Bao Qi and Sha Ya couldn’t stop more than ten Demon Kings, everyone knew that. The Demon Kings knew it, and Yang Kai knew it.
Although they were the first two Demon Kings who took refuge under Yang Kai, their refuge was not of their own free will, so their so-called loyalty was greatly reduced. Yang Kai had never expected them to submit to him sincerely and willingly obey his orders. He only needed to be able to control the lives of these Demon Kings.
They were outnumbered, and their situation was disastrous, but if they violated Yang Kai’s order, they would definitely die on the spot.
Therefore, Bao Qi and Sha Ya only hesitated for a moment before they flew out to intercept the Demon Kings.
Fortunately, these Demon Kings seemed to be extremely afraid of Yang Kai’s strength and intended to let him pass. They did not attack Bao Qi and Sha Ya but chased and fought with them to stall for time.
Bao Qi and Sha Ya were overjoyed and played their strongest cards, flickering left and right to the Demon Kings who were surrounding them.
The one hundred thousand Shaman Niu Clan members continued their push forward.
This was an extremely difficult advance, and the further they went, the greater the resistance they encountered. Although the Demon Kings did not dare to get too close, attacking from afar to disrupt the Shaman Niu Clan’s pace was easy enough.
The clansmen were constantly falling behind like snowflakes falling to the ground that quickly melted away.
Even with the support of Demon Kings like Mo Ke Tuo and Fei Li, this situation could not be avoided.
Looking up at the Two Worlds Passage that was still far away, Yang Kai raised his hand to summon the Insect Enslavement Bracelet and released the Soul Devouring Insects living inside. The Soul Devouring Insects had grown greatly during the two years of war and the Shaman Niu Clan had relied on these Exotic Insects to win a number of brilliant victories.
The Soul Devouring Insects were not very effective in dealing with powerful Masters, but they had a great effect on those below the Demon King realm.
Large swarms of insects flew out with a loud buzz, and wherever the swarm of insects passed, Demons would scream and collapse to the ground. These Ancient Exotic Insects could consume almost anything, including Demon Qi and Souls, for food.
The seemingly weak insects were in fact extremely tenacious. Even if the swarm was hit by the sharpest weapon, it would only leave a scratch.
As soon as the swarm of insects emerged, the Demons all around retreated, which greatly reduced the pressure on the Shaman Niu Clan.
The Shaman Niu Clan continued to forge ahead, paying a heavy price for almost every step forward.
The one hundred thousand people gradually reduced to ninety thousand, eighty thousand, fifty thousand…
After an hour, when the Shaman Niu Clan finally rushed to the bottom of the Two Worlds Passage, Yang Kai turned his head and looked back, only to find just thirty thousand of his clansmen remaining from the original hundred thousand who followed him here.
This was the core of the Demon Race’s territory, with not a single ally in sight. The Shaman Niu Clan was truly in a situation where they were completely isolated and surrounded.
Out of the ten Demon Kings, only Mo Ke Tuo and Fei Li remained. The other eight were sent out by Yang Kai on the way, and based on Yang Kai’s perception, half of those eight Demon Kings were dead, while the condition of the remaining half did not look good.
“Form up!” Yang Kai raised his sword and shouted.
The thirty thousand clansmen immediately created a defensive circle with Yang Kai at its centre, establishing a firm guard.
The swarm of insects gathered around the perimeter of this formation. These tiny insects had shown their terrifying lethality before, so they served as a strong deterrent towards the Demon Race.
The reduction in numbers in the Shaman Niu Clan had made the formation more compact, and in turn, made the defence sturdier.
Yang Kai flipped his hand and took out the Seven-Coloured Mud. Looking up at the sky, right above him was where the Two Worlds Passage was located. Yang Kai could even feel the Demon Qi flowing in from the rift in the sky that had not remained for several years. The surging Demon Qi emitted a spine-chilling and violent aura that left everyone feeling extremely uncomfortable.
“I hope this works!” Yang Kai muttered softly before throwing the lump of Seven-Coloured Mud in his hand on the ground and staring at it.
His action undoubtedly attracted the attention of the surrounding Demon Kings. Although they did not know what he was doing, these Masters instinctively felt anxious. The Shaman Niu Clan obviously had a clear goal, and that goal had something to do with the Two Worlds Passage seeing how they recklessly rushed to it without even worrying about their losses.
How could the Demon Kings just sit back and watch?
After a series of orders were issued, the Demons that surrounded the Shaman Niu Clan finally launched an attack.
The swarm of insects surged forward and engulfed a large number of Demons, but it was not enough to stop the mighty current of incoming attacks.
The thirty thousand clansmen of Shaman Niu Clan stood their ground, with the Shamans singing incantations, blessing all of the clansmen with Shamanic Spells again.
A bloody fight was instantly set off.
Mo Ke Tuo suddenly disappeared. Except for Yang Kai, even the strongest Demon Kings present would not be able to trace her position. She flashed through the Demon lines, killing everyone wherever she appeared.
She was an elite assassin of the Demon Race, a Demon King grade assassin. Besides those who stood on equal footing with her, no one could survive her sneak attack.
The Demon Kings commanding the army outside died one by one under her assassination, leaving the remaining Demons in a state of disarray.
Fei Li also took action at that moment. The ghost fire that erupted from his skeletal hands was not something ordinary Demon Kings could handle, and wherever the ghost fire passed, swaths of demons were burned to death.
Yang Kai’s gaze remained on the pile of Seven-Coloured Mud for a moment before he suddenly turned to shout at Tiea, “Why isn’t it working? Does it need to be buried in the ground?”
Tiea said that this was the key to victory and was the only chance to seal the Two Worlds Passage, but Yang Kai realized that the Seven-Coloured Mud was not responding at all.
Tiea remained perfectly calm and reassured, “It will work.”
“When?” Yang Kai pressed on.
He led his one hundred thousand Shaman Niu Clansmen to the very heart of the Demon Race army, sacrificing seventy percent of them just to get here, so if this Seven-Coloured Mud turned out to be a dud, or if this was all just a plan the Shaman Saints’ thought up to attract the Demon Race’s attention, the price paid was simply too great.
Without receiving a response from Tiea, Yang Kai suppressed the anxiety in his heart and lifted his arms, releasing several enormous Moon Blades that instantly cut deep gashes into the Demon Race army.
For now, Yang Kai withdrew his attention from the Seven-Coloured Mud. He just wanted to slaughter to his heart’s content regardless of whether this could actually seal the Two Worlds Passage or not.
He was the leader of the Shaman Niu Clan; his target was not the common Demon soldiers but rather the Demon Kings hidden in the surroundings.
Yang Kai began to flicker across the battlefield, and whenever the Myriads Sword was swung, Demons would fall, and no Demon King he had his eyes on managed to escape the wrath of his sword.
It was as if he was a reaper of death, and the Myriads Sword was a scythe with which he harvested the Souls of his victims.
The death of the Demon Kings escalated the turmoil of the already chaotic Demon Race army, and the pressure on the Shaman Niu Clan reduced sharply. The defence circle even expanded for a while, but only in appearance.
Countless Demons gathered from all directions. The thirty thousand Shaman Niu Clansmen couldn’t win in this situation. Even if Yang Kai could escape from here with his life, all thirty thousand of his clansmen would undoubtedly die before the end of the war.
Right at that moment, a strange sound resonated suddenly. Just like the resurrection of a heart from Ancient Times, a vigorous pounding reverberated straight into the chests of anyone who heard it, causing involuntary tightness and a roiling of blood.
Countless eyes turned towards the source of the sound.
Yang Kai did the same and immediately revealed a look of pleasant surprise.
Because the lump Seven-Coloured Mud that he had thrown on the ground earlier finally responded. A seven-coloured radiance burst out with a vague trace of vitality surging within it.
This strange scene surprised the clansmen from both races.
The brilliance of the seven-coloured ray slowly dissipated and was replaced by a soft green light.
A small young shoot suddenly sprouted from the ground, one that looked so frail it would break with just a light touch. Yang Kai flickered to the side of the young shoot, feeling a sense of familiarity from the aura it was exuding.
“It’s working,” Tiea spoke softly, staring at the green bud with an unreadable expression.
“Are we relying on this?” Yang Kai questioned doubtfully.
What could this young shoot do? How was it going to seal the Two Worlds Passage that stretched all the way up to the sky?
Before Yang Kai could even finish his thought though, the young shoot began to grow rapidly, and in the blink of an eye, it had become a small sapling.
Things had not ended yet as the sapling’s rate of growth soared. In another breath, it had grown into a three-metre-tall tree with a tousled canopy, dense branches and leaves, and it showed no signs of slowing down at all.
*Kacha…*
The ground began to crack and was split open with fissures where the tree roots expanded underground. Yang Kai could not help but retreat, his gaze moving higher and higher as he withdrew further and further.
Three metres, ten metres, thirty metres, sixty metres, one hundred and fifty metres…
In less than a stick of incense worth of time, the tiny green shoot had grown into a towering tree that reached up to the sky, its lush canopy forming a sharp contrast against the dark Demon Qi around it.
Emerald light radiated from this giant tree, forming a layer of protection, shielding the surviving Shaman Niu Clan clansmen from the surrounding enemies.
The overwhelming Demon Qi was purified by the emerald radiance and dispersed into the sky.
The Demons were dumbfounded and their minds went blank.
“Senior Qing!” Yang Kai gasped involuntarily.
He finally understood that the giant tree in front of him did not grow out of thin air.
It was the Evergreen Divine Tree! It was the guardian of the Frost and Snow Clan.
Yang Kai felt that the vitality wrapped within the Seven-Coloured Mud was familiar right from the start, but he never thought to associate it with Senior Qing due to their huge differences.
But when the kilometre-tall tree stood before him, Yang Kai instantly recognized it.
Senior Qing was the Ancient Barbarian’s measure to seal the Two Worlds Passage.
Senior Qing’s growth did not stop there as he continued to grow taller and larger, the green protective curtain continuing to widen. By the looks of it, it seemed that Senior Qing was going to use his own body to directly plug and seal the Two Worlds Passage.
Perhaps having heard Yang Kai’s shout, an old face surfaced on its trunk before him and smiled faintly, “Shaman Niu, we meet again.”
“Yes, we meet again, but I didn’t expect us to meet in this way.” Yang Kai wiped the blood off his face.
The old face replied kindly, “Looks like I was right. You truly grew up quickly, and the future seems to rest in your hands.”
Yang Kai shook his head. Instead of commenting on it, he asked curiously, “Senior, weren’t you in Frost and Snow City? Is this your Soul Clone?”
“Soul Clone? No, no, no, this is not a Soul Clone, this is my true body.”
Yang Kai turned solemn, immediately realized something and asked, “Senior, are you planning to sacrifice your life?”
Senior Qing burst out in laughter, “The Two Worlds Passage is too mysterious, and this is the only way to seal it. I have lived long enough to have witnessed two invasions of the Demon Race. I was incapable of providing any assistance last time, but this time, I want to contribute my strength, for the Barbarian Race has taken good care of me over all these years.”
“Perhaps there is another way.” Yang Kai frowned.
The face on the trunk shook, as if shaking his head, “I have left Frost and Snow City already, there is no turning back.”
At this moment, Yang Kai understood what he meant. The Evergreen Divine Tree guarded Frost and Snow City for tens of thousands of years, never once leaving its original place. It was not that he did not want to, but he could not, because Senior Qing had an innate connection to that piece of land.
But this time, in order to seal the Two Worlds Passage, he left the land that nurtured him for tens of thousands of years, condensed all his essence into the Seven-Coloured Mud, and was led by Yang Kai to this place.
This was an irreversible process, and the second growth that he performed today was equivalent to him burning all his vitality before his death.
Yang Kai stood in awe, and saluted while holding his chest, “The Barbarian Race will witness Senior’s sacrifice, and future generations will remember your contribution.”
Senior Qing laughed, “There’s no need to comfort me, I am prepared for this.” After a pause, Senior Qing became serious, “Before that, I need your help.”
“Don’t worry, Senior. Our Shaman Niu Clan will protect this place to the last.”
“Good,” The old face nodded and disappeared.
Yang Kai turned his head and looked at Tiea, “Why don’t you say anything?”
Tiea, “What do you want me to say?”
“Did you know this already?”
Tiea answered, “Yes.”
Yang Kai looked at her puzzled and tried to read her face, but Tiea remained indifferent, as if she and Senior Qing were strangers. Tiea was very different from the little girl he first met two years ago, her character having changed greatly. Yang Kai even doubted whether she was the same Tiea as before.
But he quickly shook off such thoughts and re-focused on the battle.
Senior Qing continued to grow rapidly. During his conversation with Yang Kai, the gigantic Evergreen Divine Tree had grown from a kilometre to two kilometres. Looking up, the canopy was now barely visible as it stretched into the sky.
Everyone in the battle noticed this unusual situation.
The Barbarians cheered as many recognized the guardian deity of Frost and Snow City, all of them crying out in excitement. As more Ancient Barbarians learnt what was happening, their morale was greatly boosted, and all of them seemed to have their fighting spirits rekindled.
Although Senior Qing was only the guardian deity of Frost and Snow Clan, his reputation resounded throughout all Clans of the Barbarian Race. Although no one had ever seen Senior Qing display his strength, everyone knew that he was a Master comparable to a Shaman Saint.
But he was not a Barbarian. Therefore, the Barbarian Race only had four Shaman Saints. Senior Qing could be considered another Saint besides the Shaman Saints.
At this moment, such a powerful ally in this chaotic battle diving into the very depths of the Demon Race army was naturally something worth all the Barbarian clansmen feeling exhilarated about.
Everyone seemed to be picturing the scene where the Demon Race was thoroughly defeated. The emergence of Senior Qing had caused a surge of momentum in favour of the Barbarian Race, giving them the upper hand in the battle.
On the contrary, the Demons were horror-stricken. They had no idea what this giant tree was, but not knowing only caused more fear, especially when this unforeseen accident appeared in such a massive and majestic form. Furthermore, this tree continued to grow taller by the moment, as if it was trying to pierce the Heavens. The emerald light enveloping the periphery of the giant tree also seemed to carry a mysterious purification effect that completely dissolved all the Demon Qi within its range.
Many ignorant Demons wanted to rush over to stop the growth of the giant tree, but wound up being killed by the Shaman Grandmasters of the Shaman Niu Clan who were standing guard nearby.
The sudden appearance of the Evergreen Divine Tree threw the Demon Race into a panic for a while.
However, the situation soon stabilized. It seemed that they had been given orders and the Demons began to form rank to quickly siege the Evergreen Divine Tree in an orderly manner.
The focus of the battle suddenly shifted to the bottom of the Two Worlds Passage.
The Shaman Niu Clan immediately came under unimaginable pressure as the Demons rushed at them like a surging tidal wave from all directions. These Demons seemed to have abandoned all concept of fear and even the deadly Soul Devouring Insects could not deter their advance.
Under the leadership of Ah Hu, the cavalry of the Shaman Niu Clan circled the giant tree like a fine steel whip. Wherever the cavalry passed, the Demons were trampled like dead leaves and swept away. Their weapons started to lose their sharpness, and everyone was covered with thick blood.
The four living Demon Kings came back from breaking through the encirclement, all of them looking exhausted and pale.
Sha Ya hadn’t died, but she had lost an arm. Bao Qi was gone, his life aura extinguished in Yang Kai’s perception. It was obvious that he was killed by his former companions.
Less than thirty thousand clansmen, one Shaman King, six Demon Kings and three Shaman Grandmasters were left in the Shaman Niu Clan. They were basically a remnant force now, but they still had to face over ten million Demons in battle, along with more than thirty Demon Kings.
The two sides were completely uneven, and the results of this battle would determine the outcome of the war.
All the Warriors of the Shaman Niu Clan knew their responsibility, and there was no need for Yang Kai to command them. They fought the enemy bravely, putting their lives on the line to kill as many enemies as possible.
More than twenty thousand Demons died at Yang Kai’s hands alone, including six Demon Kings. However, in the face of such a large-scale war, no matter how strong an individual was, it all seemed insignificant, unless one had reached the level of a Saint.
Gradually, the Shaman Niu Clan was beginning to buckle under the siege and suppression of the Demon Race, their line of defense shrinking again and again.
Thirty thousand people reduced to twenty thousand, then to fifteen thousand.
Ah Hu’s cavalry that originally consisted of several thousand troops now numbered less than a thousand, each of them covered with the blood of their enemies and themselves, and the weapons in their hands having been changed several times after breaking.
Yang Kai constantly took out Spirit Pills and gave them to the Shamans of the Shaman Niu Clan. Even the six Demon Kings had gotten many from him.
They could only persist until now by relying on these pills.
The crown of the Evergreen Divine Tree already passed through the clouds and could no longer be seen, and as long as Senior Qing was given enough time, he would surely completely fill the Two Worlds Passage.
Time, the key to this battle now was time.
The Demon Race obviously would not give the Shaman Niu Clan this opportunity.
More and more furious attacks were launched, and although the Shaman Niu Clan fought hard, it was still not enough to resist the relentless assault. There was nothing the Shaman Niu Clan could do with such a disparity in numbers.
A loud noise suddenly erupted and as Yang Kai looked around, he saw that the Shaman Niu Clansmen at a certain section of the front had taken serious casualties. A gap was finally opened in the precarious defence line by the Demon Race, allowing the enemy to flood in from that gap and slaughter wildly.
Yang Kai teleported over and unleashed the light of his Myriads Sword, sealing the gap with his strength, creating a chance for the surrounding clansmen to rally and re-form the line.
But the next moment, another gap was broken through at a different point.
Yang Kai shouted, and Fei Li rushed over at once, blocking the advance of the Demon Race with his pitch-black skeleton that burned in a green flame.
A third gap appeared…
The defense line of the Shaman Niu Clan was like a dilapidated boat in a rough sea, leaking everywhere on a stormy night. Countless Demons broke through the lines, some of them launching attacks at the Shaman Niu Clan, while others rushed towards the Evergreen Divine Tree.
Some of these Demons gathered under the root of the tree, and swung their weapons furiously at it, as if they were attempting to chop down Senior Qing. However, the majority jumped onto the tree and began using their fists to try to destroy him.
Yang Kai glared at them angrily and wished that he could split himself into a million clones.
At this critical moment, a riot rose outside the periphery. The ground trembled and the clashes of the weapons could be heard mixed with miserable screams.
A group of dishevelled Barbarians suddenly appeared in Yang Kai’s vision. The leader was a Shaman King who looked familiar to Yang Kai. He seemed to be a Shaman King of the Frost and Snow Clan.
Over the past two years, Yang Kai had many dealings with other Shaman Kings, and even though he had no deep relationships with them, he had at least met these top figures several times.
He could not be wrong. This Shaman King was definitely from the Frost and Snow Clan.
With an Ice Dragon Tattoo on his hand, the Shaman King charged into the battlefield, greatly relieving the pressure on the Shaman Niu Clan as he roared, “Kill!”
The clansmen of the Frost and Snow Clan shouted in response and the morale of the Shaman Niu Clan was boosted once again. Cooperating with these reinforcements from the inside, allies were soon welcomed into the circle of defence.
Not many from the Frost and Snow Clan had arrived, only five thousand in total. They had certainly paid a heavy price to reach this place.
The Shaman Niu Clan could rush all the way here due to the strong combat power of the ten Demon Kings and Yang Kai, while the Frost and Snow Clan obviously did not have the support of so many Masters. Perhaps there may have been one to two hundred thousand of them when they set out, but only five thousand clansmen remained when they arrived here.
This Clan had paid an unimaginable price just to arrive in front of the Evergreen Divine Tree.
The Shaman King greeted Yang Kai with a nod, and remarked, “Now it is our turn to protect the Divine Tree.”
The Evergreen Divine Tree had protected the Frost and Snow Clan for tens of thousands of years, shielding Frost and Snow City from both natural and Human-caused disasters, allowing the Frost and Snow Clan to grow and survive in peace. On this day, which was tens of thousands of years after it was founded, the Frost and Snow Clan was going to repay its debt of gratitude, using their own bodies as a wall to guard the Evergreen Divine Tree against any harm and damage.
“You’re just in time!” Yang Kai grinned.
The Shaman King nodded lightly before he waved his hand, and the five thousand people behind him immediately spread out. The strong warriors joined the defensive formation, while a thousand people remained behind.
Yang Kai swept his eyes across these thousand people and was dumbstruck, showing a look of disbelief.
Because he found that the thousand people were all Shamans!
A thousand Shamans from the Frost and Snow Clan spread out, one-third of them circling around the roots of the Evergreen Divine Tree, sitting cross-legged while the other two-thirds jumped onto his trunk and disappeared into the Tree Caves.
The only remaining Frost and Snow Clan Shaman King nodded at Yang Kai, “Buy us some time!”
When the words fell, he flew up and rushed into a Tree Cave.
The Evergreen Divine Tree had guarded the Frost and Snow Clan for tens of thousands of years. They had supported each other and helped each other for millennia, so in this world, the ones who were most intimate with the Evergreen Divine Tree and were most able to mobilize Senior Qing’s strength were undoubtedly the Frost and Snow Clan.
At this moment, all of Senior Qing’s energy was being channeled into growth. If he wanted to reach the sky and seal the Two Worlds Passage as quickly as possible, he could spare no attention to deal with the surrounding Demons.
But no matter what, he was a Master comparable to a Shaman Saint, so the Shamans of the Frost and Snow Clan could inspire some of his innate power to defend against the attacking Demons. However, this was the Frost and Snow Clan’s Forbidden Technique, and the cost of using it was extremely high.
Yang Kai had acquired Senior Qing’s inheritance and completely understood the details of this Forbidden Technique.
Therefore, he instantly knew their plan when he saw what the Frost and Snow Clan Shamans did. Turning around with a solemn expression, he roared to inspire the remaining Shaman Niu Clan and the Frost and Snow Clan Warriors to fight on.
The attacks of the Demon Race were getting increasingly aggressive, but with the help of the mysterious Soul Devouring Insects, the Shaman Niu Clan somehow managed to hold out, resisting wave after wave of impact, paying a great price for every breath of time they stood their ground.
All of the Shamans’ faces were extremely pale, their legs close to buckling. This was a clear sign of overexertion of Shaman Strength, but they still grit their teeth and sang their incantations, exerting what little Shaman Strength remained in their bodies, casting Shamanic Spells of various strengths at the dense mass of Demons.
Yang Kai held nothing back either, sending streams of Moon Blades in all directions, killing hundreds of Demons with every move he made.
The gigantic Evergreen Divine Tree suddenly swayed, and then the swaying became fierce. Green leaves fell from the sky as a number of branches and leaves withered at a speed visible to the naked eye.
“Shaman Niu, underground!” The Frost and Snow Clan Shaman King’s voice came from somewhere in the trunk.
Sand Demons were destroying the roots of the Evergreen Divine Tree from below in an attempt to destroy Senior Qing.
Yang Kai turned around, his gaze fixing on a figure among the crowd and growled in a low voice, “Ah Zha Ke!”
The figure who was resisting the Demons together with the Shaman Niu Clansmen heard Yang Kai’s summon and immediately left the group. With a twist, he turned into a mass of scattered sand and melted into the ground.
Ah Zha Ke was also one of the ten Demon Kings subdued by Yang Kai, and while he was not the strongest, nor the weakest, he was the most proficient in Earth Escape because he was a Sand Demon. His Innate Divine Ability allowed him to swim through the earth like it was air, and he was one of the six Demon Kings still alive.
Currently, the Sand Demons who were wreaking havoc underground were his kin, so it was best to let him deal with them.
As predicted, as soon as Ah Zha Ke went underground, muffled grunts sounded out. It seemed like the Sand Demons were suffering heavy casualties Ah Zha Ke’s counterattack, averting the crisis of the Evergreen Divine Tree to a great extent.
But Yang Kai soon noticed that Ah Zha Ke had met his match, another Demon King from the Sand Demon Clan. Two Demon Kings fought underground, and Ah Zha Ke quickly fell into a disadvantage.
After realizing this, Yang Kai immediately took a step back, calmed his breathing, and concentrated his powerful Divine Sense onto a single point, condensing an incomparably sharp blade of Spiritual Energy that he then shot into the ground fiercely.
Hindered by the thick earth, the power of this Soul Technique was greatly reduced, but it still created a chance for Ah Zha Ke to kill the enemy.
Yang Kai could sense that Ah Zha Ke had successfully dealt with his opponent with his help.
When Yang Kai looked up again, his face changed, because the Shaman Niu Clan’s defence line had been broken again, and this time it was worse than before. If before the situation could be compared to a leaking boat, it was now to the point where the ship was breaking apart, at risk of collapse at any moment.
The Demons howled as they rushed in from all directions like a flood. No matter how hard the clansmen of Shaman Niu Clan tried, they could not stop their pace. Only Yang Kai stood firm, unaffected by the waves crashing upon him.
But it was pointless because he could not defend the entire circle even if he wanted to.
“Will you help me?” Yang Kai shouted as he held up the Mountains and Rivers Bell. If he could not get an affirmative answer, he would have no choice but to make an indiscriminate attack. The power of Mountains and Rivers Bell was too strong, and he had yet to fully subdue it. Once the power of this Ancient Exotic Artifact was unleashed without reservation, the surviving Shaman Niu Clansmen would inevitably be affected, possibly even be killed.
Yang Kai did not want to stain his hands with the blood of his clansmen, so even if the situation had been critical, he never thought of using the Mountains and Rivers Bell. But this was not a luxury he could afford now.
There was no response, and some of the faster Demons had almost reached the roots of the Evergreen Divine Tree, lifting their weapons and slashing at the Frost and Snow Clan Shamans who were waiting there.
The light of Mountains and Rivers Bell flashed, and the mysterious patterns on its surface glowed while exuding an ancient and desolate Aura.
Right at that moment, the Evergreen Divine Tree swayed abruptly, and suddenly a branch flew down from the canopy. The length of the branch was unknown, but it was as thick as a person’s torso, shaking its head and flicking its tail like a dragon that had just awoken from a deep sleep.
The branch swept out and every Demon in its path was sent flying without even a chance to resist. Some of them exploded into clouds of blood-mist while still mid-air while others were critically injured. The huge impact force broke bones and left huge depressions on their chests, forcing mouthfuls of blood from their mouths as they fell to the ground with feeble auras. Clearly, these Demons would not live long.
Thousands of Demons were injured or killed in just a single blow.
The Demons who broke through the defensive circle were shocked and instinctually retreated a few steps together. Each Demon’s eyes were fixed on that sweeping branch, their gazes filled with fear and panic.
*Shua Shua Shua…*
More branches descended from the tree crown like long whips controlled by the Evergreen Divine Tree. The whips that danced in a seemingly chaotic way, but in fact were actually making an organized sweep of the surroundings. No whip collided with another and instead complimented one another as they mowed down the enemy.
The whips swept around the Evergreen Divine Tree, sending any enemy within a kilometre radius flying.
All of the Demons that rushed over were swatted away while the guarding clansmen of Shaman Niu Clan and Frost and Snow Clan remained unscathed.
All of the Barbarians were shocked by what they saw, and Yang Kai also immediately put away the Mountains and Rivers Bell. He knew that the Shamans of Frost and Snow Clan had begun to control the power of the Evergreen Divine Tree.
With such overbearing power, the Demons could no longer approach the tree. The Evergreen Divine Tree was a being equivalent to a Saint after all, so his power was not something an ordinary Demon or even a Demon King could resist.
Unless…
Suddenly, a huge palm appeared in the sky, one so massive that it was able to cover the Heavens, darkening the field of vision of everyone below. The emergence of the palm caused a drastic change in the situation. The world shook as this palm slammed straight towards the crown of the Evergreen Divine Tree, as though it was trying to bring it down in one blow.
The whips that were attacking the Demons were obviously aware of the approaching danger and swiftly directed their attention to the palm in the sky.
Yang Kai too, raised his head sharply to observe and flickered away from his position in the next moment.
There was a loud bang, and the huge palm slammed down, smashing dozens of long whips that were speeding at it. The sound of muffled grunts rang out from the trunk and branches of the Evergreen Divine Tree, evidence the Shamans of the Frost and Snow Clan had been hit hard.
Blocked by several dozen long whips, the speed of the palm was hindered, but it did not break.
At the critical moment, Yang Kai’s figure suddenly appeared between the palm and the tree crown, a small bell spinning before him which rapidly expanded into a giant object that shrouded the tree crown.
*Guang Dang…*
An ear-splitting sound rang out as the illusory phantom of the Mountains and Rivers Bell collapsed. Yang Kai could not help but spurt out a mouthful of blood as he plummeted to the ground like a meteor.
However, the gigantic palm was rebounded by the power of the Mountains and Rivers Bell and finally dispersed.
“Oh?” A somewhat surprised voice sounded and was immediately followed by a person abruptly appearing in the air. Looking down at Yang Kai, then looking up at the Evergreen Divine Tree, a cynical smile appeared on the corner of the man’s face.
Yang Kai steadied himself in the air and looked up at this man coldly as he bellowed with gritted teeth, “Mo Duo!”
His voice was not loud, but it was enough for everyone on the deathly still battlefield to hear. Mo Duo’s name brought fear to all the Ancient Barbarians, while on the contrary, the Demons who had been hit miserably, yelled animated, their confidence greatly boosted.
“What was… your name again?” With his hands crossed behind his back, Mo Duo cocked his head to the side as he observed Yang Kai, appearing to be deep in thought before he suddenly exclaimed, “Yes, your name is Shaman Niu!”
Yang Kai grinned, his blood-filled mouth making him look quite terrifying, “It’s an honour that a Demon Saint actually remembers my name.”
Mo Duo chuckled, “I always have deep impressions of people who are special.”
Yang Kai turned his head and glanced at the battlefield farther away, curling his lips as he asked, “Aren’t the Demon Saints supposed to be fighting up there? Why are you so free to be here? Don’t you care about the lives of your companions?”
“I don’t need to worry about their lives. You on the other hand should worry about yours.”
Yang Kai cursed silently, berating Saint Xu for allowing a Demon Saint to come here. As long as the four Shaman Saints of the Barbarian Race could delay the five Demon Saints of the Demon Race, there would still be hope for the battle here. The Shaman Niu Clan successfully escorted the Evergreen Divine Tree to take root at the base of the Two Worlds Passage, and the thousand Shamans of the Frost and Snow Clan also came to support them. As long as there was enough time, the plan could be fully implemented.
But Mo Duo’s sudden appearance was akin to the arrival of a disaster that could wipe out everyone present, a full-grown adult suddenly interfering in a match between children.
Below the Two Worlds Passage, Demon Saint Mo Duo’s sudden appearance next to the Evergreen Divine Tree instantly extinguished any glimmer of hope that the Barbarian Race had. No one could stand against the Demon Saint unless the Evergreen Divine Tree fought him personally, not even Yang Kai.
But how could Senior Qing spare any attention or energy to fight against a Demon Saint now? All his concentration was being used to seal the Two Worlds Passage, shutting out all other distractions from the external environment. Senior Qing was now burning his life essence and had no way to stop and focus on other tasks.
“I’m just a Shaman King. Does Sir Mo Duo have to bully the weak?”
“Haha…”
Mo Duo laughed softly, revealing a harmless smile. If one did not know his identity, they would think he was an amiable man, completely different from the other vicious Demons, “You’re not weak at all.”
Yang Kai pursed his lip, “But I’m still weaker than you. You have your battle and I have mine. Let’s mind our own business and not interfere with each other, shall we?”
Mo Duo replied with a helpless look, “I’m afraid I can’t. This big tree of yours is a little strange. If we let it continue to grow, I’m afraid our connection to the Demon Realm will be completely cut off, so I have to destroy it. Sorry.”
Yang Kai remained calm while listening to his words, but was secretly overjoyed.
Because Mo Duo inadvertently disclosed information, confirming that Senior Qing truly had the ability to seal the Two Worlds Passage. Now what he needed to do was to buy enough time for Senior Qing to finish his work.
Yang Kai sighed and continued helplessly, “I understand what Sir means.”
Mo Duo remained smiling, and asked as he nodded, “Are you ready to die?” After a pause, he pressed on, “Actually, you can take refuge under me, then we wouldn’t have to fight each other.”
Yang Kai answered solemnly, “Many thanks, Sir, this Shaman Niu truly appreciates it, but… this Shaman Niu was born a Barbarian and will die a Barbarian. I can’t take refuge under the Demon Race.”
His proud declaration was heard by the people of the Shaman Niu Clan below, and everyone looked at Yang Kai in awe.
Mo Duo shrugged, “I have no choice then. Alright, enough nonsense, you can die now.”
He spoke with a calm and relaxed tone, as if a butcher were facing a chicken.
When the words fell, he reached out to grab Yang Kai.
This move may have seemed casual, but the World Principles trembled as Mo Duo extended his hand. Yang Kai inexplicably felt that the surrounding space became viscous, like he had fallen into a quagmire. The more he struggled, the deeper he sank.
Demon Saints and Shaman Saints were comparable to the Great Emperors of modern times. These Masters had reached the point where they could communicate with the World itself and had touched upon the threshold of the Grand Dao. Therefore, even the most ordinary of attacks they used contained a profound and overwhelming power.
Space Principles around Yang Kai fluctuated, and after a short pause, he suddenly disappeared.
A soft thud on the ground where he stood before was heard, as if something was broken open. After the sound, everyone could clearly see signs of collapse in the local space.
Mo Duo tilted his head and looked over, his eyes twinkling with interest as he mused, “Space Techniques are indeed amazing. I’m more and more reluctant to kill you. If you could assist the Great Demon God, it would be far easier for us Demons to establish connections to other Great Worlds. Perhaps the Great Demon God would even be able to personally descend to these Great Worlds.”
“If you’re reluctant to kill me, then don’t,” Yang Kai wiped the cold sweat off his forehead and forced a smile, “Why don’t we just stop all this violence and have a nice civilized discussion instead; let the others worry about the war.”
Mo Duo shook his head, “My task is to kill you or capture you, so I’m afraid that I can’t continue to chit chat with you.”
He flicked his fingers as he finished his sentence, and a pitch-black beam of energy suddenly launched towards Yang Kai.
Yang Kai countered with a Moon Blade. The two attacks collided in mid-air and vanished in an instant.
Yang Kai raised his eyebrows, “Sir, this is not your full strength. Are you holding back on me?”
“Haha…” Mo Duo smiled lightly without stopping his hands, his Demon Qi surging as a huge black blade flew at Yang Kai without warning. At the same time, he declared, “This is my full strength now. I’m not holding back.”
Yang Kai frowned slightly and instinctively did not want to believe it, but he could sense that Mo Duo was not lying. Although the power that he unleashed was quite strong, it did not seem to be strong to a degree that Yang Kai could not handle.
Right now, it seemed as if he had the same strength as when he first arrived in this world.
When Mo Duo arrived into this world two years ago, he had paid a steep price in order to cross the Two Worlds Passage. As a result, his strength was greatly reduced, and that was why Yang Kai could escape from him with his teleportation technique.
Mo Duo’s strength should have been restored to its peak after these past two years, but now his performance was not much different from what it was two years ago. The only difference was that he did not have the same frail feeling as before.
The power of a Demon Saint should not be like this. Therefore, Yang Kai couldn’t help being on guard.
He teleported again to dodge Mo Duo’s attack.
But just then, Mo Duo’s eyes suddenly flashed, gazing into the endless Void.
He immediately caught a trace of Yang Kai. Space Techniques were not all-powerful. Although Yang Kai could enter and exit the Void freely in order to move great distances in an instant, he would still reveal some traces of his movements to peak-level Masters.
Mo Duo was exactly this kind of Master, and with a wave of his hand, he sent an impact into the Void.
With a bang, space tore apart and Yang Kai’s figure appeared with a stagger.
At the same time, a large pitch-black net emerged to enclose this region, seemingly wanting to capture Yang Kai inside it.
Yang Kai’s face changed as he raised his hands and used his Time Flies Seal with all his strength.
Following an explosion, the large pitch-black net halted for a moment, allowing Yang Kai to slip away, avoiding capture. When he straightened up again, his back was already drenched in a cold sweat.
Mo Duo had launched two strikes but failed to produce the desired effect, so he could only sigh helplessly, “Looks like fifty percent of my strength is really not enough.”
“Fifty percent?” Yang Kai glared at him angrily, “Didn’t you just say that you were using all your strength. Now you say it’s just fifty percent? Which statement is true?”
Mo Duo answered indifferently, “Both.”
He raised his hand and waved in a certain direction.
Yang Kai stiffened in vigilance as he thought that Mo Duo was going to use another Divine Ability or Secret Technique, but after Mo Duo waved, he did not notice any sign of attack. Instead, a pitch-black light shot out from that direction and rushed into Mo Duo’s body before disappearing.
Mo Duo’s aura, which was already strong enough to give Yang Kai a headache, suddenly soared. A trace of ferocity was added to Mo Duo’s usual warm smile as if the surge of power seemed to affect his mentality, drawing a grin from his lips as he commented, “This is seventy percent!”
Yang Kai gritted his teeth, “You’re a Soul Clone?”
Mo Duo responded, “I am who I am. There is no clone or original. I am also over there!”
His ‘over there’ obviously referred to the battlefield of the Saints.
Only now did Yang Kai realize that the Shaman Saints did not allow Mo Duo to inadvertently escape because Mo Duo was still fighting against the Shaman Saints on that side while this figure was just a clone of sorts.
This Soul Clone was obviously an emergency means of the Demon Race, and it had proved to be useful. Without Mo Duo’s intervention, the Evergreen Divine Tree could not be disturbed, but Yang Kai had to be as careful as walking on thin ice because of Mo Duo’s sudden emergence.
What made it more difficult for Yang Kai was that Mo Duo’s strength seemed to be able to freely transfer between his primary body and his Soul Clone.
He could not stop Yang Kai’s teleportation ability with just fifty percent of his strength, so Mo Duo had boosted his Soul Clone’s power to seventy percent. If his strength on one side was increased, his strength on the other side would naturally be reduced.
“I know what you’re plotting,” Mo Duo spoke with a casual tone, “It’s nothing more than delaying time with me so that you can seal the passage that connects the two Great Worlds. However, you won’t have this chance now, because you’re no longer… a match for me!”
When he finished his sentence, Mo Duo suddenly appeared in front of Yang Kai, raised his hand, and stabbed at his chest.
Yang Kai’s face changed drastically. The residual figure of Mo Duo was still present in his vision, but his attack was already close at hand.
In panic, Yang Kai instinctively tried to teleport away, but he found that the surrounding space was completely confined, and he could not move at all.
The corner of Mo Duo’s mouth curved into a cruel smile, and his hand, which was covered in rich Demon Qi, penetrated through Yang Kai’s chest.
Unexpectedly though, no blood spurted. There wasn’t even a tactile feeling that he was supposed to feel, so Mo Duo frowned. Only then did he realize that Yang Kai’s body had turned into a dim illusory phantom, and that his hand had directly passed through this phantom without any resistance.
Yang Kai revealed a terrified look, as if he was enduring great pain. He leapt back with his faint-looking body, almost vanishing into thin air, and broke free from Mo Duo’s control.
When his body solidified again, Yang Kai spewed a mouthful of blood; he was badly hurt.
He took out a handful of pills and stuffed them directly into his mouth to chew, cold sweat dripping from his head like a waterfall.
“Is this also a Space Technique?” Mo Duo frowned slightly. The fatal blow he had delivered was actually resolved by this Shaman Niu in a way he could not understand, and although the latter still looked injured, it was a far cry from Mo Duo’s expected result.
This was not what Mo Duo wanted to see.
“Space Techniques aren’t limited to just instantaneous movement,” Yang Kai swallowed the pills in his mouth and once again struck up a conversation with Mo Duo in order to give himself some time to recover, “I call the skill Nihility.”
“Merging with the Void in order to avoid powerful attacks,” Mo Duo praised him with his eyes lit up. “A good ability.”
Yang Kai responded, “But you’re too strong. Although most of your strength simply passed through me, some of it still shook the Void and was transmitted to me, almost killing me.”
“I see!” Mo Duo was enlightened, then put on a thoughtful look as he continued, “It seems like killing you will not be so easy.”
Yang Kai snickered, “Would you like to focus all your power into your Soul Clone? I wouldn’t be able to fight against a full-strength Saint.”
“No need!” Mo Duo snorted coldly. Using seventy percent of his strength was his bottom line in dealing with an existence that was only equivalent to a Demon King. It would be a disgrace if he was forced to use all of his strength. He had his own dignity and pride to maintain.
As he spoke, a dark iron hook suddenly materialized in his hand. The iron hook was filled with a rich and pure Demon Qi that could awaken the evil deep inside one’s heart, and gave off an eerie feeling at first glance.
Yang Kai’s eyes fixed on the iron hook and his heart clenched slightly.
This iron hook was somewhat similar to the Demonic War Hammer currently owned by the Embodiment. Although its form was completely different, it had a similar aura about it.
It was a Saint Artifact! This should be the Saint Artifact mentioned by Bao Qi and the others. In the Demon Realm, only Demon Saints could possess and control such treasures. In other words, this iron hook and the Demonic War Hammer were of the same grade.
Yang Kai’s expression turned solemn as he became alert.
Mo Duo’s sudden summoning of such a Demonic Saint Artifact obviously meant that he was planning to make a big move, and Yang Kai had to deal with it with great vigilance.
To Yang Kai’s surprise though, Mo Duo did not immediately attack him with the Saint Artifact. Instead, he lifted the iron hook and grazed the void in a disorderly way; once on his left, once on his right, above him, then below him.
His actions were extremely casual, but also quite aloof and arrogant at the same time.
However, this extremely random movement made Yang Kai’s face sink, because he suddenly sensed that the surrounding space inexplicably became isolated and sealed, as if this region of the world had been ripped out of the Great World by Mo Duo’s actions, becoming isolated from the outside.
Yang Kai could still see all the scenery outside, but he could no longer teleport at will from this isolated world.
Teleportation was an extremely tricky ability to deal with, even for a Demon Saint, so Mo Duo first had to disable its use, and the measure just now was his way to handicap this ability.
After that, Mo Duo turned around. Looking at Yang Kai indifferently, he lifted the iron hook in his hand slightly and pulled space towards himself.
The shadow of a huge hook resembling a sharp soul-reaping weapon suddenly appeared and swung down towards where Yang Kai was.
Heaven and Earth were contorted by the movement of the hook, and an extremely sinister aura permeated the air with a loud crash.
Yang Kai backed away in a hurry, his face showing unprecedented solemnity. Without dropping his guard, he waved his arms widely and condensed the local Space Principles into an enormous Moon Blade that slashed towards the hook shadow immediately.
Yang Kai wasn’t done yet though as his lips began to murmur and Time Principles began to flow, his hands quickly intertwined to form the Time Flies Seal which he then shot out right behind his Moon Blade.
Profound and esoteric Space and Time Principles mixed together in an inexplicable and even more unpredictable manner.
A look of surprise appeared on Mo Duo’s face as he had an inkling that this situation had undergone a kind of strange, one beyond his comprehension. He had never heard of anyone who cultivated both Space and Time Principles.
Since Ancient Times, there had been three thousand Grand Daos of Heaven and Earth, and there were countless Principles that evolved from them. However, whether it was Space Principles or Time Principles, both were Daos that very few lucky people could ever fathom, and those who could comprehend both essentially did not exist. This was not something one could claim as just luck, and was only attainable with the full blessings of the Heavens’ grace. Throughout history, such people were true Masters of their times.
*Hong…*
There was a loud crash as the Moon Blade and Time Flies Seal collided with the huge hook shadow, which directly dispersed. Violent energy from the collision swept out, and the isolated segment of the world shook as if the apocalypse had come.
The aftermath of the impact spread hundreds of kilometres away and both the Barbarian Race and the Demon Race were swayed by the impact, many being thrown out or even directly killed. Even Yang Kai was sent tumbling from the force of this recoil. When he finally stood firm, he looked pale and dishevelled, but still shouted, “Mo Duo, I am afraid that seventy percent of your strength is not enough! Let me see your full strength, don’t cower anymore!”
He swallowed pills wildly while he spoke, having truthfully been pushed into a tight corner.
Mo Duo’s usual grace and casualness had long since disappeared. After being mocked by Yang Kai, he finally revealed his anger and turned to glance at the Evergreen Divine Tree. In the short time while he was messing around with Yang Kai, this strange tree had grown another kilometre and showed no signs of stopping.
“Let’s see how many times you can block it!” Mo Duo shouted angrily, and once again threw the hook towards the place where Yang Kai stood.
The huge hook shadow reappeared.
Yang Kai’s face twitched as a stream of curses burst from his lips; however, his movements did not slow down at all.
This battle made him deeply aware of the gap between himself and Mo Duo. Even though Mo Duo only used seventy percent of his strength, he was already an opponent Yang Kai could not hope to defeat.
Blocking the first attack was just a fluke, but it would be impossible for Yang Kai to block a second attack or third.
“Do you only know this trick? Don’t you have something new?” Yang Kai asked sarcastically.
Mo Duo sneered, “It does not matter how many tricks I have as long as one works!”
He could clearly see the advantage he had and was prepared to use his Saint Artifact to crush Yang Kai.
As the hook flew, space collapsed, and even the Sun, Moon, and Stars seemed to dim.
Yang Kai grunted, and the high-pitched roar of a dragon ripped through him. A golden ray was released, and a huge golden dragon head emerged behind him, its majestic eyes looking down on the world as if everything and everyone was beneath it.
The Golden Divine Dragon phantom only appeared for a moment before it shot into Yang Kai’s body again and disappeared.
Yang Kai’s initially sluggish aura suddenly soared to a new high, seemingly much stronger than when he was at his peak earlier.
“This is…”
Mo Duo was flabbergasted, his gaze frozen behind Yang Kai as if he wanted to get a clearer view, but the illusory phantom had long since disappeared. In a look of disbelief, he exclaimed, “Divine Spirit? Why do you have a Divine Spirit Source?”
Even in this ancient period, Divine Spirits were synonymous with power, especially the Dragon Clan, which was an existence that even Demon Saints could not ignore. There was a Dragon Clan in the Demon Realm, which consisted of Demon Dragons, and their Masters were comparable to Demon Saints, each of them possessing Heaven-destroying and Earth-shattering power.
“You’re too nosy.” When the golden light converged, Yang Kai’s figure reappeared.
At this moment, he was no longer the seemingly weak Human, but instead a six-metre tall monster covered in scale armour with short horns growing out of his head and sharp claws for hands. Traces of his features could only vaguely be seen on his scaled face.
The hook shadow attacked again, but this time, Yang Kai simply raised his Myriads Sword high to meet it head-on.
After the Dragon Transformation, Yang Kai’s strength had been significantly improved. The seemingly unmatched hook shadow came to a sudden when it met the sword’s swing, as if it was hindered by an unbreakable barrier.
Yang Kai slumped back, using his utmost to push the sword light of the Myriads Sword to clash with the hook shadow, resulting in a series of explosive rumblings.
Mo Duo sneered, silently stroking the iron hook in his hand, and aimed it directly at the place where Yang Kai was.
In the next moment, Yang Kai’s eyes widened and looked as if he had lost his soul as even his resistance against the hook shadow became weak, causing the hook shadow to pounce at him recklessly again.
After a breath, Yang Kai suppressed the dissonance in his head and shouted angrily, “A Soul Attack? Mo Duo, you are indeed a bully. You would stoop this low and still dare call yourself a Demon Saint?”
Mo Duo gritted his teeth and became somewhat angry out of shame, “What thing are you to accuse me?!”
He indeed used a Soul Attack just now. The iron hook in his hand not only had powerful offensive abilities, but it could also directly pull at the enemy’s Soul. This silent hook had turned into a chain in the dark, sinking into Yang Kai’s Soul and tearing into it.
That was why Yang Kai fell into a daze for a moment, almost losing consciousness.
As long as Mo Duo could reap his Soul from his body, Yang Kai would definitely become a walking corpse.
The second attack of the huge hook shadow was just a diversion to attract Yang Kai’s attention; however, Mo Duo did not expect that this trick he planned out diligently would not produce the desired effect.
An existence equivalent to a mere Demon King being able to resist seventy percent of his strength in a head-on confrontation was unbelievable enough. Even though Mo Duo had not made use of all his strength, from the perspective of all bystanders, Yang Kai was already impressive enough.
What was so unacceptable to Mo Duo was that his silent Soul Attack failed to achieve anything more than a minor wound. The young man in front of him was definitely not just an existence comparable to Demon Kings. Even as a Demon Saint, Mo Duo had never encountered such a monster before.
Yang Kai snorted coldly and ignored him, but was actually still struggling from the aftershock of the Soul Attack.
Although the scene just now was short, it was by far the most dangerous moment in his fight against Mo Duo. If it were not for the Seven Coloured Soul Warming Lotus, a Supreme Soul Treasure, his Soul would have been pulled out cleanly by Mo Duo, or more likely just torn apart.
Although Yang Kai’s Soul was far more powerful than average, it was not to the extent that it could directly withstand Mo Duo’s Soul Attack. It was the Seven Coloured Soul Warming Lotus that pulled his Soul back at the critical moment, allowing Yang Kai to react in time to the follow-up strike.
His blood boiling at his own weakness, the towering sword-light of Yang Kai’s Myriads Sword increased in intensity sharply, suppressing Mo Duo’s hook shadow in one fell swoop and directly shattering it while its owner was momentarily distracted.
Everything else in the world lost its lustre in the dazzling sword light.
Mo Duo still seemed to be in a daze, a very unusual condition for a Demon Saint, mainly because Yang Kai’s performance was just too shocking.
At that moment, Yang Kai had already rushed in front of him with a ferocious look on his face.
A Dragon’s claw was clenched into a fist and slammed out at Mo Duo.
Space collapsed wherever this fist rolled.
However, Mo Duo simply raised his head, stared at Yang Kai with a pair of emotionless eyes, and said indifferently, “You have to pay for your recklessness!”
When the words fell, he raised his fist to meet Yang Kai’s.
Both the Demon Race and the Barbarian Race paid close attention to Body Tempering, especially a Demon Saint like Mo Duo. Even if his body was not immortal and indestructible, he must have already cultivated his body to its limit.
If Yang Kai fought him with Secret Techniques or long-range Divine Abilities, perhaps Mo Duo would need to spend more effort dealing with him, but now that Yang Kai just charged at him and was about to engage in hand to hand combat, Mo Duo could not help feeling ridiculous and also maddened at the same time.
He felt ridiculous because of the stupidity of his opponent, while feeling enraged because he felt like he was being underestimated.
Mo Duo used all his strength in his attack.
When the two fists collided, Mo Duo’s body shook, while Yang Kai staggered back a few steps.
Yang Kai, who used his Dragon Transformation, still lost to the Demon Saint with only seventy percent of his strength in the competition of pure physical strength! The strength of this Devil Saint was obvious from this alone.
The huge recoil rushed into Yang Kai’s meridians and physique like a rampaging current, causing him unprecedented pain.
Before he could stand firm, Mo Duo already approached him with a counterattack. A fist wrapped with the aura of destruction hit Yang Kai’s abdomen heavily, causing the latter’s eyes to nearly pop out of their sockets as the surge of Demon Qi almost took away his ability to breathe.
It was not over yet though as Mo Duo sent another punch at Yang Kai’s face, sending him spinning in the air and spewing tremendous amounts of blood.
If it were not for his Dragon Transformation that dramatically strengthened his physique, these two punches alone would have been enough to kill Yang Kai. Even so, he still suffered dreadfully from it. Yang Kai felt as though his insides were thrown into a stormy sea, and the Demon Qi which invaded his body through the attacks made him feel lightheaded as destruction swept through his meridians and physique.
Yang Kai fell to the ground helplessly and struggled to get up, but before he could stand firm again, Mo Duo had appeared in front of him and welcomed him with another heavy punch.
Yang Kai’s seemingly confused face suddenly showed a trace of malevolence, his eyes flashing as the Mountains and Rivers Bell was summoned, directly covering the place where he stood.
Mo Duo widened his eyes and wanted to withdraw his fist but it was too late. Yang Kai’s timing in summoning the Mountains and Rivers Bell perfectly matched when Mo Duo had fully exerted his strength.
*Guang Dang…*
The destructive punch hit the Mountains and Rivers Bell, and the ancient bell let out a visible ripple infused with its desolate aura.
The fist that Mo Duo punched the Mountains and Rivers Bell with was instantly mutilated. It was very difficult for him to bear the recoil of his own full blow despite being a Demon Saint, but that was not what was most important in this situation. What mattered the most was the ringing of the Mountain and Rivers Bell. As soon as this sound entered Mo Duo’s ears, he had the impression that he was being suppressed.
As if countless mountains had been piled onto his back, he found himself unable to stand straight under the pressure.
‘Its chime was sufficient to suppress mountains and rivers, its Emperor Aura was sufficient to upturn the universe’. Such was the evaluation of the Mountains and Rivers Bell by various Masters throughout history. The greatest Divine Ability of this Ancient Exotic Artifact was to suppress all things in the world.
Mo Duo’s aura dropped sharply.
The Mountains and Rivers Bell suddenly vanished at that moment and Yang Kai pounced at Mo Duo ferociously, going straight for his chest with his Dragon Claws that were sharper than the finest blade in the world.
In a moment of desperation, Mo Duo roared angrily and tried his best to dispel all kinds of discomfort caused by the Mountains and Rivers Bell through pure Demonic Qi. He then grabbed at Yang Kai’s Dragon Claw with one hand at lightning speed, obviously attempting to stop his attack.
Suddenly, the Mountains and Rivers Bell reappeared again, but instead of covering Yang Kai this time, it turned into the size of a handbell, resting in Yang Kai’s other claw.
With a flick of his fingers, the strange sound of the Mountains and Rivers Bell reverberated again, and the sound wave condensed into an invisible attack, hitting Mo Duo.
Mo Duo’s back bent again and his newly recovered state was instantly ruined.
*Chi… *
Yang Kai’s sharp claw pierced directly through Mo Duo’s chest and out his back, capturing a bloody Demon Heart that was still beating violently.
“You…” Mo Duo stared at Yang Kai, who was close at hand and flew into a rage as he roared madly.
An unimaginable impact gathered into a visible force that shot from Mo Duo’s mouth towards Yang Kai’s chest, resulting in the clear crack of bones. Struck by this impact, Yang Kai was sent flying into the sky like a paper kite.
Mo Duo staggered to straighten his back as blood spurted wildly out of his chest. A huge hole went straight through his body, exposing his organs and viscera.
He looked down with a look of disbelief.
Yang Kai got up in the distance, spat the blood out from his mouth, held the Demon Heart in his palm and grinned at Mo Duo, “I heard that a Master like you has more than one Demon Heart, and as long as the Demon Heart remains, the Demon Race will not die. So, how many Demon Hearts do you have?”
Mo Duo narrowed his eyes and an unfathomably cold light flashed across them. As he surged his Demon Qi, the flesh of his chest wriggled and was soon healed, as if he hadn’t been wounded at all.
“Return it to me!” He demanded in a low voice.
Although he had more than one Demon Heart, and losing one did not threaten his life, the destruction of a Demon Heart would have some impact on his strength. Yang Kai had already shown he had the ability to compete against him in his current state, so losing a Demon Heart would put Mo Duo at a greater disadvantage.
Yang Kai grinned, “What did you say? Did I hear it wrongly, or did you say it wrongly? Did you just ask me to return this thing to you?”
“You heard me right, give it back!” Mo Duo replied coldly.
“Haha!” Yang Kai cackled, “You’re too funny! You and I are locked in a fight to the death, using all our skills and strength to kill one another, but now that I snatched your Demon Heart, you’re actually asking me to give it back to you? I just want to know… Are you an idiot?”
“Give it back to me, and I can grant you a painless end. Otherwise, I will make you suffer a fate worse than death.”
Yang Kai’s face suddenly became serious and continued in a deep voice, “Your Demon Heart is in my hand now, yet instead of asking politely, you’re threatening me?” Yang Kai’s face turned into a mocking grin, “You’re really an idiot!”
Mo Duo stopped talking and fixed his eyes on the Demon Heart.
In the next moment, Yang Kai’s heart jumped as he suddenly felt something was wrong. His face changed drastically and he quickly clenched his hand.
With a loud bang, the Demon Heart exploded, but there was no blood or residual flesh. The Demon Qi contained in it surged out and turned into black fog, shrouding Yang Kai. This black fog was like a living creature, and without any hesitation, it entered straight into Yang Kai’s body by seeping into his pores and the seven orifices on his face.
Yang Kai’s expression turned ugly. Although he wanted to stop it, there was nothing he could do. No matter how he surged his power, he could not stop the invasion of the Demon Qi.
Moreover, the explosion of the Demon Heart earlier was not caused by him but was instead a self-destruct Mo Duo inexplicably used.
Mo Duo groaned at the same time when the Demon Heart exploded and his aura weakened noticeably, as if he had suffered a serious injury, but he still pressed on, “I know you have a way to resist the corruption of ordinary Demon Qi, but you won’t be able to resist my Demon Qi. You will lose yourself and become my slave. I will fulfil my promise and let you taste all the torment this world has to offer other than death. Shaman Niu, kneel down and beg me. Perhaps, I will have mercy.”
As if to confirm his words, Yang Kai showed a dreadfully pained expression, his eyes bulging as if they were going to explode and his entire physique becoming tinted with an abnormal shade of black.
Mo Duo stood to the side and observed coldly. From time to time, he would toss a glance at the Evergreen Divine Tree in the distance, as if he was considering when to destroy this annoying tree.
The Demon Qi all disappeared into Yang Kai’s body quickly and seemingly melted into his physique.
Mo Duo soon lost his patience though and raised his hand to tap on Yang Kai’s head. Although it was hard for him to accept that his heart was destroyed by such a weak enemy and he wanted nothing more than to torture him to vent his anger, he still had more important things to do at this moment.
The giant tree had already reached the sky, and was not far from sealing the entire Two Worlds Passage. If Mo Duo continued to delay, he was afraid that there would be trouble.
Mo Duo decided to kill Yang Kai first, then deal with the giant tree.
But just as he was about to act, a shocking scene appeared before his eyes.
Yang Kai, who looked like he was in incredible pain, suddenly let out a low roar and spat out a stream of rich, pitch-black Demon Qi from his mouth.
Mo Duo was dumbstruck.
This Demon Qi was clearly the Demon Qi that was contained in his Demon Heart. It should have invaded this Shaman Niu’s body and merged with his flesh and blood, so how did he manage to spit it out again?
More and more Demon Qi was spat out and the seemingly living Demon Qi rushed about in a flustered motion, as if there was something in Yang Kai’s body that frightened it greatly.
Mo Duo could hardly believe his eyes and was stunned in place for a moment.
After a while, Yang Kai finally finished spitting out all the Demon Qi, patted his stomach, and remarked with a disgusted look, “What the hell is this? It’s not delicious at all.”
“How… how did you…” Mo Duo wanted to ask clearly, but as soon as he spoke, he knew that his opponent would not answer him. This Shaman Niu definitely kept many secrets, so Mo Duo stopped halfway.
Sure enough, Yang Kai did not want to answer him. After spitting out all the Demon Qi, he raised his hand, and the Mountains and Rivers Bell flew towards Mo Duo, rapidly enlarged, and plunged down, as if intending to suppress him in one fell swoop.
How could Mo Duo just stand idly by though? He learnt the power of this little bell previously, so he immediately flickered aside as soon as he saw Yang Kai’s action.
Nevertheless, Yang Kai took another action after observing Mo Duo’s move, quickly catching up with the Mountains and Rivers Bell and slapping it.
*Guang Dang…*
A visible sound wave converged into an attack and, driven by Yang Kai, cut through the air like a sharp blade towards Mo Duo.
Mo Duo could not avoid this sudden attack and was struck by the condensed sound wave, stunning him for a moment and causing his face to contort in pain.
Given that the Mountains and Rivers Bell could influence and suppress his actions before, it would be harder for Mo Duo, who had just lost a Demon Heart, to resist its power now.
While Mo Duo was dazed, Yang Kai leapt over with a ferocious grin on his face.
Mo Duo jumped back instinctively, but Yang Kai grabbed his arm with his Dragon Claw like an iron hoop, and with a surge of power, broke all the bones in this arm.
Mo Duo gawked at Yang Kai who was in front of him with wide eyes and gritted teeth as a heavy blow was incoming.
The huge force smashed on his face, contorted his facial features, and sent him rolling in the air. The feeling of being suppressed finally disappeared, and Mo Duo hurriedly stabilized his body, but just when he regained his stability, the ring of the strange bell reached his ear again.
The suppressive power that had just disappeared shrouded him again, disrupting the circulation of his strength. The slight interference resulted in him taking a direct punch in the chest again. The crisp crack of bones fracturing was heard as Mo Duo’s chest caved in and he was immediately thrown out.
The noble Demon Saint was now no better than a sandbag, being beaten flying, powerless to fight back against a mere Shaman King. This was a great humiliation, and the anger in Mo Duo’s chest boiled like lava in a volcano, ready to erupt at any moment.
Although his opponent’s attacks were not fatal, it was intolerable for Mo Duo to be humiliated like this in front of millions of Demons.
All of this was happening because of the damned bell. Mo Duo was not afraid of this Shaman Niu’s own strength, but the power of the strange bell was even able to suppress the power of a Demon Saint, which made him lose the upper hand. One mistake had led to all future failures, and there was no chance for him to regain the initiative in his current situation.
Every time the bell rang, Mo Duo’s newly gathered aura and power would be suppressed, and then Yang Kai would launch a storm of attacks at him.
In just a stick of incense worth of time, Yang Kai had attacked Mo Duo more than a thousand times, using enough force each time to kill an ordinary Demon King.
But such continuous attacks on Mo Duo could only make him stagger back, not deal any kind of serious injury. No matter how badly his chest was sunken or how many broken bones he had, Mo Duo seemed to be able to recover after just a short time.
Demon Saint Mo Duo’s vitality was incomparably tenacious!
Yang Kai was panting, as he was physically and mentally exhausted. Although his strength increased greatly after using his Dragon Transformation, his energy consumption increased proportionally. Moreover, he had to use the Mountains and Rivers Bell in advance every time he attacked, which took a great toll on him. If it were not for his strong foundation, he would have succumbed to death due to exhaustion already.
However, he was still being patient, waiting for his chance, a chance to win everything in a single blow.
The opportunity soon arrived.
Mo Duo went into a rage from this torture and his face twisted ferociously. Gnashing his teeth, his eyes scarlet, he looked as if he had lost his mind.
The Mountains and Rivers Bell tolled again, and the visible sound wave struck towards Mo Duo.
But this time, Yang Kai did not seem to grasp the timing properly, and by the time the sound wave was unleashed, Mo Duo had already managed to dodge aside. Without the suppression of the Mountains and Rivers Bell, he could finally go all out to deal with Yang Kai. Grinning wildly, he pushed his Demon Qi madly and pounced at Yang Kai.
Yang Kai seemed a little flustered and hurriedly retreated, but still failed to keep distance with Mo Duo.
Mo Duo flew over Yang Kai’s head and sent out a vicious palm strike filled with destructive power.
At that moment, Yang Kai suddenly lifted his hand and summoned the Sealed World Bead. Under his control, the Sealed World Bead instantly disappeared into the Void and a vortex-like channel appeared between him and Mo Duo at the same time.
Yang Kai’s Divine Sense spread out like a tide, turning into an invisible net that ensnared Mo Duo like catching a giant fish.
Yang Kai let out a grunt, his feet nailed firmly in place, and surged his Spiritual Energy to reel in this fish.
As long as he could send Mo Duo into the Sealed World Bead, his life would no longer be his to control. Even though Mo Duo was a genuine Demon Saint, he would not be Yang Kai’s opponent in the Sealed World Bead given that he could only use seventy percent of his power currently.
The key now was to draw Mo Duo into the Small Sealed World.
Mo Duo’s face changed slightly as the vortex appeared. He obviously sensed something was wrong and immediately became alarmed. Quickly stopping his actions, he wanted to retreat, but the surrounding space became extremely viscous, as if he had fallen into a quagmire and was unable to break free.
This resistance was caused by the overlapping action of Yang Kai’s Spiritual Energy and his manipulation of Space Principles.
Mo Duo responded rapidly to the situation though, pouring out his Demon Saint Realm Spiritual Energy that turned into many sharp awls and began stabbing and slashing about madly.
The large net formed by the Yang Kai’s Spiritual Energy became full of holes in an instant. Not only that, his Soul also suffered heavy damage. Blood flowed out of his seven orifices, giving him a ghastly look.
“It’s foolish to compete with me with your Spiritual Energy.” Mo Duo looked like he had the victory in his hand, and revealed a mocking expression on his face. He was not in a hurry to escape this place now because he found that this Shaman Niu was trying to trap him with his Spiritual Energy but ended up getting caught in his own means.
The invisible confrontation continued, while the injuries to Yang Kai’s Soul grew more and more severe, the invisible net having long ago broken. Still, Yang Kai refused to let go.
Mo Duo’s mocking expression soon turned to one of shock because Yang Kai’s endurance far exceeded his imagination.
The Soul was the source of one’s sentience and will, so if the Soul took too much damage, one would turn into a brain-dead walking corpse.
Mo Duo’s attacks were violent and intense, so by now, this Shaman Niu in front of him should have degenerated into a mental invalid. However, Mo Duo found that it was not what he had expected. Shaman Niu looked terrible and he was obviously suffering from unbearable pain in his Soul, but he had still not lost his mind.
Something was protecting his Soul!
Mo Duo was a genuine Demon Saint, so although he did not know about the existence of Soul Warming Lotus specifically, he could still guess the reason behind Yang Kai’s resistance after just a short confrontation.
It was exactly because of the existence of Soul Warming Lotus that Yang Kai dared to fight with Mo Duo in this way.
Mo Duo was also excited by his guess. He strongly surged his Spiritual Energy and peered directly into Yang Kai’s eyes, penetrating through all the barriers around his Knowledge Sea to pry into his secrets.
A treasure that could protect one’s Soul from destruction was a treasure worth seeing.
At that moment, a strange smile appeared on Yang Kai’s pained face.
His left eye suddenly shone with golden light, revealing a majestic vertical pupil. Instantaneously, a budding lotus flashed into Mo Duo’s Knowledge Sea.
Mo Duo groaned angrily. To his surprise, when he was about to resist the Blossoming Lotus Secret Technique, the Spiritual Energy net that had been destroyed by him suddenly contracted. He almost lost his ability to resist due to this sudden change and was quickly being pulled towards the vortex.
Mo Duo was appalled that his body was dragged involuntarily towards the entrance of the Sealed World Bead, while the Blossoming Lotus Secret Technique unfurled in his mind, causing him a splitting headache.
It would be an unforgivable humiliation if he let his opponent succeed in this plot. Although Mo Duo did not know where the vortex led to, he knew that since Yang Kai was sparing no effort to send him there, it would certainly not be a favorable place to him. Perhaps, he would not be able to come out again after he entered.
Enduring the pain in his mind, Mo Duo shouted, “Enough!”
His roar caused the world itself to tremble.
The pulling force paused for a moment as a pitch-black light flew towards them from the sky where the Saints’ battlefield was, straight into Mo Duo’s body, and disappeared.
The initial terrifying aura of Mo Duo soared to a whole new height at that moment.
Yang Kai’s face changed drastically to one of complete bitterness.
He had used all the means at his disposal to drag Mo Duo into the Sealed World Bead where he would have a decisive advantage, but he did not expect that Mo Duo would summon his Soul Clone power back to himself at the last moment, causing him to fall short. At this moment, Mo Duo was a complete Demon Saint, a Demon Saint at his peak.
The stalemate was broken in an instant.
Mo Duo, who restored his full strength, did not even need to exert any effort as the mere vibration of his soaring aura alone already scattered Yang Kai’s Spiritual Energy and Space Principles.
Millions of Demons and Barbarians who were still locked in combat turned to look over to witness an unforgettable scene.
A dark shadow manifested in the air, one that began to grow like an inflating balloon.
Ten metres, fifteen metres, thirty metres, sixty metres…
The dark shadow did not stop growing until it reached three hundred metres tall.
Mo Duo had transformed into a giant monster, one with two slightly curved horns on his head that were so sharp they seemed able to pierce through the sky. His feet turned into two huge hooves that stamped on the ground, making everything in the world look tiny before him. His body was like a copper cast building, emitting a metallic luster, and a visible tornado appeared when he gently breathed out from his nostrils.
After restoring his full strength, Demon Saint Mo Duo turned into a monster like a centaur. Rich Demon Qi surrounded his hill-like body surged like a living being.
At the same time, Yang Kai disappeared together with the Sealed World Bead.
The moment Mo Duo restored his strength, Yang Kai hid.
Mo Duo quickly swept his house-sized eyes across his surroundings, his gaze penetrating the Void to find traces of Yang Kai’s escape.
Lifting his hand, Mo Duo pulled a hair from his body and held it between his fingers, like he was holding an embroidery needle.
Then, he threw the hair forward, his action looking extremely random.
With a whoosh, the hair pierced the Void and disappeared.
A dull groan rang out from ten kilometres away in the next instant as Yang Kai’s figure stumbled and fell to the ground. His abdomen was pierced by a dark energy that nailed him in place. The dark energy was obviously transformed from Mo Duo’s hair, which possessed an exceptionally mysterious force. Not only could Yang Kai not move his body from where he had been fixed, but it was even difficult for him to focus his mind to think.
*Dong Dong Dong…*
Mo Duo strode forward, seemingly walking very slowly, but was in fact moving with incredible speed.
The distance of ten kilometres took him only three breaths of time to cross, and standing in front of Yang Kai, Mo Duo looked down on him from above like he was looking at an ant and sneered, “You should be proud of yourself for forcing me like this.”
When he first appeared, he only used fifty percent of his strength to deal with Yang Kai, thinking that was more than enough. In that state, the two fought almost on par, forcing Mo Duo to increase his strength to seventy percent. Unexpectedly though, he was outmatched by Yang Kai even in that state. Nevertheless, after restoring himself to his peak, he was finally able to trample over his foe.
“Heh heh,” Yang Kai smiled, looking positively miserable. Staring up at the mountain-like Mo Duo in front of him, he taunted, “You won, what are you going to do now? Kill me? Then do it quickly, otherwise, I’ll be giving you a surprise later.”
Mo Duo’s expression was cold as he lifted a foot and prepared to stomp on Yang Kai.
For an enemy who had caused him so much trouble, this method of death was too easy, but Mo Duo had already wasted too much time on Yang Kai and no longer had the luxury of concocting a torture plan for him. A quick death was the best option here.
The big hoof crashed into the ground, forming a spider web of cracks and ravines.
Mo Duo frowned slightly at that moment and lifted his foot. A huge hoof-print was left on the ground, but there were no traces of blood or mangled flesh.
He also noticed a trace of Space Principles. Clearly, Shaman Niu had escaped again, and this time even more secretively. Mo Duo glanced around and could not detect any trace of him immediately.
Shaking his huge head, Mo Duo stepped forward towards the direction of the Evergreen Divine Tree.
He no longer wanted to waste his attention on that ant-like existence. In addition to the previous heavy injuries, that ant could no longer stop him after being struck by his Divine Ability. At present, the most important thing was to destroy this giant tree.
The huge body as tall as three hundred metres walked towards his target rampantly, and all the creatures that stood in his way became paste under his feet. Whether it was the Barbarians or the Demons, it was all the same for Mo Duo.
He did not walk fast at first, but his momentum built as he moved, and his casual stroll soon became a charge as swift as the wind.
*Dong Dong Dong Dong…*
Just like a war drum, a stomping sound resounded across the battlefield, and everyone’s hearts began beating violently.
Barbarians and Demons retreated promptly wherever Mo Duo passed, none of them daring to block his path as those who died under his feet were good examples of what would happen if they did.
The Shaman Niu Clan had less than eight thousand people left at this point, and at this moment, all of them had gathered around the Evergreen Divine Tree, taking advantage of its strength to resist the attacks of the Demons. On the other side, more than eight hundred thousand Demons were attacking. Without the shelter of the Evergreen Divine Tree, the remainder of the Shaman Niu Clan would have been destroyed with such a huge difference in numbers.
When they saw Mo Duo rushing towards the Evergreen Divine Tree, desperation crept onto the faces of every Barbarian.
The six Demon Kings who were still struggling hard to protect the tree were the first to desert their posts. Although Yang Kai had given strict orders to them to protect this place, they still lacked the courage to confront a Demon Saint, especially an infuriated one.
The Demon Kings fled, but the Barbarians could not escape. The Evergreen Divine Tree was their only hope to seal the Two Worlds Passage, and it was not easy to persist until now, so how could they be willing to just give up halfway like this?
The Shaman Niu Clan’s circle of defence shrank again, and all of them retreated to the roots of the tree.
From every part of the tree trunk, a low cadence was chanted as the Shamans of the Frost and Snow Clan began to display their strength. They had to use the power of Evergreen Divine Tree to withstand Demon Saint Mo Duo’s impending attack.
A layer of emerald green light in the form of a thick light curtain suddenly appeared, shrouding a radius of a thousand metres. All the Demons were impeded by the extremely durable barrier, and even the Secret Techniques of the Demon Generals, Demon Great Generals, and Demon Kings could only produce ripples on it, unable to break through at all.
This gave the Ancient Barbarians a little hope.
But this hope quickly turned into panic.
In the next moment, Mo Duo’s three-hundred-metre-tall body slammed hard against the emerald green light curtain.
With a loud bang, the light curtain shook violently, and the hearts of every Barbarian leapt into their throats. They looked up at the place where Mo Duo had crashed into the light curtain, forgetting to breathe as worries were etched on their faces.
They were afraid that this light curtain would be broken, and once that happened, no one would be able to stop the Demon Saint’s destructive rampage. Once that happened, the Evergreen Divine Tree would be destroyed here and the last glimmer of hope for the Barbarian Race would be extinguished.
The light curtain held in the end, but its vibrancy obviously dimmed by a substantial amount.
The Ancient Barbarians all breathed a sigh of relief at first, but worry soon returned.
The light curtain could withstand Mo Duo once, but could it withstand his attack twice? Or thrice… or even countless times? There would eventually be a moment when Mo Duo broke through the barrier and reached the Divine Tree.
Right under their worried and anxious gazes, Mo Duo took a few steps back, then tilted his head to look at the emerald green light curtain. Pulling back his fist slightly, he released the mighty punch.
*Hong…*
The light curtain oscillated once more, and its glow dimmed again.
Without waiting for the light curtain to stabilize, Mo Duo’s second punch flew out.
*Hong Hong Hong…*
Every time a house-sized fist hit the light curtain, it produced an unparalleled impact that set every Barbarian’s blood rolling, causing a tightness that made it difficult to breathe, as if Mo Duo was not hitting the light curtain, but their own chests.
*Kacha…*
Finally, a crisp sound reached everyone’s ears, and all the Barbarian’s faces changed. A crack could be clearly seen on the light curtain.
Mo Duo grinned silently, as if proud of his masterpiece, and threw a final punch directly at the place where the crack appeared.
Like the shattering of a mirror, the light curtain provided by the Evergreen Divine Tree was destroyed by the Demon Saint’s unrelenting assault and finally collapsed.
Without the protection of the light curtain, all of the Ancient Barbarians were exposed to the Demon Saint’s wrath. No one could stop him. Mo Duo could wipe out all of them with just a breath.
Mo Duo did not pay attention to these ants though. He was a Demon Saint and had no need to care about the life or death of these weaklings. His goal was only the Evergreen Divine Tree. Taking a big step forward, Mo Duo slammed himself directly into the tree.
Amidst all the horrified screams of the Barbarians, a loud crash echoed from the collision of the three-hundred-metre-tall body of the Demon Saint onto the Divine Tree. The Evergreen Divine Tree shook violently, and countless green leaves fell from its canopy, wilting before they even touched the ground.
At the same time, as if struck by lightning, the Frost and Snow Clan Shamans hiding everywhere inside the Evergreen Divine Tree grunted, and more than ten were killed directly.
They had been hiding in the tree trunk, and although they could utilize the power of the Evergreen Divine Tree and also take shelter inside of it, their lives were also closely bound to the life of the Evergreen Divine Tree.
This was the Secret Technique developed by the Frost and Snow Clan after coexisting with Evergreen Divine Tree for tens of thousands of years.
The impact of Mo Duo’s slam was distributed to all parts of the tree, so the Shamans who could not bear the impact naturally died.
Mo Duo was extremely dissatisfied with this attack though as anger crept onto his face. It seemed that he was expecting the results of his attack to do more than just knocking down some leaves.
Before he could attack a second time though, the Frost and Snow Clan counterattacked.
From the top of the tree crown, numerous soft branches that turned into long whips flew out in a volley towards Mo Duo.
Previously, the Shaman Masters of the Frost and Snow Clan relied on this method to help the Shaman Niu Clan hold out against the siege of several hundred thousand Demons, killing and wounding countless enemies in the process.
But such an attack was obviously too weak to work against a Demon Saint. The long whips that seemed to have Heaven-destroying and Earth-shattering power did not have any effect on him other than to rouse Mo Duo’s ferocity.
Mo Duo extended his hands and grabbed a bunch of the branch whips, yanked on them fiercely, and broke them all cleanly in half. After breaking several dozen of these assaulting branches, Mo Duo grew a little irritated and decided to ignore these attacks and focus on the tree trunk itself.
There was an endless rumbling with every collision as the Evergreen Divine Tree shook more and more wildly. A rain of leaves fell, and more Frost and Snow Clan Shamans perished.
But no matter how hard Mo Duo tried, the Evergreen Divine Tree remained standing, like a grand pillar holding up the Heavens.
Mo Duo was finally furious and stopped slamming himself against the tree, instead choosing to climb up its trunk with his hands and feet while tearing down branches from the trunk as he ascended.
The Shaman Masters of the Frost and Snow Clan were unable to stop his destructive pace, and wherever Mo Duo passed, the Evergreen Divine Tree would be left scarred, with its branches and bark stripped clean.
The Demons nearby watched Mo Duo’s movements before they quickly followed suit, rushing towards the Evergreen Divine Tree. The ones that could fly directly flew, destroying everything that could be destroyed, while those that could not fly climbed the trunk, wreaking havoc on everything in their path.
The guardian deity of the Frost and Snow Clan, the Evergreen Divine Tree, which had lived for tens of thousands of years, was instantly invaded by the Demons, just like countless ants invading a sugar gourd that stood spectacularly and majestically on the ground.
There were many limitations to what the Shamans of the Frost and Snow Clan could do now. Even if they used the power of the Evergreen Divine Tree, they could only sweep away some ordinary Demons, providing some assistance to the remainder of the struggling Shaman Niu Clan below.
To some extent, they had done well enough. Without them, the Shaman Niu Clan would have been annihilated, and the Evergreen Divine Tree would not have been able to grow steadily all this while.
But this was their limit.
Failure was close at hand, and every Ancient Barbarian was devastated.
Yue and Lu, the twins, scanned the battlefield in search of a particular figure. Although they did not think that person was not strong enough to turn the tides of this situation before them, he was still their only hope.
But they could not find the one they sought. That figure never appeared after receiving the last heavy blow and was either dead or hiding somewhere.
The twins would rather believe that he was indeed dead though, as the thought of him deserting them was simply unbearable.
*Guang…*
A loud noise echoed from above at that moment, and with a rustle, as though it was raining bodies, countless upwardly climbing Demons fell down from the Evergreen Divine Tree, its huge trunk suddenly became much cleaner.
Yue and Lu looked up at the familiar sound in shock. Although their vision was obscured by the giant tree crown, they knew that the figure they were looking for had returned.
Yang Kai showed himself in the sky again. His face was as pale as a paper, and he looked like he had almost reached his limits. The Mountains and Rivers Bell had expanded itself into a giant object floating in front of him, constantly sending out an ancient and desolate rhythm. The visible sound waves propagated forth, shaking off countless Demons who were clinging to the Evergreen Divine Tree. The weaker Demons exploded into blood mist before they could reach the ground, while only the stronger Demons had the power to somewhat resist.
But even the Demon Great Generals took serious damage, having blood leak from their seven orifices and becoming dazed and confused. Only the Demon Kings could withstand this assault with great difficulty, but they still had to retreat to the ground to keep a distance from the Mountains and Rivers Bell.
The bell rang more than ten times, clearing all the Demons from the Evergreen Divine Tree.
Only Mo Duo remained, his huge body still ascending rapidly. The sound waves from the Mountains and River Bell hit his flesh, but it could not stop his pace despite causing some visible ripples.
“Bastard, did you come out just to die?” Mo Duo roared, accelerating his pace as his huge eyes stared straight in Yang Kai’s direction through the layers of leaves.
Finally, he overcame all the obstacles and arrived just below the small Barbarian. Mo Duo grinned, and he reached out his hand to grab Yang Kai. Yang Kai did not evade though, or rather could not evade. Every attack of the Demon Saint harmonized with the Heavens and Earth. Although this attack did not seem quick, it was infused with the essence of Mo Duo’s lifetime of cultivation and comprehension of the Grand Dao, making it all but impossible to avoid.
Grasping Yang Kai in his big hand was like catching an insignificant bug, Mo Duo pulled him towards himself and slightly tightened his grip.
The clear sound of cracking reverberated, the sound of bones breaking. Even Yang Kai’s body with his Dragon Transformation Secret Technique failed to resist the brute force of the Demon Saint, especially one in his peak condition.
However, instead of showing a pained expression, Yang Kai looked calm. Mo Duo noticed his abnormal calmness and felt extremely annoyed by it.
“If you still have any other moves, make them now. I’d like to see if you can still stop me!” Mo Duo snorted coldly, each breath forming a gust of wind from his nostrils.
“It’s true that I still have one more move…” Yang Kai smiled faintly at him.
Mo Duo was struck speechless. He did not really expect that this little Barbarian was still hiding a card up his sleeve even now; but soon, he became indifferent. No matter what move his opponent had yet to reveal, it was impossible to have an effect on him, a Demon Saint who had restored his peak strength. Only if Yang Kai could obtain strength on par with his own would it make a difference now.
Mo Duo said no more, and the force of his grip increased sharply, preparing to crush this insolent Barbarian to death.
The sounds of bones breaking grew more intense, but Yang Kai seemed to feel no pain. Suddenly, he stretched out his hand and wiped his thumb across his forehead, whispering with an incredibly solemn expression, “Demon Transformation!”
*Ka Cha…*
A crisp sound was heard, as if something had just been broken.
Mo Duo instinctively felt a sense of dread, which made him very uncomfortable, like something beyond his imagination was about to happen. Demon Saints were particularly sensitive to danger, so he firmly believed in his bout of intuition.
He rapidly increased the force of his hand, but this time, Mo Duo’s face changed greatly. His already huge eyes suddenly widened even more as if he saw something unbelievable.
Inexplicably, there was an unparalleled resistance to his grip. This resistance made Mo Duo feel that it came from the same source as his Demon Qi, but it seemed to be much more ancient, leaving him flabbergasted.
Dark energy suddenly burst from his fingers like paste before gradually condensing back in and exuding a shocking aura.
The right eye of the little Barbarian in his hand suddenly turned pitch-black, like a bottomless abyss that could devour everything in the world.
Mo Duo fell into a trance for a moment as he stared into the pitch-black eye, his very Soul trembling from restlessness.
In the next moment, his face changed drastically and he shouted, “How can you have the aura of the Ancient Demons!?”
He finally understood what this aura pulsing from this small Barbarian was. It was clearly the exceedingly pure Ancient Demon Aura. The Ancient Demons were existences far older than him, the ancestors of the Demon Race and the progenitors of the entire Demon Realm. It was these Ancient Demons who founded the Demon Realm and opened up a space for the survival of all Demons. After thousands of years of reproduction, only then did the current Demon Race come into existence.
The Ancient Demons had not perished though, and even now, there were some Ancient Demons still living in the Demon Realm. Each of the Ancient Demons was an extremely powerful existence, Masters that even the Demon Saints would have to show deference to.
However, although the Ancient Demons were powerful, they had incredibly low sentience. They were like a group of uncivilized beasts that could only depend on natural instincts. Even the Great Demon God could not get them to heed.
In the Demon Realm, the number of surviving Ancient Demons could be counted on one hand, so not to mention the ordinary Demons, even the Demon Saints may not see a living Ancient Demon in their entire lifetime. They all lived in the harshest, most secluded environments, rarely showing their faces.
Mo Duo was lucky to have seen an Ancient Demon once before. At that time, he accidentally broke into the place an Ancient Demon lived, and as a result, he was treated as an invader and was chased for several hundred thousand kilometres. He almost did not survive that experience; therefore, he still remembered the aura of the Ancient Demons clearly.
How could he not be shocked to suddenly see the Demon Qi of an Ancient Demon in this foreign world?
Nevertheless, he finally understood why the Demon Qi from his Demon Heart did not work on this Barbarian, because he had Ancient Demon Qi in his body that could naturally resist the erosion of his Demon Qi.
But… the question was how? How could the Ancient Demon Qi be found in a foreigner?
Yang Kai did not answer, and it was unknown whether he did not want to answer or he did not hear the question. At this moment, he only felt that his Soul was in turmoil. After releasing the gold and silver seal in his Dantian, he immediately felt a power that exceeded his imagination flooding his body vigorously. Thanks to the blessing of this power, Yang Kai could not help feeling a sense of omnipotence, as if he could grasp the Moon and pluck the Stars from the sky just by raising his hand.
While gaining great power, all kinds of evils hidden in his heart were also awakened and magnified, causing Yang Kai to gradually lose his consciousness and sense of reason. His intact left eye quivered violently, rolling rapidly up and down, left and right as if it was out of control, all while his dark right eye remained like an unmoving void, a sharp contrast to his active left eye. It was an especially strange and unnerving sight.
An inexplicably dark aura rose in his Knowledge Sea, one that seemed to have a strong corrosive aura. Everything it passed by turned dim, and the clouds which held Yang Kai’s memories were dyed black, losing their once colourful light.
Yang Kai swiftly hid his Soul Avatar inside the Seven Coloured Soul Warming Lotus Island, trying his best to maintain his last trace of consciousness with the help of this Supreme Treasure.
This was not his first time undergoing the Demon Transformation, but this time was a little different than before. He found that the power he gained was stronger, as if he had gradually adapted to the unsealing of Demon Qi in his body and could unleash its power to a greater extent, but correspondingly, he had to pay a bigger price for it.
This was his last resort, one he did not dare to use without first exhausting all other options, because every time he used the Demon Transformation, he would risk losing his mind and becoming a Demon who would no longer recognize friend or family.
But in the face of the overwhelming force of a Demon Saint, Yang Kai had no choice.
It turned out that his six-metre tall body had grown taller again after the Demon Transformation. The growth forced open Mo Duo’s palm, and Yang Kai continued growing until he was ten metres tall, the short horns on his head also growing longer.
Then, a certain phenomenon left Yang Kai pleasantly surprised.
It seemed that the Dragon Transformation Secret Technique had some slight restraining effect on his Demon Transformation. Although his Knowledge Sea was in chaos now, he could still maintain his consciousness. This was not only the credit of the Seven Coloured Soul Warming Lotus, but rather a joint effect of it and his Dragon Transformation.
Yang Kai did not understand how this happened, but he guessed that it was related to his Golden Divine Dragon Source.
His Dragon Transformation was a Secret Technique that drew out the latent power of his Golden Divine Dragon Source, and so far, Yang Kai had probably only managed to tap less than a single percent of this Source Strength. If he could fully utilize the Golden Divine Dragon Source, perhaps he could really transform into a True Dragon and swim through the universe freely as an overlord, instead of only becoming a ten metre tall Half-Dragon hybrid like his current situation.
The Golden Divine Dragon Source Strength was incredibly overbearing and tyrannical, while the Ancient Demon Qi was extremely corrosive. The two were clearly opposites in nature, but now that they coexisted in Yang Kai’s body and were unleashed at the same time, they actually ended up mutually reinforcing and restraining one another.
Yang Kai thirsted for power, and the Ancient Demon Qi could provide what he wanted, which manifested through his Demon Transformation, but he did not want to lose his mind in the process, so his Dragon Transformation and Seven Coloured Soul Warming Lotus protected his last trace of sentience in his Knowledge Sea.
Excruciating pain filled every inch of Yang Kai’s body, as if he was broken into a million pieces and then was smashed back together. This was not only the reformation of his flesh and bones, but also his organs and viscera.
Such pain would be unbearable to anyone.
But Yang Kai, who actually remained sober and conscious the whole time, felt pain that was ten to twenty times stronger than usual, far exceeding his tolerance limit.
He screamed to the sky, his body trembling violently, as his left eye flickered even more wildly.
Mo Duo’s face changed even more drastically as he found that no matter how hard he tried, he could not close the grip of his hand again to crush this previously insignificant bug.
This foreigner suddenly gained enough strength to compete with him.
Mo Duo could not accept such an outcome.
He nailed his feet firmly in place to stabilize himself, then stretched out his other hand to crush Yang Kai’s head with a maddened face.
Yang Kai’s screams suddenly stopped at that moment, while the cracking sounds from his body came to a stop.
At this moment, he had been completely wrapped in a mass of black Qi and his figure could no longer be seen clearly, but the strangest thing was that the darkness in his right eye was still clear and prominent, an almost incomprehensible phenomenon.
“The Ancient Demon’s eye!” Mo Duo finally identified the particularity of this eye with utter shock.
The Ancient Demons in the Demon Realm came in different forms and sizes, but all of them possessed unrivalled strength.
Mo Duo was aware of a certain one-eyed Ancient Demon, who was as huge as a mountain and could unleash an incredible Divine Ability.
He could not help recalling all kinds of memories about the Ancient Demons when he saw the abnormality in Yang Kai’s right eye.
His heart jumped and he secretly prayed that his guess was wrong, because if it was true, this foreigner might really be able to compete with him.
“Black Eye Purgatory, Infinite Darkness!”
Mo Duo’s heart sank at the words that came from the foreigner’s mouth. At the same time, the whole world instantly turned black. The clouds above his head disappeared, the surrounding colourful scenery vanished in darkness.
A huge eye hovered high in the dark sky, and it was the only thing that could be seen clearly in this void. But rather than being seen, this Black Eye was felt. In this extremely dark environment, every living being could clearly feel the presence of the huge eye, like a dark moon hanging high in the sky, overlooking all things in the world.
All the Demons involuntarily stopped their actions and looked up in the direction of the eye. Panic, followed by awe and worship filled their faces, including the faces of the Demon Kings. They suddenly became stupefied, forgetting what they were doing, and displaying pious looks at the huge eye like any other ordinary Demon.
The huge eye hanging in the sky seemed to have turned the world into a cage, and all the Demons imprisoned in it had lost themselves.
Mo Duo was appalled because the thing that he dreaded the most was really happening.
The eye indeed belonged to the Ancient Demon he knew, and this so-called Black Eye Purgatory was the Innate Divine Ability of that one-eyed Ancient Demon.
[Did this foreigner obtain the one Black Eye of the Ancient Demon? How did he get it? How could he integrate it into his body? Since they merged, why was he not assimilated by it?]
All kinds of questions spun in Mo Duo’s mind, but he could not find a reasonable explanation.
Just then, Yang Kai’s attack arrived.
The huge eye hanging in the sky suddenly blinked, and a dark light was fired from above, striking Mo Duo’s head directly, catching him off guard.
Mo Duo’s expression was blank. Even though he was a Demon Saint, he could not help having hallucinations after being hit by such an attack. It was as if he had returned to his bedroom in the Demon Realm, enjoying a comfortable life, away from all the disputes and killings. Such a life calmed his bloodlust and dulled his fighting spirit.
The grip of his big hand loosened a little, and Yang Kai took the opportunity to jump out of it.
However, Mo Duo was a Demon Saint in the end. Although he was affected by the Black Eye, it only took a moment for him to dispel this illusion and without hesitation, he sent a deadly palm at Yang Kai.
Yang Kai reached out his hand to the emptiness and summoned a War Hammer into his grasp.
He ignored the attack from Mo Duo, raised the War Hammer, and swung it down hard on his enemy’s head.
With a loud bang, the two landed their attacks on each other at the same time. Yang Kai’s ten-metre-tall body was slapped away by Mo Duo like a rag sack, while Mo Duo’s forehead bled from the heavy slam of the Demonic War Hammer. The huge force penetrated into his head and through his body, crumbling his climbing posture. Mo Duo’s gigantic body fell downwards like a meteorite towards the ground.
The Demons on the ground who had lost themselves in blind worship to the Black Eye in the sky were crushed beneath Mo Duo’s body, resulting in large casualties.
Mo Duo stood up, shaking his head. The blood on his forehead blurred his vision, but his expression became ferocious. He closed his eyes to resist the coercive power of the Black Eye in the sky and searched for Yang Kai in the dark.
Yang Kai did not even try to hide though. His nature had changed drastically after the Demon Transformation, and even though his Dragon Transformation and Seven Coloured Soul Warming Lotus were protecting his Soul, the release of the Ancient Demon Qi and the use of this Innate Divine Ability still caused a great impact on him.
His desire to kill was magnified many times over and he now only had one goal, to slaughter the three-hundred-metre-tall Demon Saint! To achieve this goal, he was willing to pay any price.
After being slapped away by Mo Duo, Yang Kai quickly stabilized his body and rushed towards his foe with the Demonic War Hammer held up high. He subconsciously used his Space Principles and appeared directly in front of Mo Duo.
Mo Duo was naturally able to react to such an obvious attack and raised his fist to punch forward.
The Demonic War Hammer collided with the gigantic fist and a violent explosion spread out, shattering the local space and instantly killing all the nearby Demons.
Mo Duo’s fist bones cracked, while Yang Kai rebounded backwards, spewing blood, looking utterly helpless.
However, he did not seem to have any perception of pain, and after stabilizing his stance, he pounced at Mo Duo again.
For a moment, the two clashed violently with each other, exchanging head-on attacks in the intense battle.
Mo Duo’s gigantic body had the upper hand at this moment, and although Yang Kai could cause him some injuries each time, these injuries did not have much impact on him for he had the excellent physical qualities of a Demon Saint. On the contrary, Yang Kai was exposed to Mo Duo’s storm of counterattacks each time they clashed, sending him flying out again and again.
But at this moment, Yang Kai was like an immortal cockroach. Even if he fell into a great disadvantage, he fought on against Mo Duo, refusing to give in as he maintained the Black Eye Purgatory.
The fallout of their battle brought bad luck to the Demons.
Up to a million Demons had gathered below the Evergreen Divine Tree, and Yang Kai had enveloped all of them when he used his Black Eye Purgatory. In the face of the Ancient Demon’s Black Eye, all other Demons fell into trances and kept worshipping without knowing to retreat or dodge all the incoming disasters.
Many collapsed from the aftermath of the battle, and in just a stick worth of incense, half of the million Demons were either critically injured or killed. The ground flooded with blood and corpses piled up like mountains, making for a gruesome scene.
Mo Duo was already maddened as he watched the giant tree grow continuously but was unable to stop it. He had never been this furious before.
If possible, he did not want to bother with Yang Kai as he had only one goal, which was to destroy the Evergreen Divine Tree and stop it from sealing the Two Worlds Passage. Before Yang Kai used his Demon Transformation, Mo Duo never thought that this task would give him any difficulty. The giant tree had barely any offensive power and could only grow, so Mo Duo assumed he could destroy it easily; however, after Yang Kai’s Demon Transformation, he found that this was now almost an impossible task.
Only if Mo Duo could kill this foreigner named Shaman Niu first would he be free to destroy the strange tree, but if he could do that, he would have done it long ago. Why wait until now?
Exchanging another ten moves, Mo Duo gained various sized wounds on his body before managing to swat Yang Kai away and take an opportunity to look up, his face darkening in the next instant.
Because he found that after such a long delay, the giant tree was just about to reach the top of the Two Worlds Passage, blocking it completely. According to the growth rate of the giant tree, it would probably be able to successfully seal the passage as long as it was given another half a stick worth of incense.
Mo Duo roared, ignored Yang Kai’s interference, and took a big step towards the Evergreen Divine Tree, leaping over a thousand metres through the air as he crashed towards it.
Mo Duo’s giant body was unimaginably agile and flexible, so with this one leap, he managed to firmly grasp the trunk and scramble up it again.
Before he could advance much though, Yang Kai appeared on top of him like a ghost.
He furiously smashed Mo Duo’s head with the Demonic War Hammer that was enveloped in rich Ancient Demon Qi and permeated a world-destroying aura.
Mo Duo’s face changed slightly as he raised his hand to block this blow.
The hammer struck and broke bone, causing Mo Duo’s gigantic body to stagger for a moment and almost fall, but he refused to let go as he put his all into maintaining his own stability.
Yang Kai was relentless though as he smashed down with the hammer for the second time, followed by a third time, then a fourth time…
*Hong hong hong hong…*
Mo Duo was beaten like a sandbag, completely losing all dignity as a Demon Saint. The arm blocking his head had long been deformed, the bones inside shattered, leaving only a limp mass of bloodied flesh.
He finally could not endure any more and was smashed down from the tree by Yang Kai.
During the fall, however, Mo Duo grinned.
Because in the sky, another Mo Duo appeared out of nowhere. Although he was not three hundred metres tall, he was still several dozens of metres tall. It was obviously his Soul Clone.
No one knew when Mo Duo separated a Soul Clone, and even Yang Kai was unaware of it until now. After using his Demon Transformation, Yang Kai’s senses and awareness were greatly dulled, because he had only one goal in his mind, making his response to other things extremely weak.
Mo Duo took advantage of this and easily sent his Soul Clone out.
At this moment, the Soul Clone stood in front of the Black Eye that was hanging in the sky, his hands intertwining into various Seals while he chanted incoherent words, his body releasing an exceptionally profound and mysterious aura.
By the looks of it, it was obvious that the Soul Clone had maintained this state for some time and was just about to finish whatever it was trying to do.
Mo Duo’s Soul Clone suddenly stopped and raised his arms to palm at the Black Eye.
A spark of radiance suddenly appeared on the Black Eye, and as if it had a strong infectious power, rapidly spread, soon occupying half of the Black Eye in a flash. Furthermore, this radiance showed no signs of slowing its advance.
Yang Kai finally noticed something was amiss and stopped in mid-air to turn and look at the Black Eye.
Then, he roared and rushed upwards, seemingly wanting to stop the spread of the repugnant radiance.
But it was too late. When the radiance covered the Black Eye, the whole world regained its light again, and the darkness was broken. At that moment, Yang Kai, who had been soaring upwards, let out a shrill scream, as if he was struck by lightning. Copious amounts of blood seeped from his right eye as his whole body fell straight to the ground, smashing a giant pit where it landed.