Everyone noticed Shale's strange behavior. The light that came out of his body was red, but as time went on, the red began to darken. It went from red to dark red. Now, the dark red was almost black.
"Demon Fruit … The Demon Fruit is working now … Is Shale going to become deified now?" Li Xue Cheng was overjoyed.
Liyu Zhen was overjoyed, too.
"I understand now.
Shale knew that the silkworm bouts were about to begin, but he still ate the Demon Fruit.
He wanted to use the pressure of the silkworm bouts to activate the Demon Fruit's power stored inside his body.
During his fight with Han Sen, the Demon Fruit in his body was slowly refined and absorbed.
Now, it must have been drained.
He is going to become deified in the middle of the fight."
"Shale is going to become deified. There is no doubt about it. Han Sen cannot fight a deified like Shale." Li Xue Cheng had been so nervous earlier, but now, he was shaking with joy.
Li Xue Cheng felt as if this silkworm bouts had been a rollercoaster ride for them. His mood had gone up and down, and he felt as if he was going to have a heart attack.
Shale's flames had turned black. Han Sen could vaguely see some black marks on his bare skin. A strange and scary presence was coming out of those marks. They made Shale's power gather into substance chains.
"Is he going to become deified again?" Han Sen frowned. Anyone who wasn't blind could tell that something was wrong with Shale.
"Roar!"
When Shale roared to the sky, the substance chains on his body exploded. Even his blonde hair was dyed black.
Shale used to look like a blonde lion, but his body had shrunk quite a bit. His muscles looked stronger, and it was like every cell in his body was filled with an unimaginable amount of explosive power.
The black-haired Shale wasn't as bold as he used to be. Instead, he looked more mysterious and creepy. There were clear black demon marks on his cheeks. The black flames on his body flickered. He looked like a demon lion that had just emerged from hell.
"He really is going back to deified." Li Keer's face looked glum.
No matter how strong Han Sen was, he couldn't beat a deified like Shale. After all, half-deified and deified were two completely different levels. There was a world of difference between them.
"Shale must have planned to use this fight to become deified. Han Sen was just his whetstone," Exquisite said with a sigh. She understood what had happened, and she understood it with a sigh.
Li Keer coldly grunted and said, "Shale has a good plan. He ate the Demon Fruit before the silkworm bouts. If no one gave him pressure, he could easily win first place. If someone gave him enough pressure, they could help him refine the Demon Fruit and become deified. He could win first place. That was a good plan."
Exquisite shook her head and said, "It's not that simple. Ordinary people can refine the Demon Fruit, but they can't become deified just because they want to. Shale became deified because he was so talented. That might not have been part of his plan."
"No matter what, this is the result," Li Keer said angrily.
Qiyu Elder, Open Sky Elder, and the other Very High leaders who had placed their bets on Han Sen also looked glum.
They thought they had seen a glimmer of hope, but Shale had become deified. Their hearts sank to the bottom of the abyss. They couldn't see the light of hope anymore.
"I am sorry. I tried my best to control it, but I couldn't. I became deified again." Shale didn't attack again. He sounded a little sad.
Many people wanted to vomit blood when they heard that. Many people wanted to become deified, but they couldn't. Shale had been suppressing his power, and that made people feel very uncomfortable.
If this had been said by someone else, they would have been bragging. But Shale's words were sincere. He wasn't lying. He really had been suppressing his power. He didn't want to become deified. He wanted to end this fight with a half-deified body and Han Sen.
But Han Sen was putting too much pressure on him. He had no choice but to use his full power to fight. He couldn't suppress the Demon Fruit's power after it was refined. In the end, he became deified.
"There is nothing to be embarrassed about. Level is a part of power."
Han Sen wasn't the kind of person who thought it was shameless to fight someone of a lower level. His opponent's level was high, and that was because he was strong.
"Today's fight doesn't count. I will wait until you become deified before we fight again," Shale said, looking at Han Sen.
"This fight isn't over yet," Han Sen said without changing his expression.
Shale shook his head and said, "Although I don't want to beat you right now, I need to be in first place. So, I am sorry. Let's leave together."
"You don't need to be sorry. Didn't I tell you?
Our fight isn't over yet. If you can beat me, that's because you are strong. But we will have to wait until we know who wins. "Han Sen looked at Shale calmly. His expression didn't change.
When Liyu Zhen heard Han Sen say that, he coldly laughed and said, "This Han Sen doesn't know what's good for him. Shale has already shown him enough respect. He wants to leave together with him. That means he is giving him second place, and he still wants to keep fighting. If that's the case, he will be eliminated. He won't even get second place."
Li Keer, Exquisite, and the others of the Very High thought Han Sen's decision was too arrogant. Instead of losing now, he would have been better off taking second place.
But when they looked at Han Sen, Li Keer and Exquisite didn't feel the slightest hint of fear. On the contrary, Li Keer and Exquisite sensed a calm confidence in him.
He didn't need to be angry. He didn't need to hate anyone. He didn't need to blame anyone. That calmness and confidence was something that only a leader could possess.
"But right now, Han Sen is clearly at a disadvantage. Why is he still so confident?"
Exquisite and Li Keer both thought Han Sen's confidence was unfounded. But that confidence infected them. It made them feel as if they should trust Han Sen.
"Come on. Let's continue our fight. It doesn't matter if we win or lose. I will walk out alone," Han Sen said calmly as he looked at Shale.
"Okay. That's how it should be."
Shale's eyes looked very excited. He looked at Han Sen as if he was looking at his favorite piece of art.
Maybe Han Sen's power wasn't as strong as Shale's, but Shale didn't underestimate him. His substance chains exploded like crazy. He was like a demon lion from hell descending upon the world.
"Out of respect for you, I will use all my power to fight you." Shale's voice was like rolling thunder. At the same time, he threw a punch at Han Sen.