Chapter 518

After another fierce clash, Jie Ming barely bounced back thousands of meters at the cost of his newly grown left arm turning into fly ash again.

He was panting, his spiritual energy circulating frantically, trying to make up for the loss and push that difficult body evolution.

However, the black-robed wizard's continuous pursuit, which gave almost no breathing room, did not arrive immediately.

Jie Ming breathed a short sigh of relief and looked up.

He saw that hundreds of meters away, the black-robed wizard's figure was floating quietly, his hood slightly raised, his dark red gaze seemingly cast toward some invisible place in the void, his brows frowning imperceptibly.

He maintained the posture of pursuit but stopped abruptly, as if blocked by an invisible wall.

"Hmm?" A low murmur of doubt came from his mouth.

Just now, when he was preparing to "omit" the intermediate process of pursuit like the previous few times and appear directly beside Jie Ming to launch the next attack, he felt an unprecedented sense of stagnation.

It did not come from Jie Ming's own defense, but from—the environment.

He clearly perceived that the "quota" he could use within this round of attack cycle had actually been exhausted in advance after completing the last attack!

This was not right!

According to his precise control of his own law and his increasingly deep "modeling" level of Jie Ming's defense system, just now, after breaking one layer of the opponent's defense and shattering one arm, theoretically, there should still be enough "quota" left, at least enough to support one short-distance "process omission" pursuit, or one medium-intensity defense.

But the fact was, the quota had bottomed out.

The black-robed wizard's powerful spiritual sense spread out instantly like an invisible spider web, scanning every trace of energy flow in the surroundings in detail.

And then, he found the reason.

In the void environment that was originally filled with inert elemental dust, weak energy turbulence, and the wreckage of both sides' battle, at some unknown time, a strange energy with unique properties had quietly mixed in.

This energy was invisible and intangible, yet it seemed to be everywhere, gently permeating the battlefield area, blending subtly with conventional elemental energy, yet maintaining certain independent characteristics.

It did not possess strong aggressiveness or interference, and was even difficult to be captured directly by conventional detection means.

But it definitely existed.

Like a drop of alcohol dropped into clear water, although it did not make the overall environment change significantly, it had quietly changed certain microscopic properties of the entire "solution."

It was precisely the existence of this unknown energy that increased the "complexity" and "uncertainty" of the environment.

For the 【Fiction】 law, to precisely "define" a "result" involving energy interaction and spatial positioning in such an environment required extra "environmental variable calibration" and "logical self-consistency correction," invisibly consuming more "quota" than in a "pure" environment!

Jie Ming saw the opponent suddenly observing the surrounding environment, and his heart could not help but relax, knowing that his arrangement had taken effect.

He seized this precious opportunity, pushed his cultivation method to recover with all his might, and at the same time guided his body to continue to evolve frantically toward the direction of resisting the erosion of the 【Fiction】 law.

"I didn't expect," the black-robed wizard withdrew his probing spiritual sense, his gaze falling on Jie Ming again, his voice coming through the hood with a strange meaning, "that a little guy as brilliant and resourceful as you would actually—choose the Fiction law?"

He seemed to have continuously probed through the high-sensitivity detection of the environment by the 【Fiction】 law and reached a "reasonable" inference—this energy was "fantasy elements" temporarily "created" or "defined" by the opponent using some ability of the Fiction law.

Jie Ming was slightly startled upon hearing this.

But he immediately understood that this was an excellent opportunity to stall for time!

The opponent seemed to have a desire to talk because "fellow travelers" were rare, which was exactly what he wanted.

While accelerating the circulation of spiritual power in his body, feeling the subtle strengthening occurring in the bone density and muscle fibers of his newly grown arms, he responded with a slightly hoarse voice: "Not at all, the 【Fiction】 law mastered by your lordship is what truly surprises me—after all, this law path that breaks the boundaries of theory and reality is the 'foundation' for the existence of the Fiction law I study."

"Although that is not the case in fact." Jie Ming added silently in his heart.

The black-robed wizard had truly never met a wizard who studied the path of the Fiction law.

Considering the relationship between the 【Fiction】 law and the Fiction law, he was actually stirred to talk: "Under normal circumstances, the special environmental field created by 'fantasy elements' is only effective for Tier 3 and Tier 4 wizards. Above Tier 5, one can easily immunize against the environmental impact and interference it causes. You were able to think of using it to increase environmental variables and interfere with the judgment criteria of the 【Fiction】 law based on the characteristics of 'fantasy elements,' consuming my quota—this on-the-spot adaptability and understanding of the law is quite good."

In his tone, there was actually a bit of appreciation from a senior to a junior?

Although behind this appreciation was an even colder and firmer killing intent.

"Thank you for the compliment—" Jie Ming responded humbly while secretly remaining vigilant.

Several floating cannons were finally able to be activated quietly, adjusted to the optimal state for firing.

Just as Jie Ming expected, as soon as his voice fell, the black-robed wizard's voice came over: "Precisely because of this, I cannot let you live even more!"

The black-robed wizard's voice turned cold suddenly, his killing intent piercing like an ice awl!

At the same time, the result of him "standing at Jie Ming's side" manifested directly without warning!

That palm carrying the aura of death slammed down toward Jie Ming's head!

The conversation just now was also a strategy he used to paralyze his opponent while secretly completing a rapid analysis and "modeling" of the spiritual energy environment released by Jie Ming!

But Jie Ming had not relaxed his vigilance at all!

At the very instant the opponent's figure "flashed," the muzzles of the several floating cannons hovering behind him erupted with dark golden light 0.01 seconds in advance!

Not shooting at the black-robed wizard, but detonating at zero distance between Jie Ming himself and the black-robed wizard!

Boom!!!

The terrifying light and heat exploded suddenly!

The dark golden Li Fire Extinction Divine Light turned into a destructive frenzy, completely submerging the narrow space between the two!

The golden light on Jie Ming's Return to Ruins Armor flourished, steadily absorbing the explosion impact from his own weapons.

And the black-robed wizard's slamming palm had to pause slightly the moment it touched the destructive light and flames.

The 【Fiction】 law was triggered passively, forcibly consuming quota to protect him from being injured by this sudden point-blank self-detonation.

Sizzle!

Despite the protection of the 【Fiction】 law, the black-robed wizard's palm still penetrated the explosion core and slammed solidly onto Jie Ming's right arm, which he had hastily raised to block.

The right arm disintegrated instantly!

But Jie Ming also took advantage of the impact of the explosion and the cushioning brought by the sacrifice of his arm to retreat violently again!

The black-robed wizard's face was cold, and just as he was about to pursue, the other floating cannons behind Jie Ming had already opened fire in advance!

Another round of Li Fire Divine Light shot over!

The black-robed wizard had to stop his steps again, mobilizing the remaining "quota" to "erase" the attack, and his figure was briefly blocked.

Fine cold sweat appeared on Jie Ming's forehead, and alarm bells rang wildly in his heart.

"Not right—too not right!"

That palm just now, the process of the opponent breaking the Return to Ruins Armor and shattering his arm, was terrifyingly smooth!

This showed that during the brief conversation and observation just now, the opponent had already summarized the previous data and found the "optimal model" for cracking the Return to Ruins Armor in its current state!

Fortunately, he had been prepared, using the point-blank explosion of the floating cannons fired in advance to buy reaction time.

But the initiative was still firmly in the opponent's hands.

The characteristic of the 【Fiction】 law that directly presents the attack result was too shameless; once closed in on, Jie Ming almost didn't even have time to manipulate the floating cannons or perform other complex means.

"Must continue to interfere, cannot let him easily complete the modeling and optimal attack!" Jie Ming retreated frantically while trying to manipulate the floating cannons to continue shooting and harassing.

However, the black-robed wizard, having suffered a loss once, had clearly already taken the attack mode of the floating cannons into consideration.

The subsequent dark golden beams shot empty cleanly, while he himself once again closed the distance like a ghost in that way of "result jumping."

Jie Ming could only run for his life, relying on the mobility of the Grand Void Step and continuously sacrificing his arms and black giants to barely maneuver.

When necessary, he even used the floating cannon bodies as substitutes, inserting them between his fists and palms at the critical moment to bear the destruction instead of his arms!

After more than a dozen rounds of suffocating clashes.

The black-robed wizard's figure "froze" in front of Jie Ming like a phantom again.

The corners of his mouth under the hood seemed to hook into an arc of victory.

"Finally adapted—the correction of various interference variables is complete."

"That kind of black elemental cannon fodder (black giant priests) should have been exhausted long ago."

"Those floating cannons that can explode were also mostly consumed as substitutes in the battle just now."

"Most importantly—the 'optimal cracking model' for his barrier defense that can resist one 【Fiction】 effect has finally been perfected."

The black-robed wizard's dark red eyes locked onto Jie Ming, his killing intent solidifying.

He could feel that the "quota" required for this strike had been compressed to an extremely low point.

Low enough to support him in having spare energy to deal with any possible unexpected counterattack after completing the attack.

"End it with this strike."

He recited silently in his heart, and his figure "disappeared" from the spot again.

The next instant, the result of "palm printed on Jie Ming's chest" was about to manifest directly.

And Jie Ming, just like the previous dozens of times, almost instinctively—or even somewhat numbly—raised his right fist, which had just finished regenerating, to meet it.

Fist and palm were about to meet again.

The black-robed wizard had even foreseen the familiar scene of the arm instantly disintegrating and annihilating like smoke.

However—

At the very instant fist and palm touched!

Boom!!!

The silent annihilation expected did not happen.

Replacing it was a dull explosion like a thunderclap!

A visible, violent shockwave mixed with golden rune fragments and dark red energy ripples exploded from the center of the fist-palm contact point!

Sweeping in all directions instantly!

"What?!" The pupils under the black-robed wizard's hood contracted suddenly, and a monstrous wave surged in his heart!

His 【Fiction】—actually failed?!!

No, it couldn't be counted as a failure.

Because the moment Jie Ming's right arm made contact, a dense, tooth-aching sound of bone cracking like popping beans came from within!

The muscle fibers of the entire arm twisted frantically, breaking one after another!

Countless fine blood wounds exploded on the skin surface, and pale golden blood mixed with fine flesh and blood shot out!

The entire arm, in less than one-hundredth of a second, became a bloody mess, bones shattered, almost losing its shape!

But—

It did not disintegrate and dissipate into fly ash like before!

The black-robed wizard confirmed that his 【Fiction】 law had indeed taken effect, and the opponent's arm had also shattered as the result he set.

But it was very wrong, because—the final result deviated.

Clearly, this time the little wizard in front of him did not give up his arm, but the result of total body collapse he defined only shattered one of the opponent's arms.

Although the price was heavy and it was almost completely crippled, it had indeed blocked it!

The light of the shockwave gradually dissipated.

The black-robed wizard looked in disbelief at the twisted, deformed, miserable arm that was still connected to Jie Ming's shoulder.

And behind the arm, that face which was twitching slightly due to extreme pain, but the corners of whose mouth were uncontrollably curling upward, revealing an excited, ecstatic smile mixed with extreme pain.

Jie Ming raised his bloody right arm, which had only a little flesh left connected, the extreme pain making his voice tremble, but every word was clear, carrying uncontrollable excitement and relief: "Finally—adapted—!"

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