Pretending To Be A Boss
Chapter 896 - 896: 56 chapters: Time has come_3

Junlin rose with a fierce resolve, trying to get closer to the Judge, only to realize that no matter what it did, the distance between them remained constant.

[Overestimating yourself!]

The Judge was not particularly adept at melee combat, yet when its fist landed on Junlin, the blow felt as powerful as a strike from the Red Emperor.

Junlin's entire shoulder blade was deformed by the punch, its figure sent flying violently, smashing through countless structures outside the plaza belonging to the Ancient Ape Laboratory. The overwhelming force nearly flung Junlin out of the Sacred Mountain.

The Judge no longer bothered with Junlin; to it, Junlin served another purpose. Instead, it turned its gaze toward Tang Xian and spoke:

[Whether it's you or that thing, no matter what tricks it has left, today you will die here!]

Another array of rays struck Tang Xian.

Though there were resistance signals flaring in his sea of consciousness, both Tang Xian and the Judge knew that such resistance was far from enough to change the tide of battle.

Especially as Tang Xian's life began to drain at an alarming rate.

Just as his life reached its end, Tang Xian's vision transformed. He once again saw the undead.

Countless undead surged toward him.

His depleted life force began to restore at an incredible pace.

The Judge, witnessing this scene, exclaimed in shock:

[The Nether Phoenix actually turned you into the Spiritual Purgatory! Impressive tactics!]

The Judge offered genuine praise, yet it did not feel matters were slipping out of its control.

For centuries, the Sacred Mountain had hosted countless souls—those of test subjects, ancient apes, or other beasts dwelling here.

If Tang Xian had indeed become the Spiritual Purgatory, the undead would replenish his life force. It was undoubtedly a powerful method.

But the Judge remained unmoved. It waited patiently.

Tang Xian began absorbing the undead incessantly, his body recovering from the brink of death to its peak condition.

The number of undead began to grow increasingly sparse.

Tang Xian sensed something amiss.

Under normal circumstances, once his life force was fully restored to peak condition, the Spiritual Purgatory state would automatically deactivate—a failsafe technique that essentially granted him immortality.

Yet this immortality depended on an unending stream of undead.

Though the Sacred Mountain contained a vast number of undead, their numbers were not infinite.

Tang Xian realized that even at his peak, he could not rid himself of the Exhaustive Ray.

His life force continued to ebb away.

Initially, he didn't notice the draining because there were still plenty of undead.

But as the undead diminished, Tang Xian discovered that the negative effects of the Exhaustive Ray were suppressing the life recovery granted by the undead absorption.

The Judge spoke coldly:

[Do you truly think that I would relax my vigilance just because *it* died? Perhaps it plotted against me, but I have never ceased guarding against it. Even if my heart believed it died!]

Such caution was undoubtedly characteristic of the Judge.

Tang Xian felt the true arrival of death.

The relentless impact of the Exhaustive Rays had pushed all of his life-maintaining organs into gradual failure, and even his vision began to blur.

Yet strangely, his consciousness remained shockingly clear.

This clarity was agonizing, like the plight of a condemned prisoner longing for drunken oblivion at the moment of their execution.

At the brink of death, Tang Xian lifted his head and gazed toward the sky beyond the gray mist.

He felt bewildered—what was the golden light beyond the gray haze?

Suddenly, the distant sky changed its colors, as if the sun had been shattered and its fragments spread evenly across the heavens.

An expanse of radiant golden light instantly engulfed the entirety of the Sacred Mountain.

The Judge's expression shifted instantly; it stood as if facing its greatest adversary, gripped by an unprecedented tension. Its face contorted with disbelief as it stared at the golden light, the hands hidden beneath its black robes trembling uncontrollably.

Meanwhile, Tang Xian's expression gradually grew enigmatic.

He seemed to hear a voice, faintly resonating in the depths of his consciousness.

[The time has come, my child.]