Chapter 401 – Either Return It to Me, or Shut Up

At this moment, Su Ming’s condition was indeed not very good, just as Old Ling had surmised.

“Hah!”

Under the night sky, Su Ming pushed his speed to the limit, darting toward Old Qin like a bolt of lightning. The Fire Fang Long Blade gripped tightly in his right hand sliced through the air, carrying scorching heat as it swung down.

For this strike, Su Ming not only employed techniques from the fastest Blade Art within the Ancient Blade Art Legacy but also unleashed the tenfold strength in his right hand without reservation, causing a sonic boom to accompany the slash of the Fire Fang Long Blade.

Such a powerful and swift strike would be impossible to withstand even for Crow, who ranked third among the Ten Demons, possessed Six-Star Peak-level strength, and had mutated superhuman perception.

Facing such an attack, a Sorcerer with a sluggish body and physical condition akin to an ordinary person should, in theory, be unable to block it.

Yet, when this slash passed through Old Qin’s body, it brought no success, merely causing his form to scatter like starlight, utterly failing to make contact.

Old Qin didn’t even flinch, calmly and effortlessly deflecting Su Ming’s stunning strike. Then, as Su Ming’s momentum carried him forward with no chance to recover, Old Qin extended a hand, causing circular arrays to float into existence.

The next second, a blast of scorching flames erupted, slamming into Su Ming’s body.

“Boom!”

In the grand explosion, waves of fire bloomed under the night sky like fireworks.

Su Ming was sent flying, his body smoking from the burns, engulfed in the raging inferno.

“Tch!”

Feeling the searing pain coursing through his body, Su Ming clicked his tongue but didn’t attempt to stabilize himself. Instead, he too extended a hand, summoning floating circular arrays.

Clearly, since his Blade Art had failed, Su Ming could only rely on the same Spirit Art to counter his opponent.

However…

“Your preparatory movements are too obvious, young friend.”

With a streak of starlight flashing by, Old Qin’s figure appeared beside Su Ming.

“……!?”

Su Ming’s pupils contracted sharply as he spun around, slashing at Old Qin with his blade.

Old Qin once again calmly deflected Su Ming’s strike, allowing the Fire Fang to pass through his body.

Under the effect of Dawn Star Orbit, Old Qin’s physical structure seemed to have transformed entirely into a condensed form of light, lacking substance or flesh.

Thus, Su Ming’s slash felt as though it had passed through an illusion woven from starlight, with only shimmering light dispersing where the blade had cut.

Neither blood nor wounds appeared on Old Qin’s body at this moment.

In contrast, Old Qin’s attacks landed precisely on Su Ming every time, blasting him away.

“Boom!”

Another wave of flames erupted, and Su Ming was sent flying once more.

His body, wreathed in smoke and burns, seemed on the verge of collapse as he plummeted from mid-air, cutting through the wind like a fallen meteor, all its former brilliance extinguished.

“Give up, young friend.”

At that moment, starlight streaked toward Su Ming at an astonishing speed, materializing into Old Qin’s form as he descended alongside him.The difference was that Su Ming had been struck down, while Old Qin allowed his body to fall freely, appearing both untethered and transcendent.

“At your current level, you’re still slightly inadequate to reach my rank.”

Old Qin’s voice reached Su Ming’s ears.

“Of course, with your talent and potential, it won’t be long before you reach my tier, perhaps even surpass me to become a true supreme powerhouse, a genuine Guardian Deity.”

“I bear no hostility toward you, nor do I wish to conflict with you.”

“Stop this. At least for now, you’re no match for me. Cease these pointless acts of opposition.”

Old Qin continued to counsel him patiently.

In response, Su Ming remained silent, merely opening his eyes with cold composure.

His icy pupils had, at some unknown moment, transformed into demon-like eyes—crimson and eerie.

“Boom!”

Astounding demonic energy erupted from Su Ming’s entire body, enveloping him as if blazing with profound azure flames, causing cracks shimmering with a ghostly blue light to appear all over his form.

Subsequently, Su Ming’s body underwent a transformation.

Bat-like wings unfurled behind him, stirring gusts of wind.

His skin turned dark and shadowy, making his figure appear considerably more menacing.

His hair turned white.

His nails elongated.

His stature grew taller.

In the blink of an eye, Su Ming had fully transformed into a Fiend, resembling a humanoid demon, terrifying to behold.

Faced with such a formidable opponent as Old Qin, Su Ming finally activated his Awakening ability, entering the state of Demonization.

This caused Old Qin to furrow his brow while also showing a hint of surprise.

“Such formidable Demonization.”

That was Old Qin’s initial impression.

Not only Old Qin, but even Old Ling, observing from afar, revealed an astonished expression upon sensing the demonic nature and energy emanating from Su Ming at that moment.

“His power has increased by at least twentyfold? How can there be such powerful Demonization in this world?”

Old Ling was taken aback by this.

Much like when Su Ming first Awakened his Demonization during his battle with Crow, Crow too had been shocked by the surge in power after Su Ming’s transformation.

An ordinary high-rank Hunter, upon Demonization, typically sees their power increase by only a few times at most. Only those who inherit the purest Bloodline of Nightmare Species can elevate their power to over tenfold after entering Demonization.

Yet Su Ming exceeded even that, with a power increase of at least twentyfold, if not more.

Such Demonization had never been witnessed by veterans like Old Ling and Old Qin, who had seen much of the world.

“His Bloodline clearly isn’t from any ordinary Nightmare Species.”

Old Ling came to this realization.

Old Qin thought the same.

“How did a rookie Professional from an ordinary family obtain a Bloodline of this caliber?”

Even Old Qin marveled at this.

But at that moment, Su Ming launched a fierce counterattack.

“Bang!”

With a single flap of his wings, Su Ming’s figure abruptly halted in mid-air, ceasing its descent. Instead, he transformed into a gust of wind, charging directly at Old Qin.

“So fast!”

Old Qin’s eyes sharpened, and without hesitation, he constructed eight circular arrays, entering the state of 【Dawn Star Orbit】.

Almost simultaneously, Su Ming initiated his assault.

“Boom!”Without unleashing his Blade Art, Su Ming directly raised his left hand, clenched it into a fist, and threw a punch. It unleashed a terrifying force, stirring up a hurricane that slammed into Old Qin’s body.

After entering the state of Demonization, every part of Su Ming’s body possessed the same characteristics as his right hand. Not only did he gain tenfold or even several dozen times his normal strength, but he also had the ability of the Silver Arm to Breakthrough all defenses and destroy everything.

In this state, the punch Su Ming threw with his left hand was almost indistinguishable from one thrown with his right hand.

In fact, it was even stronger than the power he could unleash with his right hand when not in the Demonization state.

Such an explosive force shattered Old Qin’s body, which had transformed into light matter, into pieces, scattering as starlight across the heavens and earth.

“What terrifying power!”

The starlight quickly coalesced once more, reforming into Old Qin’s figure, his face vividly displaying a mix of shock and solemnity.

“Is this power the formidable mutation ability mentioned in the intelligence reports?”

The look in Old Qin’s eyes as he gazed at Su Ming had changed countless times by now.

“Such Demonization, such a mutation ability—this young man’s potential is truly frightening.”

It was worth noting that even the Guardian Deity didn’t experience such a degree of power amplification during their Demonization.

As for mutation abilities, that one didn’t possess any at all.

“If this young man were to become a Seven-Star Hunter, with just this Demonization and this mutation ability, he could likely dominate even among those at my level, right?”

By then, combined with his power as a Sorcerer, Su Ming might very well be able to challenge Old Ling’s position.

This made Old Qin increasingly reluctant to conflict with Su Ming.

This kid’s potential was too terrifying—far surpassing even the current Guardian Deity by who knows how much. It was best not to make an enemy of him.

Moreover, with such a powerful Demonization, his Bloodline must be far superior to that of an ordinary Nightmare Species.

If such a Bloodline could be passed down within the Qin Family, wouldn’t that be wonderful?

“Indeed, I must make him the Qin Family’s prized son-in-law, have him marry Zi Jin.”

Old Qin grew even more certain of this strategy.

“Young…”

Just as Old Qin was about to speak again, Su Ming had already flapped his wings and rushed before him like a gale.

“Enough talk! Either return Xiao Jin to me or shut up! Let’s settle this with our skills!”

Su Ming was infuriated by Old Qin’s tendency to dwell on irrelevant thoughts, even indulging in wishful thinking.

“You clearly can’t meet my demands, so why do you think you can still persuade me?”

As he spoke, Su Ming threw another punch, unleashing a terrifying force that exploded without reservation onto Old Qin’s body.

With a deafening blast, Old Qin was shattered into a shower of starlight once more, unable to reform for a long time.

Witnessing this, a flicker of strangeness passed through Su Ming’s icy pupils.

He recalled the legend of the Dawn Star Orbit.

“Although this Spell Formula has the ability to alter the Sorcerer themselves, overturn the Sorcerer’s weaknesses, and grant them a rebirth-like transformation, its side effects are equally pronounced.”

The greatest side effect of the Dawn Star Orbit was that the Spirit Power consumed would gradually increase over time.When a Sorcerer enters the state of 【Dawn Star Orbit】, if they only maintain it for a few seconds, the Spirit Power consumed might not be significant.

However, the longer one remains in the 【Dawn Star Orbit】 state, the more drastically the Spirit Power consumption increases—exponentially, in fact.

Given this…

“By finding a way to prolong his use of 【Dawn Star Orbit】, we can maximize the depletion of his Spirit Power until it’s completely exhausted.”

Once Su Ming confirmed this, he immediately formed a plan.

Without delay, Su Ming stowed the Fire Fang back into his pack, raised both fists, and launched a fierce assault.

“Boom!”

The terrifying force of his punches once again transformed into a hurricane, sweeping through the night sky and obliterating the starlight that had yet to coalesce into human form.

“Boom!” “Boom!” “Boom!” “Boom!”…

Amidst the relentless roar of impacts, Su Ming’s fists struck like thunder, his power surging like a gale. He continuously unleashed his blows, stirring up hurricanes of force that scattered the countless specks of starlight around him.

At a glance, it seemed as though a winged demon was wantonly wreaking havoc under the night sky, churning up terrifying waves of wind and deafening booms in the air—a truly fearsome spectacle.

The commotion had grown so intense that even people in other parts of Dragonheart District could sense it.

A slight unrest stirred among the populace, and even official Professionals began to mobilize, heading toward the scene to investigate.

Yet, Tianfeng City’s Guardian Deity was merely observing the battle, marveling at the sight.

“Brilliant. By relentlessly attacking with sheer, direct force, he’s forcing that old fellow to remain in the 【Dawn Star Orbit】 state, needlessly draining his Spirit Power.”

“If this continues, that old man’s Spirit Power will eventually run dry, compelling him to exit the 【Dawn Star Orbit】 state.”

“And once he’s out of 【Dawn Star Orbit】, facing that young man’s power with depleted Spirit Power, he won’t stand a chance of turning the tables.”

Old Ling praised Su Ming’s approach wholeheartedly.

Naturally, Old Ling was well aware of the weakness of 【Dawn Star Orbit】.

But even if one wanted to exploit this weakness, it was usually impossible to find a way.

That’s because 【Dawn Star Orbit】 not only rendered the user nearly invincible but also allowed for rapid movement. Ordinarily, even if someone tried to launch continuous attacks to force Old Qin to maintain the 【Dawn Star Orbit】 state, it wouldn’t work.

Old Qin could simply transform into starlight and dart away, escaping the enemy’s attack range, then gradually rematerialize—no need to bother countering the opponent’s assaults.

Su Ming, however, was different.

He employed the purest form of wide-area power attacks, channeling the force of his Demonization through the characteristics of his Silver Arm to unleash devastation in all directions, achieving full-coverage assaults with astonishing intensity.

Under these circumstances, even if Old Qin attempted to move using 【Dawn Star Orbit】, he would be shattered again by the omnidirectional force the moment he tried to shift.

In short, there was no gap for escape.

This was a tactic only Su Ming could execute; without the astounding power and destructive characteristics of his Demonized state, it would be utterly impossible.

This left Old Ling unable to hold back his admiration.

He marveled not only at the strategy Su Ming had adopted but also at his ability to carry it out.

Even Qin Qing watched the sky, filled with continuous roars, swirling hurricanes, and the overwhelming aura of power, feeling profoundly shaken.”So, he really is this strong.”

Rumors were just rumors after all.

How powerful Su Ming truly was could never be more vividly felt than at this very moment.

Qin Qing finally understood just how exceptional this man—younger than herself yet constantly on An Zijin’s mind—really was.

But still…

“With just this, he probably can’t handle Great-grandfather.”

As this thought crossed Qin Qing’s mind, the situation in midair shifted exactly as she had anticipated.

“Hum!”

Suddenly, ring-like arrays materialized in the air, expanding outward to envelop Su Ming within them like a Domain.

“This is…!?”

Su Ming couldn’t help but startle.

Immediately afterward, violent flames erupted from each of the ring arrays, swallowing him whole.

(End of Chapter)