Realm of the Night God

Only a few words escaped from the mouth of the serpent demon, weak but resolute.

Yang Haoran chuckled and shook his head, saying, "Don't be so pessimistic. Fighting is like playing cards. Until it's over, who knows who will win or lose?"

In truth, Yang Haoran had considered every aspect before coming here.

If his opponent's strength far surpassed his own, he would immediately flee with the serpent demon, not confront them head-on.

He wasn't foolish; if he knew he couldn't win, he wouldn't foolishly resist. That wouldn't be courage; it would be stupidity.

Of course, if escape wasn't an option and there was no choice but to fight desperately, that would be a different matter. But even in death, he would take a piece of his opponent with him.

If his opponent's strength wasn't overwhelming to the point of being unbeatable, he wouldn't retreat without a fight. He had to stand his ground to avoid being mocked as a coward.

Though Sloppy Man was powerful, Yang Haoran didn't see him as unbeatable. He dared to stay and confront him because he knew he had to be prepared.

The serpent demon nodded with a smile but said no more, as she had made her decision.

If Yang Haoran were to die at Sloppy Man's hands, she would immediately choose suicide. Even in death, she would prefer to die by her own hand than at Sloppy Man's.

To her, this would be meaningful, as it would signify that Yang Haoran had ultimately succeeded in saving her. After all, she didn't die at Sloppy Man's hands but by her own choice.

Yang Haoran withdrew his gaze from the serpent demon and fixed it on Sloppy Man across from him.

"You should prepare yourself. I worry you won't withstand the next blow," Yang Haoran said with a smile.

Sloppy Man's expression didn't change at Yang Haoran's words. He looked at Yang Haoran with indifference, continuously channeling Star Spiritual Power into his longsword.

As more and more Star Spiritual Power infused into the sword, it trembled, emitting a dense green light. Especially the two mysterious stripes on the blade seemed to come alive, wriggling on the surface.

"I'll give you the same advice. I'm concerned you won't withstand my next attack. You're injured, and it would be unsporting of me to win like this. But it's your choice," Sloppy Man said calmly, indicating he was preparing a powerful move.

Observing this, Yang Haoran realized Sloppy Man wasn't bluffing earlier; he indeed had more potent techniques.

With this realization, Sloppy Man hesitated. His ultimate move wasn't fully prepared yet. To unleash its full power, he needed to infuse sufficient Star Spiritual Power. If he failed to do so, the attack's effectiveness would be severely compromised.

However, Yang Haoran was also preparing a significant move. If Sloppy Man didn't act now, he would likely suffer.

The best course of action was to strike first. Sloppy Man couldn't let Yang Haoran successfully unleash his move!

With this thought, Sloppy Man stopped infusing Star Spiritual Power into his sword. His gaze turned sharp as he stared at Yang Haoran, and his eyes gleamed with sword energy.

"Go!"

With a fierce shout, Sloppy Man swung his longsword towards Yang Haoran from a distance!

Buzz!

The sword emitted a sharp hum as Sword Qi coalesced into a massive green sword, descending towards Yang Haoran!

The sword was enormous, too large for the Ancient Tomb to contain. As it descended towards Yang Haoran, the top of the Ancient Tomb and the stone wall opposite Sloppy Man seemed as fragile as tofu, easily sliced through by the gigantic sword.

Due to its immense speed, the Ancient Tomb didn't collapse immediately. It remained intact, as if nothing had happened.

As the giant sword descended, Yang Haoran didn't open his eyes. His hand seals continued unabated, and the Yin Qi around him surged. His hands moved faster, causing the Yin Qi to boil violently.

At the same time, the soul weapon, Waning Moon, responded to the summoning, instantly appearing above Yang Haoran's head. As Waning Moon spun rapidly, its size expanded, resembling a black umbrella. It not only shielded Yang Haoran from above but also enveloped the serpent demon, Bai Xue.

Boom!

A deafening roar echoed as the giant sword struck Waning Moon. Waning Moon trembled violently, sinking abruptly under the immense force until it stopped just inches above Yang Haoran's head.

Crack!

Crack! Crack!

A series of brittle sounds followed as cracks appeared on Waning Moon upon Sloppy Man's strike. At this rate, within a few breaths, the cracked Waning Moon would shatter completely.

At that moment, without Waning Moon's protection, Sloppy Man's strike would directly cleave into Yang Haoran.

With the terrifying force of the giant sword, once it struck Yang Haoran, his flesh would undoubtedly be cut open directly, without a chance of his bones blocking the blade. No bone could withstand such a strike!

As the giant sword was blocked, Sloppy Man's expression soured. Gripping the hilt tightly, he forcefully pressed his sword downward!

As Sloppy Man pushed the sword down slightly, the giant sword blocked by Waning Moon also descended a bit!

Crack!

Crack!

Waning Moon developed more cracks, trembling even more violently. It seemed unable to hold on much longer!

Witnessing this, the serpent demon roared. She struggled to raise her serpent body, intending to use herself to absorb some of the giant sword's force.

However, at that moment, Yang Haoran's voice suddenly reached her ears.

"Why panic? When the water reaches your mouth, isn't there still your nose?"

Yang Haoran's voice made the serpent demon pause. For some reason, amidst such a crisis, Yang Haoran's voice gave her an immense sense of security, instilling unconditional trust in him.

She didn't continue struggling to rise; instead, she just gazed at Yang Haoran.

At this moment, Yang Haoran's hand seals paused, and he abruptly opened his eyes, issuing a sharp shout.

"Death God Manifestation!"

As the shout resounded, the Death Mark Seal on Yang Haoran's forehead became visible to the naked eye.

Simultaneously, the space above Sloppy Man distorted, and an illusory, intangible divine statue of the Death God instantly materialized and emanated a terrifying power.

This illusory Death God Manifestation was summoned by Yang Haoran!

Summoning the Death God Manifestation against an opponent, Yang Haoran had witnessed Deng Feng display it once in the Ghost Building. Deng Feng hadn't needed hand seals then; he had summoned the Death God Manifestation instantly.

Now, Yang Haoran needed the hand seals because his Yin spirit power had been depleted. He couldn't summon the Death God Manifestation instantly; he needed the seals to complete the summoning.

Similar to Deng Feng's earlier summoning, the Death God Manifestation Yang Haoran summoned now also had three closed eyes.

Sloppy Man's expression drastically changed as he glanced at the Death God Manifestation above him. A strong sense of danger surged within him. Before he could react, Yang Haoran's voice echoed in the space.

"Seal!"

As the word "seal" was uttered, the three eyes of the Death God Manifestation opened simultaneously. The space trembled violently, and a powerful force directly immobilized Sloppy Man.

Yang Haoran coughed up blood, but he didn't relent. He spoke again in a deep voice.

"Annihilate!"

As the word "annihilate" was spoken, the Death God Manifestation slowly raised one arm. As the arm lifted, the surrounding space trembled, and a violent force gathered in its palm. Then, it slowly pressed down towards Sloppy Man below.

Splut!

As the palm descended, a terrifying force struck Sloppy Man, causing him to spew blood instantly.

As the palm descended, the irresistible force became stronger and stronger. Sloppy Man's pupils dilated in shock and pain because his body began to crack under the unbearable force!

The power of the Death God Manifestation was overwhelming. If Sloppy Man allowed the palm to strike, he had no doubt he would be crushed into pieces beneath it. Perhaps even his soul would be shattered!

Seeing the giant sword above Yang Haoran's head and glancing at the seriously injured serpent demon, Sloppy Man hesitated for a moment. Then, he gritted his teeth and seemed to make a reluctant decision!

Under his mental control, the giant sword above Yang Haoran's head suddenly shattered, turning into specks of green Star Spiritual Power. These Star Spiritual Powers converged rapidly and then merged into his body.

Empowered by this Star Spiritual Power, Sloppy Man roared furiously. A dreadful wave of power erupted from within him.

He didn't use this power to resist the descending palm. Instead, he used it to forcibly break free from the Death God Manifestation's restraint.

Boom!

With a loud noise, Sloppy Man managed to break the restraint around him. Then, he swung his sword, splitting open a crack in space without hesitation. Without any hesitation, he dashed into the space rift and escaped from the scene!

As the space rift closed, Sloppy Man disappeared without a trace. However, in the instant he vanished, the Death God Manifestation above shattered, and Yang Haoran consecutively coughed up several mouthfuls of blood. His face lost all color, and his body swayed unsteadily.