Apotheosis

Legend had told time and time again, that the River of the Netherworld was a pathway leading to hell.

Criminals who committed heinous crimes in their lifetime were to become souls destined to entangle with evil, ruthless flames, and be sent to drown in the infamous stream on their way to the inferno.

It was a story told by word of mouth. However, in the Central Region, the idea of this so-called tale was regarded as an alien concept.

Whether it was hell, sin, the netherworld or reincarnation, these terms were of unfathomable origin to the warriors of the Central Region. Only a few of these labels had been passed down, thus creating the circulating myths most knew of now.

There were speculations on how sin was synonymous with the weight of one's malicious aura. Although everyone had been born with this energy, a journey filled with torture in the afterlife would be inevitable, if one were to choose the path of a killer.

And so, sin was believed to be used as an instrument of temptation to annihilate one's soul before arriving in death.

It became a huge burden, a heavy load that kept the conscience anchored into the River of the Netherworld. Sin kept the consciousness fugitive as it flew aimlessly through murky waters before it encountered the Netherworld Yaksha, a ghost-like monster born from the abyss of hell.

"This Nameless Saber can summon the Netherworld Yaksha. It is certainly a powerful sacred weapon." Zen raised his eyebrows, mild curiosity and cautiousness crossing his eyes at the sight of the Netherworld Yaksha.

Zen then looked down at his own iron sword. Unfortunately, Zen wasn't quite sure how well he would be able to wield the blade to its maximum potential.

Fairy weapons and the weapons of higher levels usually contained special skills; some had immunity against all kinds of defenses, while some contained exclusive weapon abilities.

Zen's iron sword came from the Dragon Abyss Palace, together with the body protection garment. It might be due to its classification as basic equipment, that he knew nothing of its effects. Perhaps it was too common for them that they didn't bother to mention anything about it when they gave it to Zen. Or, the iron sword could hold the strength of a sacred weapon but didn't possess any distinctive characteristics.

Zen didn't pin too much hope on this weapon any way, as everyone in Dragon Abyss Palace had the equipment. The chances of the sacred weapons being at the most basic level weren't so far off.

"So what if you've comprehended the three types of Law Power?" Zen was forced out of his reverie upon hearing Eden's cunning taunts, "If you've at least reached the Internal Elixir Realm, I might've been a fair match. But now, you won't have the chance to improve further because you will die here by my own hands!"

Eden didn't give Zen much time to react. He charged at him with lightning speed that must've been imperceptible to the untrained eye, At the same time when Eden launched his attack, the Netherworld Yaksha he summoned with his blood also roared as it awakened, crawling on the ground before ferociously pouncing on its foe.

"Two against one?" Zen smiled, taking amusement in his opponent's attempt in giving him no time to recover. "I also have an assistant!"

Seething at Zen's calm demeanor, Eden released a barrage of coordinated attacks with his companion in hopes of catching his rival off guard. Zen summoned his sword spirit. A red light burst out of his body as he did so. He let it wash over him, basking in th

efeating me, right?" Zen appraised him with an unreadable expression on his face.

"If that's all you have, you're doomed to die today." Eden fumed and directed the point of his Nameless Saber at him. "What'd you say, bastard?"

"I don't even need to use half my power to defeat you."

Zen chuckled ominously as he sent Lily a message in his mind. She abruptly stopped her battle with the Netherworld Yaksha and sheathed her huge sword, bounding towards Eden instead.

In turn, Zen had sprung on the Netherworld Yaksha, effectively changing their positions.

Eden grew confused, but knew exactly that he didn't have the leisure to think further. His combatant now was a warrior of great prowess. She danced gracefully with the huge sword in her hands and swung it deftly at him. Eden needed to unleash his whole aptitude if he hoped to stand against her.

She was sophisticated and refined with her swordsmanship, brimming with an expertise that could even block Eden's special abilities. He caused almost no damage to Lily, only leaving a small scratch on her enormous weapon.

On the other hand, Zen fought with the beast, fearlessly striking his foe in a fight for dominance.

With the accumulated force of Lily's attacks, the Netherworld Yaksha easily reached the height of two people combined.

Bam!

It rammed onto the enchanted barrier after Zen viciously smashed the Netherworld Yaksha for the last time, shattering the precious barricade into fragments.

His primordial energy circulated through his body, wallowing him in a welcoming warmth he gladly embraced.

In the past, Zen wasn't aware of the true value of this energy. It was only now, that he realized its usefulness.

"That's it," Zen beamed. Since the beast was so persistent, he had taken it as an opportunity to test out his strength. He had just employed the power of five hundred dragon scales from the cyan dragon, so the force had been proven to be unimaginable.

In his excitement, he forgot the massive crowd of warriors' gazes that were trained on him. They were thrown into a mass hysteria, unable to register what they had seen with their own eyes.

"The enchanted barrier built up by the World Commercial Alliance was smashed?"

"How did he make it? It requires tremendous force to smash that barrier! How much strength did he even use to make that happen?!"