"So you thought you were something special, but in the end, you were still slain by me—I, the king! Once I absorb the energy from the Soul Mushroom, I’ll become a true powerhouse of the Demonic Realm. After countless nights of waiting, today my dream finally comes true." The Golden Skeleton crowed.
He flashed forward toward Evan Lin, stopping about five meters away. Not daring to seize the Soul Mushroom until he was sure Evan was truly dead, the Golden Skeleton held back.
If Evan Lin managed a sudden counterattack, the Golden Skeleton could be badly wounded. So he watched for a while, but Evan didn't move. "Looks like he's really dead. Maybe I was too cautious," he muttered.
"Did you really think I was dead? Your attacks are nothing to me!" Evan Lin suddenly sprang up from the ground, though the wounds covering his body were truly horrific.
His chest was stained with golden blood, but the Golden Skeleton wasn’t surprised. Evan Lin was clearly not a native of the Demonic Realm—he’d come here for the Soul Mushroom.
His wounds were so deep his organs were visible, yet his expression was calm, as if nothing was wrong. "You’re hard to kill, aren’t you? Surviving this is a miracle," the Golden Skeleton said, unable to hide his surprise.
"If you think killing me is easy, you’re dreaming. But next time, luck won’t be on your side. You’re a terrifying opponent. For freeing me from Corrupt-Heart Venom, I’ll give you one chance—hand over the Soul Mushroom, and maybe I’ll let you live," the Golden Skeleton offered.
Evan Lin hadn’t expected such a sudden shift, but he’d never give up the Soul Mushroom, even in death. "If you want the Soul Mushroom, you’ll have to defeat me first. Your bone spurs are mighty—like late-stage Demon Emperor self-destructs. The more you use, the stronger they get."
But you’ve only got about ten bone spurs left. Once you use them all, your power will drop. Being king of the Demonic Realm won’t be so easy then, will it?" Evan Lin taunted.
"You really are terrifying—spotting the value of my bone spurs. You’re badly wounded, so I don’t need them to finish you. You’re stalling to recover, aren’t you? Your healing is incredible—never seen anyone recover so fast. That’s why I must destroy you!" the Golden Skeleton declared.
Evan Lin was indeed stalling, but not to heal—he was furiously absorbing the gold element raging inside his body. The Golden Skeleton’s gold element was so powerful that one more absorption could push him to the third layer of Gold-Shift, or at least to the peak of the second.
He hadn’t resisted the Golden Skeleton’s last strike, instead unleashing the Star-Siphon Method to devour all the energy. Only Evan Lin would dare such madness.
The gold element tore through his body, causing agony so great he couldn’t move—he’d been lying motionless on the ground because the pain was almost unbearable.
But with experience from last time, Evan Lin absorbed the gold element even faster. By the time he spoke to the Golden Skeleton, his wounds were already healing at a shocking rate.
"Heh, I doubt you can hurt me without your bone spurs. Show me your strongest attack—I’m done wasting time. This blow might be your last," Evan Lin said coldly.
"Then I’ll oblige you!" The Golden Skeleton swung his giant bone sword with all his might, unleashing a massive wave of sword energy at Evan Lin. He’d learned to strike first, which annoyed Evan to no end.
To kill his foe, Evan Lin might have to use Ninefold Divine-Dragon Metamorphosis or tap the Blood Bead’s power, but he refused to use the latter. He needed to absorb another burst of gold energy from the bone spur explosions, so for this strike, he could only unleash Divine Cleave—not even the Unicorn Arm.
Their attacks collided, evenly matched. The Golden Skeleton thought he’d win easily, but Evan Lin’s power shocked him.
Both were blasted back dozens of meters before regaining their footing. Evan Lin had the edge—despite the Golden Skeleton’s massive size, his wounds were healing even faster, only a few still exposing bone.
"Is this guy even human? He’s so badly injured but still fights like a demon. If this keeps up, I’ll suffer. I’ll have to hit him with a truly terrifying attack," the Golden Skeleton muttered to himself.
Though the Golden Skeleton spoke quietly, Evan Lin heard him loud and clear. He needed another bone spur attack to break through Gold-Shift. Ninefold Stellar Transformation was hard to advance, and once he ascended to the God Realm, things would be even more dangerous—he had to grow stronger, which is why he risked absorbing his opponent’s gold energy.
"Kid, I wanted to see if you were spent, but you’re still full of fighting spirit. Now I’ll show you my strongest bone spur attack—prepare to die!" the Golden Skeleton roared.
He gave Evan Lin no time to breathe—clearly a battle-hardened expert. Golden light flashed as ten bone spurs broke free and shot at Evan Lin.
Ten bone spurs—far more dangerous than before. Evan Lin’s defenses were strong, but he didn’t dare take the hit directly. He unleashed Divine Cleave and set up energy barriers and earth-stone shields to resist as much as possible.
If he could absorb this attack’s gold energy, he’d break through Gold-Shift. To become truly strong, he had to pay a price beyond others…