To reach sub-light speed with a physical body, even an Immortal would normally require continuous acceleration.
But Ethan Wynn did not.
He moved instantly.
In just a few seconds, he had already crossed over a million kilometers, far beyond the attack range of any World Master.
Behind him, the Blood Demon warrior could only pursue using a spacecraft.
Inside the ship, he activated real-time synchronization with the Virtual Universe and reported back.
"Lord Zivka, his speed is strange. I didn't see any acceleration at all."
Zivka frowned.
"No acceleration? Are you saying he can instantly burst to sub-light speed? Someone like that would never disguise himself as a mere planetary-level fighter."
As an elite World Master under the Blood Demon King, Zivka knew very well how fast Immortals could move.
Even peak Immortals required acceleration.
Ethan, meanwhile, felt something was off.
I've already shown this level of speed. Why are they still chasing me?
He had underestimated the absolute obedience of Blood Demon warriors.
They would carry out orders at any cost. Even if their target were a Universe Venerable, they would still pursue without hesitation.
The spacecraft accelerated continuously, its detection systems locking firmly onto Ethan.
At this speed, he could not remain hidden. The streams of light trailing behind him exposed his position.
If he slowed down to hide, the enemy's World Projection would still be able to locate him.
After flying more than twenty million kilometers, Ethan realized something.
He had to deal with this pursuer.
If the situation escalated and reports reached higher levels, the one who came next might be the Blood Demon King himself.
A peak Immortal acknowledged by the laws of space.
Someone who could teleport across light-years.
Combined with the all-encompassing surveillance of the Virtual Universe, the thought alone was chilling.
Behind him, the spacecraft maintained a distance of about three million kilometers.
It did not attempt full light-speed travel through the dark universe. Instead, it simply tracked him, waiting for reinforcements.
If I take him out now, there's no way anyone else will find me in time.
Ethan gradually slowed down.
Then, once again, he activated his invisibility technique.
He needed the spacecraft to reduce speed as well. If it accelerated into the dark universe, he would have no way of following. He was not yet capable of crossing it with his physical body.
Zivka watched the screen, unease creeping into his thoughts.
"Be careful," he sent a message. "He may attack you."
At the same time, he had already reported the situation upward. It would not be long before Immortals arrived to investigate.
Until then, this mysterious figure had to be held in place.
Even if it cost a subordinate's life.
If the enemy displayed overwhelming power, Zivka could at least submit the recorded footage as evidence.
The Blood Demon King was notoriously volatile.
If he learned that a mysterious expert had infiltrated the trial and his subordinates had no useful information, the consequences would be severe.
Even thinking about it sent a chill down Zivka's spine.
In the cold, silent expanse of space, the Blood Demon warrior piloted his ship closer to the region where Ethan had vanished.
His speed gradually dropped.
From near light speed down to just thirty thousand kilometers per second.
He's close. I need to finish this quickly.
Ethan calculated the distance.
One million kilometers.
Five hundred thousand.
Three hundred thousand.
When the distance closed to within one hundred thousand kilometers, the range of a World Projection, Ethan exploded into motion.
In an instant, he reached sub-light speed and appeared directly at the spacecraft's hatch.
Zivka stared at the screen in disbelief.
"He really can do it… instant sub-light speed. How is that possible?"
Boom!
Ethan raised a finger and tapped lightly against the void.
Countless phantom staff strikes erupted like a storm, smashing the hatch open with brute force.
He stepped inside.
"Die!"
The Blood Demon warrior roared, wielding a strange, curved blade. His ninth-tier World Master power surged outward, overwhelming and vast, even stronger in raw force than Ethan's golden core.
A flash of blade light filled the narrow entrance.
The attack was terrifying.
But to Ethan, it was far from unstoppable.
Before his tribulation, he already possessed strength comparable to a million-year Loose Immortal.
Now, as a peak Celestial Immortal, his understanding of the Dao far surpassed his opponent.
Even if his raw energy was weaker, his mastery was on an entirely different level.
In the cramped space, Ethan moved with impossible precision.
In less than a thousandth of a second, he shifted dozens of times, evading every strike in ways that defied comprehension.
The Blood Demon warrior froze.
Before he could react, Ethan was already standing in front of him.
There was a hint of spatial Dao within those movements.
Boom!
Using his finger as a staff, Ethan unleashed a barrage of attacks in an instant.
Millions of strikes.
The warrior's armor might as well not exist. To Ethan's eyes, it was full of flaws.
Only top-tier treasures could provide true, flawless defense.
This standard-issue armor was nothing.
Zivka watched in shock.
He had expected his subordinate to die instantly.
The speed of those attacks was absurd. The depth of technique was overwhelming.
Even he would struggle to defend against it.
And yet…
"He's not dead?"
The Blood Demon warrior himself was stunned.
The power behind the attacks was not overwhelming.
This… is only around fifth-tier World Master strength?
He could feel it clearly.
At that level, killing him would be extremely difficult.
Ethan understood the problem.
Without the amplification of Dao within this universe, he could only rely on his base power.
His techniques remained, but their destructive force was limited.
Still, that did not stop him.
The battle intensified.
Within seconds, they had already exchanged over a hundred moves.
Zivka finally reacted.
"At this level… we can take him together."
He immediately piloted the spacecraft toward them.
Ethan's eyes turned cold.
So they think they can overwhelm me?
Fine.
He no longer held back.
Suddenly, countless green and violet vines erupted into existence, wrapping tightly around the Blood Demon warrior.
The warrior laughed loudly.
"These vines are too weak! They can't restrain me at all. Capturing you will be a great achievement!"
But within half a second, his laughter stopped.
The vines carried a potent toxin.
During his simulation, Ethan had explored many paths, including the Dao of poison.
Poison had its weaknesses. It was hard to land.
But once it did…
Even Loose Immortal-level toxins could threaten Celestial Immortals.
Ethan's mastery was not perfect, but it was more than enough.
The toxin spread rapidly through the warrior's body, slowing his thoughts, corroding his flesh, weakening his movements.
Now…
Ethan stepped forward, his gaze cold.
"Now you can die."