Chapter 149: Annihilation Death Ray

Initially, none of them had ever expected that Li Ren, with his current strength, would be able to handle the Skeleton King's overwhelmingly fierce offensive. Yet, after he truly withstood it head-on, they felt no sense of astonishment.

After all, to put it bluntly, the two figures before them could essentially be considered the same person, differing only in their physical vessels. Speaking of which, as one of the original denizens of the Underworld, the Skeleton King had descended into this gaming world with countless years of accumulated power, rendering his physical form immensely formidable.

Although Li Ren had evolved slowly from a fragile little skeleton and had not existed for very long, he had experienced all sorts of fortuitous encounters along this journey, further supplemented by the body-refining properties of heavenly fire. In terms of the essence of his physical body, it was only a fraction inferior to that of the Skeleton King.

The two clashed at lightning speed, and ear-piercing shrieks constantly burst forth in mid-air. Shockwaves rippled outwards in concentric water-like rings, causing the stone pillars they swept past to tremble slightly and erupt into clouds of fine powder.

The sound waves generated by their combat alone reached such a terrifying magnitude that if either of them were to actually land a direct blow, probably no one present would be able to survive it.

Li Ren stared fixedly ahead. Suddenly, his shoulder twitched sideways in what seemed like a redundant motion, but an abruptly materialized bone blade viciously stabbed into the exact spot where his shoulder had previously been!

After countless rounds of engagement, the bones of both combatants had become somewhat battered and tattered, with numerous slash wounds crisscrossing the skeletal frames of their entire bodies.

Fortunately, both were merely skeletons; even if they were genuinely struck, they would not experience the incessant bleeding typical of living mortals, thereby sparing them the awkward predicament of collapsing from excessive blood loss.

Precisely because of this, the duel between them appeared all the more perilous.

Their resilient bones grew increasingly dilapidated with every single clash; some even looked as weathered and parched as if they were on the verge of cracking, seeming as though the slightest additional force could snap them in half.

"You let me down, but your strength didn't disappoint me after all." Standing far off to the side, the Skeleton King panted heavily. The bone armor that had originally belonged to him was long gone, and practically not a single intact bone remained on his entire body.

"I never expected your strength to have diminished to such a degree. Truly disappointing," Li Ren retorted unceremoniously.

"Hmph, sharp-tongued boy. This strength of mine is still quite enough to deal with someone as irresolute as you. Just wait in peace for your doom!" The Skeleton King smiled coldly. He forcefully drove the bone blade he had been holding into the ground beside him, burying the blade almost entirely and leaving only the hilt exposed, gleaming with a chilling light.

The Skeleton King's freed hands slowly formed an extremely intricate posture before his chest, his fingers twisting and intertwining in a bizarre fashion that induced a faint ache in the heart of anyone who looked upon it.

Observing this strange stance, Li Ren knew deep down that since his opponent had discarded his weapon, the impending technique would undoubtedly be even more terrifying than the last.

Gravity no longer sufficed to describe his current state of mind; it was a profound and creeping dread.

Naturally, Li Ren was not foolish enough to stand idly by and watch the Skeleton King cast his skill in place. The very instant the Skeleton King began posing to channel his technique, Li Ren surged forward.

The Violet-Gold Winged Deity in his hand slashed mercilessly toward the Skeleton King's position.

Moving at an extreme velocity, the blade seemed almost capable of tearing through space itself, abruptly materializing directly above the Skeleton King's head.

Yet, the Skeleton King paid no heed to this ferocious, cleaving sword strike hurtling toward him. When the Violet-Gold Winged Deity was merely a meter away from his crown, a suddenly manifested black barrier abruptly blocked it out.

Although the barrier appeared to be a mere thin layer, it possessed extraordinary resilience, with even Li Ren's fierce blade managing to carve only a microscopic fissure into its surface.

The recoil reverberating from the impact sent a searing jolt of pain through Li Ren's own wrist.

The Violet-Gold Winged Deity was violently bounced upward, and a flicker of altered emotion crossed Li Ren's eyes.

A chilling aura of danger emanated from the Skeleton King's hands, piercing deeply into Li Ren's soul. As if plunging into an ice cellar, Li Ren felt as though the surrounding air itself was about to freeze over.

That visceral sensation of standing face-to-face with life and death drove Li Ren to concentrate his mental focus to an unprecedented degree.

The rebound-elevated Violet-Gold Winged Deity descended once more in an instant, leaving behind countless afterimages in the air as it struck an innumerable number of times within the span of a single heartbeat.

The rapidly slashing blade blurred into a wall of light in the sky, resembling a gigantic, golden-glowing cleaver crashing straight down upon the protective barrier over the Skeleton King's head.

The barrier suddenly began to vibrate violently. At the point of impact where the blade fell, a series of splintering cracks emerged. Just before the luminous shield was on the verge of shattering completely, the Skeleton King's voice drifted leisurely across: "Pity, you are still a fraction too slow."

Li Ren's expression altered drastically; his figure instantly evacuated his current location, shooting away into the distance at high speed.

At the point where the Skeleton King's hands were intertwined, a thin thread of black light materialized at his fingertips, slowly revolving around them.

Though it appeared to be merely an infinitely slender strand of light, an intensely freezing sensation surged within the heart of Li Ren, who was already standing far away.

"It's actually the Annihilation Death Light! Damn it!" Li Ren roared inwardly, his complexion turning increasingly grim.

This Annihilation Death Light was a legendary remnant of the destructive force that existed at the birth of the world. Anything struck by this condensed beam of death was instantly reduced to ashes. Furthermore, this specific strand of Annihilation Death Light had once been the ultimate trump card of the Underworld Lord, Hades himself. It could be said that anyone who encountered this entity was essentially guaranteed their doom.

"I originally had no wish to employ such a thing, but it seems that without it, I truly have no way to subdue you. If this drags on any longer, it will not bode well," said the Skeleton King—or rather, the Lord of the Underworld, Hades, who had vanished for countless ages—as he slowly spoke.

Li Ren stared fixedly at the thin thread of black light in the Skeleton King's grasp, and gradually, his heart settled.

"If my eyes do not deceive me, that is hardly the Annihilation Death Light," Li Ren shook his head, a hint of disdain coloring his tone.

"If it were truly the Annihilation Death Light, it would not be in its current state. Moreover, if you genuinely still possessed that ray of light, I would seriously doubt whether anything that happened to you in the past was real at all."