Volume 3, Chapter 92 – No Longer Who I Used to Be

“Ahhhhhhhhh!!”

Driven by rage, Xue Tian’ao resolutely unleashed the power within his body.

Accompanied by the Chosen Son’s sky-shattering roar, the entire imperial palace and the mountain it sat upon were instantly enveloped by a terrifyingly powerful aura! The holy attribute magic power inside Xue Tian’ao broke free at this moment. The holy aura naturally attracted countless Abyssal Demons from the surroundings, and thousands of Abyssal Demons in the sky began charging toward the Grand Arsenal Hall, greatly increasing the pressure on the palace guards.

However, strictly speaking, it would have mattered little even if the guards let the Abyssal Demons pass, for the terrifying aura surrounding the Grand Arsenal Hall was not something ordinary Abyssal Demons could breach.

‘Shackles, release!’ Xue Tian’ao roared in his heart once more.

Like Lady Mengxi, as a Chosen One, Xue Tian’ao did indeed possess dense holy attribute divine power within him, and this divine power served as his greatest trump card. However, unlike the Chosen Maiden, this divine power within Xue Tian’ao would not release itself on its own even if his life were threatened.

It was for this very reason that in his previous two lives, Xue Tian’ao had been so easily killed in an instant by Xiao.

For the first decade or so of this life, Xue Tian’ao had been researching how to utilize this massive power and how to unbind its restraints. Hard work paid off, and through various System items and his own relentless efforts, Xue Tian’ao finally understood the method to unleash this power.

However, this power was too immense, and attempting to use it would result in a powerful backlash. If fully unleashed, the damage from the backlash would most likely take him out in one go. To this end, Xue Tian’ao had to experiment step by step, learning how to grasp the “degree” of the release.

Ultimately, he divided the release of his divine power into three stages. With each shackle released, Xue Tian’ao’s strength would make a qualitative leap, and similarly, the pain he endured would skyrocket exponentially. Now at the peak of the seventh tier, Xue Tian’ao could easily release the first shackle, bringing his strength close to the early eighth tier without suffering much backlash.

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As for the second shackle, once released, Xue Tian’ao would have to endure immense pain.

But now, facing a powerful enemy like the Duke of Blackrose, the foe who had killed him twice, and in order to smash that face full of disdain and contempt, Xue Tian’ao released the second shackle without hesitation.

In an instant, golden light surged as chains faintly disintegrated around Xue Tian’ao once more. The oppressive divine power erupted from his body like a bursting dam, and once released, this dense divine power helped him reclaim the disadvantage in terms of momentum. With the blessing of the second-stage divine power, Xue Tian’ao’s pale gold light quickly stood its ground against Xiao’s grayish-white aura.

The sheer volume of magic power in his body reached the middle eighth tier from the early eighth tier, and combined with the powerful foundation of divine power, even an ordinary high-rank eighth tier expert would likely struggle to contend with the current Xue Tian’ao.

The surge in momentum caused confidence to well up within him. Back then, it was with this mode that he had defeated the demon king tier Inferno. Since he had even defeated a monster among monsters like Inferno, dealing with an eighth tier human would certainly be no problem! One must realize that in most cases, at the same tier, Abyssal Demons were far stronger than humans.

While unleashing his power, Xue Tian’ao also kept a constant watch on Xiao’s face, partly to prevent a sneak attack and partly to see the change in his expression.

Ever since seeing him, Xiao had worn a smile full of contempt on his face, which made Xue Tian’ao extremely displeased. He was no longer who he used to be. After becoming a saint tier powerhouse and even repelling Inferno, all the experts on the continent had to show him some respect.

No one dared to look at him, the Chosen Son, with such a dismissive gaze.

Through this eruption of power, Xue Tian’ao wanted to make this enemy before him realize his strength! He wanted to see a look of shock—no, better yet, one of panic!

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Unfortunately, Xue Tian’ao was disappointed. Xiao’s expression remained the same, with almost no change at all.

This scene caused the rage in Xue Tian’ao’s heart to soar even further.

‘So arrogant…’

“I am no longer who I used to be! Don’t think I’m still that little brat you could trample as you pleased, ahhhhhhhhh!!”

‘How dare he look down on me like this! I will definitely make you pay!’

Just as described in many stories, the villains who opposed the protagonist would always pay for their arrogance!

‘Divine Might Slash – Twin Wheel Strike!’ Carrying such thoughts, Xue Tian’ao brandished the two divine artifacts in his hands, the Sky-Cleaving Sword and the Axe of Helhais, whipping up a wave of blinding light as he lunged toward the black-haired man with overwhelming momentum.

However, the scene Xue Tian’ao imagined of suppressing Xiao did not occur.

In the next instant, black light rippled in Xiao’s eyes as he swung his demonic spear, stirring up a dense grayish-white mist and thrusting it violently toward Xue Tian’ao.

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“Crack!”

The demonic spear struck Xue Tian’ao’s golden field. In an instant, a violent surge of power erupted from the tip of the spear as an eerie, sinister force spread across Xue Tian’ao’s golden field.

‘?!!! This… what is this?! How is this possible?!’

In the next moment, under Xue Tian’ao’s incredulous gaze, his powerful and suppressive golden field was easily shattered by the demonic spear with overwhelming force! Along with a crisp sound of shattering and a riot of dense grayish-white magic power, his field transformed into a sky full of golden specks while the axe and longsword swinging toward Xiao were abruptly knocked away by the sweep of the spear.

‘This… this is impossible?!’

Seeing his attack neutralized so easily, Xue Tian’ao’s expression shifted drastically. The smugness, confidence, and rage on his face vanished instantly, replaced only by deep shock and confusion. He couldn’t understand how an attack for which he had mobilized massive amounts of magic and divine power, even utilizing dual divine artifacts, could be neutralized so simply.

However, Xue Tian’ao no longer had time to wonder why, for to his astonishment, he found that the Duke of Blackrose had already flashed before him after breaking his attack! Staring into those black eyes that were deep as an abyss and cold without emotion, Xue Tian’ao trembled as a chill rose in his heart.

‘?!!! No, this is bad!’

Although he sensed the crisis, Xue Tian’ao’s body couldn’t seem to keep up with his brain’s reactions. Just as he attempted a defensive move, a terrifyingly oppressive black energy cannon with world-destroying power erupted from Xiao’s fingertip, ruthlessly slamming into Xue Tian’ao’s chest. In an instant, heaven and earth seemed to split as space distorted, and the outer walls and ceiling of the Grand Arsenal Hall, along with the countless corpses on the ground, were reduced to ashes by the shockwave of this strike.

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Struck directly in the abdomen by the energy cannon, Xue Tian’ao couldn’t help but let out a heart-wrenching wail of agony under the extreme pain. This pain, which felt as if it were tearing apart every cell in his body, made his face become increasingly contorted until his features were all mangled together.

His previously handsome face was long gone, and all that remained of Xue Tian’ao was a face as comical as a clown’s.

If those female fans of Xue Tian’ao were to see their idol’s current appearance, their faith would likely collapse on the spot.

“Rumble!!”

Accompanied by the venting of earth-shaking terrifying power and the blossoming of black light, the blood-covered Xue Tian’ao was sent flying backward, crashing headfirst into the Dark Iron gate in the distance.

“Hmm…” Looking at the blonde man whose image was now completely ruined and recalling his words, Xiao thoughtfully rested his hand against his chin, his expression becoming uncharacteristically serious.

“Hmm, no longer who you used to be?” As he spoke, Xiao couldn’t help but let out a sneer.

“That was it?”

“Why do I feel like there’s no difference? You’re still just as… fragile as before.”