The Embodiment sank into the ground for several hours, but Yang Kai still felt no movement from it, which caused him to frown in worry.
The Embodiment was clearly showing signs of having a breakthrough earlier, so why hadn’t he received any news from him yet? The haziness in his perception made it impossible for Yang Kai to accurately ascertain the Embodiment’s current condition, which made him anxious.
Suddenly, the ground shook, and a vague rumble burst out and spread in all directions.
Surprised, Yang Kai looked around. He could keenly sense a subtle change in the ambient World Energy. If the world could be described as standing still earlier, then something had begun slowly flowing, as if there was an invisible hand that was gently stirring the air.
*Dong…*
A dull and heavy noise erupted from the depths of the earth, just like a strong heartbeat, as if someone had struck a great war drum tens of thousands of metres below.
Following that noise, the energy flow accelerated abruptly, and the air began to change.
The whistling of the strong gale filled Yang Kai’s ears as tides of energy converged from all directions, gathering towards a certain place in the ground.
*Dong dong dong…*
The dull noise sounded over and over again, sounding more and more like a heartbeat. It gave one the illusion that the entire world was coming to life. Even the mountains in the distance resembling the coiled body of a dragon were undulating, just like the earth was breathing.
More and more World Energy was converging and becoming denser and denser before disappearing into the ground. It was as if a black hole existed underneath the surface that could devour everything, swallowing it all no matter how great the amount.
In the violent wind, Zhui Feng neighed in unrest, but Yang Kai was still as a mountain. He stared through the void, penetrating through the earth.
Within the depths of the earth, a powerful aura was gradually getting stronger, just like a Dragon awakening from its slumber.
Such a shocking phenomenon naturally alerted the Demons nearby, who all came over to investigate the situation; however, they weren’t able to approach within a thousand kilometres due to being obstructed by an invisible force. The Embodiment was the Master of the Cloud Shadow Continent, so it wasn’t hard for him to achieve this.
The Embodiment’s aura was growing stronger and stronger. Even without specifically sensing it, Yang Kai could feel it clearly. At a certain point, the strengthening suddenly stopped as if it had reached a limit. Rather than increasing, it was now decreasing.
Yang Kai’s face, who had been monitoring the Embodiment’s movements, sank at this revelation.
He knew that the Embodiment must have encountered a problem. Naturally, breaking through to the Half-Saint realm was not simple. Even with the Myriad Demon Pills in the Demon Realm, there still weren’t many Half-Saint level Masters in existence. Not because of any problems in accumulating power, but rather the shackles of their own perception. Without breaking through this layer, they’d never be able to reach a higher level.
But fortunately, the weakening force grew stronger again after a while and climbed to its highest peak. Only, this time the situation was almost exactly the same as before. Once it reached a peak, it could no longer go further and quickly dropped again.
Yang Kai’s face grew even darker.
As the saying went, the beating of the first drum rouses the spirit, the second weakens it, while the third exhausts it. Many grains of sand would eventually build a tower, but the longer a breakthrough stalled for, the less hope there was for success.
What’s more… the Embodiment’s breakthrough this time was slightly strange. Yang Kai did not see the familiar World Energy Baptism, and he had no idea whether it was because they were currently in the Demon Realm, and the World Principles here were different from the Star Boundary, or if it were due to other reasons.
But he could be sure that the Embodiment was in fact in the process of a breakthrough.
Yang Kai couldn’t help but feel worried again. He had already been in the Second-Order Emperor Realm for a long time, so he might break through to the Third-Order at any moment. When that time came, what if he encountered a problem due to the differences in World Principles between the two Great Worlds? What if he did not encounter a World Energy Baptism then?
But it was too early to worry about this right now. Perhaps the Embodiment’s advancement might offer him some insight.
Over the next few days, the Embodiment remained in the same state as before. His aura from underground was stuck in a loop of strengthening and weakening. Yang Kai really couldn’t understand this strange situation. Logically, the Embodiment should have failed if he had not been able to make a breakthrough even after such a long time, and the price of failure was that his cultivation would fall, or he would die. There were no other possibilities than these.
But according to Yang Kai’s perception, not only was the Embodiment not in any danger, but he even had the feeling that it had merged with Cloud Shadow Continent and was in a kind of deep sleep. And, the strengthening and weakening of his aura was just like him breathing.
Naturally, such a long-lasting abnormality alerted many of Cloud Shadow’s Demon Kings.
He Yin, Lao Ke, Ke Sen, and the others all came to investigate, but were all stopped a thousand kilometres away. Fortunately, Yang Kai noticed their arrival and took the initiative to contact them. Only then could they feel a little more at ease.
After all, they were extremely worried when they saw such an abnormal situation arise on Cloud Shadow, and they had no idea what was happening. Now that they had confirmed that it was related to Yang Kai, they immediately relaxed.
Compared to this, Yang Kai’s sudden and safe return surprised them even more. Previously, the Divine Spirits of Hundred Spirits Continent had appeared to abduct him. No one knew what was going to happen to Yang Kai after that and they had no news whatsoever for the past few months. They could only confirm through Tu Qia Luo and the others’ statuses that Yang Kai was still alive. The three Demon Kings from Blue Plains Continent had Yang Kai’s Soul Imprint in their Knowledge Seas, so if anything happened to Yang Kai, they would surely accompany him to the next life. There was no way they could be spared.
Since he had nothing to do here either, Yang Kai decided to move a thousand kilometres away to meet up with them. Asking about the situation, he learned that nothing special had happened in Cloud Shadow Continent recently. On the other hand, many people were worried about him when he had been abducted, especially Li Shi Qing, who was constantly trying to persuade He Yin and the others to gather Cloud Shadow’s strength to save him from the Hundred Spirits Continent.
Of course, it was impossible for He Yin and the others to agree to such a thing. As members of the Demon Race, they knew the terrifying heritage of the Hundred Spirits Continent. It was not something that a mere Cloud Shadow Continent could challenge by themselves. A single Half-Saint from Hundred Spirits Continent would be enough to destroy the entire Cloud Shadow Continent. This wasn’t about loyalty, it was about ability.
Since she was unable to persuade He Yin, Li Shi Qing had tried to make her way towards Enchantment Continent to ask for Yu Ru Meng’s assistance. Fortunately, Bo Ya stopped her.
This surprised Yang Kai; after all, he had never treated her well, and even slapped her when they first met.
But remembering that they were the only two Humans here in the Demon Realm, Yang Kai reasoned that Li Shi Qing more or less must have felt a connection with him, so it wasn’t that difficult to understand why she would have made such a decision. If something happened to him, then she would truly become isolated in the Demon Realm. No matter how bad his attitude was towards her, they were still of the same race…
While He Yin and the others talked, Zhui Feng was flying up and down at the side, drawing the attention of many Demons. Only, these Demons did not recognize Zhui Feng and simply thought that this mount was quite good.
Their Great King actually took a mount from the Hundred Spirits Continent? This surprised He Yin and the others. It seemed now that their Great King did not suffer any harsh treatment.
Ttwo months went by in the blink of an eye.
Even though he had never seen other Half-Saints make a breakthrough before, Yang Kai was sure that absolutely no one would take such a long time in order to achieve this process. Yang Kai estimated that the Embodiment was probably a first.
Every day remained unchanged, repeating the same situation over and over again, giving one the illusion that time was repeating itself.
On a certain day two whole months later, when the Embodiment’s aura reached its peak, it no longer dropped like before; instead, it seemed like it was going to continue climbing.
Yang Kai didn’t notice the difference at first; after all, he had been following this situation for two months without noticing any changes. Who could have guessed that a change would suddenly happen at such a time? It wasn’t until the Embodiment’s aura broke through its previous limit and reached new heights that Yang Kai woke with a start and showed a look of surprise.
He Yin and the others had clearly sensed the change as well, and they all looked at him questioningly.
The Embodiment’s growing aura didn’t seem like it was going to fall back on itself; instead, it continued to rise, climbing higher, higher, and higher again.
Finally, at a certain moment, a loud noise sounded, as if something had been shattered. Then, the rising aura reached a peak. At once, World Energy converged like a tsunami towards the ground before being swallowed up.
“Half-Saint!” Lao Ke muttered under his breath with excitement on his face.
After two months of waiting and observing, even without Yang Kai’s explanation, they could tell that someone was making a breakthrough to the next Great Realm, and the one who was breaking through must have a close relationship with Yang Kai. Right now, this aura undoubtedly meant that the person who was breaking through had succeeded.
In other words, Cloud Shadow Continent had their own Half-Saint from now on! No longer did they have to play to the tune of others anymore.
If Cloud Shadow had a Half-Saint back then, they would not have been bullied by Yue Sang.
But… Who was this person, and when did they refine Cloud Shadow’s Source?
Faced with the curious glances from the side, Yang Kai had no intention of explaining. Currently, Yu Ru Meng was the only one in the Demon Realm who knew about the Embodiment’s existence. Now that he had broken through to the Half-Saint realm and was suitable to be used as a secret weapon, it would naturally be best for Yang Kai to keep his existence a secret for as long as he could.
Yang Kai still remembered that Yue Sang was eyeing him. Even though he had been sent to the Two Worlds battlefield, who knew whether Yue Sang would come back in the future?
Only, now that he had the Embodiment, Yang Kai was no longer worried about that guy.
The aura of the newly advanced Half-Saint gradually disappeared, to the disappointment of Lao Ke and the others. They were hoping to be able to meet the new Half-Saint, but from this, they could tell that the other party had no intention of showing themselves, so they had no choice but to give up. Fortunately, they could be sure that this newly advanced Half-Saint had a good relationship with their Great King, so there may be a chance to meet them in the future.
After telling Lao Ke and the others to wait in place, Yang Kai flew a thousand kilometres away to look for the Embodiment that was burrowing out of the ground.
Four eyes met and Yang Kai revealed a look of surprise. That was because the Embodiment seemed to have grown smaller. Even though the Embodiment could freely alter his size, he usually maintained his most comfortable state. Due to him refining Shi Huo’s Source, his body had shrunk to about ten metres in height during normal times, but now he seemed to be only the size of an average person.
Although Embodiment had gotten smaller, that did not mean his strength had gotten weaker. On the contrary, it was a symbol of his strength becoming more condensed than before. The characteristics of a Shi Huo that used to be obvious had also undergone some drastic changes. The stone spikes protruding from the surface of his body were gone, lumps of rock piled up high against each other to form well-defined muscles that were filled with explosive strength, an Evil Fire could vaguely be seen between the cracks of his stone body, and the Demon Qi wrapped around him was extremely dense.
Perhaps it was because Embodiment had just advanced into the next Realm, but he could not wield his power as he pleased yet.
Yang Kai could clearly feel the Half-Saint aura coming from Embodiment. It was a strength that far surpassed a Demon King or an Emperor Realm Master. Unfortunately, he had nothing to compare it with. He couldn’t discern whether there were any gaps in strength between Embodiment and those older Master Half-Saints.
With a surge of his Divine Sense, Yang Kai placed Embodiment back into the Small Sealed World to allow him to stabilize his cultivation. Then, he returned to meet with He Yin and the others.
He was in no hurry. Riding Zhui Feng, he led a group of Demon Race members and advanced toward Cloud Shadow City with great vigour. The end of the one-year period agreement between him and Bright Moon was fast approaching. Besides, the dust had settled regarding Embodiment’s affairs. It was time for him to visit Enchantment Continent and look for Yu Ru Meng.
Yu Ru Meng would be the first to know if anything had happened to Bright Moon. If he stayed beside her, he could receive news about the situation on Eternal Sky Continent in advance and come up with a plan sooner.
While Yang Kai was mulling over those thoughts, he saw a member of the Demon Race racing toward him from a distance. When the Demon came closer, he revealed himself and seemed faintly startled to see Yang Kai in the lead. Still, he cupped his fists politely, “Greetings, Great King. Greetings, Sirs.”
Yang Kai nodded lightly and looked down at him arrogantly, “What’s the matter?”
That member of the Demon Race was just a Demon Great General. From the looks of things, he had flown over from Cloud Shadow City. He bowed and replied, “Great King, according to the reports from our spies, all continents in the Demon Realm are urgently dispatching troops. The Half-Saints are also being deployed, one after the other. There seems to be something going on, but we don’t know the reason behind it.”
In order to locate Bright Moon’s whereabouts, Yang Kai had assembled a lot of manpower from Cloud Shadow Continent and Blue Plains Continent and scattered them across all the continents of the Demon Realm to gather information. Despite already knowing Bright Moon’s location, he never ordered his spies to withdraw; instead, they continued to send various reports from other parts of the Demon Realm back to Cloud Shadow City.
When they recently discovered the anomalies occurring across the other continents as though something major was about to happen, it was only natural for them to report the findings immediately.
Lao Ke frowned upon hearing this and asked, “Did something happen on the two worlds’ battlefield?”
All the continents were dispatching their troops and many Half-Saints were being sent out, one after another. It was obvious that something big was happening. Aside from changes in the war, there shouldn’t be anything else that could cause such a huge commotion in the Demon Realm.
The Demon Great General shook his head, “I don’t know, but…”
“But what?”
“But, the Half-Saints seem to be heading toward the Eternal Sky Continent and not the two worlds’ battlefield.”
“Eternal Sky Continent!?” Yang Kai’s expression changed. Lowering his body slightly, he stared at the Demon Great General in front of him, “Are you sure they are heading to the Eternal Sky Continent?”
The Demon Great General faltered slightly under that unrelenting stare. Swallowing nervously, he answered, “That is what the spies reported. I heard that millions of troops from several continents have already amassed outside the Territory Gates of the Eternal Sky Continent.”
That undoubtedly meant that something had occurred in the Eternal Sky Continent. The first thing that Yang Kai thought of was Bright Moon. [It really is… Argh… Whatever I worry about will always come true…. I was just planning to head to the Enchantment Continent to visit Yu Ru Meng too…]
Bright Moon had been heavily wounded and was trapped on Eternal Sky Continent as a result. Not only was there a magnificent Spirit Array arranged there, but there was also a Demon Saint personally guarding that location. The Demon Race did not hesitate to sacrifice all the living creatures across the entire Eternal Sky Continent in an effort to increase the power of the Spirit Array to keep Bright Moon in the Demon Realm forever; however, nobody could have imagined that Yang Kai would secretly sneak in and leave Bright Moon with three leaves from the Immortal Tree. Hence, Bright Moon had recovered completely within a year with the help of those leaves.
Even if Bright Moon was still on his own, he was no longer the same weak lamb waiting to be slaughtered. A Great Emperor at his peak and a severely wounded Great Emperor were two different existences altogether. On this point, the Demon Saints had miscalculated, and they were going to pay a heavy price for this miscalculation.
The deployment of troops from all the continents and the dispatching of so many Half-Saints were the best indication! Those signs clearly indicated that a battle had broken out on Eternal Sky Continent, and the Demon Saints had clearly discovered that the situation was vastly different from what they had expected. Why else would they need to mobilize so many people as reinforcement?
Based on Bright Moon’s previous condition, he would only have gotten weaker and weaker with time. The power of Xue Li and the Spirit Array alone would have been enough to doom Bright Moon for all eternity.
“Pay attention to the news in this place one year from now. Don’t forget to rush over if any changes occur here as I still have something to tell you.” Bright Moon’s words echoed in Yang Kai’s ears. A moment later, Yang Kai nudged Zhui Feng with his knees, turned around, and galloped toward the nearest Territory Gate.
“Great King, where are you going?” Lao Ke exclaimed.
Yang Kai turned a deaf ear to those words. Riding Zhui Feng, he had already disappeared out of sight. He Yin and Lao Ke, who were left behind, looked at each other. They didn’t know what was wrong with Yang Kai.
Before they could figure out the situation though, Yang Kai, who had just disappeared into the distance, returned with a dreadfully solemn expression on his face. His arrival was accompanied by a command, “Quickly summon all the combat power in Cloud Shadow Continent and Blue Plains Continent and follow me to battle at Eternal Sky Continent!”
Arriving at Eternal Sky Continent alone was a bit too conspicuous; on the other hand, bringing some people along with him would give him an excuse to explain himself if anybody questioned him. In any case, everybody was converging at Eternal Sky Continent, so Cloud Shadow Continent was simply following their lead.
“Are we going to the Eternal Sky Continent too?” Lao Ke looked surprised.
He Yin looked up at Yang Kai and asked, “Great King, what is happening at Eternal Sky Continent?”
[Why did he become so impatient when he heard this odd piece of news?]
Yang Kai waved his hand impatiently, “Why are you asking so many questions!? Hurry up and gather the forces!”
Ke Sen hesitated, “But, Great King, we didn’t receive any orders to…”
“Are you refusing to obey this King’s orders?” Yang Kai looked at Ke Sen coldly. In response, Ke Sen immediately swallowed the rest of his sentence.
A short while later, many of the Demon Race split up and headed in all directions to spread word of Yang Kai’s orders. Meanwhile, Yang Kai was feeling extremely impatient. He couldn’t wait to fly over to Eternal Sky Continent to see how Bright Moon was doing; unfortunately, all he could do was wait patiently.
In any case, the battle between a Great Emperor and a Demon Saint would not be decided in such a short time, so it was pointless for Yang Kai to rush there. There was no way for him to interfere in a battle of that level with his current strength. If Bright Moon wanted to get himself out of trouble, then he could only rely on himself.
More importantly, Yang Kai had no idea how Bright Moon was going to get in touch with him. There were so many eyes around and under the watch of so many Demon Saints, not even the slightest disturbance would escape their gaze.
It was not long before both Cloud Shadow Continent and Blue Plains Continent were in an uproar. Many Demon Race Masters were being mobilized, heading towards a certain Territory Gate that was set as the marshalling point.
Three days later, a million troops from Cloud Shadow Continent had gathered. The dismal turnout was due to the need for expediency. If they had enough time, they could have gathered a few times more than this; after all, the population of an entire continent was quite large.
The million troops passed through the Territory Gate in great procession, the long line of soldiers stretching out into the distance with no end in sight. By the time they stepped across the boundary of Blue Plains Continent and marched toward the location of the next Territory Gate, Tu Qia Luo, Ba Zha and the others had already arrived with another million troops and were waiting there quietly.
When both parties converged, the army under Yang Kai’s command numbered over two million in total. Yang Kai had less than 50,000 people at his back when he defended Tiger Roar City initially. There was a multiple times difference in numbers between then and now. The army looked rather messy with so many people. Fortunately, with many Demon Kings assisting, none of the weaker soldiers dared step out of line, so it was not a hassle to manage the situation.
The army marched forward, but needless to say, it was not as fast as travelling alone. Yang Kai estimated that it would take at least half a month before he arrived at Eternal Sky Continent with these two million people in tow.
[I hope Bright Moon will be fine!]
Passing through one Territory Gate after another, the army continuously marched towards Eternal Sky Continent. At the same time, Yang Kai calmed down as the days went by and his initial impatience and anxiety were no longer present.
He had made up his mind. When the time came for him to reveal his true intentions, he decided to use Zhui Feng’s speed to escape with Bright Moon. As for whether they could actually get away, that would be up to the Heavens to decide. Besides, he wasn’t sure if Zhui Feng would cooperate with him. Although they now shared a close relationship, this guy was sentient and might not be willing to leave the Demon Realm with him.
…
The Blood Sea churned in Eternal Sky Continent. Twelve blood-coloured pillars that looked like spikes the Heavens had nailed to the ground turned the vast area into an unbreakable cage.
Outside the Blood Sea cage, the Demon Qi of many Blood Demons surged, increasing the power of the red ocean. In addition, countless members of the Demon Race were stationed outside the cage to prevent any unexpected mishaps. Among them, there were more than ten Half-Saints alone.
However, the current situation was a little different from what Yang Kai had seen when he was last here. The biggest difference was that the Demons who had continuously thrown themselves into the Blood Sea were gone. All the living creatures across the entire Eternal Sky Continent had been sacrificed. Consequently, the power of the Blood Sea had been elevated to the extreme, causing it to look like it was boiling. It churned endlessly and continuously emitted huge bubbles. Inside the Blood Sea, countless Souls wandered around while letting out bursts of cries and howls.
It was extremely disquieting.
The roaring and rushing power of the Blood Sea suddenly came pouring out, followed by an invisible jarring force that dispersed in all directions.
At the same time that a muffled noise sounded, the Blood Demons gathered around the Blood Sea exploded into a blood mist without a word. There was not even a bone left of their body. When the members of the Demon Race creating a blockade in the surroundings saw this, their expressions revealed fear and panic.
The vacant spots were quickly filled by other Blood Demons as they continued to maintain the power of Blood Sea; unfortunately, this method could not be kept up for long. The Blood Demons that could participate in this task had to be at least Demon Great Generals. The Blood Demon Clan might be a huge clan with a large population spread across the entire Demon Realm, but even they could not withstand such depletion of manpower. If things continued in this manner, the middle- to upper-level Blood Demons would all fall. In the worst case, it would cause the entire Clan to weaken as a result.
Ten breaths later, another tumultuous burst of power came surging out of the depths of the Blood Sea. It was just that it was not an invisible jarring force that came this time, but rather a burst of dazzling white light instead.
Several tunnels of nothingness formed in the Blood Sea everywhere the white light passed. Everything along its path was erased and the blood waters all vaporized. The members of the Demon Race that were touched by the white lights died on the spot without even a sound.
Xue Li had a cold expression as he stood on top of one of the blood-coloured pillars. His long, blood-coloured hair flapped behind him and his scarlet eyes were filled with a fury that threatened to burst out in flames. Gritting his teeth, he bellowed, “Bright Moon, you court death!”
Bright Moon should have been severely wounded. Offering up all the living beings in Eternal Sky Continent as blood sacrifices should have consumed the rest of his remaining energy. After such a long time, he should have gotten increasingly weaker to the point where he collapsed dead to the ground with no strength left to fight back and then been devoured by the World Principles of the Demon Realm. So, why was he still capable of resisting!? Furthermore, judging by the fallout of his attack, his aura was more stable and more powerful than before he had been trapped in this place. He even gave off a slight impression that he had been restored to his peak!
[What happened!? Where did it go wrong!?] Xue Li’s expression was cold and stern. He simply couldn’t figure it out.
Bright Moon’s injuries were known to all. Before he had been trapped in this place, he had been wounded by several Demon Saints working together. In fact, the injury in his abdomen had been personally inflicted by Xue Li.
To that end, Xue Li even went so far as to use a Secret Technique that wounded the enemy greatly while inflicting serious damage to himself. He was certain that nobody else in the world could treat that level of injury aside from him. [As one of the Great Emperors of the Star Boundary, Bright Moon would certainly not lack elixirs for healing purposes. Nevertheless, the effectiveness of my Secret Technique is not something that can be thwarted by mere Spirit Pills!]
Xue Li was tempted to plunge into the depths of the Blood Sea to check on Bright Moon’s current condition with his own eyes; however, there was a circle of pure land filled with a gentle light that blocked out the power of the Spirit Array at the bottom of the Blood Sea, in which Bright Moon could act as he pleased. This prevented Xue Li from seeing what was going on inside.
Since he couldn’t see inside, he could only take action to verify the situation for himself. He would definitely be made into a huge laughingstock if word got out that he allowed countless Blood Demons to be slaughtered by the opponent despite personally guarding this place.
While shouting, Xue Li raised both hands and his long, slender body shuddered slightly. A majestic wave of Demon Qi rushed out. The boiling and churning Blood Sea instantly experienced an eerie moment of calm, as though a large, invisible hand had suppressed all its movements. In the next moment, the Blood Sea suddenly began whirling clockwise, creating a whirlpool of enormous force. A huge Blood Vortex appeared in the middle of those twelve blood-coloured pillars in the blink of an eye.
That Blood Vortex was crimson all over and could clearly be seen even from thousands of kilometres away. It was as though the full moon in the sky had been dyed red and came falling down to the ground. At the same time, it gave off a feeling of unspeakable horror, as though the world was about to end.
Traces of a faint white light flickered in the centre of the Blood Vortex. It was the only pure land that Bright Moon had formed by pushing out the Blood Sea with his supreme cultivation. It was a pity that the area covered by this pure land was almost imperceptible compared to the size of the entire Blood Vortex.
Blood shadows the size of a palm formed inside the Blood Sea. Upon a closer look, one would discover that the blood shadows were actually blood-coloured bats. Those blood-coloured bats rushed towards the pure white land like an avalanche that blotted out the sky under Xue Li’s control. Unfortunately, they turned to dust and disappeared the moment they came into contact with that gentle moonlight. There was an overwhelming number of blood-coloured bats that were being formed and destroyed at a constant rate. Be that as it may, they couldn’t weaken the light of that pure land in any way whatsoever regardless of how many there were.
Xue Li’s expression darkened even more. There was no need to try again. He could already tell that Bright Moon’s condition had improved greatly, and even if he hadn’t fully healed, the difference wouldn’t be much.
[As expected, a Great Emperor cannot be underestimated.]
It was originally believed that the Twelve Pinnacles Grand Demon Array combined with the Blood Sea formed from all the living creatures of Eternal Sky Continent would be enough to make Bright Moon disappear forever, but it seemed the Heavens had other plans. It was shocking that Bright Moon still had the strength to fight back.
[The original plan is no longer feasible. We can only make adjustments to the plan as we go.] At that thought, Xue Li’s scarlet eyes flashed with determination. Casting Secret Techniques with both hands, the Demon Qi around his body surged powerfully and the Blood Vortex simultaneously began spinning faster. The indescribably high speed of rotation created a tornado. Looking down from above, the world below looked like a spinning top that threatened to rotate the entire Eternal Sky Continent along with it.
The Blood Demons surrounding the Spirit Array drew back quickly, lest they were dragged in and became collateral damage
Under Xue Li’s control, various Blood Creatures were formed from the Blood Sea in endless waves. These creatures rushed towards the pure land, only to dissipate into nothingness when they came in contact with the white light.
The Blood Sea had strong corrosive properties, but the gentle light had an unparalleled purifying effect. It was a battle between corrosion and purification. Bright Moon and Xue Li were natural enemies. When their respective Grand Daos collided with each other, a brilliant flare of light that eclipsed all others in the world flashed.
As time passed, the volume of the Blood Vortex gradually grew smaller. On the other hand, there were no changes to the pure land. There were no signs of it being reduced in any way. Many Half-Saints and members of the Demon Race watched the battle from afar, feeling incredibly pained. That Blood Vortex was the accumulation of all the living creatures of Eternal Sky Continent that had been offered up as blood sacrifices. In other words, Xue Li was using the energy formed from all the living of Eternal Sky Continent to clash with Bright Moon. Each reduction in volume represented the sacrifice made by millions of the Demon Race. Unfortunately, it was still unknown whether the outcome was worth the price they were paying.
On the other hand, Xue Li’s expression did not change whatsoever even after he launched his attack. The shrinking Blood Vortex did not affect him in any way. In his opinion, it didn’t matter if the Blood Vortex in front of him disappeared. Even if he had to sacrifice the living creatures of two or three more continents, it would still be worth it if he could weaken and suppress Bright Moon again.
There were hundreds of continents in the Demon Realm, but only twelve Demon Saints. If he could use all the living creatures of the two or three continents to gain another Demon Saint position for the Demon Realm, then it was not a bad deal. In any case, he was only sacrificing the living creatures on the continent and not the continent itself. Those low-rank members of the Demon Race were nothing to the Demon Saints. The Demon Realm might not have much, but its population was enormous. Xue Li would simply need to migrate some of the Demons from the other continents to those continents that were involved in the sacrifice and give them enough time to restore themselves to their former glory.
The air was filled with an endless sizzling sound that even drowned out the sounds made by the rotation of the Blood Vortex. It was naturally the sound of the blood waters being purified by the light Bright Moon created.
The light that used to glow faintly was growing stronger and stronger inside the crimson Blood Vortex, seemingly as though the pure land was expanding as the volume of the Blood Vortex was decreasing.
Xue Li’s scarlet eyes finally flashed with a hint of surprise. He had been certain that Bright Moon had recovered somewhat, but now he could be sure that Bright Moon was either back in peak condition or had used some sort of Secret Technique to forcefully stabilize his injuries; otherwise, it was impossible for Bright Moon to display such might.
[I can’t let this situation be dragged out any longer. Judging from the current situation, things would only get worse the longer this went on. As the person responsible for guarding this place, I will surely be disgraced if Bright Moon escapes from here.] Xue Li suddenly raised his foot and stomped abruptly on the blood-coloured pillar under his feet. Following that, an invisible force spread along the blood-coloured pillar and extended to the other eleven in a flash.
The tall pillars that acted as the base of the Spirit Array and had always been somewhat unremarkable suddenly shone with a strange light. At the same time, the complicated patterns engraved on the pillars gradually began to move. Then, eleven streams of blood water split off from the centre of the Blood Vortex and were absorbed by the blood-coloured pillars. The blood water flowed along the pillars, spreading from the bottom all the way to the top and condensing into blood-coloured figures at the top.
Eleven blood-coloured pillars and eleven blood-coloured figures. There was exactly one blood-coloured figure standing on top of each of the blood-coloured pillars, and including Xue Li, this formed the strongest array in the entire Demon Realm; the Twelve Pinnacles Grand Demon Array!
These blood-coloured figures were highly varied; some were tall, and some were short; some were male and some were female. Their bodies were constructed from the blood waters, and they had distinct features with bright eyes. In addition, each of the blood-coloured figures was emitting a different aura and each aura was that of a Demon Saint!
These twelve figures atop the pillars represented the twelve most powerful existences in the Demon Realm! It was just that, aside from Xue Li, the other eleven Saints were Manifestations based around Soul wisps. All the Demon Saints had sealed a part of their Soul into the base that made up the Twelve Pinnacles Grand Demon Array. It was so that the person in control of the Spirit Array could use a Secret Technique to awaken the Soul Wisps to enhance the power of the Spirit Array during emergencies. For example… now.
Among those figures, both Yu Ru Meng and Bei Li Mo stood out impressively.
“Xue Li, what is going on?” One of the tall figures glanced around. Then, he turned to look at Xue Li and asked the question.
“Can’t you tell from the current situation!? That bastard Bright Moon played all of us! Damn it!” A hoarse voice mixed with anger rang out from another direction.
Even if these figures were only Manifestations, the Demon Saints were no fools. They instantly understood the situation at a glance. Bright Moon had the strength to fight back against the Blood Vortex conjured by Xue Li. That was clearly not the final struggles of a dying man that they had expected. Rather, it was a person looking for a chance to break free.
“Xue Li, you were too careless! You can’t even watch over a guy rendered half-dead!? What a useless waste!” A short figure gave off a weird laugh. This person was very conspicuous among the Twelve Demon Saints because of his short stature that was only about the height of a five or six-year-old child. In contrast, his body shape was very round. The combination made him look very strange. Nevertheless, his aura felt the most dangerous among all Twelve Demon Saints. He was like a volcano that could erupt at any time.
As soon as those words left his mouth, many Demon Saints furrowed their brows in response. It was undeniable that Xue Li held some responsibility for this situation. If he had noticed Bright Moon’s condition a little earlier, they might have been able to avoid the current situation; however, it was not entirely Xue Li’s fault either. If a Star Boundary Great Emperor was that easy to kill, then they would not have spent so much energy laying out such a complex trap in the first place. Rather, if anybody else had been guarding this place instead, they might have fared even worse than Xue Li; after all, Xue Li was part of the Blood Demon Clan. Only the Blood Demons could draw out the full power that came from sacrificing all the living creatures of an entire continent.
Unfortunately, somebody had to take the blame in this situation…
When the short little man’s words rang out, Xue Li turned to look at him and grinned savagely, “Huo Bo, who gave you the courage to talk to this King in that tone? Have you forgotten the pain from the beating this King gave you ten thousand years ago? Do you want another taste? If so, this King doesn’t mind teaching you another lesson!”
The Demon Saint called Huo Bo jumped up like a cat that had its tail stepped on. His already round body seemed to expand further, and the dangerous aura around him became even more dangerous. “How dare you mention what happened ten thousand years ago!? If you didn’t cheat back then, this King would not have been humiliated in such a manner!”
Xue Li sneered, “It was your own naivete and stupidity. How can you blame me for that? A brain is certainly a good thing to have. It’s a pity not everybody has one.”
Despite being Demon Saints, they still had their respective strengths and weaknesses. It wasn’t just the case for the Demon Saints of the Demon Realm. The same went for the Great Emperors of the Star Boundary. For example, Heavens Revelations Great Emperor and Wondrous Pill Great Emperor would certainly be no match for the other Great Emperors if it came down to a fight. Those two had never been known for their combat abilities. Among the Ten Great Emperors, the one with the highest combat capabilities was probably Iron Blood Great Emperor, which was apparent just from the title of ‘Iron Blood’ that he held.
The dispute between Xue Li and Huo Bo dated back to ten thousand years ago. Although the exact situation was unclear, it was easy to figure out from their conversation that this Demon Saint by the name of ‘Huo Bo’ had suffered a great humiliation at the hands of Xue Li ten thousand years ago. Otherwise, why would the two of them still remember the incident so clearly even though so many years had passed?
“Arghhh…” That simple exchange between them instantly made Huo Bo jump with rage. He flipped out on top of that blood-coloured pillar, gritting his teeth and shouting, “Xue Li! I’m going to kill you!”
Xue Li coldly snorted, “You’re just a trivial Soul Manifestation in this place. Do you think I don’t dare to destroy you?”
Huo Bo fell into a fuming silence. The feud between him and Xue Li was a known fact. He had wanted to take advantage of this incident to ridicule the other party, but the other Demon Saints would not stand up for him even if his Soul Manifestation was destroyed in this place. Furthermore, he could not avoid taking some damage if his Soul Manifestation was damaged. Be that as it may, he felt extremely upset to remain quiet after being threatened by Xue Li.
Fortunately, somebody stepped up at this moment to smooth things over for all of them, “That’s enough. Stop quarrelling. You can settle your grievances with each other in private. What’s important right now is Bright Moon.”
The Demon who spoke had a pair of wings behind her back. She seemed to be from the same Clan as Bo Ya and was most likely a Demon Saint from the Feather Demon Clan. Turning her head, she looked around while enunciating each word clearly and coldly, “Do we kill? Or not?”
It wasn’t as though the Demon Saints were incapable of killing Bright Moon here and now. They had the perfect opportunity to kill him when he was heavily injured previously; however, their plan at the time had been to let the Demon Realm consume Bright Moon. Not only would that allow the Demon Realm to gain a new spot for a Demon Saint, it would also forever reduce the number of Great Emperors the Star Boundary could produce. That was the reason why they had set up this Grand Spirit Array and offered up billions of living beings as blood sacrifices. Unfortunately, their plans had backfired on them. Now that Bright Moon had the strength to break free of their cage, their original plans were no longer feasible. They had no choice but to come up with another course of action.
Nobody could provide an answer to the question raised by the Demon Saint of the Feather Demon Clan. If they killed Bright Moon, then all their previous efforts would be in vain. All the Demons of Eternal Sky Continent would have died for nothing. On the other hand, only the Heavens knew how much damage the struggles of a Great Emperor forced into a corner would cause if they did not kill him quickly. It was a huge dilemma even for the Demon Saints.
Silence fell over them. The only sound among them was the endless sizzling that was created as the pure white light purified the blood waters without pause. A short while later, many of them cast their gazes at a tall figure. It was as though this Demon Saint held great prestige among them all and his words could convince everybody. Under their gazes, that Demon Saint spoke, “Let’s try one more time. If it still doesn’t work, we’ll have to go with our backup plan!”
The Demon Saint of the Shadow Demon Clan replied, “There is certainly a chance of success with the backup plan, but as we discussed before, our Demon Race’s clansmen might not receive the recognition of the World this way. It’s not just that they will die if we fail to receive approval from the World, but the most important thing is that… if we actually go with this plan, many of the Half-Saints under our command will suffer and possibly even die. It’s impossible to expect them to kill a Great Emperor without paying a heavy price for it.”
The Demon Saint of the Sand Demon Clan added, “This is a rare opportunity. We should fight for it. Whether our subordinates can obtain the recognition of the World or not will depend on their luck. As for whether they survive or not… I’m sure they are more than willing to put their lives on the line for the sake of their futures; after all, if we were in their place, we would have made the same choice.”
Many of the Demon Saints nodded firmly. Even Xue Li and Huo Bo, who disliked each other, agreed on this point. Faced with this situation, the tall Demon Saint who spoke up earlier declared, “Since there are no objections, then it is settled! Begin!”
After completing their discussion, the Twelve Demon Saints began activating Secret Techniques in unison. The twelve blood-coloured pillars instantly shone with a blood-red light that flooded the entire world. At the same time, a horrifying aura suddenly burst out from the Blood Vortex, which had been constantly shrinking, suddenly became reinvigorated with the blessing of the Twelve Pinnacles Grand Demon Array.
In response, the clean white light was continuously compressed and weakened. In the end, the light disappeared out of sight. The entire process didn’t take more than an hour. Even Bright Moon’s aura could no longer be detected anymore.
Many of the Demon Saints couldn’t help but breathe a sigh of relief at the sight. They previously thought that Bright Moon had somehow recovered completely, but now, it would seem that it was nothing but a false alarm.
Bright Moon had probably used some sort of sacrificial Secret Technique to stabilize his injuries and put up a last struggle. It was a pity that he had underestimated the power of the Twelve Pinnacles Grand Demon Array. If it really had been just Xue Li alone here, then he might have succeeded. Unfortunately, he was unaware that the Spirit Array could summon the Soul Manifestations of the other Demon Saints at any time to provide a power boost. It could only be said that his attempt to escape had ended in failure and he was destined to die in the Demon Realm.
At this rate, they could fall back on the original plan again. Bright Moon would gradually weaken and be absorbed by the Demon Realm, but as many of them relaxed their guard, Xue Li’s expression abruptly changed and he roared, “Watch out!”
Unlike all the rest of the Demon Saints who were only here as Soul Manifestations, he was actually present. Therefore, his perception and senses were naturally sharper than the others. Combined with his identity as a Blood Demon, he had the greatest insight on the changes occurring inside the Blood Vortex and could detect even the slightest changes it underwent.
At that moment, Bright Moon’s aura, which had been extinguished previously, suddenly erupted back to life. Moreover, his aura expanded at a speed that even caught Xue Li off guard. The weakness Bright Moon displayed before had been nothing more than a ruse to make his enemies lower their defences.
At that moment, Xue Li’s mind was clearer than ever before. A look of realisation flashed in his eyes, [So this is what he was planning! No wonder he stayed quiet even though he clearly had the strength to escape! He was putting pressure on me on purpose! He wanted me to summon the others! He intends to wipe them all out in one fell swoop!]
Strong as the Demon Saints might be, they would still suffer quite a bit if their Soul Manifestations were destroyed. It would take them many years before they could recover from the effects, and that period when they were recuperating would be the best time for Bright Moon to escape. When that happened, the only one with enough strength to stop him would be Xue Li. The rest of the Demon Saints would inevitably be restrained by the injuries to their Souls.
Although they were enemies standing on opposite sides, Xue Li couldn’t help feeling a sense of respect for Bright Moon at this moment. The actual physical bodies of the other Demon Saints were already on the way here, and it wouldn’t take more than a few days for them to gather at Eternal Sky Continent. If everything went according to plan, Bright Moon would not have been able to even dream of escaping the Demon Realm even if he had overwhelming power that surpassed the Heavens. However, with what he was about to do, the other Demon Saints might not have the strength to stop him even if they rushed here in time!
Inside the crimson Blood Vortex, a small light suddenly lit up like a lamp in the night. That brightness increased at an alarming speed and in a short time, it appeared as though the sun itself was sealed within the Blood Vortex. The Blood Vortex shone brightly with a strange white incandescence. As the light grew increasingly stronger, a terrifying force poured out of the Blood Vortex.
Aside from Xue Li, the faces of the other eleven Demon Saints were filled with shock and fury.
The dazzling incandescence broke through the seals of the Blood Vortex and spread outward in all directions. Everywhere that the white light passed, the blood waters evaporated away and the enormous Blood Vortex only held out for three breaths before it dissipated into nothingness. The clean white light contained a Heaven-destroying and Earth-shattering murderous intent as its remaining power swept towards the place where the Demon Saints stood without diminishing in the slightest.
The speed of the light was unimaginably fast, so fast that even the Soul Manifestations of the Demon Saints failed to notice it until it was right in front of them. The first Soul Manifestation to be shrouded by that white light only had time to let out a shrill scream before exploding and disappearing. At the same time, a figure in a certain continent somewhere that was rushing towards Eternal Sky Continent groaned and fell out of the sky. Fortunately, the Half-Saints around him reacted quickly and supported him with their Demon Qi; otherwise, he would definitely become the butt of all jokes…
Immediately following that, a second scream rang out…
Then, a third…
“In your dreams!” Xue Li roared. He had already come up with a countermeasure in that short interval. As he shouted, he bit the tip of his tongue and sprayed out a mist of blood to his left. The blood mist spread out swiftly, came to the nearest blood-coloured pillar in the blink of an eye, and enveloped the Soul Manifestation standing there. Immediately following that, the white light struck. Fortunately, the white light was offset by the blood mist that enveloped that Soul Manifestation, allowing it to escape unscathed.
As the white light gradually faded, its terrifying power slowly subsided. The figure of a young man was eventually revealed to be standing in the spot where the enormous Blood Vortex was originally located. That person’s complexion was jade-like, brave, and heroic. He was dressed in white clothes that were spotlessly clean. Stepping out of his prison, he looked at Xue Li quietly with a calm smile on his face.
Xue Li’s gaze landed on Bright Moon’s abdomen for a moment before his pupils abruptly shrank… [The wound is gone! He’s fully recovered!]
After that, he turned to look to the side and saw Huo Bo, the only remaining survivor and his facial muscles twitched in response. When Bright Moon attacked just now, Xue Li could only protect one other person. It was impossible for him to stop Bright Moon from escaping with his strength alone and he didn’t think about anything else at that moment. Only now did Xue Li realize that the person he protected was none other than Huo Bo… [Just looking at that oafs’ expression makes me want to spit up blood!]
Nevertheless, now was not the time to care about such details, [The Blood Sacrifice Technique has been broken and the Twelve Pinnacles Grand Demon Array has become a hollow joke due to a moment of carelessness. Right now, the only ones that can stop Bright Moon are Huo Bo and I!]
“Get here quickly!” Xue Li growled at Huo Bo. Then, he turned his head and focused all his attention on Bright Moon, who was slowly approaching. He might not be afraid of a Great Emperor, even one in peak condition, but he could not delay Bright Moon for long either if the latter was intent on escaping. It had taken several Demon Saints working together at that time just to injure and trap Bright Moon here. If Huo Bo took too long to arrive, everything would be over!
Needless to say, Huo Bo understood this too. He turned and glared at Bright Moon hatefully before his figure dissolved into a pool of blood that vanished into the blood-coloured pillar. Meanwhile, somewhere in the distance, the actual Huo Bo was rushing toward Eternal Sky Continent with all his might…
The mountains and rivers shuddered, space collapsed, the continent was broken into pieces, and incomparably huge cracks lay across the Void like scars that would never heal. Blood-red light and moonlight clashed with each other above the sky. The Half-Saints and other members of the Demon Race watched in awe from below.
They could not tell how the battle was going as the fiercely colliding Grand Dao had blanketed all traces and blinded their eyes. There was only a continuous flashing of lights in their vision, an endless rumbling in their ears, and the ceaseless quaking of the World Energy around them. The aftershocks of the confrontation rippled wildly across the entire continent. As strong as the Half-Saints were, they suddenly felt extremely insignificant in the face of such power. This was a true battle between a Great Emperor and a Demon Saint!
Eternal Sky Continent was still in tatters from the last battle, and now that it was going through another similar experience, this continent was basically doomed to destruction. Even with the World Principles of the Demon Realm doing their best to repair things, it was unlikely for it to recover again on its own. Rather, it was easy to imagine that it would be like all the other continents that had disappeared. It would slowly disconnect itself from the Demon Realm in the next millennia and become completely obliterated in the endless Void.
Even if the Half-Saints couldn’t catch the specifics of the battle, they could tell that the Great Emperor from the Star Boundary was still trying to find a way to escape just by relying on their combat instincts; however, his attempts were being blocked by Xue Li. It was impossible for the Human to get away for the time being, but that was an extremely normal occurrence. When two people of similar strength fought, there would always be some struggle between the escapee and the captor. Unfortunately, it was undeniable that the former had an advantage over the latter. The captor would have to pay a higher price to achieve their goals.
High up in the sky, there was a round moon behind Bright Moon’s back that shone with a brilliant, white light. That gentle halo of light illuminated the entire world. Meanwhile, the aura around his body pulsed vibrantly, causing every gesture he made to carry the power to destroy the Heavens and shatter the Earth.
Sometimes, Xue Li took his Human form to perform various Secret Techniques to display his strength. Other times, he would turn into a blood mist that made his whereabouts very difficult to track. There was no need for him to confront Bright Moon in a life-or-death fight, he only needed to delay the other party’s progress and wait for Huo Bo to arrive. It would then become two against one, giving them a decisive advantage.
It was obvious that Bright Moon understood that too. His offensive attacks became fiercer and fiercer, almost to the point of recklessness. What really bothered him was not Xue Li, who was fighting him. Rather, it was a throbbing feeling in his heart. It felt as though a pair of eyes were watching him quietly from the darkness; one that could strike a fatal blow at any time.
If not for his scruples over that, Bright Moon would have gone all out in his struggle with Xue Li a long time ago. He tried many times to lure the enemy hiding in the dark to reveal themselves, but his efforts had failed. He didn’t know whether it was simply his imagination or whether the enemy was simply concealing themselves extremely well, but the longer he was delayed, the more detrimental it was to him. He could no longer afford to continue delaying as his best chance of survival was to flee as soon as possible.
When the thought crossed his mind, a trace of determination flashed in his eyes. Forming a set of profound hand seals, the round moon behind Bright Moon suddenly burst with dazzling light, transforming his whole being into a beam of brilliant radiance. With the resolve of facing death in order to carve out a chance to live, he charged toward Xue Li.
The blood mist in front condensed to reveal Xue Li’s figure as a trace of hesitation and struggle flashed in his eyes. Finally, he grit his teeth and the vitality around his body surged. A bright red light illuminated the sky as he stepped forward to meet Bright Moon boldly.
[If you want to fight with your life on the line, then I will accept your challenge!] His first thought was that it was one of Bright Moon’s tricks and he was simply trying to use this method to force him into retreat. This was the Demon Realm after all, and if Bright Moon was injured once more, he would not be able to escape again.
For that reason, Xue Li could not afford to retreat in this place. If he did, Bright Moon’s plan would succeed. Since he couldn’t retreat, he could only fight!
However, Xue Li’s expression soon filled with shock. That was because as he approached, he discovered that Bright Moon had no intention of backing down. Instead, Bright Moon’s aura became stronger while at the same time his attack became even more determined.
[This bastard really wants to clash with me!]
Xue Li soon rejoiced as he couldn’t help bursting into laughter, “Bright Moon, you truly court death!”
After saying that, he increased his power too.
Above the sky, white and red rays of light quickly approached each other before colliding. There was no explosion. At that moment, the entire world fell into a strange silence. It was as chaotic as the dawn of time; however, all those Demons who were watching this scene could clearly hear their hearts thumping in their chests. It felt as though they were caught by a giant invisible hand that left them feeling breathless…
The two rays of red and white light were stuck in a stalemate in the sky for a moment. Then, they crashed, exploded, and the impact seemed to swallow the entire world. All the Demons below couldn’t help squinting at this moment. Shockwaves visible to the naked eye spread out in all directions centred around the collision point as a gust of wind howled past, flattening and shattering many mountains…
The two figures were thrown in opposite directions at a speed faster than when they rushed at each other as the entire continent resounded with Xue Li’s angry roar, “You can’t escape, Bright Moon!”
Somewhere in the distance, a figure floated up unsteadily. It was none other than Bright Moon Great Emperor who had suffered defeat at Xue Li’s hands twice. At the moment, his complexion was deathly pale and his hair was dishevelled. His white clothes were stained with large patches of red. Nobody could tell whether the blood belonged to him or Xue Li. Ignoring his enemy’s words though, Bright Moon circulated his Emperor Qi and flew towards the nearest Territory Gate.
At the same time, he reached out his hand, summoned forth an emerald green leaf, put it in his mouth, and held it under his tongue. If it weren’t for having this leaf of the Immortal Tree, he would not have dared to use such a method that would injure both parties to escape from Xue Li’s entanglement. It was precisely because he could fall back on this that Bright Moon could act so resolutely.
Yang Kai had given him three leaves of the Immortal Tree back then, two of which he had used to heal his wounds. Bright Moon had been reluctant to use the last one, saving it just for today in case anything unexpected happened. Now, it would seem that this was a wise decision. He could stabilize his injuries with the leaf of the Immortal Tree, allowing him to take advantage of the fact that the other Demon Saints had not arrived. It was a great chance for him to escape from the Demon Realm during this period.
There were two remaining Territory Gates in Eternal Sky Continent, each of which was heavily guarded. Nevertheless, as long as there were no Demon Saints blocking his path, the other members of the Demon Race were nothing to him. If he could only pass through the Territory Gate, he would have won half the battle.
It was just that the feeling of being stared at by somebody was still there. It was definitely not just his imagination. There really was an extremely powerful enemy hiding somewhere in the darkness like a hunter watching the movements of their prey.
What surprised Bright Moon though was that the enemy hiding in the dark did not seem intent on stopping him even when the Territory Gate appeared in his vision. He did not let his guard down just because of that though as it was well-known that the better the hunter, the higher the possibility of them landing a fatal blow at the critical moment…
Bright Moon was only a few hundred metres from the Territory Gate, and with his cultivation, he could cover such a distance in the time it took to blink, but all of a sudden, a powerful aura suddenly appeared from the side and approached him at an incredible speed. It was a Demon Saint’s aura! Moreover, it was an extremely unfamiliar aura.
Bright Moon’s expression sank. He turned his head to look, only to see a figure with a short and round body that looked like a melon. His entire body seemed to be covered in flames, and he was screaming loudly. Moreover, he made a flurry of odd gestures on the way here. It made him look extremely comical.
[Is that… a Red Demon?] Bright Moon had spent quite a long time in the Demon Realm, and although he had been imprisoned for the vast majority of it, that did not mean he was clueless about the Demon Realm. Back then, Yang Kai had explained the various customs and culture of the Demons to the people of the Star Boundary, focusing on the characteristics and abilities of numerous Clans in the Demon Realm.
The memory of the Red Demons and Green Demons self-destructing was vivid in Yang Kai’s mind. Those two clans had been very active in the wars between the two worlds, and many from the Star Boundary had died at their hands.
These two Demon Clans held extremely low status across the entire Demon Realm. It could be said that they were the lowest existences of them all. They acted as cannon fodder in every war due to their powerful self-destruction ability.
Correspondingly, these Demons who were essentially cannon fodder had extremely low intelligence and never seemed to have produced any high-level members of the Demon Race. Be that as it may, Bright Moon was currently looking at a Red Demon, who was a Demon Saint! It was no mistake. The person rushing toward him, flailing and yelling at the same time, was exuding the aura of a Demon Saint!
[Can a Red Demon really cultivate to become a Demon Saint?] Despite his impressive mental faculties, Bright Moon couldn’t help feeling shocked.
Meanwhile, the Red Demon Saint rushing in this direction seemed to have no intention of defending at all. On the contrary, he looked as though he was determined to die together with Bright Moon.
[What does he plan to do?] Bright Moon frowned. [This guy can’t be like those normal Red Demons and Green Demons, right? He can’t be throwing himself at me to self-destruct, right? He is a Demon Saint after all. He can’t be attacking with such inferior means!]
Unfortunately, he soon discovered that he was wrong. This Demon really intended to self-destruct! That was because the aura around his body was becoming more and more dangerous as he approached. It felt like a volcano that could erupt at any time!
Bright Moon’s complexion changed. He turned and glanced at the Territory Gate that was so close at hand. Gritting his teeth, he retreated quickly.
The self-destruction of the most common Red Demons could produce great damage. Bright Moon simply could not imagine what would happen if a Red Demon, on par with the Demon Saint, were to self-destruct. [Perhaps, even the entire continent will be destroyed from the blast!]
To his surprise, the figure of the Red Demon in front of him became distorted as he backed away. The other party suddenly appeared a thousand metres in front of him in an instant. At such close distance, Bright Moon could clearly see the other party’s ugly face, bloated figure, and eyes that looked like they were about to pop out of their sockets. It was as if he himself could barely bear the great pressure in his body. The aura that was already dangerous in the first place had become even more horrifying at this moment.
Without any hesitation, Bright Moon gestured with both hands to lay down several layers of defence in front of him. He even went so far as to summon the defensive Emperor Artifact that he had never used before!
A small red light appeared suddenly. Immediately after that, a loud noise that left the entire world buzzing in its wake rang out. The place where the Red Demon Saint was located was instantly shrouded in a dazzling red light. Then, the red light spread out violently in all directions. Everything it touched turned to dust.
The layers of defence in front of Bright Moon shattered like paper. Meanwhile, the defensive Emperor Artifact was wildly flashing, only enduring for a breath before shattering.
Bright Moon’s eyes narrowed sharply. Maintaining a constant pace of retreat, he continued to lay defences in front of him…
A moment later, the red light disappeared and the world calmed down. He stood in the sky, looking awful. His complexion was as pale as a sheet and blood was trickling out of his ears, nose, and mouth…
The destructive power of a Red Demon Saint’s Self-Destruction Technique was smaller than he had expected. At the very least, it had not destroyed an entire continent. Nevertheless, it had increased the severity of his injuries. The powerful vitality from the leaf of the Immortal Tree flowed throughout his body, quickly repairing the wounds in his body, but unfortunately, this was not something that could be done in such a short time. The injuries he received from Xue Li in the beginning had taken him two leaves and nearly a year to completely heal.
“Hahahaha!” Xue Li’s laughter sounded from afar as he drew nearer by the moment. He was obviously rushing toward this place, “Huo Bo, this is the first time I’ve ever found you so pleasing to the eye!”
Protecting Huo Bo’s Soul Manifestation had brought about an unexpected result. The other Demon Saints were not weak. In fact, most of them were stronger than Huo Bo. Be that as it may, if it had been somebody else other than Huo Bo who came here instead, they might have failed to halt Bright Moon here; after all, Bight Moon had been one step away from the Territory Gate. Huo Bo’s Self-Destruction Technique was the only thing that could prevent Bright Moon from passing through at that moment!
Small spots of red light condensed together, reforming into a short and bloated figure in the blink of an eye. The Demon Saint’s self-destruction had not cost him his life. That was probably an Innate Divine Ability that separated him from the rest of the Red Demon Clan. Nevertheless, his current condition was not the best either. The colour of his originally crimson body had dimmed noticeably and his aura was weaker too. It was clear that the Self-Destruction Technique had taken quite a toll on him. A Divine Ability like that could not be used continuously in a short period of time; otherwise, it would be fatal for him.
Huo Bo turned his head and looked in Xue Li’s direction, the corners of his mouth twitching slightly as he muttered something under his breath. Although nobody could tell what he was saying, it seemed as though he was cursing at somebody.
On the other hand, Bright Moon’s expression was as calm as water. He sighed. He was not sighing due to his failure. This scenario was still within his expectations. Needless to say, it would have been best if he could break out and escape; however, the Demon Realm had Twelve Demon Saints. If they truly let him escape, then they shouldn’t call themselves Demon Saints anymore. The situation before was well within his expectations, so there was nothing to regret. [My path is filled with thorns and there is only one way forward. I can only kill my way out!]
…..
Yang Kai was feeling extremely anxious. After rushing all the way, he finally arrived at the Territory Gate leading to Eternal Sky Continent half a month later. From a distance, he could see many members of the Demon Race gathered in front of the Territory Gate. He did not know how many people were gathered there.
With so many Demons around, the place became fairly chaotic as a result. The Demon Race army scrambled towards the Territory Gate under the lead of the Half-Saints, as though something good was waiting for them on the other side.
[Judging by the current situation, it won’t be my turn even after waiting in line for more than ten days!] Yang Kai turned around upon seeing this situation and yelled to the back, “Keep up!”
Tightening his knees around Zhui Feng, Yang Kai rushed towards the Territory Gate aggressively. Since he wouldn’t get a turn if he waited in line, then he simply wouldn’t wait in line!
Yang Kai charged forward violently. Relying on Zhui Feng’s power, he forcefully forged a path through the dense crowd of the Demons as his army of two million followed closely behind.
It went without saying that his actions attracted the attention of many of the Demon Race. They turned their heads in this direction and glared furiously. Even so, the entire Demon Realm was a place where the strong ruled. Although Yang Kai clearly wasn’t a Half-Saint, the aura Zhui Feng exuded was not inferior to a Half-Saint in any way. Therefore, the average member of the Demon Race did not dare to raise any objections.
After approaching to within five thousand metres of the Territory Gate, a figure suddenly floated over and stopped in front of Yang Kai. That figure lifted his hand slightly and shouted, “Stop!”
“Move aside! All who block my way will die!” Yang Kai did not have the time to waste on this person. The battle on Eternal Sky Continent had already begun and Bright Moon’s fate remained unknown; hence, Yang Kai was very anxious to check on the situation himself. Even if a Demon Saint was standing in front of him right now, he would have continued acting rampant, much less a mere Half-Saint.
In fact, Yang Kai was glad that somebody had blocked his way. He could make an example out of this person! The Embodiment had become a Half-Saint and Zhui Feng was one as well. The cards in Yang Kai’s hands were only getting better and better.
Yang Kai did not know which Clan this Half-Saint was from, only that his complexion was very sallow. The Demon Race army passing through the Territory Gate at this moment happened to be under his command and it was precisely because of that reason that he stepped forward to stop Yang Kai. Otherwise, who would bother to take care of somebody else’s affairs?
When that Half-Saint saw Yang Kai riding a Demon Beast with such a powerful aura, he was certain that the latter possessed an influential background. For that reason, he first tried reasoning with Yang Kai. Who could have known that Yang Kai would reject his kind offer so arrogantly? It immediately made him mad.
[This guy’s aura isn’t that strong. Even if he comes from an influential background, it has its limits. Besides, I am a Half-Saint. Why should I be afraid of others?]
In his rage, he lifted his hand and struck Yang Kai. An overwhelming wave of Demon Qi came rushing out and the air resounded with a deafening voice, “You court death!”
The power of a Half-Saint was nothing to laugh about and Yang Kai immediately sensed something tightening around his entire body as the aura of death washed over him. Just as he was considering letting the Embodiment out though, Zhui Feng neighed. His four hooves ignited with golden flames, leaving gold marks behind each step. He immediately appeared in front of that Half-Saint, reared up on his hindlegs, and stomped on him with his front hoofs.
It was an unremarkable attack, but even so, it made the Half-Saint’s expression change drastically. He raised his hands above his head with his palms facing outward like he was trying to hold up the sky, the Demon Qi in his body surging violently.
The moment the palms and hooves came into contact with each other, a terrifying force blasted out. The Half-Saint only managed to hold his ground for a moment before he fell out of the sky like an arrow that had left its string, his figure vanishing out of sight in an instant.
Zhui Feng looked like he was going to chase after his opponent, but Yang Kai grabbed his mane to restrain him. Turning around, Yang Kai glared at his surroundings with a cold gaze, “Who else wants to stop me?”
All the members of the Demon Race in the surroundings quickly retreated. Meanwhile, the other Half-Saints nearby stared at Zhui Feng with frowns on their faces. Then, a look of surprise flashed in their eyes as they apparently recognized the beast’s origins.
Yang Kai had been running around non-stop to help the Demon Saints repair their Territory Gates. For that reason, he had gotten to know many Half-Saints. Be that as it may, none of them could rival Zhui Feng when it came to reputation.
The mount that the Master of Hundred Spirits Continent once used to ride was incredibly famous, it was just that this legendary mount had gradually disappeared from the world’s notice following Chang Tian’s withdrawal from public life. Nobody could have expected Zhui Feng to reappear again here; moreover, he was being ridden by somebody who was no more than a Mid-Rank Demon King. Just who was this man!?
Although the relationship between Hundred Spirits Continent and the Demon Realm was tenuous, Zhui Feng’s identity was extremely unusual. If anybody dared to harm a single hair on Zhui Feng’s head, ‘that’ person from Hundred Spirits Continent would definitely come rushing out in a rage and turn the world upside down!
Therefore, all the Half-Saints held their silence when those words came out of Yang Kai’s mouth. It wasn’t because they were afraid of Yang Kai, but rather that they were worried that they might accidentally injure Zhui Feng during a fight. That would be very bad. What’s more; going by the strength Zhui Feng displayed just now, he was undoubtedly an extremely strong existence even among Half-Saints. It was a pity he was limited by his low sentience which prevented him from taking on a Human Form.
The sallow-faced Half-Saint who was sent crashing down by Zhui Feng flew back up again, his expression cold and terrifying. It was extremely embarrassing to be caught off guard in that moment of carelessness. Even so, it was obvious that he had some misgivings since he didn’t attack again.
Yang Kai glanced at the Half-Saint and did not provoke the other party any further. He had enough on his plate as it was and it would be better if he entered Eternal Sky Continent as soon as possible. Thus, Yang Kai simply shouted to the army under his command, “Let’s go!”
After saying that, he took the lead and headed towards the Territory Gate.
Lao Ke and the others followed behind him, drenched in cold sweat as they felt incredibly guilty. Yang Kai had the protection of Zhui Feng, so even if a fight broke out, nothing would happen to him. Unfortunately, the same could not be said about them. How many would be left of the army of two million if a melee broke out here? Fortunately, the surrounding Half-Saints had restrained themselves…
Afterwards, the army of two million shuffled through the Territory Gate, finishing their transit within half a day as the Territory Gate was big enough to accommodate many people at once.
Despite appearing in different locations, they were all within a thousand kilometres of each other. Yang Kai spent some time regrouping and reorganizing the army before setting off with great vigour.
From time to time, they would feel waves of subtle vibrations coming from somewhere up ahead. The sounds of battle mixed with the fallout of clashes came from the distance. A light loomed on the horizon, indicating that the battle was getting more and more intense.
Yang Kai lifted his gaze to look in that direction but couldn’t see anything. The actual battlefield was simply too far away.
On his way there, he encountered many other Demon Race armies rushing in that direction and his heart sank deeper and deeper. The way things stood; it was evident that the Demon Realm had pulled out all the stops. All the Half-Saints who remained in the Demon Realm along with seemingly every member who could fight had been dragged to Eternal Sky Continent. All this just to kill Bright Moon!
A strange idea came to Yang Kai’s head suddenly. [If I could destroy the entire Eternal Sky Continent, then the Demon Race would suffer a devastating loss that would certainly leave them debilitated for some time. That would also resolve the crisis of the Demon Realm’s invasion into the Star Boundary in one fell swoop!] However, that thought only flitted through his mind for a moment before he gave up on the idea. He did not have the power to pull such a feat off.
Passing by a certain mountain range, Yang Kai saw a crowd of people below. An extremely enormous flag was planted on the top of the mountain, one covered in complex patterns that fluttered in the wind. Yang Kai frowned at the sight, and after observing for a moment, he made the army behind him wait and flew down on Zhui Feng alone.
Someone over there cast a gaze in his direction before he flew up. When their gazes met, that person smiled at Yang Kai slightly and bowed with his hand on his chest, “We meet again, Brother Yang.”
“So it is Brother Bai Ya. No wonder you seemed so familiar.” Yang Kai flew over and looked down on that person from above.
Stationed on this mountain was the Half-Saint under Bei Li Mo, Bai Ya. Yang Kai had met Bai Ya on multiple occasions when he was repairing the Territory Gates in Bei Li Mo’s territory so they could be considered acquaintances.
When Bai Ya glanced at Zhui Feng, a flash of surprise appeared in his eyes and he smilingly asked, “Brother Yang, that is an extraordinary mount. Where did you get him?”
Yang Kai gave a fake laugh and replied, “I picked him up by the side of the road.”
The other party had clearly recognized Zhui Feng; thus, asking that question was simply to obtain confirmation. It didn’t matter whether he answered the question or not.
The corners of Bai Ya’s mouth twitched at those words before he looked back in the direction of the battlefield and asked leisurely, “Brother Yang, did you receive an order from the Holy Venerables to come and try your luck too?”
[Try my luck? Try my luck at what? What luck is there here?] Yang Kai was utterly confused. When it came down to it, he had not received any orders whatsoever. He had barged into this place on his own. Not in the position to ask questions though, he simply went with the flow, “That’s right. Isn’t that the case for you too, Brother Bai Ya?”
Bai Ya smiled bitterly and shook his head, “Of course, but I’d rather not have come. Unfortunately, it is an order from the Holy Venerables. I can’t disobey.”
Yang Kai nodded, “This place is extremely dangerous after all. It’s definitely not a place anybody will want to come to. But why hang your head and sigh when you are already here? The tides might turn in your favour. Who knows? It might be your lucky break now, Brother Bai Ya.”
Bai Ya laughed, “Although I really want to believe in your auspicious words, I know my own capabilities. If a fight breaks out, I won’t stand much of a chance…”
While speaking, he suddenly turned to look at Yang Kai, his eyes brightening as he said, “On the other hand, Brother Yang, you… might have a better chance than everybody else.”
[Better chance at what!? What the Hell is this guy talking about!?] Yang Kai was tempted to just ask to get to the bottom of things, but he had already pretended to understand the situation just now so he couldn’t expose his lies by asking. Thus, he could only pretend to be puzzled, “Brother Bai Ya, I don’t quite understand what you mean by that. If even you don’t stand much of a chance, why would you say I’d be able to do it?”
“Because you are from the Star Boundary! You originated from the same place!” Bai Ya replied in a matter-of-fact manner.
[What does this have to do with my coming from Star Boundary? What does he mean by originating from the same place?] Yang Kai was dying to know so badly that it felt as though a cat was scratching his heart with his claws. He was tempted to pry Bai Ya’s mouth open and get all the answers he wanted. Even so, on the surface, he pretended as though the realization had dawned on him, “So that’s how it is. Haha. I will believe in your auspicious words then, Brother Bai Ya.”
Bai Ya said with a solemn expression, “That might be the case, but if it really comes down to a fight, I will not hold back. If I accidentally harm you in any way, I hope you won’t blame me for it, Brother Yang!”
Yang Kai faked a laugh again, “Our lives are determined by fate, but we determine our future. Seeing as I am already here, that would mean that I have long mentally prepared myself for that possibility.”
Bai Ya gently nodded, “You sure are carefree, Brother Yang. Please go ahead with your duties. I might still have to wait here for some time.”
“I will take my leave then.” Yang Kai turned Zhui Feng around. He took a few steps, then turned around and asked, “Can I ask you something? Where should I go?”
Bai Ya stretched out his hand and pointed out, “The Half-Saints under Holy Venerable Ru Meng are in charge of guarding that position. You can go there and meet up with the rest of them.”
[So that’s how it is.] Yang Kai took another look at the flag that was waving in the wind on top of the mountain. A glimmer of realization flashed through his eyes. It would seem that all the Half-Saints who rushed over from the Demon Realm had divided the battlefield according to their respective Demon Saints and formed an encirclement. Each group of Half-Saints under their respective Demon Saint was responsible for an area.
After saying goodbye to Bai Ya, Yang Kai turned around to gather up his army of two million and headed in the direction indicated.
Half a day later, Yang Kai saw another big flag on the top of another mountain. The pattern on this flag was exactly the same as the pattern on a token that Yu Ru Meng had given him before. Needless to say, this was probably the gathering place for all those under Yu Ru Meng.
Yang Kai rode Zhui Feng and flew low. Scanning the crowd, he did not see any familiar faces among them. Speaking of which, he did not know much about the Half-Saints under Yu Ru Meng. The ones he was most familiar with were Bai Zhuo and Yue Sang. He was close with the former and held a grudge against the latter. Although he had met several other Half-Saints, he did not interact with them much. They only exchanged a few words while repairing the Territory Gate, so he was not close with them.
Meanwhile, the Half-Saint sitting at the top of this mountain looked very unfamiliar. This man had wide shoulders, a firm torso, and was unusually burly. Most of those in the Demon Race with such body shapes were either Strength Demons or Stone Demons.
Yang Kai could not determine which Clan this man was from without fighting him. Even so, something surprised him slightly. The Half-Saint had shot a cold and quiet glance at him when he first flew over, which was immediately followed by a look of disgust and hatred. It was as though the other party had found him rather unpleasant.
Yang Kai was at a loss. He didn’t understand how he had offended this person either. Whatever the case, this Half-Saint was in charge of affairs here, so Yang Kai had no choice but to step forward and inquire. When he got closer, he bowed with his hand on his chest, “I am Yang Kai of Cloud Shadow Continent. May I know how I should address you?”
That burly Half-Saint had a cold stare as the corners of his mouth curved into a mocking smile. It would seem that he had no intention of speaking to Yang Kai at all. On the contrary, his gaze was fixed on Zhui Feng for the most part.
Yang Kai repeated himself, but the other party continued to ignore him. Seeing that, he could be certain now. This guy really didn’t like him.
The situation utterly baffled Yang Kai as he was certain this was the first time they were meeting each other so there should be no conflict between them. Besides, Yang Kai had a close relationship with Yu Ru Meng, so even if most of the Half-Saints under Yu Ru Meng were not deferential towards him, they had to maintain a level of civility on the surface at the very least.
[I wonder what this guy is trying to do by putting on such a disrespectful attitude.]
There was no reason to repeat himself further though, so having failed to receive any response even after asking twice, Yang Kai didn’t bother saying anything else. He glanced around for a bit, nodded lightly, and turned around. Beckoning to the army behind him, he crossed the mountain and continued forward.
When Yang Kai left, that burly Half-Saint summoned a Demon King over and whispered into the latter’s ear, “Spread the news that the Human has appeared. If anybody wants to make a move, they should do it before Holy Venerable arrives.”
The Demon King took the order and left, disappearing out of sight in an instant.
…
“Great King, that was Senior Di Li just now.” After walking a certain distance, He Yin spoke up. She had seen Yang Kai being embarrassed back there, so she wanted to explain the reason to him.
Yang Kai secretly made a mental note on the name before he frowned and asked, “Did we ever upset that guy before?”
He Yin shook her head, “No. It’s just…” She glanced at him, hesitating to speak.
He said, “If you have something to say, just say it straight.”
She replied, “Senior Di Li and Sir Yue Sang have a good relationship with each other.”
Tu Qia Luo, who was nearby, also nodded at that, “That’s right. Senior Di Li often came over to drink and chat when Sir Yue Sang was still on Blue Plains Continent.”
“Drinking buddies…” Realization suddenly dawned on Yang Kai. He looked back and sneered softly, “So it’s because of that damned Yue Sang!”
Yue Sang was sent to the Two World’s Battlefield because of Yang Kai. Up until today, his fate remained unknown. That was a well-known fact. Yu Ru Meng had wanted to use that gesture to show all the Half-Saints under her command just how highly she valued Yang Kai. She could never have expected that her actions would inadvertently bring hatred to him instead.
If Di Li and Yue Sang had a good relationship with each other, then it was no surprise that the former held such dislike for Yang Kai. It would be stranger if he was polite and accommodating instead. Therefore, Yang Kai wasn’t bothered by it. The main reason was that he wasn’t in the mood to entertain such trivialities. Now that he had arrived at Eternal Sky Continent, it was only natural that his focus became fixed on the situation around Bright Moon.
Yang Kai didn’t go very far. He simply found a mountain valley located some fifty kilometres from the flag and stationed his army there. After that, he rode on Zhui Feng and stood high up in the sky, looking into the distance while trying to conceal his worry.
Ever since arriving on Eternal Sky Continent, Yang Kai could clearly perceive the fierce battle in the distance that never stopped, not even for a moment. He could infer from the auras fluctuating in the distance that Bright Moon was facing more than one enemy. [Bright Moon is outnumbered. I don’t know how long he can last, but he should have at least a chance if he only focuses on escaping.]
At a time like this, Yang Kai was powerless to interfere as he might be torn to shreds by the fallout of the clash before he could even approach the battlefield; hence, he could only wait here and monitor to see if the situation took an unexpected turn. Be that as it may, what seemed a little strange to him was that the Twelve Demon Saints had yet to arrive on the scene. There should be no more than three people fighting Bright Moon over in the distance, which begs the question, where were the rest of the Demon Saints? A huge battle had broken out in this place, so those Demon Saints should have arrived a long time ago.
[Where is Yu Ru Meng? I didn’t see Bei Li Mo anywhere near Bai Ya either.] This discovery puzzled Yang Kai a little. After mulling over it, he summoned Lao Ke and ordered him to investigate the situation. The Half-Saints under Yu Ru Meng were in charge of this area, so it should not be hard to find one or two familiar faces to ask about the situation.
More than a dozen Demons set off a moment later, splitting in various directions. Despite waiting for half a day, Yang Kai didn’t hear anything back from those groups though; thus, he immediately selected a team to come with him and headed in a certain direction.
An hour later, Yang Kai met Bai Zhuo on top of a mountain peak and exchanged a few words of greeting. Yang Kai then asked curiously, “Weren’t you sent to the Two World’s Battlefield? When did you return?”
If he remembered correctly, Bai Zhuo had mentioned returning to the battlefield some time ago; hence, he did not expect to meet him here.
Bai Zhuo smiled bitterly, “With such a huge commotion going on here, it’s only natural that we return. Almost all the Half-Saints were summoned back while only a few remained behind to maintain a defensive line.”
“Almost all returned?” Yang Kai’s eyes narrowed as he couldn’t help looking around with a vigilant expression on his face.
Upon seeing this, Bai Zhuo laughed, “Don’t worry. Yue Sang did not receive a transfer order. He is still on the battlefield.”
Yang Kai touched his nose and laughed in embarrassment, “I wasn’t looking for him…”
The truth was that he indeed had been looking out for Yue Sang. He could not defend against an ambush from a Half-Saint, not even with Zhui Feng’s protection. Nevertheless, even Bai Zhuo had been transferred back while Yue Sang was left behind. Yu Ru Meng’s stance in this matter was very clear. Changing the subject, Yang Kai asked, “Where is Holy Venerable?”
Bai Zhuo looked at Yang Kai strangely and countered, “Did you not receive the message from Holy Venerable?”
“Yes, I did.” Yang Kai lied with a straight face, “But, Holy Venerable only informed me to rush over. She didn’t say anything else.”
Bai Zhuo was sceptical, but thinking about how important Yang Kai was to Yu Ru Meng, he decided he had no reason to doubt otherwise. As such, he stopped talking and secretly sent a Divine Sense transmission to Yang Kai, “Holy Venerable has been injured. She is stabilizing her condition right now.”
Yang Kai’s expression turned solemn, “How did she get injured? Are her injuries severe?”
Bai Zhuo shook his head, “It probably isn’t too serious as Holy Venerable said she will definitely rush over. As for how she was hurt…”
He raised his gaze and looked into the distance. Then, he whispered, “It’s probably related to what is happening over there.”
Yang Kai was excited when he heard this news. [I was worried that Bright Moon was currently outnumbered, but who could have thought that he had already injured Yu Ru Meng! Was he really that powerful?]
“Holy Venerable Ru Meng is not the only one who was injured, most of the other Holy Venerables suffered injuries too.” Without waiting for Yang Kai to digest the previous piece of news, Bai Zhuo threw out an even more shocking one.
Yang Kai stared at Bai Zhuo dumbly with an incredulous expression. He instinctively felt that it was impossible. If Bai Zhuo had claimed that Bright Moon had injured one Demon Saint under the current circumstances, then it might have made some sense, but, injuring two or three… That was simply unrealistic! It wasn’t that Yang Kai was underestimating Bright Moon, it was just that the Demon Saints were not weak either. How could they be so vulnerable?
Even so, Bai Zhuo had spoken with such great confidence that Yang Kai had to believe those words and hurriedly asked, “What happened?
Bai Zhuo slowly shook his head, “I don’t know the specifics. Holy Venerable didn’t say clearly. She only asked me to form a siege around the battlefield and assist the Holy Venerables Xue Li and Huo Bo, to prevent the Great Emperor from taking desperate actions!”
[Xue Li and Huo Bo…] Yang Kai secretly made a mental note on these two names. If he was not mistaken, then these two were the ones currently fighting Bright Moon. It was also consistent with the information he had perceived before, but, just what happened in the half month before he arrived? How did Bright Moon manage to severely injure so many Demon Saints in one fell swoop? Possessing such power despite being imprisoned for so long, it could only be said that he truly deserved the title of Great Emperor!
“Brother Bai Zhuo, do you know how the battle is going on over there?” Restraining the shock in his heart, Yang Kai asked.
Bai Zhuo smiled bitterly, “I don’t know either. In any case, that Great Emperor will certainly suffer greatly with Holy Venerable Xue Li and Huo Bo cooperating against him.”
That was what puzzled Yang Kai the most. [Bright Moon managed to injure so many Demon Saints, so why is he being held up by two people? Could it be that he used some sort of powerful Secret Technique that caused him to be seriously injured as a result? That would explain why he had no power to do anything else, but that didn’t make any sense either…]
All of a sudden, another question came to him, “Is Holy Venerable Ru Meng still not here yet?”
Bai Zhuo shook his head, expressing that this was indeed the case.
[Ru Meng had been wounded before arriving in this place. If that’s the case, then there can only be one reason…] A sudden realization dawned on Yang Kai. [It looks like it might have something to do with a Soul Manifestation Technique! Maybe Bright Moon destroyed those Demon Saints’ Soul Wisps, which was how so many of them had been injured.]
Unable to get more information out of Bai Zhuo, Yang Kai flew back. His thoughts were a mess. It stood to reason that this was the best time for him to rescue Bright Moon. Most of the Demon Saints were still recuperating from their injuries, leaving only Xue Li and Huo Bo capable of contending with Bright Moon across the entire Eternal Sky Continent. Unfortunately, he was too weak. Even if he ran over to help, he would only cause more problems for Bright Moon. Be that as it may, they would lose what chance they had if he continued to wait and the Demon Saints arrived.
Returning to where the army was stationed in a muddled manner, Yang Kai saw a commotion ahead. It seemed as though something had happened. There was another group of people gathered in this place in addition to the two million army he had brought with him. The number of people that came were no less than his own army, and he did not know where they came from.
At this moment, both sides were confronting each other. Lao Ke, He Yin, and the other Demon Kings, who had remained in this place, looked extremely nervous. Lao Ke was even smiling and bowing to the other party.
However, the group of Demon Kings on the other side apparently didn’t appreciate it. One of the Demon Kings shouted loudly, “I’ll give you a stick of incense! Hurry up and scram out of this place; otherwise, don’t blame me for getting rough with you.”
[What’s going on? Are these people here to snatch our territory? What’s so great about this spot that they want to snatch it?] Yang Kai’s eyes widened. Although he didn’t know what was going on, he was already on edge and wanted nothing more than to go on a rampage. All the anxiety and depression instantly turned into rage. Tightening his knees around Zhui Feng, he rushed toward the crowd with a shout, “Move aside! Move aside!”
The army blocking his way ahead was a dense sea of people, but Zhui Feng was extremely fierce. He ran amok with no questions asked, opening up a passage through the crowd like a hot knife cutting through butter. Some of the Demon Race tried to fight back, but they were all knocked aside with ease. Those struck immediately suffered broken bones and their cries rang out unceasingly.
The change came so suddenly that the other party didn’t even have the time to react. When Yang Kai arrived at the front of the army, he found the group of Demon Kings standing on the opposite side glaring at him.
He swept his gaze over them coldly, staring at the many Demon Kings in front of him like they were ants. His eyes then landed on a female member of the Demon Race with an enchanting body and a charming face. It just so happened that this female Demon was also looking at him. When their eyes met, he raised his brow at her while the other party lifted the corners of her mouth and revealed a meaningful grin.
[A Half-Saint!] When Yang Kai saw that so many people had come to this place, he had guessed that there was a Half-Saint leading them. It would seem that his guess had been confirmed. Furthermore, the Half-Saint was probably from the same Clan as Yu Ru Meng, the Charm Demon Clan. Even though this woman had not said a word, nor were there any traces of her performing some sort of Secret Technique, she exuded an alluring charm at all times. It caused many of the male Demons under her command to show bewitched and lustful looks.
Yang Kai knew that it was no fault of these men. The charm of a Charm Demon Half-Saint was not easy to resist, but all Yang Kai felt right now was irritation; as such, he beckoned at somebody with a wave of his hand, and Lao Ke walked over immediately.
“What’s going on?” Yang Kai asked, keeping his gaze on the female Charm Demon without even blinking his eyes when he asked the question, a deep coldness flashing across their depths.
Lao Ke looked troubled, “Great King, this Madam claims that they are responsible for guarding this area. They want us to move.”
Yang Kai couldn’t help but sneer after hearing that, “Is that so?”
A Demon King on the opposite side immediately shouted, “By Senior Di Li’s order, we are to seal off the surrounding thousand-kilometre area as one of the lines of defence! All unrelated people are to leave at once!”
[Are we unrelated people now?] Yang Kai felt a little speechless at those words. Narrowing his eyes at the female Charm Demon, he asked flatly, “How should I address you?”
“Impudence!” The Demon King who had spoken before immediately let out a yell. At the same time, he stepped forward and glared at Yang Kai, “Get down from your mangy beast when speaking in front of our Mistress!”
While saying that, he raised his hand to grab at Yang Kai, looking as though he was seriously trying to pull Yang Kai down.
Zhui Feng neighed and was on the verge of counterattacking; however, Yang Kai was faster, lifting his palm and pressing down. Time Principles fluctuated and the world seemed to come to a stop at that moment.
Time Flows on Infinitely, Like a Mighty Stream, Like an Unending Dream!
The Demon King who had made a move didn’t even have the time to realize what had happened, and by the time he came to his senses, he felt an enormous force imprinted on his chest. He groaned and was thrown backwards into the air while all his vitality rapidly drained away!
*Xiu…*
An arrow pierced through the air at that moment and nailed the hand that the man had used to try and grab at Yang Kai just now with unparalleled precision, causing it to explode into a blood mist. By the time the Demon King landed on the ground, his hair had turned white and he clutched at his injured arm and looked up in horror.
Not far away, Yang Kai slowly withdrew his palm as a female Feather Demon stood next to him, the bowstring of her weapon slightly quivering, her beautiful eyes flashing coldly.
A strange sound rang out suddenly, and Demon Qi roared to the sky like flames. Affected by the changes just now, the armies on both sides immediately became hostile toward each other and had drawn their swords aggressively.
Yang Kai raised his hand slightly, calming the agitation of the people below him. At the same time, he grinned at the female Charm Demon and sneered, “Control your dogs better. He won’t be so lucky next time.”
The female Charm Demon turned to look at the injured Demon King and a cold light flashed across her eyes as she snapped, “Waste!”
While speaking, she flicked her wrist and a gloomy light hit the Demon King in the head. That Demon King immediately widened his eyes in shock and collapsed to the ground stiffly. His vitality vanished rapidly. A High-Rank Demon King had been killed by her just like that, without even the slightest bit of hesitation.
After doing that, she turned to look at Yang Kai. A smile lifted the corners of her eyes again, making her look very enchanting again, “Are you that Human the Holy Venerable highly values?”
Yang Kai raised his eyebrows, “You are quite well informed…”
She covered her mouth and laughed charmingly, “Everybody talks about you. It’s only natural that I heard some stuff about you. I had some interest in you at first, but you are nothing special now that I see you.”
He chuckled, “That’s only because you don’t know this King well. Once you get to know me better, I’m sure you’ll become more interested in this King.”
Li Shi Qing, who was standing next to him, turned her head and glanced at Yang Kai. Her face was blushing slightly. It was clear that she felt those words were a little inappropriate.
On the other hand, the female Charm Demon burst into uncontrolled laughter, “En, I’m getting a little interested in you now.”
Yang Kai’s expression turned cold, “It’s a pity that I don’t have any interest in you. Enough nonsense. What the Hell do you want? Spit it out.”
The smile on the Charm Demon’s face gradually diminished as her interest faded slightly, “As long as you’re not deaf, I’m sure you’ve already heard earlier. This Queen is responsible for guarding this place. I don’t know why you are here, but it is obviously not in compliance with the rules. So, please move.”
Yang Kai coldly snorted, “Rules? Who made these rules?”
“Naturally, these are the rules decided by Di Li.” She looked at him, “He is responsible for organizing and managing the various armies under Holy Venerable. You should be in your own position and it’s not here.”
[Di Li again!] Yang Kai’s eyes turned chilly, [Is he trying to cause trouble for me?]
Understanding this, Yang Kai grinned meaningfully, “Di Li is it? This King knows no such fool. All I know is that there was no one here when I first arrived in this place, so this place is now mine! You brought your people here to intimidate us, and now, you want to chase this King away!? Did you think this King would just nod and agree to it!?”
She frowned at those words and shot back, “But, this is certainly the place Di Li assigned me to guard. You should go and ask Di Li where you are to be assigned instead.”
“This King has already told you, I know no such dog. I am under the direct command of the Holy Venerable, I only obey her commands.” He then waved her off impatiently, “Take your mutts and scram; otherwise, don’t blame me for being impolite.”
The Charm Demon was so furious that her expression darkened and she screamed, “A trivial Human dares to speak to this Queen like this!?”
Yang Kai was about to counter with an insulting remark when to his surprise, the other party didn’t give him a chance to speak. She gave a soft flick of her wrist, and a soft whip came snapping at him out of nowhere with the force of the wind and thunder.
He ducked down in the nick of time to avoid the blow while the soft whip smashed into the army from Cloud Shadow Continent. Blood-curdling screams sounded as many casualties were suffered in that instant. Turning back to glance at the army for a moment, Yang Kai roared, “How dare you attack me!? You court death!”
By the time the words rolled off his tongue, he and Zhui Feng had already charged forward as one. Zhui Feng’s hooves were ablaze with golden flames, transforming into a bolt of lightning as he carried Yang Kai on his back and charged into the army on the opposite side. Like crushing dry weeds and smashing rotten wood, the enemy Demons were swept aside and felled.
Yang Kai could clearly feel Zhui Feng’s excitement. He seemed to be very familiar with actions like charging into battle. It was not surprising considering he used to be Chang Tian’s mount and would have accompanied Chang Tian into such battles countless times over the years.
His fighting instincts seemed to have been branded deep into his soul. Years of a peaceful life had left him incapable of restraining his wild and restless heart. Now that he had the opportunity to go wild, how could he not let it all out?
Zhu Feng rushed towards the places where the crowd was densest, ploughing empty paths through the opposing army. Screams sounded endlessly wherever he passed. Even the Demon Kings could not stop his lethal rampage, many dying on the spot if they so much as dodged aside too slowly.
In order to cooperate with Zhui Feng’s charging attacks, Yang Kai flipped his wrist and took out a long spear from his Space Ring. He did not know when he obtained this spoil of war and had never actually practised with the spear before, so he could only wield it in the most primitive of manners. Yang Kai was unable to draw out this weapon’s full power, but even so, the long spear managed to produce great damage when he wielded it with the additional support of his immense physical strength. His long spear swept and pierced left and right, splatting blood all over like blooming flowers as wails burst out from all around.
An ear-splitting sound rang out suddenly, transforming into an invisible force that broke through Yang Kai’s Knowledge Sea defences and poured directly into his Soul. It was the female Charm Demon. Seeing Yang Kai acting so unscrupulously on his mount, she took the initiative to attack. She was a Half-Saint and a member of the Charm Demon Clan; therefore, that howl contained a potent Soul Attack in it.
Zhui Feng’s steps faltered; it was clear that he had been slightly affected by the attack. On the other hand, Yang Kai swayed and almost fell off Zhui Feng’s back. Fortunately, the Soul Warming Lotus exuded a cooling wave at that critical moment, allowing him to retain his consciousness. The sound of something slicing through the air floated into his ears as if a fierce attack was coming at him from the back. He instinctively raised the spear to block; however, a heavy force shook his hand so badly that it went numb. Immediately following that, the long spear flew out of his grip.
Turning to look in that direction, he saw that the female Charm Demon had a sardonic smile on her lips. She drew a circle in the air with the long spear that was wrapped in the soft whip in her hands and viciously brought it down on him. For an instant, the wind and thunder roared, and an aura of death enveloped him.
In response, he abruptly tightened his knees around Zhui Feng and the latter swiftly turned his body around, narrowly avoiding the blow.
A loud explosion rang out and a large crater appeared in the ground, sending the surrounding Demons, be they allies or enemies, flying as a result.
Without waiting for Yang Kai and Zhui Feng to recover from their daze, the soft whip came striking at them again. Fortunately, Zhui Feng’s instincts and reaction speed were extraordinary. He had already begun charging toward the female Charm Demon right after he spun his body around just now. He might seem clumsy, but he ingeniously avoided the second attack unleashed by the soft whip and came within ten metres of the opponent in the blink of an eye.
Yang Kai, who was riding on Zhui Feng’s back, clearly saw the panic flashing in the female Charm Demon’s eyes. Although she was a Half-Saint, her Clan was not proficient in close-quarters combat, nor was her artifact useful in such close range. She could only exert her full strength if she kept a distance from her opponents; hence, it was only natural for her to panic when Zhui Feng closed the distance between them in a flash.
Regardless, she was still a Half-Saint, so she did not lose her composure so easily. Instead, a hostile look flashed across her eyes. She ignored Zhui Feng and raised her gaze to meet Yang Kai’s. At the same time, her long whip trembled and transformed into several rings that wrapped around the latter.
Yang Kai gave a flick of his wrist, summoning the Myriads Sword. Calling upon his Emperor Qi, a silk-like sword wave blasted upward. Unfortunately, the attacks of a Half-Saint were not so easily countered. The sword wave only hindered the soft whip’s movements slightly before it dissipated.
Seeing that he was about to be restrained by the opponent’s soft whip, Yang Kai had no choice but to use his Space Principles. He used Instantaneous Movement and vanished from the spot as a result. He would truly be put at a huge disadvantage if he allowed himself to be caught by this woman. At this moment, he could only pin his hopes on Zhui Feng to fight against the opponent. Who knows? He might even make her suffer a little. Besides, separating himself from Zhui Feng would allow him to exert his full strength. The exchange of blows might have been short, but Yang Kai could sense that Zhui Feng’s movements were being restrained as he endeavoured to keep him safe…
The only person among the enemy’s ranks that could actually be a threat to him was this Half-Saint. Aside from this female Charm Demon, the rest were nothing to Yang Kai. By the time his figure reappeared, he was standing in the sky and looking at something a thousand metres away. Zhui Feng was entangled with that female Charm Demon. His attacks could be said to be very simple and crude, involving nothing more than body slamming, biting, swiping with his tail, and kicking with his hooves. On the contrary, the female Charm Demon used all sorts of methods to attack, executing various Secret Techniques and striking out with a soft whip. Even so, the two sides were evenly matched.
It could be seen that Zhui Feng’s strength was nothing to sneeze at even among Half-Saints. At the very least, he was stronger than this woman; otherwise, he could not have caused this stalemate situation. His endurance and durability would definitely let him gain the upper hand over time.
Long ago, Zhui Feng had hunted down a Half-Saint after a long pursuit. He had shaved away at that person’s strength and forced his cultivation to regress before he was satisfied. How could he have done that without stamina and persistence?
Meanwhile, the Demon Race armies numbering in the millions were battling each other too. Countless among the Demon Race died at every moment with both sides suffering heavy casualties. Yang Kai suddenly realized something. [How did things turn out like this? I didn’t bring the army of two million here to fight with the other Half-Saints. I came here to see if I could use the army under my command to do something at a critical moment.]
Needless to say, he was certainly also at fault for things to turn out this way. Nevertheless, the most important thing was that the other party was too aggressive. [She killed so many of my people without bothering to say anything. How can I let her get away with it so easily? Plus, it’s just a piece of land. The defensive line along the periphery of the battlefield is so long, is it really necessary for her to fight for this territory?]
While mulling over these thoughts, Yang Kai suddenly felt an uneasy feeling blooming in his heart. It was an inexplicable feeling of unease that came out of nowhere, as if a great danger was approaching him. He looked up at that moment and saw that Zhui Feng was nowhere to be seen. More importantly, he had no idea where the female Charm Demon had gone either. The feeling of unease grew stronger as all the hairs on his body were standing on end and a chill swept over him.
Yang Kai didn’t even think about it as his body shifted immediately, using his Nihility Technique to exile himself to the Void. At that moment, a figure appeared beside him in an eerie manner. The appearance of that figure was accompanied by a heavy punch directed at the place where he had been standing before. A violent force burst forth and the aftermath of the attack spread out, penetrating the Void.
Even though Yang Kai had used Nihility, he still felt the vitality in his body churning at that moment as his vision turned black and he nearly passed out.
He performed another Instantaneous Movement, distancing himself from that dangerous place and appearing three thousand metres away before looking up. His pupils contracted as he gritted his teeth and roared, “Yue Sang!”
The person who had ambushed him and almost killed him on the spot was none other than Yue Sang, who should still have been on the Two Worlds’ Battlefield!
Yang Kai had not met Yue Sang since he left the Holy City on Enchantment Continent. Yu Ru Meng also mentioned that Yue Sang had been dispatched to the Two Worlds’ Battlefield and Bai Zhuo had confirmed this fact. In fact, Bai Zhuo claimed that Yue Sang had been left behind at the front lines just a short while ago. Therefore, Yang Kai had not expected to see that Yue Sang had returned to the Demon Realm and even tried to ambush him here!
Yang Kai looked down at the millions of Demons fighting among themselves, then turned to look at where Di Li was located. After that, he thought about the attitude and actions of the female Charm Demon just now. A moment later, his expression greatly darkened. [This is a trap! A trap set up by three Half-Saints!]
First, Di Li had refused to assign an area for him to guard. Then, the female Charm Demon deliberately came to pick a fight with him over territorial issues to lead Zhui Feng away. Finally, Yue Sang came in for the kill…
Yang Kai thought about the close call he experienced just now, and cold sweat oozed out of his forehead. At the same time, he was filled with rage. [Three Half-Saints went so far as to join forces to kill me. How truly flattering!]
On the other hand, Yue Sang looked surprised. It would seem that he had not expected his sneak attack to fail to kill Yang Kai. Although he seemed to have injured Yang Kai, it was rather humiliating that he allowed Yang Kai to escape despite being a Half-Saint. [The Space Technique certainly deserves its reputation! But that is all there is to it!]
Even if he had to violate Yu Ru Meng’s order, he didn’t hesitate to rush back from the battlefield. The first reason was to take Yang Kai’s life. The second reason was to fight to obtain his own opportunity in the coming fight. Out of the two reasons, the second one was the most important. Taking Yang Kai’s life was just a bonus.
Yue Sang secretly resented Yu Ru Meng in his heart for not notifying him about such a great opportunity. If not for the other contacts he had, he would never have known that there was such a great opportunity to be seized in Eternal Sky Continent. It wasn’t as if he did not know just how much Yu Ru Meng valued Yang Kai. After spending so long on the Two Worlds’ Battlefield, he had heard all about the relationship between Yang Kai and Yu Ru Meng. He was well aware of what kind of consequences he would face if he killed Yang Kai; but even so, that was not enough to make him retreat.
[As long as I can seize the opportunity born from what the numerous Demons Saints are currently planning, then even Yu Ru Meng will find it difficult to kill me because the other Demon Saints won’t agree to it! So, Yang Kai must die today! I have to kill him with my own hands to get rid of some of this hatred!]
Their gazes suddenly met, and the look in Yue Sang’s eyes grew contemptuous as his voice sounded coldly, “Did you think you would be safe and sound just because you have Holy Venerable’s protection? Killing you is as easy as snapping this King’s fingers!”
Yang Kai turned to the side and spat out the blood in his mouth. Afterward, he sneered, “You didn’t get a transfer order. Let’s see how you’re going to explain yourself to Holy Venerable about returning from the Two Worlds’ Battlefield without authorization.”
Yue Sang’s eyes drooped, “Explain myself? I can return whenever I want to. Why do I need to explain myself to Holy Venerable? If you have time to worry about me, you might as well use it to worry about yourself a little more.”
Yang Kai spoke with a stern expression, “Do you really dare to kill this King?”
Yue Sang looked at Yang Kai teasingly, “What do you think?”
Yang Kai looked around for a bit. Then, he countered Yue Sang’s question with another question, “It looks like you’re determined to kill me, but I am truly curious. How did you convince Di Li and that female Charm Demon to do you this favour? Don’t they know what kind of consequences they would face if they did this?”
[There is no way Yu Ru Meng will forgive them once she eventually learns of how they aided Yu Sang to kill me.]
Even if those two were Half-Saints, they would probably follow in Yue Sang’s footsteps. They would be sent to the Two Worlds’ Battlefield to fight against Pseudo-Great Emperors. If they were lucky, they would make amends for their crimes through their devoted service. If they were unlucky, they might end up dead there; after all, more than one or two Half-Saints and Pseudo-Great Emperors had already died as the war increased in intensity.
Yue Sang replied indifferently, “Nobody is helping me. I was just in the right place, at the right time.”
Yang Kai’s eyes widened with anger, almost like they were about to burst. Despite knowing that Yue Sang was lying through his teeth to dissociate the other two from his actions, there was nothing wrong with that reasoning.
Yang Kai had only met Di Li once, and no conflict had occurred between the two of them. Even the female Charm Demon had a just cause to pick a fight with him; therefore, the other two could simply get away by saying that it was just a misunderstanding even if he filed a complaint with Yu Ru Meng after everything was over. Naturally, that would depend on which side Yu Ru Meng was standing on. If she was on his side, then no number of excuses would save them from trouble.
“Let’s see if the Holy Venerable believes those words of yours.” Yang Kai coldly snorted.
Yue Sang raised his hand and lightly replied, “Between a dead person and I… Who do you think Holy Venerable will believe?”
When the last word left his mouth, he struck toward Yang Kai. There was the sound of an explosion in the air. Following that palm strike, it felt as though an invisible mountain was pressing down on Yang Kai. Yang Kai only hesitated for a moment. Even so, he heard all the bones in his body cracking and he fell out of the sky like a meteorite. He crashed into the ground below and formed a huge crater in the ground.
Yu Sang didn’t stop. He drifted over in an eerie manner, approaching Yang Kai swiftly.
The sound of something slicing through the air rang out suddenly as a sharp arrow radiating with an incandescent light came flying from somewhere in the distance, arriving in an instant, it shot straight towards Yue Sang’s chest.
Yue Sang didn’t even bother looking at this though and just casually flicked his wrist at it, causing the radiant light to return along its original path at an even faster speed.
A scream sounded as the arrow Bo Ya had shot as a sneak attack from the shadows was returned to her, sending her flying as the powerful force struck her, causing her to tumble mid-air several times before she collapsed to the ground. It was unknown whether she survived that blow as the ground around her was stained red with her blood.
At the same time, Yang Kai got up with great difficulty. Blood was flowing out of his mouth and nose, his hair was a dishevelled mess, and he looked absolutely wretched. He was just in the process of standing up when Yu Sang slowly floated down, landed in front of him, and lifted a finger to point in his direction.
The scent of flowers burst out, and colourful petals appeared out of nowhere. Those petals floated over, gathering around Yang Kai in an instant and surrounded him. They converged together to form a solid wall of defence, circling around his body without pause. The strong fragrance they released seemed to have the effect of confusing a person’s mind.
Not far away from where Bo Ya was, Li Shi Qing bit her red lips as she executed her Secret Technique. Her body was glowing with a colourful light as her Emperor Qi surged. Although terror and fear were reflected in her beautiful eyes, her expression was as resolute as could be.
Yue Sang abruptly turned to look at her with a pair of frosty eyes and a cold snort escaped from his mouth. A gush of Spiritual Energy burst out, and a ray of light flashed across her chest. Li Shi Qing’s tender body trembled slightly as her Emperor Qi faded away. She collapsed to the ground limply the next moment, falling unconscious, the defensive wall of flower petals surrounding Yang Kai scattering to the wind.
Finally, Yue Sang leisurely turned to look at Yang Kai after getting rid of the two sluts interfering with him. The corners of his mouth lifted into a sardonic smile as though he was deriving great pleasure from something. His finger pointed at Yang Kai’s forehead at a speed that was neither fast nor slow. The light at the tip of his fingertips fluctuated vigorously as he mocked, “Have you ever regretted offending me? Did you think this King wouldn’t be able to do anything to you just because you are proficient in the Dao of Space? You are so close at hand, and this King’s Divine Sense is locking your movements. Don’t even dream about escaping!”
“Regret?” When Yang Kai muttered through gritted teeth, the Space Principles around his body fluctuated and a figure suddenly appeared in front of him as a cold voice sounded from behind that figure, “Dream on, you waste!”
Yue Sang’s expression was stunned as he stared blankly at the stone man who had suddenly appeared in front of him. He could not figure out where this person had popped out from no matter how hard he thought about it. There was no trace of this person just moments ago, so how did he appear in front of him out of nowhere!? However, he didn’t have more time to think because the stone man threw a punch at him at a speed that was neither fast nor slow as soon as he appeared, and judging by the power of the punch, this stone man who appeared so abruptly was a Half-Saint!
Yue Sang surged his Demon Qi and the light shining at the tip of his finger that was pointing at Yang Kai became even more powerful. Knowing that his opponent was a Half-Saint, he did not dare to take the stone man lightly.
[Damn it! Why is there another Half-Saint protecting this Human!? I thought the plan was foolproof when I arranged for Zhui Feng to be lured away! I can’t believe something so unexpected occurred!] Yue Sang’s heart sank with a vague sense that something had gone terribly wrong. With a Half-Saint diverting him, it was all but impossible for him to kill Yang Kai.
While his thoughts were still muddled, the attacks from both sides collided.
Yue Sang’s pupils eyes contracted suddenly, revealing a look of horror. He instinctively moved and retreated backwards, opening a distance of several thousand metres between them in the blink of an eye. When he lowered his head to look, his horrified expression darkened. One of his fingers was distorted beyond belief. All the bones in his finger were practically crushed into powder, and a throbbing pain came from his finger to agitate every single nerve in his body.
It was only a single blow, but his finger had been smashed, and if he had not moved so quickly and withdrawn, he would probably have lost his arm to the stone man.
[What power!]
The other party had not used the slightest bit of Demon Qi in the previous attack, meaning a simple physical blow had broken through his defences and injured him. Only a Strength Demon Half-Saint could have such terrifying power. No, even a Half-Saint from the Strength Demon Clan would have paled in comparison to this thing. Which race did this stone man from? The Stone Demon Clan? The Strength Demon Clan? But he didn’t look like either…
“Huo…”
The Embodiment opened his mouth and let out a mighty roar. His voice was mixed with uncontrolled excitement. He was technically Yang Kai’s Soul Clone; thus, he originated from the same source as Yang Kai. It wasn’t that he loved fighting and killing, but rather that he couldn’t suppress his excitement after experiencing his new full strength.
While he roared, his Demon Qi soared to the sky. A pitch-black flame ignited across his body, and his entire person transformed into a black hole that began devouring everything. Sharp bone spines broke through his rock skin as he reached out into the air and grabbed at something. A moment later, a War Hammer appeared in the palm of his hand. His Demon Qi flowed freely and the War Hammer trembled slightly, fluctuating with a dangerous aura.
Yue Sang had yet to recover from the shock of being injured by the Embodiment’s blow when he felt this burst of aura and he couldn’t help but stare at the Demonic War Hammer and exclaim, “Saint Artifact!”
Only the Demon Artifacts that the Demon Saints in the Demon Realm spent enormous effort to refine could be called Saint Artifacts. The total number of Saint Artifacts throughout the Demon Realm did not exceed twenty, so each one was extremely rare and precious. Likewise, every Saint Artifact had extraordinary power. Most of these Saint Artifacts were controlled by the Twelve Demon Saints while a few pieces were lost to the world, their whereabouts completely unknown.
The Demonic War Hammer in the Embodiment’s hands was something Yang Kai had acquired outside of Maplewood City. It was the weapon belonging to the ancient One-Eyed Great Demon. Since Yang Kai and the Embodiment could not control Demon Qi previously, neither of them was able to activate its true power over the years. Even during the times when the Embodiment occasionally used the Demonic War Hammer, he had only used it like it was the most common blunt weapon for smashing things.
But things were different now. The Embodiment had devoured the Source of Cloud Shadow Continent, transformed the strength in his body into Demon Qi, and become a Half-Saint of the Demon Realm. He now had the power to wield this Demonic War Hammer.
With the War Hammer in hand, his already overwhelming power was suddenly boosted to another level and he clearly noticed this. The Demon Qi in his body rushed into the War Hammer almost uncontrollably, and the War Hammer that had remained lifeless for so long seemed to be reborn at this moment. A sort of exultation was coming from the War Hammer, seemingly longing for even more Demon Qi.
The Embodiment looked down and grinned savagely. Activating the Heaven Devouring Battle Law, he immediately cut off the devouring act of the War Hammer. No matter what kind of artifact it was, it would inevitably be affected by its wielder. The War Hammer’s wild devouring nature was probably a reflection of its rebellious attitude, but how could the Embodiment tolerate such behaviour? He had always been the one to devour others. If the War Hammer wanted to devour his Demon Qi, it would need his permission first!
Lifting the hammer in his hand, he jumped up and crossed several thousand metres to smash Yue Sang with the hammer. A huge shadow of the hammer immediately appeared in the sky, seemingly covering it. When the hammer’s shadow came crashing down, it felt as if the sky itself was collapsing.
Yue Sang’s expression changed drastically as his entire body shuddered. With himself as the centre, large swathes of blood mist flooded hundreds of metres around him. The Embodiment looked up in time to see a vast space had been covered in blood mist while Yue Sang was gone from sight.
The hammer’s shadow slammed against the blood mist, smashing a huge crater into it; however, the surrounding blood mist immediately refilled the hole. Rays of blood beams shot out from within the blood mist, blasting towards the Embodiment like arrows. The Embodiment nimbly avoided several of the attacks but was still hit by a few. The sounds of something piercing through the surface of his body rang out as the blood and burning pitch-black flames fought back vigorously.
After a moment of hesitation, the Embodiment plunged into the blood mist. Instantly, roars and crackling sounds came from within and it was clear that he was ferociously fighting against Yue Sang.
At the same time, Yang Kai appeared next to Bo Ya and Li Shi Qing. Only these two women had come forward when he was in mortal danger. They didn’t make any difference to the situation, but they, at least, had tried to help him. The two of them currently lay unconscious on the ground, and if the millions of Demons on the battlefield turned a blind eye to them, they might not even know how they died in the end.
A quick inspection later, Yang Kai discovered that Bo Ya’s injuries were more serious between the two of them. Yue Sang had sent the arrow she shot right back at her. Not only did she fail to injure the enemy, but she also ended up hurting herself. Almost half of her shoulder was shattered, and the blood wouldn’t stop flowing. On the contrary, Li Shi Qing’s condition was rather surprising.
He originally thought that Li Shi Qing’s condition would be more severe; after all, she had been injured by Yue Sang’s Soul Attack. Ordinarily, she would have been severely injured even if she survived, but to his surprise, a careful inspection revealed that she was safe and sound. She probably fainted from the shock of being struck by Yue Sang’s Divine Sense, but other than that, there were no obvious problems with her.