Chapter 560: Fel Golem

Luo Ning’s punch not only shattered Thelendir’s defensive formation but also reduced the palace below to utter ruin.

After a long silence, when the upheaval of heaven and earth finally ceased, Yan Yi and the others reappeared—covered in dust, utterly disheveled.

Panic flooded Yan Yi’s eyes. “You… you’re not a Legend! You’re a Sage?”

That last strike had used no elemental force, but something closer to the power of the world itself—the kind only a Sage could command.

Hailing from Crescent Continent, sworn to Lord Phoenix, a Sage-level Flame Sovereign, Yan Yi had witnessed the might of Sages before.

Yet he never imagined that Luo Ning, so young, could have ascended to such a rank.

This defied all reason!

Back on Crescent Continent, even within his own demonic host, even with the special blessing of the King of Nightmares, cultivation speed could never be this monstrous, this terrifying.

A faint smile curled Luo Ning’s lips. “Surprised?”

He descended slowly from the sky. “Your defense is gone. What now? How will you face me?”

That last blow had been restrained—he hadn’t unleashed his full strength.

Not because he feared them, but because allies still stood below. He couldn’t risk harming Hamon, after all.

At that moment, Hamon’s heart trembled with shock. The boy who had once been a Silver Moon Knight now stood as a Sage—within mere years. Such a feat was unprecedented in human history!

If he returned to Dawn City with this tale, they’d surely think he was lying.

And yet, through the haze of disbelief, joy welled up inside him. Perhaps their return to Crescent Continent would come sooner than expected.

Would Lord Lain ever believe they’d bring back a Sage?

Yan Yi clenched his teeth, his face ashen.

Though he’d never imagined this outcome, the battle had reached its final stage. There was no turning back.

Between demonkind and humanity, there was no room for compromise.

“Everyone—attack!”

Yan Yi roared, “Even a Sage—we can kill!”

Swish! Swish! Swish!

Those with nothing left to lose drew their swords, activated their Flame Seals, and charged at Luo Ning.

Yan Yi himself crushed the core of the formation. Instantly, a faint but oppressive pressure settled upon Luo Ning.

Then he activated the Flame Sigil. A crimson energy laced with black coiled around him, forming a grotesque, fearsome demonic armor that elevated his aura to its peak.

“Die!”

His sword slashed down—space quivered. The force behind it reached the pinnacle of the Legendary realm.

“If I hadn’t broken through to Sage,” Luo Ning mused, evaluating the attack, “that strike would’ve threatened me.”

He silently thanked himself for not underestimating his foe and launching a reckless assassination.

Had he remained unascended, the suppression field would’ve expanded, and facing Yan Yi’s blow head-on would’ve been perilous.

“But now…”

Luo Ning raised his hand, slashing the air with a palm strike that shattered Yan Yi’s attack into nothingness.

Then he stepped forward, drawing world-force from the Sea of Elements, sending waves of energy rippling outward, hurling the charging knights aside like leaves in a storm.

The tide turned completely.

“Rudar,” Luo Ning commanded, “kill every one of these human traitors. Including Taro Trisia.”

“As you wish, my lord.”

Rudar moved. Though suppressed, he was more than capable against these Solar-rank Flame Seal Knights.

Thud. Thud. Thud.

Swords slit throats—one by one, the Flame Seal Knights fell.

“D… Dusan, protect me!” Taro cried in terror.

Fear and regret consumed him now—he sought safety from a mere Silver-rank guard.

Well, Dusan did move.

But his blade plunged straight into Taro’s heart.

“You… you…”

Taro stared in horror at the sword piercing his chest, then turned in disbelief toward the trusted aide he himself had promoted.

Hamon drew his sword and bowed with a smile. “Forgive me, Your Majesty. I am actually Lord Luo Ning’s spy. I’m afraid I cannot protect you.”

Taro gaped, then raged. “I’ll kill you!”

With his dying strength, he unleashed a Meteor Knight technique, desperate to slay this Silver-rank traitor.

But a dying arrow carries no force.

“My apologies, Your Majesty,” Hamon said calmly. “I am, in fact, a Meteor Knight.”

When he first entered the palace, claiming to be a Star-rank knight would’ve gotten him dragged off for experimentation by Yan Yi. So he’d concealed his true strength.

“I… hate… this!”

Taro’s eyes bulged wide as he collapsed heavily to the ground, death refusing to close his gaze.

Hamon glanced at the corpse, then joined Rudar, cutting down the rest.

Clang. Clang. Clang.

Blades clashed. From every angle, Yan Yi was being crushed beneath Luo Ning’s overwhelming might.

Late-stage Legendary—still just Legendary. Compared to a Sage who wielded the power of the world, the difference was fundamental, insurmountable.

And in this moment, Luo Ning felt the shift—the surge of true power.

In his current state, unless his enemy possessed artifacts or tactics specifically designed to counter a Sage, even if several more Legends came, he could handle them all.

“In modern society, nuclear weapons are deterrents—rarely used. But here, Legends and Sages *are* the nukes, yet they can act freely, openly. Their deterrence dwarfs any atomic threat.”

Boom!

Yan Yi’s elemental force struck Luo Ning’s body. Luo Ning didn’t flinch, didn’t dodge—simply dissolved the attack into nothing.

“What—?”

Yan Yi’s eyes narrowed. That move wasn’t ordinary defense.

Luo Ning smiled and beckoned. “Come on. Strike me as much as you want.”

“Damn you!”

Yan Yi attacked wildly. Elemental force became an endless storm of fury and heat, obliterating everything nearby, assaulting Luo Ning from all directions.

Yet each blow, upon nearing Luo Ning’s body, vanished into emptiness—only twice did they graze his flesh.

A sage's body enhanced by the power of the world would clearly not be harmed by such attacks.

"What kind of ability is this?"

His assaults had failed completely—Yan Yi was stunned.

At this rate, he couldn't even wear his opponent down.

"This is a technique I created myself, called 'Anti-Nothingness.'"

Roning had deeply discussed with Carlos. Though the Flame Domain, truly the heritage ability of the other, wasn't something he could easily master, he had accidentally developed a variant instead.

It could return fire-elemental techniques or magic back into nothingness, achieving astonishing defensive effects.

So far, Roning hadn't perfected this move; if the attack were too powerful, it risked failure and still needed refinement.

As he spoke, he drew forth the Flowing Flame Sword. Under the influence of sage power, the blade radiated dazzling, mesmerizing light.

"It's over, Yan Yi."

Roning swung his longsword, unleashing its ability—the strongest technique he currently possessed: "Vacuum Guillotine," to end this battle.

Yan Yi felt space itself twist into a vortex, sucking him in as though he were trapped in quicksand, unable even to lift an arm.

Then came a tremendous tearing force upon his body. No matter how he struggled, no matter how fiercely he unleashed Primordial Energy, that ripping power tore him apart, shredding him into countless fragments.

Blood sprayed through the air, staining the ground crimson.

Thus, all three members of the Sacred Storm trio were slain.

Before Roning’s eyes, a familiar line of text appeared:

["King of Slaughter" achievement attained. Attribute points +30,000. Energy essence +60,000.]

But before he could examine it, a terrifying presence descended.

"What's happening?"

Roning snapped back to awareness, staring ahead.

Though Yan Yi had been torn apart, the Flame Crest from the Lord of Blazing Flames remained intact.

Now, the blood-soaked crest released a surging tide of sinister energy, rising like a roaring beacon of infernal fire—and the horrifying aura emanated from here.

Roning’s expression hardened. This must be the sage-level power Yan Yi could summon.

Yet he hadn’t expected the summoning to be passive rather than active—one triggered only by Yan Yi’s death.

"Pathetic mortal… did you slay my follower?"

From within the dark energy emerged a hundred-meter-tall demonic statue, gazing down at Roning with utter contempt, as if regarding an ant.

"Stop your pretentious theatrics!"

Roning raised his sword and slashed upward. The Heaven-Burning Flame surged violently, churning against the evil force, distorting the monstrous image.

"Foolish mortal, you shall pay for your insolence!"

With a thunderous, booming voice, the sinister energy expanded outward, forming an ink-black summoning array. From within it, a colossal dark dragon began to emerge.

"The King of Flames will annihilate you!"

The dragon raised its claw, striking toward Roning with overwhelming dread. (End of Chapter)