Road to Mastery: A LitRPG Apocalypse

Chapter 398: Enduring

A B-Grade cultivator's inner world represented their entire life and soul. It was their everything. When such an inner world was detonated, the cultivator would instantly die, but the power unleashed would be far superior to their all-out attack.

Although this cultivator was nobody special compared to the rest, the moment she exploded, a tremendous explosion shook the cavern. The shockwaves were momentarily deflected, and even Uruselams bubble wavered. Thankfully, they had only endured a small portion of the impactthe explosion was aimed towards the dragon.

Facing such an attack, the dragon didnt have time to defend. A vast amount of energy assaulted its body, blasting it backward. It crashed into a wall, releasing a pained roar. One of its wings had been broken, while some of its scales bulged out due to broken bones on the inside.

Cultivators! it roared in fury. I never thought you would be so ruthless! But even so, you cannot defeat me! I am inevitable! Unstoppable! I am death!

The dragon pushed off the wall and launched itself at the cultivators bubble, unleashing a barrage of attacks. Despite its wounds, its battle power hadnt dropped too much. It could still fight. The body of a dragon was no joke.

Meanwhile, the shockwaves of that explosion had ricocheted everywhere, bouncing off the walls. Part of them struck Jacks corner. Min Lings shield faltered, nearly shattering beneath this powerthe previous shockwaves were already her limit. As for Jack, the part that seeped through to his shield nearly overwhelmed him. He wouldnt last much longer.

Neither of the two could take much more strain, and Brock didnt have the power to help. At this rate, just enduring the shockwaves of this explosion was questionable, let alone the rest of the battle. If they didnt do something, the shockwaves would break through their shields and directly blow them up.

Jacks gaze went frenzied. Combine! he shouted. His arm wrapped around Min Lings waist, pulling her closer. At the same time, his Dao spread through her body, aggressively merging into hers and enhancing her power. Jacks shield dissipated, but Min Lings suddenly shove with splendor, regaining its past power and forcibly withstanding the shockwaves. A purple tinge appeared on its surface.

In the cultivation world, where backstabbings were commonplace, touching anothers body was a taboo. Pouring ones Dao into another was also an extremely invasive maneuver, since it basically gave Jack a full awareness of Min Lings body. All her hidden weaknesses were seen through, all her weak spots were laid bare, the path of her energy circulation was clear as day. If they ever were to fight, this knowledge would give him a massive advantage.

However, Jack had no choice but to act like this. Combining two different powers was easier said than done, and they could afford no risks right now. Directly pouring his power into her body and merging it with hers was the most direct approach, as well as the safest. It guaranteed the greatest chance of a successful fusion. Moreover, the greater the surface of contact, the faster he could pour power into her, so he had directly pulled her body onto his. To mature people like them, a little bodily contact was no big deal.

Thankfully, their Daos were somewhat compatible, so they had succeeded.

But this also came with a deep price for Jack. To fuse his power into hers, he was pouring his Dao into her body and then forcibly severing his connection to it, turning it into raw power. That allowed her to control it like her own energy, but at the same time, Jack felt like someone was hacking at his soul with a cleaver. A cultivator was deeply connected with their Dao. Forcibly severing it was extremely painful and also carried the danger of hidden injuries.

But what choice was there?

Min Ling did not hesitate for an instant. She guided both powers into her shield, achieving a fusion greater than the sum of its parts. She managed to barely resist the shockwaves. As soon as the explosion died down, they would be a little more comfortable.

Spacewind had been paying attention to the C-Grades in the corner. Jack and Min Ling had no weird thoughts about their bodily contactthey were just trying to survive. When those actions fell into Spacewinds eyes, however, his heart shimmered with actual killing intent.

But the battle was still not over. The pain and injuries had driven the black dragon insane. It attacked the cultivators without a care in the world, using its formidable body to endure both the shockwaves and their attacks.

The cultivators were suppressed. They could barely persist.

Everyone! Spacewind shouted. Detonate your inner worlds! Otherwise, we will all die!

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The cultivators glanced at each other. Nobody was willing to commit suicide to help the others. At that time, Uruselam clenched his teeth and dropped his kindly act. Those who hesitate, I will curse their bloodline. Even if we all perish here, that persons descendants will die horrible deaths!

Everyone went cold. All sense of unity had shattered between them. They were each fighting for their own survival.

However, Uruselams threat could not be ignored. Faith-oriented Daos were often associated with karma and curses. Someone of his power could very probably carry out his threat and use a curse that affected not just them, but all their descendants as well!

At this time, without any warning, the dragon opened its mouth and spat out another torrent of black foam. Their attacks melted as they entered this foam. Once it struck the bubble, they would all die!

Spacewind did not wait for someone to take the initiative. He reached to the side and grabbed a cultivator, then directly tossed her towards the black foam. To the side, Uruselam suppressed his injuries to do the exact same thing, conjuring a massive palm and throwing a cultivator outside the bubble. He was just as ruthless as Spacewind!

The cultivator Spacewind had chosen was Ashly Shelly, the octopus Envoy who had helped Jack in the past.

The two cultivators had expected this would happen, but in this battle, they had no way to protect themselves. They had only been hoping they wouldnt be the ones to go. Sadly, luck was not on their side.

Right before they died, their smiles were bitter and self-deprecating. They refused to go like thisbut what choice did they have?

The two of them made the same choice. Their bodies combusted into massive infernos, instantly turning the world into hell. The dragons breath was washed away, and even the magically enhanced walls cracked against this impact.

The bubble almost shattered. As for the dragon, which faced the brunt of the explosions, it was once again blasted against the back wall. More of its body broke. Pained roars echoed, imbued with fury. It still intended to fight, but the cultivators wouldnt give it the chance.

Spacewind and Uruselam each grabbed another cultivator each, flinging them towards the dragon. Both before and now, they had chosen the people most attached to their families or factions. The two cultivators disappeared into the storm of shockwaves, then another two massive explosions erupted. The world shook. The void had long disintegrated, turning the entire cavern into spaceless nihility.

Heart-wrenching roars echoed. Black blood filled the world, resisting even the shattered spacetime. Uruselams bubble finally shattered, but it had endured most of the shockwaves. Attack! Spacewind shouted, shooting into the fray, followed by every other cultivator. No more self-detonations erupted, but the shockwaves grew even more intense as they directly struck the dragon to death.

As for Jacks corner, their situation was as ugly as could be. They had barely endured one explosion beforenow, four occurred at quick succession. The shockwaves reached unprecedented heights. Min Lings shield held for a while, violently contortingeven with Jacks assistance, there was a limit to what she could endure.

Jack gritted his teeth, pulling her tighter and pouring every bit of his Dao into her. This caused internal injuries for both of them, but survival was the most important thing. The shield flared majestically, imbued by the totality of their powers, but it still struggled. It endured the first and second shockwaves. The third bent it like a torn sheet. When the fourth arrived, the shield could take no more. It wasted over half of the shockwaves power but finally shattered, the backlash injuring Min Ling. She could no longer resist.

The shockwave burst through, striking Brocks golden Dao shield, their last line of defense. Though it was weakened, how could Brock compare to even a fraction of a B-Grades self-detonation? The shield persisted for barely an instant before shattering, letting the shockwave attack them directly.

However, that instant Brock earned them had been critical. Min Ling and Brock were both suffering the backlashes of their Dao shattering. Jack knew that if the shockwave hit either of them, they would die.

In that moment, he growled. He grabbed Min Ling by the waist and tossed her behind him. He stepped forward. His fist shone purple, his entire body radiated green power as its life energy was cranked to the max, and he roared out with all his strength.

SUPERNOVA!

Min Ling was shaken. Just as her powers were ebbing and she thought she was about to die, she had been thrown backward by Jack. His robust body stepped in front of her, shielding her. The image was forever imprinted into her mind. Nobody could endure that shockwave. He would sacrifice himself!?

At that moment, her heart was in pain. They had traveled together for some time, shared life and death. She realized she cared about himshe didnt want him to die. Worry clouded her mind. Pain.

Jack! she screamed.

Bro! Brock roared.

Their voices were swallowed in the explosion. Min Ling saw the entire world pulled into Jacks fist, condensed to an impossible degree. It all erupted. His fist smashed into the shockwave, unleashing all that power at once even as the fist itself evaporated.

His robes disintegrated instantly, revealing a brave back that could shield the world.

A tremendous explosion filled the cavern. The shockwave was finally halted, kept away from Min Ling and Brock, but Jack himself bore the brunt of the explosion. Min Ling saw his offensive arm disintegrate. The other three arms were crossed before his face, but they all shattered. Bones flew out of his body. Strips of flesh flew through the air even as they burned. Jacks entire body was blasted into the wall over their heads with such power that it shook the cavern, and he was almost flattened as all his bones broke. His chest was a blackened cavity. His lungs were nowhere to be seen, and even his heart had melted. His mouth opened but made no sound.

Min Ling screamed.