I recalled when I was in the Terror Space, to defeat the Evil Pincer Worm, I utilized the continuous thrusting attack from my fencing style, ultimately piercing the creature's defenses. Following that, I directly channeled my Dou Qi into the Evil Pincer Worm’s body, causing the Dou Qi to detonate within it, achieving the goal of killing the monster.
It seemed this general method could be employed again!
This time, however, I absolutely had to carefully control the intensity of the Dou Qi! I couldn't risk my fencing rapier accidentally exploding in my hand. The key was to let the rapier pierce the opponent's defense while simultaneously releasing a measured amount of Dou Qi energy, enough to cause an internal explosion within the monster. If I could achieve this, I could defeat the opponent without needing to push my internal Dou Qi energy to its absolute limit.
In other words, a special technique of internal demolition!
Realizing this invigorated my spirit immensely.
I subsequently rose and walked into the formation where the Dark Woma Elder had previously been concealed! That should be the portal to the next level!
Indeed, as I stepped into the formation, a flash of white light burst before my eyes once more!
After that sensation of weightlessness passed, I was standing in another vast hall!
And right in the center of the hall was another colossal blue light formation!
Vaguely visible within it was a majestic, powerfully built figure coiled up!
What kind of monster was this time!
I instinctively widened my eyes.
As the blue curtain of light dissipated, I finally saw clearly who the creature was!
Ah!
It was the Twin-Headed King!
Yes, the massive creature before me was utterly familiar, exactly like the Twin-Headed King I had slain back in the Demon Altar.
Yet, the gloomy, murderous aura emanating from it made me dare not let my guard down in the slightest!
After all, I knew clearly that the thing before me was no ordinary Twin-Headed King, but the Dark Twin-Headed King, dozens of times stronger.
Likewise, this imposing beast before me seemed reluctant to make any rash moves.
I wasn't naive enough to believe this thing was merely a brute with no intellect. In fact, to become the strongest guardian of the Six Dark Halls, I suspected its wisdom was no less than that of any human.
The previous Woma Elder had nearly annihilated me with a single exchange! Its tactics and combat skills were flawlessly perfect! Swift as lightning, nimble as the wind!
But the creature before me exuded an entirely different aura. Still as a mountain, solid as bedrock! Imparting a sense of insurmountable pressure and shock!
Its massive frame slowly rose, then it began to advance toward me deliberately! Its blood-red eyes never blinked, scrutinizing me grimly. Accompanying its movement were those heavy, deep breaths! And those faint, low growls!
This thing had managed to lock me down entirely just with its presence! My body felt almost uncontrollable, becoming rigid, and even the scalp on my head began to tingle! Such potent Qi! Though we hadn't exchanged blows, I could clearly sense the astonishing power contained within this behemoth! It was definitely several times stronger than the Dark Woma Elder!
Evidently, the Dark Twin-Headed King excelled in brute strength. Even now, with my Nine Dragons Protection skill advanced to the sixth layer, I wasn't confident I could withstand a single strike from it!
I struggled to steady my breathing and adjust my stance, finally calming myself before cautiously maintaining my distance!
"Come on, big brute," I murmured. I believed that as a guardian beast of the Dark Halls, its intelligence was no less than a human's, so it should understand my challenge!
As expected! As if angered by my words!
Roar!
Accompanied by a sky-shattering bellow! The Dark Twin-Headed King swung its massive twin maces together, smashing them violently against the ground! The terrifying force kicked up countless fragments of stone, shooting towards me like a torrential storm!
Well, so it wants to play dirty! I naturally dared not delay, executing several side-steps in rapid succession, darting far away!
Whoosh whoosh!
CRASH, RUMBLE!
The missed stone fragments slammed ferociously into the palace walls, gouging out large and small, shockingly deep craters! Good heavens! What terrifying power! If I had taken a direct hit, even if I didn't die, I’d lose a layer of skin!
But as fast as I dodged, the behemoth's attack was faster!
Roar!
Another earth-shattering roar! The sheer volume almost paralyzed me! Its mighty body lunged forward like a whirlwind, its enormous claws swiping down from above! This flurry of combo attacks was swift and seamless, leaving me absolutely no chance to breathe. However, this speed was still significantly slower than the Dark Woma Elder's!
And through the previous engagement, my understanding of speed and movement techniques had gained a deeper layer of insight. Undoubtedly, the grueling battle with the Dark Woma Elder had benefited me immensely; at the very least, my speed and footwork had improved considerably. Because of this, facing the savage, relentless assault of the Dark Twin-Headed King, I remained calm and composed!
Instinctively, I executed another Electric Step to the side, ghosting far away.
CRASH, RUMBLE! Stone shatters the heavens! Thunderous impact!
The missed claws smashed open yet another massive pit in the ground! Although I easily avoided the Dark Twin-Headed King's attack, its terrifying destructive power startled me! Goodness, if those claws had connected, several lives wouldn't have been enough! Even with my nerves tempered like steel, a cold sweat broke out on my brow! This thing's power was simply far greater than the Dark Woma Elder's.
The Dark Twin-Headed King afforded me no respite whatsoever! Its right arm, having missed its smash, swept across in a horizontal arc. It was aimed directly at my chest, and due to the arm's sheer size, this sweep almost completely sealed off any space for me to evade or shift! With no choice, I retreated rapidly backward!
Whoosh whoosh!
The massive steel claws missed again!
Roar! After several failed attempts, the behemoth seemed enraged! It unleashed a string of tremendous, furious roars! If I hadn't long grown accustomed to such violent sonic attacks, I might have been shaken to death already! But even so, under its continuous sonic assault, my entire head felt as if it were about to split open! The Dou Qi inside me was also thrown into chaos by the wave after wave of sonic roars!
And the beast wasn't just roaring madly; its powerful body rushed forward like a rampaging whirlwind. Well now! It actually understood how to use sonic attacks to disrupt my speed! Too bad I wasn't fooled by this! After all, the signature technique of the Demon Dragon Royal Family is the Lion's Roar! I naturally possessed rich experience in defending against sonic attacks, instinctively regulating my breath to protect my core vital points. The paralysis and dizziness caused by the sonic attack were quickly nullified!
However, the Dark Twin-Headed King's claws were already pressing upon my chest! Luckily, my speed was sufficient, and a low crouch allowed me to dodge! But the Dark Twin-Headed King had successfully closed the distance between us!
For a time, the Dark Twin-Headed King chased me relentlessly, behaving like a madman. But against me, who excelled in speed, it could never land a hit; it couldn't even brush the edge of my robe. After a few rounds, I began to discern a pattern. It seemed the behemoth's strength was immense, but its speed was significantly inferior to the Dark Woma Elder's! With my speed, avoiding the Dark Twin-Headed King's attacks was effortless!
Still, I suspected defeating it wouldn't be easy. If I were wielding the Dragon Shadow Sword right now, I would be confident I could easily kill it in my current state. But now, I had to use a few tricks!
CRASH! Whoosh whoosh!
The sweeping giant claw aimed at my waist missed again! As I dodged, I simultaneously used an Electric Step to close in and unleashed a lightning-fast thrust!
Clang!
It was like striking tempered steel! The slender blade bent into an exaggerated C-shaped arc. Such incredible defense!
Roar!
Taking advantage of my attack being repelled, the other steel claw of the beast hammered down savagely! I had no choice but to leap back swiftly.
Thud!
Another deafening crash as the behemoth’s claw struck the ground again, tearing open another colossal pit! Dust flew everywhere, obscuring the view!
From then on, the two of us fought like a cat playing with a mouse. The Dark Twin-Headed King chased me frantically, while I used speed and agile footwork to maneuver around it! Furthermore, while dodging its attacks, I simultaneously employed the One Line, Three Swords piercing technique, continuously launching counterattacks!
Regrettably, whether it was my strikes to the chest, abdomen, shoulders, waist, back, or thighs, I stabbed it everywhere, yet I couldn't manage to pierce its defenses. This thing was truly a solid slab of iron, giving me absolutely no opening! Of course, it couldn't harm me either. For a time, neither could overpower the other!
Yet the fierce battle continued. The Dark Twin-Headed King’s stamina seemed inexhaustible, relentlessly pursuing and attacking me with frenzy. Is it planning to wear me down through sheer endurance? I analyzed inwardly while rapidly evading, trying to conceive a winning strategy! Its chest, abdomen, waist, thighs, back—almost nowhere on its body seemed vulnerable! Even with the specialized technique of the One Line, Three Swords, my fencing rapier couldn't break through its defense.
What should I do! Is its defense truly without a weak point! A weakness in its defense! Where exactly is this thing's vital spot!
The eyes! Yes, the eyes! I refuse to believe its eyes are also impervious to blades!
Thinking this, my spirits soared!
Whoosh! Roar!
Frenzied roars accompanied by piercing shrieks! The Dark Twin-Headed King’s mountain-like body pressed closer again, and its giant steel claws danced like a violent storm, up and down, as if wanting to tear me to shreds. But this time, having made up my mind, I stopped passively evading and creating distance! Instead, I remained deliberately within the attack range of its twin claws, carefully dodging its blows!
Whoosh whoosh whoosh!
For a moment, fierce winds howled, and afterimages flashed. Layers of claw shadows tightly encircled me. Yet, faced with my astonishing reflexes and speed, even with its offense locked onto me, the Dark Twin-Headed King couldn't land a hit. This only drove the creature to a higher level of madness; its speed increased, and its movements became wilder.
I continued to dodge cautiously, waiting for the right opportunity!
Crash! Another swipe missed! Perhaps from exerting too much force, this strike not only hit one of the massive pillars in the center of the hall, but its sharp claw actually dug deeply into the stone!
Ah! The perfect chance! This is what I was waiting for!
My Dou Qi instantly surged, and my speed exploded to its absolute limit! I sprang up and flew toward the creature's face! The rapier thrust out with incredible swiftness!
Whoosh!
Stab!
The slender blade sank into the behemoth's eye socket without the slightest obstruction! And the Dou Qi energy, which had been amassed and ready, instantly poured into the cavity! Simultaneously, I yanked the sword free, side-stepped, and flashed past, moving toward the creature's rear.
CRASH!
BOOM!
Almost at the exact same moment, the creature's head exploded like a punctured balloon, without warning! Only its headless corpse remained, standing rigidly upright! Exhibiting a strange desolation and tragic grandeur!
I finally managed to kill it.
I instinctively glanced at the rapier in my hand; it hadn't exploded. It seemed the Dou Qi energy I channeled out hadn't blown up the weapon, but it was certainly enough to shatter the Dark Twin-Headed King’s skull from the inside.
This meant my rapier could also be used to kill these formidable monsters! Haha, perhaps passing the Seven Heavenly Gates won't be so difficult after all.
To be honest, compared to the Dark Woma Elder, the Dark Twin-Headed King I just faced was far too inferior. It seems that if one's speed isn't up to par, no amount of strength or defense can make up for it! Even if one is the strongest, speed is paramount!
Realizing this boosted my confidence even further. The Second Heavenly Gate had been passed. I wonder who awaits me in the Third Heavenly Gate!