With that arrow striking the First God, a torrent of purple ** immediately surged from the wound in its chest—perhaps its unique blood—and the creature let out a deafening roar. The crystal in its chest pulsed violently once more, scaring Zhang Heng and the others so badly they bolted, scrambling away from their original positions.

However, this time the light emanating from the First God’s chest did not result in the silver explosive wave seen before. Instead, the entire body began to glow with that same silver radiance. Then, the punctured hole in its left breast slowly began to mend. Purplish-red flesh churned and wriggled, looking as if countless tiny feelers and buds were sprouting forth. It was these tendrils and buds that incessantly repaired the damaged wound, and at a speed visible to the naked eye. In mere seconds, the massive hole was more than halfway healed.

(Incredible offensive power, monstrous regenerative capabilities, terrifying defensive strength… Is this thing truly the First God? And this is supposedly its incomplete form? Damn it, what must the complete version look like?) Zheng Zha thought gloomily, watching the aftermath of Zhang Heng’s successful shot.

While it hadn't been completely killed or gravely wounded, the attack had slowed the First God’s impending lunge. Zheng Zha, meanwhile, had entered his “Destruction” state. Utilizing the incredible speed of “Shave” (Tǐ), he finally caught up to the First God. When it was only two to three hundred meters from the plaza, Zheng Zha stomped down hard, and as the ground beneath him disintegrated,

He launched himself nearly a hundred meters into the air. Employing several more uses of “Moon Walk” (Yuè Bù), Zheng Zha arrived directly above the First God’s head. Without hesitation, he raised the Hǔ Pò Saber and brought it sweeping down, slamming it onto the shield of psychic energy protecting the creature’s skull.

A vast expanse of white saber light misted down, instantly producing a series of chaotic crackling sounds against the psychic shield. Every wisp of the saber mist seemed substantial, and every crackle represented one wisp striking the protective layer. For an ordinary person, a single blow like that would have turned them into paste.

Yet, the psychic shield before him merely rippled with increased water-like waves; it showed not even a hairline fracture. It felt solid, sending a dull ache up Zheng Zha’s hand, shocking him to the core.

In the Dream World, Zheng Zha had witnessed things like psychic energy, willpower, the Light of the Mind, or the AT Field—it went by many names.

But he was beginning to grasp what it truly was: this must be the Life Force that humans might comprehend upon reaching the fourth stage of the Genetic Lock, the nascent beginning of mastering energy at that level. It was akin to Chu Xuan’s power of conviction.

If Zhao Ruikong’s psychic power was already so formidable when weak, the First God’s psychic energy felt utterly substantial, backed by a seemingly infinite reservoir of power. How could it possibly be broken? The Demon Cannon (Mó Dòng Pào)? Zheng Zha was a man who had fought perpetually on the edge of life and death for so long. Though he had never systematically studied martial arts or possessed legendary sword techniques, his constant brush with death had forged his own method: using brute force to shatter technique, and speed to counter enemies. Furthermore, due to his perpetual proximity to death and his immersion in the subtle awareness afforded by unlocking the fourth stage of the Genetic Lock, his control over his own strength was absolute. That seemingly common strike just now

was a full-power blow delivered while in the “Destruction” state. If he had possessed this full strength in the Dream World, one sweep of his blade would have certainly killed Zhao Ruikong; the little girl's psychic power could never have withstood the full might of that strike… Yet, an attack of this magnitude failed to even crack the First God’s defense. Zheng Zha did not retreat after the single failed strike; he merely held the Hǔ Pò Saber and continued to hack down madly. He was currently operating under the fourth stage Genetic Lock, amplified by “Destruction.” To distant observers, all they saw was a blinding white flash of saber mist several meters above the First God’s head. After perhaps one or two seconds, the swirling ripples in that area intensified violently, then began to shatter inch by inch. Zheng Zha had actually forced his way through the protective barrier with the Hǔ Pò Saber.

But before Zheng Zha could slip through the rent in the shield, a colossal amount of psychic energy suddenly surged wildly from all around the First God’s body. To put it in perspective: if Zhao Ruikong’s psychic attack was like a hand or an energy wave, the First God’s psychic energy at this moment was a surging, mighty river. The gap was immense. Even Zheng Zha was forced to use “Moon Walk” to rapidly retreat backward; if he had been hit squarely, he would surely have suffered a severe injury.

(What now? There’s no way through! We can’t win like this. Although we can stall it for a while longer, the critical time limit is fast approaching, and its energy is endless. We’ll just be ground down until we die… But we can’t ask Chu Xuan to use the Demon Cannon; that’s too extreme. So… fight with everything I have!) Zheng Zha resolved. He flipped backward through the air and simultaneously roared toward the distance, “Chu Xuan! Give me the Magic Ring! I need to use that thing to fight!” By this time, Chu Xuan and the others in the distance had stopped running. The First God had first taken the heavy blow from Zhang Heng, and then Zheng Zha had slammed it down from the sky with sheer brute force. With a dull thud, the First God landed heavily on the ground, smashing a large crater, but at least it had bought Chu Xuan and the others a reprieve from immediate annihilation upon close range contact.

Seeing the First God turn to face him, Zheng Zha actually felt a sense of relief. His comrades were his strongest support… and also his greatest weakness. Their existence made him strong, but it also gave him his only vulnerability… (Perhaps Loli is my weakness too; fortunately, she only exists within the Main God Space…) Zheng Zha shook his head, clearing the extraneous thoughts from his mind. He then slowly relaxed, drawing back all his internal energy and vampiric essence into his body. He watched as the First God faced him squarely, the crystal in its chest beginning to glow once more, signaling the imminent violent explosion. But Zheng Zha merely tensed his whole body and stood stock-still, showing no inclination to dodge. Finally, a silver light flashed, and Zheng Zha was swallowed whole by the silvery flames.

The onlookers in the distance stared at the scene, dumbfounded. Chu Xuan continued dismantling the Demon Cannon as if he hadn't noticed Zheng Zha being consumed by the blast. Only when Wang Xiaa sluggishly nudged him and said, “Chu Xuan, Zheng Zha seems to have been blown up again. He doesn't have the Dragon Crystal Necklace this time, so he’s probably…” did the man fail to look up.

“No, he wasn't blown up.”

The previously silent Zhao Yingkong suddenly spoke. “Though I can’t be certain, he should be fine… I suddenly have this feeling, and this burning desire to fight erupting from within…” Putting aside Zhao Yingkong’s mutterings, given the extreme urgency, Zhang Heng and Wang Xiaa could hardly pay attention to her rambling. Only Chu Xuan seemed to hear her; he glanced up briefly at her, then lowered his head again, muttering something about glasses before resuming his work on the Demon Cannon.

Meanwhile, at the epicenter of the explosion, the firelight and smoke were already fading. On the ground, which had vitrified into a glassy surface, Zheng Zha stood there, but his appearance had utterly changed. He no longer resembled the ordinary man he was before, instead bearing some resemblance to the demons of myth. Two small horns sprouted from his forehead. The clothes on his upper body had long since shredded, and from his back, two dragon wings stretched straight toward the sky, slightly different from the bat wings of traditional demons. Furthermore, tiny scales were beginning to appear on Zheng Zha’s skin.

“Submerged Dragon Transformation” (Qián Lóng Biàn)! This was the strongest power available to Zheng Zha in the intermediate fourth stage, achievable after successfully overcoming his inner demon. Based on the draconic genes within him, combined with the most potent components of ancient genes, this materialized body was the peak of his current capability. Even without the support of internal energy or bloodline power, this form alone could unleash power and speed comparable to “Explosion.” If he were to use “Explosion” or “Destruction” in this state, his strength would reach an almost unimaginable level. The most crucial point was that this was a physical state, not a skill, meaning it required no external resources to maintain—otherwise, his clone version couldn’t maintain the demonic appearance indefinitely. There was only one flaw… During this transformation, almost all the latent brutality in his genes exploded forth along with his power. Although Zheng Zha had passed his inner demon trial and no longer feared that savage consciousness, in battle, he would likely be unable to hold back—this was the only imperfection of the transformation. “However, it seems holding back isn't necessary right now… Come on, Round Two begins!” Zheng Zha took a deep breath. A ring of pure white flames began to manifest around his body, much like the black flames surrounding his clone. He flapped his wings once and shot toward the First God.

Leaping toward