Chapter 128: The Subversion of Holy Light

"Damn demon, you will pay the price for the sins you have committed!" The captain of the knights roared, and a sudden, intense burst of holy light erupted from his body.

His weapons and armor were coated in a layer of milky white radiance, making him look like nothing more than a firefly. Yes, a firefly—at least, that was exactly how it appeared in Li Ren’s eyes. As for the imposing, heroic, or awe-inspiring aura others might perceive, a "firefly" was quite enough to encapsulate it all.

Regardless of the knight captain's appearance, the sudden surge of holy power was enough to make Li Ren’s heart race. He was, after all, a level 180 Lord-class boss; his strength was truly beyond reproach. Even if he were slightly weaker than Fan Yunshan, it was clear the gap wasn't significant. Had Li Ren not relied on his formidable Blink ability and powerful recovery stats, whether he would dare to face this guy head-on would be a serious question.

However, that question had been completely cast aside the moment Li Ren had struck down Zoro’s subordinate.

The situation had turned brutally terrifying the moment the battle began. These Paladins acted as if they had been fed some kind of stimulant; they charged at Li Ren with eyes bloodshot, as if he were their sworn enemy. Their momentum was three times more intense than that of a player who had just been cuckolded.

Struck by this overwhelming pressure, Li Ren felt a momentary lapse in his resolve, and his reactions slowed by a fraction of a second. Normally, a delay of this magnitude would be trivial—no more significant than the brief pause one might have when reaching for a wallet only to realize they’d forgotten it at home. But facing this pack of crazed, powerful beasts, that single beat was enough to decide everything.

Li Ren was instantly surrounded by the Paladins who had shifted their formation. The two closest to him had already raised their greatswords, the blades shimmering with intense light, and with a shout of "Holy Light Slash!", they brought them down upon him. It wasn't until the blades struck his body that Li Ren snapped back to his senses.

He checked his health bar and realized that this single attack had depleted nearly 10% of his life. Had he not been equipped with the Heart of the Voodoo Lord, that would have been a full 30%! If seven such attacks were to land on him simultaneously, his only remaining path would be to meet the King of Hell. Fortunately, only those two Paladins were within immediate range, so the damage was manageable. Thanks to the powerful regeneration of the Heart of the Voodoo Lord, he would recover quickly, so there was no need for excessive concern.

His focus now needed to be on the knight captain rushing toward him, along with the remaining forty-seven knights. Of course, Li Ren wasn't foolish enough to stand his ground and tank so many opponents at once. Based on their attack power, his limit was holding off ten Paladins at most, and if the knight captain were included, that number would likely be cut in half.

Just then, Mao Mao’s first wave of attacks descended upon the heads of the Paladins. The most famous trait of the Dragon race is their breath; legend says it possesses the power to topple mountains and drain the seas, making it impossible for ordinary people to survive. Mao Mao lived up to the noble traditions of his kind and unleashed a torrent of dragon breath upon the Paladins.

Unfortunately, although he was a dragon, his level was far too low. Trying to inflict fatal damage on enemies who were thirty or forty levels higher than him was nothing more than a pipe dream. Furthermore, because his own attributes had been assimilated by Li Ren into a dark affinity, the Paladins’ natural resistance to light meant the holy-aligned damage of the dragon breath was significantly mitigated.

Fortunately, Mao Mao’s breath wasn't like a fire extinguisher; it was practically inexhaustible. If one blast couldn't finish them, he would simply keep at it. Mao Mao embraced this philosophy thoroughly, blanketing the area around Li Ren with wide-range dragon breath, indifferent to where the Paladins ran—as long as he sprayed the area around his master, it was mission accomplished. This strategy was undoubtedly sound, as the Paladins were always most concentrated around Li Ren.

With Mao Mao providing cover and distraction from the air, Li Ren finally breathed a sigh of relief. He gripped the Purple Gold Wing God, which had already transformed into a sharp blade, and infused it with the "Verdict of Fire." The sword’s original purple-gold hue was now overlaid with a brilliant, fiery red glow.

It looked truly dazzling.

In reality, this entire sequence of events had unfolded in the blink of an eye. The two Paladins who had attacked Li Ren were just beginning to retract their greatswords. It would be a terrible shame to be beaten without retaliating. Li Ren certainly wasn't going to let that happen. Besides, if they knocked off 10% of his health, relying solely on passive recovery would take ten seconds; his "Dark Demon Domain" had a life-steal effect, which could at least shorten that time to the absolute minimum. Furthermore, the Purple Gold Wing God had never once felt lacking in output.

A flash of sword light streaked out as Li Ren unleashed a "Five-Star Piercing Strike" at one of the Paladins. With the bonus from his Dark Demon Domain, the Paladin’s shadow resistance was further reduced by 10%. Moreover, light and darkness were inherently opposing forces; while light could suppress darkness, the reverse was equally devastating.

Consequently, when Li Ren’s blade landed—boosted by the Verdict of Fire—the result was truly unexpected!

The instantaneous 80% damage boost, combined with stats already equal to a level 100 Lord-class boss, made dealing with these 140-level elite bosses far less stressful than anticipated. In a one-on-one fight, Li Ren wouldn't fear any of them, especially not while in his Verdict of Fire state.

As the light of that strike faded, even Li Ren was momentarily stunned by the outcome.

One-shot!

A formidable Paladin who had just stepped out of Watchtower City to purge demons had been killed on the spot by a single sword strike from Li Ren! The players following behind were unable to process what they had just seen—that was a level 140 elite boss! How could such a thing happen?

As everyone’s minds raced with this question, Li Ren, unwilling to repeat the mistake of being caught off-guard, ripped the Purple Gold Wing God from the knight's chest and used "Blink" to vanish, narrowly avoiding the greatswords swinging in from both sides.