The once frail Marcell began to undergo a rapid transformation. His muscles and bones grew at an astonishing pace. In the blink of an eye, his height jumped from five feet three inches to nearly six feet, and he kept growing.
His once skeletal frame rapidly filled with dense muscle, and his skin stretched taut as if it might tear. His hunched back straightened, and his entire frame became incredibly imposing.
Within just a few seconds, Marcell had transformed into a completely different person. Standing close to six feet five inches, his muscles bulged, his eyes burned with bloodlust, and he radiated a terrifying presence. If he had once been a frail wildcat, now he was a ruthless tiger.
At that instant, Marcell was surrounded by swirling dark energy. His face twisted into a menacing and bloodthirsty expression. He looked like a demon straight out of hell.
“It is so delicious.” Marcell licked his lips after absorbing the surrounding death energy and resentment.
The Soul Abyss Technique was his ultimate trump card, which he rarely used. Each time he used it, his lifespan was shortened. But this time, he had no choice.
After consuming the death energy around him, this technique temporarily boosted his strength. Now, he was at the level of an Ultimate Grandmaster. Although the effect would only last half an hour, it was more than enough to deal with Aven.
“Such an evil technique! You must be eradicated!” Aven’s expression hardened as he stared at Marcell’s new form; his murderous intent was unmistakable
He was well aware of the Soul Abyss Technique-an evil martial art technique that thrived on human sacrifice to boost its power. The more lives taken around its wielder, the stronger they became.
Years ago, a notorious villain used this technique and wreaked havoc in the martial world. Only when Aven’s senior, Arion, intervened was the villain finally killed.
Now that Aven was facing the successor of this dark technique, he had no intention of showing mercy.
“You think you can kill me? Let’s see if you have what it takes.” Marcell grinned wickedly.
“Stormcraft!” Without hesitation, Aven raised his hand and unleashed a blast of purple lightning aimed at Marcell’s chest.
Marcell didn’t flinch. Instead, he threw a punch, and the surrounding death energy condensed into a black spear that collided with the lightning in a massive explosion.
The purple lightning fizzled out, and the spear shattered on impact. Neither of them gained the upper hand from the exchange.
“Hmm?” Aven frowned in surprise.
Stormcraft was supposed to counter dark arts like the Soul Abyss Technique. Unexpectedly, it had no effect.
“What’s wrong? Are you surprised?” Marcell grinned wickedly.
He continued, “I’ll be honest with you. After Arion killed my mentor, I’ve been preparing for this day. I’ve already improved the Soul Abyss Technique, so your Stormcraft won’t work on me. Today, I’ll avenge my master and wipe out your Sacred Wrym Summit.”
With that, his body exploded into three black skulls, which darted toward Aven from different directions. Each skull radiated intense death energy and moved unpredictably, which was nearly impossible to track.
Aven didn’t dare to take chances and clapped three times. Three bolts of purple lightning shot toward the skulls.
But the skulls swerved just before the lightning struck and narrowly avoided the bolts. They then slammed into Aven’s Glow Incantation. The impact caused the three skulls to explode and released torrents of black death energy that engulfed Aven.
Soon, an eerie sight unfolded.
The once indestructible golden light began to sizzle as the surrounding death energy corroded it. Green smoke began to rise as the golden light was slowly consumed.
Aven’s heart missed a beat at the sight.
He hadn’t expected the Soul Abyss Technique to counter his Glow Incantation. He could feel the death energy seeping through the golden light. If it reached his body, he knew the Soul Abyss Technique would drain his life force.
“Sanctuary Seal!” Aven shouted and tossed three golden talismans into the air.
The talismans spun rapidly above his head and formed a formation that transformed into a massive golden bell.
“Down!” Aven formed hand seals to direct the bell downward.
The bell crashed down, dispelled the surrounding death energy, and created a second layer of protection around him. But the dark energy didn’t back down. It relentlessly battered the golden bell and tried to break through.
“Spin!”
Aven quickly formed another hand seal, and the golden bell spun faster. The black death energy was sucked into the bell’s vortex.
The bell spun faster and rose into the air. The death energy inside the vortex struggled to escape but was trapped.
“Seal!” Aven formed hand seals again.
The golden bell rapidly shrank and became the size of a fist. He then attached a Divine Talisman to the bell’s bottom to seal the death energy inside.
The bell dropped to the ground, and everything fell silent.
Marcell and the black death energy had disappeared as they were sealed within the golden bell.
Once the dust settled, Aven let out a sigh of relief.
Anyone capable of practicing the Soul Abyss Technique was no ordinary person. Fortunately, he had the Divine Talisman to counter it. Otherwise, defeating Marcell would have been a real challenge.
“Return!” Aven waved his hand, and the golden bell floated back into his hand.
But just as he relaxed, the bell suddenly exploded. Black death energy, like a swarm of demonic spirits, surged out and flooded into Aven’s body through every orifice.
His face turned pale as he realized it was already too late to stop it.
