Ch 808 - Self-Destruct

The explosive force of a golden core warrior was comparable to the explosive force of an atomic bomb, so it shook the heavens and the earth. Even the thousands of miles frozen by the celestial staff were completely destroyed.

The staff itself was blown far away and rammed into the ground.

Horace and Elsa's bodies were thrown some distance away, leaving them dizzy and disoriented, while Alex, who had been at the center of the explosion, simply disappeared.

When Horace and Elsa returned to the site of the blast, their faces covered with dirt, they had no idea what they might find.

"I can't believe that a mere human forced Marlon to self-destruct his golden core!" Elsa said, her eyes wide.

"A death like that was giving the human too much respect," Horace said. "If Marlon hadn't self-detonated his golden core and killed Alex, then I would have made that human suffer the pain of being burned for eternity."

When he thought of Alex's humiliating strike, he was furious. He wished he could get his revenge, but it seemed like that chance would never come.

"Forget it," Elsa said. "The kid is already dead. Let's get out of here and slaughter all the divine-level warriors on Earth. After that, we'll stabilize the portal and get Earth back under our control."

"Forgive me, mighty ones," a trembling voice said from behind them. "But the Great One is not dead!"

Horace and Elsa were startled. They turned around and saw Gwen, who was also covered in dirt and debris from the explosion.

Gwen had run far away when the group had started fighting. As someone at the very lowest level of power, she was like a bug to them. What little ability she had would have been useless, so she had been unable to intervene.

But her ability to escape was truly first rate, and she had fled far away. If it hadn't been for the explosion of Marlon's golden core, then she wouldn't have been affected at all.

But even then, the explosion and the tremors of the aftershocks did little more than cover her in a layer of dust and mess up her hair. A flying rock had caused a small wound on her face, but it wasn't anything serious.

"What are you talking about?" Horace yelled at her. "Of course he's dead, Gwen. Don't speak nonsense."

"Gwen, have you been knocked senseless by the explosion?" Elsa asked, tutting. "Marlon destroyed everything around him with his hundred-year-old golden core, and you still say that the Great One isn't dead? How could that be possible?"

They still remembered how terrified they had been of Alex, and they didn't want to even entertain the idea that they might have to face him again.

"But… I clearly saw him flying over there just now!" Gwen said, pointing in the opposite direction from the three of them.

"What?" Elsa said. "Are you sure? The Great One survived?"

Gwen swallowed hard and nodded.

"Well, even if he's not dead yet, he'll be heavily injured," Horace said, shrugging. "Let's go and take a look and see what's happened. It would be even better if he were still alive. Then I could punish him properly and avenge Marlon!"

Horace flew in the direction Gwen had pointed.

Just as he flew into the air, an iron rod cut through the air and struck his waist, causing him to fall to the ground.

"It's the Great One!" Elsa cried. "He really didn't die!" She looked at the celestial staff, and her face paled.

"Who told you that I'm dead?" Alex asked.

Horace and Elsa looked around and saw Bernie flying over, his wings spread wide.

Riding on Bernie's back, Alex sat with his arms folded, and he didn't seem to be injured at all. It didn't look like he had been affected by the golden core explosion.

"How is this possible?" Horace asked. He didn't dare to imagine it. The explosion had been like an atomic bomb going off, but not only was the Great One completely fine, he didn't seem to have a scratch on him. Not even a speck of dust.

"How did you dodge Marlon's self-destruction?" Elsa asked, still struggling to understand what was going on.

"It was just a golden core self-destruction," Alex said casually. "I was afraid that it would injure my bird, or else I wouldn't even have bothered to dodge it!"

At the moment of the explosion, Alex had fled far away, not because he was afraid of the power of the blast, but because he had wanted to save Bernie. He had known how powerful the explosion would be, and he had also known that the giant bird wouldn't be able to withstand it. So he had rushed to Bernie's side, grabbed him, and transported him to safety.

Only after the aftermath of the explosion had completely dissipated had Alex let the bird carry him back to the point of detonation.

Alex's escape had taken him a thousand miles away. Bernie wasn't as fast as Alex, so it had been a slower journey on the way back, which was why Horace and Elsa had thought he was dead.

"You are indeed powerful," Horace said reluctantly. "But come to my immortal realm. If you're willing, then you can enter my sect and study our ancient books. You can also enter our capital city. With your talent, you might be able to reach the nascent level at some point.

"Also, we have records of the experience of a nascent-level master, and you can read them."

He was trying to tempt Alex with a promise of more knowledge and greater power. Elsa stared at him with uncertainty.

To reach the nascent level was what a golden core warrior wanted the most. Nothing could be a more attractive prospect.

Horace was extremely famous in the immortal realm, and even the masters of small sects were not as good as he was. It was said that anyone with Horace's backing could do whatever they wanted in the immortal realm.

But Alex didn't even look at him. "The experience of a nascent master?" he said dismissively. "That's nothing. I could kill one of those without a second thought. You've dared to step into my world, so now you must die!"

He held the celestial staff in his hand and waved it in the air, which rumbled threateningly.

"You little brat," Horace shouted. "Do you really think that I'm easy to push around?"

His body suddenly dissolved and turned into a purple sea that covered the entire area and froze everything it came into contact with. The celestial staff slammed into it, and not only did it not cause any waves, but it also froze inside, unable to move at all.

"Is that the best you've got?" Alex asked. "Well, it's not going to be enough."

Ever since Alex had nourished his golden core, it had continuously provided him with energy, and he was now several times more powerful than before. He used his power, and a silver Flying Sword appeared and covered the sea with a silver glow. It hovered above the surface for a while, and then, with a loud crash, it plunged downward.