Li Wu Yi’s gaze hovered across the Giant Furnace, but to his disappointment, he could not find a new title amongst the names.
[Did we… fail?] Even though he generally had a calm nature and could stare a Demon Saint in the face without the slightest change in his expression, he couldn’t help staggering slightly at this moment as his complexion went pale.
Many of the Army Commanders were also whispering around him. Worry for their gains and losses flowed through the crowd…
*Weng…*
A soft sound suddenly rang out and a jade slip appeared out of thin air in front of Li Wu Yi. His expression froze for a moment, then he grabbed the jade slip and immersed his mind into it. The message left him feeling dazed for a moment, but immediately after that, a smile appeared on the corners of his mouth. The smile was not very obvious at first, but it soon spread across his face and the sound of his laughter reverberated across the entire sky.
Countless pairs of eyes turned to stare at Li Wu Yi and the jade slip in his hand which they could feel Yang Yan’s aura coming from. In other words, the jade slip was sent by Yang Yan. Yang Yan was one of the candidates who participated in the Grand Dao battle, so for a message to be sent at this time undoubtedly meant that the Grand Dao battle was over. Judging from the cheerful look on Li Wu Yi’s face and that joyful laughter…
Everybody felt their mood lifting and the anxiety in their hearts was replaced by a sense of pleasant surprise. Although they had some speculations in their hearts, they did not dare to be too sure until Li Yu Yi gave them some form of confirmation, just in case the truth was not what they were hoping for. The greater the hope, the greater the disappointment after all.
“Supreme Commander, did the Star Boundary obtain the opportunity for the Grand Dao?” An old man with a beard trembled uncontrollably, unable to restrain his excitement. His weathered face which looked like tree bark was flushed with an unnatural shade of red.
“Supreme Commander, just what is the situation right now? It’s not too late to laugh after you’ve told us.”
However, Li Wu Yi simply could not stop laughing. He was laughing so hard that tears were flowing out of his eyes. It left the people watching him feel quite speechless. In all the time that they had known him, nobody had ever seen him lose his composure so badly before.
It couldn’t be helped though as he was just under too much pressure recently. Li Wu Yi did not dare to say that he was responsible for the survival of the Star Boundary, but as the Supreme Commander of the Star Boundary, every decision he made affected the future of billions of people, as well as the continuation of an entire race. All that he could do was buy as much time as possible while preserving as much of the Star Boundary’s power as he could for the slight chance that might appear in the future.
To this end, Li Wu Yi had not hesitated to give up on the opportunity to enter the Profound Heavens Temple and participate in the Grand Dao battle, the goal he had been pursuing his entire life.
Now that a ray of hope had finally appeared, his tensed nerves suddenly relaxed considerably as a result.
It took quite a long while before Li Wu Yi managed to regain his composure. His gaze swept over the faces of the Pseudo-Great Emperors in front of him and he quickly said, “The Grand Dao opportunity belongs to the Star Boundary!”
As soon as those words rang out, everybody felt their breath quickening. Although they had their guesses, nobody dared to believe that it was true until Li Wu Yi confirmed the truth.
“Who!?” The old man asked in a trembling voice; this was related to the birth of a Great Emperor after all. The person who obtained the Grand Dao opportunity would become one of the Star Boundary’s Great Emperors in the future. How could they not wish to find out more about it?
“Yang Kai!” Li Wu Yi replied with a smile.
There was a burst of exclamations as those present couldn’t help exchanging glances with each other. Although Yang Kai’s performance had been amazing since his return from the Demon Realm, nobody expected the candidate would turn out to be him. His cultivation was an indisputable fact after all.
When Li Wu Yi first announced that he was going to give his spot in the Grand Dao battle to Yang Kai, many people were extremely uncomfortable with the idea. How far one had travelled on the Martial Dao might not be based on seniority, but there were two reasons for their discomfort. For one, Yang Kai’s cultivation had been too low. As for the other, his foundation and experience were lacking. Even if Li Wu Yi wanted to give up his spot in the Grand Dao battle, Yang Kai should have been the last person to receive the qualifications to enter the Profound Heavens Temple.
Before this incident, everybody believed that it was a complete waste of resources for Yang Kai to enter the Profound Heavens Temple. He was not even a Pseudo-Great Emperor, so what could he do even if he did enter the Profound Heavens Temple? Was he just supposed to make up the numbers?
That was why everybody was surprised to hear the name ‘Yang Kai’ coming from Li Wu Yi’s lips. Nobody could have imagined that the final result of the Grand Dao battle would be a situation where the person who came out on top was somebody who was not even a Pseudo-Great Emperor! For a moment, they couldn’t help feeling slightly dazed. Thinking back to Li Wu Yi’s decision at the time, they felt as though the Supreme Commander really could see further as he stood higher than them.
On the other hand, Li Wu Yi’s expression was filled with pride and glory. He had gone against everybody’s opinions and allowed Yang Kai to occupy a precious spot to enter the Profound Heavens Temple. As such, he had endured a lot of pressure due to his decision. If he were not the Supreme Commander who had proven himself in war for the past two decades and whose orders were carried out without fail, he would have long since been questioned for his decision. Fortunately, Yang Kai had lived up to his expectations.
“Is it really Yang Kai?” Somebody asked in disbelief.
“What are the specific circumstances?”
“What about the number of casualties for the Star Boundary?”
Numerous questions were asked, one after another. Everybody looked at Li Wu Yi eagerly.
Before Li Wu Yi could answer, he heard several swishing sounds and figure after figure began to appear beside him all of a sudden. When everybody looked at those figures, their pupils contracted at the sight. These figures that appeared out of nowhere were the candidates who entered the Profound Heavens Temple previously; however, all of them were injured. None of them came out of the Profound Heavens Temple unscathed. The auras of the heavily injured were extremely weak and their bodies were covered in blood. More importantly, only around 10 people appeared in this place!
Yang Yan stood in the lead, and when she appeared, she felt many pairs of eyes staring at her with burning gazes. Thus, she immediately understood the situation and smiled. She turned to Li Wu Yi and smiled, “Fortunately I have not disappointed your trust!”
The moment she came out of the Profound Heavens Temple, she immediately reported the results of the Grand Dao battle to Li Wu Yi. Only then did she activate her Space Beacon to come here. That was the entire flow of events up until now.
Li Wu Yi nodded, “You’ve worked hard!”
Then, he turned to look at the people standing behind her and a look of sorrow flashed across his face. He cupped his fists and said, “You’ve all worked hard!”
Everybody returned the gesture.
Li Wu Yi then turned back to Yang Yan to ask, “Are you all that’s left?”
He was in possession of everybody’s Life Lamps, so he could tell how many people had lost their lives in the Profound Heavens Temple just from the number that had gone out; even so, he had to ask. How else was he supposed to accept this harsh reality?
Yang Yan nodded sadly, “There’s also Bing Yun. She is currently inside Yang Kai’s Small Sealed World, so she will come out with him.”
Li Wu Yi sighed melancholically, “Only 3 out of 10 survived the Grand Dao battle. Haha… The Heavenly Way truly is ruthless!”
Similarly, the Pseudo-Great Emperors who stayed behind in the Star Boundary went pale. Only 10 of their compatriots had returned after the Grand Dao battle ended. Even if they included Yang Kai and Bing Yun in the numbers, only slightly more than 10 were still alive. It had to be said that as many as 30 people from their side had entered the Profound Heavens Temple at the beginning.
The Star Boundary suffered such heavy casualties in the short span of one month. Even the battle between the two worlds that had gone on for so many years had not caused such heavy losses among the Pseudo-Great Emperors from the Star Boundary. Moreover, there was one person who was extremely concerned among these 10 people who returned.
Li Wu Yi stared at Tian Yan for a while, seeming slightly surprised, “Fire Lord?”
Looking at the situation, Fire Lord of Demon Heavenly Dao did not seem to have been brought here as a captive. For some reason, he had appeared together with the rest of the Pseudo-Great Emperors from the Star Boundary. They also seemed to be coexisting peacefully with each other. It would seem that something astonishing had happened inside the Profound Heavens Temple.
Yang Yan explained, “This is Sir Tian Yan. It was all thanks to his great efforts that the Demon Race was defeated at the final stage of the Grand Dao battle and Yang Kai was given the chance to snatch the opportunity. He is one of our own.”
Li Wu Yi’s expression changed slightly, but he did not inquire about the details; instead, he asked, “What about the casualties on the Demon Race’s side?”
Yang Yan smiled bitterly, “They lost as many as we did. Less than 15 of them survived.”
There was the sound of cold air being inhaled sharply. The Demon Race Half-Saints had started off with 40 people at the beginning, but only about 15 survivors remained at the end. The casualty rate was not that different from the Star Boundary’s. Looking at the situation in that way, the losses the Star Boundary suffered were not unacceptable.
Everybody then began talking all at once to ask various questions; therefore, Yang Yan and the others briefly recounted their experiences in the Profound Heavens Temple. The mysteries within the Source Sealed World made everybody yearn for the opportunity to experience it. Be that as it may, there were dangers brewing everywhere inside and the deathmatch that took place at the end was also extremely terrifying.
Many couldn’t help wondering whether they would be amongst those who survived if they had entered the Profound Heavens Temple.
When they learned that Tian Yan had betrayed Jia Long at the last moment and caused the latter to fall short of victory, everyone looked at him with a much gentler expression than before. Wen Zi Shan also stepped forward to verify Tian Yan’s origins at this point, drawing much admiration for the latter.
It had to be said that Demon Heavenly Dao was a powerful force that Can Ye had personally created back then. Not only did Tian Yan successfully infiltrate the enemy camp, but he also became one of the Four Great Lords without ever being discovered. He even managed to endure until the Grand Dao battle before landing a fatal blow on the Demon Race. He had truly made a monumental contribution after years of strenuous effort.
Even if Li Wu Yi had been in that position, he had to admit that he could not have succeeded to this extent.
“Yang Kai swallowed the Heavenly Source Fruit and said he might have to remain in Profound Heavens Temple for a while,” Yang Yan added.
Li Wu Yi nodded in response, “A Divine Fruit that was formed from the condensation of all the luck and fortune belonging to dozens of Pseudo-Great Emperors and Half-Saints… It will not be an easy task to refine.”
He pondered quietly for a moment and said, “All of you should get some rest. There might be another tough battle waiting for us if a fight breaks out before Yang Kai comes out of retreat.”
Yang Yan and the others nodded and soon left. After participating in the Grand Dao battle, they had gained a lot of benefits. Nevertheless, they really needed a good rest now.
Li Wu Yi’s voice sounded magnificently, “Send out the order; all armies will prepare to march while bringing their supplies with them. We will evacuate Spirit Beast Island and head towards High Heaven Palace in the Northern Territory!
That was the last piece of pure land left in the Star Boundary! If High Heaven Palace fell, then the Star Boundary’s death would not be that far off either.
The Army Commanders left with their orders. Once the command was conveyed, the soldiers gathered on Spirit Beast Island quickly got ready to leave. The Space Array was in constant operation and flashes of light flickered erratically.
After three days of hard work, only two people remained on the island. Mo Xiao Qi’s eyes were red and swollen as she reluctantly stared at the home where she had lived since she was a child and choked out a few words, “Uncle Li, will we come back here again?”
He patted her head, “We will definitely return here one day!”
A flash of light appeared and disappeared before the figures of Li Wu Yi and Mo Xiao Qi vanished from atop the Space Array. A short while later, the Space Array cracked and turned into a pile of dust.
Two days later, the Southern Territory fell. The entire Southern Territory was eroded by the Demon Land. The flowers and trees withered in the places covered by the Demon Land and a dead silence fell across the land, as if even the vitality of this world had been taken away.
Another four days later, the Eastern Territory fell.
The day the Eastern Territory fell, Yang Xiao was ordered to quietly return to Dragon Island to observe the changes in the Sealed World where Dragon Island was located. He soon reported that the Sealed World where Dragon Island was located was not spared. The Demon Essence had invaded Dragon Island through the Void Corridor and the originally beautiful scenery instantly fell into dead silence as a result.
At the moment, the only place left in the vast Star Boundary that was not eroded by the Demon Lands was the area stretching out a thousand kilometres around High Heaven Palace in the Northern Territory. The entire Star Boundary army was gathered in this place. In addition, the two Great Elders of the Dragon Clan were personally standing guard. This place would be the final battlefield in the war between the Demon Race and the Human Race.
Victory would mean a slim chance of reprieve. On the other hand, defeat would mean eternal doom!
Since the beginning of the Two Worlds’ Great War, billions of living creatures in the Star Boundary had lost both their lives and homes. Nine houses out of ten were deserted. It was a scene of desolation across the entire land. Humans who had been reduced to become Demons could be seen wandering all over the Western Territory. Having been devoured by the Demon Essence, they lost their consciousness and were driven only by their instinct to kill.
High Heaven Palace might be big, but it could not accommodate so many. Now that the entire Star Boundary army had gathered in this place, it was practically bursting at the seams. For that reason, many soldiers had no choice but to remain inside the World Beads all the time. Many of the World Beads that Yang Kai had refined were stuffed to the brim as a result.
It might be that High Heaven Palace was the last sanctuary of the Star Boundary. The invincible Demon Essence had eroded all of the Eastern Territory, the Southern Territory, the Western Territory, as well as most of the land in the Northern Territory. However, its progress was finally obstructed along the periphery of a 1,000-kilometre radius around High Heaven Palace. The speed of the erosion became extremely slow until it finally stopped completely, unable to advance any further. There was some kind of force around High Heaven Palace that seemed to block the erosion of the Demon Essence, protecting the last bit of pure land for the Star Boundary’s Human Race to inhabit.
Now that the entire Star Boundary had more or less fallen into the hands of the Demon Race, neither the Demon Saints nor the Half-Saints below them could stand to tolerate the special existence that was High Heaven Palace; after all, the Demon Race’s plan could only come to completion when High Heaven Palace was fully eroded.
Perhaps, they could feel a sense of crisis looming over them after losing the Grand Dao battle, so the Demon Race army attacked ten days after it ended, three days after the fall of the Eastern Territory.
The Demon Race army that came out in full force formed a large uncountable mass of darkness due to their overwhelming numbers. Pouring out from all the Primary Demon Strongholds, they rushed over to surround High Heaven Palace and launched a full offensive without any warning whatsoever.
The first to attack High Heaven Palace was not the Demon Race army, however, but rather the Humans who were corrupted by Demon Essence and became Demons as a result. The number of these Demons was 10 times or 100 times larger than the entire Demon Race population in the Primary Demon Strongholds. They could be found almost everywhere across the lands of the Four Territories in the Star Boundary. The Demon Race army only needed to gather and herd them around to form an enormous force.
These Demons lacked a clear consciousness and were consumed by their instinct to kill. Driven by the Demon Race army, they rushed towards High Heaven Palace without fear of death. These Demons were generally not very strong and any random soldier from the Star Boundary army could kill a large number of them at once. Nevertheless, there were simply too many of them.
A tragic and fierce battle commenced outside High Heaven Palace.
Despite facing former fellow countrymen, Li Wu Yi had no choice but to harden his heart and issue the order to annihilate the enemy. In just three days, the number of Demons who died outside High Heaven Palace exceeded tens of millions. Rivers of blood flowed and corpses piled high across the land that stretched on for thousands of kilometres. With the death of those Demons, the Demon Qi that leaked out of their body finally infected the land that was originally being protected by the World, allowing the Demon Land around the periphery of High Heaven Palace to begin creeping forward again. The speed of advancement might be slow, but at this rate, there would come a day when even High Heaven Palace could no longer persist.
Zhu Yan and Fu Zhun were furious and rushed out of High Heaven Palace in a rage, heading straight toward the Demon Race army. Although they gave an overwhelming display of power, they were immediately blocked by Xue Li, Fu Yu, and Huo Bo. There was a huge battle and many in the Demon race army lost their lives simply from the fallout, but unfortunately, it changed nothing in the overall situation.
The greying hairs on Li Yu Yi’s head increased by the day. He would look up at the Illusionary Heavens Furnace in the sky countless times a day, watching the names flashing across the Giant Furnace and secretly praying that Yang Kai could return as soon as possible.
Ten days after the final battle started, the Demon Land had advanced as far as 500 kilometres into the land surrounding High Heaven Palace. Another five days later, the Demon Land progressed another 300… Now only 200 kilometres of land remained untouched by the Demon Land outside of High Heaven Palace.
As time went on, the Demon Race’s offensive became more and more violent. In contrast, the Star Boundary seemed exhausted from resisting. Despair spread out among the armies and the wills of many were on the verge of collapsing under the heavy pressure and all sorts of troubles unfolded within High Heaven Palace. Racked by both external and internal troubles, many Masters were completely overwhelmed by the situation.
…..
At the height of the battle, Yang Kai seemed to be slumbering under the Divine Tree inside the Illusionary Heavens Furnace that was inside the Profound Heavens Temple. After swallowing the Heavenly Source Fruit, he began feeling drowsy and eventually succumbed to it. He only managed to say a few sentences to Yang Yan and the others before he immersed himself in his mind completely.
His mind was in an ethereal state and he could not sense anything in his surroundings. It felt as though he had returned to his mother’s womb. He was enveloped by the sense of security and tranquillity of a new life being born.
All of a sudden, he jerked awake for a short moment. He couldn’t help wondering about his own Grand Dao. If he had not gone through the previous experience where he was asked about his True Dao, he might not have known what he wanted. But, after that peculiar experience, he knew exactly what he should do at this moment. He had to find his own Dao that would be recognised by the world! And, his Dao was… the Dao of Space!
Bits and pieces of the past lingered in his mind. Some of his insights into the Dao of Space emerged in his mind and he recalled the time when he first caught a glimpse of the door to the Dao of Space. After advancing to the minor accomplishment stage, he properly stepped onto the Dao of Space. Afterward, he became increasingly familiar with Space Principles and suddenly penetrated the depths of this Great Dao…
After taking the first step, he was becoming clearer about his own Dao. The surrounding space shuddered and small cracks appeared on it, like Spirit Snakes that wandered around aimlessly. All his power, including the Demon Qi in his body and his Spiritual Energy, was rapidly shrinking towards a certain spot in his body. There were faint signs that they were forming into a mysterious mark.
A Dao Seal!
Although nobody had ever told him about this, Yang Kai quickly understood what was going on in his body as he experienced the entire process first-hand. Gathering all the Essence in his body and the lifelong insights he had obtained, he condensed them into his very own Dao Seal! This was the only way he could walk his own Dao and create his own Dao.
This was both an extremely dangerous process and a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity; therefore, Yang Kai did not dare to be careless. He poured his experiences and insights into the embryonic Dao Seal, little by little, gradually tempering and perfecting it.
He did not know how much time had passed or what the situation was like in the world outside. All of his attention was focused on the Dao Seal. A concrete outline slowly began to form around that vague Dao Seal. Following his efforts, the outline became increasingly distinct and clear.
Even so, he was not satisfied. The speed of his progress was far too slow. Although he had forgotten about the crisis that the Star Boundary was currently facing, his subconscious mind was telling him that he had to form his Dao Seal as quickly as possible; otherwise, something that he would regret for the rest of his life was going to happen.
Almost instinctively, Yang Kai took out the World Source Liquid from the Small Sealed World and took a gulp. The feeling of the World when it was first created burst out in him, causing him to shudder involuntarily. Chaos flourished and Principle Strength emerged extremely strong. Therefore, one mouthful of World Source Liquid seemed to pull him back to the ancient era when the World first formed. He stood in the middle of all the chaos as the various invisible forces swirling around him in all directions transformed into the capital and strength that formed his Dao Seal.
Yang Kai devoured this power greedily and the speed at which the Dao Seal in his body condensed suddenly accelerated. The brightly shining Dao Seal erupted with dazzling brilliance, and upon integrating the essence contained within his Dragon Bloodline, the Dao Seal caused his entire body to emit a faint golden light.
…..
Outside High Heaven Palace, the Sect Defending Array flashed wildly. Countless Demons threw themselves forward while at the same time, numerous attacks blasted out from within High Heaven Palace to reap the lives of these Demons as though harvesting straw.
Mountains of corpses and rivers of blood painted the scenery. It was a time of turmoil, it was a time of slaughter, and it was a baptism of fresh blood. The lives of the weak were in the hands of fate, and even the Masters were in danger of losing their lives at any moment. The Heavenly Way was cruel and it was impossible to predict the future of the World!
Li Wu Yi’s once black hair turned completely silver in a span of ten short days. Standing at the top of High Heaven Peak, he looked out at the situation beyond the Grand Array with a solemn expression.
Similarly, the expressions of the people behind him were also extremely gloomy. They had been on edge all this while. Their only fear was losing High Heaven Palace, the last barrier and fortress that stood strong in the Star Boundary; however, when it really came down to this moment, a powerful wave of fighting spirit surged up in all of them, regardless of who they were. If they could perish along with their World, fighting for the home where they were born and raised… Their life would not have been lived in vain.
A figure rushed forward suddenly. Ying Fei appeared, wiping the blood from his face, “Reporting! The Grand Array in the northwest is in critical danger. It can only last for another quarter to half hour at most. Sir Fu Ren Jie requests for reinforcements!”
Li Wu Yi looked back at Ying Fei. [What reinforcements? There are no reinforcements…]
In the face of the various emergency situations that arose, all of the armies had already been deployed. At the moment, High Heaven Palace was being attacked from all directions. All the people behind Li Wu Yi were his personal guards and they were only in charge of sending out commands to the soldiers in the field. There were no other soldiers under his command that he could send.
Turning back once more, he coldly said, “Relay my order. If the Grand Array in the northwest cannot be protected, then Fu Ren Jie is to bring as many Demon Race Half-Saints down with him as he can!”
Ying Fei’s lips moved and he cupped his fists, “Yes!”
After that, he turned and flew back out.
Li Wu Yi narrowed his eyes slightly and looked up at the Illusionary Heavens Furnace before letting out a long sigh, [In the end, are we still powerless to escape this fate?]
Nevertheless, he soon withdrew his gaze and Space Principles fluctuated around him. With a chilling expression on his face, he asked calmly, “Are you afraid?”
The soldiers following behind him loudly replied to his question, “No!”
Li Wu Yi grinned, “It is terrifying to stand before the gates of death. Even I am scared. Are you really not afraid?”
Several of his personal guards looked apologetic and one of them said, “We have no regrets as long as we can follow you, Sir, not even if we die in battle as a result!”
The rest of them also cupped their fists and shouted in unison, “May we live and die with you, Sir!”
Li Wu Yi burst into laughter as his spirits soared, “Good! That is the right mindset to have!” With a wave of his arm, he continued, “You will follow me into battle! Let us slaughter our enemies!”
An overwhelming murderous intent violently poured out of him.
“S-Sir!” One of the personal guards suddenly shouted in a trembling voice.
Li Wu Yi chuckled, “What is it? Have you gotten cold feet? It’s normal to be scared.”
“It’s not that, Sir! Look, up there!” The soldier raised his finger to point at the sky.
Li Wu Yi looked in that direction and the pupils of his eyes involuntarily contracted at the sight. He was looking at the Illusionary Heavens Furnace that had been floating in the sky all this while. The patterns on the surface of the Illusionary Heavens Furnace were flickering even more than before and the clear and distinct titles that flashed across its surface were changing at a dazzling speed. Soon, a new set of characters began to take shape.
The Illusionary Heavens Furnace had remained in the same state for so many days, never experiencing any changes before; thus, nobody could have expected it to change at this time.
“This is…” Li Wu Yi suddenly widened his eyes and stared at Illusionary Heavens Furnace without blinking. That was because the flickering lines had a tendency to form certain characters. It was just that the lights were flashing too quickly, so it was very hard to get a clear glimpse.
After waiting for a while though, the vague characters finally became clear. The characters suddenly froze in place with a loud bang. At that moment, a dazzling light filled the entire Star Boundary. At that moment, it seemed as though the Demon Qi covering the Star Boundary had been torn apart and at long-last light had returned once more.
Li Wu Yi’s eyes narrowed as he stared blankly at the golden characters illuminating the entire world, feeling both extremely shocked and pleased as he muttered under his breath, “Void!”
“Void!”
It was only one word, but that word attracted the attention of all the sentient creatures in the Star Boundary. At this moment, countless gazes were involuntarily being drawn upward into the sky. Whether they were Human or Demon, a strange and inexplicable light was reflected in their eyes.
It was especially so for the natives of the Star Boundary. When that word appeared on the Illusionary Heavens Furnace, a sudden thought came to mind almost instinctively, a new Great Emperor was about to rise! This idea came out of nowhere. Nobody knew why they suddenly had such a thought, but everybody was convinced that it was the truth; after all, it was the will of the Heavenly Way…
It was an honour and a joyful occasion to witness the birth of a Great Emperor in one’s life. As such, the morale of the soldiers that had been lagging suddenly soared at this moment!
Xue Li, who had been hiding among the Demon Race army, felt his brow twitching at the sight as he gritted his teeth, “He actually… succeeded…”
He had learned from Jia Long that the Heavenly Source Fruit had fallen into Yang Kai’s hands. Even so, Xue Li had held on to the slight delusional hope that Yang Kai would not succeed. Yang Kai’s cultivation was not high enough, so it might take some time for him to become a Great Emperor even though he was the one who obtained the Heavenly Source Fruit. Or perhaps it might improve his strength tremendously, but he would still be no match for the Demon Saints.
Judging from the current situation, however, the benefits of the Heavenly Source Fruit were limitless indeed. It actually managed to make a High-Rank Demon King advance directly to become a Great Emperor!
The thought only flashed through Xue Li’s mind for a breath before he quickly shouted through gritted teeth, “Relay the order! Take down High Heaven Palace in the shortest possible time at all costs!”
Not only did Yang Kai become a Great Emperor, but he also received the title ‘Void’. Therefore, nobody knew what kind of strength he would have upon his reappearance, let alone when he would show up. What the Demon Race needed to do at this moment was to capture High Heaven Palace as soon as possible and contaminate the last pure land in the Star Boundary. That was the only way for all their plans to come to fruition. At that time, it would be useless even if Yang Kai returned with the strength of a Great Emperor.
After that order was issued, the fierce offensive became even more reckless. High Heaven Palace’s Sect Defending Array flashed wildly as a result. The Grand Array looked as though it was going to collapse at any time. Seeming to be aware of this point, Li Wu Yi quickly issued a command to all the surviving soldiers of the Star Boundary army to hold the line no matter the cost.
From a bird’s eye point of view, the boundless Demon Race army looked like a black tidal wave that crashed against High Heaven Palace over and over again from all directions. Meanwhile, the Star Boundary army stood firm within High Heaven Palace. Countless Secret Techniques and artifacts flashed with brilliant light as they repelled the black tide again and again.
Both sides were so busy fighting to the death that nobody noticed the Illusionary Heavens Furnace in the sky shattering and quickly disappearing into nothing after the ‘Void’ character appeared.
In the southeast corner of High Heaven Palace, the Sixty-First Army worked with five other armies to maintain a defensive perimeter. Yao Si was in charge of the army, commanding and dispatching the troops with a dignified expression. Command after command came out of his mouth and those commands were relayed to the soldiers by his personal guards. He had been fighting for so many consecutive days without any chance to rest at all. His mind was spinning at an extremely fast speed, trying to come up with a plan to defeat their enemies. Unfortunately, all he could do in the face of the Demon Race army’s onslaught was maintain a passive defence with the troops under his command.
“Sir Adjutant, the Grand Array won’t be able to last any longer.” A Monster General from the Flying Hawk Division flew over and informed Yao Si. Excessive exhaustion left him unable to even stand up straight. He was so tired that he nearly collapsed head first to the ground while talking to Yao Si.
The moment those words left his mouth, an ominous creaking sound came from the Grand Array. It was instantly followed by an endless series of cracking sounds.
Yao Si looked up and his expression changed drastically. Cracks were appearing, one after another, rapidly spreading across the barrier in the southeast corner of High Heaven Palace.
He turned his head and looked around, only to see Hua Qing Si hovering in mid-air. She was holding the Sect Master’s Command Token to control the power of the Earth Veins below High Heaven Palace to replenish and stabilise the Grand Array. However, her complexion was as pale as a sheet and she was clearly on the verge of collapse.
High Heaven Palace’s Sect Defending Array was powerful, but even such an impressive Grand Array could not withstand the continuous assault of the Demon Race army for such a long time. The only reason it had lasted for so long was thanks to the desperate support of the Star Boundary army. Be that as it may, the Grand Array finally gave in.
*Kacha…*
There was a crashing sound and the Grand Array in the southeast corner shattered. The Demon Race army poured in through that gap like a flood with a resounding roar that shook the Heavens and caused the world to go pale.
Yao Si surged his Emperor Qi and roared in response, “All who defile the Star Boundary will be killed without mercy!!
“Kill!” A roar reverberated through the sky in response. Despite facing the massive Demon Race army surging towards them, none of the soldiers from the Star Boundary backed down. That was because they knew that High Heaven Palace was the last remaining sanctuary for the Human Race. Losing High Heaven Palace was equivalent to losing the entire Star Boundary. There was no place left for them to retreat anymore.
Instead of being corrupted by the Demon Qi and becoming mindless Demons, it was better to die in battle while taking as many enemies with them as possible.
A solemn and stirring Shamanic Chants rang out throughout the Star Boundary army. Following that, numerous Shamanic Spells shone brightly to cover a large swath of the army. It was as if two torrents of steel were rushing at each other and they soon collided.
Blood splattered and severed limbs flew all over the place. During that moment of confrontation, thousands died. The vast battlefield in the southeast corner was like a huge meat grinder that turned both Humans and Demons into nothing but ground flesh and blood.
Nevertheless, that was only just the beginning. Less than 10 breaths after the Grand Array in the southeast corner collapsed, the Grand Array surrounding the entire High Heaven Palace let out a loud and painful cry accompanied by cracking noises. Immediately after that, the Grand Array began to shatter bit by bit.
An all-out war broke out. The Demon Race army flooded into High Heaven Palace from all directions, stepping onto the Human Race’s last remaining pure land, bringing Demon Qi and Demon Essence with them.
The battles were fought at close quarters and the scene was immensely bloody and cruel. Accordingly, the headquarters of High Heaven Palace, which used to be extremely beautiful in the past, was blackened and defiled.
Many Pseudo-Great Emperors quickly took action to engage the Demon Race Half-Saints in battle, fighting a fierce battle in the sky. Even the two Dragon Clan Elders could not remain silent any longer. They transformed into two 1,000-metre-long Dragons and charged out of High Heaven Peak. Xue Li, Fu Yu, and Huo Bo hastily went forward to meet their charge. They fought a difficult battle against each other even higher up in the sky. The loud rumbling noises of their battle spread far across the Star Boundary.
The ground was the battlefield of those below the Pseudo-Great Emperors and Half-Saints. The High-Rank Demon Kings and Third-Order Emperors were either fighting in groups of three to five or one-on-one. No matter the case, it was a battle where one side was bound to die.
A huge palace was rampaging somewhere on the battlefield. Yang Xiao and Yang Xue, the two Masters of the Flowing Time Temple, stood on the steps of the palace as they joined forces to activate the power of the Infinite Hourglass. The ten-thousand and eight grains of Flowing Time Divine Sand turned into dust that scattered across the sky. Everywhere they went, Time Principles would cover the area and deprive the Demon Race of their perception and vitality.
Elsewhere, Lan Xun held the World Pagoda in her hands as her Emperor Qi surged violently. Every time the World Pagoda flew out, it would capture and trap a large number of the Demons inside of itself. That was not all, however, as a huge prison composed of vines was formed with her as the centre. It enveloped all the Demons that stood within a thousand metres around her. The vines danced agilely inside the cage, transforming into sharp blades that plunged deep into the bodies of the Demons. The vines devoured their Spiritual Essence, which swiftly turned them into mummified skeletons.
Inside the forests, nine Stone Spirits rampaged under the leadership of the Elder. They relied on their intrepid physiques to slam their bodies around, smashing countless Demons to pieces. The Wood Spirit Clan followed beside the Stone Spirits, sticking closely to them with solemn expressions on their small faces.
Among the mountain peaks, four women, Su Yan, Xia Ning Chang, Xue Yue, and Shan Qing Luo, formed a profound Formation that was similar to a sharp blade. They were travelling across the bloody and corpse-filled battlefield, leaving behind a trail of Demon corpses in their wake. The four women were all in the Emperor Realm, and nobody below the Half-Saint Realm could stop their charge when they joined hands. Even a High-Rank Demon King could not last for more than 10 breaths against them. Their performance quickly attracted attention and an ethereal figure made his way across the battlefield, staring at the four of them with ruthless eyes. The corners of his mouth curled into a cruel smile as he approached them silently.
All the Human Race cultivators within 30 metres of him collapsed dead to the ground before they even understood what was going on. It didn’t take long before this figure arrived not far away from the four women and without losing his momentum, he aimed a sneak attack directly at Xia Ning Chang’s neck.
“Hm?” Su Yan frowned, instinctively feeling that something was wrong. She was the strongest among the four women, so her perception was also the most sensitive. The moment she sensed that something was wrong, she lifted the longsword in her hand and turned to face Xia Ning Chang, pointing her sword at her and shouting, “Ning Chang, watch out!”
The Formation of these four women was under Su Yan’s control; thus, Xue Yue and the others couldn’t help but follow suit when she suddenly made a move. There was a sound of metal clashing against metal and a figure seemed to flash and disappear into thin air. Then, several pained cries rang out amidst the rain of sparks. The Formation was broken in an instant and the four women were thrown back into the surrounding area.
They couldn’t even parry one attack from their opponent despite combining their strength through a Formation. Su Yan was suspended in mid-air at the moment, her beautiful eyes looking solemnly in Xia Ning Chang’s direction. Her heart sank when she finally caught sight of the blurred figure behind the sneak attack.
“A Shadow Demon Half-Saint!” Shocked, she urgently yelled, “Ning Chang, dodge!”
Similarly, Xia Ning Chang finally saw what her attacker looked like at this moment. He was a middle-aged man with a sullen face and a hooked nose. His Demon Qi was wrapped all over his body. She had been completely unaware of his presence until he appeared in front of her.
How could she not understand what kind of situation she was in at the moment after hearing Su Yan’s shout? It was just that fighting was not her forte. She had spent most of her time performing Alchemy inside Pill Rooms from the day she started cultivating. Since she had the Sacred Spirit Medicine Body, she practised Alchemy as her cultivation. That was why she had little real combat experience even though her Emperor Qi was extremely pure.
It was the first time in her life that she encountered such danger, but she found that her mind was surprisingly calm. The Shadow Demon Half-Saint standing opposite her was giving her a cruel grin. On the other hand, she raised her hand and flicked out a World Bead.
This was one of the World Beads that Yang Kai initially refined in the Lower Star Field during his experimental phase. It did not have the function of carrying people, but nevertheless, it was something he refined with a lot of hard work. There was no need for her to activate her Emperor Qi, she only needed to throw it out for it to exert an extremely powerful force.
The Shadow Demon Half-Saint facing her coldly snorted and lightly used the dagger in his hand to block the attack. Contrary to his expectations, however, a huge force that almost sent him flying backwards slammed into him from the front.
This wasn’t strange though. Yang Kai had produced the World Beads by refining large asteroids or even Dead Stars after all. Xia Ning Chang and the others might be able to control these beads without any problems, but the weight of these beads could not be ignored.
It was only natural that the Shadow Demon Half-Saint would suffer slightly because he underestimated this bead. Nevertheless, that was all the effect that it had on him. His figure paused slightly for a moment, and then the dagger in his hand came slashing down at Xia Ning Chang’s head as he let out a cruel laugh, “Die!”
“No!” Su Yan shouted at the top of her lungs
Xia Ning Chang’s vision seemed to freeze at that moment, everything in her surroundings suddenly seemed to be moving at an incredibly slow speed. She could clearly see Su Yan struggling to rush over in time, as well as the Ancestral Ice Phoenix phantom which manifested behind her back, craning its neck upwards as it let out a piercing cry. She saw the horrified and helpless looks on the faces of Xue Yue and Shan Qing Luo, who were knocked to the ground just now. She also saw the cold glint on the blade of the dagger…
An aura of death washed over her and a sharp Qi pierced her neck, causing a sting of pain. In her mind, her entire life seemed to flash before her eyes at a very high speed. Then…
She suddenly saw a stalwart figure appearing in front of her. It was just like what happened in the Great Han Dynasty back then when she went to the unnamed mountain valley with him to collect the Nine Yin Yuan Condensing Dew. That night, that kiss, their chaotic emotions, all of these soon formed into a lifetime of inseparability.
That stalwart figure was like a huge mountain that stood in front of her to protect her from the wind and rain. In that moment, Xia Ning Chang smiled. Despite being surrounded by thousands of enemies, standing in a sea of blood and amidst a mountain of corpses, she couldn’t help feeling a sense of security and warmth when she saw that broad back.
*Dang…*
The sound of metal clashing rang out and sparks flew everywhere. The expression on the Shadow Demon Half-Saint’s face changed slightly and he hurriedly retreated.
Yang Kai held the Azure Dragon Spear in his hand, showing no intention of chasing down the enemy. Instead, he simply watched the other party coldly, the chill in his eyes making the other party go cold with fear.
When their eyes met, the Shadow Demon Half-Saint frowned. He could not gauge how great Yang Kai’s strength was as there was absolutely no aura fluctuation coming from the man standing in front of him right now. It was almost as if he was an ordinary mortal who had never cultivated before. This scene greatly confused him; after all, this person could not possibly be an ordinary man. Just moments ago, the Giant Furnace in the sky had flashed with the character ‘Void’. Therefore, this person was most likely an existence on the level of a Great Emperor.
“Little Senior Sister, are you hurt?” Yang Kai turned back to look at Xia Ning Chang only to see a huge smile blooming on her face. She slowly shook her head with a gentle look in her eyes; however, crimson blood flowed out of a bloody cut on her fair and slender neck.
Yang Kai stared at that wound, feeling a trace of lingering fear that made his blood run cold. He had immediately rushed over without any delay the moment he came out of the Profound Heavens Temple and, luckily, he arrived just in time. If he had been a moment later, he would not have been able to see his Little Senior Sister’s sweet smile ever again.
More than fear though, what Yang Kai felt at this moment was anger. He turned back once more to glare at the Shadow Demon Half-Saint with a terribly cold look in his eyes, his murderous intent surging wildly.
The Shadow Demon Half-Saint coldly snorted and did not try to fight Yang Kai. Instead, his figure faded away swiftly, vanishing out of sight as though he had not been there in the first place.
“Naive!” Yang Kai snarled coldly. He didn’t make any movements, but his figure suddenly appeared in front of Xue Yue as he stabbed forward with his spear.
There was a splatting sound, like something being pierced, and immediately after that, a spurt of blood shot out of nowhere before a vague figure quickly became solid. It was the Shadow Demon Half-Saint that vanished out of sight just now. At this moment, he was staring at Yang Kai in shock. Grabbing at the Azure Dragon Spear that was sticking out of his chest, he muttered incredulously, “You…”
He could not believe what was happening. As a Shadow Demon Half-Saint, he was born with the inherent gift for stealth and assassination; therefore, he never imagined that he would be found by the other party so easily, much less receive such a severe injury.
It was precisely because he could not gauge Yang Kai’s strength that he dared to try and attack Xue Yue. He would have a bargaining chip to threaten Yang Kai as long as he succeeded, whether by killing her or capturing her. Unfortunately, that simple spear thrust had shattered all his delusional hopes. He couldn’t even see how the spear came at him before he was impaled by it.
A mysterious force flowed into his body, wreaking havoc and destroying his meridians and causing his heart to sink. How could he not know that it was the effects of that peculiar Martial Truth? Gritting his teeth, the Shadow Demon exerted great strength into his arm while pushing his body backwards at the same time. He forcefully pulled himself off of the Azure Dragon Spear, causing a large amount of blood to gush out in the process.
Not daring to remain in this place for even a moment longer, his figure flashed to escape into the distance. That attack that came out of nowhere had completely broken his fighting spirit; however, before he could do anything, he saw the enormous spear shadow looming over him from above. He paled in shock and hastily used the daggers in his hands to parry the attack.
There was a series of clanging sounds and two figures flitted back and forth within a radius of 100 metres, exchanging blows with each other.
Three breaths later, the fierce battle came to an end.
Su Yan and the others watched the battle with a strange light in their eyes, one that conveyed a mixture of joy and astonishment.
In the meantime, the Azure Dragon Spear pierced through the Shadow Demon’s head. It went in through his forehead and out the back of his skull. His eyes widened in surprise as shock and horror filled his face.
On the other hand, Yang Kai’s expression was calm and indifferent. There was neither joy nor sorrow on his face. With a flick of his spear, the Shadow Demon exploded into a cloud of blood mist.
“Protect yourselves well!” Yang Kai hurriedly shouted to his four wives before his figure flew straight up into the sky. It wasn’t until he was several thousand metres in the air that he stopped abruptly. Placing the Azure Dragon Spear beside him, he swept his gaze over the battlefield below. Sweeping out one hand, he spoke in a soft voice, “I am Void…”
His voice was not loud, but it reverberated across the entire world, his solemn and dignified incantation filling every corner of the Star Boundary. The hand that he held out slowly pressed down as his voice rang out once more, the sound penetrating straight into the hearts of all, “My Dao is the Dao of Space…”
His hand pressed down firmly all of a sudden, “Annihilation!”
Space shuddered and the world rumbled. Countless tiny Void Cracks appeared out of thin air, covering a massive area. The Void Cracks moved about like Spirit Snakes, slithering across the bodies of innumerable Demon Race members.
In the next moment, the Humans who were fighting the Demon Race in a battle to the death were astonished to see their opponents showing looks of extreme shock. Then, the bodies of these Demons exploded with a bang. Pieces of meat and blood splattered everywhere, showering countless people with a rain of blood.
With that one strike, Yang Kai had wiped out millions of soldiers in the Demon Race army, clearing a large swath of the battlefield in an instant. The most shocking thing, however, was that all the Humans standing on that same battlefield were completely unscathed.
The war was far from over, but nevertheless, the never-ending commotion on the battlefield fell into a strange silence at that moment. Everybody was staring at the rain of blood and flesh in front of them, feeling as though they were caught in a dream. They were still desperately fighting their enemies just a moment ago, but that enemy was suddenly destroyed in the blink of an eye…
Standing in the sky, Yang Kai did not stop after the first palm strike. He aimed at another spot and struck again… Millions of Demons died with every palm he released.
For the first time since the beginning of the war between the two worlds until now, both the Human Race and the Demon Race were finally seeing what kind of devastating destruction a Great Emperor could bring to the battlefield.
No Great Emperor or Demon Saint had ever done something like this due to various restraints and unavoidable reasons. Hence, the army’s opponent had always been another army. Even if the war had grown incredibly intense, the top Masters did not allow their battles to affect their respective armies. For that reason, be it the Human Race or the Demon Race, it wasn’t until today that they witnessed the horrifying power of a Great Emperor recognised by the Heavenly Way with their own eyes.
Xue Li stood in the sky, glaring so hard that his eyes felt like they were going to burst. Even though he was engaged in battle with the two Great Elders of the Dragon Clan, he could still perceive the movements of the battlefield below him clearly. Thus, he noticed Yang Kai’s presence the moment the latter appeared. The last bit of hope in his heart disappeared without a trace when Yang Kai killed a Shadow Demon Half-Saint within three breaths.
The little brat that he used to scorn, the one who could only cower or flee before him in the past… At this moment, that little brat had obtained the strength of a Great Emperor and now stood shoulder-to-shoulder with him! After all, only a Great Emperor could kill a Shadow Demon Half-Saint so quickly and effortlessly!
The next action Yang Kai took left Xue Li fuming in even greater rage. In just ten breaths, tens of millions of the Demon Race army had been obliterated! Such a huge loss was not something he could accept. The plan that was only one step away from completion ended up being derailed due to the appearance of this bastard boy. An immense rage lingered in Xue Li’s head, making him go berserk.
“You want to go save those Demons of yours? You’ll have to ask this Old Master’s permission first!” Zhu Yan gave a furious roar as a massive Dragon Tail came sweeping over. Even Xue Li did not dare to take such an attack head-on, so he had no choice but to dodge aside.
Zhu Yan, who had been despairing previously, suddenly had the urge to throw back his head and laugh out loud; after all, anybody who finally found a glimmer of hope in a desperate situation would not be able to suppress the relief in their hearts.
The three Demon Saints were being tied down by Zhu Yan and Fu Zhun, and judging by Yang Kai’s performance just now, he was an invincible existence as long as these three did not make a move. It would take no more than an hour before he wiped out all the entire Demon Race army below. At that time, who would be the one to cry and who would be the one to laugh?
Xue Li gnashed his teeth, “Did you think that he can do whatever he wants just because he became a Great Emperor!? Old dog, have you gone senile!?”
There was a hidden truth behind those words and Zhu Yan was temporarily stunned when he heard them. However, he abruptly sensed the presence of another Great Emperor’s aura appearing out of thin air before he could figure out the meaning behind those words. Turning pale from shock, he hurriedly turned towards Yang Kai’s direction and shouted, “Watch out!”
“I’ve been waiting for you!” On the contrary, Yang Kai was not surprised; rather, it would seem that he had already anticipated this turn of events. Lifting the Azure Dragon Spear, he swept it out horizontally.
A violent force swept through the air as it felt like this attack was powered by the World’s Will itself. A figure was forcibly revealed as a result, one that glared at Yang Kai with a solemn expression.
Yang Kai held his spear in one hand, using it to point in a certain direction. He was staring deeply at the person who just arrived, his eyes flashing with indescribable hatred and disgust as he roared dangerously, “Can Ye!”
The figure standing in front of him was wrapped in black Qi and even with Yang Kai’s Divine Sense, he could not make out the other party’s true appearance. Nevertheless, that figure was exuding the unique aura of a Great Emperor, so who else could it be but Night Shadow Great Emperor, Can Ye?
When the Profound Heavens Temple opened back then, many of the Demon Race Half-Saints had gotten a lot of information about the Grand Dao battle from Can Ye. That undoubtedly meant that Can Ye was somewhere in Star Boundary. It was just that nobody knew where he was hiding to treat his wounds.
How could Yang Kai not take precautions against Can Ye when he was aware of this?
Can Ye had used himself as a bridge to connect the two worlds and forcibly open the two worlds’ passage. During that incident, Can Ye was badly injured by the Iron Blood Great Emperor, Zhan Wu Hen. He disappeared off the grid afterward, seeming to have gone into retreat to recuperate from his injuries.
Now that the war between the two worlds had reached the most critical moment, it was impossible for him to remain by the sidelines, regardless of his intentions. Sure enough; the Night Shadow Great Emperor, who had been hiding in the shadows all this while, finally showed himself once Yang Kai returned from the Profound Heavens Temple with the might of a Great Emperor.
The black fog covered Can Ye’s face so his true appearance could not be seen. Even so, Yang Kai could clearly perceive a pair of eyes examining him intently from within the black fog.
“Hmm? You are not a Great Emperor yet,” A sonorous voice came from the opposite side. It sounded like gold and iron rubbing against each other, causing extreme discomfort to the people listening to that voice.
“The Heavenly Way recognised me. That makes me a Great Emperor!” Yang Kai replied calmly.
Can Ye shook his head slowly, “This world is on its dying breath; don’t rely on it too much. You are not yet a Great Emperor.”
Yang Kai grinned. “So what? I’ve always liked the challenge of fighting with people stronger than me. Most of the time, things end badly for my enemies. Besides… how much strength can you bring out?”
Although their confrontation had only lasted a moment, he managed to get a keen grasp on Can Ye’s current condition. Can Ye had yet to recover from his injuries! His injuries were caused by Zhan Wu Hen after all. At their level of strength, it would take them more than three or five years to completely heal from any injury that they received. Although he had been in retreat for the past few years to concentrate on healing, the time was still too short for him to completely recover from his injuries. If Yang Kai had not shown up, he would most likely not have rushed out either. It was only because of Yang Kai’s appearance that he was forced to step forward to stop Yang Kai.
“Useless dying struggles!” Can Ye looked down at the battlefield below. “The two Great Elders of the Dragon Clan won’t be able to extricate themselves from their battles. Even if you received the recognition of the Heavenly Way, you will inevitably be too busy and distracted to do anything if I were to get in your way. Without your help, High Heaven Palace will surely fall within an hour. There will be no place left for you in this vast world once that happens!”
Yang Kai lowered his head slightly. “It looks like I have to kill you within an hour!”
“You can try!” The moment the last word rang out, Can Ye suddenly lifted his hand. A 3-metre-long curved sword appeared in his hand and slashed forward.
On the other hand, Yang Kai moved in a bizarre manner. The Azure Dragon Spear came stabbing straight at Can Ye. There was a large black ball on the tip on the spear, which exuded an aura that could destroy the world.
The curved sword slashed down on the black ball, causing the black ball to collapse in on itself and vanish without a trace. However, Can Ye felt a shock going through his body and was involuntarily sent flying backwards as a result. This blow even caused the black fog that had been covering his face to scatter, revealing a pair of extremely surprised eyes.
In their second confrontation, he actually turned out to be slightly disadvantaged!
Even though he was severely wounded and unable to use his full strength at the moment, Yang Kai’s strength still shocked him. His perception indicated that Yang Kai was nowhere near the Realm of a Great Emperor. It was only because this world was on its last legs that Yang Kai was awarded the title of a Great Emperor and given some of the abilities of a Great Emperor. Who could have known that he could actually bring out the power that a Great Emperor should have?
The scattered black fog immediately condensed back together again to cover Can Ye’s strange expression. At the same time, his figure quickly faded from sight.
Yang Kai reached out and swept a hand at Can Ye. He shouted, “In the name of Void, I command you to seal the world! Seal!”
*Clang. Clang. Clang…* A series of peculiar noises rang out from within the Void. At this moment, the invisible and intangible power of the Void could be seen with the naked eye. It was as though transparent chains were spreading around the surroundings with Yang Kai as the centre.
In the blink of an eye, those transparent chains completely sealed off the world within a ten-thousand-kilometre radius and transformed the area into an enormous cage.
Can Ye’s figure slowly emerged from a corner of the cage. Like a Ghost, he hovered quietly in mid-air without saying a word.
Yang Kai pointed his spear forward and shouted, “Can Ye! Today, only one person will be left standing!”
When those words left his mouth, numerous Void Cracks appeared inside this enormous cage. The entire space inside the cage collapsed, leaving only the space surrounding Can Ye untouched.
Can Ye became furious and roared, “Are you crazy!?”
He could sense determination coming from Yang Kai’s tone. In other words, Yang Kai was not trying to scare him. The latter really intended to fight him to the death, here and now!
That was simply unreasonable. At their level of strength, trying to decide on a winner in a one-on-one death match was extremely difficult. More so since Can Ye himself was also one of the Great Emperors who had received the world’s recognition. In any case, even if this world was completely eroded by the Demon Qi, Yang Kai would most likely be safe with his current strength. Therefore, Can Ye could not understand why Yang Kai was doing this.
“I won’t survive if I’m not a little reckless!” Yang Kai looked at Can Ye coldly. “Enough nonsense. Just die.”
Stretching his hand toward Can Ye, he tightened his fist fiercely. The countless Void Cracks in the cage suddenly shot toward Can Ye like a bunch of snakes darting out of their hiding holes.
Can Ye slashed down with his curved sword. The attack brimming with the world’s might seemed ordinary, but it worked in extremely mysterious ways. His body seemed to become motionless, like one of the reefs in the sea. Then, the Void Cracks just slid past him and left him completely unscathed.
Simultaneously, Yang Kai gripped his spear and charged forward. He sprayed the Azure Dragon Spear with a mouthful of his Blood Essence before he arrived in front of Can Ye. Following that, two high-pitched dragon roars sounded at almost the same time. A brilliantly dazzling Golden Divine Dragon Source flashed and disappeared. The Azure Dragon Spear also turned into a huge Azure Dragon, which swung its claws and bared its fangs at Can Ye.
The ancient aura seemed to pull Can Ye into a very distant era, causing a shock to his mind. His expression changed slightly. Then, he split into countless figures with a gentle sway of his body. Each figure was identical to himself. Even the aura emitting from them was flawless. Following that, an uncountable number of Can Ye replicas swung the curved swords in their hands, shouting, “Shadow Flash Strike!”
Countless Blade Lights flashed through the air. A Big Dragon roared; the Azure Dragon illusory phantom shattered and reformed into the Azure Dragon Spear to cut down Blade Light after Blade Light.
An incessant noise of metal against metal rang out. The Void collapsed and the world turned upside-down. If not for the cage laid out by Yang Kai in the beginning, the confrontation between the two Great Emperors would have caused great destruction to the world for hundreds of thousands of kilometres.
Yang Kai was also the only person who could set up a sealed cage like this. His Dao was the Dao of Space, so he had a unique advantage in this area. It was impossible for any other Great Emperor to pull off something of this scale.
The aftermath of their confrontation went unchecked inside the sealed cage. Thus, the world inside the cage was completely broken and filled with chaos.
Meanwhile, the two opposing armies below had stopped fighting and looked up to watch this battle instead. Similarly, many Half-Saints and Pseudo-Great Emperors distanced themselves from each other to observe quietly. Everybody knew that the battle between Yang Kai and Can Ye would affect the survival of Star Boundary.
Although the battle between the two Great Elders of the Dragon Clan, Xue Li, and the others was also of great importance, those five had clashed against each other on many occasions. More importantly, they were always evenly matched. Neither side could do anything to the other; it was probably the same case this time as well.
Therefore, only Yang Kai’s battle could give them a ray of hope.
Be that as it may, nobody could figure out the situation on the battlefield despite paying close attention to the battle. All they could see inside the World Cage were violent bursts of power raging across the battlefield, chaotic aura permeating the entire space, and occasionally, two figures appearing and disappearing in a flash. They couldn’t even get a clear glimpse of the figures; how could they tell who was winning and who was losing?
“Supreme Commander, how is the situation?” One of the Army Commanders quietly sneaked over to Li Wu Yi’s side and asked in a quiet voice.
If there was anybody among the Pseudo-Great Emperors in Star Boundary who could get a clear handle on the situation of the battle, then it could only be Li Wu Yi. Nobody else had the qualifications.
Unexpectedly, Li Wu Yi smiled wryly and shook his head. “I can’t tell…”
The Army Commander was dumbfounded. [If even Li Wu Yi can’t tell, then doesn’t that mean that Yang Kai has really reached the Realm of a Great Emperor? It is impossible for a Pseudo-Great Emperor to speculate on a battle between Great Emperors after all.]
The moment that thought crossed his mind, he felt refreshed all of a sudden.
*Boom.* An explosion rang out from within the enormous cage. The two figures that had been fiercely entangled in battle all this time finally separated within the chaotic world.
A burst of exclamations came from all over the world. Many Pseudo-Great Emperors could see that Yang Kai’s complexion was pale and a trace of blood was trickling from the corners of his mouth. It would seem that he had been injured.
Even so, Yang Kai was laughing. His calm voice rang out across the world. “The Night Shadow Great Emperor is nothing special after all!”
Everybody in Star Boundary was shocked by those words. They turned to look at Can Ye and couldn’t help gaping in surprise. That was because the black fog that had been covering Can Ye’s face had disappeared to reveal an extremely ordinary face. It was a face with no unusual features or characteristics. If he was thrown into the middle of a crowd, nobody would even look twice at him. It was the face of a man in his forties.
[Is that the true appearance of the Night Shadow Great Emperor?] Nobody had ever seen what the Night Shadow Great Emperor looked like. Even the other Great Emperors had never seen his face before. They didn’t even know whether he was a man or a woman. It wasn’t until this moment, under the gazes of the entire Star Boundary army, that his appearance became known to the world.
*Chi…* A sound rang out, making Can Ye look down. His eyes narrowed slightly at the sight. There was a 30-centimetre-long wound stretching across his waist and abdomen. A peculiar force was flourishing in the wound, like maggots on rotting bones. It made him feel very uneasy.
The result of the brief and desperate confrontation between them was a lose-lose situation for both parties.
Can Ye coldly snorted. Mobilising the power in his body, he suppressed and sealed the Martial Truth that was eroding away at his body. The Martial Truth was extremely troublesome. Moreover, it was difficult to remove even for a Great Emperor like him. How could he have the time to resolve this issue calmly when Yang Kai was breathing down his neck? All he could do at the moment was suppress the wound to prevent it from worsening.
After Can Ye finished doing that, Yang Kai solemnly said, “This is the end of my warm-up session. Can Ye, this day next year will be the anniversary of your death!”
“What a crazy Junior!” A hint of rage appeared on Can Ye’s face. He was obviously annoyed by Yang Kai’s shameless boasting.
“You’ll know whether I’m crazy or not after you take a hit from my spear!” Yang Kai shouted. He moved forward and his spear shot out like a Dragon, ignoring the barriers of space.
Seeing that Yang Kai was injured, many Masters from the Star Boundary and even the countless soldiers below couldn’t help feeling as though their hearts were caught in their throats. Nevertheless, what happened next made their eyes shine with a strange light!
When Yang Kai’s spear blasted forward, Can Ye’s expression changed again. He instinctively felt the World’s Will pressing down on him. Even with the power of a Great Emperor, it made him feel a little breathless. He hastily parried the attack. Even so, the overwhelming force that came from the front sent his body flying backwards involuntarily.
Meanwhile, Yang Kai followed closely like a shadow, attacking again and again without stopping. His expression was as tranquil as an ancient well, but his actions were merciless and ruthless.
*Boom. Boom. Boom…* The fierce and unending onslaught made Can Ye a little tired of parrying. His figure was constantly fleeing around in the enormous cage, but he was unable to get away from Yang Kai.
In front of everybody’s eyes, the Night Shadow Great Emperor was being suppressed and forced into a completely disadvantageous position in the battle. Everybody was in an uproar… This scenario was something that nobody could have imagined even though they knew that Yang Kai had the power of a Great Emperor. It was just that Can Ye had made a name for himself for such a long time now. Even if Yang Kai had gained the power to fight, it was hard to say who would end up winning and who would end up losing the battle. However, the current situation seemed to indicate that Yang Kai was holding the upper hand.
“Can Ye must be heavily injured…” A pensive look flashed through Li Wu Yi’s eyes.
The Army Commander who had snuck over to Li Wu Yi previously spoke upon hearing those words, “Is that to say… it’s not that Can Ye is weaker than Yang… Senior Void, but because his injuries have yet to heal?”
Li Wu Yi nodded, “That’s probably the case. It might also be a matter of their motivation…”
Yang Kai wanted to rescue the Star Boundary. For that, he had to finish the battle within an hour. It was a given that he was not holding back at all. On the other hand, Can Ye was different. All he needed to do was drag things out. There was no need for him to fight a deathmatch against Yang Kai. After all, Yang Kai would be powerless to do anything once High Heaven Palace was completely eroded by the Demon Qi, regardless of how strong he was.
One side was giving their all while the other side was holding back. Combined with Can Ye’s previous injuries, it was not surprising for this situation to occur.
“Crazy Junior!” Can Ye’s suppressed roar came from within the cage. He seemed furious, “Don’t go overboard with your antics!”
Yang Kai did not answer. However, his boundless fighting spirit continued to burn strongly and his intense murderous intent was firmly locked on Can Ye.
“Fine! If that’s the case, have it your way!” Can Ye yelled furiously. At the same time, his empty hand reached out to grab at something in the Void. Another curved sword appeared in his hand without warning. With a sword in each hand, the aura around his body changed abruptly. The World’s Will gathered around his body without anybody noticing. Then, he crossed his swords in front of him.
*Boom…* A loud explosion sounded. Can Ye had been forced backwards and seemed to be at a disadvantage all this time, but he stood firmly in place at this moment. Yang Kai gripped his spear and pushed down. The Azure Dragon Spear and the twin swords clashed against each other with an ear-splitting screech and a dazzling shower of sparks.
They stood no more than ten metres away from each other and glared at each other. One was ballistic with rage while the other was as calm as an abyss. The world around them shattered and fell apart.
“I am also one of the Great Emperors recognised by the Star Boundary! You are not the only one who can control World Force!” Can Ye roared.
The reason Great Emperors were known as Great Emperors was that they were recognised by the world. They contained a part of the World’s Will in their bodies, which allowed them to draw upon the World Force. That was the biggest difference between a Great Emperor and an ordinary Emperor Realm Master.
Yang Kai grinned, “So what?”
While speaking, he exerted great strength in his hand. The newly condensed Dao Seal above the spine of the dragon bone shone brightly and a boundless mighty force gathered around his body.
The stalemate was instantly broken and Can Ye staggered backwards by several steps. His expression changed drastically at the sudden turn of events. He yelled, “How can this be!?”
In that moment, he felt his connection with the world weakened slightly. On the other hand, Yang Kai’s World Force increased sharply in contrast. If not for that, the balance would not have been broken so easily.
Yang Kai looked at Can Ye pityingly, “What’s so impossible about that? You abandoned this world. Did you think the world would just let you do whatever you want?”
The force in Yang Kai’s hand increased further and a circle of vibration spread out all of a sudden. Can Ye was blown away like a shooting star, spitting out a mouthful of blood while in mid-air.
Standing in the sky, Yang Kai spoke in a cool tone, “The World is alive, Can Ye. Don’t you understand that?”
If the World were not alive, it would not have opened the Profound Heavens Temple at the last moment of the Star Boundary’s survival. If the World were not alive, the Source Sealed World would not have protected Yang Kai after the competition for the Heavenly Source Fruit ended. The World was always watching over the millions of living creatures at all times; the invisible and intangible Heavenly Way would always guide a person to the clearest path at critical moments.
Can Ye stabilised his body, wiped away the blood at the corners of his mouth, and coldly responded, “If the World is sentient, then why did it allow me to become a Great Emperor? Stop speaking nonsense.”
Yang Kai threw his head back and laughed, “Whether or not my words are nonsense, don’t you know best? Since you decided to abandon and betray the Grand Dao of this world, then please return everything you received from this world.”
While he was speaking, a huge gap suddenly opened in the Void behind him. The shape of the gap was very peculiar. It almost looked like an eye that was staring at Can Ye indifferently.
Can Ye widened his eyes in astonishment, staring at the huge eye in the sky in horror. Under that gaze, he felt his connection with the world fading away rapidly.
Meanwhile, Yang Kai spread open his arms. An odd look appeared on his face. The invisible and intangible World Force gathered around his body and the Azure Dragon Spear in his hand roared several times.
“Can Ye!” All of a sudden, he let out a roar. His expression was hideous, “The blood of the Demon Race might flow through your veins, but you were born and raised in the Star Boundary! This world gave you the glory you have right now; this world gave you the status and respect you have right now! It’s bad enough that you don’t appreciate it, but you went so far as to betray the world, abandon the people, and allow foreign enemies to invade us! Your death is one not worth pitying! Today, I will deliver justice on behalf of the Heavens!”
He stuck the Azure Dragon Spear into the void and cast a Secret Technique with one hand. A mysterious and peerless mark suddenly appeared behind him.
“Dao Seal!?” Can Ye’s eyes widened further. He stared at Yang Kai in horror, “What are you doing!?”
As a Great Emperor himself, it was a given that he understood what a Dao Seal was. It was the crystallisation of a Great Emperor’s strength accumulated over a lifetime. It was equivalent to the Monster Core of a Monster Beast.
Monster Beasts would spit out their Monster Cores in desperate situations to attack powerful enemies. It was something only a cornered beast would do. If their luck was good enough, they would be able to turn the situation around and survive. If their luck was poor, their very soul would be destroyed. It could be said that this approach taken by the Monster Beasts was a double-edged sword. It would backfire on them with the slightest mistake.
In all the years since Can Ye became a Great Emperor, he had never seen anybody bring out their Dao Seal. Then again, there had never been a battle between the Great Emperors in the Star Boundary for all these years. They would occasionally exchange a few blows in private at most, but nobody would bring out their Dao Seal so easily during a sparring match. That was why it was also his first time seeing somebody performing an attack like this.
A halo of light flowed through the Dao Seal, flashing and flickering erratically. Just like the Space Principles that Yang Kai had mastered, that light was unpredictable, strange, and inexplicable. Moreover, an extremely horrifying aura was fluctuating from the Dao Seal.
Every single person who saw the Dao Seal couldn’t help feeling a chill running down their spine. There was no doubt that if something like that were to crash into the Star Boundary, it would most likely wipe out an entire territory.
The World Force poured madly into the Dao Seal, making the Void around the Dao Seal shine brighter and brighter. In the blink of an eye, it was as though there was a small sun in the sky. Everybody could not help but close their eyes.
“There’s not much time, so this attack will determine everything!” Yang Kai’s expression was calm. It was almost as though the Dao Seal in front of him was not the most important thing to him, but an artifact that he could just casually toss out.
If possible, Yang Kai would not have wanted to take this risk. He had only just received this opportunity and glimpsed into the secrets of the Martial Dao peak. It was only natural that he wanted to cherish his own wings.
Unfortunately, time waited for no one. He had the confidence to win against Can Ye if he continued his fight against Can Ye, but it was not something that could be resolved within a short time.
[This is the only way! Only by taking this risk can I end this as soon as possible!] Once he made his decision, he stopped hesitating. Even if doing this would damage his Grand Dao foundation, he had to press forward at all costs.
“Go!” While shouting, Yang Kai pointed forward. The Dao Seal that was radiating with a dazzling light leisurely floated towards Can Ye. The speed was fairly slow. It looked like any ordinary person could dodge the attack.
However, in Can Ye’s eyes, it felt like the entire Star Boundary was pressing down on him. [I can’t escape!]
That was an attack fuelled by the power of the vast Great World. Moreover, it was unleashed by the Dao Seal. There was nobody in this world who could avoid that attack.
[I can only defend like my life depends on it!] A loud roar rang out. Can Ye gritted his teeth and reached out his hand to point forward. A mark also appeared at the tip of his finger. That mark was quite similar to Yang Kai’s Dao Seal. It was mysterious and unique, but it was black in colour. Not to mention, the entire Dao Seal gave off a vibe that was both sharp and hidden… That was Can Ye’s Dao. It was a Dao of assassination and concealment.
Under the watch of countless eyes, these two Dao Seals gradually approached each other. They collided with each other silently. At that moment, black and white light illuminated the entire sky to form two huge semi-circles of different colours that rivalled each other. Both Yang Kai and Can Ye coughed up blood at the same time. Their hearts and bodies were shocked by the impact.
Under everybody’s nervous gaze, the white Domain expanded abruptly to engulf the black Domain. It only took a blink of an eye. The black was rapidly melted and filled entirely with white. Like how the victory was determined between the two opposing armies, the black army collapsed and fell apart.
Can Ye’s reluctant and furious roar rang out across the world.
When the incandescent white light that filled the world slowly faded, everybody felt their vision returning to normal. Then, they anxiously looked up.
Two figures stood apart in the sky. The cage that Yang Kai set up earlier was nowhere to be seen. Even though he formed that cage by borrowing the world’s might, it was still not enough to withstand the impact of two Great Emperors’ Dao Seals clashing against each other. It had long since dissipated into nothing. A huge black hole had appeared in the Void, as though the world was missing a chunk. It was all thanks to the protection of the cage. Otherwise, the missing piece in the world would not have been that small.
At this moment, both figures in the sky were in a miserable state. Yang Kai was pale and bleeding from his seven orifices. On the other hand, Can Ye’s hair was completely dishevelled and he looked like he was going to collapse at any moment.
Everybody was shocked. They thought that it would be the greatest battle in the world. They thought that it would be a fierce struggle between two evenly matched opponents. Who could have expected that the winner would be decided in less than ten seconds after Yang Kai’s Dao Seal was unleashed? This kind of speed was simply appalling. This was a battle between Great Emperors. How could it end in such a short period of time!?
There was no way of knowing who held the upper hand in the battle at first glance.
A gasping sound rang out as Yang Kai’s chest heaved violently. He reached out to grab the Azure Dragon Spear next to him with a look of reminiscence and nostalgia on his face, his voice echoing solemnly as he shouted, “This spear is for the World that birthed and raised us!”
While speaking, his body flickered slightly and instantly appeared in front of Can Ye, his spear thrusting out.
Can Ye raised his weapon to parry; however, he seemed to have lost all strength and before he could even lift his twin swords completely, he felt his body stiffen. The Azure Dragon Spear had pierced into his lower abdomen and came out through the back of his body. A violent force exploded from behind, ripping his clothes to pieces and causing a large bloody hole to appear in his back.
He widened his eyes in surprise and stared hard at Yang Kai, who was standing in front of him, his teeth rattling audibly as he muttered, “This King is Night Shadow Great Emperor…”
Yang Kai turned a deaf ear to those words as he pulled out his spear, causing a large amount of blood to spill out. Then, he thrust his spear out again, his voice cold as ice, “This spear is for all the trillions of lives who died in the Star Boundary!”
With a loud splatter, the Azure Dragon Spear pierced into Can Ye’s heart.
Can Ye’s body jerked once more. Blood dripped from the corners of his mouth and a gurgling sound came from his throat, “This King has stood in the Star Boundary for tens of thousands of years…”
The spear was pulled out again, but this time around, Yang Kai’s indifferent voice became slightly more high-pitched, mixed with a combination of blood and tears he roared, “This spear is for Senior Bright Moon!”
His grief-filled voice resonated throughout the entire Star Boundary. There was a crack of thunder and lightning flashed, followed by torrential rain that fell from the sky without warning.
Accompanied by the sound of lightning and thunder, the spear struck Can Ye’s head, exploding it the moment the attack landed. At the same time, something both white and red splattered in all directions
*Kacha…*
The thunder and lightning flashed even more fiercely and rain came pouring down more and more torrentially, washing away the filth in the world. There seemed to be a faint sigh coming from the world and the huge crack in the sky behind Yang Kai that looked like an eye slowly closed at this moment.
There was no announcement or communication in any way, but even so, every single living creature in the Star Boundary had a moment of enlightenment in their hearts: A Great Emperor had fallen!
Yang Kai retrieved his spear, stood tall and took a deep breath. An unprecedented joy in his heart made him unable to resist throwing his head back and roaring into the sky. His roars were thunderous, matching the sound of thunder and lightning in a deafening cacophony.
He was not elated by the death of a Great Emperor at his hands; rather, it was because he had finally collected the blood debt of Bright Moon!
Bright Moon had died on Eternal Sky Continent, and although many Demon Saints had worked together to besiege him, the real fatal blow was actually delivered by Can Ye.
Yang Kai had watched the battle from afar, so he distinctly saw what happened at the time. If not for Can Ye who appeared out of nowhere at the last moment and ambushed Bright Moon Great Emperor, the latter might still have had a chance at survival. Bright Moon had been wary of all the Demon Saints, but it was a pity that the only thing he had not guarded against was Can Ye appearing on Eternal Sky Continent.
It was also in that battle that Yang Kai received Bright Moon’s legacy and the blessing of the world. In the end, that was what allowed him to reach the end of the Grand Dao battle and obtain the Heavenly Source Fruit. It could be said that everything he achieved today was all thanks to Bright Moon Great Emperor’s sacrifice.
Since Yang Kai received such favour from Bright Moon Great Emperor, it was only natural that he should take revenge for his benefactor! It was a pity that he was too weak before and even if he wanted to, he did not have the strength to do so. Thus, how could he possibly pass up such a good opportunity today?
It wasn’t until this moment that Yang Kai felt the burden that had been pressing down on his heart all this time finally ease up.
Amidst Yang Kai’s roars, the Demon Race army trembled like quails without a nest in the cold winter. Likewise, the expressions of the Half-Saints watching this battle changed greatly. The fear on their faces was beyond description.
Inside High Heaven Palace, Lan Xun stood among a mountain full of dead bodies and stared at the headless corpse in the sky with tears streaming down her cheeks. She fell to her knees with a thud, crying loudly, “Father, Can Ye is dead. Please rest in peace now.”
Not far behind her, Xiao Chen stood covered in blood with his longsword gripped tightly in his hand. He was staring forward blankly, his heart full of bitterness as he mused, [The gap between us has grown so large… At this rate, I will never catch up to him for the rest of my life.]
Furious roars came from the clouds above, occasionally mixed with a high-pitched Dragon Roar. Five figures were entangled with each other somewhere high up in the sky. Moreover, the sounds of battle were gradually getting farther and farther away.
Can Ye’s death had struck a chord of fear in Xue Li and the others. How could they dare to remain in this place after what they just witnessed? Needless to say, they immediately wanted to flee; otherwise, they would not be able to leave even if they wanted to once Yang Kai composed himself.
They were evenly matched with the two Elders of the Dragon Clan, so they would definitely be at a disadvantage if Yang Kai was added to the mix. Besides, they had been frightened by Yang Kai’s near suicidal tactics just now. Although the three of them fought against the two Elders of the Dragon Clan, they had never dared to release their Dao Seals for the sake of killing the enemy.
On the contrary, Yang Kai dared to make such bold moves despite having only just been promoted to become a Great Emperor. His actions were completely unpredictable using common sense!
As soon as the three Demon Saints retreated from this place, the Demon Race army scattered across the entire battlefield immediately lost all morale. The Half-Saints quickly followed after the Demon Saints and the Demon Race army on the ground was obliterated as a result.
After being oppressed by the Demon Race for so many years and forced to evacuate countless times, the Star Boundary army had long since built up a great well of resentment and anger. Not to mention, the last pure land remaining in the Star Boundary had nearly been invaded mere moments ago. How could they let the Demon Race off so easily at this time? The surviving Star Boundary armies immediately swarmed out of High Heaven Palace. They chased down their enemies in all directions, leaving millions of corpses in their wake.
The only thing that made the Demon Race feel a little relieved was that Yang Kai simply stood there motionlessly after killing Can Ye. Not only did he not extend a helping hand to the two Great Elders of the Dragon Clan, but he also ignored the retreating Demon Race army.
It wasn’t his intention to ignore everything around him of course. If possible, he wanted to bury the entire Demon Race army in this place and was perfectly capable of doing that with his current strength. Although Can Ye was there to stop him before, Can Ye was dead now. Who else was there in this world that could stop him now?
It was just that… he might have killed a strong enemy in his battle against Can Ye, but the price he had to pay was not small. The hidden dangers caused by the clash of Dao Seals were extremely severe. Right now, Yang Kai’s Dao Seal had gone dim and dull, even though it used to emit a dazzlingly bright light.
Can Ye was a Great Emperor after all. Although he was abandoned by the World at the last moment and could longer mobilise its World Force to assist him, his strength was still a fact. In his last desperate struggle, Can Ye caused great harm to Yang Kai.
Immediately after that, Yang Kai had also unleashed three consecutive attacks. Those three attacks might have seemed bland and ordinary, but how could three attacks that could kill a Great Emperor be so simple? A large portion of his strength had been infused into every single thrust.
That was why he was currently unable to move a single muscle. If Xue Li and the others had been a little more courageous; if they had broken free from Zhu Yan and Fu Zhun to target him, he would not have had any strength to fight back at all.
Yang Kai observed his internal condition only to discover that his Dao Seal had not only gone dim but was also showing signs of collapsing. He was so frightened by this that his Soul nearly left his body.
[If my Dao Seal collapses just like that, then I will be the shortest-lived Great Emperor in all of history! I’ve only just taken my first step out of the Profound Heavens Temple and my Dao Seal is about to fall apart in less than half a day…]
How could he dare to hesitate? Yang Kai immediately began trying his best to stabilise his Dao Seal.
In front of Yang Kai stood Can Ye’s headless corpse which for some eerie reason did not fall to the ground but instead slowly melted away like snowflakes under the sun. It didn’t take long for the entire corpse to dissipate into nothingness. The luck and good fortune that he once captured from the Profound Heavens Temple was returned to the Star Boundary at this moment.
Those with low strength did not notice anything; however, the Pseudo-Great Emperors and those above their level could feel that something invisible had been added to the world. It was extremely mysterious and if they had the chance to study the phenomenon, they were certain they would receive a lot of benefits.
By the time Yang Kai opened his eyes again, it was already half a day later. Night had fallen and the world was covered in darkness. Demon Essence was still raging across the World and even the scenery was hazy as a result. Neither the sun, moon, nor stars could be seen.
Yang Kai immediately noticed a large group of people standing in front of him, led by Zhu Yan and Fu Zhun.
“How is it?” Fu Zhun asked nervously. Although both she and Zhu Yan had been engaged in battle with the three Demon Saints at the time, they remained keenly aware of Yang Kai’s movements. It was obvious that they knew how Yang Kai had eventually killed Can Ye; therefore, they were both extremely worried that something might have gone wrong with Yang Kai’s Dao Seal.
Yang Kai shook his head slowly and smiled, “I’m fine. I’m sorry for worrying you, Second Elder.”
His Dao Seal was still a little dim at the moment, but at least there was no risk of collapse anymore. As long as he slowly recuperated in the future, he would be able to recover completely. Be that as it may… he did not dare to use a similar fighting style again. He had been forced by the circumstances at the time and there was also a bit of fearlessness that came from ignorance. Now that Yang Kai had learned about the dangers that came with his actions, he could not help shivering slightly thinking back on them.
“Good!” Zhu Yan let out a long sigh of relief, feeling his anxiety easing. This young man was not just a Great Emperor of the Star Boundary, he was also the Dragon God of the Dragon Clan. This matter was related to the survival of the Dragon Clan and Star Boundary, so how could Zhu Yan not be nervous?
“Li Wu Yi and fellow companions greet Senior Void!” Li Wu Yi, dressed in white clothes that were stained with blood, stepped forward from behind Zhu Yan and saluted.
Behind him, a group of the Star Boundary Pseudo-Great Emperors and Demon Race Half-Saints, who had defected to the Star Boundary, echoed in unison, “Greetings, Senior Void!”
“Senior, you…” Caught off guard, Yang Kai quickly helped Li Wu Yi up. For him to become a Great Emperor, half of the credit went to Bright Moon Great Emperor while the other half went to Li Wu Yi.
If Li Wu Yi had also participated in the Grand Dao battle, Yang Kai was certain that he would most likely have seized the position of Great Emperor instead. In that case, the title ‘Void’ would not be his right now. How could he receive such respect from Li Wu Yi when he was so greatly indebted to the latter?
Li Wu Yi smiled, “In the Martial Dao, strength speaks the loudest. You are now a respected Great Emperor, please do not mention the word ‘Senior’ again. This Li cannot bear it.”
Yang Kai smiled bitterly as his eyes swept across the people behind Li Wu Yi. All he saw were many scorching gazes staring back at him. It did not matter how old he was or whether he was formerly their Junior. Now that he was a Great Emperor recognised by the World, the entire Star Boundary stood behind him. His very existence gave the people the confidence and hope to walk out of the darkness.
As such, all he could do is cup his fists with a solemn expression and declare, “Everyone, you have worked hard!”
All those present responded humbly.
Taking a deep breath, Yang Kai turned his gaze to the people standing further behind him. Many familiar faces stood among the crowd and they were all looking at him with respect. Among those faces, the expressions of Zhu Qing, Su Yan, Xue Yue, Shan Qing Luo, Xia Ning Chang, and Ji Yao were glowing with pride. This man was their husband, the future hope of the Star Boundary!
From the back of the crowd, a red-eyed Lan Xun walked over and gave an elegant bow, “Many thanks, Senior Void, for avenging my Father. Star Soul Palace is extremely grateful for your deeds.”
Yang Kai smiled bitterly again, “You give me too much credit, Junior Sister Lan. My achievements today are thanks to the grace I received from Senior Bright Moon. How could I dare to not do my best?”
Lan Xun nearly burst into tears once more when she heard him calling her ‘Junior Sister Lan’ as before, “Senior Brother, if you ever need help in the future, Star Soul Palace will never refuse your requests.”
A trace of sorrow and helplessness flashed through the eyes of Xiao Chen, who was following closely behind her.
Meanwhile, Yang Kai took a deep breath, “We can talk about the future when the future comes. For now, we need to survive the crisis before us.”
While he was speaking, his thoughts flashed. All who were present in this place felt their vision blurring for a moment but before they could figure out what was going on, they found themselves on a mountain peak all of a sudden. Looking around, they realised that this was High Heaven Peak.
They couldn’t help feeling stunned. Just moments ago, they had been standing on the battlefield several hundred kilometres away from High Heaven Palace. For them to turn up in this place without warning was undoubtedly Yang Kai’s doing; however, when they thought back to the fact that he was now a Great Emperor, they felt a sense of relief. Only a Great Emperor could have pulled off a feat like this.
As far as the eye could see, the entire High Heaven Palace was in a state of dilapidation and disarray. The Sect Defending Array of High Heaven Palace had been broken under the fierce attack of the Demon Race. As a result, the Demon Race army had poured in from all directions. The soldiers of the Star Boundary had fought to the death on this last remaining piece of pure land; thus, both sides had suffered heavy casualties.
At this moment, there were countless corpses belonging to both the Demon Race and Human Race piling up high all over High Heaven Palace. What used to be a beautiful place with magnificent scenery was now a scene from Hell instead.
The Demon Land had already expanded to just beyond the borders of High Heaven Palace. In addition, High Heaven Palace was also filled with Demon Qi at the moment. If it was just left alone like that, then it would not take long before the last remaining piece of pure land disappeared from the face of the world. If that happened, there would be no place left for the Human Race in the Star Boundary.
Under everybody’s gaze, Yang Kai slowly floated into the air with a solemn expression. An invisible Dao aura flowed out, causing many people to experience the sudden urge to worship him. Countless people couldn’t help losing focus for a moment.
*Hong…*
A silent shock rang out from deep within Yang Kai’s heart. His hands seemed to dance in a flurry of movements as he formed seal after seal. The seals were so peculiar that nobody could understand what they were for, but with the changing of the seals, Qi waves that were visible to the naked eye began to spread outward like ripples centred around Yang Kai.
Everybody else couldn’t help widening their eyes and glancing around their surroundings in astonishment. Wherever those ripples passed, the Demon Qi scattered within High Heaven Palace was repelled and pushed out.
In the beginning, the frequency and speed of the ripples were not high; however, as time went by, the ripples continued to expand. They soon spread out to the entire High Heaven Palace before continuing to expand outwards.
A low and solemn voice resounded throughout the world, “In the name of Void, let the world be bright and peaceful again! Retreat!”
*Hong…*
The Qi waves exploded and a circle of incomparably condensed light surged from under Yang Kai’s feet, expanding in all directions. Everywhere the light covered, the Demon Essence disappeared and the Demon Land vanished to reveal the original appearance of the world. Even the haze that shrouded High Heaven Palace all this while was unable to withstand the baptism of this World Strength.
Following that, a huge hole appeared in the sky and dazzling sunlight that shone in through the gap gave off the illusion of arriving in another world altogether. As the hole in the sky rapidly expanded outward, the Demon Land on the ground continuously shrank backwards…
*Hong hong hong…* Wave after wave of the light constantly burst forth with a unique frequency.
Li Wu Yi’s expression froze for a moment, seemingly as though an idea had struck him. With a flash of his figure, he vanished from the spot in an instant, returning only a short while later with a look of excitement on his face.
“Supreme Commander, what did you find?” Bing Yun asked quietly.
He responded excitedly, “The area of the pure land is expanding!”
“Really!?” Zhu Yan asked in surprise.
“I saw it with my own eyes!”
As soon as those words rang out, the crowd became excited. They had guessed as much after watching Yang Kai’s actions in addition to the changes that were taking place in High Heaven Palace. Even so, it wasn’t until Li Wu Yi personally verified the truth that they became certain.
The range of the pure land was expanding, which meant that the range of motion of the Star Boundary army would increase. In the future, there was no need to remain stuck inside High Heaven Palace anymore. They would no longer be in such a passive situation! After years of oppression, was it finally time for them to start counterattacking!?
The Demon Race had set up a Grand Array to erode the Star Boundary with boundless Demon Essence. They also trapped many Great Emperors of the Star Boundary so that nobody could contend against them. While the two Elders of the Dragon Clan had power that could rival the Great Emperors, they were not true Great Emperors. The husband and wife might be able to fend off the three Demon Saints by working together, but there was nothing they could do against the Demon Essence eroding away at the World.
On the contrary, Yang Kai was different. Not only did he have the World’s Will, but he was also recognized by the world. He was currently the only Great Emperor in the entire Star Boundary. In other words, he was the only representative of the World present at this moment. It was only natural that he could borrow the World Strength to safeguard the interests of this World. That was something only a Great Emperor could do. It did not matter how strong the Dragon Clan Elders were as even the cleverest woman could not cook a meal without rice.
The waves of light continued to spread outward, and everywhere the light passed, the Demon Essence disappeared to become pure land again!
Li Wu Yi frowned slightly though and continued, “But… after being eroded, the world seems a little different from before.”
Although Yang Kai was currently using World Strength to force the Demon Essence back and expand the pure land, Li Wu Yi keenly discovered that something was different about the places that were once corrupted by Demon Land.
“What kind of difference?” Everybody asked.
Li Wu Yi shook his head, “I can’t put my finger on it.”
It wasn’t as simple as a loss of vitality. It seemed to be more serious than that.
“The Auspicious Spirit Essence has been lost. It’s only natural that there will be differences.” Yang Kai kept his hands moving, but he sighed softly and explained. When Mo Sheng told him about the Auspicious Spirit Essence, he had not quite understood what it was. But, at this moment, how could he not understand?
If the World was alive, then its Auspicious Spirit Essence was the Spiritual Essence of the World! The expansion of the Demon Essence was not just about turning the lands of the Star Boundary into a Demon Land, it was also to devour the Auspicious Spirit Essence of this world.
Although he could now use World Strength to expel the Demon Essence and reduce the range of Demon land, Yang Kai could not bring back what was already lost.
The range of the pure land expanded to a thousand kilometres, ten thousand kilometres, a hundred thousand kilometres, a million kilometres… It did not take more than a quarter hour for the Demon Essence in a radius of over a million kilometres from High Heaven Palace to be cleared away!
A sudden rumbling sound rang out across the world at that moment. Immediately after that, an ethereal aura suddenly rose from the east. The aura was not particularly strong, but it made everybody’s heart skip a beat with an overwhelming sense of unease.
“It’s about time…” Yang Kai took a deep breath, looked east, and suddenly burst into a shout, “Mo Sheng, scram out of the Star Boundary! Otherwise, this King will bury you in this place forever!”
As soon as the name ‘Mo Sheng’ came out, the expressions of Li Wu Yi and the two Dragon Clan Elders changed greatly. They hurriedly followed Yang Kai’s gaze and looked in that direction. Having heard the name from Yang Kai before, they were aware of what it meant.
It was the Great Demon God of the Demon Realm. The reason why the Demon Realm became the Demon Realm was also related to this person. When Yang Kai returned from the Demon Realm previously, he told them about his encounter with Mo Sheng’s Soul Clone so that they could take precautions against him.
It was just that the war between the two worlds had gone on for so long, but they had seen neither hide nor hair of the so-called Great Demon God. Only the disappearance of the Great Emperors seemed related to this matter; therefore, nobody could have imagined that this person would reveal himself at the most critical moment when the Star Boundary was finally about to see the light at the end of the tunnel.
On second thought, however, it was not that strange either. According to the information Yang Kai brought back last time, Mo Sheng had been trying to devour the Star Boundary’s Auspicious Spirit Essence in order to recover from his wounds; however, things had fallen short right at the very last moment. Even the Demon Essence and the Demon Land that had been eroding away at the Star Boundary were about to be purged by Yang Kai, so how could Mo Sheng bear to hold himself back at this moment? Whether he was willing to or not, he had no choice but to reveal himself now.
Be that as it may… That person was a terrifying existence that once killed Flowing Time Great Emperor. He was also a mysterious Master who came from the Outer Universe. Even if he had yet to recover from his injuries, he was not somebody they dared to underestimate.
Aside from Li Wu Yi and the two Elders of the Dragon Clan, the others did not know the connotation behind the name ‘Mo Sheng’ that came out of Yang Kai’s mouth, but they soon came to understand…
All the Demon Qi in the Star Boundary were converging towards the east. Then, a gigantic figure slowly emerged from that land at a rate that was visible to the naked eye. That figure towered up into the sky, even though his feet were on the ground. Demon Qi around his body churned and rolled. Furthermore, the strange aura from before was clearly coming from this figure. It was unlike the weak aura at the beginning. The aura was quickly becoming extremely terrifying. As the Demon Qi from the whole of the Star Boundary poured into him, an overwhelming power seemed to descend from the sky.
Even though the huge figure was still very far away, he gave off a sense that his strength was absolutely unparalleled. It could even be said that it was impossible to even think about being hostile towards him.
Everybody turned pale in horror. The two Great Elders of the Dragon Clan also had extremely solemn expressions on their faces. They were horrified to discover that just from aura alone, the huge black figure was stronger and more terrifying than any Great Emperor in existence.
The huge figure let out a loud roar and thunder boomed in response. Afterwards, a huge face emerged from where the head of the figure should be. Other people might not be able to recognise this face, but how could Yang Kai not recognise it? It was the same appearance as the Mo Sheng that he had met previously. It was just that this figure before him was the true body of Great Demon God. The one he killed on the ancient battlefield in the Small Sealed World back then had been nothing but a Soul Clone.
“We meet again,” The mouth on that huge face wriggled with movement. It was followed by a deafening voice. While speaking, the expression on that face even formed into a sort of half-smile.
“Get out of the Star Boundary!” Yang Kai glared at the huge pair of pupils coldly, a burning sensation in his eyes. There was no denying that the Demon Eye of Annihilation and the Purgatory Black Eye he obtained from Great Demon God were being affected due to the appearance of Great Demon God’s true body.
“You are powerful indeed. I can’t believe you reached such heights in such a short time. Even this King has not seen many people with your level of aptitude. How is it? Isn’t the scenery here wonderful?” Mo Sheng responded as if talking to himself, seeming to take no notice of Yang Kai’s hostility towards him.
“It doesn’t matter what the scenery is like in this place. It has nothing to do with you. If you leave the Star Boundary quietly, this King will not blame you for what happened in the past, but, if you continue being unrepentant, then don’t blame me for being ruthless!”
“Hahahaha…” Mo Sheng laughed, his giant face full of joy, as though he had just heard an extremely pleasant joke. At the same time, the sound of his laughter brought about changes within the Star Boundary.
When Mo Sheng’s laughter stopped, the Demon Qi that filled the sky condensed abruptly in response. It made the huge figure seem considerably more solid than before, “This King has truly never met anyone who dared to speak such arrogant words in front of me before.”
Yang Kai coldly replied, “It’s not too late for you to meet one now.”
Mo Sheng chuckled softly. His huge eyes looked Yang Kai up and down from thousands of kilometres away. Then, he gently nodded, “Not bad. Yang Kai, I advise you to stop opposing this King if you want to live; otherwise, you will regret it for the rest of your life.”
“Shameless boasting!” Yang Kai coldly snorted, “I would be no match for you if you were at your peak, but… How much power can you even bring out right now?”
Mo Sheng seemed a little exasperated as he earnestly said, “Do not be so stubborn!”
“Enough nonsense! If you refuse to leave, then you can stay here forever!” When Yang Kai let out a furious roar, he shoved his hands out in front of him as if he was pushing an invisible door open.
Following his actions, the pure land that had already expanded across several million kilometres suddenly expanded outward with a burst of speed. The pure land more than doubled in an instant. Moreover, it happened so quickly that the entire Star Boundary seemed like it would be restored to normal in one go.
“Foolishness!” Mo Sheng shook his head slowly, a hint of anger appearing on his huge face. He simultaneously lost interest in communicating with Yang Kai. Raising his two enormous palms, he gently pressed them together.
The expansion of the pure land came to an abrupt halt and even Yang Kai couldn’t help groaning. He gritted his teeth and desperately urged the World Strength to advance. As the one and only Great Emperor present in this world, he could clearly sense that his actions were being suppressed instantly by Mo Sheng’s casual move. The newly expanded pure land was even showing signs of being pushed back again.
Yang Kai was horrified, [Is this the power of the Great Demon God!?]
The huge figure in front of him was nothing more than the agglomeration of Demon Qi, not the true body of the Great Demon God at all. In other words, it was unable to exert the full strength of the Great Demon God.
[If a transient figure formed from a mass of Demon Qi is already capable of so much, then how overwhelming was Great Demon God at his peak!? What about Flowing Time Great Emperor who managed to destroy Great Demon God’s physical body!? How unfathomable was he!? Not to mention, there was also the person who injured Great Demon God in the first place…]
All kinds of thoughts flashed through Yang Kai’s mind as he grit his teeth and shouted, “Open!”
A current gushed out, formed from Yang Kai’s own Dao, supported by the World’s Will. The only remaining Great Emperor in the Star Boundary and Great Demon God clashed against each other with the world as their battlefield.
Nobody could make out the details of this battle; however, as time passed, numerous large Void Cracks began to appear in the sky. The whole world seemed to be overwhelmed by the battle and was teetering on the brink of collapse.
Everyone turned pale at the sight… A battle on this level had already surpassed the desperate struggle between Yang Kai and Can Ye previously. It had reached a level that the others simply could not comprehend what was happening. Although the fight between Yang Kai and Can Ye earlier had been very fierce, they at least could tell what was going on and understand the overall situation.
On the other hand, this battle was a fierce struggle between two evenly matched opponents on a level beyond their ability to comprehend. Nobody knew what was going on, so it was only natural that nobody could tell who was the stronger of the two. Nevertheless, they could tell from the expression on Yang Kai’s face that he was definitely under unimaginable pressure.
With the passage of time, more and more cracks appeared in the Void like strips of pitch-black giant pythons that roamed the world. It was a sight that caused great fear and unease among the people.
The Demon Land began to make a comeback, causing all of Yang Kai’s previous efforts to come to nothing.
An hour later, everybody watched as the Demon Qi that had dissipated earlier gathered together again and pressed towards High Heaven Palace little by little.
Yang Kai’s body trembled violently. From time to time, an explosion could be heard from his body and a cloud of blood mist would erupt at the same time. His complexion was also as pale as a sheet.
Zhu Yan and Fu Zhun glanced at each and saw the intent in the other’s eyes. The husband and wife did not have to speak to understand one another as their hearts were connected together; thus, they soared into the sky, turned into two giant Dragons, and rushed towards the east.
They did not know if they would return from this battle, but there was no time for them to worry about such things. Yang Kai might have the power of a Great Emperor, but he had only just become one. In addition, his battle against Can Ye earlier had used up a lot of his strength. Fighting the Great Demon God on his own now would surely put him at a disadvantage. Unfortunately, his strength was lacking, and the only people who could help him at this time were Zhu Yan and Fu Zhun. Even though it was against all common sense in the world, the two Elders took the initiative to attack with the resolve that they might not return alive!
Two Dragons roared and an Azure and White Dragon wrapped around each other, their spirits in perfect harmony with each other. A huge force rushed out as their strength was mutually enhanced. However, three figures came up to them before they could approach the Great Demon God’s body of Demon Qi. It was Xue Li and the other Demon Saints who had retreated earlier.
Both sides had been rivals for so long, so there was no exchange of words when they met, they simply immediately broke out in violence. This battle was different from all their battles in the past, however. Zhu Yan and Fu Zhun knew that they were in an extremely time-critical situation so they had no time to be held up by Xue Li and the others, that was why they immediately fought as if their lives depended on it.
Shocked by their aggression, Xue Li and the others instantly fell into a disadvantageous position. Even so, the efforts of the husband and wife were in vain; they were unable to get past the blockade formed by Xue Li and the others.
“The Star Boundary’s fate will be decided today! Brothers, Sisters, we must fight! With me!” Li Wu Yi shouted and rushed into the distance.
The two Elders of the Dragon Clan were being restrained, so the only ones who could lend a hand in battle were the Pseudo-Great Emperors. Even if they were nothing more than ants trying to shake a tree, they were determined to rip off a piece of their enemy’s flesh before they died. The tragic atmosphere was filled with a sense of unity and solidarity. At this moment, all the powerhouses in the Star Boundary were tied together by a single purpose in the face of this crisis.
Following closely behind Li Wu Yi, all the Pseudo-Great Emperors who still had the power to fight set off together. None of them stayed behind. Even Yang Xiao and Yang Xue followed at their heels with the Flowing Time Temple.
Naturally, what greeted them was the many Demon Race Half-Saints!
Thus, the war resumed. Less than half a day had passed since their last desperate battle and now small groups confronted each other fiercely above the sky as everyone was occupied by their respective battles.
“It seems you’re not so great after all!” Yang Kai stared at Mo Sheng deeply, the corners of his mouth raising slightly into a grin.
If Mo Sheng had strength to spare, he would not have commanded the Demon Race Masters to take part in the battle. He was perfectly capable of killing the Pseudo-Great Emperors from the Star Boundary on the spot with his strength. Nevertheless, the reality was that the Half-Saints were the ones to face the Pseudo-Great Emperors from the Star Boundary who were rushing in this direction. That undoubtedly indicated that Mo Sheng did not have any spare capacity to take care of them himself.
Naturally, that could also be related to his injuries. The reason the Demon Race invaded the Star Boundary was so that Mo Sheng could devour the Star Boundary’s Auspicious Spirit Essence and heal himself after all. On that note, his injuries were most likely not healed yet since the Star Boundary was still safe. What’s more, the current him only had a body that was formed from the agglomeration of Demon Qi. It was not a true flesh and blood body at all!
“It’s more than enough to deal with you…” Mo Sheng smiled indifferently, unmoved by Yang Kai’s taunt.
*Kacha…*
The world continued to hum and shudder endlessly. Every corner of the Star Boundary felt like it was going to shatter and the boundaries of the pure land were constantly being suppressed while the Demon Land steadily advanced.
Yang Kai grit his teeth as blood leaked out from the corners of his lips. Although he was forcing himself to remain standing in the sky, he was actually on the verge of collapse.
[I’m no match for him!] Yang Kai alone was unable to match Mo Sheng’s power. If this situation were to continue, he would be defeated in less than an hour. The Star Boundary would cease to exist if that were to happen. Despite becoming a Great Emperor, Yang Kai couldn’t help drowning in a sense of helplessness.
At that moment, a change occurred. An unfamiliar consciousness suddenly awakened, and with the awakening of this consciousness, an indifferent voice came from somewhere in the east, “Who dares disturb this Queen’s slumber!?”
The voice was not loud, but it echoed clearly in everyone’s ears. All those who were fighting immediately looked eastward in surprise, the expressions on their faces changing in response.
Yang Kai also glanced over in that direction, feeling extremely shocked. It might only have been one sentence that barely displayed any flow of power, but he could feel a great and majestic force coming from the voice. It felt like a pair of eyes beyond the horizon had opened and was looking down at all the living creatures in the world from above with cold indifference. It was impossible to guess just how powerful the owner of these eyes was.
[But, how can that be? Apart from me, there should only be the two Elders with the power to rival a Great Emperor! When did such a terrifying existence appear in the Star Boundary!? How is it that even I failed to notice it up until now!]
It had to be noted that Yang Kai was now a Great Emperor with the World’s Will in his body. It only took a single thought and nothing in this world could be hidden from his perception. Be that as it may, he had been completely oblivious to this existence until the voice sounded. Even if he had wholeheartedly been focused on his battle with Great Demon God, it was still difficult to believe. What shocked Yang Kai even more was that the voice belonged to a woman. It was indifferent, ethereal, but at the same time a little familiar… He vaguely felt as though he had heard this voice before, but he could not recall anything about it.
At the same time, the huge body of Great Demon God suddenly began to tremble and a hint of rage was revealed in his expression that had always been smiling up until now. He roared, “This aura… It’s you!”
His deafening roar resounded throughout the entire world. A wave of boundless fury swept out from the huge body, making all the living creatures in the world feel as if they were standing at the mouth of a volcano. Moreover, the volcano was about to erupt into hot flames at any time.
“Why are you here!?” Mo Sheng questioned. However, he soon frowned, “No. It’s not you. You are…”
A pensive look appeared on his face, and then he immediately understood the situation, “So that’s how it is! Hahahaha! It turns out that you fared no better than this King! Good, good! Very good!”
Following his hearty laughter, a pair of giant eyes suddenly opened in the eastern sky. The owner of those giant eyes glanced at Great Demon God indifferently across a distance of millions of kilometres. In the next instant, that ethereal voice sounded again, “Mo Sheng!”
Those eyes were enormous, but their pupils were crystal clear. It could be seen at a glance that these eyes belonged to a woman. A woman with such beautiful eyes was bound to be a great and astounding beauty. More importantly, this woman recognised Mo Sheng. Judging from what Mo Sheng said before, he was obviously no stranger to this woman either.
Great Demon God roared, “This King’s name is not for the likes of you to call! Only your ancestor is worthy to speak this King’s name!”
“How are you still alive!?”
“Show yourself!” Mo Sheng shouted angrily as he raised his hand and punched at the pair of giant eyes in the sky. Those giant eyes instantly shattered under the violent force of the Demon Qi.
Meanwhile, Yang Kai simply stood there blankly, his face full of shock and disbelief.
When Yang Kai first heard that voice, he couldn’t help thinking that it was rather familiar; however, he simply could not remember where he had heard it before. It wasn’t until that pair of eyes appeared in the sky that he immediately recalled the memory. He had seen that pair of eyes countless times before. It was just that those eyes had been bashful and timid at the time. After so many years though, these beautiful eyes were now full of confidence and strength.
“Ruo Xi!” He murmured.
[That’s right! I can’t be mistaken. That voice, those eyes… They are all so familiar. Who else could it be but Zhang Ruo Xi? Isn’t she currently inside the Blood Gate in the Eastern Territory though? Is she finally coming out of retreat?]
He glanced towards the east with a scorching gaze.
Several dozen years had passed since Zhang Ruo Xi first entered the Blood Gate, which had remained silent for that entire time. It wasn’t until several years ago, right before he last departed for the Demon Realm, that the Blood Gate finally showed some slight changes. Yang Kai originally wanted to stay there until the Blood Gate opened once more, but who could have known that his plans would change at the last moment, forcing him to set off for the Demon Realm?
Once Yang Kai returned from the Demon Realm, he had been involved in several consecutive wars. After that, he participated in the Grand Dao battle. He was so busy that he had no time for anything else. There was no chance for him to investigate the situation at the Blood Gate.
Before he left for the Demon Realm, Yang Kai had told Li Wu Yi that the Blood Gate might open again soon and asked him to keep an eye on the situation there.
It wasn’t until today that Zhang Ruo Xi’s voice was transmitted across the world!
Yang Kai did not know the exact details of Zhang Ruo Xi’s current situation. He also did not know whether the Blood Gate had been reopened. Judging from what she had mentioned previously, however, it would seem that she had been awakened by the fight between him and Mo Sheng.
It was no wonder. The Star Boundary’s survival was hanging on the outcome of this battle; therefore, it had shaken the very foundation of this world. Although the Blood Gate was Heavens Order’s palace, a Sealed World of its own, it was no different from all the other Sealed Worlds, still dependent on the Great World, the Star Boundary. Hence, the Blood Gate would surely be affected now that the whole of the Star Boundary was in turmoil. Zhang Ruo Xi had been inside the Blood Gate all this time, so she was also bound to experience some disturbances. It was not surprising that she woke up due to the commotion.
What surprised Yang Kai was that Zhang Ruo Xi had recognised Mo Sheng, even calling out his name just now. In addition, Mo Sheng’s words had been very concerning too. He seemed to know her ancestor, who was the Master known as Heavens Order.
The reason Zhang Ruo Xi could recognise Mo Sheng was most likely related to the Heaven’s Order inheritance that she received. She had acquired the bloodline inheritances and memories of her ancestors. On the contrary, how did Mo Sheng and Heavens Order meet? Could it be that these two Masters were from the same era? Or, were they both from the Outer Universe?
All of a sudden, Yang Kai recalled the story that Mo Sheng’s Soul Clone had told him on the ancient battlefield. According to the story, Mo Sheng had been severely injured on two occasions. The second time was related to Flowing Time Great Emperor. In that battle, Flowing Time Great Emperor had lost his life. It was a tragic ending.
On the other hand, Mo Sheng’s physical body had been destroyed, so he had no choice but to enter hibernation for recuperation. It was because of the second injury he received that he started to hatch a plot to obtain the Star Boundary’s Auspicious Spirit Essence.
Mo Sheng had not said much about the person who originally wounded him, only mentioning that it was a woman. Now, it would seem that the woman might have been Heaven’s Order.
Yang Kai shuddered at the thought. If that was truly the case, then he had greatly underestimated the strength of Heaven’s Order. She turned out to be a peerless Master who managed to severely injure the Great Demon God at his peak. Although she was also severely injured as a result, she was somebody who stood in the same realm as Mo Sheng.
If things really happened the way Yang Kai suspected, then… Mo Sheng went to the Peerless World to heal after his battle with Heaven’s Order. Meanwhile, Heaven’s Order came to the Star Boundary. She left behind a great prestige and her Bloodline Power that had been passed down for hundreds of thousands of years.
The more Yang Kai considered it, the more plausible it seemed. Among the memories contained in the Sources of many Divine Spirits, Heaven’s Order had appeared out of nowhere. There were no records of this Master’s growth. It was just that she suddenly appeared one day, intimidated the entire World in that extremely distant era, and became eternally famous. It would all make sense if it turned out that she actually came from the Outer Universe.
“Hahaha!” Mo Sheng laughed. His laughter was thunderous, “Good. Very good. This King can’t believe he got to meet the descendent of an old friend here! What luck! Little girl, just wait right there! Once this King finishes cleaning up here, he will go over and see if you are anything like your ancestor!”
While speaking, his huge body shook violently and Yang Kai felt an overwhelming pressure pressing down on him from all directions, leaving him powerless to fight back.
Letting out a grunt, Yang Kai suddenly heard a voice in his ear, “Sir, can you hold on for a while longer?”
“Ruo Xi?” Yang Kai asked in surprise.
“En, if Sir can hold on for another half an hour, Ruo Xi will immediately come to help you.”
“Take your time. It’s never too late to dress up beautifully!” Yang Kai laughed out loud, feeling extremely relieved.
It was not only because he finally got to hear Zhang Ruo Xi’s voice again after so many years, but it was also that his previous worries did not come true. Zhang Ruo Xi did not seem to have changed much even after receiving Heavens Order’s inheritance. The familiar way she addressed him as ‘Sir’ reminded him of the timid little girl who used to follow him around all the time.
While he was speaking, he simultaneously mobilised the World’s might again to fight against the boundless Demon Qi.
Zhang Ruo Xi giggled, “Ruo Xi feels at ease to see how energetic you are, Sir.”
After that, there was no further communication from her. She seemed to be busy with something and could not afford to be distracted.
“Half an hour…” Yang Kai let out a long sigh. Although he was assisted by the two Elders from the Dragon Clan and many Pseudo-Great Emperors, he felt as though he was fighting alone. It felt very lonely to stand on this battlefield of the World. But now, he had Zhang Ruo Xi on his side! He did not know how much power she could exert once she came out of retreat, but judging from that pair of beautiful eyes that appeared in the sky just now, her strength should not be inferior to his in any way.
[As expected of the bloodline inheritance of a Master that could severely injure the Great Demon God at his peak! In such a short period of time, the little girl who used to be so ignorant of the world back then has undergone such a huge change… It’s only half an hour. I have to persevere even if I have to put my life on the line!]
Yang Kai felt a sudden increase in the pressure around him the moment that thought flashed through his head. While resisting desperately, he couldn’t help sneering, “Mo Sheng, why are you in such a hurry…”
From the pressure coming from all directions, Yang Kai could feel Mo Sheng’s urgency. Mo Sheng seemed to be impatient to devour the last remaining pure land of the Star Boundary and swallow up the last bit of its Auspicious Spirit Essence. This unexpected discovery delighted Yang Kai instead as it undoubtedly indicated that Mo Sheng was quite fearful of Zhang Ruo Xi. Mo Sheng would not have behaved in this manner otherwise.
Mo Sheng coldly snorted and did not answer, but he was clearly no longer as calm as he was before. It only served to confirm the conjecture in Yang Kai’s heart, Zhang Ruo Xi was powerful enough to threaten Mo Sheng! At the very least, her power was comparable to Yang Kai’s current self!
Unfortunately, there was nothing Yang Kai could do with this piece of knowledge. All he could do right now was persevere. He had to hold out until Zhang Ruo Xi came out of retreat. If the two of them worked together, they might be able to defeat Mo Sheng!
At this moment, Yang Kai’s expression changed drastically. The defence he worked so hard to maintain was showing signs of collapse, which shocked him greatly. After a slight perception of its condition, his expression immediately became grave.
He was the only Great Emperor in the Star Boundary at the moment who could mobilise the world’s might; however, in that short moment just now, he noticed that his control over the World had become much weaker. It was almost as if there was another force sharing the control over the World with him. It was also at that moment that he faintly sensed the auras of the other seven missing Great Emperors…
Yang Kai had once sensed the auras of these seven Great Emperors, so he knew that they were trapped in an inexplicable space and could not escape. It was just that he had not sensed them again after that incident, much less figured out where they were being held. However, that feeling became incredibly clear for a moment just now, so much so that he even obtained some clues as to where they were.
Under normal circumstances, Yang Kai might have been able to locate the Great Emperors with a bit of time, but in the current situation, where would he find the time to investigate their whereabouts? The consequence of his weakening control over the World was that his resistance against the Great Demon God was also getting weaker and weaker.
On the other hand, Mo Sheng seemed to have somehow borrowed the power of the world to suppress him enormously.
“What did you do!?” Yang Kai shouted through gritted teeth.
Mo Sheng grinned, “Why don’t you take a guess?”
“Bastard!” Yang Kai cursed. Although he did not know what means Mo Sheng had used, he was certain that this change in the world’s might was related to the other seven Great Emperors. Mo Sheng seemed to have the ability to take over their control of the World and use it against him instead.
…..
While those two were talking to each other, Zhan Wu Hen sat cross-legged inside an inexplicable space and glared at Huang Wu Ji furiously.
Huang Wu Ji was sitting opposite him with less than a metre between them, a mummified palm sticking out of his chest. That mummified palm was emitting an extremely terrifying aura and although it was a dead object, Zhan Wu Hen couldn’t help feeling a sense of fear from it. It was very difficult to imagine just how powerful the owner of this hand had been when he was still alive.
It wasn’t Zhan Wu Hen who stabbed the hand into Huang Wu Ji’s chest, however, but Huang Wu Ji himself. The fresh blood that flowed out was absorbed by the hand and at the same time, Huang Wu Ji’s aura climbed steadily until it reached a level that made even Zhan Wu Hen feel humbled.
Then, the First Demon Saint of the Demon Realm formed a seal with his hand and pointed a finger at Zhan Wu Hen. Zhan Wu Hen did not know what kind of strange Secret Technique Huang Wu Ji was using, but he could clearly feel a mysterious power in his body being siphoned away. That power was the World’s Will that he received from the Star Boundary. Using this World’s Will, he was blessed with luck and good fortune. More importantly, he could mobilise the Star Boundary’s World Force for his own use.
At this moment, he asked the same question as Yang Kai, “What did you do!?”
Huang Wu Ji’s expression twisted and his body trembled violently as though he was in great pain, “Don’t worry. Lord Demon God will end this soon.”
“The Great Demon God!?” Zhan Wu Hen asked through gritted teeth.
The two of them had been trapped in this space together for several years now, so it was only natural for them to converse during that time. It was also from Huang Wu Ji’s mouth that Zhan Wu Hen learned about the existence of the Great Demon God and some of the Demon Realm’s plans.
“That’s right! Lord Demon God will be resurrected soon! And, all of you will become Lord Demon God’s sacrifices!” A morbid and frenzied expression appeared on Huang Wu Ji’s face. It was as though he was willing to devote everything he had to this so-called Great Demon God.