My skills have mutated again!

Chapter 291 War Demon, No. 259, and an Unexpected Appearance!
Cultivators, above the Tribulation Transcending level, are True Immortals; above True Immortals are Immortal Lords and Golden Immortals.

Beyond the Golden Immortal realm lies the eleventh level—within the immortal cultivation system, the eleventh level is further divided into two ranks: Celestial Immortal and Immortal King.

Above the Immortal King realm is the twelfth-level Immortal Venerable realm; beyond that, the path of immortality becomes unobstructed.

Returning to the protector of the righteous group, Immortal Lord Wang Li.

His immortal realm was Immortal Lord, so his strength was naturally outstanding, but he had not reached level eleven.

Therefore, in terms of skill judgment weighting, the second law was not triggered.

However, its own attributes were quite good, which triggered the third law of the first stage, increasing the skill authority level by 1.

But it's a step below No. 259.

Before Xia Lin's eyes, the battle between the Limit Breaker and the Immortal Lord was so powerful that it seemed to threaten to topple the heavens.

It seemed like a draw, with Wang Li even having a slight advantage.

But Xia Lin knew in his heart that Wang Li and Zheng Qun were doomed.

The reason why the Ash Zone Walkers are worth cultivating and paying attention to, and even attract the attention of the Six Pillars, is because the Ash Zone system can indeed cultivate extraordinary powerhouses!
More than 50% of the existing level 12 powerhouses came from the Ash Zone, which shows how strong the Ash Zone Walkers are.

Legend has it that the top three members of the human race alone possess abilities comparable to those at level eleven—and level eleven has a natural +3 skill rating! As a level 9 Ember Walker, the fact that they can withstand this gap and fight against a level eleven speaks volumes.

At this moment, standing in front of Zhengqun and Wang Li is the Human Race Sequence 7, but his actual combat strength may be comparable to the top five, No. 259.

War Demon, NO.259!

"Uncle Wang! Kill him! Kill him! Take back my treasure!"

Zheng Qun was completely unaware that he was about to face a terrible disaster, with the word "death" hanging over his head.

He only saw that Wang Li had the upper hand in this battle, and for a moment he jumped up and down shouting, his emotions very excited.

Wang Li also failed to realize the seriousness of the problem.

He'd seen plenty of extraterrestrial demons; this guy in front of him just seemed physically stronger, nothing special.

He is certain to win this battle.

Unbeknownst to them, NO.259's eyes slowly turned red, and the corners of his mouth gradually widened into a chilling smile.

[Professional Talent: Beyond Limits (Racial Heritage Talent): All your Limit-Breaking Skills have their Limit-Breaking effects increased by 20-200 times! You can adjust the Limit-Breaking multiplier of your skills at any time. When the multiplier is at 20, you will not incur any cost. As the multiplier increases, you will incur different costs depending on the multiplier and the skill. This is: The Cost of Power!]

There's no need to elaborate on the special talents of those who break limits. Compared to surpassing, NO.259's professional talent is a level higher, reaching the level of racial foundation. Consequently, the limit-breaking multiplier has also reached a new high.

as well as……

[Enjoy the thrill of battle (Racial Heritage Skill): Passive skill, Limit Breaker skill, exclusive skill for Limit Breakers. When you enter combat, your base attributes will be upgraded based on the intensity of the battle!]

The multiplier is 200x!
[The Price of Power: Once you enter combat, you will uncontrollably enter a Demon Warrior state! In this state, you will be fearless and ruthless, but at the same time, your rationality and self-control will decrease!]

[Human-Earth-Heaven-God Transformation (Racial Foundation Level): Active Skill. Upon acquiring this skill, you will possess four forms! In Human form, all your attributes are compressed to one-fifth of their original value; this form is permanent. In Earth form, all your attributes remain unchanged; this form is permanent. In Heaven form, all your attributes are doubled for 3 days, with a 5-day cooldown. In God form, all your attributes are increased to ten times their original value for 1 hour, with a one-month cooldown!]

[Note: The attribute buffs/debuffs gained from this skill do not affect the effectiveness of the Third Law.]

Thus, a simple combo was created.

By compressing one's own attributes through the transformation of human, earth, heaven, and gods, one can gain limit-breaking buffs by enjoying the joy of battle.

The reduced attributes indirectly increased the intensity of the battle, thereby achieving a higher efficiency in breaking limits!

At this very moment, NO.259 has officially entered its Demon form!
Those who break limits—no, I should say all professionals—have this problem.

They will do everything possible to break the limits.

At this moment, NO.259 is using Wang Li as a character to boost his attributes.

In other words—he's hooked.

"After all, the gap is still quite large..."

Xia Lin, who was watching the battle from afar, muttered to himself.

Even with his observation skills, he couldn't figure out NO.259's moveset, specific attributes, and base stats.

But he knew in his heart that NO.259 could not defeat a level 11 Celestial Immortal, but at the very least, he could be on par with a Golden Immortal of normal or even above average level.

Compared to this person, what is Wang Li, a mere Immortal Lord, worth?
Wang Li is probably no match for Bao Bowen...

Thinking of this, Xia Lin turned his gaze to the Antarctic Cave in NO.259's hand.

Even after entering War Ghost mode, NO.259 still held onto the Antarctic Cave tightly, yet chose not to pursue Bao Bowen and the others.

This made Xia Lin pinch her chin and whisper, "This person's decision-making seems problematic..."

It might be that their brain isn't working properly... People who break limits generally have brain problems.

It's also possible that his orders were simply to acquire the Antarctic Cave, which didn't include hunting down Bao Bowen or even Xia Lin.

After pondering NO.259's thoughts, Xia Lin quickly gave up.

You can't fathom the thoughts of those who break limits. In some ways, these people are even crazier than the madmen on the original dark side.

Let's get back to the present.

Xia Lin came back hoping to find an opportunity to steal a chicken.

He didn't expect random combinations to shake NO.259. NO.259's skill judgment authority was two levels higher than his own. As a human race Sequence 7, he was even less likely to have skills below the Foundation level. Random combinations would have no effect on him.

Xia Lin's biggest wish was limited to the Antarctic Cave Heaven—this thing could relieve the pressure on the Hidden Soldier Cave, which was equivalent to breaking through the limit attribute in some way.

However, judging from the current situation, the chances are probably slim.

With this thought in mind, Xia Lin decisively turned around and prepared to leave.

NO.259's attributes far surpass his.

The fact that he could see the battle between NO.259 and Wang Li means that NO.259 must also be able to sense Xia Lin's location.

Although Xia Lin had realized that NO.259's intent to kill her and Bao Bowen was not very strong.

But there's no guarantee he won't accidentally pin Xia Lin to death...

A wise person avoids dangerous situations.

But just as Xia Lin turned to leave, the clear sound of wind chimes suddenly rang out from afar, growing louder and louder.

Xia Lin was taken aback at first, then turned her head to look at the direction from which the wind chimes were ringing.

Then they saw the familiar clown dressed as a bicycle, seemingly leisurely, but actually flying down from mid-air at an extremely fast speed.

The sound of wind chimes came from the handlebars of the bicycle.

Xia Lin: "???"

Why is the clown here?

However, the clown did not stop to answer Xia Lin's questions.

He simply ignored Xia Lin and leisurely walked past her not far away, eventually stopping at the edge of the battlefield between NO.259 and Wang Li.

"Let's go, try to stay as far away as possible..."

Without turning his head, the clown said this to Xia Lin.

This made Xia Lin raise an eyebrow and ask a question.

"What are you..."

The clown grinned and turned around, laughing exaggeratedly: "The meaning of life."

Then a deep, resonant voice rang out from afar.

"And personal grudges!"

Banners fluttered amidst the blood-red hue.

The fog of war swept in from afar, and Xing Fanwu, clad in blood-red armor, appeared and disappeared within it.

He stared at NO.259, his eyes burning with intense hatred.

Xia Lin: "Hmm..."

He does understand the concept of personal grudges.

But he didn't understand the meaning of the Joker's life...

……

Just as the Joker and Xing Fanwu made their appearance, Xu Haonan, who was in the distance, also frowned.

Noticing Xu Haonan's subtle expression, Lin Xiantian couldn't help but speak.

"there is a problem?"

Xu Haonan nodded slightly.

"Two questions, one big and one small."

"The minor problem is that NO.259 has his own ideas and seems quite dissatisfied with the tasks I assigned him."

Xu Haonan assigned NO.259 two tasks: first, to seize the Antarctic Cave; and second, if the opportunity arose, to kill Bao Bowen, Xia Lin, and others.

The two tasks are prioritized sequentially.

However, NO.259, despite having the ability, managed to let Bao Bowen and the others escape.

Lin Xiantian chuckled.

"You actually used those who have broken limits as weapons?"

Xu Haonan looked at Lin Xiantian in confusion: "Aren't they weapons?"

Lin Xiantian shook his head: "They are first and foremost human beings, professionals, and limit breakers; only secondly are they weapons."

"And humans have self-awareness, even the faintest self-awareness is still self-awareness."

After finishing his sentence, Lin Xiantian paused slightly and continued, "And you told NO.259 to give up the pursuit of Xiao Feng. This was NO.259's primary objective in entering this game, but you forcibly interrupted it. If I were NO.259, I would definitely be unhappy with you as well."

At this point, Lin Xiantian gave Xu Haonan a cryptic smile, which made Xu Haonan suddenly realize what was going on.

"You little brat, you're implying I'm weak again..."

Lin Xiantian smiled without saying a word, while Xu Haonan sighed and shook his head: "But what you said does make sense. The most important reason why the Creator can control the Overlord is the suppression of power. Only in this way can He transform one of the Six Pillars, the Old Overlord, into His own weapon, as easy as His own arm."

"On the contrary, as the one who issues the orders and the one who controls the weapons, I am much weaker than NO.259. It is normal for him to be dissatisfied with me."

"But these are minor issues."

As long as they can maintain the smooth progress of the plot, they will inevitably be the victors.

NO.259's little scheme is insignificant, and Bao Bowen, Xia Lin, and the others can only run for a while, not forever.

"The real problem is that the Demon Emperor's people have made a move."

This statement startled Lin Xiantian, whose expression then turned cold.

"This is impossible!"

"The senior brothers have been keeping a close eye on the Demon Emperor's high-ranking members for a long time. There's no way anyone from the Demon Emperor's side could get involved in this!"

Beside him, Xu Haonan spoke softly.

"They weren't high-ranking members of the Demon Emperor's faction, but rather two unknown individuals..."

"But that's precisely where the problem lies."

With an even brighter light in his eyes, Xu Haonan's gaze became deep and fixed on the clown and Xing Fanwu.

A questioning tone came from his mouth.

"I can sense the aura of the Demon Emperor on them... but I don't understand why the Demon Emperor would send these two to infiltrate this Ash District."

Lin Xiantian laughed and said, "According to you, this doesn't seem to be a big problem. Without intervention from high-ranking individuals, nobodies can't change the situation."

Xu Haonan shook his head and said, "You're wrong about that."

"The Demon Emperor wouldn't make meaningless moves; the entry of these two into the game must have its significance."

Xu Haonan couldn't understand the purpose and significance of the Joker and Xing Fanwu.

The unknown troubles are inevitably the biggest troubles.

……

Powerful attributes bring powerful perception.

NO.259 has already noticed Xing Fanwu and the Clown's presence, but he doesn't care...

Xia Lin couldn't see through his attributes, but he could sense the strength of everyone present.

As the strongest person present, NO.259, in a sense, controlled the overall situation.

"No...not a single interesting target...not a single one!!"

The smile on his face grew increasingly exaggerated, and the bloodshot in his eyes became more and more intense.

In its War Ghost form, NO.259's rationality is gradually disappearing—and this prevents NO.259 from maximizing its benefits, gradually pushing the battle towards an inevitable outcome.

The sky was filled with surging demonic energy and lingering ghosts.

Wang Li stood in the sky, his demonic sword dancing and his soul banner waving.

However, Wang Li soon realized that something was wrong...

The demonic energy could not shake NO.259's powerful body.

Even the ghosts of the true fairyland cannot bite through NO.259's skin.

The natal magic weapon, the Soul Devouring Demon Sword, could indeed inflict some bloody wounds on NO.259, but these wounds were far from fatal.

There was also Zhengqun nagging on the side.

"Uncle Wang! Go for it! Uncle Wang! Kill him and refine his soul!"

Wang Li's lips twitched, but he didn't dare to say anything harsh to Zheng Qun.

By simply making a sharp sword gesture, the demonic sword becomes even more powerful.

However, just as the sword light swept towards NO.259, the burly man who had just been fighting Wang Li to a standstill suddenly reached out and grabbed the demonic sword with one hand at a speed far exceeding what had just happened.

The Soul-Devouring Demon Sword emitted a series of explosive roars in NO.259's hands, but only attracted more violent destruction.

"Click~"

"Click~"

The sound of shattering continued incessantly.

To Wang Li's astonishment, NO.259 actually crushed his Soul Devouring Demon Sword with a single hand!

"I'm tired of it."

NO.259 slowly raised his head to look at Wang Li.

"I've had enough fun too."

Before Wang Li could recover from his shock, NO.259 had already taken a step forward.

Pure physical power tore through space, leaving a humanoid black spatial rift along its path.

Before the space could heal, or even before the spatial storm could erupt, NO.259 had already appeared beside Wang Li.

The aura of death instantly swept over him. Wang Li was stunned by NO.259's display of "full power" and froze on the spot, his thoughts stagnating.

Just as he was lost in thought...

The merciless iron fist has struck!

He swung his fist and slammed it down.

There were no skills, no moves, just simple hand-to-hand combat, like a street brawl.

But that's just the style of those who break limits.

Break all laws with one force!

The protective magic item emitted light automatically, but it couldn't withstand the divine power of NO.259.

A sheer dominance in attributes far surpasses all the fancy and superficial aspects.

Countless layers of protective light shattered instantly, and Wang Li's head exploded on the spot.

NO.259's punch, with its remaining force, swung all the way to the end, not only leaving a dark spatial rift in the spot, but also causing Wang Li's flesh and blood to disintegrate completely!
Suddenly, a celestial soul emerged from the spot.

Wang Li fled in terror, while NO.259 simply grinned widely, his smile growing increasingly exaggerated.

"die!"

The roar exploded.

The simple roar, combined with its powerful attributes, vibrates and explodes the air and spiritual energy, even forming an energy-free field that isolates spiritual energy within a certain area.

Wang Li's immortal soul, which was almost indistinguishable from a physical body, was stunned on the spot by this shout. Then, immortal light and demonic light surged forth, and the immortal soul disintegrated on the spot, leaving no trace.

This is a scene that should be taken for granted.

Given the difference in their abilities, a quick kill is the only outcome.

However, even though it instantly defeated Wang Li's NO.259, it was still not out of War Ghost form.

He turned his gaze away from Zheng Qun, who was trembling not far from him, and looked at Xia Lin and the other two, especially Xing Fanwu, who had made the grand entrance.

"I remember you."

NO.259 slowly opened its mouth.

"I killed your wife and brother..."

Xing Fanwu clenched his fist tightly.

NO.259 let out a cruel laugh.

"And now, I'm coming to kill you!!"

……

As the price of power, the negative effects of the War Demon state far outweigh the positive ones.

The inability to weigh the pros and cons and the lack of understanding of maximizing benefits are merely minor points.

Another point is that once he enters his War Ghost state, NO.259 will inevitably kill every living thing within his line of sight; no one can escape.

When it gets excited, NO.259 can even become indiscriminate in its ability to distinguish friend from foe.

Therefore, Xu Haonan dared not send anyone to follow NO.259.

The fact that NO.259 killed Wang Li does not mean the battle is over.

For NO.259, this is just the beginning.

The moment those words reached their ears, a scorching wind swept over them.

A powerful body, bearing a twisted smile, tore through space and appeared before the three with teleportation-like speed.

In the fog of war, it seemed as if countless invisible soldiers were wielding swords and spears, sharp and menacing.

Any one of these invisible attacks could break through Xia Lin's defenses, but against NO.259, they couldn't even penetrate his oily skin or his battle suit!
Amidst the roar, blood splattered onto Xia Lin's cheek.

He turned his head in astonishment and saw that NO.259 had punched through Xing Fanwu's armor and chest, lifting Xing Fanwu up completely.

"That's it!?"

NO.259 opened his mouth in disappointment.

It was still a 100% kill.

This was inevitable.

Previously in the January Dream Calamity Ashes Zone, Xing Fanwu demonstrated his strength—similar to Wenrou.

When facing No. 259, people of this caliber will be instantly defeated, with no other outcome.

However, Xing Fanwu, who was hanging on NO.259's arm like a flag, suddenly looked up at NO.259.

He grinned as well, spraying the stench of blood all over NO.259's head and face.

"That's it!"

He suddenly clasped his hands together and grabbed NO.259's arm tightly.

The armor peeled off and turned into shackles, binding him and No. 259 tightly.

Skill brilliance surged from Xing Fanwu's body. At the same time, an item in his personal space shattered, temporarily enhancing Xing Fanwu's skill permissions.

【War Shackles (Racial Heritage Level): Active skill, exclusive to War Bishops. Consumes 1 Spirit Points and a piece of racial heritage level equipment to forcibly bind you to the target. The effect lasts for 10 minutes and can be manually interrupted. This skill has a 3-month cooldown.】

This skill is enhanced by an item bestowed by the Demon Emperor and can be effective against NO.259!

"Incompetent resistance, futile struggle."

The arm of NO.259 began to vibrate.

This is a very simple muscle activation technique, not even a skill.

However, with NO.259's superior basic attributes, a mere muscle tremor was enough to destroy Xing Fanwu's body, which he had pierced through!

However, Xing Fanwu stubbornly refused to die!

[Undying Spirit (Racial Heritage Level): Passive Skill. When you suffer a fatal blow, you will have thirty seconds of invulnerability! During this time, you can use skills and even heal your wounds, but if your wound is still fatal after this skill's effect ends, you will die instantly! This skill has a 1-month internal cooldown!]

Because this skill is a passive skill that affects oneself, and NO.259 has no means to seal it, this skill works perfectly and is not affected by the judgment authority.

Just as the two were clashing, the clown beside Xia Lin also made a move.

A vast expanse of light and shadow rippled out from behind the clown, and the clamor of voices filled everyone's ears.

The light and shadow became clearer, revealing a lively circus scene.

The observation skill takes effect automatically.

This time, however, Xia Lin didn't get much information, but it was enough to make him squint and ponder.

【Soul-Swapping Circus (Racial Heritage Level) (Combo Skill) (Unique): Active skill, exclusive to the King of the Circus. This skill combines six racial heritage level skills, including Death Paradise, Grand Opening, Amazing Performance, and Death Curtain, and is only formed after being combined with the power of dreams coming true.】

However, the specific effects could not be observed for unknown reasons.

NO.259 suddenly turned his head to look at the clown.

Only now did he sense a strong sense of crisis emanating from the Joker!

Another negative effect of the War Demon state.

—It weakened NO.259's sense of danger!

Just as NO.259 realized the problem, the Soul-Swapping Circus had already started, but their target was not NO.259, but Xing Fanwu, who was connected to NO.259!

The Joker's attributes did not reach the level required to trigger the Third Law; the skill assessment of NO.259 was two levels higher than his!
With NO.259 as the target, the Soul-Swapping Circus will most likely fail to work.

While the Joker might also possess items that grant him enhanced authority, given by the Demon Emperor, NO.259 does as well.

We didn't use it when dealing with Bao Bowen and Xing Fanwu before, but there was no need to—this kind of item is extremely precious.

The Soul Exchange Circus skill is not an instantaneous effect. Even in War Demon form, NO.259 has enough time to use items to enhance the protective skill's authority, thereby exempting it from the Soul Exchange Circus effect.

The Joker and Xingfanwu found a feasible solution to this problem—Xingfanwu's War Shackles!
The forced binding effect is not just about physical connection, but also involves the concept of binding itself!

When we're bound together, you'll also experience the effects I take and the skills I receive!
Under Yu Xialin's gaze, right under his nose, NO.259, Xing Fanwu, and the clown disappeared all at once, only to reappear in the increasingly clear circus illusion.

(End of this chapter)