High Martial: I Grind Professions

Chapter 396: Chapter 236: One Slash

It was a mixture of absolute shock, utter disbelief, and a stupor, as if he had been smashed by a colossal, invisible hammer.

His jaw hung open, wide enough to fit an egg, and his eyes were so wide they seemed ready to pop out of their sockets.

All the mockery, anger, and disdain on his face froze and shattered in an instant, leaving only a blank, bewildered expression.

He felt his understanding of the world, his very pride, get utterly crushed to dust in that single moment by the horrifying, Venerable Level fluctuation.

His body was rigid, as if pinned in place by an unseen force. Only a single thought roared wildly in his mind:

’He isn’t a new King?! He... He already has the battle power of a Venerable?! How is that possible?!’

Heaven-Dominating King’s forward charge came to an abrupt halt, the urgency and worry on his face instantly replaced by unparalleled shock.

His mouth hung slightly open, and he froze mid-air as if petrified.

He was closer, so he felt it most clearly. It was, without a doubt, the genuine pressure of the Venerable Level.

Several times stronger than even himself!

’No wonder... No wonder he was so confident! How ridiculous my earlier worries and assessments seem now.’

The Space Law that Celestial Martial King had been gathering quietly dissipated. A brilliant light erupted in his deep eyes, and for the first time, the corners of his mouth curved up slightly in astonishment.

’So that’s how it is! No wonder the core of the Fire Hall fluctuated that day...’

Ling Feng was stunned at first, then an immense joy surged through his heart.

King of the Nine Netherworld, Yan Dan King, Sun Rui... all the Human Race experts present, regardless of their previous opinions...

...were now, without exception, wearing expressions of absolute shock.

They felt like they were witnessing a miracle!

”HISS—!”

In the distant Demon Race camp, the deathly silence was broken by the sound of sharp intakes of breath.

The Golden Roc King’s golden pupils suddenly shrank to the size of a pinprick, his sharp gaze filled with unprecedented gravity and suspicion:

”Venerable Level battle power?! Since when did the Human Race have another figure like this?!”

The Dark Gold Giant Lizard King’s cold, vertical pupils fluctuated violently. The dark gold scales covering its body bristled instinctively—a natural reaction to sensing extreme danger.

The Titan Giant’s mountain-like body trembled violently. The excitement in its eyes was instantly replaced by horror, and it subconsciously brought its massive fists up to guard its front.

”Venerable Level battle power,” the Profound Turtle Old Demon King growled, his voice cracking.

For the first time, his old face lost all composure, leaving only thick fear and lingering dread.

It finally understood where that feeling of wrongness had come from.

This human wasn’t some newly crowned King at all, but a monster who had hidden his cultivation.

A monster possessing Venerable Level battle power.

Its so-called unbreakable Profound Heaven Tortoise Shell seemed to ache faintly before that piercing Blade Intent.

Under the focus of countless gazes filled with shock, terror, stupor, and ecstasy.

Upon the Tiger King’s face, which was twisted and deformed by extreme fear.

The long blade in Li Wen’s hand, carrying the terrifying might of his fused Primordial Spirit True Aura, amplified more than twentyfold...

...under the ultimate control of [Absolute Focus], swung forward—understated, yet as fast as a stream of light!

”Void Break!”

The moment the blade struck, all was silent.

Only the blade’s light, which stunned the entire Star Domain, became the sole color between heaven and earth.

Wherever it passed, space shattered like fragile glass, leaving behind a deep, black trail.

The ferocious Law of Thunder and the pure true meaning of speed were compressed to their absolute limit.

Carrying the will to sever all and annihilate all techniques, it instantly devoured the Tiger King’s seemingly world-destroying claws, along with his enormous, horrified body.

There was no earth-shattering explosion, only a short, desperate roar that was cut off, as if a throat had been strangled.

The light faded.

The spatial fissure slowly closed.

In that spot, only the indifferent figure of Li Wen remained, blade in hand.

As for the imposing and arrogant peak Great Demon King—the Tiger King—he, along with his claws that could tear apart stars, had vanished.

Only a cloud of scarlet mist, rapidly annihilating in the chaotic energy, silently spoke of the... terror of that last strike!

The entire core region of the Star Domain seemed to have been muted, with only the silent flow of the Laws’ halos remaining.

”This... This is just too strong.” Sun Rui’s voice was incomparably hoarse, breaking the frozen silence.

His lips were slightly parted and his eyes were wide, as if he were seeing for the first time this companion who had fought alongside him and comprehended the Laws on the edge of the thunder with him.

That casual-looking strike not only killed a Great Demon King, but it also completely overturned his understanding of the limits of combat power.

Within Celestial Martial King’s deep, star-like eyes, indescribable waves were currently churning violently.

He had personally witnessed Li Wen’s journey from his weak state upon entering the Star Domain, to stepping into the Domain Realm, and now... killing the Tiger King, who was comparable to an entry-level Venerable, in a single strike.

The terrifying growth speed and unparalleled combat power on display caused even him, a man known as the number one King of the Human Race, to feel monstrous waves crashing in his heart.

He sensed a pressure within Li Wen’s strike that far surpassed an ordinary entry-level Venerable. It was... power that had truly reached the level of a normal Venerable!

Celestial Martial King’s inner shock was beyond measure.

A muscle twitched unconsciously on Heaven-Dominating King’s iron-hard face.

He subconsciously compared the Li Wen before him with Celestial Martial King in his mind.

’Celestial Martial King suppresses the Star Domain, his reputation renowned, relying on deep accumulation and formidable combat power. But Li Wen... the instantaneous destructive force that erupted from that last strike, that unstoppable sharpness...’

’Fast! Ruthless! Absolute! In terms of pure instantaneous killing power, it might even be... superior to Celestial Martial King!’ The thought popped up uncontrollably, making his own heart palpitate.

Myriad Phenomena King, Ling Feng, and the others were even more thunderstruck.

They had just thought it was outrageous enough that Li Wen could reach the combat power of an entry-level Venerable. But now, he had killed a peak Great Demon King who was close to that level in a single strike.

The color on Myriad Phenomena King’s face completely froze, turning into a blank slate.

He had once thought Li Wen’s devotion to scholarly pursuits was a waste of talent. Now, his own cheeks burned as if slapped.

’One strike... Just one strike! The Tiger King, with power approaching an entry-level Venerable, couldn’t even resist...’ An immense sense of relief and excitement surged in Ling Feng’s heart.

’A King Realm killing a peak Great Demon King in an instant... How is this wasting time? This is clearly finding a shortcut to the heavens, accumulating power to unleash it all at once, and soaring to the sky in a single leap!’

”The new number one King of the Human Race?” Someone muttered in a daze. Though the voice was quiet, it clearly reached everyone’s ears.

There was no need for further debate; the bloody answer was right before their eyes.

Was this still a King? This was clearly a monstrous Venerable walking the Star Domain! A future pillar of the Human Race!

In stark contrast to the atmosphere of infinite ecstasy and excitement mixed with shock in the Human Race’s camp, the Demon Race’s camp was plunged into an icy abyss of panic.

”D-Dead?” The Profound Turtle Old Demon King’s wrinkled cheeks turned deathly pale in an instant.

His beady eyes stared fixedly at the spot where the Tiger King had vanished, his voice trembling uncontrollably.

His impenetrable armor, which was his pride, had been broken by Celestial Martial King before, but at least he was confident it could withstand a few more heavy blows.

But facing Li Wen’s last strike... he felt his tortoise shell probably couldn’t even block it for an instant.

The Golden Roc King, the Red-Scaled Dragon King, and the other peak Great Demon Kings whose strength was on par with the Tiger King’s were similarly scared out of their wits.

A chill, born from seeing one of their own kind fall, instantly seized their hearts.

”One strike... just one strike!”

”If he can kill the Tiger King, he can kill us!”

”Flee! Flee now!”

Panic spread like a plague in an instant.

Without a shred of hesitation, and with no time to consider the Demon Race’s dignity or their plan to encircle the humans...

...the four peak Great Demon Kings unleashed their ultimate life-saving techniques at almost the exact same moment.

They transformed into four streams of light, each a different color and moving at astonishing speed, fleeing for their lives in different directions into the depths of the Star Domain.

The Golden Roc King beat his wings, and a brilliant golden light flared.

Space itself seemed to fold. He was so fast that he left a series of illusory afterimages in his wake.

In an instant, he shot out dozens of miles, using his renowned ”Golden Roc Void-Piercing Escape.”

The Giant Ape Great Demon King’s body erupted in blood-red flames. His form shrank as his speed surged, and he shot through space like a searing blood-red line.

The Red Scale King, on the other hand, transformed into a nearly transparent shadow, melting into a spatial fissure and silently speeding away.

The Profound Turtle Old Demon King was the clumsiest, but he gritted his teeth and burned his essence blood. An earthen-yellow Demon Power enveloped his body, and he hurtled in one direction like a meteor.

”Trying to run? Too late.”

Li Wen’s indifferent voice sounded, as calm as still water.

Since he had chosen to make a display of his power on this occasion, he didn’t mind eliminating the threats completely.

He hadn’t acted before because he couldn’t be bothered to waste his time. Now that they had all come close, it was a simple matter to take care of them.

Before his voice had even faded, Li Wen’s figure had already vanished from his original spot.

There was no earth-shattering commotion, only a spatial ripple so faint it was almost imperceptible.

His target was none other than the fastest and most dazzling of the fleeing lights: the Golden Roc King.

”Hmph! Chasing me?” The Golden Roc King sensed the aura rapidly approaching from behind, clinging to him like maggots on a bone. Although alarmed, he still held a sliver of pride and confidence born from his bloodline,

”When it comes to speed, who have we of the Golden Roc clan ever feared? Even many Demon Saints can’t catch me!”

He had absolute confidence in his extreme speed. He beat his wings frantically, pushing his ”Golden Roc Void-Piercing Escape” to its absolute limit.

The golden light blurred into a continuous streak as his speed soared once more, attempting to shake off the presence behind him.

However, less than a breath later...

The confidence in the Golden Roc King’s sharp, eagle-like eyes was instantly consumed by boundless terror.

He discovered, to his utter horror, that the faint spatial fluctuation in his senses representing Li Wen had not fallen behind.

On the contrary, it was steadily and unstoppably closing the distance at a terrifying speed.

”How is this possible?! His speed... How can he be so much faster than me?!”

The Golden Roc King completely panicked. A chill shot up from his tailbone straight to the crown of his head.