Chapter 2235: Mighty Saaruk! Despite Saaruk’s provocation, Yuan remained calm. "Since you insist, I’ll continue doing just that," he said as he continued trying different things. From martial techniques to spiritual techniques such as True Primordial Fire, Heaven’s Final Judgement, and even Heaven’s Bane. Yet, they were all useless against Saaruk and his Eternal Essence. It was akin to trying to destroy a brick wall with nothing but raw eggs. "You’re much more foolish than I thought, mortal ant," Saaruk laughed loudly at Yuan’s futile efforts. Even Shiva couldn’t help but feel agitated at Yuan. "What the hell are you doing?! Are you seriously messing around before an Eternal?!" she yelled at him using voice transmission. "Does it really look like I am messing around?" he asked. "Yes, it does! Now start fighting him seriously, or you’ll really die!" Yuan sighed inwardly.. The next moment, his aura shifted drastically, and Eternal Essence surged from his entire being. Saaruk narrows his eyes at the sight. "A mortal being using Eternal Essence, what an odd and unpleasant sight," he muttered with a disgusted expression. To Saaruk, watching Yuan wield something meant only for Eternals was like seeing a pig pretend to be human—not just distasteful, but downright offensive. However, amidst his disdain, Saaruk was also astonished by Yuan’s achievement. He couldn’t fathom how a mere mortal could have learned to wield Eternal Essence, as it wasn’t something that could be taught. After all, most humans would perish just from learning about the existence of Eternals, much less learning and wielding their powers. He looked at Shiva and wondered if she had anything to do with it. "The real fight will start now," Yuan said. Then, without warning, he launched his strike. An overwhelming amount of Eternal Essence engulfed Number One Under Heaven, and it unleashed a devastating sword light that was made entirely out of Eternal Essence. Yet, despite knowing that Yuan’s strike contained Eternal Essence and could potentially harm him, Saaruk didn’t lift even a finger, almost as if he still had no intention of blocking it. In the next instant, Yuan’s Eternal Essence collided head-on with Saaruk. Unlike his earlier techniques, it didn’t shatter upon impact, but even so, it failed to break through Saaruk’s barrier. Not only did it fail to break through, but it was even absorbed by Saaruk. "So this is what Eternal Essence created by a mortal ant tastes like. As expected, it’s weak and disgusting." Saaruk narrowed his eyes at Yuan and spoke in a disinterested tone, "This won’t do. At this rate, forget about entertaining this Mighty Saaruk. You’ll bore this Mighty Saaruk to death instead." The very next moment, the Eternal Essence around Saaruk became violent, and his aura surged. Then, he vanished into the void. Yuan became as still as a statue as he searched for Saaruk, but his divine sense picked up nothing. Suddenly, a numbing sensation crawled up Yuan’s back, and he instinctively turned—only to find Saaruk standing behind him like a ghost, silent and menacing. ’That was the Power of the Void!’ Yuan realized what Saaruk just did because of his own understanding of the Power of the Void. "This Mighty Saaruk could’ve killed you a hundred times just now," said Saaruk. "Then why didn’t you?" "Because this Mighty Saaruk has yet to torture you for daring to bare your fangs at a God. However, it will start now." Saaruk raised a single finger, forming a ’small’ spear-like projectile with Eternal Essence before shooting it at Yuan. Saaruk’s ethereal form was vast—large enough to rival a small planet—so to Yuan, it truly felt as though he were an ant fighting against a giant. When Yuan attempted to block Saaruk’s strike, he was immediately sent flying deeper into the void. ’The difference is immense! And he can only use 10 percent of his full prowess?!’ Yuan cried inwardly. Even without witnessing Saaruk’s full power, Yuan could tell that this Eternal far surpassed any he had faced before. The realization struck him hard—that the Eternals he’d once battled were nothing more than small fry in comparison. "Do you understand the difference between us now, you insignificant mortal ant?" Saaruk mocked after seeing how far Yuan was thrown. "...I’ll admit that you’re a little stronger than I anticipated. However, it doesn’t change anything, as I will still defeat you in the end," he said. "..." Saaruk remained silent, but the displeasure in his gaze was as clear as day. "A mere lowly mortal ant..." he suddenly mumbled. "I’ve had enough of your disrespect and arrogance." Without another word, Saaruk charged at Yuan, his entire figure engulfed with overwhelming Eternal Essence. Yuan didn’t falter and charged straight into close-quarters combat with Saaruk. Despite channeling every ounce of Eternal Essence he could muster, he was steadily forced back, overwhelmed by Saaruk’s sheer might. "..." Shiva watched in silence. Even though Yuan was losing to Saaruk, she was still impressed by his prowess, as this was her first time witnessing a human fighting an Eternal. ’No mortal has ever defied an Eternal before, much less directly clash with them,’ she sighed inwardly. Yuan had been fighting Saaruk for an entire week at this point. ’It’s a pity that he offended someone like Saaruk. Although our journey was short, it was enjoyable while it lasted.’ Without a word or warning, Shiva’s figure suddenly vanished into the void. In her eyes, Yuan’s defeat was inevitable, and once he fell to Saaruk, she would be targeted next. "Lord Shiva, are we really going to leave him alone?" Mu Xuelian asked as they traversed using the Power of the Void. "His fate is already sealed. There is no point staying around and waiting for our turn. It’s unfortunate, but there’s nothing I can do against another Eternal while I am in this condition." "What are we going to do now?" Mu Xuelian then asked. "We’ll focus on strengthening your body and cultivation. Once prepared, we’ll start looking for my body." "I understand." Even if Mu Xuelian didn’t want to abandon Yuan, she had no choice in the matter. After all, Shiva could take control over her body at any time, and her orders were absolute. Shortly after Shiva left, Saaruk noticed their disappearance. "Hahaha! Shiva, that coward!" Saaruk roared with laughter. "To think she’d flee while her savior lies on the brink of death!" His mocking voice echoed as he gazed at Yuan—bloodied, exhausted, and barely conscious. Despite having powerful regeneration, Saaruk’s Eternal Essence seemed to have a property that weakened his regenerative abilities. "Young Master! This monster is too powerful! I’ll distract him while you escape!" Feng Yuxiang’s voice suddenly responded in Yuan’s head. 𝓯𝓻𝒆𝙚𝒘𝓮𝙗𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝒍.𝙘𝓸𝙢 "I will also help," Xiao Hua then said. "..." Lan Yingying and Lingyue also wanted to help, but they were too weak to even do anything. "No, I won’t allow that," Yuan immediately refused. "Then what do you suggest?! You’ll die to that monster at this rate!" Feng Yuxiang exclaimed. "Just a little more..." Yuan responded. "What?" "Just give me a little more time." Without explaining further, Yuan temporarily sealed off his connection with them, so their voices could no longer reach him. "Young Master?!" Feng Yuxiang was left baffled and confused. "Let’s just believe in him," Lan Yingying suddenly said. "I don’t think Yuan has any plans on dying here, especially not when we’re still with him." "I want to believe him, but I have never seen the Young Master in such a bad state before," Feng Yuxiang sighed. "What’s wrong, mortal ant? You’ve gotten quiet." Saaruk spoke. Yuan smiled and said, "I don’t blame Shiva for leaving. There was nothing she could do, anyway." "That’s because she’s weak. If she were even half as strong as this Mighty Saaruk, she wouldn’t have been sealed away in the first place." "Anyway, this Mighty Saaruk has wasted enough time on you. You should feel honored to have fought and died at the hands of this Mighty Saaruk." "What’s the rush? I’m not done yet." Yuan said as his weakened aura suddenly started surging again. However, Saaruk didn’t even bat an eye and said, "No, you’re done. The only reason you even lasted this long is because this Mighty Saaruk allowed you. Moreover, your Eternal Essence is too weak to do anything." "If it’s too weak, then I just need to strengthen it." "Strengthen it? Hahaha! You’re just a mortal ant! Regardless of how you learned how to wield Eternal Essence, only true Eternals can strengthen it!" Saaruk was unaware of Yuan having a true Eternal Constitution, hence why he doesn’t believe Yuan could strengthen his Eternal Essence. Without a word, Yuan suddenly closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "It took some time, but I can finally feel the ’essence’ of the void," he mumbled a second later. "What...?" Saaruk’s eyes widened at his words. A moment later, Yuan started absorbing the essence of the void. "Y-You! Are you actually trying to absorb essence from the void?!" Saaruk exclaimed, his voice filled with shock for some reason.