Zhang Yong awoke in his cave in Helheim, his spiritual body vibrating with the frequencies of the new energy he had acquired. His eyes opened to the world of grey shadows, but now the vision was different – clearer, sharper.
"I... finally understand," he whispered in a hoarse voice, raising his hand before his eyes. He then created a spear from Death Qi and gripped it tightly.
Spear Path – Dragon Slaying Spear Intent
A red dragon's body appeared around the spear, crimson scales gleaming with intricate patterns enveloping the weapon, with glowing white eyes.
When Zhang Yong unleashed the Spear Intent, it moved like a real dragon pouncing on its prey.
A trail of light followed the spear's path, accompanied by a sound like a dragon's roar, and it shattered the cave's ceiling.
"Yes, this Intent is stronger than the War King's Spear Intent from my past life. The seventh level is indeed stronger than the sixth." Zhang Yong smiled, then raised his hand, and his spear vanished into the air.
He sat on the ground again and prepared to form his Bow Intent this time.
He entered the Sea of Bows directly and began walking once more. In an instant, he reached the sixth level, but he did not meet the sea's guardian. This was expected.
In his past lives, he had never met the guardian before, so he anticipated this. Meeting the guardian was indeed a rare opportunity.
He exited the Sea of Bows directly and looked at his hand. He had obtained a sixth-level Bow Intent.
Bow Path – rainbow's colors Bow Intent
Zhang Yong raised his hand, and a bow appeared directly in it. He lifted it high towards the sky as he manifested his Bow Intent.
Zhang Yong raised the bow towards the dark sky of Helheim. Multiple colors gathered around him as the rainbow's colors
The arrows shot toward the sky, cutting a path through Helheim's dense fog.
The arrow exploded in the sky, releasing a wave of colorful energy that dispelled the darkness for a few seconds, revealing scenes Zhang Yong had never seen before: mountains of bones, rivers of shadows.
He sat down again, but this time his face held a satisfied smile. Then he closed his eyes.
Sixty-six years later
Zhang Yong stood again and smiled calmly. "I have charged enough Death Qi into my soul. The hundred-year mark for the resurrection opportunity is approaching."
After sixty-six years of training and meditation in the depths of Helheim, Zhang Yong stood. After hunting a number of giant and wandering souls, his soul had evolved into a Desolate Soul.
"The time has finally come," Zhang Yong whispered in a calm voice carrying a confidence that had not existed before.
His eyes had now become deeper and more mysterious. He exited the cave and headed toward the gate, where Garm sat, staring at him.
Zhang Yong sat at a distance of about fifty meters from Garm, sitting on the ground in meditation, waiting for the gate to open.
Zhang Yong continued his meditation. The dense fog of Helheim began to dance strangely, as if the universe itself was holding its breath, waiting for this moment.
Suddenly—
Creak!
The great golden gate opened slowly. The vortex of golden light inside it spun with increasing speed.
Spiritual winds rushed toward the vortex, pulling with them the black snow falling in the air.
The light rose to the sky before gradually disappearing, and the pearlescent light appeared in the middle of the gate.
At that moment, Garm rose on his legs, and his gaze showed hostility. He would not allow any soul to enter and be resurrected.
Zhang Yong dashed toward the gate with lightning speed, but Garm moved faster.
The massive beast jumped in front of the gate, opening its mouth wide to reveal countless rows of sword-sharp teeth.
But Zhang Yong was ready.
Spear Path – Dragon Slaying Spear Intent
The black spear appeared in his hand, unleashing his Spear Intent in the form of a crimson dragon that charged toward Garm.
But this time, his goal was not to pierce its body. His goal was to deceive it.
At the last moment, Zhang Yong used Earth Fold to evade the direct attack and appear directly behind Garm, in front of the glowing gate.
"It's over!" Zhang Yong shouted as he jumped toward the gate.
But Garm was not about to give up so easily. His massive, long tail struck like lightning toward Zhang Yong, releasing a wave of dark energy that tried to pull him away from the gate.
Zhang Yong felt the immense power grab him, but he smiled. "If I lacked this much determination, I wouldn't be human!"
Then he unleashed all the power he had.
Yin Path – Dark Night Flame!
Fire Path – Heavenly Sun Explosion!
Soul Path – Soul Omega!
All his techniques exploded at once, releasing a storm of black energy, dazzling lights, and immense spiritual power. White light and dark darkness mixed in a magnificent explosion, giving Zhang Yong additional propelling force toward the gate.
Garm was affected by the explosion and retreated one step. That was all Zhang Yong needed.
He jumped toward the gate and felt his spiritual body tear apart and then be reassembled as he rushed through the gate's temporal tunnel.
"See you next time!" These were Zhang Yong's last words as he disappeared into the light.
Garm growled angrily, but the gate closed before him. Zhang Yong had won this time.
---
"Zhang Yong!" Mine shouted, but it was useless.
Arthur laughed ferociously. "Yes, this is your end, Zhang Yong! This world will be destroyed by me! Hahaha!"
Just as he said that, a miracle occurred.
Mixed energy of purple and gold began to surround the headless body. Blood vessels extended, and the skull reformed again.
Blood vessels began to form again, pulsing with energy never before seen by human eyes. A purple and gold light emanated from Zhang Yong's severed neck, forming an aura surrounding his body, which began to heal with astonishing speed.
Mine, who had been crying, suddenly stopped, staring at the unexpected scene. "What...?"
Arthur, who had been laughing moments before, his evil smile froze. "Impossible! This cannot happen!"
From within the aura, Zhang Yong's body rose slowly. Bones, flesh, and nerves wove themselves anew in a scene that defied all laws of nature. His blue eyes opened suddenly, radiating a dark aura.
Zhang Yong raised his hand and activated the Wriggle Worm he had previously implanted in his heart for this moment.
The Wriggle Worm rose and emerged from Zhang Yong's mouth, releasing silken threads from its body that wrapped around his entire body.
In an instant, Zhang Yong's body transformed into a cocoon.
The cocoon suddenly exploded, releasing a shockwave of energy that pushed those around him backward.
In the center of the light, Zhang Yong appeared with a new body, more powerful and more magnificent than before. His white hair flowed like a waterfall of light, his blue eyes now radiated a deeper glow, and butterfly wings with vibrant colors appeared on his back.
Zhang Yong looked at them and smiled. "I came back from hell personally to kill you."
Zhang Yong's gaze turned toward the enemies, and he smiled with unbelievable ferocity.
Before anyone could react, Zhang Yong moved with unimaginable speed.
It wasn't Earth Fold; it was just a flash. He disappeared from his spot and appeared before Minerva.
Sealing Path – Seven Seals: Ice Seal
A freezing cold exploded from his finger, freezing Minerva in an instant, turning her into a statue of glowing blue ice before she shattered into billions of flying pieces.
Her body turned into a card and flew toward Arthur.
Abhorne didn't waste time. He drew his bowstring and launched a flaming arrow toward Zhang Yong's heart, but Zhang Yong didn't move.
The arrow pierced the air, then froze midway, turning into an ice mass that fell to the ground and shattered.
"Your arrows are too slow," said Zhang Yong, waving his hand. A sharp ice shard shot toward Abhorne at the speed of light, piercing his forehead and leaving a frozen hole in its place. Then, he turned into a card.
"Tch, damn it," Arthur cursed, then extended his hand toward Orphan and commanded, "Return!"
Orphan turned into a card and flew toward Arthur's hand. Arthur then raised his card, and it glowed with a bright golden light. He then threw the other four cards toward the light, and soon the light transformed to resemble a rainbow's glow.
The card's level had risen!
The rainbow light exploded violently, releasing immense energy that pushed Zhang Yong back several steps. From within the storm of energy, Orphan appeared again, but this time, his aura was stronger.
He now possessed a dark black armor, cracked with glowing golden lines pulsing with strange power. His massive sword, previously broken, was now reforged from shadow and light, with a blade that gleamed with a dark light that swallowed the light around it.
"Forward!" Arthur commanded, his green eyes blazing with obsessive madness and anger. "Crush him!"
Zhang Yong raised his hand, and from amidst the rubble, a red thread of energy flew and fell into his hand. Zhang Yong had regained his bone sword!
"Let's play," Zhang Yong whispered, and his smile was no longer human.
Orphan moved first. His dual dark sword sliced through space itself, leaving a tail of darkness behind. But Zhang Yong no longer needed to dodge.
Clang!
With a simple movement, the bone sword intercepted the strike. There was no shock, no sparks, no sound of explosion. Just the clash between the two.
Orphan's expressionless eyes widened for the first time in pure shock before Zhang Yong pushed him back easily, creating an air vortex from the sheer force.
Zhang Yong smiled as his Death Qi rose and flew into the air. Soon, Zhang Yong split into two identical copies.
Using the concept that "Death is alive," he could create a semi-living copy of himself, possessing all his abilities. However, he could only create one.
Orphan rose and flew into the air while suddenly disappearing and appearing directly before Zhang Yong, where their swords met in the air.
Zhang Yong recoiled back a few meters. The giant butterfly wings behind him flapped slowly to maintain his balance. The other copy of him remained standing in its place, its two blue, expressionless eyes staring at Orphan.
"Impressive," whispered the original Zhang Yong, lightly touching the edge of his bone sword. "Your card has truly been given a boost. But..." He smiled, and that smile carried enough cold to freeze ice itself. "Do you really think this is enough?"
He didn't wait for a reply. He and his copy moved in perfect harmony. The original Zhang Yong attacked from the front, his bone sword gleaming with a mysterious golden light, while the copy pounced from behind, its fingers forming the White Tiger Claws from Death Qi.
Orphan, with his black armor cracked with gold, spun in place with astonishing speed. His dark sword drew a complete circle around him, releasing a wave of black energy that pushed both attacks away for a moment.
The swords and claws collided with the wave, releasing a sharp metallic resonance that shook space itself. The air around them vibrated more, dust and debris flying in the air.
The three began to soar, and their strikes intertwined in the air. The sky began to gleam – golden light and two dark lights colliding simultaneously in the sky.
The sky began to resemble a canvas of chaos, where golden lines and dark shadows intersected in a sacred battle.
Each clash between Zhang Yong and Orphan shook the heavens, leaving behind cracks in space that gleamed and then vanished.
Neither Mine nor Arthur could do anything but stare at that battle. It was a battle on an entirely different level.
"You are just a puppet!" shouted the original Zhang Yong as his bone sword devoured the daylight. "An enhanced card is still just a card!"
Orphan retreated, his black, gold-cracked armor deflecting a simultaneous attack from both Zhang Yongs. But even his primordial armor began to show cracks under the sustained assault.
An unpleasant creaking sound emanated from the black, gold-cracked armor, like the moan of a real being under torture. The glowing golden lines seemed to bleed bright golden energy with each blow it received.
"Not yet!" shouted Arthur from below, his face distorted with anger and despair. He raised his hands, and the silver and purple cards began to glow violently before shattering into glowing dust.
This dust was drawn toward Orphan like swarms of angry golden bees, repairing the cracked armor in an instant and adding a new layer of fierce golden glow.
Orphan rose even higher. His aura was now a strange mix of dark shadow and bright gold.
His massive sword doubled in size. He now wielded a sword of absolute shadow in one hand and a sword of pure golden light in the other.
The original Zhang Yong stopped for a moment, his narrowed blue eyes assessing the situation. Even his copy stopped motionless, awaiting the command.
Without any signal, Zhang Yong and his copy attacked again. But this time, his strategy was different.
Instead of a direct attack, they began to circle Orphan at blinding speeds, leaving behind misty trails of Death Qi and spiritual energy.
The two performed hand signs simultaneously, and the atmosphere began to change.
Sixth-Rank Formation – Heavenly Cage Formation!
The misty trails they left behind began to solidify, forming an intricate network of purple lines that trapped Orphan within a radius of hundreds of meters, covering the sky.
The network flickered with a mysterious purple light, and inside it, the forces of gravity and space began to twist madly.
Orphan, trapped inside the cage, began to sway more slowly, his movement severely restricted. He tried to raise his swords to cut the network, but each strike was repelled with a shocking force that returned to him.
Zhang Yong seized this moment. He and his copy stood at two opposite points outside the network. Each raised a hand – the copy Zhang Yong with its right palm, where a dark black sphere of Death Qi gathered, while the original raised his left hand, where a pure, bright white sphere of Life Qi gathered.
Yin-Yang Formation for Absolute Harmony
Then they pushed the two spheres toward each other across the energetic wall of the network. The two spheres – the absolute power of death and life – merged in the center of the cage where Orphan stood.
There was no sound. Just a flash of black and white light that swallowed everything inside the cage. When the light faded, Orphan was no more. Only remnants of glowing golden energy floated in the air before dissipating.