Chapter 363: Self-Important
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"Nobody likes guessing what you're thinking. Who do you think you are?"
"If you've got the guts, kill us all. Otherwise, I won't let you off easy!"
In this regard, Yulan and Su Muchan were somewhat alike. However, Yulan couldn't read minds and didn't possess such extensive information.
She hadn't thought that deeply about it, but seeing Su Cheng injured, she couldn't afford to dwell on it anymore.
"Is that so?"
Xiao Ai remained unprovoked—a fundamental quality for a ruler. If she flew into a rage over a few words, how could she ever command an army?
That would be petty, wouldn't it?
Instead, she smiled. Xiao Ai felt Yulan and Su Muchan were different after all—Yulan simply knew too little.
As for Su Muchan, being Su Cheng's dungeon instance entity, she was just stubborn to the bone. To put it bluntly…
Asking for a beating~
"So what? That's just who Xiao Ai is. What are you gonna do about it?"
As the current mightiest Godslayer King, Xiao Ai had every right to be arrogant!
Just like Ye Qinghan wielding a divine-tier artifact, mere mortals were no more than grass to him!
Three Sovereigns, thirteen top-tier Valkyries, plus hundreds of thousands of troops~
Hmph~
Master?
Xiao Ai calls him Master, but he's the real master!
Xiao Ai wouldn't have it—he was just a lowly servant!
No one can command Xiao Ai—not even the Master. He has to negotiate with Xiao Ai!
The armor-piercing arrowhead effortlessly shattered the magical barrier, piercing through Su Cheng's collarbone. Su Cheng could only temporarily block the negative effects by spending system points—otherwise, half his body would be paralyzed!
The arrow's energy hurled Su Cheng back several meters, embedding itself deep in his flesh. Yet he had no time to tend to the wound.
He forcibly snapped the arrow in half, flinging the marked shaft far away, then immediately raised his hand to cast a spell to counter Shen Rui's divine power!
But that single arrow created a critical opening, setting off a vicious cycle. Every second Su Cheng delayed would inevitably cost him dearly!
Just as Su Cheng raised his hand, a torrent of arrows rained down. With no choice, he forced himself to create distance, but Shen Rui wasn't about to stand idly by.
The piercing wounds inflicted by the Imperial Seal hadn't fully healed yet. Even with System Points used for repair, the recovery speed was nothing to boast about.
Clearly, the system couldn't override the authority's power. That was precisely why Su Cheng had devised that so-called plan to save everyone.
After exploring so many worlds, Su Cheng felt he had gained some understanding of the system.
The only way to escape the system's constraints was to harness the power of the Divine Mandate—the sole force immune to the system's control.
Moreover, the vast majority of Su Cheng's missions involved slaying deities or restoring order to worlds.
Su Cheng believed that if he could steal the power of the gods and find the person behind the system, perhaps he could change the current situation. Perhaps there might even be a way to save everyone.
If he were the one to set the rules, life and death would be nothing more than a fleeting thought.
This path stretches far ahead.
Sanction, Judgment, Guardian, Verdict, Execution, Death's Decay, Domination…
Voice of Reshaping, Book of Atonement, Fountain of Stagnant Waters, Angel of Redemption, Whisper of Breaking the Deadlock…
If he could seize the authority over fate, perhaps everything might shift…
No time for idle thoughts. The spear pierced Su Cheng's left arm once more. Though the negative effect from the arrow in his collarbone had been removed, his delayed reaction allowed Shen Rui to land another strike.
He had actually dodged the spear, but this was a weapon forged from divine authority. Even though it veered slightly off course, the energy enveloping the spear still tore through Su Cheng's upper arm flesh with devastating force.
The stark white bone was exposed, a horrifying sight. Strips of flesh, dried by the energy, hung limply from the crook of his arm.
Truthfully, if not for the system propping up this body, his left arm would likely be useless by now. Most of the muscles had been cooked through; even if he could move it, only simple motions would be possible.
Truth be told, Shen Rui hadn't expected that shot to be deflected. It seemed some faulty mechanism overhead had just activated, forcibly granting Su Cheng a fleeting opening.
But this time, he won't make the same mistake again!
"Is it time to stop playing around?"
A patchwork of borrowed power stood no match against genuine divine might.
But upon reflection, if the chasm between mortal and divine truly could not be bridged, what method did the first one to seize power employ?
Surely the gods weren't just a bunch of brainless, masochistic love-struck fools?
Tricked by mortals into falling for them?
Or did they believe in some idealistic notion of truth, goodness, and beauty?
You know that's impossible, right?
Even with four million five hundred thousand system points and a sky full of divine artifacts, Su Cheng still couldn't match the power of the gods. Now, he was like a dying candle, his figure swaying unsteadily.
Su Cheng had long understood he wasn't some cheesy romance novel protagonist, nor did he possess the ability to unleash a cosmic explosion with a single roar.
Reality was brutal. This was reality.
Even with a demigod's physique, before the ice-blue spear forged from divine authority, he was as fragile as paper—pierce him anywhere, and he shattered.
Even straining every ounce of strength, he could scarcely land a single blow.
"It's time to end this."
Exhausting his last remaining system points, Su Cheng chose not to heal his wounds but instead opted for the power to strike back—to create an opportunity to escape.
Because of one mistake, he had lost his only chance to kill Shen Rui. He had to admit it—there was no chance left.
Unless Shen Rui stood there and let him strike.
Clearly, that wasn't his style. He still had debts to settle; he couldn't die yet.
As if channeling a powerful ultimate, he unleashed the familiar Thunder Crescent Slash once more…
"Next time for sure."
"Su Cheng, you bastard, you really are…"
【Your Majesty, shall we pursue?】
[No.]
[Then just let him escape?]
Spatial suppression had been activated across dozens of miles. Any spatial-level technique should have been indiscriminately suppressed.
This is a spatial anchor point. Su Cheng merely pinpointed Ye Qinghan's location and, through the anchor point behind him, teleported directly behind Ye Qinghan.
【You're willing to bet on who he's with?】
【Ah, this…】
After all, he was once the Revered One. Shen Rui dared not bet on whether Su Cheng still had any powerful allies, nor dare he bet that this wasn't a trap.
Given Su Cheng's actions today, it was hard to guarantee this wasn't a deliberate ploy to lure him into pursuit.
This was war, not children bickering. Though their words might sound playful, every strike was deadly serious.
Though he wielded divine authority, he remained vulnerable to the Godslayer's Arrow. Should he fall into an ambush, his downfall was certain.
And if he fell, it would mean failure at the last moment. The collapse of his authority would trigger a chain reaction, turning his territories into a lawless wasteland. This would undoubtedly spark scrambles for control and ignite a new wave of war.
Though he disliked this Supreme Ruler, he remained selective about who occupied the position.
He disliked the feeling of being commanded casually. At least in this regard, Su Cheng had given him face and handled things reasonably well.
He believed this explanation should suffice—it couldn't be that he'd softened his heart, could it?
Impossible. He was a cold-blooded man.
Meanwhile…
"Ah! Master! What's wrong with you?!"
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