122 Dan, I Am Willing to Call You the Strongest

Click!

A tremendous force dragged the giant of black smoke downward.

Dust erupted as the already dilapidated ruins of the building crumbled further. The last remaining wall, teetering on the brink of collapse, gave way, instantly kicking up a massive cloud of grit.

Boom! Countless stone fragments exploded outward like bullets. It was as if a mountain of explosives had detonated beneath the ruins, causing the surrounding ground to shake uncontrollably.

Thousands of gray and black particles fell like rain.

Roar! A ferocious figure surged forward on horseback. A pair of fists, wreathed in ghost fire and corrosive energy, hammered wildly, trading blow for blow with the gargantuan shadow ahead.

Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud!

Each muffled impact sounded like a herd of elephants stampeding across the earth. Where their immense powers collided, the dust formed visible, semicircular shockwaves, and the resulting air currents lashed against them both.

"Whoosh!"

The black smoke giant whipped his right hand, carving a wave of gray mist through the air that struck Xiunan heavily.

Thud! The Blood-Red Knight stumbled, but he immediately resumed the fight as if nothing had happened, his desire to attack burning bright.

The black smoke giant’s fists rained down at a blinding frequency. Half were intercepted by the Blood-Red Knight’s arms, while the other half landed solidly on his armor.

Yet, the effect seemed remarkably limited.

Forget five punches; Dan had already landed hundreds. The Blood-Red Knight showed not a hint of decline. This shell of a defense was far tougher than Dan had imagined.

"Snap!"

Xiunan slapped the back of his steed, and the ghost horse surged forward instantly, striking like a bolt of black lightning!

The black smoke giant dissolved into a scattered cloud of mist, drifting to the left side with the flow of the air.

The ghost horse smashed into the wall, piercing through three layers of concrete and bursting from one warehouse into another factory. The night-shift workers inside either fainted from terror or fled in frantic screams.

Back at the original spot, the black smoke giant looked down at his own hands. During their violent collision, he could sense the peculiar nature of his opponent’s energy. One type of energy significantly neutralized the "Ring Force" behind every punch he threw.

The other type was highly corrosive, possessing a strong ability to penetrate the defense of his Ring Force membrane.

Combined, they were truly not to be underestimated.

Added to that monstrous shell, the situation had inexplicably become quite thorny.

It seemed he couldn't actually do anything to his opponent?

No sooner had this thought entered Dan’s mind than his iron will discarded it. He hadn't fought with full force just now; if he were to get truly serious, it was hard to say...

"Hmm?"

The black smoke giant suddenly looked up, staring into the distance.

The aura that had been as bright as a candle flame in the dark night had suddenly vanished, disappearing without a trace.

"Trying to run!?"

Dan instantly bent his knees and launched himself, his massive black-smoke form surging into the sky, leaping forward at high speed.

Each landing left a giant crater in the ground.

"Sure enough, he couldn't hold on! It must be that his Ring Force is running low. To maintain so many powerful abilities, his consumption must be even greater than mine..."

Dan analyzed quickly. Though other possibilities flickered in his mind, this was the most logical. As he gave chase, his confidence slowly began to return.

Under the cover of night, on the vast plains, the Blood-Red Knight galloped at high speed. The fire behind him stretched into a two-meter-long trail, like a black cloak fluttering from his armor. A cloud of black mist closed in rapidly, with a hideous face vaguely visible in its center.

"Heh..."

Dan sneered internally. The more Xiunan refused to look back, the more confirmed Dan was in his assessment. It appeared the opponent’s Ring Force was nearly exhausted. If he could only intercept him...

Capturing or killing him would be a breeze.

Dan channeled all his energy and charged forward.

Three minutes later, like a whirlwind, the black smoke giant, who had been fiercely besieging Xiunan, suddenly ducked aside.

"Phew..." Dan let out a long, heavy breath.

"How can he keep it up for so long? This shell of his is a real headache..." His thoughts swirled.

Dan lifted his hands, which had visibly shrunk in size, and the mist on his arms writhed to reform his fists.

He looked into the distance toward the figure sprinting toward the Nilo District. Its speed had slowed significantly. One could even discern a hint of exhaustion and disarray.

"I am faster than him; the advantage is mine!"

Dan affirmed this to himself, then bent his legs and sprang, hurtling forward like a cannonball.

Ten minutes later, on the highway in the western suburbs, two red and black figures were locked in a frantic struggle.

Both shadows were tall, like moving small houses. The black shadow attacked with incredible frequency, circling the red figure like a cyclone. His fists hammered the opponent’s body like a machine gun, producing the sound of iron being beaten.

The red knight on horseback attacked much slower, appearing to be on the defensive. Every time his flame-wreathed horse hooves struck the road, they shattered a large chunk of asphalt, leaving a crater with every step.

Beep!

In the distance, high beams approached rapidly. A large red truck, fully loaded with cargo, was speeding down the highway.

In an instant, the driver saw two monsters taller than the top of his truck blocking the highway, locked in a violent brawl. His eyes widened in shock, and he moved to slam on the brakes.

But the heavy truck’s momentum was too great, and it plowed forward, crashing violently into the two figures.

Thud! A massive object flew out.

But it was not the Blood-Red Knight or the black smoke giant.

It was the truck that had charged into them.

The entire vehicle spun in the air, flying a dozen meters away before smashing into the grass. On the cab of the truck, two fist imprints, each deeper and wider than a washbasin, were embedded in the metal. The iron plating and internal parts had been shattered.

"Click..."

The door popped open, and a middle-aged man crawled out. Miraculously, he was completely unharmed.

The man glanced at the two figures still fighting on the road, clamped his hands over his mouth to stifle a cry, and crept away into the darkness toward the city.

On the highway, the two devilish figures faced off.

"Of all the enemies I have faced, your shell is the toughest! Below the rank of Ascendant, in terms of defense alone, I, Dan, am willing to call you the strongest!"

The face on the black smoke giant’s head opened its mouth to speak.

"And you are the most persistent person I have ever met..."

Xiunan hunched over, panting as he spoke.

"Stop the act! You started pretending to be low on stamina and drained of Ring Force ten minutes ago! Do you still want to fool me with that? Or are you trying to use those flames to exhaust my Ring Force, hoping to drag me to death with that shell of yours?"

Dan mocked Xiunan, having seen through his ruse. Without a doubt, the opponent’s greatest strength was this unbreakable shell, and his Ring Force was nearly as vast as his own.

But in terms of attack, aside from that initial sword of light, everything else was mediocre. It could hardly pose a lethal threat to the black smoke giant.

The opponent clearly knew this, so he feigned exhaustion to lure Dan into continuing the attack, constantly trading Ring Force.

That was the only way he could hope for a counter-kill.

Having seen through this, Dan would not give Xiunan that chance. A warrior needs combat intelligence. Pure brutes died early on the battlefield.

"Heh... I don't want to keep trading with you either!"

"Take my final punch!!!"

The black smoke giant suddenly roared, his four-meter-tall smoky form expanding to six meters.

"Tidal Fist!"

His strong left hand withered unnaturally, while his right hand expanded rapidly, instantly doubling in size.

With a step, the black smoke giant flickered.

A fist the size of half a truck cab descended like Mount Tai, leaving a long trail of fire in the air.

"Die!"

"THUD!!!!!"

The earth exploded, and asphalt churned. This punch felt as if it had detonated tons of explosives, the force truly heaven-shaking.

The blast could be heard from kilometers away.

On the highway, a twenty-meter stretch of the road rolled like waves on the ocean. Inch-wide fissures spread out in a radial pattern across the surface.

At the center, a cloud of black smoke swirled and condensed.

A cold face glanced down at the pitch-black hole below, sighed, and turned to leave.

Click! A similar scene occurred once more.

A large, armored hand reached out from below, but this time it grasped only empty air. A wisp of gray-black smoke spilled from between the fingers and dissipated into the wind.

"I’ll give you credit for that shell! I can’t do anything to you for now, but our Ancient Society will not let this slide. It’s a pity I couldn't tear your head off personally..."

A voice drifted from afar, growing fainter.

Click! Click! Click!

Long after, the heavily armored figure crawled out of the crater, his movements clumsy. He stood on the cracked road.

Xiunan stared quietly into the distance, still as a statue.

He radiated a powerful, heavy aura.

After a long while, he began to cough violently, as if his internal power had finally collapsed. In an instant, blood sprayed from the seams of his armor. The Pale Knight dropped heavily to his knees.

A warrior needs combat intelligence.

Dan had it, and so did Xiunan.

When you treat the false as true, the true becomes false.

This time, he had been the more skilled player.

Xiunan’s injuries were severe—so severe that the runes of the Pale Knight were flickering with instability.

During the fight, he had poured all his remaining dozen evolution points into his defensive attribute, combined with the "Heavy Armor" ability he had already upgraded five times.

That was how he had held on until the very last moment.

When he reached out to grab the giant’s ankle just now, it had been nothing more than a desperate feint. Xiunan no longer had the capacity to fight; he had lost count of how many thousands or tens of thousands of times the opponent’s fists had hammered him.

Pah!

Xiunan, having reverted to his human form, spat out a mouthful of blood.

He then stumbled away from the scene as quickly as he could.

An hour later, a black motorcade appeared on the highway. On the corner of the door, a circular flame emblem was printed, delicate and small.

Click-clack...

Red high heels touched the ground.

A shapely, slender leg stepped out.

Snap, a flame ignited on a lighter.

Lush, sexy red lips clamped onto a cigarette.

The woman walked to the edge of the battlefield, analyzing and assessing the fight with her companions.

"What intense signs of combat!"

The woman crouched down and gently pinched a piece of scorched earth. Faint smoke obscured her eyes.

"Second-Ring peak... no, it’s already at the limit!"

"Destructive power at the Second-Ring limit..."

She looked gravely at the deep crater.

The others beside her exchanged glances and immediately began taking notes.

The woman stood up and slowly walked past every gully, crater, and crack in the area. After pondering for a moment, she reached a conclusion: "These two combatants are not locals from Nilo; they are outsiders..."

Furthermore, the two had fought to a stalemate. It was unclear if this would affect the future situation in Nilo; after all, these were two top-tier Second-Ring Secret Ring Masters, nearly at the level of Ascendants. And with the deep grudge between them, they were two highly unstable factors.

A moment later, the Sacred Flame Society motorcade departed quickly.

Following them, investigators from various other factions arrived, until the authorities finally dispatched police to cordon off the area.

Yellow caution tape surrounded the vast area, and vehicles that were meant to pass were diverted.

The next day, many supernatural factions in Nilo received two pieces of news. First, the Golden Spiral organization had once again struck at the underground forces of the Sacred Flame Society in the Sunset District.

During the battle, they displayed new abilities and achieved an incredibly low loss ratio. An unprecedented Ring Force membrane had appeared in this fight.

"Conversion Pendant"—a new name for a supernatural artifact had reached the ears of many factions in Nilo.

Because of this, many factions were restless.

The Ice Bird Saint Cult and the Charm Desire Club both sent personnel to inquire with the Golden Spiral organization. It seemed they had received some preliminary promises and appeared quite confident.

Especially the Charm Desire Club; they seemed to be planning to send a member to the Golden Spiral organization for an exchange soon. The specifics were still undecided.

Aside from this news, another piece of information also drew attention. Last night, in the western suburbs of Nilo, two outside Second-Ring limit Secret Ring Masters had engaged in a fierce battle, with a front line stretching over ten kilometers.

The destruction at the two most extreme spots was severe; several factories in the western industrial zone were destroyed. Building walls were leveled, and traces of battle were everywhere.

The main road in the western suburbs was damaged, with a twenty-meter stretch of the road showing massive spiderweb-like cracks.

In the center of the road, there was a giant crater over ten meters deep. One could glimpse the destructive power of both sides.

These two events brought no small waves to the supernatural world of Nilo, and many were digging for information.

Meanwhile, in the Pale Laboratory.

The bloodless Xiunan was submerged in a vat of bubbling potion, the black liquid emitting a pungent odor.

"Truly a wretched state..." he muttered to himself.

"But fortunately, it was not without gains."

Xiunan extended his right hand and took a bottle from the table beside him; it contained a viscous brown liquid.