Chapter 339: He Is Far Too Easy to Deceive

The voice landed.

Two members of the God Knights bowed their heads, daring not show the slightest defiance.

Seeing this, Gunzi did not dwell on the issue further; she simply lifted her gaze to the distant battlefield, felt the Conqueror's Haki dissipating in the air, and couldn't help but let out a sigh:

"Both of these individuals are top-tier powerhouses in this world; either would be more than qualified to serve as a Marine Admiral."

"What a pity."

Gunzi shook her head, seemingly lamenting the inevitable downfall of these powerhouses:

"Whether they survive or not depends on their fate."

She reached out, removed the Den Den Mushi from her shoulder, placed it on the shoulder of the subordinate beside her, and commanded:

"You stay here, transmit the battle of Avalon back to Mary Geoise, and simultaneously monitor whether Knight Gao Wen truly possesses the ability to overcome the weakness to seawater."

"I will take people to investigate Fafnir's whereabouts."

"Yes!"

That member of the God Knights nodded heavily, then immediately turned to face the distant battlefield, closely watching the developments of the fight.

Gunzi, taking another member of the God Knights with her, leaped down from Shanfeng, vanishing into the dense forest after a few bounds.

The primary objectives of this trip, aside from Gao Wen, were to locate Fafnir and confirm whether she still retained consciousness.

After all, she was one of the few immortal existences besides Im and the Five Elders; once she awakened and regained her self-awareness, there was a high probability she would threaten the rule of the World Government and Im!

This was something Im could not tolerate!

Mary Geoise.

Within the royal palace.

Saint Garling and the father-son pair of Xia Mu Luo Ke stood on either side of the Wang Zuo.

Their faces were ashen, as if their spines had been pulled out.

Im had spared their lives, but for them, this nearly endless imprisonment was the cruelest punishment.

Yet now they had completely fallen under Im's control; they could not even commit suicide.

On the throne of the King of the World.

Im watched the bloody slaughter transmitted by the projection Den Den Mushi, nodding slightly in secret, his interest piqued.

"Truly..."

"A battle that is cruel and barbaric, yet possesses a certain beauty!"

"It has stirred up some interest in Mu!"

Below.

The Five Elders were also gathered here, prostrated on the ground; only upon hearing Im's command did they rise, turn, and look at the projected image.

Though their expressions differed, all bore an undisguised sense of dread on their faces.

"This battle appears evenly matched, but in reality, Gao Wen has already gained the upper hand."

Saint Saturn's eyes narrowed slightly:

"Previously, when he faced Xia Mu Luo Ke and Charlotte Linlin alone, the oppressive pressure he displayed was far greater than what is shown in the projection."

"He is toying with his opponent, enjoying the pleasure of combat!"

"A born monster!"

"We have existed for hundreds of years, yet never seen such an existence!"

Saint Nusjuro nodded:

"This fellow's danger level has exceeded expectations; perhaps he needs to be dealt with."

He turned to look at Im on the Wang Zuo, not daring to continue.

It was simply that he suddenly recalled that just a few days ago, Im had stated plans to recruit Knight Gao Wen under his banner.

At this moment, speaking required waiting for Im to express his stance!

"It matters not."

Im's voice arrived, and Saint Nusjuro immediately breathed a sigh of relief, then heard Im continue:

"Let us use Britannias as the testing ground for that weapon's power."

"I am also quite curious; after eight hundred years, how much of that thing's power remains."

"For Knight Gao Wen to survive with his combat strength is not difficult; it is also fitting to let him witness exactly what it is I rely on to dominate the world."

"No matter how powerful an individual is, before an Ancient Weapon, they will ultimately be unable to stir up any waves!"

"Yes!"

The Five Elders replied respectfully.

The palace fell silent for a time, everyone's attention focused on the battle footage.

The battle in the high skies grew increasingly white-hot.

Wales swung his fists, yet every strike was perfectly caught by Gao Wen; the continuous collisions made his mood grow increasingly irritable.

In a moment of carelessness, Gao Wen seized an opening, slashing him flying hundreds of meters with a single cut; behind him, deformed wings flapped frantically, barely stabilizing his form!

Gao Wen's offensive showed no sign of stopping whatsoever:

"If this is all the extent of your capability, you are not yet qualified to entertain me!"

Another blade strike fell upon Wales, directly slashing him down from the high skies and pressing him into the earth.

A blade mark stretching hundreds of meters nearly severed a Shanfeng in two!

In the high skies.

Gao Wen waited for Wales's counterattack.

He had already made his decision: through this battle, he would temper his Conqueror's Haki, raise his level, and if all went smoothly, perhaps he would have a chance to step into the Upper Legend realm!

This almost represented the strongest of an era.

The Rock of those days, Whitebeard at his peak, were most likely at this level.

Truly a combat power worthy of challenging the King-sealing tier!

The battlefield fell silent for a moment.

Buried underground, Wales felt the chill of the groundwater; his originally furious heart, however, cooled down at this very moment.

I was careless!

This monster's strength is even greater than I anticipated.

Arthur back then was troublesome, but to draw upon the earth vein energy, he still needed to stand upon the ground; this monster, however, completely overcame that process, able to directly extract earth vein energy to repair his wounds while standing in mid-air.

This can only mean that his mastery of the Red Dragon Fruit has reached a new realm; perhaps it has already awakened.

Continuing to consume energy like this is meaningless; we must move the battlefield to a place that can isolate the Red Dragon's abilities!

While pondering,

Wales formed an idea in his heart.

He raised his hand to push away the stone slab pressing down on him, slowly levitating up, yet he did not launch an attack against Gao Wen.

Instead, he immediately turned and sped off toward the distance, vanishing from sight in the blink of an eye!

"Hmm?!"

Gao Wen's brows furrowed slightly:

"That direction is..."

"Not good!"

"Franky's side!"

His heart tightened, and he immediately chased after the direction where Wales had disappeared.

Whoosh—!

The two figures vanished in an instant.

The oppressive pressure brought by the two Conqueror's Haki also completely dissipated at this moment.

The crowd of commoners also seized a moment to catch their breath at this time.

Many woke from their comas, coming to their senses, only then realizing how dangerous their actions had been just now!

"Why did I actively launch an attack against those monsters?!"

"I didn't even care about my life!"

Upon hearing these words, the other awakened people immediately echoed in agreement.

"Yes, yes, yes, yes!"

"At that time, I felt only endless anger in my heart; unless I burned those blasphemers to death, I would not stop!"

"Looking back now, I wasn't normal at all back then!"

"Someone was manipulating us from behind!"

After a cry of shock,

the awakened crowd fell silent for a moment, all turning their heads to look at the collapsed statue, feeling a chill run down their spines.

Quickly.

More memories surfaced in their minds.

Seeing those scenes of extreme cruelty, countless awakened commoners clutched their heads and wept.

Wails filled the land.

Yet it was not caused by extreme physical pain, but by their spirits on the verge of collapse.

"I... I... what have I done?!"

"Dedicating everything I had to the gods, to the Tianjue Church?!"

"My child, my husband, I..."

Some, unable to accept what they had done, suffered a mental breakdown and pierced their chests with the spears beside them, using death to escape the immense mental torment. And more, lacking the courage to commit suicide, sat dazed on the ground like walking corpses.

Keluo and the others watched this scene with cold eyes, shook their heads, and then turned their targets toward the many more people around who had not yet awakened, as well as the growing number of giant beasts in the city.

These are the sins they committed; they ought to bear them themselves.

Pain?

Breakdown?

That is the best tribute to the departed!

High in the sky.

Two figures, one following the other, entangled in a fierce struggle, sped toward the outskirts of Britannias.

Gao Wen looked at Wales, who was moving fast without regard for anything toward the end of his line of sight, then looked at his own direction of travel, his brows furrowing slightly:

"Wait!"

"Franky and the others are indeed hidden in this direction, but there is no reason for this guy to know that."

Realizing he was letting his concern cloud his judgment, Gao Wen instantly calmed down.

He reconfirmed Wales's movement trajectory, his pupils shrinking slightly.

"This guy isn't heading for Franky and the others; he is shifting the battlefield. This route..."

"Is he trying to move the battlefield to the sea?!"

"Looking at it this way, his purpose is very clear: to prevent the Red Dragon from borrowing earth vein energy!"

Thinking of this.

Gao Wen abruptly halted, floating motionless within the clouds.

Originally, he had been somewhat hesitant about how to deal with Wales after grinding enough experience in Avalon City, but now he suddenly had an idea!

The sea!

Once any ability user comes into contact with seawater, they will lose all strength, and their abilities will fail.

That tactic previously employed by Auntie and Xia Mu Luo Ke in coordination could be perfectly replicated on Wales; it was simply flawless!

But before that, I must grind enough for myself!

Within the clouds.

Wales noticed Gao Wen suddenly stop, his gaze sharpening:

"Discovered?!"

"Of course, I was too impatient, my intentions were too obvious!"

"Anyone could see through the flaw!"

For a moment, Wales felt some regret in his heart, thinking he should have been calmer, fighting while retreating, slowly luring his opponent to the designated battlefield.

What a pity!

Now there is only...

"Stop running!"

"You rat!"

"Come fight me honorably, let me feel the joy of battle!"

"Scum!"

Gao Wen's face showed anger, appearing somewhat impatient; his aura erupted uncontrollably, dispersing the clouds!

He looked exactly like a battle maniac immersed in combat, filled with unfulfilled desires!

Didn't you notice?!

Is he an idiot whose mind is filled only with fighting?!

Wales felt greatly reassured in his heart, filled with extreme contempt.

Originally, he still had some apprehension toward Gao Wen.

After all, whether in combat techniques, Haki, fighting spirit, or the development level of abilities, Gao Wen was far superior to Arthur.

Even though Wales considered himself a god, the exchange just now made him realize that wanting to take down Gao Wen through a head-on clash was simply impossible relying on himself alone.

But as long as he cut off the supply of Gao Wen's ley line energy, relying on his immortal body, he could easily crush him!

Thinking of this.

Wales became increasingly excited, yet not a trace of it was revealed on his face.

He pretended to be greatly insulted, similarly erupting with powerful aura to collide with Gao Wen's Conqueror's Haki; crimson lightning flashed in the void!

"Hmph!"

"I will let you know what a true god is!"

"Ant!"

The next instant.

Both figures vanished from the air simultaneously, once again stirring up an assault that filled the sky!

Violent slashes and fist shadows filling the sky instantly tore the heavens apart, dispersing the clouds until all was clear and azure!

The two fought from the sky down to the earth.

Rivers ceased flowing, mountains exploded and shattered!

The surface within dozens of kilometers was overturned, Lin Mu were uprooted by their roots, and underground water veins sprayed upward!

Wales fought while retreating, intending to lure Gao Wen toward the outer sea of Britannias, yet worried about being discovered by Gao Wen, so he did not make it too obvious.

For every dozens of kilometers he lured, he deliberately retreated a distance, yet the battlefield of the two still slowly moved toward the outskirts of Britannias.

In the blink of an eye, it was deep night.

Amidst the fierce clash, Gao Wen suddenly paused, allowing Wales to seize the opportunity and blast him into a Shanfeng.

This was solely because a system prompt sounded in his ears at this moment:

"Physique Experience +101!" (Unrefined)

(Omitted)

"Conqueror's Haki Experience +9359!"

Nearly ten thousand points of Conqueror's Haki experience made the corner of Gao Wen's mouth curl up, revealing a sincere smile, his eyes looking at Wales as if viewing a mountain of gold!

Previously, I was still wondering where to find experience babies, but isn't one right here now?!

An immortal body, legendary combat power, and also damn easy to trick...

Simply incredible!

Thus.

Gao Wen decided to give him some sweet bait; he leaped up, darting dozens of kilometers in the direction Wales expected.

"You fool seeking death!"

Joy rose to Wales' eyebrows, and he inadvertently cursed aloud.

But the next instant, he regretted it, for Gao Wen flapped his wings and moved dozens of kilometers back toward the direction of Avalon!

Never before had Wales regretted his loose tongue so much!

Why can't this damn mouth just keep itself shut?!

Forget it!

It's no big deal.

I've figured it out; this guy is single-minded and easy to trick.

Otherwise, with his Crimson Dragon Undying Body and fearlessness toward those commoners, dealing with him would truly be somewhat tricky!

Wales took a deep breath, steadied his mindset, and once again began to entangle in combat with Gao Wen.

The two fought as they advanced, dismantling each other's moves, forcibly destroying more than half of the forest along their path.

The more they fought, the more excited Gao Wen became; time and again, he gave Wales a taste of sweetness, like training a dog, or like teasing an angler.

This great battle lasted for a full several days.

With a Legendary-level expert as a sparring partner, Gao Wen's Conqueror's Haki experience rose like water lifting a boat, with gains coming wave after wave, rapidly approaching level 7.

So much so that an extremely excited smile could not help but appear on his face.

Nine days later.

Late night.

The border region of Britannias.

Gao Wen struck with his blade, forcing Wales back, when the system's prompt sounded in his ears once more.

"Constitution Experience +301!" (Unrefined)

(Omitted)

"Conqueror's Haki Experience +13359!"

【Conqueror's Haki - Lv6: 89008/100000 -> Conqueror's Haki - Lv7: 2367/200000】

The voice ceased.

Gao Wen's body paused, then a Conqueror's Haki three times stronger than before burst forth from his body; under the moonlight, a crimson light film expanded outward!

The formidable pressure caused Wales's expression to change drastically; for a moment, he didn't even care about the dust covering his body!

This monster is actually getting stronger mid-battle?

Is there no justice left?!

(End of Chapter)