Crack! A crack appeared in the dim yellow light emitted by the flower lamp.
The man in the black robe's eyes widened in horror.
He vividly recalled the Test of Thunder he had led her through, the unease he had felt from thousands of miles away.
At this moment, he finally grasped the revelation that the Little Ruler of Hell possessed a new Order.
The flower lamp had reached its current state through understanding the old Order, but the Little Ruler of Hell could now shatter it with a new Order. This signified that the new Order would eventually surpass the old Order.
Cold sweat dripped from the man in the black robe's forehead as he quickened his recitation. He couldn't suppress his anxiety.
This was his supernatural power, and he had already reached the later stage of the Emperor Realm.
Initially, he had attained the perfect Emperor Realm but regressed to the later stage due to his separation from his true self.
Hence, though technically in the later stage of the Emperor Realm, he was actually more potent than any of his peers in the same realm.
Now, as the Little King of Hell stood against him in the initial stage of the Emperor Realm, he was gripped by a formidable fear of impending defeat.
The soft light of the flower lamp cracked even more, and the enveloped light gave a sense of imminent blooming.
At the same time...
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇtIvan's face was covered in blood, but he didn't even bother to wipe it off.
He and Lilly had never outlined a plan to turn against each other; his only objective was to avoid entrapment.
Ivan hadn't yet acquired a new Order, and he remained dedicated to mastering the old Order. To him, the flower lamp was like an unbreakable Manifestation of God's Will. Continuously attacking it would only lead to increasing despair.
He gave up on using his scepter to break through the light.
His cultivation level was too low. He had only half-stepped into the Emperor Realm. In terms of cultivation level and strength, he was no match for the man in the black robe. That was the harsh reality.
But what about the spirit consciousness? In the entire Underworld, only Emperor Eastmount and Lilly had cultivated spirit consciousness. Nobody else had.
In this regard, he was on equal footing with the man in the black robe.
With this in mind, he realized that the light from the flower lamp wasn't entirely a disadvantage. As long as he could cultivate his spirit awareness here...
This was a true life-or-death crisis, one that threatened his life and Lilly's life.
Ivan had no way out. He could only force himself to persevere, concentrating his mental power to the point of almost exploding his mind.
He felt like his brain would truly explode if he continued like this.
However, since Lilly had succeeded, he harbored no fear. As long as he wasn't pushed to the brink of death, he'd push himself to the limits.
Ivan's orifices were bleeding, with blood streaking down his eyes and ears.
At this moment, the recitation by his ears grew faster, and the killing intent became stronger. The warm, yellow light illuminated him, casting its glow on his face and hair. If he relaxed his resistance at the slightest, he would hear a sizzling sound as the light corroded his clothes and skin like a deadly poison.
Ivan had an unsettling intuition — death loomed ever nearer.
It was precisely at this do-or-die moment that something surged forth in his mind.
His only obsession was to use his spirit awareness to transform into a sword, breaking through the light of the lotus lamp.
And with a triumphant sensation, he achieved it.
Unlike Lilly, who had just formed her spirit consciousness and was unaware, Ivan understood all too well that what had just surged forth was his spirit awareness, and right from its inception, it had taken the form of a sword.
The power of thunder gathered at the tip of the sword, and with a sharp "swoosh," it tore open a crack in the light of the flower lamp! The man in the black robe remained calm, strategizing and calculating. He had predicted that either the Little Ruler of Hell or Ivan might be able to break his flower lamp.
He had means prepared for what would come next.
However, he never expected that both of them would break the flower lamp, one after the other.
"Accept your death!" Ivan's face turned cold, his eyes filled with a chilling intensity.
His spirit consciousness was unrestricted. Although it only created a small crack in the flower lamp, his spirit awareness could already slip out with ease.
His spirit awareness, taking the form of a sword, fiercely slashed the man in the black robe's head.
The man in the black robe only felt a tingling sensation on his scalp, followed by a sharp pain that instantly swept through his mind as if he had been stabbed.
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏmIvan's voice followed immediately. "I may not be as strong as you in terms of realm, but when it comes to the power of spirit consciousness, you are nothing but an ant beneath my feet!" Blade and sword weapons could only harm the physical body and cause external injuries.
The terrifying aspect of spirit awareness was its ability to penetrate a person's physical shell and strike directly into the depths of the soul.
If both parties possessed spirit consciousness, they could use it to resist each other. However, someone without spirit awareness had no means of defense.
Even someone like the man in the black robe couldn't help but scream in agony. The flower lamp slipped from his grip, and Lilly seized the opportunity to forcefully break it.
Crash! The flower lamp shattered into pieces, and in the man in the black robe's hand, only a pile of shards remained.
"You..." The man in the black robe stood up in horror, quickly distancing himself from Lilly and Ivan.
"The one with spirit awareness is you!" The man in the black robe looked at Ivan in shock. "There is no third person..." Had Emperor Eastmount been present, he would have seized the perfect moment long ago.
Ivan coldly shouted, "You've realized it too late!" He charged forward, his scepter clearing a path in front while his divine awareness acted as a "skull opener.” If only his divine consciousness had extended a bit further, there'd be no need for a physical charge.
"I admit you're truly formidable,” the man in the black robe said with a sinister look. "But you revealed yourself too early!" He couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief, as if everything was finally going as he had expected, all under his control.
Lilly and Ivan were both shaken. They realized that he had seen through all their plans.
It was akin to children trying to outwit an astute adult.
Lilly glanced at Ivan, and he returned her gaze. At that moment, they both shared the same thought.
Ivan, you better be thinking the same as me...
Ivan's eyes bore unwavering determination.
This was their last chance.
He had faith that Lilly would grasp the depth of his intentions.
With unwavering determination, Ivan lunged towards the figure in the black robe, as if he had nothing to lose.