"What a bummer," Knox muttered, absorbing all the dropped Attribute Orbs. "Killing Half-step Soul Formation Realm goons only allots six-digit Attribute Points now. But then again, I guess this was to be expected when my farming game has been so on point as of late."
*Bzzzzz—!*
Before he could dwell on his thoughts any further, hundreds of large, crackling green and black portals formed around him. They spread out evenly in a perfect circle, and from them emerged millions upon millions of Beast-kin.
WAAA!
The strongest among them were in the Early Soul Formation Realm, of which there were four.
Three of them were the robot-like Demonic Generals, whereas the last one was an old lady with a walking cane. Knox couldn't discern precisely how strong she was, but he knew for certain that she was leagues above the 4th Demonic General he had fought a couple of days ago. Moreover, the last three Demonic Generals also felt far more powerful.
Yet, that wasn't all. In addition to the Demonic Generals and the mysterious old, hunch-backed lady, there were thousands of Nascent Soul Realm Cultivators. By itself, this wasn't too big a deal, but the real problem lay in what 'unique' professions they possessed.
'A number of Alchemists, a few hundred Runic Masters, as well as thousands of Formation and Array Experts,' Knox thought as his brows furrowed further. 'If these people team up with the three Demonic Generals and the old lady, I could really end up being in trouble.'
However, even though he knew serious bodily harm—or even death—were possibilities, he didn't back down. On the contrary, he stood his ground after descending to floor level.
With his left hand folded behind him, he slowly raised his right hand and beckoned the opposition.
"Come. Let me see what a bunch of juiced-up farm animals can do."
"!!!" "!!!" "!!!"
The powerful old lady smacked her cane against the air she stood on. A resounding explosion echoed, sending waves of incredibly dangerous energy rolling in every direction.
"The rumors floating around are right," the old lady said. "You're just as presumptuous as they describe you to be. It's simply too bad you aren't strong enough to continue building up that reputation of yours. Too bad indeed…"
The corners of Knox's mouth raised as he summoned hundreds of Intent Swords—all containing the full extent of a Level 4 Sword Intent.
"If you wanna fight, then let's fight," he said. "No need to mince words. In your old age, I'm afraid that if you talk too much, your dentures might just fall out."
The old lady's wrinkled expression twisted in anger. As she began transforming into something far more monstrous, Knox took a curious glance at her System Interface.
{[Seven-headed Basilisk (Neleron)]}
[Cultivation: Early Soul Formation Realm (Weakened due to being in the 4th Stage of the 5 Marks of Decay)]
[Age: 2800]
[Main Technique: Stone Sight]
—[As the last living sister of the preternatural Seven-headed Basilisks in Pandora, Neleron is the bearer of a legacy. However, because of the start of the Five Marks of Decay, she was forced to take refuge with the stronger Cobra Empress. In exchange for doing the Empress's dirty work, she received precious pills and medicines that worked to prolong her life.]
"So you're living on borrowed time, huh?" Knox mused as he teleported two Intent Swords to his open hands. "I don't know how I feel about beating up an old hag on her last legs, but oh well. Just as you want something from the Cobra Empress, I want something from you."
"...And what might that be?" asked a hissing green Basilisk the size of a mountain.
Knox grinned, his sleeves rupturing due to the explosive power coursing through his veins.
"Why…"
FWIP!
"Your loot, of course!"
CLANG! CLANG!
His Intent Swords clashed with one of Neleron's tails, causing sparks to fly. Yet, with her overwhelming amount of physical strength, she overpowered him, sending him nose-diving into a lake below.
KA—BOOOOOM!!
The lake evaporated.
"Ha… You're going to be a fun one," Knox said while wiping the blood off his smirk. "You've gotten my full attention. So don't hold anything back! Give it to me; I can take it!!"
Neleron: "...."
"Very well," she said as all seven of her heads became active. "If death is what you seek, then I shall not deny you its embrace."
RUMBLE!
Two incredibly powerful auras erupted from Knox and Neleron. Intense shaking left the sky in a state of constant rumbling. And while the owners of the two auras battled each other head-on, the millions of Beast-kin sat back and witnessed the one-sided fight of the century.
Knox's a*s was handed to him on more than one occasion. It was only with the 2nd Perfection and his innate tenacity that he even kept himself conscious.
Surprising as it may be, the Soul Formation Realm was nowhere as simple as it seemed. Even when up against a weakened old lady, he found himself losing his footing at every step.
However, he kept persisting.
Even with every part of his body being injured one way or another, he never stopped getting back up. To fight another round was what he yearned for, and until he won, he would never give up.
— Half an hour later —
"...I suppose this is my loss," Knox incoherently mumbled while lying in a pool of his own blood, half his body missing well… everything.
Neleron coldly looked down at him, her eyes thinned like a snake's. She had reverted to her human form, seemingly doing this just to taunt him.
She hadn't even taken him seriously…
'Fighting against me while in the Soul Formation Realm,' Knox thought. 'I imagine it feels much like fighting a cockroach that just doesn't seem to want to die. To be reduced to a mere cockroach… Haiz…'
Lying in that pool of blood—helpless and defenseless—reminded him too much of his excruciatingly long period of time as a cripple.
That was to say, he wasn't enjoying it one single bit.