Apocalypse Forecast

Darkness truly enveloped everything before Huai Shi's eyes.

A suffocating darkness gushed forth from his chest like a tsunami, swallowing everything in sight.

It was as though strong acid and strong alkali were mixed together, a giant ice cube thrown into molten steel, a pheasant tossed into a den of wolves.

In any case, it was a clash of heaven and earth, fuel to the fire, or rather... in short, it had become a mess akin to a chaotic idiom chain game.

It felt as if he had swallowed several kilograms of homemade explosives; Huai Shi coughed violently, expelling dark mists and sparks from his nose and mouth.

The moment the three portions of Liberator Dust were stuffed into his chest, they disintegrated and melted on their own, unleashing a splendid radiance. Then, the darkness coiled there, as if provoked, collided with the light, erupting with an indescribably tangible and fierce impact.

Huai Shi could feel the Stigmata, now pervading his body like a nervous and circulatory system, trembling violently under the stimulus of the Liberator Dust, continuously bringing forth a strength he had not anticipated.

Then, it forcibly took control of all his organs.

Black rivers surged within his frame, replacing the flow of his blood. The firelight of Apocalypse flickered within, overriding the transmission of neural signals. Raging dark tides permeated every inch of his body, swallowing the human form that anchored his existence.

In an instant, the card named Huai Shi was forcibly flipped, hiding the boy in the darkness and replacing him with the Yin Soul that had been slumbering within.

He could no longer feel body temperature, heartbeat, or the expansion and contraction of his lungs during breathing.

On his chest, the dark fissure, originally the size of a coffee mug, instantly doubled, revealing vortex-like flames swirling within.

As the molten vortex pulsed, immense power coursed through the dark rivers, surging into his limbs and frame.

The terrifying lethality, accumulated from countless records of death, finally underwent a qualitative transformation through the Stigmata. At this very moment, a quantitative accumulation sparked a qualitative leap.

He had truly transformed into something non-human.

He became the Yin Soul!

He was burning, bathed in tangible, icy flames.

As his hand swept across the Axe, a layer of pitch-black lightning ignited along its edge. As Huai Shi brandished it, the lightning lashed the air, leaving trails of frost in its wake.

Gone were its original warmth and brilliance, replaced by the icy grip of death and thunder as dark and still as the abyss.

Under the influence of the rapidly increasing concentration of Apocalypse in his blood, Heart Poison and thunder merged, creating a new qualitative change.

What is this?

Startled, Huai Shi stared at his unfamiliar body. So, I've finally stopped being a Negative Energy Producer, only to become a Negative Energy Engine?

Either way, it was good news.

Feeling the power, like nuclear fission, surging from the collision between Apocalypse and Liberator Dust, Huai Shi grinned broadly, reveling in this unprecedented fullness and fervor.

His gaze towards Qi Wen became even more delighted.

"Take this! Primordial Chaos: Heaven and Earth Splitter!!!"

Completely disregarding his lack of copyright for the move, and the fact that "Primordial Chaos: Heaven and Earth Splitter" wasn't even this kind of ridiculous technique, Huai Shi roared, charging forward with a leaping cleave!

BOOM!

Thunder exploded, and dark currents were unleashed.

As the Axe of Anger fell, the dark thunder clinging to its blade erupted, spreading Huai Shi's seven years of accumulated rage and murderous intent as it surged forward.

Instantly, a rift tore through Qi Wen's twisted body, nearly bisecting him from head to toe.

Where it passed, only horrific, charred blackness remained, showing no sign of recovery. The desolation of ruin and the frost of death descended upon that mire-like body with the Axe Blade's cleave.

Black blood screamed as it was vaporized by the dark thunder.

Qi Wen howled, a chaotic mass of limbs tangling towards Huai Shi. But in the next instant, from the spreading iron-gray mist, a burning Evil Ghost grinned, lifting its arms, its Hand Axe and Sacrificial Knife spread like wings.

The next moment, countless bolts of dark thunder shot out, crisscrossing through the air with Huai Shi's swings, leaving ghastly trails.

The Theravada Dual Sword Technique, modified beyond recognition, now moved at a speed nearly invisible to the naked eye. In this storm-like flurry of blows, Qi Wen's body twitched in agony, his twisted face thoroughly minced.

In a fleeting exchange, Huai Shi streaked past Qi Wen, not looking back as he charged into the depths of the thick black blood, targeting Qi Yuan.

Behind him, the twisted limbs of Qi Wen stiffened in the air.

Countless dense slashes appeared on his body, already riddled with cuts. Then, it exploded violently, shattering into thousands of pieces, which were then completely vaporized into dust by the bursting dark thunder.

No trace was left behind.

Huai Shi, meanwhile, had already broken through the obstructing blood curtain, effortlessly storming into the battle, his Axe Blade swinging towards Qi Yuan, who had his back to him.

Dark thunder and black blood collided, causing a thunderous explosion and leaving a gruesome gash in the back of Qi Yuan's head.

"What is that!"

He whirled around in astonishment, his gaze fixed on the burning Huai Shi. He swung his hand furiously, and the black blood boiled. Promptly, a colossal hand emerged from the swirling black blood, smashing Huai Shi away.

"Hello, I'm Crying Doge. Today, we're not discussing Sorrow, nor are we playing Chopin..."

Twisting his neck, Huai Shi slowly advanced again. "Let's just talk about collecting my dues, shall we!"

Today, I, Huai Shi, will show you! No one escapes after owing money to Huaihai Road Little Peppa! No one!

"Get lost!" Li Jian Amber raged, "The head is mine!"

"Bullshit! You think you can just call dibs on someone else's kill with empty words and act all righteous about it?" Huai Shi disregarded her protest, swung his Axe again, and leaped up. "Let me tell you, this head is mine!"

BANG!

Black blood erupted.

The black blood coiling around Qi Yuan expanded drastically, countless pupils growing within it, opening and closing with the flow of the blood, indifferently watching them.

"It seems I've truly been... underestimated."

The terrifying shadow of the headless neck rose again. The bloody stump of a neck suddenly stretched out, emitting a piercing scream from the void.

The sharp scream nearly shredded the air, carrying waves of blood-red ripples, rushing in all directions, causing all living things in its path to wither away.

Except for Huai Shi.

In a sense, after drinking the black blood of Nine Phoenix, Qi Yuan was no longer human but had become a part of Nine Phoenix.

Within the current subway network, including this location, were ten altars providing support for Nine Phoenix's Metamorphosis. In turn, Nine Phoenix bestowed its power upon these devout Believers through the black blood to protect itself during its vulnerable Metamorphosis stage.

As a newly baptized Believer, Qi Yuan had been bestowed the power of the Ghost Car—the entity symbolized by the one missing head among Nine Phoenix's nine, and the origin of its title "Ghost Car."

Legend had it that its scream possessed the power to seize souls; any ordinary person hearing this scream would have their Source Substance extracted in an instant, turning into sustenance for Nine Phoenix.

Even Sublimators found it difficult to resist such a ferocious impact and absorption.

Enveloped by the crimson waves, Huai Shi felt darkness cloud his vision. The fire of Source Substance burning on his body was being drawn out by the scream, pulled towards Qi Yuan.

Qi Yuan sneered, forcibly seizing this power from Huai Shi. But his smile didn't last long; his complexion turned a sickly greenish-black.

The Heart Poison originating from death and the massive despair carried by Apocalypse burned his palm like fire, instantly charring his arm to a crisp.

Huai Shi could only laugh internally at the sight.

The Yin Soul Saint Mark was an auxiliary-type Stigma. Others might fear accepting its power, but Huai Shi never hesitated to give it.

Swallowing my Source Substance now? What's the difference between that and directly consuming poison?

Even if Nine Phoenix itself could withstand this death-derived poison, that doesn't mean you, a mere faucet hooked up to its pipes, can handle it recklessly!

But what shocked Qi Yuan even more was that the power and attributes within that fire of Source Substance were, in fact, the Natural Enemy of his black blood.

It was too ironic—the power possessed by the Ranch Owner, who represented destruction, was life, yet those who came to subdue Qi Yuan represented death. Wasn't there something quite wrong here?

He waved his hand frantically, relying on a massive torrent of black blood to forcibly extinguish those flames. His charred palm regrew, and his gaze towards Huai Shi no longer held disdain, but was filled with caution and murderous intent.

But before he could act, a whooshing sound came from behind him.

The naginata cleaved through the air!

In Li Jian Amber's hands, the weapon that shifted between a wakizashi and a naginata was shockingly deadly. It was evident she was highly skilled. Whether it was the ko-dachi, uchigatana, or the exaggeratedly long nodachi, or even when it transformed into the two-handed naginata, the transitions were seamless and flawless, her stances perfect. Even Huai Shi, with his combat Skills honed through countless deaths, couldn't find any flaws.

Having weathered the recent scream, she seemed to have suffered no effects at all.

The instant the blood-red waves swept in, a glow emanated from the Amulet at her waist. A pentagram flashed behind her for a moment, enveloping her.

And the fierce Prajna Mask directly devoured the Source Impact carried within the scream. Counting the eerie weapon in her hands, there were already three Border Relics!

The string of Buddha Beads on her wrist and the boots on her feet, which allowed her to perform a second jump in mid-air with a forceful stomp, were clearly no ordinary items either.

Why is this woman so rich!

I need to find a way to latch onto this rich woman... no, that's not right!

Huai Shi subconsciously slapped his own face. He was being corrupted by Liu DongLi! I have over ten million at home; why would I need a sugar mama? First, I need to snatch this kill!

Whether it was telepathic understanding or simply that all dirty tricks in the world are fundamentally the same, these two, despite never having met, suddenly coordinated their attacks with a surprising degree of tactical sense. Essentially, one would draw Firepower from the front while the other sought an opportunity for a sneak attack from behind.

They took turns backstabbing, somehow chaotically gaining the upper hand.

Even with the power bestowed by Nine Phoenix, Qi Yuan had never encountered such close-quarters maniacs. And now there were two of them—it was doubly nauseating.

For a while, he was actually flustered.

After furiously repelling the naginata's strike, the eyes on Qi Yuan's back saw the burning youth charging madly towards him, his axe and knife cleaving down with dark lightning.

Then, from within the boiling black blood, two arms suddenly sprouted, incredibly catching the descending axe and knife.

A deadlock ensued.

During the standoff, the Yin Soul within the flames slowly curled his lips into a smile. He spoke softly, his voice seeming to come from behind his crossed axe and knife, "You know, Ah Yuan, as pathetic as you look when you're angry, your fighting style... it's truly like that amateur, Cai X..."

BOOM!

The enraged scream of Nine Phoenix burst forth.