Alone and Infinite.

Chapter 232 Surpassing Limits, Achieving Ultimate Advancement! (8K Chapter!)
Under the gloomy sky, the aberrations gathered together to form thick, dark clouds.

Three thousand meters above the ground, a fierce wind howled.

Li Xia's scorching breath had barely escaped his mouth and nose when it formed a very noticeable white mist.

This made his figure appear and disappear in the mist.

Even with his strong will, he felt a chill run down his spine at that moment.

Is the difficulty of this promotion battle a bit off?

There are well over 100,000 of these aberrations flying in the sky. Is it really possible for anyone to accomplish something like this?
"buzzing"

The ceremonial fire behind them suddenly intensified, as if a giant blower was frantically blowing beneath them.

"Om-"

Another dull buzzing sound rang out, the flames contracted and expanded, and a blinding light suddenly flashed.

The pale white, semi-circular shock wave, visible to the naked eye, spread out like ripples.

Li Xia's pupils contracted, and he subconsciously tensed his muscles, standing in front of Aowu and Heitan.

The shockwave was extremely fast, passing right through the body in an instant.

Ok?
Li Xia was taken aback, because when the white shockwave passed through her body, she not only felt no discomfort, but also felt warm and somewhat comfortable.

"Oh my god, Your Highness, look!"

Without needing any prompting, the mutants high above, upon being touched by the shockwave, reacted as if electrocuted, emitting scorching smoke and a putrid stench.

They all fell down like raindrops, pattering and splashing.

Not only these winged mutants, but even a few 'lucky mutants' that had just climbed up the cliff were carried far away by the white shockwave.

Accompanied by weak limb movements and a long, agonizing scream, it plummeted straight down from a height of three thousand meters.

In an instant, the ascension platform, which was about to be filled with mutants, returned to calm once again.

Those monsters didn't die; they were just temporarily controlled, but the problem is, this is three thousand meters in the air!

what's the situation?
Aowu and Heitan looked at each other in bewilderment, but Li Xia suddenly remembered something and hurriedly opened the panel.

Sure enough, the final stage in the panel has been updated.

[Executioner, the ceremonial fire has been lit]

Do not leave the highest ascension platform during the ascension ceremony; survive until the ceremony ends.

Depending on the progress, the apostles will receive varying degrees of bonuses.

[Current Progress Bonus: Soul Shockwave]

Soul Shockwave: The ritual flame ignited by pure souls will unleash a soul shockwave.

It possesses properties such as burning, intimidation, and repulsion against twisted souls.

Soul Shockwave Trigger Time Limit: 30s
[The apostle has died, and the final stage of the main quest has failed.]

[Current time required: 3 days, 22 hours, and 15 minutes]

That's it!

It was as if a lightning bolt had struck Li Xia's heart, instantly dispelling all the fog.

But now it's too late to explain in detail to Aowu Black Charcoal.

Because the ascension platform, which had been briefly cleared by the soul shockwave, had been swarmed up by new aberrations.

Currently, there aren't many people who have made it onto the platform; at most, only a few dozen.

But the number of these aberrations is endless, and it will only increase in the future.

Night Silence trembled incessantly in his hand; this Soul Spear yearned to fight alongside its master.

"Ouch!"

The little green dragon immediately understood Li Xia's meaning, let out a high-pitched dragon roar, and then transformed into a stream of light and disappeared into the silence of the night.

With a dazzling light, the cold spear transformed once again into a menacing three-pointed double-edged spear.

The fine dragon pattern on the gun body is the best anti-slip measure.

The three-pointed double-edged spear was nimbly swung in his hand, its tip pointing diagonally at the ground.

Li Xia flicked his left hand to his side and pulled out a long rope from his personal space.

With a telepathic connection to its master, the black charcoal creature lay prone on its four paws and leaped onto Li Xia's back in a few bounds.

The rope was swung back and, as if it came to life, wrapped around the charcoal-colored armor several times.

Black Charcoal possesses a magical ability to reduce its presence, similar to 'you can't see me'.

However, there were too many monsters, and it was a chaotic battle, making it extremely easy to get caught in the crossfire.

There are countless of these surrounded in the center, unless they simply stay in the gap of another dimension and disappear on the spot.

Even the best concealment is useless, just like 152 doesn't believe in ghillie suits.

The best way is to simply carry the charcoal on your back.

"Black Charcoal, a spiritual halo!"

"Meow!"

A faint glow flashed across the black charcoal body.

Black Charcoal has two aura skills. The first is the lightning field that comes with the Thunder Set.

It can slightly enhance the effects of sonic skills, add some self-healing abilities, and most importantly, provide unpredictable swift lightning.

The second aura skill is 'Hunting Music', which I just learned before entering the world.

It can provide bonuses to four attributes: Strength, Dexterity, Spirit, and Self-Healing.

All four bonuses can only take effect simultaneously during showtime.

The effect only lasts for five minutes, with a 24-hour cooldown.

Normally, there is no such restriction when choosing a single bonus.

When facing the group battle aberration, Li Xia decisively chose to increase his mental bonus.

The piano began with two crisp, single notes, like the first rays of sunlight on a summer morning, breaking the silence.

[Executioner, you have received the Hunting Music Mental Boost]

[Executioner, you are currently undergoing an ascension ceremony; your attributes may break through the rank cap!]

Li Xia paused, her forward-leaning body stiffening.

The Mass?
The opening was marked by a deep and heavy timpani rhythm, like the knocking of fate. Li Xia's lips curled up slightly.

Before them surged forth a tidal wave of mutated creatures.

Then, the strings slowly join in, creating a mysterious and grand atmosphere with their deep notes and slow rhythm, as if setting the stage for an upcoming musical feast.

"Whoosh!"

A small vortex seemed to rise beneath Li Xia's feet, and he rushed towards the oncoming torrent of mutated creatures like a streak of light.

The distance closed in a flash; in just a few seconds, the aberration that was originally hundreds of meters away was now right in front of them.

Those ugly, grotesque faces seemed ready to come into close contact with me at any moment.

The lining of the boots rubbed violently against the floor, producing a piercing creaking sound.

A wisp of smoke rose from the sole of the shoe, and terrifying kinetic energy surged up from beneath its feet.

"laugh!"

Like a whale sucking in water, veins bulged on his forehead and temples, appearing as blue streaks.

His eyes seemed to have turned bloodshot.

Li Xia exhaled and spoke, and the tip of the three-pointed double-edged spear in his hand suddenly extended by a large margin.

"what----!"

Total Annihilation!

How terrifying is it when a two-meter-long spear blade sweeps across an army?
A mournful whistling sound rang out, and the sharp blade sliced ​​through the air. The slight wind control granted by the Wind Dragon Horn caused the air to swirl to both sides at the tip of the spear.

Even faint wrinkles appeared on the blade, as if the wind was howling!

The mutants blocking their path were as fragile as wheat, and the extremely sharp spears sliced ​​through their bodies without hesitation.

The sharp edge left an extremely bright arc in the air.

Moreover, when wielding the spear, layers of water-like white light shone on the already gleaming blade.

A massive, exaggerated slash detached from the spear and, like a plow, sliced ​​all the aberrations in its flight path in two.

After the spear was swung to its end, the two-meter-long giant blade, carrying the wind force gathered by the wind control, exploded with a bang.

"boom!"

A fierce wind howled, and it seemed as if a storm had suddenly arisen in front of Li Xia.

The raging wind even blew away the deformed creature in front of them, and in an instant, the severed limbs mixed with foul-smelling liquid flew backward.

The blows lashed out at the mutants behind them.

With just one move, a large area in front of Li Xia was cleared.

The once chaotic battlefield seemed to quiet down for a moment, but it was only for a moment.

These mutants have no emotions, no reason, only distortion.

They desperately wanted to rush into that ball of flames, to complete their unfinished ascension, and to make up for themselves.

They can never resist the instincts of the soul.

At the same time, the chorus of male and female voices in the music has begun to rise higher and higher.

"Divano (sacred)"

“Divano ble (holy)”

"Divano blessi (Divine Messiah)"

A fire seemed to ignite in Li Xia's heart; the feeling brought by the battle was so wonderful.

The line between life and death is so blurred, it's like dancing on the edge of a knife.

In a solemn and sacred chanting reminiscent of religious music.

Under the gray sky, there were grotesque and twisted monsters like demons and warriors wielding long spears whose bodies radiated a faint white light.

It was like a clash of fates, an epic battle.

"Divano blessia blessia blessia blessia (Holy Messiah! Messiah! Messiah!)"

The woman's voice grew increasingly shrill, like a scream, instantly bringing the atmosphere to its peak!
Li Xia let out a long roar and charged in again, the double-edged spear in his hand dancing on both sides of his body, as if unfolding a flower of sword blades symbolizing death.

The kitten behind them was stunned. All it saw was severed limbs and debris flying everywhere its master went. The three-pointed, double-edged spear killed anyone who touched it and injured anyone who grazed it.

Even if there are many of these aberrations, Li Xia will likely only ever be in the front row.

The mental impact that the aberration was so proud of was so powerless in the face of Li Xia, who had increased his mental strength by 4 points and had already surpassed the limit of the second tier.

It's like an ant trying to shake a deeply rooted tree.

Not to mention that once the line of sight is blocked, the Aberration's most disgusting staring ability cannot be used at all.

"Buzz!"

The white shockwave instantly cleared away the monsters around him. Li Xia stopped the monsters and watched as large swathes of monsters were pushed backward by the shockwave.

Watching those deformed creatures scream as they fell unwillingly.

"call--"

The exhaled air turned into thick water vapor that rose around his body.

Li Xia turned to look at the charcoal-skinned man behind her and asked softly:

"You're not hurt, are you?"

"Meow!"

Black Charcoal's round eyes were full of admiration, but then it remembered something and hurriedly said:

"Meow meow meow!"

As Li Xia opened the panel, he nodded and said:
"Yes, that's true. The effect of the soul shockwave hasn't weakened; it's just that there are more monsters now."

He paused and continued:
"As the number of monsters increases, the shockwave will eventually be unable to sweep them all away, and it will only get more and more difficult."

but.
The blazing fire of ascension burned ever brighter, producing more and more white liquid.

The floor was filled with more and more runes.

"Buzz!"

Another rune lit up, and a thin beam of light flew into the sky.

A small hole appeared to have opened in the thick clouds, and brilliant sunlight shone through it onto the ascension platform.

It happened to encompass Li Xia.

Li Xia's gaze was fixed on the panel, which had now changed again.

[Current Progress Bonus: Soul Shockwave, Light of Ascension]

Soul Shockwave: The ritual flame ignited by pure souls will unleash a soul shockwave.

It possesses properties such as burning, intimidation, and repulsion against twisted souls.

Soul Shockwave Trigger Time Limit: 30s
Ascension Light: Apostles' health, mana, and stamina regeneration speed is greatly increased, and all attributes are increased by 1.
(The longer the time, the stronger the Ascension Light effect; the attribute bonuses will be retained after the upgrade.)

[The apostle has died, and the final stage of the main quest has failed.]

[Current time required: 3 days, 11 hours, and 57 minutes]

That wave of kills just now reduced the waiting time by 10 hours!

Li Xia closed the panel with slight regret.

Unfortunately, only the mutants killed on the Ascension Platform can be converted into fuel.

Otherwise, the number of mutants killed by the soul shockwave would definitely be in the tens of thousands. The limit would probably be reached immediately.

However, what excited Li Xia the most was the light of ascension.

This is not a bonus from the Hall of Light, but an inevitable result of the ascension ceremony.

This means that the ascension ceremony has already drilled a small hole in the thick world wall.

A leap to a higher level of life has already begun!

This is the most powerful aspect of the ultimate ascension.

The other ascension platforms also emit soul shockwaves and ascension light.

However, there are no attribute bonuses; this is a glory that only the Supreme Ascension Platform offers.

What kind of status do they have that they want to enjoy the same treatment as emperors who shine like the sun?

"Meow!"

Black Charcoal cried out in alarm, and saw the mutant climb up the edge of the ascension platform once again.

And the flying aberrations in the distant sky also rushed over again.

Li Xia's gaze sharpened slightly; the time it would take for these monsters to charge forward was getting shorter and shorter.

The first soul shockwave gave him a full three minutes of rest.

This time it only lasted about two minutes.

The spear twirled nimbly in his hand.

Come on then!

"Damn it! These monsters! Are they never going to stop?!"

The machine gun barrel had an unsettling dark red color.

But the burly man holding the trigger didn't dare to stop for a moment; the muscles in his cheeks twitched incessantly with each gunshot.

Orange-yellow bullet casings scattered in the air, carrying a scorching heat.

It makes a crisp, tinkling sound when it lands on the ground.

The captain's gaze fell on the densely packed bullet casings that had already covered the ground.

A hint of pain flashed across his face.

Firearms are great in every way, but they're just too damn expensive!
These bullets, blessed with the power of light, aren't expensive, but there are just too many of them!
At 5 o'clock, one bullet is fired, and at least 10,000 to 20,000 Hall Points have already been spent.

It looks like we'll have to pocket at least tens of thousands more, and that's just the ammunition consumption!
Not counting medicines, the Ascension Light's recovery speed isn't slow, but when a real fight starts, the mana is instantly depleted.

How can I recover without taking medicine?

but
The captain looked at the time on the panel: [16 hours and 35 minutes]

His gaze subtly took on a fiery gleam.

As long as you can advance to the next level, all the expenses are worthwhile!
After extensive preparation, this time we've chosen the superior upgrade!
Attribute compression factor: 0.8!

According to his understanding, less than 10% of the apostles who were promoted chose to advance normally. These people were either too weak or encountered accidents during the promotion process.

The remaining good upgrades account for 60%!

This means that if the superior advancement is successful, one will immediately be in the top 30% of newly promoted apostles.

Unintentionally, they seized the initiative!
The chances of advancing to the fourth rank have greatly increased!
"Amy! How much longer until the shockwave?"

The burly man roared nervously, his eyes bloodshot.

The barrel was already a bright red, clearly nearing its limit.

Behind him, Amy, who had clasped her hands together to form a mental shield to protect against the mental impact, calmly said:
"five four three two one!"

A white shockwave suddenly spread out, and the dark, monstrous figures roared as they were blasted away by the white soul impact, falling hundreds of meters off the ascension platform and into the water.

The air suddenly became still.

The burly man wiped the sweat from his forehead and let out a long, exhausted breath.

"Boss—there are just too many monsters!"

Amy, standing behind him, pulled out a medicine bottle, tilted her head back, and gulped down the icy potion. Her mana began to recover rapidly, and she said expressionlessly:

"Just practice more cooking!"

The burly man's expression froze, but knowing the cold-faced girl's temperament, he didn't get angry and looked at the distant sky.

There stands a towering black tower, as tall as a mountain peak.

Thin rays of sunlight pierced through the dark clouds and shone on the black tower, creating a dazzling effect.

The burly man asked, half in envy and half in amazement:
"How do you think that guy managed to stick with it?"

The captain stretched and fiddled with the props in his hands. It was his turn to stand guard, so that the strong man and the machine gunner could rest.

The remaining sixteen hours are not long; at most, two or three more rounds will be enough to get through.

Hearing the burly man's mutterings, the captain shook his head:

"Don't compare yourself to monsters. We just need to be stronger than most people. We should be steady and wait for the right opportunity. Maybe when the time is right, we can turn things around in one fell swoop."

Such examples are not uncommon.

He held up his finger and added:
"Superior advancements account for about 25%, while perfect advancements account for only about 5% of apostles."

How many have reached the highest level of mastery?!
You might not find one among a thousand promoted apostles!
That's something only a monster with four main attributes and one secondary attribute can challenge.

"With our offensive, imagine if the number of monsters increased several times over, and the time limit doubled—that's roughly the difficulty of reaching the Ultimate Rank."

The burly man opened his mouth wide, speechless.

Monster numbers doubled? Time extended?

So scary?
The captain put away the props, a faint melancholy in his eyes. There was a time when he had also dreamed of reaching the pinnacle and becoming one of the top apostles.

Although his skills were decent, he was never able to take the next step.

I've walked this path with trepidation, fearing I might die in this world.

Ultimately, he succumbed to reality and joined a high-level guild, becoming an unofficial member of the team.

They enjoy a certain degree of freedom, do not need to join a group, can purchase supplies at a discounted price, and can obtain intelligence.

However, the price is a 10% cut for each world, plus mandatory participation in guild wars.

Is it worth it?
The captain didn't know, but without the help of guild intelligence, he made a targeted gamble.

He has absolutely no chance of achieving a superior advancement; a decent advancement is more likely.

"Captain, those big guys we saw earlier... they're not coming, are they?"

The burly man recalled the monsters he encountered when he crossed the capital city; just looking at them from afar filled him with a chilling fear.

He believed that he would likely die a horrible death in a single encounter.

The captain looked at him helplessly:
"Didn't we already share all the information with you before?"

Amy said calmly, "This idiot said there were too many words and he didn't want to read them."

The mutated creature's roar came again, growing louder as it approached.

The Soul Shockwave is already quite good, as it provides four or five minutes of rest.

The captain slowly stood up and stood in front:
“Those monsters are powerful beings who have already ascended. They were just unlucky and encountered the incubation distortion. Now that they have successfully ascended, they naturally do not have any desire for the ascension ceremony.”

His gaze fell upon the surging tide of mutants, recalling the intelligence he had read;
"Only these twisted monsters yearn to ascend and reclaim themselves, because they are incomplete, and therefore, they yearn!"

boom!
Two ice walls rose from the ground, followed by spikes of ice extending down the ground.

The captain let out a series of wild laughs, "Come on, monsters!"
The sharp whistling of the spear ripped through the blood-red sky.

Before the silver lines left on the retina from the gun tip had even faded, several hideous heads had already been lifted into the air.

These heads are completely different from the swollen heads of the typical deformed variants; they are more human-like.

Starting from the third wave, in addition to the regular big-headed variant and the flying variant, other types gradually appeared.

For example, the water monkey variant and the fitness variant we've seen before.

Li Xia took a deep breath, spun around and pulled back the gun barrel, the force of his twisting waist and hips splashing a half-circle of cold light along the blade.

Several bodies, severed at the waist, continued to slide for another half meter due to inertia before collapsing with a crash.

[Current Ascension Light: All Attributes +3]

Current estimated time: 11 hours and 31 minutes

"Buzz!"

The pale white slash on the blade detached from the blade, and the deformed creature along the way seemed to lose its strength and crashed to the ground.

The monster tide was like black waves crashing against reefs.

The world around Li Xia had long since lost its color, leaving only a pure black and white.

The world fell silent, and the monster's roars became distant and eerie.

The monsters rushing from all sides seemed to slow down considerably when they got within three meters of his body.

"laugh!"

The three-pointed double-edged spear, with a barely audible whooshing sound, precisely struck the vital points of each attack trajectory.

With a slight tremor of his wrist during the thrust, a dazzling silver light burst forth in front of Li Xia.

It's like pear blossoms blooming on the deformed brow.

With a flick of his eyes, he sensed the malice coming from behind. As he drew his gun, he pressed down on the butt of the gun, smashing the deformed head that was attacking from the side into its abdomen.

True Qi trembled slightly on the surface of his body, and Li Xia seemed to have returned to that peculiar realm once again.

The realm I once experienced in The Lord of the Rings.

The deformed, ugly body seemed to become transparent, with glowing veins crisscrossing within it, except for one point that stood out conspicuously.

Despite fighting amidst a horde of monsters, Li Xia's heart remained as calm as an ancient well.

He simply thrust out, strangled, and retracted mechanically, but the rhythm was incredibly precise.

The afterimages of the swirling gun barrels gradually formed a death zone with a diameter of three meters. Any aberration that stepped into the zone would be instantly disintegrated into pieces.

Current estimated time: 8 hours and 14 minutes

"Ow!"

The deformed, muscular body gripped the three-pointed double-edged spear piercing its body with both hands.

In an instant, the phantom images of spears that had been waving around Li Xia disappeared, and the surrounding mutants roared and charged forward.

Li Xia's expression remained indifferent. He suddenly stepped forward in a lunge stance, and a terrifying power rose from the soles of his feet. The night was silent and hummed, and a blinding blue electric light suddenly flashed on the gun.

It pierced through the aberrations with a whooshing sound, transforming into a streak of light that directly pierced through all the aberrations in its path.

At the same time, he leaped high into the air and opened his right hand.

"thorn"

The stillness of night reappeared in his palm, and just then, a slight tingling sensation came through the air, and an electric current surged.

Flashes of lightning flickered faintly in the dark clouds; it was the natural lightning finally triggered by the Qilin Set after countless swift lightning strikes.

Li Xia suddenly turned his body around, raising his spear high, and blue lightning flashed on the spear as well.

Suddenly, the sky exploded with spiderweb-like streaks of light.

The long-accumulated lightning seemed to have found a floodgate, and the dazzling blue lightning looked as if it would tear the entire sky apart.

Li Xia's hair suddenly spread out, stretching straight towards the sky. His full head of black hair was surging with true qi and attracted by electric current, thus presenting a peculiar texture similar to waves.

Each strand of hair was crackling with electric arcs, the pale blue arcs resembling a flower about to bloom.

It was stunning, yet carried a sense of deadly danger.

"Come!"

The shouts resonated with the thunder.

Li Xia's true qi surged to its limit, and Ye Ji's power of controlling electricity, combined with Hei Tan's desperate efforts to gather it through the Qilin Suit, made him even stronger.

Even so, the terrifying power of heaven and earth is still something that Li Xia cannot ignore in his current state.

Layer upon layer of fine, gem-like dragon scales emerged, and within the scar between his brows, the golden, molten dragon jade phantom shone brightly, like a golden eye opening before his forehead.

Tiny electric threads from the lightning bolts crisscrossed the dragon's scales, and the powerful restorative force brought by the light of ascension, combined with its own self-healing ability, desperately repaired its body.

Li Xia's eyes widened, his muscles bulged to their limit, and he swung the lightning spear downwards!

"ah------!"

The forty-meter-long spear-shaped phantom formed by lightning swept across, and the body that instantly vaporized upon contact plowed a hundred-meter-long scorched trench on the ascension platform.

Those aberrations that weren't directly hit fared even worse—leaping electric snakes darted wildly along the damp ground, and thousands of convulsing bodies danced a synchronized death dance amidst the stench of burning flesh.

When Li Xia landed, the tip of his gun touched the ground, and the residual charge formed a ring-shaped thunderstorm area.

Despite the excruciating pain radiating from his body, he suddenly gripped the scalding hot barrel of the gun with his other hand.

Dragon scales appeared on his palm, which prevented his entire hand from being burned the moment he gripped the gun.

He slowly crouched down and roared once more.

The waist force propelled the whole body to rotate, and an unprecedentedly exaggerated sword aura, carrying residual electric charge, formed a circular lightning blade that spread out in an instant.

[Current time elapsed: 0 hours 0 minutes 4 seconds]

【3】

【2】

【1】

[Executioner, time's up]

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1. Monthly pass 2. Recommendation vote

8K big chapter! !
It's done!!!
(End of this chapter)