Chapter 789 - 774: Demon Gate, Absolute Defense

The Thunder Element Mansion, the Yin Element Mansion, and the Vermilion Bird Divine Fire Elements Mansion!

Though only at the King Martial Realm Second Heaven of cultivation, Shen Lang already possessed three Elements Mansions!

Moreover, none of them were ordinary Elements Mansions; they were all what could be considered mutated!

The power of each one was unimaginable!

All Shen Lang needed now was a little time...

Because right now, aside from the Vermilion Bird Divine Fire Elements Mansion, which already contained a good amount of Vermilion Bird Divine Fire, his Thunder and Yin Element Mansions were almost completely depleted.

If he was given just a bit more time, once all three Elements Mansions were full, Shen Lang’s overall strength would skyrocket exponentially!

After the three Elements Mansions had taken shape, Shen Lang used their supremely tyrannical power to successfully refine two more Death God Nails.

The number of Death God Nails Shen Lang could now wield had increased to three!

However, refining these two Death God Nails had nearly exhausted his Sea of Consciousness, leaving him half-dead with fatigue.

’It’s been a long time since I’ve felt this desperate for a good, long sleep...’

Shen Lang shook his head and forced himself to his feet. "Duanmu Xie, come here!"

The words had barely left his lips when a black wind swept past, and Duanmu Xie appeared before Shen Lang as if he had teleported.

"My lord, what are your orders?" Duanmu Xie said respectfully.

"Back up thirty meters," Shen Lang said with a wave of his hand.

Duanmu Xie paused for a moment, then did as he was told and retreated thirty meters.

An eerie green energy suddenly materialized in the palm of Shen Lang’s right hand, which he then slammed into the ground!

BOOM!

A sound like the earth shaking and mountains trembling rang out, and a bizarre, five-zhang-tall gate appeared before Shen Lang.

The gate was dark red and looked exactly like the face of a demon.

The demon’s mouth was wide open, and from within its pitch-black maw billowed an aura of evil and slaughter, as if it were a passage to Hell itself!

The gate was covered in strange, indecipherable characters that swam about like tadpoles. If a person’s gaze lingered on them for even a moment, they would find it impossible to look away. The eerie power they contained was utterly bizarre and indescribable!

An aura of extreme cruelty, tyranny, and evil emanated from the gate, rolling outwards and spreading in all directions.

It gave one the feeling of having been plunged into the Endless Abyss!

Watching all of this, Duanmu Xie’s eyes went wide, and he exclaimed, "’Demon Gate’? Is this the Abyss Lord’s Talent Ability, the ’Demon Gate’?"

According to legend, the Talent Ability of the Abyss Lord, one of the overlords of the Abyss, was precisely the "Demon Gate."

Rumor had it that this "Demon Gate" led to the Endless Abyss and was incomparably sturdy, one of the strongest defenses in legend!

It was known among the experts of all races as "Absolute Defense"!

Whether for physical or Magic Defense, the "Demon Gate" definitely ranked among the top five on the Star Continent.

What surprised Duanmu Xie wasn’t how powerful the legendary "Demon Gate" was, but why Shen Lang was able to use the Abyss Lord’s Talent Ability!

Could it be that the Talent Ability of the Abyss Lord, one of the overlords of the Abyss Demons, had manifested in Shen Lang?

Even though Duanmu Xie had personally witnessed and helped Shen Lang absorb the Abyss Lord’s Soul Thought, seeing this "Demon Gate" now felt like he was in a dream.

’Wait! This doesn’t seem to be the first time my lord has done something like this. Isn’t he also able to use the Vermilion Bird Divine Fire, the Talent Ability of the Vermilion Bird Race?’

At this thought, Duanmu Xie was instantly relieved...

The Vermilion Bird was a Divine Beast! If Shen Lang could even manage to acquire the Talent Ability of a Divine Beast, what was the Talent Ability of an Abyss Lord in comparison, powerful though it might be?

"My lord, you’re a monster," Duanmu Xie blurted out, thinking it was a compliment.

"You’re the monster!" Shen Lang retorted, rolling his eyes. "But you’re not mistaken. This is the Abyss Lord’s Talent Ability, the ’Demon Gate’."

"Legend says this Demon Gate has nine layers. If one could summon all nine, not even the Five Directions Emperor could break through it! It’s called ’Absolute Defense’... but that’s just a legend. As far as history records, no Abyss Demon has ever been able to summon all nine layers."

"With my current power, mental state, and familiarity with this move, summoning one layer is already my limit. And it’s completely drained my Spiritual Power."

Duanmu Xie’s jaw dropped wider and wider as he praised sincerely, "Wahaha! You even got your hands on the Abyss Lord’s Demon Gate! My lord, if you go and catch a Divine Beast next time, does that mean you can get its Talent Ability too?"

Shen Lang gave a dry laugh. "That’s exactly what I was thinking. Next time we encounter a Divine Beast, I’ll leave that task to you."

"..." Duanmu Xie quickly bowed his head and offered an apologetic smile.

Shen Lang shook his head. "Alright, attack this ’Demon Gate’ with one-tenth of your power first. If you can’t break it, then increase to two-tenths, then three-tenths."

With that, a weary Shen Lang walked to the side and sat down on a stone block.

His Sea of Consciousness and Spiritual Power were both completely drained. At this moment, Shen Lang was truly at his weakest.

If he hadn’t wanted to test this "Demon Gate," Shen Lang would have probably already flopped onto his back and started snoring away.

"Understood. I’ll control my strength."

Duanmu Xie took a deep breath, nodded slightly, and threw a punch at the "Demon Gate"!

This punch didn’t use any Cultivation Technique; it was merely a release of the power within Duanmu Xie’s body.

But Duanmu Xie’s own cultivation was already at the Emperor Martial Realm Peak. Furthermore, under Shen Lang’s guidance, his control over his power was far beyond what it used to be. How could one-tenth of his power be a trivial matter?

This punch was far from being comparable to any of his previous attacks.

It lacked the overwhelming momentum of his past strikes, which could topple mountains and overturn seas.

However, all the power was condensed into the Fist Gang, concentrated and un-dispersed.

It shot forward as fast as lightning!

It could shatter mountains and break peaks, its momentum like a tsunami!

The nearly-materialized Fist Gang just flashed through the air and, in an instant, smashed into the center of the "Demon Gate"!

BOOM!

Amidst the tremendous roar, Energy overflowed and a fierce wind erupted!

However, Duanmu Xie, his eyes wide, saw clearly that such a powerful punch hadn’t even managed to budge the "Demon Gate" in the slightest!

"How is that possible! It’s that strong?" Duanmu Xie’s face was a picture of horror!

You have to understand, ever since Shen Lang had helped him completely expel the Celestial Purity Sect’s Sword Qi from his body, his strength had been advancing by leaps and bounds day and night, constantly approaching the Peak Realm!

Moreover, after being sent rolling like a gourd by the fourth move of Shen Lang’s "Five Emperors Dragon Fist" on Cangxia Mountain, Duanmu Xie had pestered Shen Lang relentlessly for guidance on how to use his power and how to unleash it to its maximum potential.

Just as Shen Lang had once guided his fellow disciples on Songdu Peak, Duanmu Xie had also humbled himself and started learning from scratch.

Although not much time had passed since then, Duanmu Xie had truly benefited immensely.

This one punch, despite using only one-tenth of his power, was actually stronger than two-tenths of his power before he entered the Yumu Cave Blessed Land!

This punch alone was enough to obliterate a King Martial Realm Ninth Heaven expert.

But it hadn’t even managed to make the "Demon Gate" tremble!

The "Demon Gate" was certainly powerful, but it also depended on who was using it, right?

Duanmu Xie naturally wouldn’t be able to shake the "Demon Gate" when used by the Abyss Lord.

But Shen Lang’s current cultivation...

Duanmu Xie’s eyes were wide as he began to circle the "Demon Gate" continuously, trying to figure out just why this thing was so monstrously powerful.

As he observed, Shen Lang observed as well.

Shen Lang, with some effort, activated his Silver Eyes of Truth, taking in everything about the "Demon Gate."

This included all the energy fluctuations that appeared on the "Demon Gate" after Duanmu Xie’s punch landed.

"Use two-tenths of your power," Shen Lang said softly.

Duanmu Xie’s curiosity was piqued. Hearing this, he didn’t hesitate and threw another punch!

This time, he used two-tenths of his power!

The Fist Gang, carrying an endless sense of death and annihilation, once again slammed heavily into the "Demon Gate"!

This time, the sound was even louder, and the resulting energy ripples were more than twice as large!

The "Demon Gate" shook violently. The tyrannical Powerful Qi seemed to be drawn in by an invisible force, funneling into the demon’s great mouth before vanishing without a trace!

When all the black energy dissipated, a huge dent, a full meter in diameter, was revealed in the very center of the "Demon Gate"!

"Damn it, that’s monstrous!" Duanmu Xie’s old face flushed with embarrassment.

He always called himself the Zombie Emperor, but now he couldn’t even handle a single "Demon Gate." He felt a little ashamed in front of Shen Lang.

But a look of delight appeared in Shen Lang’s eyes. "From the looks of it, without me replenishing its energy, the Demon Gate shouldn’t be able to withstand three-tenths of your power. Give it a try."

"Yes!" Duanmu Xie shouted, then performed an Arrow Step Punch, throwing another fist forward!

This punch contained an unimaginably tyrannical power, carrying a terrifying might that could pierce the heavens and the earth. It struck with immense force, creating an explosive crack!

The surrounding air detonated, and the Gang Feng howled!

The incomparably tyrannical Fist Gang made contact with the "Demon Gate" once more, producing a deafening roar that made one’s eardrums ache.

The "Demon Gate" finally began to change!

CRACK... CRACK... CRACK...

Under the impact of Duanmu Xie’s fist wind, a series of spiderweb-like cracks appeared on the "Demon Gate."

After ten-odd seconds, the "Demon Gate" finally could not withstand the terrifying impact and abruptly shattered!

It turned to ash and dissipated into the air.

The remainder of Duanmu Xie’s power continued surging forward before dissipating into the void.

Shen Lang had watched the entire process clearly, not missing a single detail.

"My lord, how can this Demon Gate be so terrifying? It doesn’t make any sense... With your current cultivation, you can withstand the impact of three-tenths of my power with just this one Demon Gate? With my current strength, especially since I’m starting to learn how to concentrate my power, a punch like that would have knocked even my brother, Duanmu Zheng, flat on his back!"

"But this Demon Gate actually withstood and blocked over ninety percent of the force, with less than ten percent getting past it... This is simply unimaginable!"