Mo Chuan frowned as the stone disk vanished into the void.
Anyway, King Taishan was definitely done for this time. That was a sure thing.
But... why did that stone disk feel familiar?
Mo Chuan narrowed his eyes. He didn't need this passive, as he had three other passives to stack here.
Mo Chuan glanced at the remaining time for [Ruined Remains], about a minute left. He decided to take one down first.
So Mo Chuan set his sights on King Pingdeng, who had been taking hits the entire time – this guy was still covering his face and desperately holding on with his domain.
You're the one...
Mo Chuan controlled the Ironhide Revenant and reached out towards King Pingdeng.
King Pingdeng's strength lay in his incorruptible body of glazed jade. Once his divine form was broken, his strength would be greatly reduced. (Much like how a golem's armor increases by 200% when its passive shield is triggered, but drastically drops after the shield is lost.)
Earlier, King Pingdeng's overconfidence led him to take a hard hit from Mo Chuan's injury-for-injury exchange. Mo Chuan had only lost a little health, but King Pingdeng's incorruptible glazed jade form was shattered by the empowered basic attack from [Judgment Pendulum].
Now, as King Pingdeng saw the giant hand of the Ironhide Revenant extending towards him and clenching into a fist, he felt a cold sweat break out. He extended four arms from behind himself to support his domain, shouting simultaneously, "King Du Shi! King Chu Jiang! Help me!"
The giant hand of [Soul Reaper's Grasp] rose from behind King Pingdeng and swept towards him.
"Damn it! Damn it! Don't come near! Don't come near!"
King Pingdeng was so terrified he was wetting himself. He hurriedly tried to escape the range of [Soul Reaper's Grasp], but due to a mistake in his domain's expansion, a wisp of Netherworld Azure Flame burned his shattered left cheek.
"Ah!!"
A shrill scream erupted. King Pingdeng desperately tried to cover the burning area of his face, but the pain slowed his movements.
The other two kings immediately shouted, "Stupid statue/Old Stone, hurry!"
But it was too late.
The giant hand pulled the wailing King Pingdeng from where he stood, drawing him before Mo Chuan. At the same time, because Mo Chuan had hit an enemy three times, Mordekaiser's passive [Rise of the Shadow Isles] also triggered. (Two basic attacks, one ability.)
King Pingdeng's spiritual energy was already in turmoil due to the control effects, causing his domain to shatter. Now, after suffering the dual blow of Rise of the Shadow Isles and Netherworld Azure Flame, his entire body began to disintegrate like a broken piece of tofu.
"Save... save me..."
King Pingdeng then dissolved into a pile of shattered jade, his soul transforming into a streak of faint light that flew towards the lantern.
"Hell Runner: Layer 1310 (+5)"
King Du Shi retreated several steps in disbelief. In her eyes, after King Pingdeng was grabbed by Mo Chuan and brought before him, he was simultaneously strangled by the vortex of energy that suddenly appeared around Mo Chuan and the strange flames within the domain. And King Pingdeng, who was the most robust of the Ten Yama Kings, hadn't even lasted ten rounds against Mo Chuan.
King Du Shi retreated step by step towards the edge of the battlefield, observing King Chu Jiang's movements and contemplating a way to escape.
As for King Chu Jiang? Heh, better a dead comrade than oneself. If he had any thought of running, King Du Shi would first trap them both together before finding a way to make her escape in time.
Mo Chuan, after absorbing King Pingdeng's soul, turned to face the poised King Chu Jiang.
Like King Du Shi, he had no intention of saving King Pingdeng from the start. Instead, he used the opportunity of Mo Chuan killing King Pingdeng to prepare his ultimate skill.
"King Chu Jiang, waves are surging."
As King Chu Jiang spoke, a large amount of river water mixed with mud and sand appeared out of nowhere around him, converging and swirling like a vortex.
"So many tears, dissolving souls."
More river water gushed forth. The withered and cold ground of the Reincarnation Despair was gradually submerged by this even colder river water.
Mo Chuan's expression grew serious. His domain was visibly being repelled by King Chu Jiang's Chu Jiang Water Domain, the Netherworld Azure Flames isolated as if by a glass dome.
"Sorrowful cries, hatred deepens."
Cries of grief and roars of anger emanated from the river water, as if denouncing their unwillingness to die, their dissatisfaction with losing their lives...
Empowered by groups of resentful souls and malevolent spirits, King Chu Jiang guided this Chu Jiang water to entwine around his spade.
Mo Chuan glanced at his skills. Currently, there was only one that could stop King Chu Jiang with certainty.
So Mo Chuan, taking a huge risk, moved forward with the Ironhide Revenant. Upon reaching the skill's maximum range, his eyes flashed: "Eat my mental pollution!"
King Chu Jiang endured this mental shock head-on, but still did not stop his charge-up.
"This..." Mo Chuan seemed to have a bad premonition and immediately punched towards King Chu Jiang again.
He has immunity while charging his ultimate, so I'll just overpower him with damage!
Just as Mo Chuan's iron fist descended rapidly, King Chu Jiang uttered the final incantation: "Hate forges the sword, resentment tempers the blade!"
As King Chu Jiang finished speaking, the spade in his hand rolled up vast expanses of river water, transforming into monstrous waves and tornadoes that crashed towards Mo Chuan.
Mo Chuan looked up, seeing the black river water pressing down on him with the force of a collapsing sky. The Ironhide Revenant behind him appeared exceptionally small. King Chu Jiang, atop the crest of the wave, swung his spade downwards. If one didn't look closely, the faint traces of blood seeping from the corner of his mouth would be missed.
In an instant, Mo Chuan's hook once again swung, flying towards King Chu Jiang from behind the iron fist.
Boom—
The Ironhide was already somewhat insufficient against this overwhelming and majestic power. Moreover, the duration of [Ruined Remains] was about to expire. So, the moment the giant wave crashed down, the Ironhide deformed and was compressed like the shell of a heavily damaged car, with some parts even crumbling and shattering.
Meanwhile, King Chu Jiang parried the iron fist lunging at him with his spade, but failed to see the hook hidden behind it.
Squelch—
The hook pierced his heart.
King Chu Jiang could no longer hold back, spitting out a cloud of blood, but he did not die immediately. Instead, as his life force rapidly drained, he continued to wield his spade towards Mo Chuan.
Crack—
Mo Chuan's shield was cleaved open.
Squelch—
Mo Chuan's defense was breached. The spade, like a hot knife through butter, sliced through his chest, creating a wound from his left chest to his right abdomen.
A deep, bone-revealing gash appeared on Mo Chuan's front.
The [Dragon Lord · Iron Dragon] armor, which Mo Chuan prided himself on, offered no protection.
And before being consumed by pain, Mo Chuan forcefully yanked the chain in his hand, pulling King Chu Jiang towards him amidst the black river water, fragments of Ironhide, and the north wind of the underworld.
"Five Grains of Abundance."
A black spiritual chain connected Mo Chuan and King Chu Jiang's hearts. The completely defenseless King Chu Jiang could only watch as his meager remaining life force was absorbed by Mo Chuan. Finally, his eyes went black, and he transformed into a desiccated corpse and a wisp of soul collected by the lantern.
King Chu Jiang died.
Mo Chuan timely stopped his further bleeding and then downed three potions of decay, hoping to heal his injuries as much as possible.
By the time Mo Chuan crawled out from the vanished Chu Jiang water and the dissipating Ironhide fragments, King Du Shi had already fled, leaving behind only an empty insect shell.