Chapter 401: The Eternal King

Dita, having adjusted herself, was already prepared; she had sent the other team members away, determined to succeed or perish today.

"Let's begin. Bring out the real stuff and let me see what the strongest person in the Apocalypse is truly capable of!" Dita said, looking at Li Hao. "You don't need to hold back. I'm not that fragile; don't act like you haven't eaten."

As soon as the words left her lips, Li Hao raised his head. The moment his gaze met Dita's, the entire room plunged into ten thousand years of ice. An indiscriminate pressure enveloped the entire Arena, and space began to compress. Dita's Golden Zone was forced into a passive explosion. Suddenly, Li Hao struck out with a long palm; though they were still seven or eight meters apart, the palm arrived before her in an instant. Dita wanted to dodge, but found that her body could not move at all.

Boom.

Dita flew out like a kite with a broken string, crashing heavily to the ground and spitting out a mouthful of blood. Li Hao did not speak, merely staring at Dita indifferently. Dita felt, with absolute clarity, a gaze from the Abyss; her body began to tremble uncontrollably. There was no expression on Li Hao's face, but a fierce killing intent eroded every one of Dita's cells. Every sensation told Dita that he was going to kill her.

Swish.

Another punch was thrown. Dita rolled, then sprang up with lightning speed; the spot where she had been was already blasted open. In this life-or-death moment, her power erupted, and that numbing sensation began to fade rapidly. Dita fully entered a survival state, using her lightning speed to create distance and search for an opening. Li Hao approached step by step, each step carrying a suffocating pressure, chasing Dita like a cat playing with a mouse.

Boom.

Another punch swept past Dita's side. Relying on her Prediction Ability, she barely dodged it, but the force of the fist wind penetrated her, and half of her body went numb. If she had been hit directly, she would have truly said goodbye to the S Tournament.

This guy was playing for real. Just as she wanted to speak, she saw the contempt and mockery in Li Hao's eyes. For a moment, Dita's brain buzzed—this guy dared to look down on her!

Anger rose from her heart, and malice grew from her daring. Dita stopped caring about anything else. Naturally vain, she could lose her life, but she could not swallow this insult. In an instant, her focus became incredibly intense. Li Hao's massive aura looked like towering mountains in her eyes, but everyone had weaknesses; his next intention was already predicted. Dita moved first to dodge the attack, constantly shifting to find Li Hao's weak point. Using Li Hao as the axis, Dita performed high-speed, unpredictable zigzag movements. After dodging two consecutive punches, she appeared in front of Li Hao in an instant.

For a moment, Dita's heart pounded. Facing the Abyss meant challenging the Abyss; to retreat was to fall!

Swish, swish, swish.

Three Rending Sky Slashes whistled out, overlapping into one in mid-air.

One Overlapping Rending Sky Flash!

A flash of light appeared in Li Hao's eyes, and with a roar, he unleashed a wave.

Terrifying power leaked out, and the Overlapping Rending Sky Mountain shattered instantly. Dita protected her front with both arms, but her whole body was sent flying by the shockwave. The next moment, a huge figure descended from the sky. He pulled back his fist, and space instantly froze, as if holding a massive gravitational pull, solidifying Dita's body. A punch with the weight of Mount Tai struck.

At this moment, Dita clearly felt that if she couldn't dodge, she was finished. There was no need for Prediction Ability; this was an open hand.

What did she believe in? What was her power?... Actually, she had always known, but she didn't want to believe it. This time, she would gamble!

Dita clasped her hands together and, instead of dodging, shot straight up to meet him.

Boom.

Dita felt as if her body had split open; her Golden Zone was shattered directly. Before she even landed, she saw Li Hao shoot into the sky once more, his right hand raised high, golden light radiating everywhere. The next moment, a burst of energy struck toward her.

There was no need to doubt it; the power of this hand blade far exceeded her own and could cut her in two.

Dita's pupils contracted instantly, her heart pounding... At this life-or-death moment, all her power erupted. Red flames shot into the sky, and a golden lightning bolt burst forth from her heart. The next moment, a massive golden phantom appeared. Dita swung her hand blade, and with a loud explosion, Dita lost consciousness.

Tick, tock, tick, tock, tick, tock.

In the darkness, it felt as if a clock was ticking second by second. Accompanied by boundless golden light, a huge figure descended from the sky and landed with a crash. The moment it stood up, it held up the sky with one hand.

He stared at Dita. Dita tried hard to open her eyes; she wanted to see the source of her power clearly, but the light was too intense, and she could not see it.

Dita gritted her teeth hard; she had to see it clearly. Light filtered in, and Dita woke up with a start, gasping for air. Li Hao, beside her, immediately slapped his thigh hard. "Dita, you're awake! You scared me to death; I thought you were really done for."

Dita was so angry she gritted her teeth. Was that human language? "I wouldn't be done for even if you were! You hit so hard; if I'm injured or crippled, you're responsible!"

Li Hao shrugged helplessly. "How do you feel now?"

Dita closed her eyes. The soreness in her body was nothing; her bones didn't seem broken, so it wasn't a big deal.

Suddenly, Dita opened her eyes, her crystalline gaze full of surprise. She sat up abruptly. "Seeing as there's finally some result, I won't hold it against you for hitting me."

"Pleasure doing business with you," Li Hao said triumphantly. "In the future, if there's good business, Boss should take care of me."

"So, where was my problem?"

"Sense of crisis. All the conditions were met, but you lacked a bit of the drive found between life and death."

"So you beat me to death?" Dita glared, hurriedly opening the mirror function of her Skycom to look at her face carefully. It would be a huge loss if she were disfigured.

Li Hao waved his hands quickly. "Not at all, I only used a tiny bit of strength."

"You used a tiny bit of strength and beat me like this? Are you speaking human language???" Dita said speechlessly. That heavy punch almost wiped her out.

"I just work a little bit harder than others." Li Hao's expression appeared exceptionally sincere.

"Pah, treat me to a late-night snack!" Dita said.

"I have a date with A Youyou."

"Call her along. How would I know if there are any aftereffects? If I suddenly faint, I need someone responsible to be there," Dita said. "Also, don't be so clingy all the time; it's annoying."

Li Hao rolled his eyes. Clingy, my foot. Before Li Hao could retort, Dita called A Youyou on her Skycom and arranged everything perfectly. What could Li Hao say?

Still, this turn of events was a win-win; there was no losing in it.

Dita was quite excited during the late-night snack, her appetite wide open. She ate three times her usual portion and was still unsatisfied, even ordering a few bottles of beer. It was clear she was truly happy; the problem that had troubled her for some time was finally solved.

A Youyou was also happy for Dita. She knew how much Dita had sacrificed for the S Tournament, and from time to time, she held hands with Li Hao under the table.

"So, what exactly did you realize as your Soul Essence?" A Youyou asked curiously.

Dita proudly raised her swan-like neck. "There's still a potential enemy on the side. If I make it to the final four, we'll be opponents. I can't say!"

A Youyou smiled. "You still can't beat him."

Dita couldn't help but pinch A Youyou's cheek. "It's hard to say now. I've reached the peak of Flowing Heart Martial Arts. It's all about the characteristics of one's abilities and seizing opportunities. Everyone has a chance."

Dita said confidently. Of course, she knew she couldn't beat Li Hao, but she would never admit it out loud.

She still had some confidence regarding the battle against North Caro. This wasn't blind; current research on the Moon regarding the Golden Zone proved that Flowing Heart Martial Arts was the peak the human body could bear. Any further, and the brain and body would be unable to withstand it and would inevitably collapse. This meant two results: either death, or the genes would naturally manifest their will—what is known in biology as the Gene Lock.

Under equal conditions of Flowing Heart Martial Arts, everyone indeed had a chance.

Li Hao, meanwhile, ate to his heart's content. He had a habit: he never argued with his boss. Wang Laoban was his boss on Earth, and Dita was definitely his boss on the Moon. Although he was a small boss himself now, there was no one more straightforward and generous than her.

Reflecting on the fact that Dita was treating him again, Li Hao's appetite grew even better. He decided he would go to the Moon in his next life.

"A Youyou, how is the song coming along?" Li Hao asked.

"It's okay. One is almost done, but the other is a bit stuck. I'm lacking some inspiration; I'll look for it in the upcoming matches." A Youyou wasn't in a rush. Suddenly, her face flushed, and she gently patted Li Hao's hand.

"Wow, wow, look, Li Hao, you're trending!" Dita said, surprised, having just finished sending messages to her team members.

"Ah, haven't I always been trending?" Li Hao said, his mouth full.

"Is it the same!" Dita was scrolling through her Skycom, swiped her right hand, and projected it. "Damn, your status is unprecedented."

The quarterfinals had not yet begun, but highlights from previous matches were dominating the charts everywhere, and EMP even launched a "cheer for your idol" campaign, with Li Hao unexpectedly taking the top spot.

"Are these Puppet's fans?"

"Of course not, Maxis and his group have more people than Li Hao, but it can't be helped; look, the gods stand on both sides, the Mawang sits in the middle, it's absurd!"

It was the photo Li Hao had taken as Team Leader, where he had even photoshopped a chair for himself in the middle.

The comment was posted by Mad Lion Robbie, accompanied by the text: My eternal second brother, you must win the championship!

Aofei, Team Leader of the Round Table Knights, reposted: The king returns, Tianjing will surely win!

Lomachenko of the Gruu Team reposted: This is my idol, win a championship for Earth!

Perkins of the Kaierfu Special Forces Team was even more exaggerated: Li Ge, dominate everything, just like before, no one can stop you!

Yan Peng of the Black Rock Team reposted: The king returns, Justice from Above!

Besides them, dozens of S-tier players also reposted Robbie's comment; some added crowns, others added backgrounds, all of them top players from the USE War Zone, and Solomon of Udyr was even more exaggerated, showing a photo of himself and Li Hao from the Earth qualifiers: My eternal king, unstoppable!

Li Hao rubbed his face and smiled, "These idiots, it's too cheesy."