1225 The black sun rises

"The bigger they are, the harder they fall," Liam grinned, giving a nod to Luna, asking her to stand down.

The One-eyed Behemoth made the first move, unleashing a torrent of nether energy towards them.

Liam, with a wave of his hand, summoned a barrier of nether, effortlessly deflecting the attack. The barrier shimmered in the air, its dark energy absorbing and neutralizing the behemoth's assault.

Liam then countered as he started conjuring a massive prison of sorts. He called upon the Dao Seed of Nether Fortress, creating an immense structure of dark, swirling nether energy that enveloped the One-eyed Behemoth.

The fortress-like prison was a masterpiece of nether constructs, its walls thick and impregnable, trapping the behemoth within its confines.

The creature roared and pounded against the walls of its prison, but the nether energy only absorbed the impacts, growing denser and more resilient with each strike.

Liam watched calmly, his control over the nether energy evident in the precision and stability of the construct.

Taking advantage of the behemoth's confinement, he prepared his next move.

He tapped into the dao seed of Nether Binding, summoning chains of condensed nether energy that snaked through the fortress, binding the behemoth's limbs and restricting its movements even further.

The behemoth's roars grew more desperate, but it was firmly caught in Liam's trap. The flow of the battle was in his favor so he was calmly experimenting with his dao seeds.

A powerful vortex of nether energy formed inside the fortress, swirling around the behemoth, creating a maelstrom that sapped its strength and disoriented it further.

Luna, observing from a safe distance, marveled at the display of power. She had always known her master was strong, but witnessing the sheer dominance of his nether abilities filled her with a sense of awe and pride.

Liam slowly took his time and tried the various concepts one after the other. The poor creature almost went through what he had gone through when he received the myriad dao illusions. Except that this time it was a punishment and not a gift.

As the behemoth lay on the scarred ground, panting and black blood seeping out of its mouth, Liam finally put an end to its misery as he choked the beast using spiny nether tendrils.

They wrapped around the behemoth with relentless precision, tightening their grip. The creature's struggles weakened as the life was systematically drained from it.

Liam observed this with a detached focus.

The behemoth's massive form shuddered in its final moments, its eye dimming as the life faded from it. With one last surge of nether energy, Liam delivered the finishing blow, the behemoth gasped in relief as it closed its reddened eye.

A small chunk of experience points popped up on the system interface. Liam ignored it as he quickly harvested the soul and the body of the monster and once again started meditating to consolidate some of the concepts.

"Master, we never got to see what dao the behemoth had figured out." Luna reminded him but Liam only faintly nodded as he continued his meditation. He could always ask the soul about it later on. Now he had more important things to do.

Liam had a feeling as if he was on the cusp of something crucial. He did not want to miss out on this golden opportunity.

As he meditated, the black sun in his dao compartment started rotating and radiating with even more energy.

Correspondingly, a black sun formed in front of Liam. At first, it looked like it was simply an image, but it was far from it.

The black sun slowly rotated, exuding waves of dark nether energy that seemed to warp the very air around it.

Luna watched with her mouth agape. She had never seen anything like this before.

And it looked like the spectacle wasn't over.

A few minutes later, the black sun started expanding and becoming bigger and bigger. Then, all of a sudden, without any warning, the sun exploded.

The black sun burst, releasing a cascade of nether energy that enveloped the area in a display of dark, mesmerizing beauty. The energy flowed like a river of shadows, filling the air with a palpable sense of power and awe.

Liam remained at the center of this maelstrom, his figure silhouetted against the swirling darkness. His eyes were closed, his expression serene, as if he was one with the storm of energy around him.

The explosion of the black sun seemed to have been a catalyst, unlocking even deeper layers of his connection with the nether.

As the nether energy swirled around him, Liam's body absorbed it, each strand of dark energy merging with his own aura. His presence became even more formidable.

Gradually, the swirling nether began to recede, drawing back into Liam as if he were a conduit for its energy.

The air around him crackled with residual power, and when he finally opened his eyes, they glowed with an otherworldly light, reflecting the depths of the nether he had just harnessed.

Standing up, Liam took a moment to steady himself, feeling the rush of energy and power coursing through him. Just as he steadied himself, a new notification popped up.

[Ding! You have obtained Dao seed of Nether Flames]

[Ding! You have leveled up!]

…

Liam checked it and swiped it away when suddenly another notification chimed in, making him freeze in spot, his eyes almost popping out.

[Ding! Congratulations. You have reached level 999]

[Ding! You are the first to arrive at this milestone. You have received the title 'Pioneer of the Realm']

[Ding! You have been granted access to the Spire of Ascension Invitation Token]

He glanced at the token that materialized in his hand. It was a small, intricately designed object, pulsating with a powerful aura.

"This is the… Spire token?" Liam was gobsmacked. This meant that he had really reached level 999? He couldn't believe it. He had given himself a year to achieve this and he was already done?