at five percent of its power.

He only saw that, at the moment the [Silver Arm]’s slash descended, an astonishing surge of demonic energy erupted from Gao Xu’s body.

At that time, the demonic energy was so intense that even Su Ming, who was right in front of it, felt a chill in his heart.

Su Ming’s eyes flickered as he stared intently ahead.

“Boom—!”

Not long after, amidst the continuously collapsing ground, a deafening explosion erupted without any warning.

It was the sound of rubble and debris being violently flung aside.

It was the explosive noise caused by a figure shooting up from the underground.

“So it really isn’t that simple?”

Su Ming’s heart tightened, and when he clearly saw the figure’s full appearance, he couldn’t help but let out a bitter laugh.

The reason was simple.

The figure that had shot up into the sky no longer retained a human form.

“I see.”

The voice was still cold, still indifferent, yet it seemed to emanate from the depths of hell—low and growling like a ferocious ghost.

“That right hand of yours has mutated, granting you such a unique power, hasn’t it?”

The one speaking these words was, naturally, Gao Xu.

However, the Gao Xu of this moment had undergone a drastic transformation.

His body had swollen to twice its original size, standing over three meters tall. His entire form was covered in crimson scales, his limbs had grown thick and beast-like with sharp claws, and he had completely transformed into a monster.

“Demonization… is it?”

Su Ming murmured to himself.

Gao Xu had undergone Demonization.

Or rather, Su Ming had forced him into Demonization.

“To force me into using Demonization, you truly are remarkable.”

The demonized Gao Xu, gripping the Qilin Blade, slowly landed in front of Su Ming.

From within his eye sockets, a pair of beast-like pupils fixed intently on Su Ming.

“To achieve this level as a lower-level Hunter not even at the Four-Star rank—you are the only one in the entire world.”

Gao Xu’s words were enough to shock anyone.

“Oh my, so I’ve been found out.”

Only Su Ming showed no surprise at all.

In the eyes of Xu Qianqian and Xu Yanyan, they would surely assume Su Ming was an upper-level Hunter like Gao Xu.

Otherwise, a lower-level Hunter would never be able to battle an upper-level Hunter to such an extent.

However, while Su Ming’s condition might deceive others, it couldn’t escape the notice of his opponent, Gao Xu.

“The power in your right hand is formidable, even terrifying, I might say. Combined with that alchemical weapon, it is indeed enough to pose a threat to me,” Gao Xu said indifferently. “But what’s strange is that, aside from that right hand, none of your other abilities stand out in the slightest.””Your physique falls short of an upper-rank Hunter.”

“Your reactions and movements are somewhat stiff in places.”

“Your five senses are completely unable to keep up with my movements.”

“Yet somehow, you always manage to perceive my actions, as if using some marvelous perception beyond the five senses to detect me, which is how you’ve been able to counter my attacks.”

Gao Xu had discerned all these things.

But that wasn’t the most important part.

The most crucial point was…

“Your combat skills are too immature. They might look decent on the surface, but they’re completely textbook moves copied verbatim. Your Blade Art is an utter mess—you don’t know how to wield a saber at all. You’re just forcibly driving the alchemical weapon’s power with that right hand of yours, relying on brute strength to fight me.”

Such performance was undoubtedly highly unqualified for an upper-rank Hunter who had experienced countless battles.

Combined with the anomalies Su Ming displayed during the fight, Gao Xu ultimately confirmed that Su Ming wasn’t an upper-rank Hunter like himself, but rather a lower-rank Hunter who had undergone Awakening, possessing Mutation Traits and special abilities.

“If not for the power of that right hand, and that strange perception that always lets you detect my movements, you would absolutely not be my match.”

Gao Xu spoke coldly.

“Longyao City has never seen a Hunter as peculiar as you before. So, who exactly are you?”

As these words fell, before Su Ming could respond, Gao Xu abruptly shifted his tone.

“Never mind. As you said earlier, since you’re dressed like this, you must be unwilling to reveal your identity.”

Even as he spoke, a terrifying Killing Intent overflowed from Gao Xu’s beast-like pupils.

“I’ll just have to shatter your mask with my own hands and see for myself who you really are.”

The moment his words ended, Gao Xu’s figure vanished.

“————!?”

Su Ming’s pupils contracted sharply, alarm bells ringing wildly in his heart as his spiritual senses transmitted frantic warnings. Without hesitation, he stomped the ground, retreating violently amid the erupting shockwaves.

“Boom!”

In that instant, a sonic boom erupted.

The Fiend wielding the Qilin Blade suddenly tore through the atmosphere, appearing as if from nowhere right in front of Su Ming.

“Boom——!”

A thunderous roar reverberated through the air.

The Fiend’s thick, hoof-like leg slammed heavily into Su Ming’s body, sending him flying backward.

“Whoosh!”

A sharp tearing sound pierced the air.

“Crash!”

The figure, friction-scorching the atmosphere as it flew back like a cannonball, smashed into the ground, pulverizing the earth once more.

“Cough…!”

Lying amidst the rubble and debris, Su Ming coughed up blood, feeling as if every bone in his body was broken, wracked with excruciating pain.

At that moment, Gao Xu in his Fiend Incarnation form once again appeared before Su Ming—who was buried in the rubble—with another sonic boom, raising his Qilin Blade and mercilessly bringing it down.

Icy blade light instantly sliced through the atmosphere, carrying a chilling gleam that prickled the skin, abruptly descending.

“Clang——!”

In the resounding clash of metal, the heavily descending Qilin Blade was blocked by the raised Fire Blade, simultaneously sending shockwaves rippling outward while scraping forth sparks.

“Ugh…!”

Maintaining his fallen posture while holding up Fire Fang, Su Ming felt an overwhelming force transmit through the blocked Qilin Blade, impacting his entire body.

The hastily executed parry made every part of Su Ming’s body scream in agony.Su Ming understood.

“Is this the true power of a high-ranking Hunter…!?”

After undergoing Demonization, Gao Xu’s power had increased exponentially, completely incomparable to what it was before.

Compared to Gao Xu’s Demonization, Yi Junchuan’s incomplete Demonization, forcibly triggered by the Fiend potion, was utter garbage.

This was true Demonization.

This was the true power of a high-ranking Hunter.

“Even if your power is somewhat special, allowing you to compete with a high-ranking Hunter in their normal state, this is where it ends.”

Gao Xu’s icy voice spread.

“Before the power of a Fiend, no matter how special, a lower-ranking existence will always remain lower-ranking.”

(End of Chapter)