Chapter 969: Mysterious Old Man

Bang!

The earth shattered beneath John's feet as he blocked a kick from the Devil with raised forearms, using his full strength to resist its might. The skin on his forearms exploded into a shower of blood, revealing the muscle beneath as it was unable to fully withstand the Devil's might.

Small fractures formed on the bones of his arms as well, creaking loudly as it strained against the powerful attack. Just before blocking the attack, he had shifted his body slightly to the side, facing diagonally towards the Devil's kick. The blocking angle not only allowed him to deflect the attack instead of taking it directly head on, but also allowed him to use the power of the Devil's kick to add to his spinning momentum.

John turned around instantly, his speed far faster than he would be able to do with his own power. As he spun, he raised his elbow, pointing it towards the Devils head.

Boom!

His elbow landed on the side of the Devil's head with a sickening crunch. The Devil's face exploded in a shower of blood, its skull cracking slightly from the power of the blow. The Devil flew off into the distance, piercing through the sky as John's attack had shot it upwards.

"Perfect counterattack," John said, wincing slightly. Three days of non-stop life and death combat had honed his combat instincts to an entirely new level. While it was not a direct increase in his physical or essence power, his combat process had advanced considerably with how efficiently and perfectly he was moving and counter attacking. If John fought his former self of three days ago, he would overwhelm that version of himself quite handedly.

While his attack had been perfect, it wasn't without its flaws. The Devil's body, similar to that of a Demon, was incredibly strong and durable. John's elbow had shattered from the force of the blow, causing his arm to go limp for a moment. His Limiter of Healing and Life flared with power, sending nourishing healing Qi to his shattered elbow, healing it quickly.

Boom!

The ground beneath his feet shattered and flew off in all directions as John pressed off the ground, speeding towards the Devil in the sky like a bullet. A flash of power suddenly surged in the sky between him and the Devil, causing John to stop immediately. He gazed at the patch of emerging power with narrowed eyes, as it was completely different than anything that had happened in this trial thus far.

"Is the Devil unleashing a new technique?" he mumbled, prepared to block what was coming. Guard raised, he stared at the spot of energy, which quickly grew in power. John's eyes widened with caution as he quickly realized the power of this new energy was far beyond what the Devil was capable of.

A moment later, space completely tore apart, and a figure stepped through the hole. The hole quickly closed behind the figure, who floated in the sky above John.

Rah!

The Devil roared and shot towards John once more, completely ignoring the newcomer.

Snap!

The newcomer snapped his finger, and the Devil suddenly vanished completely.

"What?" John exclaimed, completely shocked to see the Devil vanish at the mere snap of the fingers by this mysterious man. Silence returned to the ruined trial as the figure stared silently at John, and John at him.

Although the man's aura was withdrawn completely after appearing, making it hard to determine his exact cultivation, John felt as though an entire world was staring him. He had only rarely felt such a sensation before; when he was being stared at by the Jade Dragon Emperor, the Grand Abbot, or the Asura.

'Holy Manifestation!'

"Who are you?" John asked cautiously. He had no idea if this man was part of the trial, or something else. If he was part of the trial, then the trial just went from dangerous to impossible, even for John.

"You're quite an interesting fellow, young man," the Prime Shadow said.

"Who-"

"Who I am is of no concern to you right now," the Prime Shadow cut John off before he could ask his question again. He shifted his gaze about the trial realm, which was once a dark and ominous forest, but was now just a completely ruined and destroyed battlefield.

"I took a great deal of care to design this forest," the Prime Shadow said, lamenting its destruction. "Fixing it won't be impossible, but to think it would be destroyed in such a fashion."

"You...designed this forest?" John asked, narrowing his eyes at the man. "Who are you?"

The Prime Shadow ignored John's question, returning his gaze to meet John's. John felt his breath catch in his chest instinctively. It was as if he was being stared at by a god.

"This trial was designed to operate for minutes to an hour at most," the Prime Shadow said. "It consumes mountains of spirit crystals to operate for a single hour, and yet you kept it going for three days. Even for my guild, that is quite the expense for a mere...training session, as you put it."

'My guild!' the words rang in John's mind.

"Your guild? Are you the Guildmaster?" John asked.

Yet again, the Prime Shadow ignored his question, looking away in a certain direction.

"Your battle with the Devil buried the exit to this trial in a mountain of debris, making its discovery next to impossible," the Prime Shadow said, returning his gaze to John. "Escape is the intended way to pass this trial. With the escape hidden, how were you planning on passing this trial? Fighting the Devil in such a way, dancing on the edge of life and death, would eventually lead to a fatal mistake. Were you planning on fighting it until that day came, hoping it would run out of energy?"

John remained silent, mimicking the mysterious man's way of ignoring questions. An amused look appeared on the mans face as he studied John's stoic expression.

"Or," he chimed up again. "Is what you have revealed today just a fraction of your true power, as impossible to believe as that is?"