I STACK ATTRIBUTES IN THE APOCALYPSE -MyOwnEdit-

Chapter 278 The Clash of Golden Patterns: Inferno of Will and Power

Esek felt both physically and mentally exhausted. The defeat at the hands of Tang Chongye had left him utterly drained. His once-unshakable confidence had crumbled, and survival had come at a steep cost.

It was the deaths of Zhanglang Gu and Zhanglang Ge that had drawn Tang Chongye’s attention, triggering the lethal intent that spared Esek’s life. Yet, as a consequence, his golden patterns had been temporarily extinguished, leaving him unable to access their power for the time being.

Both Esek and Tang Chongye wielded the golden patterns, but the nature of their powers differed greatly. The Zombie Beast Poison, which Esek commanded, was infectious, while Tang Chongye’s Demon Gold was defined by its unyielding hardness.

In terms of strength, the two golden patterns were evenly matched. However, when it came to their unique properties, the Zombie Beast Poison did not affect the impenetrable Demon Gold, putting Esek at a clear disadvantage.

As Esek gazed at the tragic remains of Zhanglang Gu and Zhanglang Ge, he felt a wave of disbelief. Could Lu Ming really be responsible for such a thing?

But before he could fully process the thought, Tang Chongye’s hand moved with terrifying speed, releasing a deadly wave of saber aura. Esek’s heart sank in regret.

"Too bad… He’s too young," Esek thought grimly. "If he had another hundred years—maybe even eighty—he might stand a chance against Tang Chongye. But now… right now, the gap between them is vast."

Esek longed to step in and help Lu Ming, but his body refused to cooperate. His golden patterns remained extinguished, rendering him powerless. The will was there, but the strength had abandoned him.

The moment Tang Chongye swung his hand, a flash of his saber appeared before Lu Ming—fast, almost blindingly fast. Tang Chongye’s strikes were deadly and precise, moving with the speed of a seasoned warrior who had honed his skill over centuries.

It wasn’t just fast—it was sharp.

Before the saber even touched him, Lu Ming felt a sharp pain prickling across his skin. The killing intent woven into the saber’s aura had already caused his capillaries to rupture beneath the surface. Despite the impending threat, this terrifying slash only made Lu Ming burst into laughter.

“Good!” he roared.

“Great!”

“Excellent!”

His eyes gleamed with defiance. “Let me see what your so-called golden patterns can really do!”

He had no intention of meeting this slash unprepared. Esek had already demonstrated the disastrous consequences of such recklessness. Without the protection of [Force], even Lu Ming’s body—though formidable—would be no sturdier than paper against the raw power of the dao.

In a flash, his [Force] activated, circulating swiftly through his body. Channeling this energy, Lu Ming cast a protective technique, concentrating his defense on the toughest part of his body—the three horns on his head.

A piercing clang reverberated in the air.

The saber flash collided with the crown of Lu Ming’s head, and the sound of metal striking metal echoed sharply. His Body Protective Light shattered instantly, and the silver patterns on his chest dimmed under the assault. Yet behind those fading silver patterns lay a deeper power—the [Force] system.

Though invisible, the Body Protective technique infused with [Force] was real and potent. As the saber aura tore through the conventional protective light and crashed into his head, Lu Ming felt a tremendous impact surge over him.

The strength of the saber strike was overwhelming. Lu Ming couldn’t help but lower his head, his legs and hands bracing against the ground. The impact sent him crashing to his knees, knocked down by the sheer power of the attack.

Something heavy fell from the top of his head. He glanced down and saw two of his horns lying on the ground—severed cleanly by the blow. The saber aura had also shattered his scalp, leaving deep grooves etched into his otherwise hard skull.

“But that’s it!” Lu Ming growled through gritted teeth.

“Yes, that’s it!”

The injury hadn’t come from Tang Chongye’s golden pattern power. Lu Ming’s [Force] system had effectively neutralized the golden pattern energy, absorbing and countering the dao’s destructive might. What had injured him, however, was the sheer sharpness of the Demon Gold—a power that rivaled Lu Ming’s own formidable physical strength.

"With the golden pattern rules, the body transforms into Demon Gold. Your physical form inherits not only the properties of Demon Gold but also the incredible strength you’ve cultivated."

Flesh and blood combined with the [Foundation of Matter]—perfectly fused. This was the true essence of the golden patterns. They existed on a higher level than silver patterns, and that fact couldn’t be denied.

Against silver patterns, Lu Ming’s [Force] could fully negate the power of their governing rules. But golden patterns had something more—an extra layer that silver patterns lacked. This additional element, the [Foundation of Matter], was something the [Force] system simply couldn’t neutralize.

In this battle, Lu Ming wasn’t just fighting Tang Chongye; he was facing a being whose very body had become Demon Gold, empowered further by Tang Chongye’s terrifying physical strength.

In the battle against Esek, it had been as if Lu Ming were facing a concentrated mass of Zombie Beast Poison, empowered by Esek’s Origin Power. It was like confronting the raw forces of nature—but nature with self-awareness.

Without the proper means, complete knowledge, and the ability to adapt, one would be at a severe disadvantage, consistently falling behind. That was the terrifying power of the golden patterns.

"Fortunately, your golden patterns take the form of solid Demon Gold," Lu Ming thought, his mind racing. "It’s much easier to deal with than something intangible like the elements of wind, fire, or poison."

Slowly, Lu Ming stood up, blood flowing from the top of his head. He extended his tongue and licked the warm liquid trickling down his face. The sharp, metallic taste filled his mouth, and a faint red gleam appeared in his eyes.

“So, what’s left to settle is whether my flesh is stronger than your Demon Gold,” he muttered, a savage grin spreading across his face. “Let me see!”

Lu Ming dropped to all fours, resembling a wild beast more than a man. With a primal roar, he launched himself at Tang Chongye, his muscles coiling like springs ready to unleash devastating force.

“Let’s find out!” he shouted, the fury in his voice echoing like a battle cry. “Is your Demon Gold tougher, or is my body more terrifying?”

Tang Chongye’s eyes narrowed in response. Lu Ming’s fierce and brutal aura caused even him—a seasoned warrior soaked in bloodshed—to hesitate. For a moment, the battle-hardened killer wavered, startled by the wild ferocity coming at him.

The corners of his mouth twitched, and he couldn’t stop himself from uttering three words under his breath.

“Maniac… Beast… Monster.”

Was this truly a human? No, this was something else entirely—an exotic beast driven to madness, its eyes glowing red with bloodlust.

The ground rumbled beneath their feet as waves of energy rippled outward. Blinding flashes of saber light radiated in all directions, illuminating the chaotic battlefield.

Lu Ming charged forward, his presence more akin to a rampaging demon beast than a man. His fierce, unrelenting momentum bore down on Tang Chongye, who, though a master of close combat, chose not to meet Lu Ming’s onslaught head-on. Seemingly rattled by Lu Ming’s violent killing intent, Tang Chongye remained rooted in place, his hand cutting through the air like a sword, sending out streams of golden saber light.

But Lu Ming wasn’t the same opponent he had been moments ago. He had no intention of being struck by the same move twice. In truth, the first blow had been intentional—he had allowed the saber light to hit him. Lu Ming needed to experience, firsthand, the force behind the golden patterns and the true strength Tang Chongye wielded.

Now, armed with that knowledge, he had no reason to let another strike land.

It had to be acknowledged, that Tang Chongye’s saber was both incredibly fast and dangerously sharp. The sheer physical power he channeled into each slash brought tremendous speed, and the impenetrable nature of his Demon Gold body enhanced the lethal edge of his saber aura. Yet, despite this, Lu Ming was confident—he knew he could dodge it.

This confidence came from two key factors.

First, there was his [Force].

What had once been an elementary power now allowed him to perceive subtle shifts in his opponent’s movements, granting him an instinctual sense of the enemy’s muscle motions and the flow of Origin Power. Though Tang Chongye’s Demon Gold form had neither muscles nor a clear flow of energy, Lu Ming could still gauge the landing point of the saber light by reading Tang Chongye’s eyes and body language.

The second factor was the transformation of Lu Ming’s own body through his technique of [Body Self-Limitation].

His body was not just flesh and bone. It had evolved into something more. Lu Ming could harden his external bone armor to withstand saber auras, but he could also do something else—something far more extraordinary. He could create pores across his body, allowing him to rapidly adjust his movements with the flexibility and speed of a jet engine. This ability let him twist and contort his body like a rubber man, enabling him to dodge Tang Chongye’s deadly saber light with uncanny precision.

As the final strike loomed, the question became clear, would the unbreakable Demon Gold triumph, or would Lu Ming’s ever-evolving body prove more terrifying?

End of Chapter 278