Hades, the Urban Legend

Chapter 533: The Apotheosis

"Boom! Boom!"

Two deafening explosions followed the sudden burst of light, reaching everyone's ears a second later. The giant sword formed by the divine power of light created a massive explosion, engulfing Yang Chen's body in a blinding, dazzling radiance!

"Lord Hades!"

Even those who had immense faith in Yang Chen, like Soren and his companions, couldn't believe that Yang Chen was actually hit by the ambush!

Many onlookers felt their legs go weak. The concentrated ball of light resembled a small-scale nuclear explosion, with energy currents so intense that they ground the earth within dozens of meters around Yang Chen into dust!

"The Church's accumulation over thousands of years is indeed formidable," murmured Nurarihyon, standing among the Takamagahara crowd.

Clenching his fists, Prince from the Sword in the Stone stared at the terrifying ball of light and hissed, "Even this demon meets his end."

In stark contrast, Sargeras and his daughter wore expressions of utter despair. They hadn't anticipated that the six-winged angels were still holding back. Lilith's eyes filled with tears, brimming with hatred and regret.

Almost everyone present believed that Yang Chen couldn't have survived, as the power wielded by the two six-winged angels was beyond their comprehension.

But just as everyone thought the outcome was sealed, the unbelievable happened. A figure emerged at the center of that ball of light!

As the smoke and light dissipated, Yang Chen's figure became increasingly clear.

He stood as always, calm as always, untouched as always!

He—he was completely unharmed?!

This was the single thought that struck everyone simultaneously!

The visual impact of this was even greater than the full-force attack of the two angels just moments ago!

Yang Chen said nothing. Amidst the astonished gazes of everyone, including Cruyff, he took a step closer to Cruyff.

Cruyff muttered in disbelief, "How could he have blocked it? How?"

The two six-winged angels clearly hadn't expected Yang Chen to be unscathed. They flew back into the air, their light swords recondensing and growing even larger, ready to attack again.

"Hurry! Kill him quickly! He must have used all his strength to block the last attack!" Cruyff's only plausible explanation was that Yang Chen had exhausted all his power to defend against the attack, and his current calm expression was just a ruse, a bluff!

Cruyff cast several blessing spells in succession, boosting the angels' speed and attack power to their peak.

Yang Chen paid no attention to the astonished looks from everyone else. Step by step, he leisurely approached Cruyff's position, a faint smile playing on his lips, his eyes filled with a subtle mockery and a perverse joy.

In the background, Soren and his companions were not only extremely excited but also filled with fervor, almost wanting to dance with joy.

"That's our Lord Hades. I knew no one could defeat him!"

"Our faith can never fall!"

"It's the 'Dance of the Undead'! Haha, Soren, how many years has it been since we last saw it, haha..."

Listening to the conversations of the mercenaries and assassins beside her, Abbess Yun Miao, who had been in a cold sweat, frowned and asked, "What is the Dance of the Undead?"

Soren gave a mysterious smile and said, "It's a combat technique that Lord Hades used to favor. We, his close followers, named it the 'Dance of the Undead.' Lord Hades himself isn't too fond of the name."

"Combat technique?" Abbess Yun Miao's curiosity grew even more.

"Exactly," Soren nodded proudly. "Back in the day, whenever Lord Hades encountered a formidable opponent or was surrounded, he enjoyed using a method where he wouldn't fight back. He would allow the enemy to attack him repeatedly while slowly walking towards the enemy leader.

Lord Hades said that he wanted his opponents to understand that even if he stood there and let them attack him freely without retaliating, they still wouldn't be able to defeat him! To make his opponents lose all hope and fall into the abyss of despair—that is the ultimate victory!

So, we got used to calling the way Lord Hades walked up to claim the leader's life the 'Dance of the Undead.'"

Abbess Yun Miao felt a chill run down her spine. As she looked back at the figure slowly approaching Cruyff step by step, she finally realized just how insane this man was abroad back in the day.

Listening to his colleagues' discussions, Soren, puzzled, said, "But how did Lord Hades, even without unleashing his full power, manage to withstand such a powerful attack that could even tear through space? What kind of power did he use?"

Yang Chen's display of self-protection had already surpassed the group's previous impressions of his strength.

At this moment, Abbess Yun Miao smiled proudly and said, "That is the internal energy of our Yanxia. What Yang Chen used is an ancient technique from our Shushan Sect. The power that just blocked the attack is the innate true energy of the Grand Perfection stage."

Soren and the others exchanged glances, still not understanding what internal energy or innate true energy meant.

While they were discussing, the two six-winged angels, having gathered their strength, attacked once more. Yang Chen's nonchalant attitude had deeply offended their pride!

Two beams of light, carrying immense power, descended upon Yang Chen's head. The ground, already caved in by dozens of meters, was once again churned up, causing a large area of earth and rocks to scatter. The roof of the entire venue twisted and ripped apart with an eerie force, exploding with a bang!

"Are they trying to sink the island?!"

Many people began shouting angrily, as the blinding light made it impossible for them to keep their eyes open!

"Kill him! Kill him!" Archbishop Cruyff had fallen into a manic state, shouting and screaming as he delighted in the sight of Yang Chen being engulfed by the overwhelming divine power of light.

But within seconds, as the light dispersed, Archbishop Cruyff's heart turned ice-cold!

Yang Chen's casual figure, as if strolling through a garden, was still walking towards him with a smile, just like before.

Upon closer inspection, one could see a faint energy fluctuation around Yang Chen's body. This seemingly gentle wave of energy prevented anything from touching him.

Almost only Abbess Yun Miao recognized it as the protective innate astral energy of the Grand Perfection stage of internal cultivation!

In fact, when Yang Chen comprehended the ninth level of the ancient technique "Rebirth" back in Yingben, he felt that the innate true energy already possessed power comparable to divine strength.

After his battle with Ares, where Yang Chen used innate true energy to break Ares's spatial freeze, he was even more convinced that advanced "internal energy" could surpass "divine power." He had evidence of this from the transcendent being Hong Meng and the one known as Ling Xuzi.

Although it may not possess the godly power to manipulate space and create mountains and oceans in an instant, the profound use of internal energy far surpasses the crude and simplistic nature of divine power.

Therefore, faced with the Church's wild attack, Yang Chen chose to employ the "Dance of the Undead," a technique he hadn't used in years. This not only proved his theory right but also made everyone understand the vast difference in their abilities, preventing future nuisances from underestimating him and challenging him.

At this moment, Cruyff's face turned ashen, and the two angels had ceased their attacks, no longer making any moves.

In the background, Sargeras, his daughter, and Soren were all relieved, having already seen the outcome of the battle.

Cruyff began to retreat, one step, two steps. As Yang Chen approached, he grew increasingly fearful. When reality diverges completely from one's expectations, primal human fear begins to grow and spread.

"No, impossible, how can you still be alive?" Cruyff stammered, swallowing hard, and commanded Gabriel and the two six-winged angels beside him, "Attack! Attack! Don't let him get closer!"

He no longer cared about losing face because, in Yang Chen's eyes, he was already no different from a corpse.

But Yang Chen had no interest in Cruyff's hysterical yelling. He continued to approach the arrogant red-robed old man, step by step.

The two six-winged angels attempted to attack again, but they couldn't. The reason was that Yang Chen was too close to Cruyff. If they attacked recklessly, Cruyff would also be affected. Moreover, the previous all-out killing move couldn't kill Yang Chen, and even six-winged angels couldn't keep squandering divine power like this.

Additionally, they were merely possessing angels, not their true forms. The excessive use of divine power had caused the wings and radiance of the two six-winged angels to gradually dim.

Everyone present understood that the angels' time was running out.

At this moment, Yang Chen had already reached Cruyff.

"Thud!"

As Cruyff retreated, his heel caught on a piece of rubble, causing him to fall backward. He dropped the Lance of Longinus in his hand.

Yang Chen tilted his head and clicked his tongue twice in mock admiration. He bent down, grabbed Cruyff by the collar, and lifted him effortlessly as if he were a trash bag.

Staring into Cruyff's face, Yang Chen asked coldly, "Why aren't you talking? Didn't you just say you were going to slaughter gods?"

Cruyff swallowed convulsively, his face twitching with fear and panic. Even if Yang Chen had pointed a gun at him, Cruyff wouldn't be as speechless as he was now.

The fact that Yang Chen had just withstood such a spectacular attack, along with each step he took towards Cruyff, was like a death scythe cutting through Cruyff's psychological defenses, leaving no trace of his composure or confidence. This was a complete and thorough psychological breakdown, a personality demolition!

This man was practically the devil himself, like Satan. Everything he had done was to ensure that Cruyff had no will to resist. And the terrifying part was that he had succeeded.

Cruyff's legs felt like they were weighed down with hundreds of kilograms of lead. Hanging there in midair, his body stiffened, and he dared not move.

The smile on Yang Chen's face gradually turned cold. His eyes, like black crystals, were chilling and unfathomably deep.

"Before you die, I just want to tell you one thing. The reason I can ascend to godhood is not because I possess divine power, but because... Even without unlocking my power, I am a god."