Chapter 1104: Allure of Money
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
Katcha!
As the black sword sliced through a multitude of stone walls, more were raised to take the place of their fallen rocky counterparts.
Ancient Jade King did not fight Han Sen face-to-face, and he remained purely on the defensive. He kept on dodging and dodging. The only vain attempts of attack he had tried were the occasional raising of spiky rocks from the ground.
"This is a troubling foe. His powers of commanding the earth are formidable!" Han Sen thought to himself.
Making use of his Devil Pill in conjunction with super king spirit mode made Han Sen a combatant to be feared. He could slice through the rocks with ease, but the sheer abundance of them made it difficult for him to gain any real ground and advance on his enemy.
Seeing Han Sen continuing to chase Ancient Jade King in a dazzling display of cut rock and dust, the hype train was going at full-speed for the spectators.
"Dollar is so good! The king spirit is cowering like a beaten mutt."
"He is the best surpasser. Hands down."
"The King is invincible."
"I bet even those emperors would lose against The King."
"What if he is an emperor already? Titles can be misleading."
Flower Empress and Heavenly Empress were watching this match with keen interest, as well. They were amazed by Han Sen's performance.
The earth element was incredibly dense and heavy, yet Han Sen was easily able to destroy each shield of stone. They were deployed by a foe with nine gene locks, and yet Han Sen might as well have been dicing butter. It was incredibly likely only emperors could possess such mighty powers.
Ancient Jade King was taken aback by The King, too. He had not expected to be subjected to such fierce attacks, and he knew it was only a matter of time before he lost.
They had both opened nine gene locks, that much was clear. But even so, Han Sen was considerably stronger. All Ancient Jade King could do was dodge, as much as he hated doing it.
Han Sen was able to suppress him, but the moves he used to avoid defeat were cheap and infuriating. He was too good at producing shields. Whenever Han Sen thought there was an opening to strike the opponent himself, he'd still end up hitting a newly-produced wall of rock.
This wouldn't have been an issue if Han Sen hadn't been on a timer. But being on the clock, it was stressful and concerning.
Fifteen minutes had passed by this point, and Han Sen's mind raced in search of a method to knock-down Ancient Jade King and keep him there.
Han Sen was dominating, but no one knew his life was depending on it. He was in a big rush.
"F*ck! I have to use this." Han Sen stopped chasing Ancient Jade King and instead, summoned a single coin between two of his fingers.
The coin seemed fairly ordinary, up until it started to glow. After a moment of glowing, a number showed up on it.
1... 2... 3... 4...
It was ominous to see. And the higher the number went, the spookier it felt.
"What is he doing?" People wondered what Han Sen was going to do next, and what the result of that coin would be.
If Han Sen put all his power into one coin, it'd still prove useless, they thought.
Ancient Jade King was confident in his shields, and if the coin was imbued with such power, he was sure he could use his stone walls to block it while he ran elsewhere in evasion.
The coin grew even brighter now, as Han Sen did indeed imbue it with a terrifying amount of his own power.
The numbers continued to rise, until it hit the number ten.
Han Sen felt his body become drained of all strength. The number on the coin was a display of how much of his power had been put inside and multiplied.
It was incredible.
If the coin was equivalent to one of Han Sen's frighteningly powerful punches, then ten meant ten of those.
The coin quivered with the immense amount of power stored within, with the number ten signifying it having ten times the power it'd normally have.
It was a new technique Han Sen had developed, which he called "Saving Money." Saving Money took time, and it wasn't something that could be done quickly. It'd also cost a lot of power.
Also, by using Saving Money, he couldn't go anywhere. He couldn't move. And what's more, interruptions would result in a cancellation of all progress made.
While that may have been considered a significant downside, it wasn't all that bad, in practice. The coin could be fired whenever, at any cost of power. If it looked likely he was going to be interrupted, he could just fire it then and there.
But firing it meant you'd have to start from zero again.
And firing it at a lower number wasn't as effective as it would be at a higher number, either. It'd be much weaker.
It was a move that had been designed to be used with a teammate. It'd have been much easier to use if there was someone else on the field, distracting enemies.
Han Sen was going to use it now, though, because Ancient Jade King had only proven himself to be a wimp. He didn't even try attacking.
Han Sen's coin hit the number ten. To Han Sen, he regarded this as "saving ten dollars."
If it was a brave king spirit he was fighting against, he'd have most certainly been interrupted by now.
But Ancient Jade King had waited for a while, giving Han Sen the space to build up power. Now, after hitting ten, Ancient Jade King decided to try and attack.
Seeing Ancient Jade King shoot a stone wall at Han Sen, Han Sen fired an exchange. He blasted his coin towards the cowardly spirit, uttering the words, "Be tempted by the allure of money and become its thrall."
The coin flew towards Ancient Jade King, emblazoned with the number eleven.
Chapter 1105: Curse of Immortality
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
Over the past few years, Han Sen had studied and learned much alongside Bai Yishan. He spent most of his time researching the powers of the Coin Toad's energy flow and developing Saving Money.
Creating hyper geno arts was not easy, and he had only managed to create one during all that time.
What he often referred to as "Make It Rain" was not a proper skill, just a barrage technique he employed. Saving Money was different to this, as it actually involved a warping of the powers that would be used.
Humans could create and use powers that were complex in their employment. The intricate nature of human skills was why they took a long time to master, but it was also what gave them an edge against spirits. Spirits were a lot more basic, and their power was often derived from simple strength. If all battles were a direct collision of strength, spirits would almost always win.
Saving Money used the coins as a base. It was a combination of that and Bao'er's energy flow.
Saving Money made use of a suction vacuum, courtesy of Bao'er. Through an analysis of her profound magnetic-like abilities, Han Sen was able to work it into amplifying the crushing weight of the coins.
And now, this was to be a first-time showcase of what he had developed. And Han Sen had turned the dial all the way up to eleven.
Pang!
When the coin fired directly towards Ancient Jade King's body, the spirit's entire body was suddenly morphed into a stone pillar. And then, a brief second later, it crumbled to the ground.
Ancient Jade King started to run. He knew he couldn't dodge and deflect such a powerful coin, so his ability to duplicate himself as a pillar was what would save him.
He thought he had managed to get away scot-free, but he was wrong. And when he acknowledged this, his face fell. He felt a wretched suction start pulling him back towards the coin he was trying to escape.
Ancient Jade King tried to fight the tide of suction, but it was futile. He ended up rolling back towards the coin.
The audience only saw Han Sen's coin destroy a sudden pillar of stone, and when Ancient Jade King tried to make an escape, he was pulled back towards it.
It was a nine gene lock super king spirit's power multiplied by eleven.
The moment Ancient Jade King came into contact with the coin, his armor shattered.
Ding! Ding!
Nothing but blood remained. And atop it, spinning on its side, was the coin. It was completely clean.
Everyone fell silent upon witnessing what had just occurred. The entire battleground had been devastated by what Han Sen had just done; it was frightening.
But the silence didn't last long. Han Sen had won again, and that warranted grand applause. Screams of fanatical cheering began to erupt.
Han Sen did not have the time to hang around, though. He simply waved and ran back to the shelter.
When he returned, he immediately fell on the floor. He could hardly breathe, and in the aching of his muscles, he ended up flopping in a pool of his own sweat.
Fortunately, he was able to exit just in time. He couldn't risk having that occur in the arena.
After lying down for a while, he felt moderately better. Still, he was incredibly weak.
"Ugh, I'm still so far away from reaching the top ten. What's the use of continuing today and trying to win the entire competition?" Han Sen thought to himself.
While he was ready to call it quits, he did not harbor any regrets. Even without a benefit to himself, he was happy to step on the throats of other spirits.
"It's a shame I couldn't well-and-truly eliminate and kill Fei Yu King," Han Sen said to himself.
With no time to dwell on it, Han Sen returned home and hopped into his recovery pool. Saving Money had put a massive strain on him.
It would take two weeks for him to recover from that, so it was unlikely he could fight again the next day.
Han Sen felt his entire body become drained of power, and every cell in his body had almost zero energy.
Suddenly, though, he felt a power in his heart. It was thumping with a strength greater than he was accustomed to.
Han Sen was shocked, feeling his heart actually begin to change. Power was starting to return, all derived from the new manic pumping of his heart.
"Curse of Immortality? It finally finished after all this time." Han Sen placed his hand on his chest and felt incredibly happy.
Heresy Mantra had four different tiers to it. He had learned the third tier a long time ago; something which was called Long Live. The fourth tier, Curse of Immortality, had not finished yet. But on this day, after having been drained of all energy, Heresy Mantra had finally become ready to evolve.
Han Sen thought to himself, "What changes will Curse of Immortality bring to my body, I wonder?"
Heresy Mantra was a passive skill, but it had always proven useful. It had always been there, like a rock or pillar to support him.
It was like Jade-Sun Force, except this one worked on the heart. The heart was a core component of the human body. While all his other organs were exhausted, Han Sen's heart was stronger than ever.
Where he once felt like dying, now he was full of life. His Heresy Mantra had reached a new tier, and he couldn't be happier.
But with this new-found strength, Han Sen discovered a new hunger. He was starving, very much like the first time he practiced Heresy Mantra.
He crawled out of the pool and returned to the shelter. He brought out some of the creature flesh he had stored and started to stuff his face with it. It was raw.
Chapter 1106: Refining the Crystals
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
Han Sen was feeling far too hungry. His body was incredibly tired, and he knew he should have been resting, but he was overwhelmed with a strange ravenousness.
He knew such behavior was dangerous. Heresy Mantra was able to hasten his recovery, but he knew the power to do so couldn't just come from anywhere.
If he wanted to recover and get back in tip-top shape, he had to have power.
He was currently not supposed to have any. Curse of Immortality was sure to damage him further, by making him so active in such a weakened condition.
Han Sen kept on scoffing down sacred-blood flesh. He couldn't get enough of the stuff, and he thought each and every fatty, red morsel was better than the highest-class nutritious solution.
After another hefty slab of meat, the hunger of his crying stomach did not relent. The energy inside was not able to keep up with his heart.
But as hungry as he was, his stomach was full. His belly had inflated like a balloon, and there was no room left for food.
His heart was good but his stomach wasn't; there was no way he could eat any more. And even if he was in fine health, he couldn't come anywhere close to eating as much as he just had.
Han Sen was sitting on the floor like a pregnant woman, with his appetite still fierce.
His stomach was stuffed, and yet, he was still so hungry. It was an annoying conundrum to deal with, as two contradicting pains collided.
If Han Sen wasn't as strong a person as he was, he'd undoubtedly be screaming.
His face was all pale, and a ghastly sweat had started to form. His clothes were all soon drenched in this sweat.
Hungry. Hungry. Hungry.
Han Sen placed his hands on his belly and tried to suppress it and fight back against its calling for more food.
Jade-Sun Force could barely provide him with energy. If he wanted to get it started, to put him in better shape, he'd need nutrition. Just like if there was no oil, there was no way to refine gas. Unfortunately for him, Han Sen was too full right now. Even a single pea or grain of corn would be enough to tip him over the edge.
"I should have learned a hyper geno art to improve the fortitude of my stomach," Han Sen said to himself, remorsefully realizing it was now too late for that.
When he crossed Ghost Mountain, the big white snake gave him a Dragon Saliva. It was a super-class geno treasure. If he drank it, he'd most assuredly be energized.
But Han Sen didn't want to use it in such a condition. He was fighting back against the use of something that might save his life.
Han Sen's body was beginning to shrivel now. The fat was burning at a hastened rate, and he was immediately appearing much slimmer.
"Heresy Mantra should be practiced by women; it sure helps you lose weight." Han Sen remained light-hearted, despite his predicament.
While Han Sen contested with whether or not he should eat the Dragon Saliva, the crystallized organs inside him started to feel relieved.
Han Sen was shocked when he noticed this. He found that the crystals inside him had been detached from his organs into a slimy, fatty state; and now, they were being absorbed.
Han Sen was afraid the crystals would change his body, which was why he had not tried absorbing them. But now it was happening whether he wanted it to or not.
He noticed the refined crystals did not blend into his body. They were instead burned like fat, providing energy to his heart.
The heart pounded inside his chest like the chugging of machinery as it worked hard to refine materials. And as this occurred, his stomach began to feel lighter. The hunger he was feeling began to subside.
As Han Sen digested these crystals inside, the media was having a field day back in the Alliance. They were ecstatic over the fact Dollar had managed to kill two king spirits and make three royal spirits obey him.
The Alliance did not typically talk about the Third God's Sanctuary, and all subjects of its discussion were usually banned.
But this time, they allowed talk of it. Regarding this event, people were given permission to speak and report freely over Dollar's accomplishments.
Dollar's name was on the tip of everyone's tongue once more. He was the talk of the town, as everyone idolized and theorized how powerful he must have been.
The surpassers, who had a better understanding of the power Dollar must have had to defeat his foes in the way he had, thought it was a miracle.
It was difficult to carve out a living in the Third God's Sanctuary, and more often than not, luck was the deciding factor over whether or not you'd end up a slave to a spirit all your time there.
What Dollar had managed to achieve was something no other human believed possible. He had now become a superstar.
Some people began to whisper suspicions, though.
Humans who lived in spirit shelters heard talk about a spirit known as The King, and while Divinity's Bout was on, they often heard spirits refer to Dollar as The King. They were one and the same. They were saying Dollar was actually a spirit.
But such talk was not given the time of day and was quickly hushed by the authorities. Dollar was in the Third God's Sanctuary, and he was able to use beast souls.
Not many people knew about the connection between Dollar and The King, so there was no big fuss made of it. The validity of their claims could not be verified, after all.
The spirits in the shelter were ravenously discussing The King's victories, too. They believed he would one day become an extremely powerful emperor.
He was the first human to ever make spirits feel this way.
Humans and spirits were hoping to catch a glimpse of Dollar or The King the next day.
But much to their surprise, Han Sen did not show up.
They all then discussed the reasons why he might not have continued his participation in the competition, but none believed it to be fear. Aside from a king spirit with eight gene locks, the remainder of his opponents were to be royal spirits. There did not seem to be a comprehensible reason why he would not show up.