Ray finally lost control completely.

"Enough!!!"

Boom!!!

An incomparably terrifying aura erupted violently from Ray’s body.

The surrounding participants immediately felt their expressions change drastically as overwhelming pressure swept across the entire eighth layer.

The crimson spear within Ray’s hand emitted blinding scarlet light while violent sharpness spread uncontrollably through the surrounding space.

Ray’s face had completely darkened by now.

He could feel it clearly.

Max was using him.

Using his Pseudo Cosmic Path as a stepping stone for his own comprehension.

That realization completely shattered the final traces of calmness remaining within Ray’s heart.

"You think you can use me to improve yourself?!" Ray roared furiously as terrifying killing intent exploded from his body like a storm.

His voice shook the battlefield violently.

"I’ll kill you before that ever happens!"

Boom!!!

The entire tower trembled violently.

Terrifying crimson energy gathered endlessly around Ray while the sharpness surrounding him became increasingly unstable and destructive. The surrounding participants immediately retreated farther away with pale expressions as they sensed the horrifying power gathering around him.

Jonathan’s expression changed sharply.

"He’s using his ultimate attack!"

Julie’s face immediately became solemn.

The pressure radiating from Ray had already reached a terrifying level where even the surrounding space itself began collapsing faintly beneath it.

Then—

Ray slowly raised his spear toward the sky.

At that moment, countless scarlet cracks spread throughout the surrounding air as though the world itself was being severed apart by invisible blades.

An enormous crimson phantom gradually appeared behind Ray.

It resembled a gigantic heavenly spear capable of piercing through heaven and earth themselves.

"World Ending Crimson Heaven Spear!"

Boom!!!

The instant Ray unleashed the attack, the entire eighth layer seemed to collapse.

A world destroying scarlet beam descended directly toward Max while horrifying sharpness tore apart everything along its path. The platform shattered continuously while even the surrounding tower walls cracked violently beneath the terrifying pressure.

This attack far surpassed every previous strike Ray had unleashed.

This was his true ultimate attack.

A terrifying strike empowered fully by the power of his Pseudo Cosmic Path.

Even Jonathan’s expression changed drastically.

"If that attack lands directly..." Jonathan muttered, unable to finish his sentence.

Julie’s eyes trembled faintly.

"He’ll really die..."

Meanwhile—

At the very center of the destruction—

Max slowly raised his head.

For the very first time since the battle began, the excitement within his eyes gradually disappeared.

In its place—

A terrifying calmness emerged.

Then slowly—

Boom!!!

An overwhelming draconic aura suddenly erupted violently from Max’s body.

The surrounding participants immediately felt their bloodlines tremble instinctively beneath the terrifying pressure.

Max’s five thousand Draconic Essences exploded fully.

A faint dragon roar echoed throughout the eighth layer while monstrous physical power flooded every part of his body instantly.

The muscles across Max’s body expanded slightly while faint black dragon scales appeared beneath his skin. The surrounding air distorted violently from the sheer force radiating outward from him.

Then—

Max slowly clenched his fist.

Boom!!!

The three Divine Veins erupted simultaneously.

The Vein of Origin amplified his raw physical power explosively.

The Vein of Strength increased his strength beyond ordinary limits.

The Vein of Vitality caused endless life force to surge through him like an eternal river.

Combined together with the monstrous strength of five thousand Draconic Essences—

Max’s physical power reached an utterly horrifying level.

Then—

He punched forward.

No concepts.

No techniques.

No laws.

Only absolute strength.

Boom!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The instant Max’s fist collided directly against the descending world destroying spear attack—

The world itself seemed to explode.

A terrifying shockwave swept violently throughout the entire eighth layer while countless cracks tore across the surrounding space itself.

Then—

To everyone’s horror—

Ray’s ultimate attack shattered apart completely.

The enormous scarlet spear beam exploded into countless fragments before collapsing entirely beneath the overwhelming power of Max’s fist.

Jonathan’s pupils contracted violently.

Julie froze completely.

Every surrounding participant stared at the scene in absolute disbelief.

Meanwhile—

At the center of the destruction—

Max slowly lowered his fist while overwhelming dragon aura still swirled violently around his body.

Then a faint smile gradually appeared upon his face.

"So this..." Max muttered quietly while looking directly toward Ray, "is the full power of your Pseudo Cosmic Path?"

Ray, on the other hand, looked completely devastated. His face had turned pale while disbelief filled his eyes as he stared at the destroyed remains of his attack. He simply could not accept what had just happened.

That attack had been created from the very essence of his Pseudo Cosmic Path. It was the strongest power he could currently unleash, yet Max had shattered it so easily that it almost felt unreal to him.

"How is this even possible?!" Ray roared in disbelief.

For a brief moment, hopelessness appeared within his eyes.

At that instant, memories of Mira’s warning resurfaced inside his mind. Before this trial began, she had repeatedly warned him not to underestimate Max. She had even handed him a special treasure from the Sword God Palace and told him to use it immediately to kill Max without giving him any opportunity to resist.

However, Ray had his own pride.

As one of the greatest geniuses of his generation, he never believed he would be forced into relying on an external treasure just to deal with someone at Max’s cultivation level. In his eyes, defeating Max with his own strength was the only acceptable outcome. Only after crushing Max personally did he intend to use the treasure to erase him completely.

But now, Ray finally realized how foolish that thinking had been.

In front of Max, his so-called strength no longer seemed worth mentioning. Even the pride he had always cherished so deeply felt laughable now.

"You forced me to do this!" Ray shouted furiously as madness gradually appeared across his face.

At that moment, he finally decided to use the treasure given to him by the Sword God Palace.

Ray suddenly pressed his hand against the sword-shaped rune engraved upon his palm.

The rune immediately erupted with dazzling white light.

Then, in the next instant, a sword appeared within Ray’s grasp.

The moment the sword manifested, the expressions of countless people changed drastically.

A terrifying sense of oppression swept across the entire battlefield like an invisible storm. Many participants instinctively felt their bodies grow cold as an overwhelming sensation of mortal danger flooded their minds.

Even Jonathan and Julie felt their hearts tremble after sensing the aura emitted by that weapon.

The sword itself was pure white in color, yet the energy radiating from it felt incredibly strange and unnatural. It was neither holy nor demonic. Instead, it carried an indescribable aura that made everyone feel deeply uncomfortable merely by looking at it.

"Do you really think using a sword will make any difference?" Max asked with a faint sneer on his face.

"Hahaha!" Ray suddenly burst into laughter.

However, his laughter no longer sounded normal. It carried madness, frustration, humiliation, and killing intent all mixed together.

Then Ray slowly raised the white sword toward Max.

"Tell me, Max," Ray said while grinning like a madman, "do you know the true difference between this trial and the Cosmic Ascension Conference?"

"What difference?" Max asked calmly.

He genuinely did not know the answer.

From everything he had heard, this trial had been specifically created as a perfect imitation of the Cosmic Ascension Conference so that the geniuses of the many third-rate forces could prepare themselves in advance for the real event.

Because of that, Max had always believed there should not be any real difference between the two.