[CH598+ Continued] Dungeon Diver: Stealing A Monster's Power

Arie makes the split-second decision to block the incoming yellow arrow with the remainder of his spirit arms.

At such close range, and with even less warning than the last arrow he blocked in the air, this collision makes Arie even more aware of the true strength of this Lich.

All of his arms are destroyed, and the shockwaves from the arrow being obliterated send him flying over a thousand kilometers back. But the eeriest thing is the feeling he continues to get from this cold aura that disables his ability to properly use his skills and buffs.

The only portion of his being that isn't suppressed is the concentrated essence of beasts he's absorbed in the past. Refined Demonic Soul Energy, rich with Qi—or, as the Rising Emperor called it, Ether—is the only thing that isn't affected by these cold vibrations.

However, that's not to say the Demonic Lich's attacks aren't imbued with their own Soul energy and dense divine threads. It's just that, with the addition of these Noble Vibrations making Arie's attacks less effective, it is far stronger when they actually clash.

It feels like a heavy hand is pressing down on him, squeezing out the warmth in his body—like the will of his mind is being stretched and tested.

Though, after catching a glimpse inside the Lich's being, the even eerier part is that he subconsciously understands that the pressure and power pressing down on him isn't even that of the Lich.

Still, coming in contact with it again only compounds his drive to become stronger.

While being blown back past the hundreds of demonic beasts he killed when touching down here, he senses dense wisps of Concentrated Ether in every single one of them and knows he must make this energy his own if he wants to compete with this Demonic Lich.

Though, as his momentum backward from the blast slows and he can actually control his desired landing point, shifting his gaze to a fallen pair of Cyclopes, another dark portal is summoned between him and his desired power.

Another yellow arrow's tip pierces out from the darkness, but this time Arie is very aware of his surroundings.

With no spirit arms coming off his back, his mobility is far greater, and he can channel all of his energy into perceiving his surroundings.

He kicks off the air, leaving a purple stain bent into space, changing his flight path by a full 45 degrees in an instant.

It looks like a light purple comet is streaking through the dark clouds of demonic energy as his entire body glows with the same Soul energy mist he was giving off in the moon base right after he was done cultivating.

His body twists around the yellow arrow once it comes out of the black portal, and he dodges it successfully.

Though, it is a very close call—less than a kilometer away at their nearest point. Arie's mind and body feel cold and weary as he flies by, but the momentum of his last thrust keeps him moving toward his target on the ground.

While the yellow arrow flies upward into the atmosphere, Arie crashes down on the ground again in between the two enormous 1st Class Demonic Beasts he killed with a flurry of arrows moments ago.

He puts out both of his hands to the sides and manipulates the demonic energy in the atmosphere nearby to control the energy flow, forcing the dense white concentrated essence to flow into him.

He gets the urge to use it to allow his spirit arms to grow back, but he holds off, and the bright purple mist around him becomes brighter while this foreign refined Qi is filtered through his demon core.

It is a far different sensation than any of the beast's essence he drained from the human world's abyss.

Taking energy from them felt as though he was just attempting to absorb more basic Qi into his core, while some of the stronger creatures would leave behind temporary soul energy based buffs. One in particular that has stayed far longer than others is the potent poison of a scorpion beast that was one of his first big kills.