Chapter 1432: Chapter 149: First Appearance of the Netherworld_4
Ah Dai’s Nether Shadow unleashed immense power. Just moments ago, during the assassins’ group assault, Ah Dai resolutely chose this technique to counter their collective attack. The fourth stroke of the Nine Abyssal Techniques erupted with unprecedentedly powerful Evil Power. The remaining nine Stealth Killers were all consumed by the Evil Power, and among the exterminators, only five of the most highly skilled managed to escape with their lives. Adding Executioner One and seven others, out of forty assassins, fewer than a third remained—the losses were utterly devastating. Executioner One stared at the kneeling Ah Dai in a state of shock, his gaze somewhat hazy, as though Ah Dai had truly transformed into a Grim Reaper robbing souls. Despite such meticulous deployment on their side, they still couldn’t kill him. How could Executioner One not feel dejected?
The warehouse fell into a dead silence, as the assassins’ spirits had been utterly shattered by Ah Dai’s almost divine strike. The five exterminators who escaped with their lives gasped continuously, just like Ah Dai. Although they hadn’t been directly struck by the Nether Shadow, the lingering Evil Aura constricted by Ah Dai had deeply affected their minds. They could only struggle to resist the invasive Evil Aura within their bodies.
Executioner One clenched his teeth and spoke with a grave tone, "Combine forces—World-Decimating Slash!" His cold and heavy voice caused the surviving five exterminators to display expressions of despair. Yet, after strict training over long years, they didn’t utter a word of opposition. Under the order of a superior assassin, they had only one option: obedience. Forcing themselves to suppress the Evil Aura invading their bodies, they leaped up and landed in front of Executioner One and his seven men, standing in a row and raising their Narrow Swords high. Executioner One knew that if they didn’t seize the moment while Ah Dai’s energy was not fully restored to kill him, then all of them would truly meet their demise here today. Thus, he decided to combine everyone’s powers and strike Ah Dai with their strongest attack. This was their last hope. The World-Decimating Slash was a technique originally devised by the eight of them together, and its power was formidable. However, when one of their members was killed by Ah Dai in the Illusive Forest, a flaw appeared in this powerful attack. Despite their efforts over the past year to enhance their abilities, the flaw remained irreparable. With no other choice, Executioner One passed the World-Decimating Slash onto the exterminators under him. By pooling the strength of multiple exterminators, the current iteration of the World-Decimating Slash had greatly surpassed its earlier form, becoming the assassins’ most potent attack.
Including Executioner One, the remaining twelve assassins pushed their energy to the limit, slowly floating up. Enveloped in their combat energy, their bodies eerily hovered in the air. The twelve assassins simultaneously raised their Narrow Swords high with both hands. Standing at the back, Executioner One and his seven core members unleashed fierce Black Energy, their energy surging skyward and instantly turning the energy of the five exterminators in front of them black as well. The immense power surrounding their bodies raged uncontrollably, the combat energy gradually condensing in midair. An overwhelming pressure filled the atmosphere, and the black combat energy coalesced into an enormous Energy Blade, embodying all twelve assassins’ combined combat energy. Executioner One and the others continuously injected their full power into the Energy Blade, their eyes lighting up. This was their last chance—if they failed, it meant death. For their survival, they pushed their potential to the extreme. As the massive black Energy Blade grew larger, the surrounding space distorted in waves, and the entire warehouse seemed to tremble under the immense energy they were gathering.
Ah Dai had already realized the dire danger he faced. Though the Evil Aura of the Sword of Hades had not yet entirely been expelled from his body, he lacked the time for further refinement. Slowly, he stood up from the ground, fixing his gaze on the twelve people before him. His hand reached once more for the hilt of the Sword of Hades. The unprecedented pressure from the opponents made him dispel any thoughts of summoning Sheng Xie. He could not bear to see Sheng Xie harmed or even destroyed by these enemies. Since this was for the sake of avenging Uncle Owen, he needed the courage to face whatever came, no matter how powerful his opponents were, without the slightest retreat. Under his frantic stimulation, the Golden Body within his Dantian quivered intensely. The Sacred Aura inherent in his energy suddenly vanished into his body. After so much effort to encounter the core forces of the Assassin’s Guild, there was only one thought in his mind: to kill these people by the most brutal means imaginable. At this moment, Ah Dai was devoid of concepts like good or evil, right or wrong—what remained was a boundless thirst for slaughter. Under the compulsion of that desire for killing, his black pupils gradually turned blood-red. An unnatural crimson glow flickered relentlessly. Ah Dai’s right hand gripped the hilt of the Sword of Hades tightly.
Executioner One and the others had almost completed their energy accumulation. He let out a loud, commanding shout: "Destroy—" The assassins before him shouted in succession: "The—World—Decimating—Slash—Shattering—Heaven—and—Earth—!" Seven icy syllables reverberated through the air repeatedly. The massive black Energy Blade hovering in the air had begun to take form, hanging high above the assassins’ heads.
Ah Dai narrowed his blood-red eyes and murmured, "So it’s the World-Decimating Slash again? Fine—I’ll show you the true power of the Sword of Hades." As he spoke, he slowly began to draw the Sword of Hades, inch by inch, from the leather bag on his chest. Yes, inch by inch. The previous four strokes of the Nine Abyssal Techniques were all executed by drawing the Sword of Hades swiftly and attacking, draining the opponent’s soul and essence before immediately returning the blade to its sheath. Even the most powerful of the first four strikes, Nether Shadow, only maintained its attack in the air for a mere ten seconds or so. Yet now, Ah Dai was drawing the Sword of Hades slowly and deliberately. The eerie blue glow enveloped Ah Dai’s body, bathing him in the same color. Strangely, as the Sword of Hades was unsheathed, no trace of Evil Aura emerged. The ghostly blue short blade appeared no different than an ordinary Divine Weapon. On its blade, densely packed markings resembled cursed runes, each symbol resembling the visage of a demon. Ah Dai raised the Sword of Hades before his eyes, its blue radiance growing more intense, instantly engulfing his body. His crimson eyes burned fiercely as he stared at the blade, murmuring like in a dream, "Hades Domain—Emerges—At—Last—." A torrential surge of resentment shot out from Ah Dai’s blood-red eyes, illuminating the ghostly blue light of the Sword of Hades. The demonic glyphs inscribed on its blade seemed to come alive, accompanied by faint, chilling wails. The warehouse, which had been lit by special illumination tools arranged by Executioner One and the others, suddenly darkened. Cold winds gusted ceaselessly, and a torrent of profound terror arose in the hearts of the twelve assassins. From within the ghostly blue Sword of Hades, countless dead souls seemed to spill forth, beckoning them, as if seeking to drag them into eternal death. The fifth stroke of the Nine Abyssal Techniques—Netherworld—finally manifested amidst Ah Dai’s overwhelming killing intent.
Netherworld, strictly speaking, is not a direct attack technique. Yet the power it emits surpasses the combined might of the first four strokes of the Nine Abyssal Techniques. Ah Dai deliberately withdrew his Sacred Aura into himself, solely to retain control over his mind, preventing the corruption of Netherworld’s ominous energy. Beginning with Netherworld, every subsequent stroke of the Hades Sword Technique multiplies in power. Netherworld serves as the foundation of the latter five strokes, establishing a field imbued with the Sword of Hades’ insidious energy. In this supremely evil domain, aside from the wielder of the Sword of Hades, who else can hope to survive?
