Chapter 279 Chapter278-Reality? Illusion!
Witnessing his prideful Devouring ORDER being shattered outright by John's brute force, the expression of Soul-Devouring Devil Ghana darkened immediately.
For some reason, the energy emanating from John felt faintly familiar to him.
Ghana, filled with uncertainty, fixed his gaze on John, his hand tightly gripping the silvery Libra.
"Who exactly are you? How can a human possess such immense strength? This defies all logic."
Indeed, Ghana's statement had merit.
It is commonly known that there's a limit to human potential.
No matter how gifted a human is in their cultivation, they cannot rival a deity.
Ghana, though injured, is a Devil after all - a weakened camel is still larger than a horse.
He never imagined that one day he'd be cornered by a mere human.
John twirled the Divine Palace in his hand, resting it behind him.
At Ghana's inquiry, he replied with a smirk, "Why should it be impossible? While humans are inherently weak, our potential is boundless. To my knowledge, there have been humans who have ascended to the realm of deities."
Ghana fell silent, then finally murmured, "Yes, such instances do exist. But upon obtaining godhood, one transcends humanity, undergoing a true metamorphosis. As for you... I cannot believe someone as young as you could achieve this divine stature. Though I haven't pinpointed the reason, I'm certain that if I can extract your soul, all your secrets will be laid bare."
As his words tapered off, a sinister smile crawled across Ghana's face, his three eyes simultaneously gleaming with a mysterious light.
John felt a sharp pain in his mind, preparing to retaliate with his divine power.
However, when he looked up, the scenery around him had transformed drastically.
The ground blazed with roaring flames, countless skeletal hands protruded from the earth, reaching out desperately to the sky.
The familiar surroundings of the Soulstone Temple were nowhere to be seen.
Instead, spectral souls floated silently in the sky, while grotesque creatures equipped with whips and spiked clubs tormented them.
Desolate wails filled the entire space.
John furrowed his brow, realizing this must be Ghana's counterattack.
Suddenly, the multitude of skeletal hands on the ground broke free, aiming to ensnare John's feet.
John scoffed softly, swinging his sword in a wide arc.
The dazzling blade light instantly turned those skeletal hands to ashes.
However, more bony hands kept emerging from the ground, countless in number.
As John was about to shatter another batch beneath him, the sky abruptly darkened.
Looking up, John saw the towering figure of Soul-Devouring Devil Ghana, standing at the far end of this space, looking down upon him with eyes filled with both indifference and madness.
The aura radiating from him was at least tenfold more intense.
Merely by standing there, with his mountain-like stature, he was an overwhelming presence.
"Human, welcome to my world..." Ghana spoke, his deep voice resonating, as he opened his cavernous mouth.
John raised an eyebrow, a hint of surprise evident in his eyes.
Was this Ghana's Divine Realm? It's widely known that every god can carve out their own Divine Realm within the Void, which serves as the source of their power.
John tilted his head, contemplating that he hadn't sensed any energy fluctuations before being pulled into this realm.
This was indeed puzzling.
With John's abilities, it was unlikely for him to miss a spatial transition.
His gaze fixed on the distant gigantic form of Ghana, John remarked casually, "It seems your injuries aren't as severe as Mammon's, if you still have the strength to unfold your Divine Realm..."
"Hehehe, no one who has entered here has ever left alive. Not just your body, but your soul will be entirely mine. In this space, I am the sole deity!" Ghana let out a haughty laugh.
John furrowed his brows, mildly annoyed, and retorted, "Could you not use that bizarre laughter when speaking to me? You sound like an idiot."
Ghana's smug expression froze for a moment, then contorted into a snarl of rage. "I can't tell if you're genuinely foolish or feigning composure. With your strength, you should be well aware that in a battle between deities, whoever is first dragged into the opponent's Divine Realm is doomed to defeat..."
"To still dare provoke me this way, it seems I should indeed show you what true fear means!"
The sky suddenly grew heavy and dark, and in an instant, all light was drained away, leaving John surrounded by an endless abyss of blackness.
Save for the flames on the ground that still emitted a red glow, there was no other source of light to be seen.
A wicked and distorted tide of dark divine power began to surge towards him, layer upon layer from the distance.
This dark divine power enveloped the entire space, leaving John with no place to escape.
Left with no other choice, John swiftly cast a defense skill from the Divine Guardian upon himself.
He then enveloped himself with a pale blue Seashield.
These two Divine Skills formed a protective barrier around John, sealing him tightly within.
The tide of dark divine power crashed against the shield, producing a deafening roar.
From afar, John watched as ethereal souls, caught in the clash of the two powers, disintegrated into wisps of blue smoke that drifted away.
John, undaunted, gritted his teeth and continued to resist the onslaught of the dark divine power.
He didn't believe Ghana could sustain this form of attack indefinitely.
After all, Ghana was a gravely wounded Devil.
Even if its dark divine power was profound, it couldn't possibly be infinite.
Furthermore, Ghana would have to divert a significant portion of this power to suppress the persistent injuries within.
Seeing John braced to withstand the assault, a fierce glint flashed in Ghana's eyes.
With a skyward roar, Ghana increased the output of the dark divine power, unleashing wave after wave, hoping to engulf John completely.
Yet, John's expression remained unyielding.
He gripped his divine weapon tightly, ready to retaliate the moment his shields were breached.
As the increasingly potent tides of divine power surged forth, the outer layer of the Seashield began to waver, showing signs of faltering.
Eventually, the Seashield was overwhelmed and consumed by the relentless dark tide. Next in line was the shield of the Divine Guardian.
John remained stoic, but a growing perplexity flickered in his eyes.
He noticed something incomprehensible: the tide of divine power seemed to have no end in sight, showing no signs of diminishing.
How was that possible?
Even within the Soul-Devouring Devil Ghana's Divine Realm, there should be adherence to the most fundamental primal ORDER, right?
The dark divine power was the very essence of a Devil's strength.
It couldn't possibly be unleashed so infinitely...
John lifted his gaze to the shadowy skies.
Although he couldn't discern anything, a spark of insight began to take form in his mind.
He suddenly turned, fixing his eyes on the mountainous figure of Ghana in the distance, gradually grasping the reality of what was happening.
Such intricate methods were to be expected from a Devil with mastery over the ORDER of souls.
John flashed a smile at the towering Ghana, showing his pearly white teeth.
He then waved dismissively, dissolving the shield of the Divine Guardian, allowing the tide of dark divine power to rush through him.
What seemed to be an overwhelmingly malevolent and distorted force of divine power washed over John again and again, but it couldn't inflict any harm upon him.
John closed his eyes, relaxing his spirit as the divine power spread endlessly, eventually dominating the entire space.
When he opened his eyes again, he found himself back on the battlefield of the Soulstone Temple.
Meanwhile, in the distance, Soul-Devouring Devil Ghana had reverted to its original size, staring at him with a face full of horror.
"This... this is impossible! You were clearly pulled into the realm of souls, and the illusory bewitchment had already taken effect. How could you suddenly awaken?" Ghana cried out in disbelief, as if John's sudden reappearance on the Soulstone Temple battlefield had completely shattered its composure.
A faint smile graced John's face. "That's because I knew you couldn't possibly become that powerful, even within your own Divine Realm..."
He discreetly examined his body.
Almost a third of his inner energy had been consumed without him realizing, and more than half of the divine power within his spiritual world was drained.
He quietly exhaled, realizing just how perilous the situation had been.
In truth, the answer was quite simple: John had never really been dragged into Ghana's so-called Divine Realm.
It was merely one of Ghana's tactics, targeting the soul directly, making the opponent believe they were facing a real scenario.
Had John not seen through this facade and recklessly expended his power, the likely outcome would have been total depletion by the Soul-Devouring Devil Ghana, leaving him as nothing more than fodder.
A shiver ran through John at the thought; had he not realized in time, he might have been devoured by the ever-lustful Ghana.
Lifting his head, he gave Ghana a chilling smile.
"Now that I've deciphered your trick, it's my turn to strike!"
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