Apotheosis

He pulled out the dagger fiercely, splattering blood on the dead leaves that surrounded Josef's body on the ground. Zen was not someone who condoned killing, but if he hadn't known how to use the Spiritual Thorn, he would have been the one dead right now. He could not afford to show mercy to anyone who wanted to take his life.

"You are dead!" The general from the imperial army sprinted to him, his life vitality surging up and turning into a Five-Clawed Golden Dragon. It was burning in red-hot flames. The heat waves rushed to Zen, crackling with terrifying power.

"Illuminating Soul Realm!"

Zen twisted his lips. This was the second refiner at the Illuminating Soul Realm he had encountered.

He had confronted Vale before, who was also an Illuminating Soul Realm refiner. Zen was weak before his formidable energy. He had no chance to fight back.

The Illuminating Soul Realm could burn life vitality and magnify its power by more than ten times. It could kill the nature creatures as easily as an ordinary person could kill an ant.

Zen clearly knew very well how potent the refiner at the Illuminating Soul Realm was. He could only step back and retreat.

But the Five-Clawed Golden Dragon, created by life vitality, seemed to have anticipated it. It pursued Zen forcibly, not giving up until it had swallowed him down its throat.

Just then, Zen heard Nina shout at him. "Zen, get down!"

Without hesitation, Zen leaned forward and rolled down to lie flat on the ground.

With a roar, the Shock Dragon flew above Zen's head and abruptly collided with the Five-Clawed Golden Dragon.

Nina's Shock Dragon was equivalent to a full attack of an Illuminating Soul Realm refiner, but she didn't have the ability to fully control it. Thus, powerful as the hidden weapon was, it couldn't hit the target accurately.

tood like a wall.

The gaps between different strengths could be narrowed by other means, like super weapons, unique cultivation methods, talent, and technique.

But the gap between Zen and the general was a broad moat with no way to close the distance, and taking all things into consideration, it was impossible for him to surpass it.

The general of the imperial army declaring a war on Zen was equivalent to a death sentence.

Zen stood before the daunting Five-Clawed Golden Dragon and felt his life energy surging out of his body through his navel, like high tidal waves forging ahead, finally gathering into his fists.

"Heavenly Ogre Fist -Ogres Shaking the World!"

Zen had once used this punch to block the full blow of a refiner at the Illuminating Soul Realm before.

His strength and his technique must have risen up by several notches since then. He felt far less anxious facing the general than when he battled Vale. Zen figured that the general was not on the same level of strength as Vale.

As Zen struck the powerful blow with his fist, the demonic life energy gathered forward and molded itself into a purple-black shadow of a tight fist, smashing hard at the gargantuan dragon.