Chapter 170: The Dark Angel King (3)

No matter what happened, even if Sa’an managed to survive with Yun Shang’s help, for a proud king, it would be no different than death. A true Dark Emperor would never allow himself to be rescued by others.

The Kadith Dragon Clan would never intervene, for they well understood that Sa’an would rather die than allow others to interfere.

The invisible sword had reappeared, yet it had now fostered a more powerful, faster, and inconceivable force. Unstoppable and heavy as ten thousand tons, it pierced straight toward Sa’an’s head. Nothing could block its path.

Yet Sa’an lifted his head and smiled. On his handsome, almost devilishly charming face bloomed a smile no one could understand. It was a profound smile, one capable of piercing into the soul.

Then, starting from Sa’an’s long hair, his face, shoulders, his tall, slender body, every part of him began to radiate a brilliance so intense it defied human description. Tens of thousands of suns could not rival it. The others present had to use their powers to shield their eyes, lest they be blinded.

Sa’an was completely enveloped in this radiant light. This immense glow was like the universe’s first Big Bang, concentrating all energy at a single point and erupting with unimaginable force. Or like the first ray of light in the sky after ten thousand years of darkness, a light so brilliant that it turned all darkness into light, and all light into darkness.

This unimaginable brightness slowly expanded, carrying an extraordinary power that seemed absolutely unstoppable. Yang Hao’s invisible sword was utterly ridiculous in the face of such radiance. It didn’t even get close before being blasted away into who-knows-where.

“Great Light术! Damn it, it’s the Great Light术!!” Kadith Dragon suddenly roared furiously. The dragons quickly spread their wings, completely wrapping their bodies.

Compared to others, the dragons were relatively better off. Other mid and low-level demons suffered far worse under this overwhelming brilliance. One by one, thick black smoke rose from their bodies, clearly burned by the light.

This wasn’t surprising. Though both belonged to the divine race, demons who ruled darkness possessed a black essence, and their mortal enemies were the very embodiment of light. Now, the Great Light术 (Shù) used by Sa’an represented the highest form of light magic. Fortunately, the target wasn’t the demons below, or countless more would have perished.

The Great Light technique was a supreme art among the divine race. According to legend, only the King of the Celestial Angels could wield it. In this world, probably very few people had ever witnessed it, as those who had were mostly already consumed by light and pierced through by the Sword of Light.

In the buried divine-martial war, the last sanctuary of the Celestial Angels was besieged by the dark angel army. The two sides fought until the battlefield was littered with corpses. Just when the dark angels were about to achieve total victory, the twelve-winged Celestial Angel finally unleashed this forbidden technique. Endless, blinding white light poured out from the sanctuary, illuminating the dark angels’ wings, causing pair after pair of evil wings to wither and fall. That single technique killed over ten thousand dark angels, instantly reversing the tide of battle.

Since then, no one dared to attack the sanctuary of the Celestial Angels, for the demonic race believed that the Great Light Spell, brimming with infinite power, was inscribed within the sanctuary, ready to strike down anyone harboring darkness.

But now, after a long silence, the Great Light technique had reappeared. What truly shocked everyone was that the one using it was none other than the Dark Angel King, Sa’an.

A king of darkness had unleashed the highest technique of light. Could it be that Sa’an was truly a fusion of light and darkness, an invincible god in this world?

Amid the howls of agony from the demonic race, Sa’an’s brilliance did not cease; instead, it shone even more brightly and expansively, gradually beginning to spread toward the distant Yang Hao.

Yang Hao was now truly experiencing the bitterness. He had thought that the divine race would be like his previous opponents, vulnerable to a surprise attack. But how could he have imagined the importance a king placed on his own dignity? A king could die, could perish, but would never be defeated. Therefore, Sa’an, at the risk of harming his own kind, at the risk of reshaping heaven and earth, employed the Great Light Technique. He would never allow an ordinary person to harm him—not even a single feather.

Nothing in this world could rival the Great Light technique as it approached Yang Hao. Yang Hao fully felt the oppressive force of the light. He had always believed that only dark things were evil. Yet now, under the pressure of this blinding whiteness, he clearly sensed a sinister aura—one that was seductive and intoxicating, but whose intoxication led only to death.

Yang Hao couldn’t even move, but he wasn’t surprised. It was as if he had anticipated this outcome. Perhaps, for Yang Hao at this moment, fighting against the Dark King and witnessing this unparalleled divine technique before his death was already the best possible ending.

The white light of the Great Light术 was rapidly expanding, devouring everything around it—air, sunlight, clouds, even time itself—swallowed by the endless whiteness. At an unimaginable speed, the light neared Yang Hao’s body and touched his fingertips.

Yang Hao felt pain.

This pain was unlike any before. Yang Hao had felt pain many times—when wounded by enemies, when his beloved died for him, when loyal subjects were buried, even when Hun Yuanzi was devoured by the Black Dragon. Each time, he had been overwhelmed by sorrow.

But this time, the pain was unprecedented. It was real, starting from his skin, invading his blood, and sinking deep into his heart. Yang Hao felt his fingertips burning, and indeed, they were burning. A white flower bloomed, its holy yet sinister light spreading in full bloom, slowly burning his skin.

Another flame surged from Yang Hao’s dantian. It was a black flame, one he had never noticed, not even within his own body. Yet, when the Great Light technique attacked,

this black flame stirred, unbidden yet ready, rushing forward to meet the white light head-on.

Yang Hao was in unbearable agony.

Light and darkness, forces of opposing natures, finally converged within his body. Perhaps Yang Hao didn’t yet realize it, but this was nearly a historic moment. Across eons of cosmic history, countless beings had risen and fallen, as if waiting for this very moment.

Yang Hao only felt tearing. How could he know that the black flame came from the Black Dragon’s breath, transformed into dark power? When this force collided with the light technique, the energy released was a secret from the deepest core of the universe.

Even the birth and death of the universe originated from such energy.

But Yang Hao was like being pulled into a vortex. Two completely different energies surged into his body, tearing apart every inch of his skin, every meridian, every drop of blood. He was nearly torn to pieces.

“Ahh!!! Ahhhhhhh!!!” Yang Hao screamed. The light pierced through his roaring mouth, his palms, his heart, his limbs—his entire being was enveloped in light.

White light, black light—they mixed together, forming an even more magnificent spectacle. Yang Hao was engulfed in a gorgeous flame, burning in the sky, above the clouds, becoming a blazing fireball.

The most shocking moment was for the few high-ranking divine beings who witnessed everything. Yun Shang and the Kadith Dragons could no longer speak. They alone understood what was happening, yet each of them found it impossible to believe. Even though the truth lay before their eyes, they still thought it was absolutely impossible, for it was merely a legend, a story even the divine race regarded as myth.

If one were to trace the origin of this legend, it would begin with the birth of the universe. The universe in which all now lived originated from a mysterious explosion billions of years ago. The Big Bang from the cosmic singularity was the greatest mystery in history. From that explosion came the vast, boundless universe, stars, life, divine beings, and ordinary creatures.

At the same time, two forces emerged in the world—light and darkness. These two forces were clearly distinct, with different attributes. Divine beings possessing these different forces were divided into two factions. One was led by Yun Shang’s Shang race and the Celestial Angels. The other faction was led by Sa’an and the Kadith Dragon Clan. These two divine factions were enemies, locked in an irreconcilable feud.

Yet there was a legend: anyone who could fuse both light and darkness within their body could surpass all divine powers, becoming an invincible warrior and ascending as the true ruler of the universe.

The King of the Universe.

But legends remained legends. No one had ever reached such a realm, for light and darkness were two completely opposing forces. They were mutually exclusive, canceling and harming each other. To gather both forces into one body was extremely difficult.

Even if someone, by chance, managed to gather both forces, it still wouldn’t work. For the essence of power lies in balance. When two energies coexisted in the body, they would inevitably clash. When one force grew stronger, the other would be suppressed, making it impossible to unleash maximum power. Only when the forces of light and darkness reached the most delicate balance could one achieve the state of a divine being.

In the Kadith Dragon Clan, there was a legend of being baptized three times by dragon breath to become a dragon.

In the divine faction of light, there was a legend of being infused three times with light power to become a god.

In fact, both referred to the same thing. The true King of the Universe must undergo six transformations, each more painful than death.

The first was the baptism of the Kadith Black Dragon’s breath. The second was the baptism by the Golden Dragon, the most powerful dragon. The third was the ultimate trial of a thousand dragons.

On the side of light power, the first was the baptism of the Great Light. The next two had never been experienced by anyone, so naturally, no one knew what they were.

Such was the so-called chance encounter. Yang Hao, within the Dragon Cliff, survived the first Black Dragon’s breath through Hun Yuanzi’s dragon pill, completing one transformation. Now, the Great Light Technique used by Sa’an was the first transformation of light power.

If Yang Hao could endure it, he would become the most incredible miracle in the world, completing the first fusion of light and darkness, becoming a candidate for the cosmic god destined by the Creator.

“This is impossible!!” Yun Shang stared at the blazing fire in the sky. Yang Hao’s body was invisible within the flames, indicating he was caught between light and darkness, fighting desperately.

“Roar!!” The Kadith Black Dragon roared toward the sky. It sensed the tremor of the world. The entire sky, the entire earth, even the clouds were subtly changing. Was this change trembling in anticipation of the arrival of the King?

The world suddenly darkened, then blazed with brilliance. The clouds in the sky suddenly dispersed, revealing a deep blue sky.

The intense flames surrounding Yang Hao and Sa’an’s brilliant white light sphere vanished abruptly in a deafening roar. The sound was so loud that even divine beings struggled to endure. All space vibrated violently. Even the dark angels standing on the clouds could no longer maintain their balance and fell one after another.

On the ground, divine and demonic beings fared even worse. Lower-ranking divine beings like Xin Mei had already collapsed to the ground, barely enduring this divine realm’s catastrophic earthquake.

The tremors that shook the very foundations lasted for a full ten minutes, nearly collapsing all structures in the divine realm before people could finally see what had happened in the sky.

This should have been the aftermath of an explosion—the massive explosion resulting from the collision between Yang Hao’s transformed body and Sa’an’s Great Light Technique. In such a cataclysmic explosion, only one survivor could possibly remain.

It was obvious: if Sa’an’s Great Light technique prevailed, Yang Hao would die. A dead man completing a transformation could never become a candidate for the cosmic god.

But if Yang Hao emerged victorious, then Sa’an would be the one to perish in defeat. If even the Great Radiance Technique could not subdue him, Yang Hao could indeed cement his miracle.

Though still under the aftershock’s deterrent, the divine beings on the ground eagerly looked up. Whether in disappointment or relief, their first sight was Sa’an, standing intact on the cloud, still the cold, arrogant figure above all. His six pairs of wings, which emitted a silver light when spread, were now folded into pure black.

Yang Hao, however, was in a pitiful state. His entire body was charred, clearly burned beyond recovery. He fell from the sky without resistance, crashing onto the ground and lying motionless, showing no sign of life.

The divine beings could see with their spiritual senses that although no flames were visible on Yang Hao’s body, real fire still burned fiercely inside him. Soon, he would be completely consumed.

“He lost.” Kadith Dragon growled heavily. “If you lose, you only die! He is not the savior!”

Yun Shang’s face twitched a few times, but he did not speak. He had no reason to refute the Black Dragon. This was the fact before their eyes. Yang Hao had lost, died. He had not passed the first transformation of power fusion. He was not the King chosen by the Creator.

Yun Shang sighed. He felt all his strength drained, too despondent to even bother extinguishing the fire within Yang Hao’s body. All the divine beings watched helplessly as Yang Hao lay there, the true fire within slowly consuming what little life remained. In the eyes of the divine beings, if Yang Hao was not the savior, then he was expendable, of no value.

At this moment, only one voice could change everything.

Sa’an’s voice fell from the sky like a piece of ice: “He won.”

“Won?” Kadith Black Dragon raised its head in a roar. This was simply impossible. Yang Hao was barely alive, while Sa’an was unscathed. The outcome was clear.

But soon, it opened its mouth wide, unable to utter a sound. For it saw something slowly descending from the sky. As if coming from the source of sunlight, crossing time and space, passing through clouds, it drifted slowly downward, seemingly insignificant yet persistently.

It was a feather, an insignificant feather. In other circumstances, no one would have paid attention. But now it was different, completely different.

Because the feather was originally black—pure black, like a demon. But during its descent, its color gradually lightened, from black to gray, then to white. By the time it landed on the ground, it had turned into a shining silver feather.

It was a feather that had fallen from the Dark Angel King Sa’an.

All were astonished. Everyone knew that a feather on an angel’s wing was connected to the wing itself, and an angel’s wings represented power.

If one could pluck an angel’s feather, it was equivalent to severing the angel’s wings.

A single feather drifting down from Sa’an meant only one thing: Yang Hao had won this collision. His flame could have torn Sa’an’s wings, but for some reason, it only knocked off a single feather.

This did not mean that Yang Hao’s power surpassed Sa’an’s, but clearly, Sa’an’s Great Light Technique had not harmed Yang Hao. Instead, it had strengthened him, enabling him to undergo the baptism—the fusion of light and darkness.

Yang Hao was indeed in a pitiful state, lying on the ground, his body slowly consuming his remaining life as the internal fire gradually burned it away. But he had indeed undergone this baptism.

Still, no divine being moved to extinguish the fire within Yang Hao. This time, it was due to shock. Everyone was stunned, almost forgetting Yang Hao’s perilous situation, forgetting that in just a few more seconds, he would die, consumed by the powerful fire after the baptism.

Silence replaced breath, froze time. The world seemed to stop, except for Yang Hao’s life force, dripping away, burning drop by drop. Perhaps in just a few more fleeting moments, he would be gone.

But the divine beings still did not move. They were like statues.

At this moment, a breeze blew from the side. Within this breeze was a moist, humid energy. When the wind touched Yang Hao’s body, from the gust fell droplets of blue rain.

These raindrops were extremely wondrous. When they landed on a person’s body, they seeped into the skin, transforming into a cooling energy that quickly extinguished the rebellious fire within Yang Hao.

Along with the raindrops and the gust, a stranger slowly approached. This stranger was unknown to all, appearing to be around thirty years old, yet his hair was already completely white, cascading over his shoulders. His expression was solemn as he walked toward Yang Hao. Though his face showed no emotion, there was an unmistakable hint of a strange, devilish charm at the corner of his mouth, as if he were carefree and unbound.

As he reached Yang Hao, a trace of tenderness flickered across his face, as if seeing his own child. The stranger waved his hand, and the gust and raindrops simultaneously dissipated.

Yang Hao awoke with difficulty in the coolness. He struggled to open his eyes, scorched by the flames. The first thing he saw was this unfamiliar stranger.

Yet somehow, a surge of warmth welled up in Yang Hao’s heart. This warmth turned into tears as it reached his eyes. He trembled his lips and whispered, “Master…”

Then, he fainted again.

A smile appeared on the stranger’s lips, a warm smile. He picked up Yang Hao’s frail body, stood tall and proud, ignoring the divine beings still stunned at his side, and walked steadily into the distance.