When the Two Worlds’ Passage opened for the second time, ten Demon Saints of the Demon Race had crossed over into this world and scattered while the Great Emperors had pursued.
A few days later, a sudden change occurred. Tens of millions of the Demon Race had lost their sanity, fallen into confusion, and slaughtered each other. The entire invading army had been wiped out. At the same time, the Great Emperors vanished.
On the same day, signs of connection between the two Great Worlds had appeared in different locations across the four territories of the Star Boundary. The Star Boundary had been invaded by the Demon Realm, the World Barrier shattered, and a large portion of the environment had been turned into a Demon Land. Numerous Demon Race armies had crossed into the world from the various Demon Lands and gradually spread out to engulf the Star Boundary with the location of each Demon Land as their foundation.
The Star Boundary was in chaos!
Just during the time that Yang Kai spent sealing the Two Worlds’ Passage alone, the information received by each Army Commander from various sources indicated that more than thirty Demon Lands had been formed in various locations throughout the four Territories. More importantly, that was only what they had managed to detect within a short period of time. The real number was most likely much higher than that.
All of this was explained in the jade slip that the Lotus Sisters had handed to Yang Kai. The situation was extremely urgent, so Li Wu Yi and the various Army Commanders could not wait any longer. Leaving a jade slip behind to explain the entire situation, they had all departed. Li Wu Yi had also taken almost all of the Demon Race Half-Saints away with him, leaving only the Lotus Sisters who Yang Kai was familiar with to pass on this message.
Yang Kai had just finished reading the contents of the jade slip and had yet to digest this staggering information when the Space Beacon on his wrist suddenly flashed with light and another jade slip appeared out of thin air. The jade slip contained Bian Yu Qing’s aura, so it was clearly news sent from High Heaven Palace.
Several months ago, the Sixty-First Army had marched towards the Western Territory. Every cultivator in High Heaven Palace with even the slightest bit of strength worth considering had been taken away by Yang Kai, but somebody had to stay back to watch over and manage the Sect. Bian Yu Qing was the person he had chosen to stay behind this time. For Bian Yu Qing to send news at this time would undoubtedly mean that something had happened in High Heaven Palace.
Yang Kai stretched out his hand and grabbed the jade slip. Checking its content with his Divine Sense, his complexion turned deathly pale in the next moment as he roared, “They court death!”
He crushed the jade slip in his hand. With a flicker of his figure, he tried to return to the Sixty-First Army’s base camp when his vision unexpectedly went dark and he was struck by a wave of dizziness, nearly causing him to crash to the ground as a result.
Sealing the Two Worlds’ Passage just now had consumed a tremendous amount of his energy, so at this moment, the Demon Qi in his body was experiencing a chaotic flow. Fortunately, Bai Lian reacted quickly and caught him before he fell.
Yang Kai glanced at the sisters and quickly ordered, “Take me back to the camp!”
The Lotus Sisters nodded and pushed their Demon Qi in unison, transforming into a stream of black light that headed towards the Sixty-First Army’s base camp. On the other hand, Yang Kai hurriedly swallowed several Spirit Pills and concentrated on refining the medicinal efficacies in hopes of recovering his strength as quickly as possible.
An incense stick later, the Lotus Sisters appeared in front of the Sixty-First Army’s base camp with Yang Kai held between them. The Division Commanders immediately surrounded Yang Kai with Yao Si quickly asking, “Sir, what happened? Why have all the other armies withdrawn?”
At this moment, the other fifty-four armies of the Star Boundary were gone. Only the Sixty-First Army remained stationed in this place, waiting for orders; therefore, this group of people had no idea about what was going on at all.
Yang Kai raised his hand and tossed the jade slip Li Wu Yi had left behind to Yao Si, “See for yourself then inform the others. Also, pass on my orders, all troops are to assemble immediately. We are returning to the Northern Territory!”
Yang Xiao accepted the order and immediately relayed it to the rest of the army. In response, the entire army that had been at rest hurriedly got into their military formations.
A short while later, Yao Si handed the jade slip to Xie Wu Wei with a solemn expression before turning to Yang Kai with an incredulous expression, “Sir, is this for real?”
“How could it possibly be fake? In addition, Second Manager Bian has sent word that a Demon Land has appeared just three thousand kilometres away from High Heaven Palace. A large number of the Demons are currently attacking High Heaven Palace!”
Upon hearing those words, everybody became anxious.
Yang Kai lifted his hand, summoned the Sealed World Bead, and had it assume its Gun-Gun form. Gun-Gun subsequently took the entire Sixty-First Army into its belly with a ferocious bite. Having experienced this once before, no one panicked, much. Nobody resisted, even though Yang Kai had not said anything.
Finished, Yang Kai turned to look at Yao Si, pondered for a moment before he decided to say, “The Great Emperors are missing.”
This matter could not remain concealed for long, people would find out about it sooner or later, so since it was something that could not be hidden, Yang Kai decided to reveal the truth upfront. There might be no need for the others to know, but Yao Si was the son of a Great Emperor, so it was only right for him to learn of this.
Yao Si, however, just stared at Yang Kai with a blank expression, it was clear that he did not understand the meaning behind the latter’s words.
Yang Kai sighed, “Not too long ago, the auras of all the Great Emperors vanished. Supreme Commander Li and I have both tried, but we couldn’t connect to the Space Beacons the Great Emperors hold on to. They are no longer in this world.”
Yao Si turned deathly pale, unable to believe what he was hearing.
Yang Kai grabbed Yao Si’s shoulder and continued, “The Great Emperors are the strongest among us and exceptionally experienced, they won’t face any life-threatening dangers. It might just be that something has happened to them that makes it impossible for us to contact them.”
Yao Si nodded woodenly at those words.
The Sixty-First Army had been more than three hundred thousand men strong when they first set off on this campaign, but there were now fifty thousand fewer of them. Those fifty thousand people had been killed in battle and dyed the Western Territory with their blood. Even so, this rate of loss was still within an acceptable range compared to the relative losses experienced by the Demon Race and the other armies.
Yang Kai put the Sealed World Bead away once the entire Sixty-First Army had successfully been taken into the Small Sealed World. Taking a step forward, he vanished from that spot, and when he reappeared again, he had already arrived in his bedroom on High Heaven Peak. He had left a Space Beacon inside his room a long time ago, so it was only natural that he could return so quickly.
He felt an earthquake rumbling through the ground as soon as he reappeared and explosions rang out unceasingly without a single pause. Yang Kai flitted out of the door only to see High Heaven Palace in chaos, with streams of light scrambling about between the mountain peaks like headless flies.
He looked around and saw that High Heaven Palace’s Sect Defending Array had been activated. The Spirit Peaks were enveloped in a layer of World Energy, flashing with a white light. The Grand Array extracted power from the Earth Veins below and the Spirit Peak above to produce a light curtain that blocked enemy attacks.
Upon seeing this situation, Yang Kai couldn’t help breathing a small sigh of relief. He had been scared that he might return only to be greeted by the sight of a breached Grand Array. If that had been the case, countless people in High Heaven Palace would have died as a result.
The Main Sect and Branch Sects of High Heaven Palace had more than a hundred thousand disciples; furthermore, those with even the slightest bit of cultivation worth considering had been forced into the Sixty-First Army. The disciples remaining in High Heaven Palace’s Main Sect after the Sixty-First Army was deployed had been pitifully weak aside from Bian Yu Qing, who had some measure of strength in comparison; therefore, they would not have had the strength to fight back if the Sect Defending Array had been breached and the Demon Race had invaded.
Fortunately, the Sect Defending Array of High Heaven Palace had been personally arranged by Nanmen Da Jun and Yang Kai had spared no expense in preparing all the necessary manpower and materials requested during its construction. That was why the Array was practically impenetrable.
The Demon Race army had attacked aggressively but failed to breach the defences of the Spirit Array in short order. Although the Sect Defending Array had not been breached though, it looked like it was about to fall apart at any moment. There were fine cracks spreading out across the curtain of light and it would probably be completely broken in less than a quarter-hour. Spurred on by this situation, the attacks of the Demon Race army became even fiercer than before.
Bian Yu Qing held the Palace Master Command Token in her hand, mobilizing the World Energy of all the Spirit Peaks in High Heaven Palace to supply a steady stream of power to the Grand Array. She was doing her best to buy as much time as possible, but her cultivation wasn’t high enough. Activating the Palace Master Command Token without holding back like that had left her drenched in sweat. Her complexion was as pale as a sheet, and her figure swayed in mid-air as though she might lose consciousness at any moment.
Taking in the situation in an instant, Yang Kai hurriedly flew towards her. Along the way, a person knocked into him from the side. He grabbed the person by the neck and held the person up. Glancing at the person coldly, he noticed that this person was very unfamiliar to him. This person’s cultivation could not be considered powerful as he was only in the Third-Order Dao Source Realm.
Yang Kai had taken all the disciples in High Heaven Palace in the Origin King Realm and above with him, so how could there be any cultivators in the Dao Source Realm here? However, High Heaven Palace was the main logistics base of the Star Boundary, so many Alchemists and Artifact Refiners were stationed here as a result. This person was clearly an outsider, and there was a faint pill fragrance coming from his body, so he was probably a visiting Alchemist.
“Why are you panicking!?” Yang Kai shouted.
That person turned pale. He was so shocked that he didn’t even resist when he was caught. It was clear that he had been scared out of his wits. He instinctively answered upon hearing Yang Kai’s question, “I have to run! High Heaven Palace won’t hold out for much longer! It will be too late if I don’t run now!”
“Bullshit!” Yang Kai was livid, “Not only do you not think of killing the enemy in front of you, but you also create panic and spread chaos amongst our people! You should thank the Heavens you aren’t part of the Sixty-First Army; otherwise, I would have killed you myself!”
When the Alchemist heard those words, he raised his head and looked at Yang Kai, only then did he recognize who was before him and stutter, “Yang… Palace Master Yang!”
“Scram!” Yang Kai tossed the Alchemist aside without much care. He couldn’t be bothered to waste time on this person. Taking a step forward, he arrived next to Bian Yu Qing.
Bian Yu Qing had been struggling to hold on, so she couldn’t help jumping in fright when she detected somebody approaching her. Turning to look in that direction though, she became overjoyed, “Palace Master!”
Yang Kai nodded, “Leave this to me!”
While speaking, he gave a wave of his hand and Hua Qing Si appeared in front of him. He instructed, “Hear my orders, hold the line for a little longer.”
Hua Qing Si nodded at those words, taking over the Palace Master Command Token from Bian Yu Qing and continuing to maintain the Spirit Array.
On the other hand, Bian Yu Qing had long since been an arrow at the end of its flight. The reason she had persisted for so long was through pure force of will. Now that Yang Kai had appeared and Hua Qing Si had taken over the Command Token, she relaxed and immediately passed out, her body falling limply out of the sky.
Yang Kai reached out a hand, placed her into the Small Sealed World’s medicine garden, and asked the two Wood Spirits to take care of her. She was only experiencing great exhaustion so her life was in no danger and she simply needed to recuperate for a while to recover. As such, he was not too worried about her.
Somebody flew in this direction from below at that moment. When that person came closer, it was revealed to be Ji Ying. He looked at Yang Kai with a panicked expression as he shouted, “Brother Yang, w-what is going on!? Where did these Demons come from!? Also, why can’t I contact my Honoured Master!?”
He had sensed that something was wrong after the sudden appearance of the Demon Race and the unexpected attack on High Heaven Palace; hence, he immediately sent a message to Wondrous Pill Great Emperor in order to ask about the current situation. Who could have imagined that he would be unable to contact the Great Emperor? Ji Ying couldn’t even send out the jade slip containing his message. This was something that had never happened before.
Yang Kai replied, “The situation is rather complicated. I will explain the details to you after I resolve the immediate danger we are facing, Brother Ji.”
Lifting his hand again, he summoned three figures from the Small Sealed World. They were Qiong Qi, Yang Xiao, and Yang Xue, “Old Qiong, escort Xiao’er to Dragon Island. Tell the two Elders about the current state of affairs and request that Great Elder and Second Elder leave the island to take charge of the overall situation!”
That was Li Wu Yi’s plan as mentioned in the jade slip. He knew about the close relationship between Yang Kai and Dragon Island; therefore, he was certain Dragon Island could not turn a blind eye if Yang Kai was the one who came forward with the request.
All the Great Emperors were currently missing and nobody knew what had happened to the Demon Saints. If the Demon Saints were still in the Star Boundary, then the only people in this world who could stand up to them were the two strongest Elders of Dragon Island. Unfortunately, the Dragon Clan abided by their ancestral rules and rarely left the island without reason. That might not be the case for a normal member of the Dragon Clan, but the Great Elder and Second Elder had not left the island for tens of thousands of years. Naturally, that was if one discounted the last time Second Elder Fu Zhun left the island because she had been worried about Yang Xiao.
Li Wu Yi had no idea whether they could get the two Elders to leave the island. Even so, he could only leave this matter to Yang Kai.
Yang Xiao was obviously aware of the urgency of the matter, so he immediately saluted, “Yes! This child will definitely live up to your trust, Adoptive Father!”
“Go!” Yang Kai waved Yang Xiao away.
“Be careful, Big Brother! Take care of our parents!” Yang Xue warned. Now that the Demon Race had attacked, the only thing she couldn’t help but worry about were her parents’ safety.
Yang Kai smiled and rubbed her head, “Don’t worry. As long as your Big Brother is around, nobody can harm a single hair on our parents’ head.”
She nodded at his words. Only then did she set off with Yang Xiao and Qiong Qi. They were heading towards the hall where the Cross-Territory Space Array was located. Dragon Island was also a Sealed World in itself, so Space Beacons could not connect from the Star Boundary; hence, they could only use the Cross-Territory Space Array to arrive just outside Dragon Island before heading into the island.
After watching the three people leave, Yang Kai finally turned around to look in a certain direction.
In that direction stood Nanmen Da Jun, who was busy leading a group of disciples as they made urgent repairs to the Spirit Array. He was the one who arranged the entire Sect Defending Array of High Heaven Palace, so nobody knew the various secrets of it better than him. Under normal circumstances, he could have completed repairs on the Grand Array by himself without much effort, but although he was not slow when it came to making repairs, his speed was unfortunately not enough to make ends meet with the Demon Race army constantly attacking.
He was currently scolding several disciples that were slightly slower than the others in his anxiety. While he was in the middle of his scolding, he suddenly felt a pat on his shoulder. He was furious, “Who the Hell… P-Palace Master? Palace Master, you’re back!?”
His furious expression turned into one of pleasant surprise. At the same time, he felt the anxiety in his heart receding. Now that Yang Kai was back, the immediate crisis would soon be resolved. After following Yang Kai for so many years, Nanmen Da Jun had inexplicable confidence in his Palace Master.
Yang Kai gazed through the light curtain formed by the Grand Array. Staring forward, his gaze pierced through the void. There was an extremely powerful aura on the other side. It was like a bright light in the darkness of the night, which made it stand out among the many other members of the Demon Race. It was a Half-Saint!
It turned out that there was a Half-Saint leading the Demon Race army that attacked High Heaven Palace.
The Half-Saint sensed somebody spying on him and a powerful Divine Sense subsequently poured out and transformed into a vicious attack that pierced the depths of Yang Kai’s Knowledge Sea like waves crashing against the shore.
Yang Kai coldly snorted in response and his Divine Sense surged as the black flames in his Knowledge Sea swirled and turned into a gigantic vortex. At the same time, he opened his defences and took the initiative to welcome the Half-Saint’s Divine Sense that was attacking him.
An invisible and intangible power fell into Yang Kai’s Knowledge Sea, but before it had time to do any damage, it was completely devoured by the vortex.
Several tens of kilometres away, a burly Demon Race Half-Saint riding a tall Demon Beast grunted in response. His body swayed unsteadily on top of his mount, and a look of horror swept over his face.
When he perceived a fairly powerful aura appearing out of nowhere, he wanted to use the other party as an example to demonstrate his strength; therefore, he launched a Soul attack without hesitation. Who could have expected that his Divine Sense would be cut off without warning? Even his mind had been shaken greatly by the encounter as a result.
A look of incredulity appeared on his face. He had clearly sensed that the opponent was no stronger than a High-Rank Demon King, but unexpectedly, this person’s Soul turned out to be much stronger than his own. Something that went against common sense like this left him feeling utterly confused.
Before he could figure out the situation, he felt his vision going blurry for a moment. Then, a figure suddenly stood in front of him. That person stood on the head of his mount, less than a metre away from him, and watched him quietly.
Looking at that face, the Half-Saint couldn’t help thinking that that person looked rather familiar. [He looks like that Yang Kai who caused a huge fuss in the Demon Realm before. But why does he have grey hair now?]
Caught up in his thoughts, the Half-Saint missed Yang Kai forming several hands seals before pushing his palms out towards him. When the palms came at him, the Half-Saint felt as though everything around him became slow. Even his thoughts seemed to have become sluggish. The only thing in the world that moved was that palm in front of him that was rapidly becoming larger and larger.
Time Flows on Infinitely, Like a Mighty Stream, Like an Unending Dream!
Yang Kai had only managed to scratch the surface of the Dao of Time, but that did not hinder the power of the Time Flies Seal.
Just as the palm print was about to strike the Half-Saint, he suddenly let out a deafening roar. He roared so loudly that his face flushed beet-red. Forcefully freeing himself from the influence of the Time Flies Seal, his large hand reached out to grab something in the void. A spear appeared in the palm of his hand and with a flick, the spear stabbed toward Yang Kai like a Flood Dragon heading out to sea.
A burst of Demon Qi followed as a loud explosion sounded. Yang Kai grunted and at the same time, his body was sent flying backwards like a paper kite.
He was the one to suffer a loss in the head-to-head confrontation even though he had the advantage of taking the initiative. There was a large gap between their cultivations after all. Even so, Yang Kai had fought against a Half-Saint with the cultivation of a High-Rank Demon King before, so nobody could have done better than him in this situation.
Staggering backward, pale-faced, Yang Kai found himself in quite a predicament.
On the other hand, the Demon Race Half-Saint refused to let up after succeeding once. Straightening his body, he flew off his mount and struck out viciously with his spear. His imposing attacking aura enveloped Yang Kai so much that even the world was sealed off as he grinned savagely and shouted, “Die!”
He didn’t care whether the person in front of him was Yang Kai, who had caused a huge fuss in the Demon Realm or not. As long as he killed this person and brought the corpse back for his clansmen to identify, everything would eventually be resolved.
As soon as the words left his mouth though, the Half-Saint felt a throbbing in his heart as though something bad was about to happen. At his cultivation, he would get a vague but mysterious feeling whenever he was faced with an imminent crisis. He himself might not be aware of what the crisis he was about to face was, but he would become aware of it just before it struck him. Thus, he could act to avoid the disaster.
The last time he experienced this feeling, he had only been a High-Rank Demon King. At the time, he had faced a strong enemy and nearly lost his life to his opponent. After so many years, this feeling struck his heart again. He reacted rather decisively and immediately drew back his spear the moment the throbbing began, just in time to see a sinister smile curling the corners of Yang Kai’s lips.
*Shua shua shua…*
When Yang Kai waved his hand, several figures appeared out of thin air, each figure exuding the aura of a Half-Saint.
That Demon Race Half-Saint had just landed on his mount again. Turning his head to the side, he saw that he had been surrounded by several people. He swept his gaze over those faces, his expression changing as he did so, “Bai Zhuo, Bai Ya…”
Aside from these two Half-Saints, there was also a pair of twins. If his guess was correct, they were the twin Sisters of Hundred Spirits Continent, Hei Lian and Bai Lian! Each of these figures was not inferior to him in terms of strength; thus, his expression turned grim in an instant. A faint sheen of sweat oozed out of his forehead as he finally recalled a rumour, the brat known as Yang Kai was not only proficient in the Dao of Space but also had a storage artifact that could store living beings in his possession!
After seeing these four Demon Race Half-Saints mysteriously appearing around him, how could the Half-Saint remain oblivious to the fact that the person he had sent flying with his spear just now was Yang Kai? Moreover, these four had most likely come out of Yang Kai’s storage artifact, so he lamented in his heart. [I‘d have nothing to fear if it was only one Half-Saint, but four… Two fists can’t block four punches! Could my luck be so bad that I accidentally barged into Yang Kai’s territory right after I arrived here from the Demon Realm? Why else would that damn plague be here?]
“I’ll leave him to you!” Yang Kai released the four Half-Saints, borrowed their strength, and flew away, landing directly in the middle of the Demon Race army.
From the moment he stepped out of High Heaven Palace to the moment he attacked the Half-Saint, everything had taken place in the briefest of moments. It was so fast that most of the Demon Race army had yet to react to his presence. Besides, there were several hundreds of thousands in the Demon Race army. They covered the mountains and the plains, practically surrounding most of High Heaven Palace. It was on such a large scale that the commotion had not spread far even though it was a confrontation between Half-Saints. Therefore, only some of the nearby Demon Race members had noticed the anomaly when Yang Kai landed amongst them. The ones located further away were unable to see anything at all and continued to launch attacks at the Sect Defending Array of High Heaven Palace.
When Yang Kai landed on the ground, the surrounding Demon Race army was taken aback for a moment; then, they immediately attacked him without hesitation. He was surrounded by many people in an instant. A furious roar rang out in response and an earth-shakingly violent burst of power erupted outwards. The Demon Race army surrounding Yang Kai suffered a crushing blow that left them in a miserable state. Many of them were thrown into the sky, exploding into a blood mist that rained down on the others below them. In the blink of an eye, there was no one left within three hundred metres of his vicinity.
He lifted his hand and Zhui Feng appeared with a series of neighs. Mounting Zhui Feng, Yang Kai lifted his hand again to summon the Embodiment.
The moment the Embodiment appeared, he sped out to a place several kilometres away and transformed into a giant in mid-air before landing among the Demon Race with a crash. There was another loud explosion. An earthquake spread out, causing the loose rock in the surrounding mountains to come tumbling down. Reaching out his hand, the Demonic War Hammer appeared in his grip and he swung it horizontally. Nobody could get to within a thousand meters of the Embodiment. Just the powerful Demon Qi vibrations he released were enough to kill any Demon with no chance for them to resist.
When the Embodiment began his slaughter, a large number of people appeared around Yang Kai. The space was not that vast, so the Sixty-First Army could not be brought out all at once. Yang Kai could only take out the ten Divisions worth of people from the Small Sealed World in batches.
There was no need to say anything. When he left High Heaven Palace, Yang Kai had communicated with the Small Sealed World with his mind to inform the Division Commanders and the army of more than two hundred thousand about the current situation. For that reason, the Sixty-First Army was already fully-equipped and prepared for battle as they appeared. Under the leadership of the Division Commanders and Vice Division Commanders, the army began cutting down the enemy with great vigour while making their way toward a certain direction.
An army of two hundred and seventy thousand spread out in ten separate directions, ploughing through the battlefield outside High Heaven Palace and leaving ten empty spaces in their wake. Everywhere they passed, the opposing Demon Race army was killed on the spot.
There were many among the Demon Race army too, more than the Sixty-First Army in fact; however, none of them could have imagined that their enemies would launch an attack from the middle of their ranks and they were caught off guard as a result. On the other hand, the Sixty-First Army was well prepared in advance, so it was only natural that it turned into a one-sided battle under these circumstances. Especially since Emperor Realm Masters and above were everywhere to be found in the Sixty-First Army.
The pressure on High Heaven Palace’s Sect Defending Array dropped sharply as the Demons attacking it had stopped their actions after hearing strange noises coming from behind them. When they turned to look behind them, their expressions turned blank in shock.
Both Hua Qing Si, who was preceding over the Grand Array, and Nanmen Da Jun, who was repairing the Grand Array, couldn’t help but breathe a sigh of relief when they noticed the changes.
Just days after the Great Emperors disappeared and the two Great Worlds were connected, hundreds of thousands of Demons and Humans fought a desperate battle outside High Heaven Palace. This battle left rivers of blood and mountains of corpses behind. It was a tragic scene comparable to the Western Territory battlefield.
In this battle, the Sixty-First Army killed countless enemies while the Demon Race army of hundreds of thousands lost nearly half of their numbers. Even an enemy Half-Saint was killed in battle. It was not an overstatement to say that it was extremely devastating for the Demon Realm’s side.
The Demon Half-Saint leading the Demon Race army to besiege High Heaven Palace was not weak. He was a Stone Demon with inherently powerful defensive abilities, but even so, Bai Zhuo, Bai Ya, and the Lotus Sisters were working together against him, so how could he fare well when he had to face all four of them on his own?
By the time the Sixty-First Army rushed in from all sides and laid waste to the enemy, the Stone Demon Half-Saint had already been killed on the spot by Bai Zhuo and the others. A Stone Demon’s defensive abilities were truly outstanding, but even if he had a powerful defence and equally strong offence, it was a given that a one-against-four battle would end in tragedy.
Unfortunately, Bai Ya had been injured quite severely in the process. The Stone Demon Half-Saint had desperately retaliated with everything he had when he saw that he had no hope of surviving this battle. Even the four Half-Saints working together could not come out of the battle unscathed.
The moment the Stone Demon Half-Saint died, the Demon Race army that was already at an absolute disadvantage fell into even greater panic. Despite having the courage to take on thousands of enemies, nobody was willing to voluntarily seek death when they could survive instead; hence, they immediately scattered and fled in all directions.
The Sixty-First Army pursued the enemy force for thousands of kilometres before withdrawing.
When Yang Kai next saw Bai Ya again, the latter was sitting cross-legged on the ground with a pale complexion and a bloody gaping hole in his abdomen that almost penetrated right through his body.
“How are you?” Yang Kai asked.
Bai Ya opened his eyes and shook his head weakly, “I won’t die from this, but I will need to recuperate for a year or so to fully recover.”
Yang Kai said, “The most prominent Alchemists in the entire Star Boundary are currently gathered in High Heaven Palace, so we have the best Spirit Pills available. Why don’t you rest and recuperate here? You can also take care of High Heaven Palace for me while you are at it…”
Bai Ya had no objections to this arrangement, so Yang Kai had Hua Qing Si lead him into the palace and settle him down somewhere.
“Sir, look at the surroundings…” Yao Si stepped forward and murmured solemnly.
There was no need for Yao Si to mention it, Yang Kai had already noticed the anomaly in their immediate vicinity. This battle had caused the deaths of many Demons, and it could be said that the mountains and plains outside High Heaven Palace were littered with corpses.
In the past, nothing special had occurred when a Demon died in the Star Boundary; however, Demon Qi was escaping from these Demon Race corpses at this moment. It would have been nothing if it had been limited to only one or two corpses, but it would turn into a terrifying situation if all the Demon corpses were showing similar signs. What’s more, the sinister Demon Qi that was released by the two or three hundred thousand fallen Demons seemed to be drifting in a certain direction under the influence of some invisible force.
Demon Qi was surging violently outside High Heaven Palace, shrouding the entire area in darkness. Even though it was in the middle of the day, it made a person feel like they were standing in the dark of night.
Yang Kai looked in the direction the Demon Qi was travelling and saw an enormous black spot in the sky. It was as though somebody had splashed a large blot of ink on the once blue sky. Moreover, the entire area under the black spot had become a piece of Demon Land!
The black spot was located some distance away from High Heaven Palace, at least a few thousand kilometres. Nevertheless, it was so large that it was already a plate-sized patch in Yang Kai’s vision. One could only imagine how large it would be if they were standing in the middle of it.
Yang Kai frowned. A Demon Land had appeared several thousand kilometres away from High Heaven Palace. The situation was identical to the situation near the battlefield of the Western Territory. Furthermore, he did not know how many other areas in the entire Star Boundary had been eroded and turned into Demon Lands.
After going all out just now, the Sixty-First Army was resting and recuperating. They would not be able to fight again in short order.
Yang Kai pondered in silence for a moment, but just as he was about to go and check out the situation in the newly appeared Demon Land, he saw Hua Qing Si running towards him in a hurry, “Palace Master, the Branch Sect has been attacked! In addition, Temple Master Wen of Azure Sun Temple has asked for support! There is a Demon Race army attacking Azure Sun Temple! There is a Half-Saint among them, and nobody at Azure Sun Temple can hold that person back!”
Yang Kai’s expression turned icy at those words. The Star Boundary had just achieved a great victory in the battle at the Western Territory and he thought that it would be the battle that determined the victor once and for all. Who could have known that the chaotic situation had only just begun? At present, the entire Star Boundary was like a house with a broken roof that leaked badly from everywhere. It gave off a precarious vibe that was threatening to fall apart at any moment. If High Heaven Palace and Azure Sun Temple were having so much trouble, it was easy to imagine how the other Sects were faring in comparison.
The Sixty-First Army could not be deployed again, so mulling over the situation for a moment, Yang Kai ordered, “Those in the Emperor Realm and above who can still fight, follow me to the Branch Sect.”
Then, he turned to look at the Lotus Sisters, “Please head to Azure Sun Temple to help. I will head there shortly.”
The Lotus Sisters did not object to his orders. Now that Chang Tian was not here, they had no choice but to obey him.
Yang Kai still had the Space Beacon to contact Gao Xue Ting in his possession; therefore, he immediately drew upon the power of the Space Beacon and sent the Lotus Sisters to Gao Xue Ting’s side. After that, he placed all the Emperor Realm Masters that had gathered around into the Sealed World Bead and arrived at the Space Array with a flicker. Stepping onto the Spirit Array, Yang Kai instantly arrived at the Branch Sect in the Southern Territory.
High Heaven Palace had more than a hundred thousand disciples, too many for the Main Sect to accommodate despite the large area it occupied. Therefore, half of the disciples had been placed in the Branch Sect in the Southern Territory. It was just that the situation at the Branch Sect was similar to the Main Sect. There were no Masters standing guard, so they only relied on the Sect Defending Array to fend off foreign enemies.
When Yang Kai arrived at the Branch Sect, rumbling sounds were constantly coming from the Sect Defending Array. Even so, it still looked solid and showed no signs of damage. The main reason was that Yang Kai had arrived soon after the Demon Race army started attacking. Otherwise, the Grand Array of the Branch Sect would not have lasted for long without support.
The disciples of the Branch Sect were still in a positive state of mind and had not fallen into panic. Moreover, those with some measure of ability were getting ready for battle under the instructions of their Senior Brothers and Senior Sisters. Everyone was preparing to face the enemy should the Sect Defending Array be forcefully broken; hence, they were oblivious to the fact that Yang Kai had appeared at the Space Array.
Time was short, so Yang Kai didn’t spare any time to talk to the Branch Sect’s disciples. He quickly flew out of the Branch Sect’s shield and stood in the middle of the Demon Race army, his Divine Sense sweeping outward and giving him an almost complete grasp of the situation. Their numbers were not overwhelming, but not few either. There were around a hundred thousand Demons here but no Half-Saint leading them. The ones with the highest cultivation were High-Rank Demon Kings.
Zhui Feng appeared with a loud neigh. Yang Kai mounted the beast and gave a wave of his hand. Then, hundreds of Emperor Realm Masters along with several Half-Saints appeared next to him. Holding the Myriads Sword in the palm of his hand, he pointed forward and roared, “Kill!”
A group of Emperor Realm Masters wore savage smiles as they scattered in all directions, forming groups of three to five to cover each other’s blind spots. Organized, they rushed into the midst of the Demon Race army. Like wolves running wild in a sheep’s pen, the Demons were unable to fight back wherever these Masters passed. Some Demon Kings managed to persist for a short while, but they ultimately could not escape their fate of being slaughtered.
Although Yang Kai hadn’t brought many people with him, each one he did was an Emperor. Furthermore, his side included three Demon Race Half-Saints, Bai Zhuo, the Embodiment, and Zhui Feng, as well as three Dragon Clan members, Zhu Qing, Zhu Lie, and Fu Ling. How could the Demon Race army withstand such a powerful lineup?
Zhui Feng galloped through the army, and regardless of whether it was a Demon Great General or a Demon King in front of him, they all exploded into blood mist. There was no exception whatsoever. Riding on Zhui Feng, Yang Kai swung with his Myriads Sword wantonly, sending out waves of Sword Qi, beheading Demons and slicing off their limbs.
It wasn’t until the Demon Race army was fleeing in all directions that the Branch Sect’s disciples hiding inside the Sect Defending Array reacted and realized that reinforcements had arrived. Looking out into the distance, they recognized the figure riding on the strange beast to be none other than their Palace Master. Cheers immediately shook the sky. Following that, the shield was deactivated and they rushed out to clean up the straggling enemies.
The strength of the disciples who remained in the Branch Sect was honestly not that powerful. Those who had some strength had been recruited into Sixty-First Army by Yang Kai after all, so it was only natural that only the less powerful remained. A group of people like this would have been wiped out by any random Demon King. Even so, they rushed out fearlessly and chased the Demon Race members with great enthusiasm. On the other hand, the Demons being chased fled desperately without even looking back.
Fortunately, the Branch Sect’s disciples still had their wits about them to a certain extent. They knew that their strength was lacking and they would surely suffer if they chased the enemy too far, so they only pursued them for a few hundred kilometres before turning back. Upon meeting Yang Kai, they bowed in unison.
Yang Kai nodded in acknowledgement, “Wait until the Demon Qi dissipates completely from the Demon corpses before cleaning up the battlefield; otherwise, there is a risk of demonification.”
The many disciples nodded in acknowledgement.
Then, Yang Kai waved his hand, “Return to the Sect. If the enemy comes again, don’t forget to send a message to Head Manager.”
After some organizing, he placed all the people he brought with him back into the Small Sealed World. A Space Beacon flashed with light next as Yang Kai teleported to another location again.
When he reappeared, Yang Kai was already inside Azure Sun Temple. A beautiful figure with a longsword in hand was fighting a Demon King next to him. He had teleported here through the Space Beacon he used to keep in contact with Gao Xue Ting, so it was only natural that he appeared beside her.
The longsword in Gao Xue Ting’s hand flourished, and her Sword Qi slashed in all directions. There was also a round mirror hanging above her head. The mirror’s surface was shining brilliantly like the sun as bursts of flame shot out in the form of vicious fiery snakes, striking the Demon King. Yang Kai immediately recognised her Natal Emperor Artifact, the Radiant Sun Mirror. The mirror was so powerful that he had not seen her use it many times himself.
Gao Xue Ting’s opponent was a High-Rank Demon King with powerful cultivation, so logically speaking, he should be stronger than her; however, her Emperor Artifact was extraordinary and this was the Star Boundary, so the Demon invaders had yet to adapt to the slight differences in World Principles here. As a result, the High-Rank Demon King was flustered and panicked even though he was marginally stronger than Gao Xue Ting. While it was not a life-threatening situation for him, he was still in terrible condition.
The Demon King, seemingly realizing he was losing momentum, suddenly became resolute, but just as he was about to unleash a Secret Technique he kept as a trump card, he saw a slightly grey-haired youth riding a strange beast appearing in front of him. The youth was nothing special, but the strange beast was giving off the aura of a Half-Saint.
Their abrupt appearance at such a close distance and in such a strange manner frightened the Demon King greatly and left him feeling flustered. In addition, a glance from Zhui Feng caused the Demon Qi in his body to churn chaotically.
When Gao Xue Ting noticed this, she did not let the opportunity slip by her. The flames of the sun burst out from the Radiant Sun Mirror, burning so fiercely that the Demon King had to strain himself just to block them. At the same time, a longsword appeared in his blinded field of vision and stabbed straight at him. A pain spread out in his chest as the sword pierced his body.
Pushing her Emperor Qi wildly, Gao Xue Ting unleashed a burst of Sword Qi from her weapon and cut the Demon King in front of her into pieces. She then retracted her sword and gave it a light swing to remove the Demon Blood on the blade. Looking Yang Kai up and down, she commented, “You look quite majestic like that.”
Yang Kai grinned meaningfully, “Many thanks for the praise, Senior Sister.”
His expression then turned serious, “What’s the situation?”
She sighed softly, “Thankfully you sent those two Half-Saints over to help, otherwise, the Temple would have been in serious trouble.”
Yang Kai then swept his gaze around and saw that everywhere in the Azure Sun Temple was burning with the flames of war. It was clear that the Demon Race army had broken past the Temple’s Sect Defending Array.
That was an inevitable situation. Even High Heaven Palace’s Sect Defending Array, which was extremely sturdy, was about to fall apart at any moment under the Demon Race army’s siege. In fact, it would have been breached if Yang Kai had arrived any later.
Although Azure Sun Temple’s Sect Defending Array was not to be taken lightly either, it was slightly inferior compared to High Heaven Palace’s. How could it hold up against the Demon Race army?
When the Sect Defending Array had been breached, Wen Zi Shan had taken decisive action to send a message to High Heaven Palace for help. That was because he knew that numerous wars had broken out everywhere in the Star Boundary and all the armies were probably exhausted from defending against the enemy, so asking for help from them might not be of use. The Sixty-First Army was the only force still in excellent condition. What’s more, Yang Kai had as many Masters under him as the clouds in the sky; therefore, asking Yang Kai for help was the only chance Azure Sun Temple had of surviving this crisis.
Not long after the request for help was sent out, the Lotus Sisters were sent over to help with repelling the invading Demon Race Half-Saint leading the enemy forces. Wen Zi Shan then led his army into a fierce battle against the Demons inside Azure Sun Temple and gradually stabilized the situation.
Yang Kai glanced over and took in the situation within the Temple before swiftly shouting, “Senior Sister, take care of yourself!”
Yang Kai clamped his knees around Zhui Feng, and Zhui Feng charged forward. Meanwhile, the Myriads Sword flashed with a cold light, rushing straight at the nearest Demon King.
When the Demon King saw Zhui Feng bearing down on him, his expression changed to one of horror and he made a decision on the spot. A cloud of blood burst out from his body and transformed into a ray of blood light to escape.
Yang Kai reached out to grab the Demon King and Space Principles flared. The space around the Demon King hardened and he was instantly frozen in place, unable to move. On the other hand, Yang Kai galloped away on horseback, swinging the Myriads Sword slightly and speeding into the distance several kilometres away without even looking back at the Demon King. Behind Yang Kai, the Demon King swayed unsteadily, his eyes widening for a moment before he exploded, leaving no corpse behind.
The hundreds of people that Yang Kai had placed back into the Sealed World Bead just a short while ago were released again. There was no need for him to say anything. They immediately scattered in all directions and slaughtered the Demons.
Riding on Zhui Feng for a while, Yang Kai could sense his companion’s bloodthirsty aura; thus, he decided to let Zhui Feng simply run wild. As Zhui Feng charged, Yang Kai’s figure flashed erratically as he slashed at his enemies with his sword.
The Myriads Sword was seemingly unstoppable as one after another, the members of the Demon Race fell to its blade. Needless to say, most of the Demon Great Generals and the Demon Generals lost their lives before they even realized what was going on. There were few even among the Demon Kings who could last three strikes against Yang Kai.
Yang Kai cut down a Demon King who was fighting Murong Xiao Xiao, but just as she was about to thank him, he suddenly turned his head and looked at something several kilometres away.
Xia Ning Chang’s figure was whirling about in that direction like a dancing butterfly. She was struggling hard to keep up with the fierce attacks of a Mid-Rank Demon King. Her flying figure was akin to a willow branch swaying in the storm, unable to control herself.
Although she was also an Emperor Realm Master, she rarely engaged in battle throughout her cultivation journey, much less fought on the frontlines of a war. Among Yang Kai’s many women, Xia Ning Chang was by far the one with the least actual combat experience. Moreover, her opponent’s cultivation was higher than hers so it was only natural that she was struggling to match up against her opponent. Even though she was moving about nimbly, she was still stuck in a dangerous and hard-pressed situation against this Demon King.
In comparison, the Demon King had a savage expression on his face and put up a frenzied offensive as though he wanted nothing more than to kill this annoying woman on the spot.
Just as Yang Kai looked over, the Demon King sent out a fierce punch. The Demon King’s huge fist, which was almost half the size of her face, flew straight at her chest. That punch was so heavy that even a mountain would have collapsed under that impact, much less her delicate body.
Murong Xiao Xiao screamed and instantly rushed over to help. Unfortunately, there was a distance of several kilometres between them, so it would be too late no matter how fast she moved.
On the contrary, Yang Kai remained motionless, his mental state strung so tight that he was on the verge of a breakdown. Still, he was prepared to rescue her the moment the situation turned dire.
Faced with this punch that was powerful enough to break a mountain, a trace of panic inevitably flashed across Xia Ning Chang’s beautiful eyes. There had never been a time when she felt so close to death before, not even during the time when Grand Desolation Star Field invaded Heng Luo Star Field and defiled Tong Xuan Realm. With danger so close at hand, she lifted her hand and a longan-sized bead was clamped between two jade-like fingers. That bead looked rather unremarkable, a dull brown with not the slightest bit of energy fluctuation.
The words Yang Kai had told her when he first handed this bead to her flashed in her mind at that moment, “If you are ever in danger, throw this at your opponent. It will turn the situation around!”
Xia Ning Chang naturally held complete trust towards her Junior Brother; therefore, she did as she was told at this moment of desperation and threw the bead at the Demon King in front of her.
When the Demon King saw her throwing a bead at him, he instinctively reacted warily; however, when he realized that there was nothing special about that bead and saw the panicked look on his opponent’s face, he sneered, [This weak Human woman in front of me is so frightened that she lost her wits! Does she even know what she threw at me?]
The force behind the fist that blasted forward became more and more powerful, slamming straight into the oncoming bead.
*Kacha…*
A clear sound came from his fist the next moment, followed by severe pain. The Demon King paled in extreme horror as he wondered what was happening. When his fist came into contact with the seemingly unremarkable bead, he felt an oppressive and unstoppable force smashing into him.
His fists that he was so proud of and his body that could withstand even the forces of a Demon Artifact were as fragile as paper in front of this strange bead. An overwhelming strength washed over him from the front and his arm shattered. Even so, the bead did not stop and continued to crush half of his body before flying out and striking a mountain behind them.
The Demon King howled in agony as the expression on his face no longer held any contempt when he looked at Xia Ning Chang; instead, his eyes were full of horror and disbelief. However, his scream was covered by a deafening noise that followed. The entire world shook for an instant, and the chaos inside Azure Sun Temple went silent as everyone who could turned to look at the source of the sound.
A mountain that was several thousand metres tall had been struck by something and exploded with a deafening roar. In the next instant, rubble and dirt rained down from the sky as though the world itself was collapsing. When the noise subsided, the tall mountain was reduced to a height of only several dozen metres while a giant crater had formed. It was a scene of absolute destruction.
Xia Ning Chang stared in a daze at the scene before her. Others might not understand what had happened, but she was well aware of the situation. She had simply thrown out the bead Yang Kai had given to her, and it had severely damaged a Mid-Rank Demon King before crashing into that mountain and reducing it to a blasted crater filled with rubble…
[That bead… actually contained that much power!?] She knew that what Yang Kai had given her was definitely no ordinary bead and it would definitely be something that could protect her in a moment of crisis. Still, she never imagined its power to be so great. For a moment, she was unable to recover from her shock and even forgot about her opponent who had been trying to kill her just now.
Feeling two gazes on her, Xia Ning Chang turned to look in that direction and saw Murong Xiao Xiao, who had the same blank expression she did, and Yang Kai, who was smiling gently at her. Seeing his look, she couldn’t help sticking her tongue cutely before focusing her mind and reaching out her hand. The bead she threw out earlier instantly flew back to her in response and she gripped it between her fingers again.
The Mid-Rank Demon King had not died yet even though half his body had been crushed, and he had quickly taken the opportunity just now to put some distance between himself and Xia Ning Chang. Seeing her appearance as she held the bead between her fingers at this moment, he gave a cry of despair and turned to run. He had just suffered a huge loss, so how could he make the same mistake again?
Xia Ning Chang narrowed her sapphire eyes and unrelentingly chased after her opponent. He had been severely injured and lost most of his strength as a result, so when else would she kill him if not now? She threw the bead in her hand continuously, unleashing a terrifying force with every attack. The Demon King desperately dodged those attacks a few times but eventually couldn’t avoid them in the end. The moment the bead landed on his body, he died a horrible death on the spot.
Shan Qing Luo watched Xia Ning Chang hunting down a Mid-Rank Demon King with her own eyes. Those attacks were so fierce that the Demon King was fleeing desperately. In her curiosity, she couldn’t help taking out a bead. That bead was practically identical to the one in Xia Ning Chang’s possession, and it was not the only one. Xue Yue, Su Yan, and Zhu Qing each had one too.
Shan Qing Luo glanced about her surroundings and found a High-Rank Demon King who was currently locked in a melee with Xi Lei. Curious, she casually tossed the bead in her hand at the High-Rank Demon King.
The bead silently approached the Demon King, but be that as it may, his cultivation was not poor, so how could he fail to notice a sneak attack from behind? Making a feint, the Demon King opened some distance with Xi Lei and grabbed at the bead, fully intending to catch this ‘hidden weapon’ in the palm of his hand. He had not seen what happened to the poor Mid-Rank Demon King just now; otherwise, he would never have been so careless.
As soon as the bead touched his hand, the sound of bones breaking immediately rang out. Starting from his palm, the Demon King’s entire arm exploded into pieces. That unremarkable bead actually carried such unimaginable weight and power behind it!
Feeling extremely shocked, the Demon King hastily withdrew what remained of his arm in an attempt to dodge the attack instead. Xi Lei’s attack struck him during that momentary distraction. Lightning in the sky turned into a pillar of light, encasing him inside. The lightning snakes danced wildly with a loud crackling sound and his entire body stiffened in response, but it was too late to escape now.
At that moment, the strange bead landed on his body and there was a loud bang, after which his body exploded into pieces. However, the power of the bead was unabated and smashed into the ground nearby, causing the earth to shake for a moment. Xi Lei even lost his balance and nearly fell to the ground as he was too close to the epicentre.
The surface of the ground sunk and an enormous crater appeared out of nowhere.
*Kacha…*
Deep cracks in the ground appeared, spreading outward like spiderwebs with the crater as the centre.
“What the hell is that!?” Xi Lei’s expression changed drastically, turning his head to look at Shan Qing Luo.
Shan Qing Luo bore the bloodline of the Heavenly Moon Demon Spider; hence, she could be considered as a member of the Monster Race. That was why the Monster Kings from the Ancient Wild Lands regarded her as one of their own and took good care of her. As such, they also knew just how strong she was. It was impossible for her to unleash such a powerful attack even if she was desperate, but she had undeniably performed that attack just now. Moreover, Xi Lei had the feeling that he would not have ended up any better than that Demon King if he had been hit by that blow just now.
Meanwhile, Shan Qing Luo was stunned. She had simply tossed out the bead casually out of curiosity. It never even crossed her mind that a High-Rank Demon King would die by her hands just like that. Seemingly not hearing Xi Lei’s question, she blinked and stretched out her hand to summon the bead back to the palm of her hand before studying it carefully.
Xi Lei rushed over to her side in the next moment, glanced at the bead in her hand, and murmured, “What is that?”
“It’s something my Husband gave me…” she replied, “All my Sisters have one too.”
Xi Lei’s eyes narrowed at those words as he stared at the bead intently. Something so powerful could only be an incredible artifact; however, from what she just said, it would seem that each of Yang Kai’s wives had one in their possession.
[When did High Heaven Palace get so wealthy it could afford to produce so many treasures?]
Under careful observation, Xi Lei could not detect any energy fluctuations coming from the bead. It looked no different from a random stone bead picked up by the roadside; however, as he probed further with his Divine Sense, this unremarkable bead suddenly enlarged at a rapid pace in front of his eyes, to the point it appeared to become an enormous Star that was extremely vast and desolate in an instant.
As his Divine Sense rapidly tried to expand to cover this Star, he couldn’t help panicking, feeling like his mind was trapped in a cage. Biting his tongue hard, Xi Lei felt a sharp pain which allowed him to escape from his predicament, his forehead covered in a sheen of sweat as he shouted, “A World Bead!”
“This is a World Bead?” Shan Qing Luo was astonished. She had not known what it was either until now. Before the Sixty-First Army set off for the Western Territory, Yang Kai had specifically called his wives over and gave each of them a bead. After that, he had done something to help them refine it. He also taught them how to use it. They had not quite understood what it was, however, until they brought it out to attack their enemies…
“I can’t be wrong. This is definitely a World Bead!” Xi Lei nodded. Although he had never been in contact with a World Bead before, he had at least heard of them. From what he experienced during his previous contact with it, he could immediately conclude that it was definitely a World Bead refined by Yang Kai. It was just that this World Bead was slightly different from the ones he knew about.
It was naturally different, as what Yang Kai had handed over to Shan Qing Luo and the others were his earliest works. In order to separate the second region in the Small Sealed World, he had refined many Dead Stars and large meteorites. These initial World Beads that he created did not have the function of accommodating living people. If any living being was stuffed into these World Beads, they would only be crushed into dust by chaotic World Principles inside.
Only the batch of World Beads that he later refined could contain living creatures, but those had all been handed over to Li Wu Yi to distribute to the Army Commanders. The reason the Star Boundary’s armies could move so quickly when evacuating from the Western Territory was that they had used the World Beads. How else could the army of several hundred thousand have withdrawn so rapidly?
While the World Beads that Shan Qing Luo and the others had in their possession did not have the ability to hold living creatures, they were still refined from gigantic Dead Stars. Moreover, Yang Kai had helped them to refine the World Beads so that they could control them freely. Throwing the World Bead was equivalent to throwing an entire Dead Star at their enemies. How could a Mid-Rank or even High-Rank Demon King block such an attack when they were completely unprepared?
Yang Kai had many other similar World Beads in his possession and was planning to find an opportunity to distribute them to the Sixty-First Army. If these World Beads were used correctly, it would definitely give the Masters from the Demon Race a huge surprise. Unfortunately, there was not enough time. He could have refined more of them if he was given enough time and they would surely become a powerful weapon for the Sixty-First Army.
“We’ll know once we question him later.” Shan Qing Luo smiled and clenched the bead in her hand. She had originally been upset that her cultivation was too low to help share Yang Kai’s worries and burdens; however, she could even kill an unsuspecting High-Rank Demon King in an instant with this treasure in hand. Therefore, she was happy from the bottom of her heart. She held the bead in her hand and moved about the battlefield, frequently throwing the World Bead out and killing countless enemies as easily as if she were chopping vegetables.
The stalemate in Azure Sun Temple had been broken. Before Yang Kai brought reinforcements, the Demon Race army had breached the Sect Defending Array, invaded Azure Sun Temple, and engaged in an all-out melee with Wen Zi Shan’s army. When Yang Kai led hundreds of Masters to this place, it was as though a handful of salt was thrown into a pan of boiling oil. The whole situation had swiftly turned around.
Demon Race Masters were constantly being killed while on the other hand, the Half-Saint leading the Demon Race army was unable to do anything due to the interference of the Lotus Sisters. He could only protect himself now with no means of fighting back.
Seeing that the situation was not looking too good, the Half-Saint let out a howl. He intentionally took one of the Lotus Sisters’ attacks and used the momentum to leap out of range of the battle before escaping in a miserable state. The Lotus Sisters naturally gave pursuit.
With the most powerful among them fleeing the battle, the rest of the Demon Race army fell into a greater panic. The ground was littered with corpses for tens of kilometres as few among them managed to escape alive.
Approximately an hour passed before the noisy Azure Sun Temple finally quietened down.
Wen Zi Shan was covered in blood as he stood in the sky and looked out at the Temple’s inheritance that had been there for hundreds of years, eventually letting out a long sigh. They might have killed many of the Demons in this battle, but the loss Azure Sun Temple had incurred was not small either. Corpses belonging to the Sect’s disciples were lying all over the ground, their deaths particularly miserable. In just one battle, Wen Zi Shan had lost nearly thirty percent of the army under his command.
Demon Qi was gradually escaping from the corpses of the Demons who had died in this place. It wafted away and converged in a certain direction, causing Azure Sun Temple to be covered in a fog of darkness.
Wen Zi Shan met with Yang Kai next and the two exchanged a few words. Only then did he learn that High Heaven Palace had also been attacked by the Demon Race. It was just that High Heaven Palace had a mighty army and powerful defences, so it had not suffered a great loss. The Demon Race army was routed instead.
Upon seeing that Yang Kai had several Demon Race Half-Saints gathered around him, Wen Zi Shan couldn’t help feeling jealous. He pulled a face and coughed lightly, “Yang Kai, I have something to discuss with you.”
“I’ll ask the Lotus Sisters to accompany you,” Yang Kai declared.
Wen Zi Shan was stunned when he heard the words, and then he immediately became overjoyed, “Good good!”
He had originally wanted to try and gain one of the Half-Saints over from Yang Kai’s side. The army under him was not weak, but unfortunately, there were no Masters in the Pseudo-Great Emperor or Half-Saint Realm. It might not seem like much under normal circumstances, but having no one who could challenge an enemy Half-Saint if one appeared was indeed an issue.
He only wanted Yang Kai to leave one Half-Saint with him, so he never imagined that Yang Kai would directly give him two instead. A feeling that they were all part of one family washed over Wen Zi Shan all of a sudden as he realized that Yang Kai was similarly anxious about what he himself was worried about.
Yang Kai did not remain in Azure Sun Temple after cleaning the battlefield and counting the casualties, choosing to lead his men home instead. Back at High Heaven Palace, he immediately sent a message to Li Wu Yi to report the Demon Race army’s attack on High Heaven Palace’s Main Sect, Branch Sect, and Azure Sun Temple.
Not long after that, Li Wu Yi replied with a message of his own. Yang Kai’s expression turned solemn after reading the message. As he had expected, the entire Star Boundary was swept up in a storm. The two Great Worlds were connected, and numerous Demon Lands had popped up all over the four territories. As a result, many Demon armies continued to cross over into this world and invade the Star Boundary to burn, kill, and loot without mercy.
The situation at the moment was much more serious compared to the situation where the Demons had first crossed over into the Western Territory back then. There had only been one Two Worlds’ Passage in the past, and although the Demon Race was powerful, the Star Boundary only needed to defend one location. In contrast, the Demon Race was spread out everywhere now. The flames of war had broken out across the entire Star Boundary, and all fifty-five armies were exhausted from defending against those attacks.
The attacks were not limited to High Heaven Palace and Azure Sun Temple. In just half a day, Li Wu Yi had received no fewer than thirty requests for help. There were seven in the Northern Territory alone. Even if he was extremely strong and experienced, he no longer knew how to deal with the enemy and could only handle one crisis at a time. He had to do his best to preserve the Star Boundary’s forces until the Great Emperors returned.
Upon learning that Yang Kai was free to help out now, Li Wu Yi became overjoyed and asked him to provide reinforcements to those seven places that had asked for help in the Northern Territory. Yang Kai did not raise any objections to the request and immediately began gathering his troops.
The Sixty-First Army had only rested for half a day, so they were not completely recovered from their battle fatigue, but there was no helping it under these circumstances. He placed the army into the Small Sealed World and stepped onto the Space Array at High Heaven Palace.
At this moment, Yang Kai couldn’t help feeling thankful for the many preparations he made in the past. In order to unify the Northern Territory, he had set up many Space Arrays and they were now coming in handy. If not for this extensive network of Space Arrays, it would have taken him a lot of time to travel to and from various places.
The Demons invaded in massive numbers, but they had also spread out widely; therefore, there were not too many in each place which in turn gave Yang Kai the opportunity to defeat them one at a time.
Yang Kai led the Sixty-First Army on a killing spree. Everywhere they went, the Demon Race armies suffered heavy casualties. No less than a million Demons had been eliminated by the Sixty-First Army in the span of just a few days; however, Yang Kai also saw countless situations throughout the world where the Demon Race had struck the world like a star of calamity. Many cities were completely obliterated, and countless villages were razed to the ground. Even the small and medium-sized Sects that were on the weaker side had been slaughtered.
There were corpses everywhere. At the same time, an uncountable number of Humans were fleeing for their lives. Even so, where could they go in the midst of this troubled world? They were simply running around like headless flies. The only fate waiting for them if they encountered any of the Demons was death. For that reason, Yang Kai began accepting these fugitives into the Sixty-First Army if they had enough strength whenever he came across them. If they didn’t have enough strength, they were placed into the Small Sealed World for their safety.
This killing spree expanded the Sixty-First Army’s lineup considerably and restored their numbers to three hundred thousand as a result. Meanwhile, Yang Kai had taken no fewer than a million refugees into the Sealed World Bead.
Today, Yang Kai stood in front of a private residence in one of the dilapidated cities. Flames were raging around him as corpses littered the streets. Almost half of the homes in front of him had collapsed and inside this one, a naked woman was lying on the ground without a single piece of clothing on her. Her lower body was a mess, and there were many wounds all over the rest of her body as well. Her corpse had gone cold, but her eyes remained wide open. Before she died, her eyes had been filled with fear and horror. She had turned her head to the side, and a hint of nostalgia was mixed in with her eyes that were brimming with fear. There was a young child around three years old lying in a pool of blood in the direction she was looking; furthermore, the child had a large gaping hole in his chest that was now completely empty.
Yang Kai could imagine what had happened even without witnessing the scene with his own eyes. The Demons had come attacking and this mother had protected her child desperately, but what could a powerless woman do against the powerful Demons from a foreign world? The woman had been defiled and died a violent death! In addition, her child had been killed!
Even though he had become accustomed to seeing all sorts of tragedies recently, Yang Kai still couldn’t help feeling absolutely furious at the sight. A wave of murderous intent brewed in his chest like a volcano that could erupt at any time.
Many of the cities and villages he passed by recently had been obliterated, but the Demons had only slaughtered the people within those cities. They had not done anything else to the people there. On the contrary, he noticed something different in this city. The scene in front of him left him feeling slightly overwhelmed by his emotions.
“Brother-in-Law!” Fu Ling rushed over from a distance, her beautiful eyes red and wet with tears. Before she could get close to him, the murderous intent he was exuding stopped her in her tracks. She followed in his gaze and bit her lip hard at the sight.
“Speak!” Yang Kai took a deep breath and did his best to withdraw his murderous intent into his body, causing his clothes to flap wildly in response.
“There are no survivors in this city. Everyone has been slaughtered. Furthermore, all children under ten years…” She scowled deeply, seeming to find it hard to finish her sentence.
“What happened to the children?”
She pointed inside the house.
“Like that child, all of them had their hearts dug out of their chests. Brother-in-Law, do Demons… eat Humans?” She turned to look at him when she asked that question.
He glanced at her, frowning.
She continued, “If they don’t eat Humans, then why did they carve out their hearts? And they were all children too. Not to mention, there are too few corpses for a city this size. It seems like some have been taken away.”
Yang Kai had not considered that possibility before. He had lived in the Demon Realm for several years after all, so he had never seen the Demon Race practising such preferences during his time there; however, it seemed possible now that he heard Fu Ling mentioning it.
It made sense that he had never seen this kind of activity in the Demon Realm before because only Demons lived in the Demon Realm. It was a completely different scenario now that they have invaded the Star Boundary. It would not be surprising if any unusual preferences were exposed under these circumstances.
“Let’s go!” He spun around and let out a loud whistle. A moment later, a figure fell from the sky. It was Ying Fei who cupped his fists in greeting, “Sir!”
Yang Kai nodded. Space Principles surged and enveloped the two of them. Then, they instantly disappeared from the spot.
At this moment, Yang Kai had divided the Sixty-First Army into two groups. Bai Zhuo led one of the groups, heading from the south to the north while the Embodiment headed the other group, travelling from the east to the west.
Bai Ya was still recuperating inside the Small Sealed World and it would take quite a while before he could recover, so he was unable to bring out his strength at the moment.
It wasn’t that Yang Kai wanted to divide his troops. The Sixty-First Army might be powerful, but the Demon Race was no easy prey either; moreover, all the Half-Saints had been dispatched in this venture. It was just that the entire Northern Territory was aflame with battles. There were too many places that required assistance so the efficiency would be higher if the troops were divided. It was simply a necessary move.
The army split in two and headed towards the various areas in the Northern Territory while Yang Kai and Ying Fei went ahead to scout the way and gather information on the enemy. Fu Ling stubbornly insisted on following them, claiming that, as the Standard-Bearer of the Sixty-First Army, she could not stray too far away from the Army Commander. Yang Kai couldn’t be bothered to argue with her, so he simply agreed to bring her along. They had only just arrived at the first city to search for information when they came across such a tragedy.
“The blood in the city has yet to dry. The Demon Race army probably left not too long ago. Sir, please head this way!”
Ying Fei was an expert when it came to tracking, to the point where Yang Kai couldn’t hope to compete at all; thus, he simply followed in the direction Ying Fei pointed. Space Principles fluctuated continuously as his figure flashed and hurried off into the distance.
Yang Kai soon saw a huge black spot in the sky from a great distance away. It was as dark as ink, and Demon Qi loomed from within. Moreover, the aura of another world seeped out from within the black spot.
Ying Fei suddenly exclaimed in realization, “It looks like they are trying to return to the Demon Stronghold!”
Yang Kai snorted, “Let’s go pay them a visit then!”
Ever since returning from the Western Territory, Yang Kai had led his army on a frantic campaign to various parts of the Northern Territory as though he was putting out fires everywhere; therefore, he had not had the time to investigate the Demon Land under those black spots.
Although he had seen a similar situation in the Western Territory before, he had sealed the black spot in the Western Territory almost as soon as it opened. The Demons that crossed over into this world there had either died or fled. It was just that the erosion of the black spot had not disappeared even though the passage between the two worlds had been sealed. For that reason, Yang Kai was very curious to know how these black spots in the Northern Territory were different from the other side.
Since he had chased his enemies this far, he might as well investigate a little while he was at it. There was no need for Ying Fei to continue giving directions as there were traces of the Demon Race army’s path along the way and their destination pointed towards the Demon Stronghold.
It was a distance of thousands of kilometres, but Yang Kai’s figure only flickered a few times before he arrived at his destination. He stood in the sky and looked out into the distance; then, he frowned. Everywhere he looked was Demon Land. The trees were withered and the plants were dead inside the Demon Land. It gave him an extremely uncomfortable feeling, almost as though he was actually standing in the Demon Realm.
Having received Bright Moon’s legacy, Yang Kai was recognized by the Will of the Star Boundary; therefore, he had an unmatched perception anywhere in the Star Boundary. However, he couldn’t perceive any of the Star Boundary’s aura in the Demon Land in front of him! In other words, the area where the Demon Land expanded could no longer be considered as part of the Star Boundary but rather belonged to the Demon Realm!
That wasn’t all. Invisible to the naked eye, the World Principles in the Demon Land throbbed ever so slightly. In addition, the Demon Land quietly expanded a little more with every pulse. Yang Kai was the only one who could perceive what was happening here. Even a Pseudo-Great Emperor would not have noticed anything standing in this spot. The Demon Land was expanding at an extremely slow rate, but it was definitely expanding and constantly eroding away at the Star Boundary’s territory.
This place should have been the foundation of a Sect in the past. There were great mountains everywhere, and among the mountains and forests were many pavilions and terraces. It had clearly been a place with beautiful mountains and clear waters. Unfortunately, the black spot just happened to appear in the sky above that Sect. The entire Sect’s territory, along with the area spanning a radius of ten thousand kilometres around it, had long since been turned into a Demon Land.
All of a sudden, Yang Kai heard a vague mournful cry coming from one of the mountain peaks. He was stunned, thinking that he was experiencing an auditory hallucination. Nevertheless, after listening carefully, he realized there really was a sound coming from that direction.
[I don’t believe it! There are survivors!] Yang Kai had always believed that the Demon Race killed all the living creatures in the Star Boundary ruthlessly wherever they went. Even if they didn’t kill them, they would let their Demon Qi corrupt Humans, turning them into Demons. Contrary to his expectations though, there seemed to be survivors here. It was just that he did not know what they were experiencing at the moment for them to cry out so miserably.
Yang Kai cocked his ears to the side and listened closely to determine the location of the sound. A moment later, his body shifted, and he vanished from the spot. When he reappeared again, he was standing in a mountain valley. The mountain valley was very lively as there were many Demons gathered in this one place, all of them seemingly extremely busy at the moment.
Many big pots had been set up within the mountain valley. Most of these pots contained boiling water, but some contained boiling oil instead. Some of the Demons carried numerous cleaned and gutted Human corpses and threw them into either the boiling water or boiling oil. There were loud crackling sounds of frying coming from the pots and the entire mountain valley was filled with a strange and disgusting smell.
On the other hand, hundreds of Humans were bound tightly on the other side of the mountain valley. These people were closely guarded by a single Demon. From time to time, another Demon, holding a sharp weapon, would go over, grab one from among the crowd, kill that person on the spot, and drag that person aside to be cleaned.
The surviving people looked extremely pale after watching their clansmen being killed in front of them and their bodies being thrown into the pots. They had long since been scared out of their wits. The miserable cries Yang Kai heard just now came from this place. They were cries of terror and despair, mixed with begging and cursing.
When Yang Kai arrived in this place, he swept his gaze around and instantly felt his scalp going numb. Fu Ling had asked whether the Demon Race ate Humans back in the ruined city. He had been unsure how to answer at the time, but how could he not know that the Demon Race truly ate Humans after seeing this sight before him?
Three unfamiliar figures had suddenly appeared in the mountain valley, so how could the busy members of the Demon Race fail to notice them? One of them immediately shouted, “Who’s there!?”
Yang Kai glanced at that Demon coldly before he ordered, “Kill them all!”
As soon as the words left his mouth, he arrived in front of the Demon who shouted, reached out, and grabbed the other party by the neck. His Demon Qi surged, pouring into the Demon’s body, destroying the latter’s meridians in an instant. Then, Yang Kai raised his hand and tossed the body aside.
His meridians had been destroyed, his entire body was in pain, and his Demon Qi was leaking; however, this Demon was not dead yet. He simply couldn’t move at all. When he was tossed aside by Yang Kai, he fell straight into one of the pots filled with oil. Splashing sounds rang out as he writhed about in the boiling oil, screaming miserably but failing to die for quite some time. Afterwards, muffled thuds rang out as countless Demons fell into the pots in succession. For a time, their cries and howls reverberated through the world.
When Yang Kai made his move, Ying Fei and Fu Ling took action too. One went left and the other went right. Ying Fei’s figure moved so fast that he was practically a bolt of lightning. He only moved a few times, but a large number of Demons collapsed to the ground as a result. He did not act in the same way as Yang Kai, choosing to simply slaughter as swiftly as possible.
The same held true for Fu Ling. Her petite body contained enormous strength. Although not as elegant as Ying Fei, she left a mess of broken bodies in the wake of her tender fists.
There were no Masters among the Demons in the mountain valley, not even a single Demon King, so how could they resist the slaughter of these three? It only took ten breaths for the hundreds of Demons in the mountain valley to be slaughtered.
The people who had been bound by the side had originally been in a state of panic, thinking that they would not escape tragedy today. Who could have known that three saviours would appear out of nowhere? They were overjoyed and many cried even louder from their undulating emotions.
The Demons that Yang Kai had thrown into the pots of boiling water and oil were still screaming. Nonetheless, their voices were getting softer and softer until they were barely audible.
Under normal circumstances, boiling water and oil would not have killed these Demons. Since they were capable enough to invade the Star Boundary, it was only natural that their cultivation was not low. Boiling water and oil might be dangerous for ordinary people, but it would not have done anything to them. They only needed to push their Demon Qi to prevent themselves from getting burned; however, Yang Kai had crippled their cultivations when he subdued them, so they were unable to use any of their strength as a result. Their bodies might be tough, but even a blunt knife could cut through flesh given enough time. There would eventually come a moment when they died from this torture.
“Go and rescue them,” Yang Kai instructed. His gaze was fixed on the mountain peak to his left. There was a loud ruckus coming from that direction.
“Sir, shouldn’t you wait for the army to arrive and join up with them?” Ying Fei quickly asked. Yang Kai might be powerful, but he was only an Emperor in the end. He would be helpless if he encountered a Half-Saint. What’s more, this place was the Demon Stronghold. Who knew how many enemies were gathered here?
“No need!” Yang Kai shook his head and took a step forward.
Ying Fei looked like he was going to speak again, but Yang Kai had already vanished. Fu Ling advised, “It’s not like you don’t know how capable Brother-in-Law is. It’s not a problem for him to escape even if he encounters a Half-Saint.”
Ying Fei pondered for a moment and realized it was true. Unless the enemy had a way to counter Yang Kai’s Space Secret Techniques, the only ones in this world who could actually threaten his life were the Demon Saints and Great Emperors. Feeling relieved, he and Fu Ling headed toward the group of captive people.
The group of hundreds had long since been frightened out of their minds. Some had even lost consciousness. Ying Fei flicked his fingers and released the people in the front rows from their bindings; then, he asked them to save the rest of their comrades. These people naturally obeyed the orders of their two saviours. After thanking the two profusely, they tremblingly got to work.
There was a middle-aged man among the crowd who was pale-faced but was faring much better than the others, still fairly calm in comparison. At this moment, he walked forward and cupped his fists, “Water Cloud Sect’s Yuan Wen Long greets the two Benefactors. May I know your honourable names?”
Ying Fei frowned and looked around, “Is this Water Cloud Sect?”
Although he had known that this place used to be the foundation of a Sect, he had not known which Sect it belonged to. The realization only dawned on him after listening to Yuan Wen Long’s self-introduction.
Yuan Wen Long replied respectfully, “Indeed.”
Ying Fei looked Yuan Wen Long up and down with a meaningful grin, “You bear the surname ‘Yuan’. What is your relationship with Yuan Mao?”
Yuan Wen Long suppressed his grief and said, “Benefactor, do you know my father?”
Ying Fei pursed his lips, “I don’t know him. I’ve only heard of him before.”
In the Northern Territory, the Water Cloud Sect could only be considered a second-class Sect, in no way comparable to High Heaven Palace. However, it did have one Emperor Realm Master, its Sect Master Yuan Mao.
Any Emperor Realm Master had the qualifications to establish a Sect, and it was not long since Water Cloud Sect was founded, so there was only one Emperor in the Sect. That was the Sect Master, Yuan Mao.
Under normal circumstances, it would have been impossible for Ying Fei to know of this person. He was one of the thirty-two Monster Kings of the Ancient Wild Lands whose cultivation was comparable to Third-Order Emperor Realm Masters. A trivial First-Order Emperor would not have been worthy of his notice.
It was just that the Sixty-First Army had been recruiting troops in the Northern Territory over the past ten years, and Ying Fei just happened to have been instructed by Yao Si to send somebody with a letter of recruitment to Water Cloud Sect, requesting Water Cloud Sect to provide some manpower.
Unfortunately, the messenger sent to Water Cloud Sect had returned to High Heaven Palace without a single soldier. He only brought some supplies back, claiming that they were the offerings from Water Cloud Sect to the Sixty-First Army.
The recruitment of the Sixty-First Army was not compulsory. It was completely on a voluntary basis. Those who wanted to come could come, and those who did not want to come didn’t need to come. Hence, Yao Si had not forced the issue. It was a decision he had made at the time out of consideration for the reputations of Yang Kai and the Sixty-First Army.
For that reason, Ying Fei had ignored the issue after Water Cloud Sect rejected Sixty-First Army’s request for recruitment. Having been in charge of that matter, it was only natural that he remembered it. Besides, it wasn’t just Water Cloud Sect. Many Sects and Clans, like Water Cloud Sect, were indifferent to the war between the two Great Worlds. The battlefield was located in the Western Territory after all. Everybody believed that nothing would happen to them even if the sky came crashing down because they had the Great Emperors to hold it up for them. Moreover, the battlefield was so far away. Why would they risk their lives to go to the Western Territory to wage a desperate war against the vicious Demon Race?
Nobody could have imagined that the situation would completely change one day. The Western Territory was no longer the battlefield where the armies of both Great Worlds clashed; instead, war had broken out across the entire Star Boundary.
“Where’s your father?” Ying Fei asked. He did not detect the presence of an Emperor Realm Master within this group; therefore, he knew that Yuan Mao was not here. Judging by Yuan Wen Long’s sad expression, he had the feeling that Yuan Mao had met with a disastrous ending.
Sure enough, Yuan Wen Long’s eyes reddened slightly as he gritted his teeth and said, “My father was killed by them!”
Ying Fei sighed, “If he had known that things would come to this, he would probably have acted differently back then.”
Yuan Mao had not accepted the Sixty-First Army’s recruitment request and Water Cloud Sect had not sent out a single cultivator to join the fight. It was obvious that Yuan Mao had chosen self-protection over the greater good. It was a self-serving approach, but who in this world would not put themselves first?
Ying Fei held no ill will for Yuan Mao or Water Cloud Sect, he simply looked down on them.
Even if the Water Cloud Sect had accepted the recruitment and sent their elites to join the Sixty-First Army, it would not have prevented the inevitable destruction of the Sect; however, they could have at least preserved some of their foundation. That way, they could have rebuilt themselves despite losing their inheritance.
Yuan Mao was dead now though, and most of the elites in the Sect had presumably suffered a similar fate. If that were the case, Water Cloud Sect would truly be wiped from the history of the Northern Territory. Hence why Ying Fei had sighed.
Yuan Wen Long was puzzled by those words. Even so, he asked again respectfully, “How should I address the two of you, Benefactors?”
Ying Fei glanced at Yuan Wen Long and replied lightly, “Sixty-First Army’s Flying Hawk Division Commander, Ying Fei.”
Fu Ling interjected just in time, “Standard-Bearer, Fu Ling!”
Yuan Wen Long was stunned for a while before his face flushed in shame. It was clear that he could recall how his father had rejected the Sixty-First Army’s recruitment at the time. A wave of remorse washed over him, and he burst into tears.
Fu Ling looked irritated, “You’re a man! Why are you crying!? Answer me this, are these people all that’s left of your Sect?”
Yuan Wen Long choked back his tears with some effort and nodded in reply, “Yes, they are all that remain. Everyone else… everyone else was either killed or eaten.”
Abruptly pointing in a certain direction, he continued, “There’s a cave along the cliff outside the mountain valley. I heard some crying sounds coming from that direction earlier. The Demons must have brought in others from the outside and locked them there.”
Ying Fei turned his head to look in that direction. That was in line with the information he had gained from tracking the Demon Race army to this place. Those who had been taken captive were probably the residents of the previous city.
In the end, he and Fu Ling decided to split up. One would stay behind in this place while the other rushed towards that direction to investigate.
…..
It was extremely lively inside the hall. Hundreds of the members of the Demon Race were gathered here, among which Demon Kings abounded. This place was probably the Main Conference Hall of Water Cloud Sect. Water Cloud Sect might not have been a large Sect, but its Main Conference Hall was magnificent and grand enough to accommodate hundreds of people without feeling crowded.
Seated majestically at the head of the main table inside the hall was a High-Rank Demon King with scarlet eyes, emanating a bloody aura from his body. In addition, a bloodthirsty light flashed across his scarlet eyes from time to time.
To the left and right of the main table were two rows of tables arranged side-by-side. Demons were seated behind each table and there were all sorts of dishes placed before them. Judging by the look of the food, it seemed to be the bits and pieces cut from Human bodies. Some had been served half-cooked, bloody, and bright red, while some were deep-fried a golden brown and gave off a strange aura.
The hundreds of Demons were munching away at their tables, eating with great relish. Some of them even commented on which method of cooking was more delicious, which led to many others nodding repeatedly in agreement.
A group of pale-faced Human women were dancing in the middle of the hall. They were surrounded by the intermittent music of gongs, drums, and other instruments. It was impossible to tell whether these people were from Water Cloud Sect or if they had been captured by the Demon Race army from somewhere else. At this moment though, they were being forced to sing, dance, and entertain the Demons. Every one of them was extremely terrified, but none of them dared to resist when their lives were at stake. Their dancing movements were very stiff and there was not the slightest bit of elegance to them. Similarly, the beating of the gongs, drums, and the orchestra were a mess too. Nobody could act normal under these circumstances.
The food eaten by the Demon Race army were all cooked at the bottom of the mountain and sent up to the hall; however, the High-Rank Blood Demon sitting in the main seat was feasting on something different. Several platters were placed on the table in front of him and numerous fresh crimson ‘fruits’ were stacked up high on the platters. An enchanting Charm Demon with dishevelled clothes was lying in his arms. The Demon King reached his large hand into her clothes and fondled her wantonly, causing her to giggle and laugh in response.
“Sir, do you want some more?” The Charm Demon stretched out her jade white hand, picked up a bright red ‘fruit’ from the platter, and brought it to his mouth.
The High-Rank Demon King opened his mouth and bit down. ‘Juice’ spurted out in an instant, or rather, fresh blood splattered all over the place. That crimson fruit was no fruit, it was the heart of a person that had been removed not too long ago. The Demon King finished off the heart in her hands in a few bites and the bloodlust in his eyes became more and more terrifying as he shouted, “Delicious! Truly delicious! As expected, nothing beats the taste of a Human’s heart!”
Following his sudden roar, the women in the centre of the hall, who were fighting back their fear to sing and dance, were so terrified that their beautiful faces went pale. Some of the more timid ones fell on their bottoms while others broke into tears.
“Hmm?” The Blood Demon lowered his head to look at them. The bloodlust in his eyes flashed as he spoke in a serious tone, “Who allowed you to stop?”
Stretching out his hand, a powerful suction force dragged one of the women who had fallen toward him. Then, his large hand wrapped around her neck as he grinned savagely.
That woman’s expression changed greatly as she shook her head continuously and begged, “No! No!”
But why would he listen to her pleading cries? The Demon swiftly reached out and ripped her clothes apart. Opening his mouth, he clamped his teeth down on her snow-white neck and under the fluctuation of his Demon Qi, the woman in his hands turned into a mummified corpse in a matter of moments. He released his grip and the mummified corpse fell to the ground, her vitality completely gone.
On the other hand, the Demon King closed his eyes as though he was enjoying a euphoric high. His entire body trembled uncontrollably, obviously feeling extremely excited and pleased. Even the muscles of his face twitched slightly.
Screams broke out in the hall. How could those Human women remain calm after personally witnessing what happened to their companion? They had already been wallowing in fear, but they were now in a state of complete panic.
The Demons around them burst into laughter as though the scene before them pleased them very much; however, the laughter stopped abruptly when a figure wrapped in a chilling aura barged in from the outside. The Demon Qi around that person churned like boiling water and the place where he stood had practically turned into a black hole that devoured everything around it. Nobody could get a clear glimpse of this person’s face, all they could see were a pair of scarlet eyes burning with the flames of rage in the midst of the boundless black Qi.
“Who goes there!?” One of the Demon Kings stood up and shouted. The newcomer had an unpleasant aura that indicated his cultivation was equivalent to that of a High-Rank Demon King, but even so, the Demon King from before was not very afraid. They were all from the same Race after all, so what was there to fear?
Yang Kai ignored that Demon King as his gaze swept across the hall and landed on the Blood Demon sitting in the main seat. Then, he glanced at the mummified corpse at the feet of the Blood Demon and waved his hand gently.
A gentle force swept out, wrapping around all the surviving Humans in the hall and sending them into the Small Sealed World amidst their panicked screams.
The Demon King who had asked the question before stood up abruptly and asked fiercely, “Who are you!?”
Meanwhile, he wondered curiously in his heart, [Why did those people in the hall suddenly disappear?]
Yang Kai turned and glanced at the Demon King and a strange power flashed across his eyes for an instant before crashing into the latter’s Knowledge Sea.
That Demon King let out a strange grunt, as though he had been strangled, before falling on his butt. His expression was dazed for a moment, but in the next instant, he rolled up his sleeves under the stunned gazes of all those in the hall and bit down on his arm. Fresh blood dripped from that bite he took, but he didn’t seem to feel any pain; instead, a foolish grin appeared on his face as he chewed on the flesh of his own arm with great relish.
*Shua…*
Everyone in the hall stood up in unison, scattering all the dishes on the tables to the ground. Some were watching their companion, who was eating his own arm, with a look of horror, while others were looking at Yang Kai fearfully. They were not fools. The person who arrived carried the same Demon Qi as them, but how could they not realize that he held no goodwill towards them? Moreover, his strength was clearly extraordinary. They had not seen him making any moves at all, and yet their companion was now chewing on his own flesh. Such power was simply incomprehensible!
“Is it tasty?” Yang Kai asked lightly, glancing at the feasting Demon King with a blank expression.
That Demon King mumbled a vague answer while still chewing, “It’s delicious. It’s delicious.”
“Eat more if it’s delicious!” Yang Kai nodded. He then ignored that Demon King and let his gaze sweep across the Demons present in the hall, his Spiritual Energy surging to the extreme.
One by one, the other Demons sat down, and like the first Demon King, they raised their arms to their mouth, bit into their own flesh, and chewed. There were hundreds of them inside the hall; furthermore, they were all Demon Kings. Yang Kai looked around and saw that only ten remained standing. These ten were either among the most outstanding of the Mid-Rank Demon Kings or were High-Rank Demon Kings. Only those in this Realm had the power to resist Yang Kai’s Spiritual Energy.
After obtaining the power of Yu Ru Meng’s Primordial Yin, Yang Kai’s Soul cultivation soared to the point that even Half-Saints and Pseudo-Great Emperors could not compare, much less the Demon Kings who had gathered in this hall.
If he really wanted to kill them, he could obliterate most of the Demon Kings’ Souls in an instant and kill them on the spot with the barest surge of his Spiritual Energy; however, he had witnessed such a vile tragedy in the mountain valley, then entered the hall only to see a bunch of Demon Kings feasting on Humans. How could he allow them to die so easily when he had so much fury festering in his heart?
If they liked eating flesh so much, he would allow them to eat all they wanted! It would only be over when they finished devouring themselves! Two lines of blood slipped down Yang Kai’s cheeks from his scarlet eyes that were flickering like burning flames. It was much more laborious to use this method just now compared to directly using his Spiritual Energy to attack. Even if his Soul cultivation was unimaginably powerful, targeting hundreds of Demon Kings at once was beyond his current ability, so his Spiritual Energy had been poured out to the extreme.
The expressions of the ten or so Demon Kings who remained sane changed drastically. They quickly drew up their defences to resist. Among them, a few of the top Mid-Rank Demon Kings were finding it very difficult to fight back. Their bodies were trembling uncontrollably, and they gritted their teeth without making a single noise, for fear that the slightest negligence would leave them in the same predicament as their companions.
While the remaining High-Rank Demon Kings had a slightly easier time, they were by no means relaxed. A voice kept echoing in their minds, tempting them to eat their own flesh. They couldn’t suppress it no matter what they did.
“Arrgh!” A furious roar rang out as a Mid-Rank Demon King, who couldn’t bear the pressure, chose to seize the initiative. If he did not act now, he would not be able to hold on much longer. Having seen with his own eyes what happened to his companions, how could he not know what fate would befall him once the defences of his Knowledge Sea collapsed? He would rather die at the hands of the enemy than literally eat himself to death.
The furious roar was like a fuse that set off an explosion. When the Mid-Rank Demon King lunged toward Yang Kai, the other Demon Kings that were still standing in the hall lunged forward too. Suddenly, Demon Qi surged violently, and a murderous intent flooded the hall.
Yang Kai felt wrath washing over him but only became even more livid when he saw the Demon Kings taking the initiative to attack. Due to the great shock to his mind, his mental state suddenly became incredibly tranquil. His body and will united and resonated with the world around him. Something seemed to move inside his mind, as though it was about to break out of its shell.
All of a sudden, a glimmer of the Grand Dao flashed across Yang Kai’s mind. His vision was no longer filled with approaching enemies, his body was no longer standing in the Main Conference Hall of Water Cloud Sect, instead, he seemed to be standing in a vast, endless expanse. His mind was constantly being elevated, climbing infinitely into the skies to overlook all the living beings in the world.
He felt the World Principles pouring into his body in this peculiar state, tempering his mind and spirit. Meanwhile, World Energy flooded his form like a thousand streams gushing into the sea, causing his cultivation to climb rapidly!
Because he received Bright Moon’s legacy in the Demon Realm, Yang Kai broke through to the Third-Order Emperor Realm. Because of the Demon Realm’s World Principles, his Emperor Qi was transformed into Demon Qi and he became a High-Rank Demon King as a result. Since escaping from the Demon Realm and returning to the Star Boundary, he had been fighting countless battles up until today.
Suddenly, an enormous pressure bore down on him, causing his rising cultivation to gradually stabilize.
After returning to the Star Boundary for more than ten years, Yang Kai had spent much of his time in the Lower Star Field to refine worlds. It had been of great help in furthering his comprehension of the Dao of Space. He was showing such great improvement that even Li Wu Yi felt humbled; however, he had not experienced much improvement in terms of cultivation.
But now, Yang Kai suddenly felt something change as he stood in the Main Conference Hall of Water Cloud Sect. It was as though his very being had been transformed to become a part of this world. He was furious, and the world was furious too!
Lightning cracked and thunder boomed, rumbling in all directions as Yang Kai’s already powerful aura had clearly soared to the point where it was considerably more powerful than before.
Without even consciously acting, Yang Kai instinctively lifted his fist and struck out. He did not strike at any of the Demon Kings but rather at the empty space before him instead. The world collapsed the moment he struck and the Void appeared. A mighty and unparalleled suction force emerged with his fist acting as its core, drawing everything in the surroundings towards it.
There was the sound of something shattering loudly as the tables, chairs, benches, walls, and even pillars in the hall flew towards the Void and vanished. The Demon Kings who had charged at him just now, be they Mid-Rank Demon Kings or High-Rank Demon Kings, were unable to control their bodies at this moment. All of them were looking absolutely horrified, waving their arms about manically as they flew towards the Void along with all the tables, chairs, and benches. Even the Blood Demon sitting in the main seat was not spared. After Yang Kai’s fist struck, the Blood Demon felt his body flying towards the impact point regardless of his will, even though he had been almost a hundred metres away from Yang Kai at that moment. It felt like a large hand had reached out, grabbed his body, and was drawing him in.
As for the Charm Demon that had been sitting in his lap, she was only a Demon Great General and was completely unable to resist such a huge suction force at all. Thus, her body flew towards the Void, and in the midst of her screams, she was pulled into the chaotic nothingness and disappeared without a trace, her life or death unknown.
Following a loud roar, blood mist burst from the Blood Demon’s body. Burning his Blood Essence desperately, he turned into a cloud of blood light as he tried to break free from that suction force. Be that as it may, he couldn’t escape no matter what he did and could only watch helplessly as his body moved forward, little by little.
Turning his head to look around, the Blood Demon saw that the hall was a complete mess. The magnificent building was in ruins, as if an invisible beast from the Void was devouring everything. Everything that entered the mouth of that beast, be it a dinner plate or a Demon King, mysteriously vanished without a trace.
With his life on the line, he bit his tongue and condensed much of what remained of his Blood Essence into a blood arrow which shot towards Yang Kai’s direction.
Yang Kai frowned slightly as his mind was abruptly dragged out of that strange state when he detected murderous intent closing in on him. He tilted his head to the side and avoided the attack of the blood arrow. Following this movement of his, the mysterious fist strike that he sent out suddenly erupted.
The Void Crack Yang Kai had opened shrank rapidly into a tiny black hole and the entire hall around him subsequently disintegrated and collapsed in the direction of the singularity. Even a large piece of the mountain went missing. Only then did the terrifyingly powerful suction force subside and the Blood Demon regain his freedom.
Ecstatic, he used his Blood Escape Secret Technique and transformed into a ray of blood light to flee.
Only slightly more than ten breaths had passed since Yang Kai entered the hall, but even so, the Divine Abilities that he displayed were simply astonishing. Hundreds of Demon Kings had been wiped out even without him touching a single thread on their clothes. How could the Blood Demon not know that he was no match for Yang Kai? Only death awaited him if he did not escape now. Having the cultivation of a High-Rank Demon King and brimming with Demon Qi, and yet nursing a hatred for the Demon Race. At this point, he finally understood Yang Kai’s identity. Only ‘that’ Human who once ran rampant in the Demon Realm had such means.
Even if the Blood Demon wanted to escape though, how could Yang Kai possibly allow him to leave? Reaching out his hand, Yang Kai grabbed at something in the sky. In response, the Blood Demon froze in mid-air. Under the restraints of Space Principles, he couldn’t even move a finger. It wasn’t until that moment he realized just how vast a gap between a High-Rank Demon King like himself and a High-Rank Demon King like Yang Kai was; thus, he instantly lost all hope and despaired.
Yang Kai maintained his gesture of grasping something while lowering his head, mulling over the feeling he experienced just now. Unfortunately, he couldn’t enter that mysterious state of enlightenment again no matter how hard he tried. He knew that he had missed an opportunity due to this Blood Demon’s interruption just now. But, upon thinking about it some more, he realized that if he had not come here and been stimulated by the sight in front of him, he would not have come across the opportunity in the first place. It might have been interrupted in the middle of the process, but it wasn’t as though he hadn’t gained anything.
As soon as that thought crossed his mind, Yang Kai immediately calmed down. The fury in his heart just now dissipated into nothingness, and when he looked up again, he raised his brow in astonishment. He had no sense of what had happened in the hall just now as he had been completely immersed in that peculiar feeling up until the moment the Blood Demon interrupted him.
Hence, it wasn’t until now when he looked up that he realized the Main Conference Hall was gone. Even the mountain where the main hall was located was missing a large chunk. Moreover, the only Demon left alive was the Blood Demon he had imprisoned.
After pondering for a moment, Yang Kai comprehended what had happened. Although he was immersed in his perception just now, he was not ignorant of the outside world, he had simply ignored what was going on around him. Therefore, it was only natural that he could recall what had happened when he concentrated on remembering.
It was a pity. Even though those Demon Kings were ultimately killed, his original intention was for them to eat themselves to death. They were supposed to die after suffering a bit of the brutal torment they had inflicted on others. Unfortunately, those Demon Kings had all died without even leaving corpses behind, so there was no way to force them to eat themselves anymore.
“Rupture!” Yang Kai murmured softly. The Demon Qi lingering around his body converged to reveal his true appearance.
“What?” The imprisoned Blood Demon was stunned upon hearing this. He had absolutely no idea what Yang Kai meant.
Yang Kai turned to look at the Blood Demon and laughed savagely. Why would he bother explaining anything to a dead man?
‘Rupture’ was the name he had given his newly created Space Secret Technique. All of his Space Secret Techniques were self-created; after all, the Dao of Space was rarely successfully cultivated by anyone. Not many people had set foot on this Grand Dao, so there was no experience he could borrow from as a reference. Aside from discussions with Li Wu Yi, there was nobody in this world who could teach Yang Kai anything about the Dao of Space; therefore, he could only rely on himself for everything.
Following Moon Blade, Nihility, Exile, and Instantaneous Movement, Rupture was born.
Moon Blade was a means of attack. By condensing Space Principles into a blade, Yang Kai could send out a blade which could cut through anything.
Nihility was a means of concealment and self-preservation. By integrating oneself into the Void and suppressing his aura to the minimum, even people with greater cultivation than him would have a hard time locating his whereabouts unless they were concentrating hard. Nihility could also be used to avoid fatal attacks by phasing out of the material plane. Yang Kai relied on this technique many times over the years to protect himself when he encountered strong enemies.
Exile used the Space Principles to connect with the Void and then send his enemies inside.
There was no need to explain Instantaneous Movement. It was the most practical Secret Technique for escape or rapid travel.
The newly cultivated Rupture was somewhat similar to Exile in execution; however, it was very different in effect. Exile sent his enemies into the Void Crack, banishing them from the world. If his enemies were lucky enough though, they might still be able to survive in the Void Crack. Although their death was basically an inevitable fate, there was a small chance of survival. If they were very lucky, like a blind cat striking a dead mouse, they might even escape from the Void Crack and regain their freedom.
There were many miracles in the world after all, and it was not impossible for something like that to occur.
Take Sheng Yu Zhu, for example, a peak level Master who competed with Wu Kuang for the position of Great Emperor. She had survived in the Void Crack for tens of thousands of years before Yang Kai rescued her back at Luo Sha Sect.
Rupture was completely unrelated to the Void Crack as it did not send enemies anywhere and instead shredded space directly. Everything would be ripped apart by the immense Space Principle waves, eventually grinding both people and objects into dust. This process could not be seen by the naked eye nor by Divine Sense as even light and Spiritual Energy would be drawn in and torn apart. It was truly a Secret Technique meant purely for destruction. This was how Rupture differed from Exile. If Exile still presented a chance of survival, then Rupture guaranteed death.
Yang Kai walked towards the Blood Demon.
The Blood Demon trembled uncontrollably, spitting out a mouthful of blood. Ever since he crossed over into this world from the Demon Realm, he had a mighty army under his command and had conquered all who he came across. Moreover, the Star Boundary cultivators he encountered in the past few days were simply too weak and vulnerable. There had been nobody who could even put up a fight within the surrounding hundred thousand kilometres.
It wasn’t until now that he finally understood what despair and fear meant. How could he have known that most of the elites in the Star Boundary had joined the armies and travelled to the Western Territory, leaving no worthwhile Masters behind in the other lands?
The Blood Demon couldn’t even move under the restraint of the Space Principles, so he could only watch helplessly as Yang Kai reached out a hand to grab him by the neck and hoist him up.
“Yang Kai!” He bellowed, “You are part of the Demon Race now! Why…”
Before he could finish his sentence, his eyes widened as Yang Kai stabbed his hand into his chest. An unbearable pain made the Blood Demon’s blood-coloured complexion turn bloodless and his entire body tremble uncontrollably. He could feel the large hand grasping his heart inside his chest, which made him gasp for breath.
Yang Kai looked at the Blood Demon calmly and enunciated each word clearly, “I am Human!”
He slowly withdrew his hand from the Blood Demon’s chest and the latter shuddered even more violently in response. There was a muffled sound as though something had been ripped out. When Yang Kai pulled his hand back fully, there was a fist-sized Demon Heart in his grasp. Demon Qi surrounded the pitch-black Demon Heart that was still beating despite being removed, making an audible thumping sound.
Next, Yang Kai brought the Demon Heart to his mouth. Although the Demon Heart had been removed from the Blood Demon’s chest, he did not die immediately as the more powerful Demons would always cultivate more than one Demon Heart. Upon seeing Yang Kai’s actions, the Blood Demon was horrified and exclaimed in shock, “What are you doing!?”
Yang Kai did not answer and instead smiled grimly as he took a large bite. A hole appeared in the Demon Heart in his hand and blood splattered everywhere.
The Blood Demon was shocked. Although he had a taste for Human hearts, it was something he had only discovered recently; after all, where would he find Human hearts to eat back in the Demon Realm? He had not felt anything when eating somebody else’s heart, but now, he was watching somebody else eating his own heart right in front of him! The terror he experienced at the sight was indescribable. Looking at the savage grin on Yang Kai’s face, he only felt as though Yang Kai was far more of a Demon than himself.
Yang Kai might not have fully undergone demonification, but his Emperor Qi had been fully converted into Demon Qi, so it was only natural that his personality had been slightly affected. It might not be obvious under normal circumstances, but he would turn more violent and malicious if he was agitated by something which aroused his anger.
Yang Kai fiercely took several bites before opening his mouth and spitting out the chewed-up pulp on the Blood Demon’s face. The force was so powerful that it knocked the Blood Demon’s head back.
“Disgusting!” He glared at the Blood Demon gloomily, “You should feel honoured! I was going to eat your Demon Hearts, one by one, but they’re so unpalatable that I can’t even bear to swallow. So… I’ll give you a quick death!”
As soon as the words left his mouth, his Demon Qi surged and rushed into the Blood Demon’s body.
The Blood Demon’s figure immediately began swelling up like a balloon. The entire process took no more than five breaths before he transformed into a round ball. Looking at this scene, it was as if the Blood Demon could fly away as soon as Yang Kai let go of him. In a state of complete panic and anxiety, the Blood Demon suddenly exploded and turned into a cloud of blood mist.
Yang Kai’s Demon Qi surged, keeping the filth that splattered in his direction away from him. He then looked behind and saw that the mountains were filled with members of the Demon Race staring in his direction with shocked expressions.
Several tens of thousands of Demons were stationed here. The only reason precautions were so lax was that Yang Kai and the others had sneaked in quietly and moved quickly. The Demon Race army might be numerous, but they were unable to react whatsoever. It wasn’t until Yang Kai’s Rupture Secret Technique had caused the entire Main Hall and a large chunk of the mountain to vanish that the Demons scattered across this Demon Land noticed the presence of an intruder.
Even so, Yang Kai had wiped out over a hundred Demon Kings gathered inside the hall; as a result, not many Masters were left among the remainder of the Demon Race army. There was nobody to give them orders either; hence, they simply stared at Yang Kai at a loss for what to do.
On the other hand, Yang Kai summoned Zhui Feng, mounted the beast, brought out the Myriads Sword, and charged forward. He had been hiding Zhui Feng’s existence as a preventive measure against any Half-Saints who might be guarding this place, but who could have known that not a single Half-Saint could be found in this Demon Stronghold? What else was there to say? Zhui Feng immediately understood what was happening and neighed loudly. His four hooves kicked against the ground, flames burning from his legs, and with just a few strides, he carried Yang Kai into the middle of the Demon Race army.
Following that charge, Yang Kai cut and slashed a path through the enemy like a tidal wave. The Sword Qi of the Myriads Sword surged, slashing wave after wave while at the same time, his empty right hand kept striking the Void.
The world collapsed wherever his fist impacted and everything within a large area would collapse in on itself, falling into the tiny black spots that had appeared before vanishing without a trace. Oftentimes, the Demons standing within range would find their vision going dark and disappearing before they could even figure out what was going on.
In the beginning, the Demon Race army seemed to have planned to rely upon their superior numbers to fight a prolonged battle and exhaust Yang Kai to the death; however, they soon realized that nobody could even get within a thousand metres of Yang Kai without being cut to pieces of vanishing from existence. His overwhelmingly powerful Sword Qi slashed out in all directions and everywhere it passed, Demons fell like straw. At the same time, the Ruptures that were sent out silently devoured the lives of untold numbers of Demons.
The Demons who didn’t even have a single Demon King among them lost their courage to fight in the face of such a terrifying enemy. They scattered and fled in all directions, just trying to get as far away as possible; however, there were tens of thousands of Demons scattered across Water Cloud Sect’s former territory, so how could all of them manage to escape in such a short time?
Yang Kai and Zhui Feng split up and hunted down the escaping Demons, leading to large numbers of the enemy keeling over and dying at every given moment.
Yang Kai was in the midst of his killing spree when he suddenly heard the sound of fighting coming from more than a dozen kilometres away. The movements of his hands stopped abruptly, and he cocked his ear to listen attentively. A short moment later, his figure flashed and disappeared from the spot. When he reappeared again, he was standing at the source of the sounds of battle.
He was standing in front of a cave where a Demon Race army of tens of thousands were gathered outside. They were constantly launching attacks at the cave, causing the mountain where the cave was located to crumble and teeter on the brink of collapse.
At the front of the cave stood Fu Ling and Ying Fei. The two of them were killing non-stop and the corpses of Demons they slew had piled up like mountains in front of them. Although their cultivations weren’t weak and it would be easy for them to escape, it was beyond their ability to wipe out all of the enemies in this place. What’s more; there were many Humans who had been captured by the Demons inside the cave.
They had arrived at the mountain valley under Yuan Wen Long’s guidance to save the people held in this cave, but before they could finish their rescue mission, they had been surrounded by the Demons and were trapped at the entrance of the cave. As a result, it immediately turned into a large-scale battle.
A cracking sound came from behind the pair. The mountain peak behind them looked like it was about to collapse, causing them to become anxious. If the mountain were to collapse, not many of the people who had been kidnapped and held captive in the cave would survive; however, there was nothing Ying Fei and Fu Ling could do to stop it from happening. In their moment of desperation, they felt Yang Kai’s aura appearing beside them. They turned to look in that direction and saw Yang Kai’s figure appearing and all their worries vanished in an instant. Now free of extraneous concerns, they concentrated on crushing the enemies in front of them.
Meanwhile, Yang Kai shot into the cave and came back out again a couple of breaths later. He had placed all of the people who had been held captive inside the cave into the Small Sealed World. He nodded lightly at Ying Fei and Fu Ling. Receiving confirmation, the two of them abruptly released the shackles binding them and pushed their strength wildly. They had been worried about the people behind them previously, so neither Ying Fei nor Fu Ling had dared to use their full strength. Now that there was nothing holding them back, their fury instantly erupted.
There was a roar as Ying Fei assumed his True Form, an enormous Monster Beast that was several dozen metres long and tall. His entire body was surrounded by cyan winds and as he spread his wings, wind blades slashed in all directions. Before he even got close, the Demon Race members standing around him were cut to pieces and their corpses collapsed to the ground in broken pieces. Wherever he flew, the wind blades followed. Hence, the Demon Race army soon turned into a sea of blood.
Similarly, Fu Ling had taken on her Dragon Form. A Seventh-Order Purple Dragon soared into the sky, spewing out large swaths of purple Dragon Breath from her mouth. In the wake of her Dragon Breath, any Demon Race member that was touched, even if just slightly, was turned into a purple crystal statue. They would become frozen in place and unable to move.
Tens of thousands of the Demons scattered in an instant and fled for their lives.
It was at that moment that a rumbling sound came from the distance and a group of several hundred people came charging in from afar. The person leading the group was none other than the Young Sect Master of the Water Cloud Sect, Yuan Wen Long. After being rescued by Yang Kai and the others, he rested in the mountain valley for some time, so how could he not know what was going on when he heard the commotion coming from this direction?
Although he had not completely recovered, the Demon Race had slaughtered his family and destroyed his Sect. His hatred for the Demons was so deeply ingrained into his bones that he immediately led everyone who could fight out to avenge their dead Sect Brothers and Sisters.
Under normal circumstances, these few hundred people would not have made much of a difference; however, the Demon Race army was currently routed and running for their lives in all directions. Moreover, no Master was leading them, so Yuan Wen Long and the others managed to kill many with their reckless charge, which helped relieve some of the pent-up emotions in their hearts.
A quarter of an hour later, the situation inside Water Cloud Sect gradually returned to calm. Demon Race corpses could be seen everywhere, and the Demon Qi in their bodies was slowly escaping into the air.
Meanwhile, Yang Kai stood in the sky and sent out jade slip after jade slip with his hands. There were a great number of Demons here, so just him, Xi Lei, and the others alone were not enough to kill them all. Even if tens of thousands of the Demons had died at their hands, a large part of the army had still managed to escape. The remaining Demons had scattered and formed groups of stragglers. They would be vulnerable if they encountered a Master or a coordinated army, but more tragedies would undoubtedly occur if they came across any small Sects or villages.
Since Yang Kai had destroyed this Demon Stronghold, it was only natural for him to ensure that he did a thorough cleanup job. The two groups from the Sixty-First Army were not far away, so at this moment, Yang Kai issued orders to split up the formation and mop up all the Demon stragglers in a thorough fashion. It was essential for all the fleeing Demons to be completely eliminated before he could consider this issue over.
Ying Fei and Fu Ling stood beside Yang Kai, looking at the mountain in the distance that had been hollowed out with wide eyes. That mountain was where Water Cloud Sect’s Main Conference Hall was located, but the shape of the mountain seemed a bit peculiar now. There was a huge semi-circular hole in the side of the mountain, one that was oddly smooth.
The edges around the semi-circular gap were flat and smooth, as though it had been cut by a sharp tool, which made the top of the mountain look like an upside-down crescent moon as a result.
Both Ying Fei and Fu Ling were stunned, and they wondered how Yang Kai accomplished this. It would not have been surprising for Yang Kai to smash the mountains to bits given his strength; however, it was truly baffling how a semi-circular gap had been carved into the mountain instead.
“Sir, can we leave this place quickly? I’m afraid… they might not be able to withstand this if it goes on any longer.” Yuan Wen Long glanced at the several hundred survivors of Water Cloud Sect with a worried expression.
These several hundred people were not very strong and their cultivations had been sealed when they were captured by the Demon Race so they had begun to show symptoms of illness after staying in the Demon Land for so long. Most of them were breathing heavily and their bodies gave off a faint malevolent aura.
The Demon Essence permeating the Demon Land was quietly eroding away at their minds the whole time. This process was not fast, but it was definitely not slow either; moreover, they had just experienced a battle, which had agitated their aggression and accelerated the rate at which the Demon Essence was corrupting their thoughts. If they continued to stay here for much longer, most of them would probably undergo demonification. That was why Yuan Wen Long wanted to get them out of here quickly.
Yang Kai understood what Yuan Wen Long was worried about, so he nodded and ordered, “Relax and don’t resist!”
Reaching out a large hand to the front, his Divine Sense covered those hundreds of people as he placed them into the Small Sealed World.
A short while later, three figures rose into the sky. The passage in the sky that was connecting the two worlds had been sealed by Yang Kai, but the black spot and the Demon Land could not be eliminated. The situation was exactly the same as what had happened in the Western Territory a few days ago, which made Yang Kai a little uneasy.
It didn’t take the Sixty-First Army more than five days to round up and wipe out all the remaining Demons that had fled from Water Cloud Sect. If the enemy army had gathered together in one place, they might have stood a fighting chance against the Sixty-First Army, but spread out, it only gave the Humans a chance to pick them off one by one. There was not much of a resistance at all and hundreds of thousands of Demons were annihilated as a result, with few slipping through the net.
Even so, the army did not stop advancing. They divided into two groups again and continued heading deeper into the Northern Territory. During their journey, Yang Kai sealed more than ten Two Worlds’ Passages.
The Sixty-First Army was a formidable force, so they rarely encountered any enemies that could put up a decent fight. Only the armies led by Half-Saints could stall the Sixty-First Army’s advance. Some places even had more than one Half-Saint, which gave a real challenge.
At the same time, the fifty-five armies of the Star Boundary were like fifty-five blades sweeping across the Eastern, Southern, and Western Territories. They charged through the entire Star Boundary, engaging in large-scale battles almost every day. Both Humans and Demons suffered heavy casualties, countless cities and Sects were destroyed, and millions died as a result.
Approximately half a month later, the situation had become clear. There were exactly one hundred and eight of those ink-like spots scattered across the Star Boundary, evenly distributed throughout the four territories!
There was still no news from the Great Emperors; however, the people in the Star Boundary confirmed that the Demon Saints had also disappeared without a trace. Back when the ten Demon Saints crossed into this world from the Demon Realm, the seven Great Emperors, along with Yu Ru Meng and the others, had separated to pursue the enemy. Whenever they exchanged blows with each other, the commotions were so great that it wouldn’t be wrong to call them catastrophic. It was hard not to notice their fights, so it drew the attention of many and in the end, those people witnessed the world split apart, and a gigantic arm emerge from the crack. That sight was personally witnessed by many; therefore, it was easy to learn about what had happened back then with a little investigation.
The Great Emperors and the Demon Saints had been taken away by those gigantic hands, a story nobody wanted to believe. Li Wu Yi secretly guessed that the gigantic hand was not caused by some Divine Ability as there was nobody in this world who could accomplish that. It must have been something the Demon Saints had secretly set up in the Demon Realm, which would activate when those cracks opened.
That conjecture was quite reasonable. The disappearance of the Great Emperors had caused many people to panic, but learning that the Demon Saints had also gone missing slightly mollified their anxiety. They had been afraid that the Demon Saints had remained in this world while the Great Emperors were missing. If that had been the case, nobody in the Star Boundary could have fought back. Regardless of how powerful the fifty-five armies of the Star Boundary were, there would come a day when they were completely wiped out by the enemy.
The black spots in the sky were enormous, and a faint black light could be seen glowing and flashing from within. Every time the light flashed; the black spots would expand at an imperceptible rate. Nothing would be detected in the short term, but if this continued for long enough, the entire Star Boundary would eventually be devoured.
A certain Demon Land stretched out three hundred thousand kilometres in every direction beneath with an army totalling over a million stationed on its periphery, the camps seemingly going on forever with no end in sight.
How high-spirited had the fifty-five armies been back when they gathered in the Western Territory to await the opening of the Two Worlds’ Passage so they could assault the Demon Race?
An attack had indeed happened, but it was the Demon Race that had opened the Two Worlds’ Passage. The Demon Race suffered more than twenty million casualties on the Western Territory battlefield, which was a significant loss, but the Demon Race corpses had released rich Demon Qi which spread out across various territories of the Star Boundary. Under some sort of blessing from an unknown force, one hundred and eight passages had been opened in the Star Boundary that day, bringing unimaginable disaster with it.
In the beginning, nobody could have imagined that the war would progress in this direction. Under the will of the Heavens, countless wars had broken out everywhere in the Star Boundary.
It had been more than a month since the incident at the Western Territory, and during that time, the Sixty-First Army had fought in various places across the Northern Territory. Instead of decreasing in numbers, however, the Sixty-First Army had expanded considerably instead. At present, there were three hundred and fifty thousand people among its ranks.
This was a natural result. When Li Wu Yi first sent out recruitment letters to the entire Star Boundary, most of the cultivators had the same mindset as those from Water Cloud Sect. They chose self-preservation, thinking that somebody higher up would hold up the sky for them even if it came crashing down. Besides, the Western Territory was very far away and the war would never affect them, so they turned a blind eye to it.
But now, the Demon Race’s methods had shattered their illusions. In this one month alone, countless people had lost their homes and families while numerous Sects and Clans had been slaughtered. Of those who survived, some were frightened out of their minds and fled in a panic. There were also some who carried the burning desire for revenge in their hearts and volunteered to join the armies in order to fight.
That was how the Sixty-First Army expanded. Even so, the Sixty-First Army was strict in selecting people. Even though many people volunteered themselves to the army, only a few tens of thousands were accepted mainly as a means of replenishing their ranks.
Meanwhile, Yang Kai’s Small Sealed World was dangerously full. The space in the first region of the Small Sealed World had always been limited and he had taken in many people during his month. At this point, there were tens of millions of refugees inside the Small Sealed World. Only the piece of land where the medicine garden was located was relatively empty; everywhere else was simply filled to the brim.
The second region of the Small Sealed World had been stripped away. On the other hand, the remaining third region was vast and could accommodate many times more people with no trouble at all, but it was formed from devouring various Demon Realm continents. It could be considered as a second incomplete Demon Realm, so how could weak Humans from the Star Boundary survive there? If Yang Kai really put them in there, it would not be long before they were eroded by the Demon Essence and reduced to Demons themselves.
Since the Small Sealed World could not take in any more people, they could only provide directions to the fleeing refugees they came across so that they could escape towards High Heaven Palace. As for whether they survived or not, nobody could afford to care; after all, war had always been a cruel affair.
Meanwhile, the Thirty-Fifth Army under Bing Yun had expanded to more than six hundred thousand people at this point. In comparison, the Sixty-First Army had not expanded by much, with the reason being that the heritage of the Thirty-Fifth Army was not as strong as that of the Sixty-First Army. They suffered great casualties every time they encountered Demon Race armies, so it was only natural for them to replenish and expand their ranks as much as possible. For that reason, they welcomed anybody who had the will to fight and kill the enemy.
Whether it was the Sixty-First Army or the Thirty-Fifth Army, they were both primarily formed from Northern Territory cultivators and had returned to the Northern Territory after the incident at the Western Territory. Just like the Sixty-First Army, the Thirty-Fifth Army had been constantly fighting during the past month or so.
Five days ago, the two armies joined forces outside Blue Wave City. Blue Wave City was a small town. According to the stories, an Emperor Realm Master came here in the past and created a prosperous home in this place. His presence attracted people from all over the world, which gradually led to the formation of this city. As the Emperor Realm Master’s name contained the characters for ‘Blue Wave’, the city was named after him. Still, this was something that happened a long, long time ago and there was no way to verify if it was the truth.
Blue Wave City was originally an unknown little town in the vast Northern Territory with a population of several tens of thousands. Moreover, the strongest in the city was only in the Dao Source Realm. There was not a single Emperor Realm Master and it was inferior to even Maplewood City back then. Nevertheless, it was now very famous. That couldn’t be helped though as this was the place where Demon Saint Huang Wu Ji and Iron Blood Great Emperor Zhan Wu Hen had fought each other and gone missing together.
When the Demon Saints and Great Emperors vanished, the sky cracked open and the black spots came into being. The surroundings of Blue Wave City turned into a Demon Land, and this place became one of the hundred and eight Demon Strongholds.
A Demon Race army of nearly three million was stationed inside this Demon Stronghold. In addition. There was no end to them at a glance. With so many of the Demon Race gathered in one place, it caused the world to fill with Demon Qi.
Over the past five days, the Sixty-First and Thirty-Fifth Army had joined forces and fought against the Demon Race army in this place three times, but each attempt to wipe the enemy out had ended in failure.
This Demon Stronghold was clearly different from all the others that Yang Kai had encountered recently. The Demon Race seemed to place great importance on this place. Not only was there a Demon Race army of three million stationed here, but there were also as many as five Half-Saints assuming command.
There were quite a few Masters under Yang Kai’s command. Like the enemy, there were four Half-Saints, namely Zhui Feng, the Embodiment, Bai Zhuo, and Bai Ya, in addition to himself, who was almost equivalent to a Half-Saint in terms of combat power. What’s more, Bing Yun was a Pseudo-Great Emperor.
Comparing the numbers of Half-Saints, the two armies combined were not inferior to the Demon Race army. The only disadvantage they had was in terms of the number of troops. An army of one million might not be small, but the Demon Race army had three times that number of soldiers. Furthermore, the Demons were defending from inside the Demon Land. The Demon Qi that was ubiquitous in the Demon Land had a negative effect on the combat power of ordinary Humans while it provided a boon to the Demons.
During the first confrontation, the two parties had fought for a full day and night. The corpses of both sides could be seen everywhere within a radius of three hundred thousand kilometres. When the order to withdraw finally came, only several hundred thousand remained of the one million strong army.
Unable to break through the Demon Race army’s defences, Yang Kai and Bing Yun had no choice but to retreat when they saw that the Bloodlust Spell’s effect was about to end. That night, Yang Kai placed Bing Yun and all the Half-Saints under his command in the Small Sealed World. Then, he infiltrated the Demon Race camp all on his own to take down the enemy leaders. As long as they could get rid of the five Half-Saints, the rest of the Demon Race army would have nothing left but numbers.
Unfortunately, those Demon Race Half-Saints seemed to have prepared in advance for this scenario. They stuck together as a group and never separated from each other. When the Half-Saints on both sides engaged in battle again, it ended with only one of the Half-Saints on the Demon Race’s side being severely injured.
Two days later, an assassination attempt was carried out on Yang Kai in the General’s tent of the Sixty-First Army. The person who carried out the assassination attempt was a Shadow Demon Half-Saint, who quietly snuck into the Sixty-First Army alone and attacked.
It would surely have ended in tragedy if not for how extraordinary Yang Kai’s Soul cultivation was. Even so, the experience left him drenched in a cold sweat. He had always known that the Shadow Demon Clan was talented and proficient in stealth and assassination, and among them, a Shadow Demon Half-Saint was considered the best among the best. Despite knowing this, it wasn’t until he actually experienced it for himself that Yang Kai had a clear and profound understanding of what it meant.
It was almost impossible to prevent the Shadow Demon Half-Saint from infiltrating and carrying out a sneak attack. Even Yang Kai could not detect the Shadow Demon Half-Saint’s presence, so how could the others? Fortunately, there were traces that could be seen at the exact moment the other party attacked. Yang Kai immediately used Nihility on himself when he felt alarm bells ringing in his heart, which was what allowed him to avoid the crisis.
The Shadow Demon Half-Saint immediately fled far away when his attack missed its mark. Yang Kai had urged the Space Principles to solidify the area but failed to restrain the enemy; hence, the Shadow Demon was nowhere to be seen by the time Bai Ya, the Embodiment, and the others heard the commotion and rushed over.
There was a head-on battle and two sneak attacks, coming to a total of three confrontations in a span of five days; thus, Yang Kai and Bing Yun realized that the enemy in front of them was a tough nut to crack. It was going to be difficult to defeat this Demon Race army of three million with just the power they had on hand.
Yang Kai and Bing Yun stood side by side on top of a solitary mountain where the clouds gathered, looking out in the direction of Blue Wave City that was located thousands of kilometres away. Even though it was thousands of kilometres away; even though more than a month had passed since the incident, the aftermath of the battle between the Great Emperor and the Demon Saint was still clearly discernible. Somewhere above the Demon Land and below the black spot, the Great Emperor’s Emperor Qi swirled, and the Demon Saint’s Demon Qi raged. They formed two dazzling rays of light and darkness that kept clashing with each other in mid-air.
It had been many years since such powerful Masters had fought against each other in this world. The battlefield left behind from their battle would definitely become a cultivation paradise of the Grand Dao in later years. If anybody had the opportunity to perceive the confrontation between the two forces, they would surely gain great benefits from the experience that would improve their cultivation by leaps and bounds. Unfortunately, that place was currently dominated by the Demon Race, so who would dare approach? On the contrary, many Masters in the Demon King Realm and above were taking the opportunity to gain insight there.
“Senior, have you received any news?” Yang Kai squinted in that direction for a while before asking.
Bing Yun sighed, “None of the others can come. They all have their own enemies to deal with.”
He nodded at her words. The results were within his expectations.
The two sides had clashed three times, but both sides were unable to do anything about the other. Wondering if she could ask for help from elsewhere, Bing Yun had turned to the other armies in the Northern Territory for assistance in order to remove the eyesore in front of them before moving on to obliterate the rest of the Demons in the remaining Demon Strongholds.
However, the armies of the Star Boundary were all busy fighting their own battles, so who could come forward to provide support? Li Wu Yi had received countless requests asking for support, but unfortunately, he couldn’t send out more helping hands. The only thing he could do was ask the respective Army Commanders to figure out a solution for themselves.
At present, there were one hundred and eight Demon Strongholds scattered across the four territories of the Star Boundary with Demon Race armies stationed at each one. Although many of the Demon Strongholds had been wiped out along with the defenders stationed there over the course of the past month, the Demon Lands remained. Even the World Principles of the Star Boundary could not repair themselves.
The Demon Race armies would sometimes evacuate a stronghold before the arrival of the Star Boundary’s armies and converged towards another larger Demon Stronghold, causing the Star Boundary’s armies’ aggressive and high-spirited march to be in vain.
Most Demon Strongholds were not too hard to deal with as the number of Half-Saints in the Demon Realm was limited, so not every Demon Stronghold had a Half-Saint guarding it. Take the Demon Stronghold at Water Cloud Sect for example. There were no Half-Saints stationed there, so Yang Kai succeeded in turning the place upside down practically all alone.
In contrast, those Demon Strongholds with Half-Saints guarding them were rather difficult to deal with. Among them, there were a total of ten Demon Strongholds with more than one Half-Saint! The Demon Race highly valued these ten spots, and each spot had at least four or five Half-Saints stationed there. Blue Wave City happened to be one of them! Furthermore, these ten Demon Strongholds were the places where the seven Great Emperors, Yu Ru Meng, and the others had disappeared together with the Demon Saints.
Just Blue Wave City alone had been keeping the Sixty-First and Thirty-Fifth Army completely tied down. The other nine Demon Strongholds were probably facing a similar situation. At the very least, thirty of the Star Boundary’s armies were required to siege these ten Demon Strongholds. The rest could only divide their troops to confront the remaining Demons.
Anyone could tell that these ten Demon Strongholds were of great importance to Demon Race. They could ignore all the other Demon Strongholds and Demon Lands but defeating those ten locations was a must. As long as they could capture these ten locations, it would be difficult for the Demon Race to implement whatever tricks and conspiracies they had planned, but it was extremely difficult to capture those locations. Judging from the current situation of the Star Boundary’s various armies, it was nothing short of a dream.
These ten Demon Strongholds were scattered throughout the four territories of the Star Boundary. There were three in the Northern Territory, three in the Southern Territory, and two each in the Eastern and Western Territory!
“It’s not necessarily a bad idea to gather all the Masters in one place and accomplish everything in one go.” Yang Kai pondered in silence for a moment.
Bing Yun nodded, “I’ve already considered that option. We have the Space Beacons and the World Beads, so our mobility is much greater than that of our enemy. If we can gather ten Masters in the Pseudo-Great Emperor Realm, we might just be able to defeat the opponents in front of us, but what happens to the armies under their command during their absence? The Demon Race forces will not miss this opportunity to retaliate. Without the protection of a Pseudo-Great Emperor, those armies will definitely suffer heavy casualties. The losses will outweigh the gains. It might work if we place the armies into the World Beads as well, but that would mean abandoning vigilance towards some of the Demon Strongholds altogether.”
He nodded, “You are right, Senior. What are Supreme Commander Li’s opinions on this matter?”
She replied, “Supreme Commander Li said to wait for the news from Dragon Island. All our problems will be solved if the two Elders of Dragon Island are willing to come forward.”
Yang Kai smiled slightly, “I see. It shouldn’t take too long then.”
Upon returning to High Heaven Palace from the Western Territory, he had asked Qiong Qi to escort Yang Xiao and Yang Xue to Dragon Island. Now that one month had passed, the results should present themselves soon.
The Star Boundary was in critical condition, and while Dragon Island was technically a Sealed World of its own, it was still based in the Star Boundary. No matter how detached the Dragon Clan was towards the matters of the world, they could not stand idly by in this situation. The reasoning behind the saying ‘without lips, the teeth would go cold’ was still something they understood very well.
“I hope that’s the case,” Seeing his confident expression, Bing Yun smiled slightly in response.
He suddenly reached out his hand while they were conversing. At the same time, Space Principles fluctuated briefly, then, a jade slip appeared in the palm of Yang Kai’s hands when he opened his hand again. Li Wu Yi’s aura emanated from that jade slip.
She asked, “Is that a message from Supreme Commander Li?”
Yang Kai nodded, immersing his Divine Sense into the jade slip. After checking the contents of the jade slip, he smiled bitterly, “Senior, I’m afraid I won’t be able to fight alongside you anymore.”
“What did the Supreme Commander ask you to do?” She asked.
He tossed the jade slip to her and said, “Senior Li wants me to head into the Demon Realm to search for the whereabouts of the Great Emperors and… devour the rest of the Demon Realm while I’m at it.”
Bing Yun swiftly finished reading the contents of the jade slip, and knowing that what he was saying was the truth, she nodded in response, “That’s not a bad idea. Just looking at the number of Demons in the world today, it’s easy to tell that most of the strongest Masters have been deployed. Those that remained are probably the weak and infirmed. You probably won’t face much danger if you head to the Demon Realm now…”
She suddenly laughed, “The Demon Race invaded the Star Boundary in hopes of seizing new land… Supreme Commander Li’s little scheme is truly giving them a taste of their own medicine.”
If Yang Kai went deep behind the enemy lines and devoured the Demon Realm continents, the Demon Race would definitely not ignore his actions; thus, he alone would be able to distract the Demon Race’s attention. It would be even better if he managed to lure some of the Half-Saints away. What’s more, according to Li Wu Yi’s conjecture, the Great Emperors were probably in the Demon Realm at the moment; hence, the main purpose of this trip was to inquire about their whereabouts and current situation.
Yang Kai said solemnly, “Please take care of the Sixty-First Army after I leave, Senior.”
Bing Yun laughed, “The Sixty-First Army is the mightiest in the Star Boundary. They don’t need me to take care of them. Rather, my Thirty-Fifth Army will be relying on the Sixty-First Army.”
“Although Yao Si acts prudently, he is still young. I’m worried that he might lose his composure now that the Great Emperors are missing.”
Bing Yun nodded and replied in a serious tone, “Rest assured. I will watch over him carefully.”
He nodded in thanks.
“When are you going? Where will you depart from?”
Yang Kai thought for a moment before answering, “I’ll leave after making some arrangements.” He glanced at the black spot located thousands of kilometres away and grinned, “As for where, I’ll just depart from here.”
Following his gaze, Bing Yun felt stunned for some time and secretly sighed to herself. [His courage isn’t small…] “If you intend to leave from there, then you should probably make some proper arrangements.”
He glanced at her for a moment, mulling over her words before understanding her intentions and nodding, “I’ll do as you say, Senior.”
The two of them then set off immediately and returned to the camp.
A short while later, the Division Commanders of both armies gathered together in the Commander’s tent of the Sixty-First Army. When Yang Kai told them about his intentions to set off for the Demon Realm, the news caused an uproar among them; however, they fell silent after learning that Yang Kai was acting under Li Wu Yi’s orders.
Bai Ya and Bai Zhuo naturally requested to follow him. They were sent by Yu Ru Meng and Bei Li Mo to protect him after all, so it was only logical that they were wherever he was. Nevertheless, the war situation was very precarious at the moment, so how could Yang Kai cut off the supporting pillars of the two armies at such a critical juncture? Hence, he immediately rejected their request. Even the Embodiment was to stay behind.
Following a brief discussion, everybody dispersed.
That night, the two armies joined forces and launched a fierce attack on Blue Wave City. Having already taken precautions in advance, the Demons were able to respond to the attack quickly, but what puzzled them was that the Human’s attack this time around was extremely flashy but seemed to lack substance. Hundreds of thousands attacked with great vigour, only to quickly withdraw their forces after an hour or so. It left the Demon Race extremely puzzled.
Staring at the Human Race army retreating like the receding tide, the Demon Race Half-Saints stood in the sky with a frown on their faces. They instinctively felt that the Humans were carrying out some sort of plot, but they could not sense anything.
All of a sudden, the Shadow Demon Half-Saint who previously snuck into the Sixty-First Army to assassinate Yang Kai looked up at the black spot in the sky with a glint in his eyes.
“There’s an easy path to the Heavens but you refused to take it; instead, you force your way into the Gates of Hell!” The Shadow Demon gave a soft, cold laugh before his figure suddenly faded, and vanished from sight.
“Qian Zhong, where are you going!?” A Half-Saint shouted after him.
“To kill!” His voice came from the direction of the black spot.
The other Half-Saints raised their eyebrows at those words; then, the realization of the meaning behind that strange feeling they experienced just now suddenly struck them. They had not seen any traces of Yang Kai during this battle! Yang Kai held a high position among the Human Race; he seemed to be an Army Commander or something of the sort, so it was impossible for him not to show up during such an important battle. Thinking back to the Human Race army’s movements just now, how could they not realize that the attack was all a feint? It was simply to distract them. Besides, Yang Kai was proficient in the Dao of Space, so it was not impossible for him to sneak into the Demon Realm through this place amidst all the chaos.
“He is proficient in the Dao of Space. I’m afraid it won’t be easy to kill him! Qian Zhong attempted it once before but failed,” One of the Half-Saints frowned.
“If he really snuck into the Demon Realm, then he would surely feel smug about himself and become complacent as a result. It might just work out this time.”
“Let’s hope it does. It’s just that the Human brat has a storage artifact. There are always traitors around him to protect him.”
“Bai Ya, Bai Zhuo, and that strange Stone Man made an appearance just now. I believe he only has that beast, Zhui Feng, with him at the moment. It’s difficult for even you and I to guard against Qian Zhong’s sneak attacks, so as long as that boy lets down his guard even just a little, Qian Zhong will have a great chance of succeeding.”
“That’s true. Let us hope Qian Zhong can bring back some good news.”
At this point, the Half-Saints stopped talking. They simply watched the Human Race army’s movements warily, preparing to defend against another attack at any time.
The Shadow Demon Clan was inherently proficient in concealment and assassination. Like a rabbit eating grass or a jackal eating meat, it was an ability that came innately to them. Moreover, a Shadow Demon Half-Saint stood at the peak of this field.
Qian Zhong concealed his figure and aura, passed through the enormous black spot in the sky, and quietly snuck back into the Demon Realm.
Yang Kai infiltrated the Demon Realm in order to cause mayhem. That was simply his suspicion born from the fact that he had not seen Yang Kai anywhere on the battlefield just now. He had not been too confident whether it was the truth or not, but be that as it may, he became certain that his guess was correct the moment he returned to the Demon Realm. That was because traces of Yang Kai’s aura clearly remained at the place where he appeared, which made him ecstatic.
All the Half-Saints, and even the Demon Saints themselves loathed Yang Kai. It was just that Yang Kai was proficient in the Dao of Space, so despite being weak, his skill at escaping was unmatched. Even the Demon Saints had failed to capture him when they tried to hunt him down after the battle on Eternal Sky Continent.
Later, Yang Kai wreaked havoc in the Demon Realm, destroyed a vast swatch of territory, and instigated two Demon Saints, a Master on par with the Demon Saints, and a large number of Demon Race Masters to defect. Those actions left the Demon Race nursing an irreconcilable grudge against him.
Before this recent invasion of the Star Boundary, the Demon Saints announced that they would personally guide and assist in the cultivation of the meritorious person who managed to take Yang Kai’s head so that that person could reach the peak as soon as possible. The Half-Saints might not have been tempted by the offer if it had been just any ordinary reward; however, who wouldn’t covet being taught by the Demon Saints themselves?
[The credit is mine!] Qian Zhong thought to himself; even so, he did not show his excitement outwardly. A good assassin was able to precisely control the fluctuations of their emotions so that not even the slightest turbulence would be revealed.
There was no need to track the trail carefully. He only needed to lift his head to see Yang Kai riding on Zhui Feng at a distance of no more than two kilometres away from him. They were travelling at leisure, acting so relaxed and carefree that it was almost as if their purpose in coming to the Demon Realm was for a casual stroll.
For Qian Zhong, a distance like that was practically no different from standing face-to-face with each other, he could launch a sure-kill strike at any time. Before he could take any action though, he suddenly saw Yang Kai, who was two kilometres away, turning to look back in his direction with a bright smile, one filled with cunning.
Qian Zhong felt his heart skip a beat, instinctively thinking that something bad was going to happen, but before he could react, a gentle force slammed into his body. That force was invisible and undetectable, so well-hidden that he failed to notice until it was too late. Besides, the power behind this strike was harmless and clearly only for reconnaissance purposes. It was just that his figure, which was concealed, was immediately revealed when that force struck.
“I’ve been waiting for you!” A voice sounded from the side. Following those words, a figure dressed in white stepped out of the Void with one hand behind his back, his aura calm and relaxed like that of an aloof Master!
[Li Wu Yi!] Qian Zhong froze in surprise and his eyes widened from the shock. His head was full of questions, the most prominent one being, [Why is he here!?]
There were few Pseudo-Great Emperors in the Star Boundary, far less than the number of Demon Race Half-Saints. Even with the subordinates of Yu Ru Meng and the others, there was still a large gap between the number of Pseudo-Great Emperors in the Star Boundary and the number of Demon Race Half-Saints. Nevertheless, the gap was not as wide as before.
Among all the Pseudo-Great Emperors though, Li Wu Yi was the most famous. He was also the person most feared by the Half-Saints, that was because three Half-Saints had died at his hands. He was an existence that stood above the rest of the Pseudo-Great Emperors and Half-Saints. His reputation of being the strongest beneath the Great Emperors of the Star Boundary was well warranted.
Although Qian Zhong was powerful enough that he could look down on any other Pseudo-Great Emperor of the Star Boundary, he did not dare to underestimate Li Wu Yi; therefore, he instantly realized that this was a trap the moment he saw the latter appear! It was a trick to deceive the opponent into walking into the trap themselves! And, he had fallen right for it!
Without any hesitation, Qian Zhong abruptly retreated. The Two Worlds’ Passage was not far behind him, and as long as he could return, he could reach the stronghold in the Star Boundary. At that time, Li Wu Yi would not be able to touch a single hair on his head. On the contrary, he could try and unite with his companions on the other side to kill Li Wu Yi here.
However, a scorching heat came from behind him the moment he tried to make a move. That scorching heat seemed to be able to burn everything in the world, causing Qian Zhong’s expression to fill with horror even before the attack landed on him.
His figure that was withdrawing backwards stopped abruptly. There had been no pause between his sudden movement and equally sudden halt, showing how solid his foundation was. He dodged to the side and turned back to look in the middle of all the havoc.
A slender and bright-eyed young woman was standing in front of the Two Worlds’ Passage, showing a row of pearly teeth as she smiled at him. Forming a set of seals with her hands, she sent out another Secret Technique, manifesting a flame that danced like a Fire Dragon to chase after him. While casting the Secret Technique, she laughingly said, “Yang Kai, there really was an idiot who walked right into our trap!”
Yang Kai rode over and laughed loudly, “How could I show off my intelligence if he wasn’t so stupid?”
As soon as the words left his mouth, he struck his palm at Qian Zhong from a distance. Space Principles fluctuated violently as he shouted, “Solidify!”
At the same time, Li Wu Yi raised a palm slowly and brought it down in Qian Zhong’s direction with a stern expression. He might be powerful, but his opponent was a Half-Saint; thus, he attacked with all his strength.
Combining their strength, the space around Qian Zhong suddenly froze!
Qian Zhong, who was escaping like a fleeting shadow, felt as though a mountain was suddenly pressing down on him. The vitality in his heart churned, and his breathing became laboured. His originally unpredictable figure became extremely sluggish too.
At that moment, scorching heat swiftly descended on him. He broke out in cold sweat and let out a roar, his Demon Qi surging violently. Like a mirror that was broken by a huge force, the sound of something shattering rang out as cracks suddenly appeared in the space surrounding him.
Qian Zhong took advantage of the situation to escape his shackles, but the burst of flames had already rushed up to him during that momentary delay. At this moment, he was in the middle of recovering from the last attack and could not gather more strength to defend. It was such a short gap that it was practically negligible, but even so, the young woman had managed to time her attack perfectly.
The flames suddenly enveloped him and turned into a ring of fire that quickly shrank. Then, it tightened abruptly and bound Qian Zhong in place. With the ring of fire wrapped around his body, the Demon Qi covering his body burned with a crackling sound. In his horror, he bit his tongue hard and his aura surged violently, causing the ring of fire binding him showed signs of cracking.
*Xiu Xiu…*
Two more bursts of flames shot out from the young woman’s hands. Similar to the first burst of flame, they struck out like a Fire Dragon and shrouded over Qian Zhong’s head. After that, the three bursts of fire turned into three rings of flame and bound themselves around his chest, waist and legs. He had been on the verge of breaking free previously, but now he was locked down tightly, a look of despair filling his face.
Yang Kai and Li Wu Yi attacked at the same time. Li Wu Yi’s clothes were flapping in the wind, the Emperor Qi in his body surging madly as he pointed at Qian Zhong from a distance. That movement seemed incredibly slow, yet at the same time, it was over in an instant. Qian Zhong reacted as if struck by lightning when that finger pointed at him and his head jerked back, a finger-sized hole appearing on his forehead. Strangely, no blood came out. Only his entire body trembled uncontrollably.
Yang Kai also pointed a finger forward. It was different from the slow-moving action that Li Wu Yi had made as he thrust forward rapidly, causing space to shudder and the world to tremble. It was incredibly majestic and terrifying to watch.
Meanwhile, Qian Zhong’s chest sank sharply, then his whole body shrank rapidly and collapsed towards the dent in his chest.
Rupture!
Li Wu Yi’s eyes lit up. As an expert proficient in the Dao of Space, he instantly knew that this attack was very powerful the moment Yang Kai used it. It involved the essence of the Grand Dao of Space itself.
The scene of a living person collapsing in on himself at a rapid pace was an extremely strange sight to behold. If Yang Kai had been alone, he could never have won against this Shadow Demon Half-Saint, but by launching a surprise attack, which combined his strength with Li Wu Yi and Yang Yan, they managed to defeat this opponent so quickly that he had no chance to retaliate.
In a span of three short breaths, Qian Zhong’s whole body collapsed in on itself completely and a small black spot suddenly formed in his place.
The three rings of fire turned into bracelets that flew towards Yang Yan, where she wore them on her fair wrists. Just as she was about to turn around with a smile on her face to say something to Yang Kai, her expression changed drastically and she shouted, “Watch out!”
There was a loud explosion. Following that, the small black spot expanded without warning and countless figures erupted from within. Each figure was similar to Qian Zhong in appearance. There were thousands of those figures and each one of them had identical auras, making it impossible for anybody to discern which was real and which was not. Then, those thousands of figures fled in all directions.
Li Wu Yi and Yang Yan attacked in unison. Most of the figures were wiped out before they could take more than a few steps. Meanwhile, Yang Kai felt his skin tingling with a sense that he was being watched by a dangerous beast. Lifting his head, he saw a figure rush towards him at a high speed. The eyes of that figure were filled with a hatred that was carved deep into his bones and a resolute determination to drag Yang Kai down to hell with him.
“A cornered beast will undoubtedly fight back!” Yang Kai coldly snorted, and with a flick of his wrist, he summoned the Mountains and Rivers Bell. He gave a gentle shake of his wrist and a melodious and ancient sound tolled. At the same time, a force of suppression swept out in all directions.
As soon as Qian Zhong appeared, he was besieged by Yang Kai, Li Wu Yi, and Yang Yan. He was beaten half-to-death before he could even use any of his Divine Abilities, so it was inevitable that he came out severely injured despite his desperate attempts to escape. Therefore, his combat power at this moment was less than half of what it usually was at his peak.
When the Mountains and Rivers Bell rang out, the sound of the bell went straight into his mind and caused him to spit out a mouthful of blood. The melodious bell echoed throughout the Demon Realm, shattered space, and even spread to the Star Boundary. Logically speaking, it should have been impossible for the commotion in the Demon Realm to reach the Star Boundary even if the two Great Worlds were connected by a channel, but even so, the sound of the Mountains and Rivers Bell was clearly transmitted to the other side.
When the bell rang out, the expressions of many Half-Saints in the Demon Land brightened as a single thought appeared in their hearts, [Success!]
The Demon Race was fairly knowledgeable when it came to Yang Kai. They knew that he had a treasure like the Mountains and Rivers Bell in his possession. A treasure as precious as that would never be used unless he was in a crisis where his life was at stake; hence, the Half-Saints believed that he was near the end of his road when they heard the bell toll. They were certain it wouldn’t be long before Qian Zhong returned with good news.
While secretly rejoicing in their hearts, they also envied Qian Zhong for his good luck. Killing Yang Kai was a great merit and the person who succeeded would receive personal guidance from the Demon Saints.
Coincidentally, Bing Yun and the others also had the same thought in their hearts.
The Demon Race army did not know about Yang Kai’s plans, but Bing Yun and the other leaders were aware of it. Yang Kai had vanished for some time just before the two armies launched their attack on the Stronghold. Needless to say, he had gone looking for reinforcements.
Inside the Demon Realm, Qian Zhong vomited blood violently, his figure no longer swift and agile.
Meanwhile, Yang Kai galloped towards Qian Zhong on horseback as the Mountains and Rivers Bell in his hand spun smoothly and rapidly expanded to cover Qian Zhong’s head.
Qian Zhong wanted to dodge to the side, but the force of suppression coming from the Mountains and Rivers Bell made his entire body feel extremely heavy. He couldn’t avoid the blow no matter what he did, so with a loud bang, the bell dropped down and enveloped Qian Zhong.
Following that, Yang Kai jumped off Zhui Feng’s back and came to stand next to the Mountains and Rivers Bell. He struck the bell with a palm, resulting in another loud clang. Sound waves that were visible to the naked eye propagated out. Then, the illusory phantoms that were fleeing in all directions turned into nothingness.
Qian Zhong’s screams could be heard coming from within the Mountains and Rivers Bell. Nevertheless, Yang Kai continued without stopping. He struck the Mountains and Rivers Bell again and again, causing the bell to ring out incessantly. Qian Zhong’s furious screams soon turned to ones of agony, then into tortured howls…
After several dozen palm strikes, Qian Zhong’s voice gradually disappeared. Yang Kai retrieved the Mountains and Rivers Bell and Qian Zhong’s body no longer existed inside. There was only a pool of bloody remains left behind with no humanoid form distinguishable. A magnificent Shadow Demon Half-Saint died in such a vexing manner. He probably never imagined this outcome when he first came chasing after Yang Kai.
Yang Kai’s Divine Sense swept over the bloody remains to confirm that not the slightest bit of aura remained. Only then did he make a grab with his large hand to store the remains inside the Sealed World Bead.
Yang Yan frowned, “Why are you keeping that filth?”
Yang Kai said, “What if he isn’t dead yet? At the very least, he won’t be able to do anything inside the Small Sealed World, regardless of what amazing abilities he might have.”
Yang Kai was the Master of the Small Sealed World so he immediately used his authority to turn Qian Zhong’s bloody corpse into dust.
Yang Yan nodded in agreement, “It’s better to be careful.”
Li Wu Yi said, “Take care of yourself kid. We’re leaving.”
“Have a safe journey,” Yang Kai grinned and cupped his fists. He knew that he had taken up a lot of their time and it would be terrible if something happened to the armies under their command during their absence.
Seeing his smiling face, Yang Yan reached out a finger and poked his forehead.
Li Wu Yi added, “Please send word as soon as possible if you obtain any information on the Great Emperors!”
Having said that, he wrapped Yang Yan in his Emperor Qi and retreated towards the Two Worlds’ Passage.
Several Half-Saints stood above Blue Wave City, looking gloomy and uncertain. When the first toll of the Mountains and Rivers Bell sounded, they all thought that Yang Kai was about to meet his end, but contrary to their expectations, the bell continued to ring incessantly. Despite ringing for several dozen times in quick succession, the sounds coming from the bell were showing no signs of weakening. As such, they began to realize that something was wrong.
Now that the bell had stopped ringing, they were discussing whether to send somebody to check on the situation when all of a sudden, they saw two figures appearing in the area below the black spot.
The Half-Saints were shocked and focusing their gaze on that direction, one of them shouted, “Li Wu Yi!”
Li Wu Yi glanced at them coolly; then, with a flash of his figure, he disappeared into thin air.
The Half-Saints watched as Li Wu Yi vanished, but none of them tried to stop him. Part of the reason was that he was so powerful that they were a bit frightened of him, but more importantly, they knew they would not be able to stop him even if they tried. Nobody could stop Li Wu Yi from coming and going as he pleased in this world, not unless the Demon Saints themselves stepped forward.
Similar to Yang Kai, Li Wu Yi was proficient in the Dao of Space, so he came and went like the wind. He was even more terrifying than Yang Kai because he was an actual Pseudo-Great Emperor.
The Half-Saints exchanged glances with each other and realized something. Qian Zhong had met a disastrous end!
After Li Wu Yi and Yang Yan left, Yang Kai sealed the Two Worlds’ Passage as quickly as possible. He had the feeling that the Demon Race army was unlikely to send anybody else to hunt him down, but it was better to proceed cautiously.
Once he finished sealing the Two Worlds’ Passage, he finally had the time to study his surrounding environment. The continent he was on was not small, and the World Principles were not bad either. Nevertheless, he couldn’t be sure where he was exactly. Although he had travelled through almost all the continents in the entire Demon Realm, they all looked pretty similar to each other except for the occasional special and obvious characteristics. It was impossible for him to distinguish between them unless he asked somebody. Still, it didn’t matter much to him. Regardless of which continent it was, they were all going to be devoured anyway.
Before taking action to devour the continent, Yang Kai tried using a Space Beacon to contact Yu Ru Meng and the seven Great Emperors. He already had a Space Beacon in his possession to contact Yu Ru Meng in the first place and later received another seven from Li Wu Yi to contact the seven Great Emperors. As long as any one of them were on this continent, he would be able to get in touch with them.
However, none of the Space Beacons he tried received any response. Yang Kai wasn’t disappointed though as there were many Demon Realm continents. If the Great Emperors were really in the Demon Realm, he would definitely find them one day.
Summoning the Sealed World Bead, he transformed it into Gun-Gun. Then, he stood on Gun-Gun’s huge head and stomped his feet, “Let’s get to work.”
He was devouring the Demon Realm continents again after so many years, but there were no obstacles this time around and Gun-Gun’s devouring speed was extremely fast. Its gigantic mouth was like a bottomless pit, leaving an empty Void in its wake wherever it went.
The swallowed continents would fall into the Small Sealed World where they would integrate with it, perfecting the World Principles and expanding the territory within.
As time passed though, Yang Kai’s brow furrowed. He could not detect the aura of any living beings on this continent. Rather, the entire continent was heavily shrouded in Death Qi.
One hundred and eight connected passages had appeared between the Demon Realm and the Star Boundary. At each location, a Demon Race army had passed through the corridor and invaded. Each army ranged from several hundred thousand to several million. Moreover, there were a total of One hundred and eight armies, which amounted to an unimaginably large number.
The territories of the Demon Realm were vast and had extremely large populations, but so many Demons had crossed over to invade so it wouldn’t be surprising if only the old, weak, and infirmed were left behind. Still, those who remained should still constitute an enormous number of Demons.
At least, that was what Yang Kai originally thought; however, what he saw was different from what he expected. There were no living Demons that could be found on this continent, not even a single living creature. It was extremely strange. This piece of Demon Land could best be described as an empty nest.
At first, he thought that it was just a phenomenon unique to a specific region. He had started devouring the continent from the Two Worlds’ Passage after all, so even if the Demon Race wasn’t guarding this place, bystanders would not have dared to approach it. However, he finally came to the conclusion that there was nothing alive on this continent after several days of Gun-Gun devouring the continent.
Sitting on top of Gun-Gun’s head, Yang Kai separated a part of his consciousness and entered the Small Sealed World. He transformed into his Soul Projection and examined the situation of the Demon Land Gun-Gun had recently devoured.
A short while later, he frowned and stretched out his hand. With a wave, a mountain of bones appeared in front of him with a loud clatter. Why were there millions of bones here? Moreover, this was only what he summoned at random. Who knew how many more were buried deeper underground? Not to mention, some of these skeletons were only the size of babies, so it was clear they were infant Demons.
Yang Kai’s scowl deepened as a look of bewilderment appeared on his face. From what he could see, other than those that had invaded the Star Boundary, all the other Demons on this continent had probably died. But just what was the reason for so many deaths? What puzzled him even more was that there was no Demon Essence in any of these bones.
Logically speaking, that was an impossible situation. It had only been ten years or so since he left the Demon Realm, and everything had been fine up to that point. There had still been countless Demons living on each continent at the time. In other words, these Demons had only been dead for less than ten years. Their physical body might have perished, but it was impossible for the Demon Essence hidden inside their bodies to dissipate so quickly, and yet, the situation was exactly that!
This was all extremely strange and Yang Kai had the vague feeling that things were not as simple as they seemed on the surface.
While he was trying to make sense of the situation, his expression suddenly changed. His main body turned to look in a certain direction the moment his Soul Avatar returned.
A thousand kilometres away, a figure was hastily escaping. He must have noticed Gun-Gun and panicked.
Yang Kai’s hand waved and suddenly there was another figure standing in front of him. It was the Demon who had been fleeing for his life just now.
This Demon obviously did not understand what was going on. He had felt the ground shaking beneath him and ran out of his hiding place only to see a huge creature in the sky devouring the entire world. It scared him so badly that his Soul nearly left his body and he quickly ran away. Immediately after that, he felt something squeeze around his body and his vision spun dizzily. By the time he recovered, there was somebody standing in front of him. He was clearly taken aback for a moment, then he suddenly gritted his teeth and let out a roar while throwing a punch at Yang Kai.
Yang Kai secretly found the situation rather amusing. If this Demon was ranked according to Human cultivation standards, he would only be in the True Element Boundary Realm, equivalent to having just barely taken the first steps in the Martial Dao. He didn’t even have the qualifications to be a disposable pawn on the battlefield.
It was actually quite shocking that such a Demon had the courage to attack him. It had been a long time since Yang Kai last experienced something as novel as this. Too lazy to even bother fighting back, he simply smiled gently and said, “Let’s sit down and have a chat.”
As soon as the words left Yang Kai’s mouth, the Demon sat down on the ground with a plop. Even then, he maintained the posture of his fist flying forward at Yang Kai with a look of horror on his face.
Yang Kai was a High-Rank Demon King. Although his cultivation had not reached a Realm where every word he spoke became law, the weight of his words varied depending on who he was facing. The power of his Divine Sense was concealed within his words just now, so how could the Demon in front of him, who was barely in the True Element Boundary, resist?
Having fallen to a sitting position on the ground, the Demon’s complexion was ashen with fear. The person in front of him had not even moved a single finger. Just a single word from that person was enough to leave him incapable of fighting back; therefore, he understood that he was no match for his opponent. Despair washed over his heart, and he sighed, “In the end, I still couldn’t escape.”
Yang Kai chuckled, “What were you trying to escape from?”
The Demon, however, just lifted his neck slightly and prepared himself, “Do it.”
After saying that, he closed his eyes, as if resigned to his fate. He had no choice but to accept. Trying to confront the person in front of him was equivalent to an ant trying to fight a Dragon, there was zero chance of resistance whatsoever.
“Did you think I was going to kill you?” Yang Kai studied the Demon with interest. Judging by the faint burning aura coming from the Demon’s body, he was probably a Flame Demon.
“Are you not?” The Flame Demon opened his eyes and frowned deeply.
Yang Kai couldn’t be bothered to explain himself, so he bluntly stated, “I have some questions for you. I’ll let you live if you answer my questions. If you don’t cooperate, I’ll make you wish you were dead!”
The Flame Demon’s brow twitched slightly at those words. A sliver of hope had appeared in a situation where he originally thought his life was forfeited, so he didn’t try to negotiate with Yang Kai for any conditions and simply answered readily, “Please ask.”
“What happened on this continent? How did everyone on this continent die?”
“You don’t know?” He was stunned. [What happened on this continent was such a major incident that almost all of the Demon Race knows about it. How is this guy unaware of it?]
“Would I still need to ask you if I knew?” Yang Kai’s expression turned cold.
Seeing the change in Yang Kai’s expression, the Flame Demon felt his heart clench in fear. He did not dare to show disrespect and hurriedly told Yang Kai everything he knew.
The changes on this continent began ten years ago.
Ten years ago, the Half-Saint in charge of this continent recruited all of the Demons in the Demon Spirit Realm and above. The Demon Spirit Realm corresponded to the Human Race’s Origin Returning Realm. An army of three million was formed from the recruitment.
Afterwards, the army of three million was split into ten equal parts and went around slaughtering all the remaining Demons living on the continent under the command of that Half-Saint. All the Demons that were in the Demon Spirit Realm or above had been recruited and taken away, leaving only the weak ones behind, so what could they do against such powerful enemies even if their numbers were greater?
For eight whole years, there was a reign of terror on this continent. Hundreds of millions of the creatures that used to live here had been slaughtered, and all of those slaughtered were buried into the ground.
Another two years passed and a tremor ran through the world as the Two Worlds’ Passage opened and things gradually became the situation today.
The Flame Demon’s cultivation was low, but even so, he managed to escape unscathed as he had been cultivating underground in a stream of magma. By the time he came out of retreat, he slowly realized that the situation on this continent had changed greatly; hence, he immediately returned to the place he had been cultivating and hid away again.
When Yang Kai arrived and Gun-Gun appeared to devour the world, he couldn’t continue hiding anymore and had no choice but to flee. In the end, he was captured by Yang Kai instead.
Yang Kai looked surprised after hearing the story, “Are you saying that everyone on this continent was killed by their own kind? They committed fratricide?”
The Flame Demon frowned. [What do you mean by ‘their own kind’ and ‘they’? Aren’t you part of the Demon Race too?]
He had automatically assumed that Yang Kai was part of the Demon Race after seeing the Demon Qi overflowing from Yang Kai’s body. It was just that his cultivation was too low for him to discern Yang Kai’s origins.
“That’s right!” The Flame Demon nodded in response.
Yang Kai frowned. [I thought some sort of natural disaster befell the continent and caused all the Demons to go extinct as a result. Who could have known that the truth was something like this?]
He was not worried that the Flame Demon might try to deceive him. The gap between their cultivation was so large that he would be able to tell if the other party was lying at a glance, but… what exactly was the reason for the Demon Race to do something like this? Why would they do something so insane as to kill their own clansmen? Not to mention that the numbers were on such a large scale too…
Recruiting Demons above the Demon Spirit Realm was clearly a means to form an army to pass through the Two Worlds’ Passage and invade the Star Boundary, but even if the remaining Demons were unable to contribute to the war, they were still the foundation of the Demon Race as a whole. Just what was the reason that made the Demon Race do something so drastic as to cut off their roots? Weren’t they afraid that their entire Race might go extinct?
“During the collapse of the world several days ago, I stepped out to check on the situation and saw a large amount of Demon Qi appearing all over the continent. It gathered in that direction.” The Flame Demon pointed in a certain direction. It was the direction from whence Yang Kai came. It was also the location of the Two Worlds’ Passage.
“Where did the Demon Qi come from?” For some reason, Yang Kai suddenly thought about the Demons who were killed in the Star Boundary. After their death, the Demon Qi in their bodies leaked out, travelled towards the Two Worlds’ Passage, and enriched the Demon Essence within the Demon Land.
The Flame Demon sighed, “Probably came from the clansmen who were killed. The Demon Qi came up from the ground.”
Yang Kai had a moment of epiphany. The explanation was reasonable indeed. He had just been wondering why the skeletons he retrieved from the Small Sealed World had contained no Demon Essence at all. It turned out that the Demon Qi and Demon Essence inside those bodies had already been drawn out.
“Sir, why did the Holy Venerables do this?” The Flame Demon regarded Yang Kai as part of the Demon Race and secretly believed that Yang Kai was a Demon Half-Saint; therefore, he couldn’t stop himself from asking Yang Kai about the reason behind such a major incident.
“You’ll have to ask them yourself,” Although Yang Kai had given an oblique answer, he could already guess the reason for the Demon Race’s massacre. The Demon Saints had broken into the Star Boundary by using themselves as the bridge to connect the two Great Worlds; even so, a bridge was just a bridge, they still needed another kind of force to break through the World Barriers completely.
The Blood Sacrifice of tens of millions of Demons on the battlefield located in the Western Territory had been in preparation for this. Those Demon Race armies had been sent to die on that battlefield because the Demon Saints needed their Demon Qi. That was why the Demons went insane and killed themselves at the last moment, causing the annihilation of the entire army.
Meanwhile, the preparations had already been made in the Demon Realm continents a long time ago. The bones of billions of Demons who died were buried deep underground. Their Demon Qi had condensed together without dispersing. It was so that it could break out of the ground when the time was right, and the moment the Demon Saints made their move was the time for the Demon Qi to erupt.
With the power from both sides, the World Barriers had been broken and the Two Worlds’ Passages appeared. It was also due to the abundance of Demon Qi that one hundred and eight Demon Lands had emerged in the Star Boundary.
[The Demon Race has completely burned all their bridges. They fully intend to fight to the end by cutting off all their escape routes. How are they so confident that they can take over the Star Boundary? Even if they escape back into the Demon Realm after suffering utter defeat, it will be very difficult for them to recover from the losses without their vast population as a foundation.]
Yang Kai’s expression was extremely solemn. He had the vague feeling that the Demon Race was planning something very big, but the current situation was so complicated and confusing that the goals on the board were unclear.
The Flame Demon looked like he wanted to ask something else; however, Yang Kai reached out to grab him and tossed him into the third region of the Small Sealed World before he could speak. Thinking that Yang Kai was going to go back on the promise and attack him, a look of despair swept across the Flame Demon’s face, but to his surprise, he soon found himself completely unscathed and stunned by the sight in front of him.
There were many other Demons living in the third region of the Small Sealed World, most of them residents who used to live in the territories under Yu Ru Meng and Bei Li Mo. As there were no disputes within the Small Sealed World, these Demons had established many cities in the third region and settled down peacefully.
The Flame Demon had appeared in the centre of a city, and seeing so many of his clansmen living peacefully around him, he suddenly had the sense of being reborn and couldn’t help bursting into tears.
Meanwhile, Yang Kat sat on Gun-Gun’s enormous head while forming seals with one hand. His eyes were tightly shut, and his Divine Sense surged. Combined with all the information he obtained today, he was trying to figure out the Demon Race’s intentions. It was a pity that he failed to make sense of their plans even after puzzling over it until his head hurt.
He was certain that the Demons were planning something huge, and it was definitely something that would be detrimental to the Star Boundary. Unfortunately, the information he had was limited so it was extremely difficult for him to grasp the entire situation.
Gun-Gun’s devouring movements had stopped, and its huge body seemed slightly swollen. Yang Kai looked around only to chaos and nothingness in his surroundings. The continent they had arrived on had been cleanly devoured. Standing up, he stomped his foot and Gun-Gun’s body immediately began to shrink and transform back into the Sealed World Bead, which he then put away.
Several days had passed by the time Yang Kai arrived on the next continent where he released Gun-Gun and continued the process of devouring. Similar to the first continent, all the Demons on this continent had been wiped out. Although it was an outcome he had expected, he still couldn’t help frowning when his suspicions were confirmed.
The two Races were at war. They were each other’s enemies. Logically speaking, as part of the Human Race, Yang Kai shouldn’t feel anything regardless of how many Demons died. Rather, he should be wishing for even more of them to die.
However, dying in battle was one thing while this was another. Nobody would falter and hesitate to kill an enemy who stood on the battlefield, they would only wish that they could kill even more of their enemies. Be that as it may, the Demon Race did not hesitate to destroy their foundation and slaughter their own people in order to break through the barrier between the two Great Worlds. That was quite a difficult truth to swallow.
However, thinking about it again, Yang Kai realized that the Demon Race had always been brutal. Back then, they arranged the Blood Sea Grand Array and even offered up all Demon Race living on Eternal Sky Continent as sacrifices just to subdue Bright Moon Great Emperor.
[Once the Two Worlds Great War settles down in the future, I need to carefully explain this to Yu Ru Meng and the others. At the very least, they have to restrain their subordinates to prevent such a thing from happening again.]
While Gun-Gun was devouring the continent, Yang Kai was not idle. War had broken out all over the Star Boundary and the demand for mobility for the Star Boundary’s armies was very high. Therefore, he wanted to take advantage of the rare free time he had to refine some more World Beads. With enough World Beads, the Star Boundary’s armies would be able to come and go as they pleased. At some point, they might even be able to take the Demon Race army by surprise.
Yang Kai initially worked with the Dead Stars and large asteroids found in the Lower Star Field to refine them into World Beads. The size of the Dead Stars and the asteroids corresponded to the size of the interior space of the World Bead he refined.
Unable to leave his current position, however, he had no way of travelling to the Lower Star Field. As a result, he could only look for a solution from the Sealed World Bead itself. Fortunately, the stripping of the second region had given him sufficient experience. Once he calmed down and considered it, he believed that it should not be too difficult.
The first region was off-limits. Except for the area around the medicine garden, everywhere else in the first region was overcrowded with Star Boundary refugees. There was already not enough space for him to use, so how could he strip away land for other purposes?
In that case, he could only target the third region. The third region was formed by devoured Demon Realm continents so they naturally contained the World Principles of the Demon Realm, allowing Demons to survive comfortably on it. On the contrary, non-Demons would inevitably be corrupted by the omnipresent Demon Essence and experience demonification if they remained there for too long. Those with insufficient Soul cultivation were even more likely to become confused and degenerate into Demons unable to recognize their family and friends.
Fortunately, Yang Kai ruled over everything in the Sealed World Bead. All it took to strip an area out of the third region was a single thought. The hard part was purging the Demon Essence from said land. If the Demon Essence was not removed, the Human Race armies would not be able to stay inside the World Bead for a prolonged period of time.
After several attempts, several failures, and a lot of wasted time, Yang Kai finally found a suitable method.
One month later, the first World Bead separated from the Small Sealed World was born. This World Bead was different from the ones he had made in the past with the largest difference being its size. The space was not big, but fitting fifty thousand people into it wouldn’t be a problem.
It wasn’t that Yang Kai couldn’t refine a World Bead with a larger space but rather that he was taking the Star Boundary’s current situation into account. These smaller World Beads were not only more effective but also took less time to refine.
Continent after continent was devoured by Gun-Gun, and every time they came to a new continent, Yang Kai would activate the Space Beacons to try and contact Yu Ru Meng and the seven Great Emperors. Unfortunately, he had not been able to reach any of them so far.
This made him wonder whether the Great Emperors were truly in the Demon Realm. If the Great Emperors weren’t here, then where else could they be? There was no trace of them in the Star Boundary after all.
…..
Two rays of light shone dazzlingly inside a bizarre space. One was red while the other was black. Two burly and heavyset figures sat silently inside the light rays. Their auras were deep and profound, they were both casting Secret Techniques; and the power in their bodies surged violently. Following the fluctuations in their power, the black and red lights continued to clash against each other. It was obvious just from looking at those two lights that the red light had the upper hand while the black light seemed to be in a suppressed state.
Neither one of them knew how long this confrontation had lasted. It felt like only an instant had passed, but at the same time like thousands of years had gone by. Be that as it may, it did not matter to them how much time had passed. They were only focused on the enemy in front of them.
All of a sudden, a resounding voice came from the black light, “Iron Blood Great Emperor, your reputation is truly well-deserved!”
Inside the red light, Zhan Wu Hen calmly responded without a change in his expression, “The First Demon Saint isn’t much.”
Among the Twelve Demon Saints of the Demon Realm, Huang Wu Ji was recognized as the First Demon Saint. In comparison, the ten Great Emperors of the Star Boundary had no rankings, much less an existence known as the First Great Emperor. However, Zhan Wu Hen was undoubtedly the strongest in terms of combat power. That was also a tacit understanding among the Great Emperors. It was just that they no longer cared for titles or rankings anymore, so there was no need to make any kind of distinction between them.
It would seem that Zhan Wu Hen had the edge in the confrontation between the First Demon Saint and the First Great Emperor. If that were not the case, the black light would not be in a suppressed state.
Huang Wu Ji burst out laughing, “So what if you are mighty!? The Star Boundary will never escape the fate of being eroded away. Zhan Wu Hen, you should know what’s good for you and admit defeat; otherwise, things will only end in tragedy.”
Zhan Wu Hen said lightly, “You want to devour the Star Boundary? Be careful your teeth don’t break when you try!”
Huang Wu Ji coldly snorted, “Do you seriously think this King can’t defeat you?”
Zhan Wu Hen didn’t say much in response, “Do it if you can!”
Huang Wu Ji sneered, “Fine! I’ll do just that!”
As soon as the words left his mouth, he abruptly stretched out his hand into the void and something suddenly appeared in his palm.
The moment this item appeared, Zhan Wu Hen’s expression, which had been as tranquil as an ancient well all this time, changed dramatically. He felt a wave of monstrous hostility hitting him in the face, and the aura coming from that item gave him a sense of déjà vu.
He couldn’t help flashing back to the large hand that came out of the Void Crack in the skies above Blue Wave City that day. The hostile feeling he was experiencing at this moment was identical to the one given off back then! He hadn’t been able to figure out just where that giant hand had come from, but now he understood.
Focusing his gaze, a bright red light flashed across his eyes to penetrate the layers of obstacles and catch a clear glimpse of what Huang Wu Ji was holding. It was a pale, mummified, severed palm. The severed palm had been cleanly severed at the wrist by some kind of sharp weapon. Zhan Wu Hen didn’t know how long it had been since this hand had been separated from its owner, but clearly, it was long ago; even so, a monstrous aura overflowed from it even now.
Zhan Wu Hen was shocked. He could only imagine how powerful the cultivation of the severed palm’s Master must have been just from looking at the power of this severed palm. Even Iron Blood Great Emperor, who thought he had already reached the peak of the Martial Dao, felt as though he saw a new door opening in front of him when he laid eyes on this severed palm. For a moment, his mind and emotions churned violently and he couldn’t hold himself back, his entire body trembling slightly.
Huang Wu Ji sneered, “Are you scared now? It’s not too late to beg for mercy!”
Zhan Wu Hen’s body trembled even more as his head was lowered and his hair shaded his eyes, laughing softly to himself as he muttered, “So that’s how it is! So that’s how it is! It was true after all!”
Huang Wu Ji could see Zhan Wu Hen muttering something under his breath but could not make out the words. Even so, Zhan Wu Hen’s manner of not taking him seriously irked him greatly.
Huang Wu Ji roared, “Bastard!”
While speaking, he lifted the severed palm and brought it down in Zhan Wu Hen’s direction. A blue light flashed out of the severed palm, which then transformed into a giant green palm that slammed violently into the red light. A brilliant light flared in an instant, causing a huge change in this inexplicable place. It felt as though the space could collapse at any time.
Following that palm strike, the red light that originally had a slight upper hand shuddered erratically and retreated all of a sudden. Meanwhile, the black light immediately took advantage of the situation and seized the initiative.
Inside the red light, Zhan Wu Hen’s body was slumped slightly and his complexion was extremely pale. Even so, a formidable fighting spirit erupted out of him as he forcibly straightened his back and let out a furious roar. At the same time, the erratically flashing red light swiftly stabilized.
“Courting death!” Huang Wu Ji was amazed by Zhan Wu Hen’s willpower. Holding the severed palm, he swung the severed palm down again.
The red light contracted once more. Three palm strikes later, blood was trickling from Zhan Wu Hen’s mouth. The red light that used to hold the upper hand had been suppressed to the point it was clearly at a disadvantage. Iron Blood Great Emperor, who had not been injured for the past ten thousand years, was now terribly wounded just from parrying these three attacks. Nevertheless, he was still smiling extremely happily, almost as if he had seen something novel and interesting after many millennia of monotony.
Huang Wu Ji shouted, “Zhan Wu Hen, this King appreciates talented people. I’ll ask you one more time, will you surrender!?”
“Again! Come again!” Zhan Wu Hen shouted.
Huang Wu Ji’s eyes widened to the size of copper bells. Furious, he was about to attack again when his expression suddenly changed and he hurriedly put the severed palm away, looking as though he was scared of something dangerous. Lowering his head to look, he saw a bruise the size of a fingernail on the palm of the hand that was holding the severed palm just now.
Zhan Wu Hen waited for a while, but seeing that Huang Wu Ji was not attacking, he became impatient and shouted, “Why aren’t you attacking? What are you waiting for?”
Hearing those words incensed Huang Wu Ji. He did not say a word as he changed the Secret Technique he had been casting. Black Qi surged like a tide, crushing down on Zhan Wu Hen, but contrary to his wishes, Zhan Wu Hen immediately countered the attack.
The strongest Great Emperor and a First Demon Saint fought each other to the death inside this bizarre space. Although there were no earth-shaking explosions or overbearing methods used, the slightest bit of carelessness could lead to death.
…..
Nobody was aware of the ongoing battle between the Great Emperors and the Demon Saints. The people in the Star Boundary believed that the Great Emperors had entered the Demon Realm and that was why they could not contact the latter. Who could have known that the Great Emperors were not in the Demon Realm at all?
Yang Kai had a nagging suspicion of the possibility, but he couldn’t be certain until he devoured every last continent.
Since Yang Kai’s departure, the conflict would arise every single day between the two Races across all four territories of the Star Boundary. In the beginning, the Demon Race suffered great losses. Many of the Demon Lands did not have Half-Saints guarding them while on the other hand, the Star Boundary’s armies killed many of the Demon Race while nursing a hatred in their hearts over the invasion and destruction of their homeland. Quite a number of Demon Strongholds were even completely cleaned out. Take the Northern Territory for example where the Sixty-First Army destroyed more than one such stronghold.
Be that as it may, the Demon Race did not simply sit back and wait for death. The locations without the protection of Half-Saints were often evacuated before the Star Boundary’s armies arrived. The Demons would consolidate towards the ten Primary Demon Strongholds and little by little, the armies stationed in those ten locations became a mighty force which gave the Star Boundary a huge headache.
One year after Yang Kai entered the Demon Realm, ninety-eight out of the one hundred and eight Demon Strongholds in the Star Boundary had been obliterated. Only the ten Demon Strongholds could not be destroyed.
Each of these ten Demon Strongholds had at least seven or eight Half-Saints assuming command now. With such a powerful force, it was impossible for just one or two armies to defeat them. The only way the Star Boundary could guarantee victory was by gathering at least twenty Pseudo-Great Emperors to attack a Demon Stronghold.
Moreover, even though the Demon Race armies at the various minor Demon Strongholds had either been wiped out or driven away, the Demon Lands never turned back to normal. What’s more, with the passage of time and the increasing deaths among the Demon Race army, the Demon Lands in various parts of the Star Boundary had been steadily expanding in size.
Zhu Yan and Fu Zhun, the Great Elder and Second Elder of Dragon Island respectively, had come forward two months after Yang Kai’s departure. Many members of the Dragon Clan left Dragon Island too at that time. For the first time in tens of thousands of years, Dragon Island was directly and completely intervening in the Star Boundary’s affairs.
True to what Yang Kai had said, the Dragon Clan might not care about what kind of chaos occurred in the Star Boundary, but they understood the principle behind the saying ‘without lips, the teeth go cold’. Even if it had been just any other random person and not Yang Xiao who personally requested help, the Dragon Clan would not have ignored the issue. The two Elders mobilized essentially the entire Dragon Clan upon learning that the Star Boundary was in such grave danger.
The people of the Star Boundary originally believed that they would soon quell the war with Zhu Yan and Fu Zhun taking action, but who could have known that a Demon Saint would show up without warning just when the two Dragon Clan Elders charged into one of the Demon Strongholds?
This greatly surprised everyone. The Great Emperors and Demon Saints had gone missing together after all. Now that the Demon Saints had shown themselves, where did the Great Emperors go? Immediately following that incident, it was discovered that not all the Demon Saints were in the Star Boundary. There were only three Demon Saints who appeared specifically to deal with the two Elders of the Dragon Clan. These three were Blood Demon Xue Li, Feather Demon Fu Yu, and Red Demon Huo Bo. Aside from these three, the other Demon Saints remained missing.
Li Wu Yi carefully thought back to the scene on the battlefield of the Western Territory and recalled that the ones who gave chase to these three Demon Saints were Yu Ru Meng, Bei Li Mo, and Chang Tian.
Meanwhile, the opponents pursued by the Great Emperors did not show up. It was impossible to write this off as mere coincidence; thus, it would seem that something had happened for the three Demon Saints, Xue Li, Fu Yu, and Huo Bo, to appear again while Yu Ru Meng, Bei Li Mo, and Chang Tian remained missing. These three Demon Saints had probably returned to the Star Boundary a long time ago, but even so, they had remained hidden so that they could wait for a chance to wipe out the leadership of the Star Boundary in one stroke.
The two Elders of the Dragon Clan struggled desperately in a battle of two against three. In the end, Fu Zhun suffered a serious injury. Fortunately, there were many Dragon Clan members and Pseudo-Great Emperors accompanying them so they managed to retreat safely.
After the battle, Li Wu Yi broke out in cold sweat. It was fortunate that they had managed to bring the two Elders of the Dragon Clan out in time; otherwise, the consequences would have been unimaginable.
Fu Zhun’s injuries were not too serious, but they couldn’t be considered small either. Fortunately, the Dragon Clan was blessed with strong bodies and equally powerful regenerative abilities. She would only need to recuperate for some time to recover fully.
Following this battle, they entered a strange period of calm.
Out of the Demon Racs armies in the one hundred and eight Demon Strongholds in the Star Boundary, ninety-eight of these locations had been wiped out completely. Only ten locations were left untouched. Unfortunately, nobody dared to act rashly due to the presence of the Demon Saints. Zhu Yan and Fu Zhun, who was still recuperating, kept a close eye on the movements of the three Demon Saints, for fear that they would suddenly strike out and turn the world upside down.
They were clearly in the Star Boundary; however, the sudden appearance of the three Demon Saints ultimately resulted in the Demon Race seizing the initiative in the war. With this advantage, the Demon Race seemed content with the current status quo for the moment and did not rashly start another fight.
This rare moment of tranquillity in the midst of such a chaotic world was tainted by the sense of apprehension that only served to hint at the storm that was brewing.
A group of five currently stood on the mountain located a thousand kilometres away from Blue Wave City in the Northern Territory, where Yang Kai and Bing Yun once stood side by side. All of them were staring solemnly at a certain spot a thousand kilometres away. These five people were Sixty-First Army’s Adjutant Yao Si, Thirty-Fifth Army’s Army Commander Bing Yun, Fifty-Third Army’s Army Commander Fu Ren Jie, Nineteenth Army’s Army Commander Pan Geng Nian, and Twenty-Seventh Army’s Army Commander Shen Tu Xing.
There was no need to explain much about Fu Ren Jie as he was originally somebody from the Northern Territory. It was just that he had been secluding himself from the world before the outbreak of the war, hoping that one day he could suddenly gain enlightenment in the Grand Dao amidst the bounties of nature. As everybody knew, he received an invitation from Li Wu Yi after the outbreak of the war between the two Great Worlds and came out of seclusion to take up the post of Army Commander of the Fifty-Third Army. He was a friendly and good-natured man that Yang Kai had struck up a friendship with in the Western Territory.
The origins of the Nineteenth Army’s Army Commander, Pan Geng Nian, were even more outstanding. He had served under Ice Feather Great Emperor since he was a child as both a Servant and a Disciple. Although he could be regarded as Ice Feather Great Emperor’s Disciple, they did not have a formal Master Disciple relationship between them. Ice Feather Great Emperor had a quiet temperament, so he had always lived in seclusion in the Northern Territory’s Heavens’ Borderline. If the Two Worlds Great War had not been such a huge affair that involved so many, he would not have returned to society so easily. Seeing as Ice Feather Great Emperor would be showing himself though, it was only natural for Pan Geng Nian to follow along.
As for the Twenty-Seventh Army’s Army Commander, Shen Tu Xing, he was a member of Star Court. The people of the Star Boundary’s Northern Territory today might not have heard of him, but if it was ten thousand years in the past, his name would have been a household name. It was rumoured that he started his journey on the Martial Dao at the age of ten, became an Emperor Realm Master at the age of a hundred, and became a Third-Order Emperor at the age of three hundred. He was unrivalled in the whole of the Northern Territory and had even established a Sect. However, he only stayed for two hundred years before leaving without a trace. His whereabouts had been unknown ever since. Moreover, the Sect he left behind was not deeply rooted and fell apart after a few hundred years. That was why nobody in the Northern Territory remembered the name ‘Shen Tu Xing’. Who could have imagined that he had entered Star Court instead and had long since become a Pseudo-Great Emperor?
Most of the battles in the Star Boundary had ceased. Only the last ten Primary Demon Strongholds were left, like nails stuck deep into the flesh of the Star Boundary’s four territories. As a result, the fifty-five armies of the Star Boundary had gradually converged in those places.
The five armies of the Northern Territory had come together in this place. The armies numbered in the millions and were aggressively preparing to confront the Demons in Blue Wave City.
“Adjutant Yao, how long has it been since Commander Yang entered the Demon Realm?” Fu Ren Jie stared out into the distance for a while before abruptly asking the question.
Yao Si replied, “It’s been more than a year now.”
“More than a year…” Fu Ren Jie frowned. [It has been more than a year now. There should have been some news, but Yang Kai has not sent any information from the Demon Realm up until today. It would seem that he has not found any traces of the Great Emperors.]
At present, the entire Star Boundary was relying on the two Great Elders of the Dragon Clan for support. Unfortunately, there were only two of them while the enemy had three Demon Saints. Even if the Elders managed to tie down one Demon Saint each, who would be able to keep the last one from running rampant? The consequence of being unable to restrain the third Demon Saint was that nobody could stop them from unleashing a killing spree!
In reality, the Demon Saints had done just that when they first showed up more than ten months ago. Huo Bo and Fu Yu had remained inside the Demon Stronghold, restraining the movements of the two Elders of the Dragon Clan while Xue Li had quietly snuck out, found the place where the Star Boundary’s armies were stationed and began a wanton slaughter.
Fortunately, there were many Space Arrays in the Star Boundary and Space Beacons were even more prevalent. All available Pseudo-Great Emperors had blocked Xue Li’s attacks for a while so the two Dragon Clan Elders could rush over.
Xue Li had been frightened by the arrival of the two Dragon Clan Elders. He quickly exchanged a few blows with Zhu Yan and Fu Zhun before he turned into a bloody ray of light and fled. Afraid of falling into his trap, Zhu Yan and Fu Zhun did not dare to chase him too far and could only watch helplessly as he escaped.
After that, Xue Li travelled around the four territories and tried to attack the Star Boundary’s armies many times; however, his attempts turned out to be fruitless. The two Great Elders of the Dragon Clan would soon appear seemingly out of thin air the moment he made his move. At this point, how could he not figure out the reason for their prompt arrival? Although he was gnashing his teeth in resentment, there was nothing he could do.
If that were not the case, why else would the Demon Race remain so quiet even though they had three Demon Saints on their side? It was simply due to the fact that the mobility of the Star Boundary’s forces was too strong. Even if all three of them worked together, they were not confident they could kill the two Great Elders of the Dragon Clan. At most, the battle would end with both sides suffering great losses. Who would be willing to do something so foolish?
It was all thanks to the Space Beacons and Space Arrays that the Star Boundary could experience this momentary tranquillity during these troubled times.
“Just what is the Demon Race trying to achieve?” Bing Yun frowned, staring out at Blue Wave City which was located a thousand kilometres away. At this moment, a strange building was taking shape inside Blue Wave City. Nobody cared when they first saw the building being constructed a few months ago, but now it had unexpectedly surpassed the height of a thousand metres, and as time went on, it had only gotten higher and higher.
The building looked like a tower from a distance, but how could such a tall tower exist in this world? Moreover, this tower was brimming with Demon Qi. There were Demon Race members hustling and bustling around it at all times as though trying to make the tower tall enough to reach the Heavens above.
The Demon Tower was an oddity. Nobody knew what the Demon race was trying to achieve. The only thing they could be sure of was that this Demon Tower was detrimental to the Star Boundary. Besides, the reason why the three Demon Saints were willing to keep the peace for now was most likely related to this Demon Tower.
According to the information from Li Wu Yi, identical towers were being built at each of the ten Primary Demon Strongholds in the Star Boundary. Not only were the shapes exactly the same, but even the construction progress was more or less identical. The construction of the Demon Towers was a sign that a storm was about to come, which created an ominous feeling among the people.
At this moment, Pan Geng Nian’s expression suddenly changed. He reached out his hand to grab at something. At the same time, a jade slip appeared out of thin air and was accurately caught by him. The other four noticed the familiar aura coming from the jade slip and immediately understood that this was a message from Li Wu Yi; thus, they turned to him and waited.
Pan Geng Nian immersed his Divine Sense into the jade slip, and after a while, he raised his head and said, “Supreme Commander Li asked me to organize an attack to see if we can destroy the Demon Tower.”
While speaking, he tossed the jade slip to Bing Yun, who was standing next to him. All five of them fell into a deep contemplation after taking turns to read the contents of the jade slip.
Fu Ren Jie frowned, “The Demon Tower will not be easy to destroy.”
“We have to try anyway,” Yao Si replied.
Shen Tu Xing nodded, “We need to come up with a plan. We can’t just sit here and do nothing.”
At present, the Star Boundary was more or less being led by the nose by the Demon Race regarding the war situation. Who could endure such humiliation in their own homeland?
They had wanted to pay a visit to the Demon Race Masters in the Demon Stronghold for a while now, it was just that they didn’t dare to act rashly. Now that Li Wu Yi had given the order though, it gave them a justifiable reason to take action.
They also understood the reason why Li Wu Yi had specifically chosen this group of people to attack the Demon Tower. It was because the Sixty-First Army was the strongest. There were five or six armies gathered at each of the nine other Demon Strongholds, and their numbers were not few. Even so, the Sixty-First Army was unrivalled in terms of the number of Masters among its ranks.
There were three Demon Race Half-Saints; a Divine Spirit, Qiong Qi, a Ninth-Order Red Dragon, Zhu Qing, and an abundance of Emperor Realm Masters. Just with this fact alone, it was unmatched by all the other armies. If the four other Army Commanders were included in the count, then there would be almost nine Pseudo-Great Emperor level Masters gathered here. Aside from lacking a Great Emperor to lead them, how was this force inferior to any of the Demon Race’s army?
The group of five immediately returned to the camp to discuss various details regarding the plan. Although Yao Si’s cultivation was low, he was the representative of the Sixty-First Army, which meant that his status was equal to that of the other four people in the room. There was no awkwardness when he participated in the discussion. Rather, he was very eloquent and his words regarding quite a few matters even made the eyes of Bing Yun and the others shine.
…..
Yang Kai remained seated on top of Gun-Gun’s head in the Demon Realm. He was constantly refining World Beads as not only were they beneficial to the Star Boundary’s armies, but it was also of great benefit to him in improving his comprehension of the Dao of Space.
It had been more than a year since he first entered the Demon Realm, but the entire time all he was met with was silence. All the living creatures on every continent he came across had been exterminated. There were only a few lucky Demon Race survivors that managed to escape the disaster; even so, he had not seen more than ten such survivors over the past year.
Hence, there was nobody to stop him. He simply needed to arrive on those continents and let Gun-Gun devour them one by one. It would seem that the Demon Race had completely abandoned their homeland.
The more Gun-Gun devoured, the larger its body became. Simultaneously, the speed of devouring became faster and faster. Yang Kai could clearly sense that the third region in the Small Sealed World was gradually becoming more and more complete. He had never felt this way before and the realization had simply struck him one day when the Demon Realm continents had been devoured to a certain extent.
The entire Demon Realm used to be a whole; however, it was later split apart for unknown reasons and turned into distinct continents that were separated by the void. The only way to travel back and forth between the various continents was by using the Territory Gates. Therefore, Gun-Gun’s devouring and integrating the land was simply a process of making the Demon Realm whole again.
When this feeling truly reached its apex would be when the last continent in the Demon Realm had been devoured, and that moment was just around the corner.
Unfortunately, Yang Kai had still not been able to contact any of the Great Emperors or Yu Ru Meng up until now; therefore, he was becoming certain that they were not in the Demon Realm.
If they are neither in the Star Boundary nor the Demon Realm though, then where could they have gone? Could it be that they were stuck inside a Void Crack? The Void was a boundless existence filled with chaotic nothingness. Even with the Space Beacons in his possession, Yang Kai was not sure if he could contact the Great Emperors. Regardless of the reason, he was prepared to enter the Void to search for them once he finished his matters in the Demon Realm. It would be best if he could find them. If not, he could only come up with another solution when it was necessary.
On this day, Yang Kai was refining a World Bead with his mind immersed in the mystery of the Dao of Space when his expression suddenly changed. Letting out a soft cry, a strange expression crept onto his face.
There seemed to be an abnormality in a certain place inside the Small Sealed World.
Without moving, Yang Kai separated a thread of his consciousness, slipped into the Small Sealed World, and manifested a Soul Avatar once he discerned the direction of the source of the anomaly.
It turned out to be a huge continent fragment that had been devoured by Gun-Gun; moreover, it was something that had just been devoured moments ago.
Generally speaking, the continent fragments that Gun-Gun devoured would quickly dissolve into the surroundings to enrich the third region; however, this continent fragment seemed to be rather unusual in the sense that Gun-Gun could not fully dissolve and integrate it. Hence, it remained separate.
This fragment stretched ten thousand kilometres, so it couldn’t be considered big. From the looks of it, it seemed to have been buried deep underground and was rarely seen. After being devoured, the outer layer had dissolved to reveal an inner part that remained.
Moreover, this continent fragment was filled with World Principles that were both familiar and shocking to Yang Kai. He didn’t even need to study it carefully to tell that they were Time Principles. It was precisely because it was flooded and protected by Time Principles that this continent fragment had been safely preserved from the assimilation of the Small Sealed World.
Yang Kai was stunned. This continent fragment was part of the Demon Realm, so why was it brimming with Time Principles? Not to mention, they stretched out over such a wide area!
What surprised him even more was that the aura of the Time Principles was exactly the same as the one he perceived in Flowing Time Temple. Raising his brow in thought, Yang Kai pondered, [Don’t tell me that these Time Principles are a legacy left behind by Flowing Time Great Emperor? If so, that would mean that Flowing Time Great Emperor once came to the Demon Realm in the past.]
Yang Kai couldn’t help recalling what Qiong Qi once mentioned. When Flowing Time Great Emperor was cultivating in retreat inside his palace, he suddenly perceived some mystery of the Outer Universe and ventured out to explore it as a result. Unfortunately, he never returned. Only his Natal Artifact, the Infinite Hourglass, eventually returned to the temple. It was obvious that Flowing Time Great Emperor had encountered a powerful enemy and met with an untimely end.
[Could it be that Flowing Time Great Emperor left the temple and came to the Demon Realm? Perhaps, he encountered a powerful enemy in the Demon Realm and fought a great battle, and this place was the battlefield where that battle had taken place? How else could such dense Time Principles be remaining in such a place?]
Even so, it was just a guess and there was no way to confirm it. Who could be certain about something that had happened so many tens of thousands of years ago? Everything was bound to change over time since the future was unpredictable. Following the Demon Realm’s collapse, this battlefield had been buried deep underground where nobody could see; thus, it had been preserved to this day. If he had not driven Gun-Gun to devour the Demon Realm continents, this ancient battlefield would never have seen the light of day again.
[Does it really belong to the Flowing Time Great Emperor?] Yang Kai pondered for a while; then, he stepped forward onto the ancient battlefield. Having spent some time in the Flowing Time Temple, he was very familiar with the aura of Flowing Time Great Emperor’s remnant power; therefore, he only needed to get a feel of the inside to know whether or not the Time Principles in this place were a legacy from Flowing Time Great Emperor.
Yang Kai had not sensed anything when he stood outside the ancient battlefield, but he suddenly felt as though his mind went stagnant the moment he stepped onto it. Not only did his thinking seem to stop, but everything in his surroundings also seemed to slow down. Yang Kai instantly knew that he was under the influence of the Time Principles and his Divine Sense immediately surged in response to protect himself. Only then did he barely manage to escape from their influence.
As he continued forward, the Time Principles around him became increasingly dense. Yang Kai had only proceeded across a distance of a thousand metres before he was overcome with a sense of being unable to move. It was not a restraint or some sort of suppression, it was simply that the thoughts in his head were being infinitely slowed down. Oftentimes, it would take a long time for his body to even react once a thought was formed.
Therefore, Yang Kai couldn’t help being amazed by how terrifyingly powerful Flowing Time Great Emperor was. Despite so many years having passed, Flowing Time Great Emperor’s residual strength remained so strong. Just what was he like at the peak of his cultivation? Nevertheless, there was one thing Yang Kai could be sure of, the Time Principles in this place were a legacy left behind by Flowing Time Great Emperor. In other words, Flowing Time Great Emperor had entered the Demon Realm when he left his palace. Afterwards, he encountered an unknown Master and fought a world-shattering battle here before leaving this place with serious injuries. Unfortunately, he died of his injuries before he could return to the Star Boundary. Following the death of the Great Emperor, the Infinite Hourglass returned to the temple on its own. Meanwhile, the Great Emperor’s corpse fell into the East Sea. Over the years, his remains were scattered throughout the East Sea and became trophies for the Monster Race.
All sorts of thoughts flashed across Yang Kai’s mind, but he couldn’t confirm them. Then, a strange idea appeared in his mind. [Could the Demon Realm breaking apart and forming fractured continents have something to do with the battle at the time? Maybe. Maybe not. Who knows?]
Suppressing the distracting emotions, Yang Kai forged onward. His pace was extremely slow and every move he made was jerky, almost like he was a wooden marionette controlled by strings. As the Time Principles washed over his Soul Avatar, he felt an inexplicable sense as though time was being stretched out to the point where one day felt like a year.
It took him a whole day to walk the first thousand metres, but walking another thousand metres took him another ten whole days. However, Yang Kai’s expression changed when he got to that point. That was because there was another force present on this ancient battlefield that was clashing with the Time Principles that were left behind here. Yang Kai had failed to detect it before because he had been standing on the edge of the battlefield, but now that he had walked a little further inward, he immediately became aware of it.
The battle that occurred tens of thousands of years ago had led to the death of a Great Emperor. Although the fate of the Great Emperor’s opponent remained unknown, from the aura left behind by those two who had been fighting here, it was clear that they were unable to determine a winner up till this day.
Nothing would have happened if Yang Kai had not appeared in this place. The two forces raging across this ancient battlefield had long since formed a strange balance between themselves, but his decision to enter and investigate the situation had inadvertently broken this balance and given these two terrifying forces a solution to this stalemate.
Although these two mysterious and unparalleled forces were extremely powerful, they lacked a host to focus and guide them, and thus, had no way to determine the victor between them. Strictly speaking, these two forces in the ancient battlefield were upholding their Masters’ will in life but could only clash and antagonize each other since they had no real ability to do any substantial damage to one another. On the contrary, Yang Kai’s arrival gave them a chance to settle things once and for all.
Suddenly, Yang Kai felt two forces invading his Soul Avatar without any apparent reason or prior approval. Those forces were so strong that he couldn’t fight back at all as they collided and clashed with each other with his Soul Avatar as their battlefield. As a result, his Soul Avatar flickered erratically, as if it might break apart at any time.
Yang Kai’s Soul cultivation was now stronger than any Pseudo-Great Emperor’s or Half Saint’s; even so, he had only split off a small portion of his consciousness to check out the situation here, so how could he withstand such a powerful force? His Soul Avatar was much too weak to act as a medium for this battle. It was akin to having two gigantic Dragons trying to fight in a small pond. No matter what happened to the two Dragons, the pond would definitely shatter from the fallout.
Yang Kai’s expression changed drastically while at the same time he hurriedly poured all his Spiritual Energy into his Soul Avatar. It was no longer just a sliver of his conscience this time around; instead, he was giving it everything he had. He knew that he had accidentally encountered a critical moment where his life was at stake and if he was not careful, he could end up dying here.
The tragic ending of being killed by the remnant auras of an ancient battlefield that formed tens of thousands of years in the past was something he absolutely could not accept.
Yang Kai’s Spiritual Energy flooded out from his Knowledge Sea in a rapid torrent, allowing his Soul Avatar that had been flickering erratically to finally stabilize. Nevertheless, his brow creased deeply in pain.
The two forces in his avatar couldn’t care less about his feelings. The impact of every collision between the two forces felt as though it was going to tear him apart. Fortunately, he was still only on the periphery of the battlefield. If he had gone any deeper, the forces would have been even more terrifying.
Even though Yang Kai found himself in a dangerous situation, it was not without a chance of survival. He would be fine as long as he left this ancient battlefield before his Soul Avatar was destroyed. It was a pity that it was extremely difficult to actually put his thoughts into action.
It had taken him ten days to travel a distance of two thousand metres under the influence of the Time Principles, and he had only been under a superficial interference at the time. Now that the Time Principles had invaded his body, the influence was much stronger than before.
Despite his intentions to retreat, it took Yang Kai a long time just to turn around and slowly trudge towards the outside. He only managed to walk no more than three metres before showing a pained expression. The strange thing was that even this pained expression appeared at an unusually slow speed, as though his own time had been extended indefinitely.
A soft cracking sound rang out from the depths of his Soul Avatar at that moment as all Yang Kai felt was a sharp pain coming from between his temples, as if something had been ripped apart. If anybody else had been around, they would have seen a real crack appearing between his eyebrows.
The crack was only the beginning. More and more cracks began to appear all over his avatar as time went by, making him look like a porcelain doll that was about to shatter and fall apart. He looked like he would break into pieces at the slightest touch.
It took a long time for Yang Kai to realize what kind of crisis he was in. Then, another long while passed before his anxious thoughts bloomed in his mind; however, his Soul Avatar was already covered in cracks by this time, causing his entire person to look extremely weird and terrifying.
When it really came down to the moment where his life was hanging by a thread, Yang Kai’s mental state calmed down all of a sudden. His steps might be slow, but he steadfastly continued to return along the path he came from. His consciousness was linked to his physical body outside the Small Sealed World, but what originally took no more effort than a single thought now required tremendous effort.
The moment he could establish a connection, he immediately urged the power of the Soul Warming Lotus. A seven-coloured light glowed brilliantly inside his Knowledge Sea as the seven-coloured island shrank and returned to its original Soul Warming Lotus form. Spinning steadily in the sky, the lotus continuously sent out a dazzling seven-coloured radiance.
It felt as though a barren land finally received the blessing of rain. Yang Kai felt his sluggish mind recovering to its normal condition in an instant while at the same time, a seven-coloured light bloomed out from the cracks on his projection, shot out from his nose and mouth, and then enveloped his entire Soul Avatar.
The majestic power of Soul Warming Lotus immediately cut off the influence the ancient battlefield had on him. The moment he broke free of the influence, Yang Kai immediately moved his Soul Avatar and rushed out of the ancient battlefield. Only then did he finally recover completely and escape the effects of the Time Principles.
Having escaped from the ancient battlefield, Yang Kai swiftly returned to his physical body.
Yang Kai, who was sitting cross-legged on top of Gun-Gun’s head, abruptly opened his eyes and gasped for breath like a drowning man that was rescued from the ocean. There was a trace of fear lingering on his face as his clothes were soaked in sweat.
Before he could examine himself carefully, he gave a muffled grunt and two streams of golden blood flowed out of his nose as a dull ache threatened to split his head open, causing him to howl in pain. The encounter just now might not have killed him, but it had injured his Soul. The pain from this kind of injury was many times more difficult to bear compared to ordinary physical wounds.
After a narrow escape from death, Yang Kai’s complexion was pale. Reaching up a hand to wipe at his nose, he found that the palm of his hand was covered in blood.
Although he had successfully escaped the crisis, he couldn’t help experiencing some lingering fears when he recalled his experience just now. More importantly, he only had one question in his heart, who was the one who had fought against Flowing Time Great Emperor back then? One must understand that, at the time, Flowing Time Great Emperor stood at the peak of the Star Boundary. Even the other Great Emperors that stood in the same Realm could only look up at him in awe. Just like how Heaven Devouring Great Emperor, Wu Kuang, had stood above his peers, the same held true for Flowing Time Great Emperor; therefore, a person who could fight on equal terms with Flowing Time Great Emperor could only be a genius on par with him.
[Could it be the legendary Great Demon God?] Yang Kai frowned. The first time he learned about the title of ‘Great Demon God’ was in the Thousand Illusions Dreamworld. Joining the Barbarian Race in war, he had fought against the Demons in a life-and-death campaign. In the end, the Evergreen Divine Tree sacrificed himself to seal the passage between the two worlds. However, a giant palm had shot out through that rift in the sky and nearly ruined everything at the last moment.
Everything in the Thousand Illusions Dreamworld was based on what had really taken place throughout the various eras. The battle between the Barbarian Race and the Demon Race during those ancient times had really happened, it was just that the process was somewhat different from what Yang Kai had experienced. Even so, Great Demon God’s palm from the Thousand Illusions Dreamworld really must have existed back then, which would mean that Great Demon God had really existed in that era.
Later, Yang Kai employed every trick he had to convince Yu Ru Meng to bring him to the Demon Realm. Once there, he had asked her about Great Demon God, but to his surprise, her expression had changed drastically at the mere mention of the name and she had warned him never to mention those three words ever again. These three words seemed to be taboo in the Demon Realm!
Afterwards, Yang Kai forgot to inquire about Great Demon God again because he never heard anyone talking about him despite spending so many years in the Demon Realm. The strongest in the Demon Realm was none other than the Twelve Demon Saints, in addition to the Continent Lord of Hundred Spirits Continent, Demon Dragon Chang Tian.
It wasn’t until today that Yang Kai began doubting that fact. It would make sense if the person who fought against Flowing Time Great Emperor back then was the Great Demon God.
Judging from the current situation, Flowing Time Great Emperor had died after that battle; likewise, it would seem that Great Demon God fared no better.
Why else would there be no news at all about that person for so many years?
While Yang Kai mulled over this matter, all sorts of thoughts flashed through his mind. After a while, he jerked upright in surprise and made a soft exclamation of astonishment as he carefully examined his memories. Although he had lingered in the ancient battlefield for more than ten days, it was only his mind that was immersed in it; hence, he had not paid much attention to the condition of his physical body. Just because he did not pay any attention to his body did not mean that he would not notice changes in it eventually. Even ordinary people could sense when something changed about themselves, much less Yang Kai who was a top cultivator.
His mind had been so unstable just now that he did not notice anything; however, he now discovered something interesting. His Soul Avatar had spent more than ten days in the ancient battlefield, but less than an hour had passed for his physical body. In other words, the flow of time in the ancient battlefield was many times faster than normal.
He had experienced something similar before. Not only did he experience it, but Yang Xiao and Yang Xue had also benefited greatly because of it.
The two little ones had only been a few years old when they entered Flowing Time Temple with Qiong Qi; however, they had already reached incredible heights in cultivation when Yang Kai went looking for them just a few years later. He later learned that it was because the two little ones had been cultivating for hundreds of years inside the Flowing Time Temple.
Naturally, among the legacies of Flowing Time Great Emperor, there was a certain area within the Restricted Area of the temple that was overflowing with intense Time Principles. The rate at which time passed inside that area was very different from the outside world., which was how Yang Xiao and Yang Xue lived hundreds of years in just a few years. Not only did they mature during that time, but their cultivations also reached extraordinary heights.
Unfortunately, the legacy of the Great Emperor was not limitless and would cease to exist once it was completely consumed. Yang Xiao and Yang Xue had inherited the mantle of Flowing Time Great Emperor and also received the treasure known as the Flowing Time Temple. Even so, it was still difficult for them to achieve the glory that Flowing Time Great Emperor had enjoyed back in his heyday. It was impossible unless they reached the same level as Flowing Time Great Emperor in terms of cultivation and obtained extremely high attainments in the Dao of Time. The time distortion which allowed them to rapidly cultivate was probably the welcome gift Flowing Time Great Emperor had specially reserved for his Legacy Disciple.
When Yang Kai heard about this, he was very happy for the two of them. Nevertheless, he had been very envious too. He himself had only cultivated for more than a hundred years since he began his journey on the Martial Dao. If he was given another few hundred years to cultivate, he was confident he would become a Pseudo-Great Emperor. Nonetheless, the Dao of Time still eluded him.
Be that as it may, just being a Pseudo-Great Emperor would be of great help in the current situation. As a High-Rank Demon King, he was capable of matching a Pseudo-Great Emperor or Half Saint in battle. Following that logic, he would even have the strength to fight a Demon Saint if he were to become a Pseudo-Great Emperor!
He never imagined that such an amazing opportunity would fall into his lap one day.
It was a pity that he did not know which continent Gun-Gun had just devoured. If he had known earlier, he would have devoured that continent back then, during his first visit to the Demon Realm, no matter the circumstances. If he had done that, his strength would have already undergone earth-shaking changes by now after more than ten years had passed.
For a moment, Yang Kai was overjoyed, but it seemed the good things didn’t end there. His emotions were tumbling in excitement when he suddenly realized that his Soul had become stronger. Moreover, there was something extra in his Knowledge Sea.
Back on the ancient battlefield, his Soul Avatar had been used as a medium through which the two terrifying forces permeating the land had clashed. He had felt unimaginable pain at the time, and his Soul nearly collapsed as a result. It was only thanks to the protection of the Soul Warming Lotus that he was saved. As the saying went, ‘Those who survive a catastrophe are bound to enjoy good fortune later’. He was tasting the sweetness of his good fortune right now.
His Soul had been damaged and later repaired by the Soul Warming Lotus; thus, it was stronger than before after being broken and rebuilt. The power of his Divine Sense had also been significantly improved as a result. That aside, the power of the Soul Warming Lotus had swept through his Knowledge Sea and washed away the hidden murderous intent of the two forces that invaded his Soul Avatar, leaving behind pure energy. This energy carried the Martial Truth that belonged to Flowing Time Great Emperor and the person who might be the Great Demon God.
This Martial Truth was the condensed essence of a lifetime’s cultivation belonging to the two Masters. Under normal circumstances, Yang Kai would still have needed to spend a lot of energy and effort to comprehend this Truth even if he had the two Masters personally instruct him in its profundities; however, the situation right now was different. The two Masters were both long dead and only the pure Martial Truth remained in his Knowledge Sea. It was equivalent to directly enlightening him.
All kinds of mysteries were contained inside this Martial Truth, and he had an unobstructed view into it as it was literally branded into his Soul. It was as though these two people were holding a lychee in their hands and inviting him to feast upon it. Even if he took the lychee from them, he would still need to remove the skin and peel it to eat the flesh within. Be that as it may, the existence of the Soul Warming Lotus had done the job for him instead. Like a caring maidservant, the Soul Warming Lotus had stuffed the sweet flesh of the fruit directly into his mouth; now, he only needed to chew and digest it.
It was said that pie does not simply fall from the sky, but Yang Kai was lucky enough to come across just such a situation.
In his joy, he couldn’t be bothered that his head felt like it was being split in two anymore. He quickly immersed himself and carefully examined the Martial Truth left in his Knowledge Sea. It truly was an amazing thing left behind by Flowing Time Great Emperor and the suspected Great Demon God. If he could make it his own, the benefits it would bring towards improving his strength would be astronomical.
Yang Kai had only meditated for a short moment when he abruptly opened his eyes again. His mind flashed and he communicated with the Small Sealed World. Another person appeared in front of him. It was a tall and curvaceous figure with a pair of delicate wings behind her back.
Who else could it be but Bo Ya?
“Sir!” Bo Ya cupped her fists.
He had kept Bo Ya inside the Small Sealed World ever since he first placed her there. She was a Mid-Rank Demon King, so although her strength was excellent for her Realm, her presence or absence made no major difference among the many Masters of the Sixty-First Army. For that reason, Yang Kai had not recruited her into his army. Besides, she seemed to have… special fetishes and he did not want her hanging around his wives all day long.
More importantly, he had kept her in the Small Sealed World so that he would have a handy subordinate for himself when he needed one. It was also to deal with some unexpected situations. For example, it would be more convenient to have a helping hand in his present situation.
After greeting him, she seemed surprised, “Are we back in the Demon Realm again?”
They were standing on top of Gun-Gun, whose huge body was so large that one couldn’t see the end at a glance. As Gun-Gun moved forward, the continents were being devoured. This scene was something she had gotten used to seeing after many times.
“En.” Yang Kai nodded before saying to her, “Keep watch. If anything happens, just call for me.”
After saying that, he entered the Small Sealed World without giving her a chance to object.
He was gone before she even had the chance to speak; thus, she was extremely annoyed at him, [I’m just a Mid-Rank Demon King! What can I guard against? This is the Demon Realm! What if I run into a Half-Saint or something!? Won’t I be dead!? It wouldn’t have mattered so much in the past, but I’m a traitor to the Demon Race right now! I will definitely suffer a terrible fate if I get captured by any of the Demon Saints!]
Nevertheless, she soon discovered that the continent was devoid of any vitality. Gun-Gun’s devouring speed was so fast that it could cover a thousand kilometres in an instant, but she did not see a single living thing in the process. It puzzled her greatly.
[What happened to this continent?]
The reason why Yang Kai had entrusted the Gun-Gun to Bo Ya for safekeeping was that Gun-Gun lacked a certain level of sentience. Therefore, Gun-Gun could only obey simple orders and act on its instincts. Once this continent had been cleanly devoured, they had to head towards another continent. At that time, somebody would need to remind Yang Kai, who was inside the Small Sealed World, about this, and Bo Ya was just the right person for the job.
While Bo Ya was in distress, Yang Kai had already returned to the ancient battlefield. The difference was that he had come to this place with only a thread of his consciousness during his last visit while this time he came in his true body.
The flow of time on the ancient battlefield was very different from the outside world, so needless to say, choosing to cultivate inside this place would rapidly improve his strength.
For him, what he needed the most now was time. Being a High-Rank Demon King wasn’t bad, but he was still greatly disadvantaged when facing off against Half-Saints. Even so, he had only become a High-Rank Demon King less than twenty years ago. He did not know how long it would take for him to become a Half-Saint; hence, the appearance of the ancient battlefield was like giving a drowsy man a pillow. It was exactly what he was looking for.
Yang Kai’s damaged Soul had not recovered completely. No matter how powerful the Soul Warming Lotus was, it would still take time for it to repair such injuries. Nevertheless, the purified Martial Truth that gradually accumulated in his Knowledge Sea was just waiting for him to absorb its insights.
Yang Kai stepped forward without any hesitation and entered the ancient battlefield again. Just like before, the Time Principles in the surroundings wrapped around him and gave him a sense that time was being distorted confusingly.
Having come here with just a thread of his consciousness during his last visit, it had been very inconvenient to be affected by the Time Principles. Unlike last time, he arrived with his true body this time. It was only natural that the resistance he had towards those effects was on a different level altogether compared to before. At the very least, he no longer felt a disconnect between his thoughts and his body.
Forging ahead one step at a time, he travelled a distance of a thousand metres in just a quarter hour, causing him to raise his brow slightly. When he first came here, it had taken him a whole day just to travel the first thousand metres. The advantages of coming to this place in his true body were showing.
Yang Kai did not proceed any further inward this time though. That was because he knew that the two forces clashing against each other in this ancient battlefield would definitely wreak havoc on him again if he took one more step forward. His damaged Soul had yet to recover completely, so he had to wait until he was fully recovered before making plans to proceed further. Besides, he only entered this ancient battlefield to gain more time to cultivate.
After calculating the distance, Yang Kai sat down cross-legged and let the Soul Warming Lotus repair his Soul. In the meantime, he studied the pure insights that were gathered in his Knowledge Sea and absorbed the Martial Truth of the two Masters.
Time passed in a blink of an eye. His damaged Soul returned to a complete state after several days, and after experiencing this disaster, his already powerful Soul had gotten stronger by a slight margin. It might not be much, but it already saved him many days of hard cultivation.
The moment his Soul recovered was the moment Yang Kai also completely comprehended all the Martial Truths that were gathered in his Knowledge Sea. The two forces belonging to the two Masters were originally of different Principles and Attributes, so it should have been impossible for them to be fully integrated with each other. However, the purification of the Soul Warming Lotus had stripped away all extraneous components, leaving behind just the purest Martial Truth. That was the only reason why he could absorb both of them together.
As the saying went, ‘All Grand Daos led to the same truth’. This was no different.
Yang Kai’s Knowledge Sea, which had originally turned black due to his partial demonification, now glimmered with a slight golden light. It seemed insignificant in that pitch-black environment, but it was also extremely conspicuous, like an ember that would ignite into a raging fire one day.
Yang Kai stood up and discovered that his thoughts flowed smoothly now with no sense of blockage whatsoever. Although the Time Principles were still flowing around him, they no longer had any effect on his body. He knew that this was part of the benefits of comprehending and absorbing the Martial Truth.
Be that as it may, this was only the outermost periphery of the ancient battlefield where the residual Time Principles were the weakest. If he went deeper into the ancient battlefield, it would definitely be a different scene.
Yang Kai took a step forward, and as he had expected, the two overwhelming forces in the surroundings immediately attacked him. It was the Flowing Time Great Emperor’s Time Principles and another power belonging to another Master.
When Yang Kai came here with his thread of consciousness previously, he had been afraid of encountering unexpected events, which was why what he had perceived had not been very clear. It wasn’t until now that he discovered under careful examination that the other force contained deep-rooted Demon Essence, which was incredibly compatible with the Demon Qi in his body.
It was becoming more and more certain that the one who fought Flowing Time Great Emperor on this battlefield was one of the Masters of the Demon Realm, even if it was not Great Demon God himself. A clear understanding bloomed in Yang Kai’s heart as he realized why he was able to comprehend and absorb the Martial Truths of those two.
He originally thought a free pie had fallen from the Heavens, but he now knew that this piece of pie was not something that just anybody could eat.
Although he had failed to obtain Flowing Time Great Emperor’s true inheritance, Yang Kai had managed to cultivate the Time Flies Seal and scratched the surface of the Dao of Time. This gave him a relationship with Flowing Time Great Emperor, albeit a superficial one. With this foundation, it was only natural that he could comprehend and absorb the Martial Truth left behind by Flowing Time Great Emperor.
Similarly, he had been influenced by the World Principles of the Demon Realm when he became a High-Rank Demon King, undergoing demonification and having his Emperor Qi converted into Demon Qi. It was only because the Soul Warming Lotus protected the last pure land in his Knowledge Sea that he did not truly become part of the Demon Race. Even so, he could now be regarded as partially a member of the Demon Race! That was why he could comprehend and absorb the Martial Truth belonging to this ancient Demon Race Master.
Everything seemed to be a lucky coincidence, but who could say whether it was an opportunity or the work of the Heavens? If anybody else other than Yang Kai had arrived at this place, they would not have obtained any benefits; instead, they would have been eroded away by the Martial Truth and their cultivation would have been destroyed.
Even if Yang Xiao and Yang Xue had come here, they would only be capable of absorbing the part of the Martial Truth that belonged to Flowing Time Great Emperor. They would not have been able to gain anything from the ancient Demon Race Master. The consequences of not being able to comprehend and absorb that portion of the Martial Truth would likely be disastrous for them instead.
After giving it some thought, Yang Kai couldn’t help breaking out into a grin as he kept walking without pausing, taking one step at a time.
When he came here via his thread of consciousness before, it had been underqualified to act as a carrier; therefore, he only persisted for a short while before he was unable to bear the pain and quickly retreated instead. Now that he arrived here with his true body, it was proving to be a much stronger carrier than a mere wisp of consciousness had been. If the previous Soul Avatar was equivalent to a small pond, then his true body was a lake that could withstand much more. Even so, it still could not contain the attacks of the two giant Dragons, that was simply beyond his current limits.
Five thousand metres! The strength of his true body, coupled with the Martial Truth that he had absorbed before, allowed Yang Kai to advance five thousand meters before he had to stop. At this point, he could no longer move forward. He would probably sustain indelible injuries if he tried to force his way forward.
His Soul felt like it was tearing apart and the pain in his physical body was unbearable. His entire body shuddered uncontrollably as traces of Golden Blood oozed out of all his pores. Still, he grit his teeth and clenched his fists with a savage expression that was rather terrifying.
The Soul Warming Lotus was already emitting a seven-coloured glow, constantly repairing the damage done to his Soul. Accompanied by the Soul Warming Lotus, Yang Kai did not have to fear dying here, so he quietly inspected his condition. His Soul had not reached its limits yet, but his physical body could not withstand anymore, which was only to be expected. His Soul already exceeded the level of a Half-Saint due to his relationship with Yu Ru Meng, but his body was only that of a High-Rank Demon King. The gap between these two was simply too large.
Pondering in silence for a while, Yang Kai let out a low roar, “Dragon Transformation!”
It was a pity that his physical body could no longer withstand the pressure even though his Soul had not reached its breaking point, so the simplest solution was to strengthen his body.
A Dragon Roar sounded and a dazzling Golden Dragon head appeared and vanished in a flash. Then, Yang Kai’s body rapidly swelled up. Following a series of crackling sounds, Dragon Scales covered his entire body, two short Dragon Horns appeared on his forehead, his hands turned into sharp Dragon Claws, and a Dragon Tail flicked behind him. His transformation stirred up a cloud of smoke and dust on this ancient battlefield.
His Half-Dragon Form still retained some resemblance to his Human form, but his Dragon Clan features were clearly more defined than before. After the Dragon Transformation, Yang Kai breathed heavily. The air that blew out of his nostrils formed gusts of wind, giving him an extremely majestic impression.
He was stunned for a moment and scratched his head, vaguely feeling as though he had… grown slightly taller. Examining himself carefully, he discovered that it was not just his imagination. He had certainly grown taller than before; thus, he couldn’t help feeling amazed by the changes.
The last time he performed the Dragon Transformation Secret Technique was during his deadly battle against Wind Lord in the Flowing Time Temple. He had been wandering about in recent years and was so busy that he had no time to cultivate the Dragon Transformation Secret Technique. Nevertheless, he had been consuming Dragon Blood Pills regularly so his body had been growing larger without his knowledge, even though he had not deliberately tried to cultivate the Dragon Transformation Secret Technique.
It was just that this process took a very long time. The Dragon Clan had always been long-lived; therefore, growth had never been a matter of urgency for them. Since his battle on Dragon Island, despite consuming so many Dragon Blood Pills and Dragon Blood Flowers over the years, he had only grown to about 320 metres.
During the fight with the Wind Lord in the temple, he had given it his all. After that, he went to the Lower Star Field to refine World Beads. He didn’t even have the time to consume more Dragon Blood Pills he had refined, so logically speaking, he shouldn’t have grown much at all.
But now, he estimated that he had grown to 400 metres in height, which could only be described as a huge eruption in growth.
For the Dragon Clan, a bigger body undoubtedly signified greater strength. The largest among the Dragon Clan Elders in the Dragon Temple throughout the generations had been just shy of 1,000 metres, a length that none of the current Dragon Clan could compare to.
Yang Kai had the Golden Divine Dragon Source, and the more he integrated with the Source, the bigger his body would become. Now that his body had increased in size, it would mean that his Source Strength had been stimulated again somehow.
After giving it some thought, Yang Kai guessed that his rapid growth was probably due to the benefits he received during his battle with Wind Lord. He had gone all out after executing the Dragon Transformation, so his Golden Divine Dragon Source Strength must have been developed without his knowledge at the juncture of life and death. He had been so exhausted at the time that he had not noticed anything; therefore, it wasn’t until today that he discovered the benefits. This discovery could be regarded as a pleasant surprise as the stronger his physical body was, the more punishment it could withstand.
The surrounding pressure that was crushing his body suddenly became lighter after he assumed his Half-Dragon form. He had been struggling to take another step forward before, but now, he had no trouble continuing forward again. With this, he travelled another five thousand metres.
Yang Kai finally stopped in his tracks. This was his limit. His large body sat down cross-legged, looking like a small hill. Then, he opened up his mind in the middle of this ancient battlefield, allowing the two forces to enter his body while he quietly comprehended this phenomenon.
Three months passed just like that. During that period, Yang Kai did not move in the slightest. It wasn’t until three months later that he abruptly opened his eyes. His majestic Dragon Eyes were brimming with energy and it was clear that he had benefited greatly from this endeavour. He couldn’t stop himself from breaking into a grin; however, what came next was a rumbling sound that shook the world itself. If a timid person had witnessed this scene, they might have been scared to death by the sight of his horrifyingly large mouth spreading out in a grin.
The two forces that had been raging against each other in the outer periphery of the ancient battlefield for countless of years had vanished completely. They had been absorbed into his body and refined into his strength.
Without the influence of the Time Principles here, the flow of time in this area returned to normal. A thought flashed in Yang Kai’s mind and in the next moment, Bo Ya, who was sitting on top of Gun-Gun’s head with her chin resting on both hands and a bored expression on her face, suddenly heard Yang Kai’s voice, “How long has it been?”
Although she didn’t understand why he was asking her such a strange question, she still answered seriously, “It’s been five days.”
[Good. It has only been five days.] Inside the ancient battlefield, Yang Kai stood up and strode forward. His steps were unhurried, but every step made the Earth tremble slightly. At the same time, the scabs covering his body fell off with every step he took. He had not taken many steps when a doubtful expression appeared on his face. [Why does it feel like… I’ve grown a little taller again?]
Yang Kai touched the top of his head and made a slight gesture to measure his height. Then, he discovered that it was not his imagination. He had indeed grown taller. It wasn’t much, only about 10 metres or so, but this was already an incredible achievement.
The longer the Dragon, the harder it was for them to make further progress. With his current 410-metre-tall body, it would be difficult for him to grow by 10 metres even if he cultivated the Dragon Transformation Secret Technique assiduously for 3 to 5 years. Contrary to his expectations, he easily achieved such growth just by meditating in this ancient battlefield for 3 months, and it wasn’t even on purpose.
[Could it be that the Martial Truth also has the effect of improving the Dragon Clan’s Bloodline Power? It’s not necessarily impossible. The Masters of those two forces had both reached the absolute pinnacle after all. The Martial Truth contained in their power is difficult even for the current Demon Saints and Great Emperors to fathom, it’s not surprising if it has some unique effects attached to it. Perhaps, it might even be related to how the two forces keep clashing with each other.]
These two forces had been clashing with each other while using his body as a carrier, allowing him to comprehend the mysteries with a detached feeling. Since his body was in the battlefield and was constantly being stimulated and damaged before being repaired, it was only natural that it would help to develop and improve the bloodline in his physical body.
[This is a good thing.] Yang Kai smiled happily and continued moving forward. This time, he only reached his limit after traversing a distance of 5,000 metres. Although it was said that the two forces would grow stronger the deeper he went, the suffering he experienced previously had not been in vain. 3 months of intensive cultivation had allowed his body to grow stronger, and he could go further as a result.
During the time Yang Kai was devoted to his cultivation in the ancient battlefield, a war had broken out in the Demon Land around Blue Wave City.
By the order of Li Wu Yi, the Sixty-First, Thirty-Fifth, Fifty-Third, Nineteenth, and Twenty-Seventh Armies had launched a full-scale attack. They were practically going all out in their attempt to destroy the Demon Stronghold in Blue Wave City.
On the other hand, the Demon Race was waiting in trepidation in the Demon Land of Blue Wave City. Both parties had been fighting fiercely for the past several days and as a result, each side suffered terrible casualties. There were corpses everywhere on the battlefield, and rivers of blood ran in every direction.
In the end, the Demon Race army faltered first and showed signs of defeat. The Sixty-First Army immediately took advantage of this opening and charged to within thirty kilometres of the tall Demon Tower.
By this point, the Demon Race army had long since set up an iron-clad defence around the periphery of the Demon Tower. Countless Demons were desperately fending off the advance of the Star Boundary’s army while defending the Demon Tower to the death.
A majestic palace flew out from the rear at that moment with Yang Xiao and Yang Xue standing side by side at its main entrance. Strong winds blew at them, making their clothes flap wildly in the wind. Even so, they each continued executing their respective Secret Techniques. Amidst a loud humming sound, the palace slammed into the Demon Tower.
The Flowing Time Temple was a great gift from Flowing Time Great Emperor to his descendants. This temple was not something as simple as a mere palace, it was in fact an extremely powerful flight-type artifact with astonishing offensive and defensive capabilities. Borrowing the power of the temple, the pair prepared to destroy the Demon Tower in the most direct manner possible. The distance between the huge palace and the Demon Tower quickly narrowed, and all the Demon Race members blocking the way were smashed into blood mist.
At the same time, a barrage of attacks rained down on them from all directions but were blocked by the light barrier that surrounded the outside of the temple. The curtain of light was very sturdy, and those attacks only caused a light ripple to appear on the barrier’s surface, leaving both Yang Xiao and Yang Xue completely unharmed. The barrier surrounding the mobile palace of Flowing Time Great Emperor was not something an ordinary attack could destroy even if these two little ones could only draw upon a small part of its power.
Upon seeing this situation, three Demon Race Half-Saints immediately launched into the sky and headed towards the temple. They made their move before the temple could even get close, slamming directly into it with terrifying strength.
Following that, two figures rushed out from the temple, one big and old, one small and young. Wherever Yang Xiao and Yang Xue were, it was a given that Qiong Qi and Liu Yan would be there too.
A tiger’s roar and a phoenix’s cry rang out. When Qiong Qi and Liu Yan clashed with the three Half-Saints, space itself shattered. Qiong Qi was a veteran Divine Spirit, and among all the Divine Spirits in the Half-Saint and Pseudo-Great Emperor Realm in this world, only Li Wu Yi was capable of suppressing him. Nobody else was worth anything in his eyes. If it had been a one-on-one fight, no Half-Saint would have been capable of defeating him.
Unfortunately, Liu Yan was slightly inferior in that aspect. Although she had the Phoenix True Fire and had become a true Divine Spirit, it had not been long since she started cultivating this new strength. In the first place, a Divine Spirit was an existence that relied on the accumulation of time to become strong, so while she might be much stronger than a Third-Order Emperor Realm Master, she did not have much of a winning chance against the likes of a Half-Saint. For that reason, she immediately fell into a disadvantageous position when she faced three Demon Race Half-Saints as her opponents in battle despite having Qiong Qi beside her.
Fortunately, they were not required to kill these Half-Saints, they just needed to buy some time.
The Flowing Time Temple rushed forward with a loud rumble while the three Demon Race Half-Saints were tied down. The other Half-Saints were similarly held up in their own respective battles, so there were no other available Masters to hinder the pace of the temple. At that moment, the pandemonium on the battlefield seemed to quiet down and the entire world froze in place. Under millions of gazes, the Flowing Time Temple slammed into the pitch-black Demon Tower.
Yang Xiao and Yang Xue, who were standing at the entrance to the temple, were the first ones to react to the impact. First, their complexion paled significantly; then, they both coughed up a mouthful of blood. In the next moment, a dull thunderous explosion boomed out. The curtain of light surrounding the temple crumpled inward but did not shatter. A circle of light subsequently flashed out, spreading in all directions. The Demon Tower vibrated slightly from the impact before returning to its original state.
The Demon Race Half-Saints, who had been staring so intently that their eyes nearly exploded, instantly felt relieved to see that the Demon Tower was safe. They rushed towards the Demon Tower without regard for their safety, intent on protecting it even if that meant allowing their opponents to injure them.
How could the Star Boundary not realize just how important the Demon Tower was to the Demon Race after witnessing such a scene? When the Demon Towers first appeared, nobody in the Star Boundary knew what they were for so they didn’t pay too much attention to it. By the time they started taking notice of the Demon Towers, they had already taken shape.
Li Wu Yi had vaguely guessed that these Demon Towers would be of great use to the Demon Race, which was why he had ordered the five armies gathered in this place to try attacking to see if there was a chance for them to destroy one of them. After this attempt, the Star Boundary learned that the Demon Towers were much more important to the Demon Race than they had ever expected.
Contrary to their expectations, the Half-Saints had even disregarded their own safety to protect the Demon Tower. How could the many Pseudo-Great Emperors that were present allow the Half-Saints to do as they pleased? They hurriedly chased after the Half-Saints to deal even more damage to their enemies.
Standing above the temple, Yang Xiao and Yang Xue exchanged a glance with each other. After so many years together, there was no need for discussion for them to understand each other. Forming new hand seals, the temple retreated at an extremely fast speed, moving back more than a dozen kilometres in the blink of an eye. Then, pushing their Qi madly, they sent the temple hurtling towards the Demon Tower once more.
Although the first blow had not managed to destroy the Demon Tower, that did not mean their attack was ineffective. They knew better than everybody else that the Demon Tower might be sturdy, but it was definitely incapable of withstanding three collisions with the temple. They were certain that they could completely demolish this Demon Tower with three strikes. Regardless of what the Demon Race was originally planning, there was nothing they could do to prevent the destruction.
Another explosive collision rang out! The Demon Tower shuddered as if it were about to fall, but eventually stabilized itself again. The Half-Saints on the battlefield became even more desperate at the sight and went so far as to use Forbidden Techniques, draining their own life force and vitality just to increase their strength in order to break free from their opponents as soon as possible to stop Yang Xiao and Yang Xue’s actions. It wasn’t just the Half-Saints, even the Demon Kings were acting in desperation.
For a time, the already stormy battlefield became even more chaotic than before.
The might of the Sixty-First Army was fully displayed at a time like this. There were always benefits to having an abundance of Masters in their ranks, and in the face of the various counterattacks coming from so many Masters of the Demon Race, they immediately responded by taking up positions to block any threat from disturbing Yang Xiao and Yang Xue.
When the Flowing Time Temple slammed towards the Demon Tower for the third time, Yang Xiao and Yang Xue’s faces were as pale as sheets. Even so, their gazes were fixed resolutely on the Demon Tower.
At the last moment, a halo of light spun as energy gathered in one place, opening a huge vortex in front of the Demon Tower.
Two pairs of eyes involuntarily narrowed at the sight from where they stood on top of the temple. Yang Xiao and Yang Xue had no idea what this vortex was, but they understood that victory and defeat all hinged on this next attack; thus, they poured all of their strength out without reserve.
A delicate foot suddenly stepped out from the vortex, followed closely by a slender figure that appeared in mid-air. Her skin was as smooth as a baby’s and her looks were as gorgeous as the finest jade. There were a pair of delicate wings behind her back.
*Weng…*
As soon as both her feet stood in the air, the entire world seemed to shudder in response.
Yang Xiao was stunned for a moment before his expression changed greatly and he exclaimed in astonishment, “Fu Yu!”
There were currently three Demon Saints in the Star Boundary and each of them was extremely famous. Even if he had never seen any of them up close before, Yang Xiao had caught a glimpse of them from afar back at the Western Territory. What’s more, the characteristics of the Feather Demons were so obvious, how could he fail to recognize the truth?
[Why is she here!? How did she get here!? Wasn’t she guarding a Demon Land in the Eastern Territory!?] The Eastern Territory was located millions upon millions of kilometres away. Even if Fu Yu was a Demon Saint, it would take her several days just to fly here from there. There was no way she should be able to appear out of nowhere just like that.
Thinking back to what he just saw though, Yang Xiao felt a shudder in his heart. [That Demon Tower… It can’t be… Does it function like a Cross-Territory Space Array!? That’s the only way to explain the current situation!]
The moment Fu Yu appeared, most of the Masters in the Star Boundary paled in unison. Yao Si, who was in charge of the main army, immediately took out a Space Beacon and contacted the two Elders of the Dragon Clan.
The reason he didn’t go into battle was not out of cowardice or the fear of death, it was just that somebody needed to take charge of the overall situation since all five armies had been deployed. The other Army Commanders were Pseudo-Great Emperors who were needed in battle to restrain the movements of the enemy Half-Saints. On the other hand, Yao Xi was far weaker. Be that as it may, it was not a problem for him to coordinate and command the army, which was why Bing Yun and the others had handed over the command of the entire coalition to him.
In reality, he had done an excellent job and thanks to his superb tactical command an opportunity for Yang Xiao and Yang Xue to launch their attacks twice had been created. Unfortunately, the third attack was doomed to fail.
Just as Yao Si was sending a message to the Elders of the Dragon Clan, Fu Yu’s crystal-like eyes swept over Yang Xiao and Yang Xue lightly. Her gaze was completely indifferent, almost as if she was looking at two insignificant ants in front of her; however, a small change finally came over her expression when she saw the Flowing Time Temple. She made a soft sound of surprise as she could clearly tell just how extraordinary this flying temple was.
The distance between the Flowing Time Temple and the Demon Tower was rapidly shortening as after Yang Xiao and Yang Xue’s initial moment of surprise, they neither retreated nor changed their trajectory. Instead, they concentrated even harder to direct the temple toward the Demon Tower. That was because they knew that there was no chance of escaping in the presence of a Demon Saint. Instead, it might be more beneficial to try and snatch their lives back from the gates of death by staking everything they had on a single attack.
The Flowing Time Temple thrummed as it slammed forward with great power. Even a mountain would be smashed to pieces by such force.
Compared to that gigantic palace, Fu Yu’s figure was extremely small; however, her aura as a Demon Saint seemed to cover the sky. She reached out a jade white hand and grabbed at something. A five-coloured divine bow carved with dragons and phoenixes appeared in her grip, and with a slight twist of her other hand, she drew the string back, condensing an equally radiant feathered arrow.
A sense of great crisis suddenly enveloped both Yang Xiao and Yang Xue. They had obtained the Flowing Time Great Emperor’s true inheritance, and in addition, their cultivation had reached quite a high level. Nevertheless, there was a sense of suffocation pressing down on them at this moment. They could sense the murderous intent and overwhelming power rushing towards them from the front, stabbing directly into their minds, and causing them to be agitated and unable to control themselves.
Even Bo Ya, who was a Mid-Rank Demon King, could kill a High-Rank Demon King if she had enough time to prepare, so what more needed to be said about a Demon Saint like Fu Yu? The only people in this world who could withstand an arrow from Fu Yu without dying were those on the level of Great Emperors and Demon Saints. Anybody weaker than that would surely die in the face of this arrow.
For that reason, the two little ones couldn’t help feeling like they were directly exposed to danger despite being sheltered within the Flowing Time Temple.
The arrow shot out as soon as it was formed. As the distance between them was too close, Fu Yu could not afford any delays. A ray of light that was visible to the naked eye shot out from her hand and struck directly at the oncoming temple. They collided with each other in the blink of an eye and it was as though the whole world exploded with a deafening bang.
When the loud explosion sounded, a violent force of vibration burst out and spread across the entire battlefield. Countless Humans and Demons lost their balance. Even the Demon Kings had to push their Demon Qi to defend themselves. Meanwhile, the expressions of the Pseudo-Great Emperors and Half-Saints became incredibly solemn.
Fu Yu staggered back by two steps before she managed to stabilize her figure again, letting out a soft sound of astonishment as she looked extremely surprised. As far as she could see, the huge palace was intact and had only been knocked backwards by her arrow. Amidst a series of cracking sounds, countless fissures appeared in the light curtain that had been enveloping the Flowing Time Temple all this time; then, the shield shattered before the temple could stabilize itself again.
The complexions of both Yang Xiao and Yang Xue that had already been pale in the first place became even more colourless as both of them coughed up blood at the same time.
That light curtain had been the primary defence of the Flowing Time Temple, and although they were unable to draw out the full power of the temple yet, it was still not something that could be broken so easily. That could be seen just by looking at how it remained intact after the first two collisions with the Demon Tower.
However, the curtain of light was shattered by Fu Yu’s arrow, proving just how terrifyingly powerful the force of her shot was. Without the protection of the Flowing Time Temple, forget the weak Yang Xiao and Yang Xue, even the Pseudo-Great Emperors and Half-Saints would have been turned into dust.
The temple flew back like a beast that had lost control of its body, and since both Yang Xiao and Yang Xue were connected to the temple, they were also sent tumbling along with it. Unfortunately, a great sense of crisis, as if they were about to die, befell them again before they even had time to catch their breath.
Standing in front of the Demon Tower, Fu Yu drew the five-coloured divine bow again. The feather arrow nocked on the bowstring trembled slightly, pointing directly at the Flowing Time Temple. Her crystal-like eyes were filled with cold indifference. She had been in too much of a hurry just now, so she had failed to exert her full strength when she shot the first arrow. Be that as it may, she was still a Demon Saint. Even a haphazard attack held the power to destroy the Heavens and shatter the Earth, and yet, those two Human children did not die. That was something she found rather intolerable.
Under normal circumstances, she would not have bothered to attack those two insignificant ants a second time. It was just that she could tell that the temple was not something to be trifled with, so she made up her mind to destroy it. As for the life or death of the two Humans hiding within the temple… Why would she care about that?
If it was said that she only had time to exert 50% of her true strength with her first arrow, then the second arrow contained at least 80% of her full power. She was not confident that she could destroy the palace with any less.
The moment the arrow was loosed, only its brilliance shone in this world. All the other movements on the battlefield were eclipsed by the soaring radiance of this arrow.
Yao Si, who was in command of the entire army, could only watch this scene helplessly. Even though he was staring so hard that his eyes were about to pop out, there was nothing he could do. With just his strength, how could he rescue somebody from a Demon Saint? He no longer knew how he was supposed to explain what happened here to Yang Kai and Dragon Island.
Yang Xue was Yang Kai’s biological sister, if she died here, Yang Kai would surely fly into an uncontrollable rage; however, this was not the worst that could happen. Yang Xiao was the only son of the two Elders of the Dragon Clan. If he were to die in this place, the Great Elder and Second Elder would surely go insane. The entire Star Boundary were currently relying on these two Masters to control the overall situation. If they lost their minds in grief and rage, the entire Star Boundary would be placed in peril.
The Flowing Time Temple was still tumbling away while at the same time, the feather arrow was rapidly approaching. It wouldn’t take long before the arrow hit its mark. Just as the feather arrow was about to strike, a pale golden light suddenly flew out from the temple. The light was formed from tiny grains of sand that converged together, dancing lightly as it wrapped around the feather arrow.
Flowing Time Divine Sand!
At a critical life-or-death moment, Yang Xiao and Yang Xue had endured their various discomforts to jointly activate the power of the Infinite Hourglass. The Flowing Time Divine Sand stored in the hourglass was released en masse and Time Principles burst forth.
The whole world seemed to freeze at that moment as Time Principles eroded away the power of the arrow. Time flowed swiftly, delaying the arrow’s speed and weakening its power.
A short moment later, everything returned to normal. Although they had activated the power of the Infinite Hourglass, their strength was not enough. Just being able to delay the attack of a Demon Saint for a moment was already an incredible achievement. The power behind the arrow had been considerably reduced under the erosion of the Time Principles, but unfortunately, it still wasn’t something the two of them could withstand in such a weakened state.
“Little Aunt!” Yang Xiao turned to look at Yang Xue, who was close at hand; then, a smile appeared on his pale face. He was about to die, but even so, he had no regrets if he could spend his last moments with his family.
Similarly, Yang Xue looked at him and smiled warmly.
Still standing at the entrance of the temple, the two of them tightly clasped each other’s hands, their expressions as calm as a pool of water despite the fear they felt of their impending death.
All of a sudden, a large hand reached out and grabbed hold of that flowing stream of light.
*Weng…*
The feather arrow struggled like a snake in the grasp of that large hand; however, it couldn’t break free of its grip. The large hand suddenly clenched tightly and the feather arrow broke apart, scattering into particles of multi-coloured light.
When that large hand grabbed the feather arrow, countless gazes from all directions had focused on it. More so than the others, Fu Yu scowled fiercely.
It wasn’t until the feather arrow had shattered into nothingness that a figure entered into view. That figure was neither tall nor large, only the size of an ordinary Human. Even so, he seemed to give off an indomitable spirit just by standing there. It was enough to make everybody look up at him.
Yao Si let out a long breath of relief. [They made it in time! Thank the Heavens!]
“Father!” Yang Xiao was overjoyed.
Without turning around, Zhu Yan said lightly, “You’ve done well.”
The moment he received the message from Yao Si, Zhu Yan immediately rushed over via the Space Beacons only to be greeted by the sight of Fu Yu releasing her second arrow. His spine immediately went cold with fear and the mental composure that he had spent tens of thousands of years cultivating nearly collapsed at that moment because he had no way of stopping that arrow in time.
Fortunately, Yang Xiao and Yang Xue managed to buy him a moment of time by activating the power of the Infinite Hourglass. That short moment made all the difference between life and death.
Yang Xiao had not lost his fighting spirit despite facing a Demon Saint; rather, he had tried his best to struggle to survive. That was not something just anybody could manage to do; thus, he truly had the qualifications to make Zhu Yan proud.
“You dare hurt my son! Die!” Another figure swiftly materialized beside Zhu Yan. Who else could it be but Fu Zhun? She immediately charged at Fu Yu as soon as she appeared, her Dragon Eyes filled with a malevolent aura and her beautiful face covered in a layer of frost. The temperature in the entire world seemed to drop sharply as a result.
All Dragons had a reverse scale, and Yang Xiao was undoubtedly hers. She would kill anybody who dared to harm her precious Lin’er. Ice Principles erupted from Fu Zhun’s body as she transformed into a giant Ice Dragon, flooding the entire world with her Dragon Pressure. At the same time, she unleashed her Dragon Breath at Fu Yu.
Huo Bo and Xue Li appeared mysteriously next to Fu Yu at that moment. Seeing the beam of ice rushing towards them, Huo Bo let out a strange laugh as his round, squat, and ball-like body shot straight into the sky with unexpected agility,
*Hong…*
A huge ball of fire exploded in the sky, intercepting Fu Zhun’s attack.
A Dragon Roar rang out as Zhu Yan also assumed his true form. He fought side-by-side with Fu Zhun, facing off against the three Demon Saints. A loud rumbling rose up to the clouds, and his figure soon vanished out of sight.
Meanwhile, Yang Xiao and Yang Xue were arrows at the end of their flight. They didn’t even have the strength to remain standing inside the temple. Qiong Qi speedily separated from his opponent and arrived at the temple in a flash. Hurriedly examining any injuries that the both of them might have sustained during the fight, he finally let out a breath of relief when he discovered that there were no traces of hidden dangers in their bodies. They were simply exhausted from the battle.
As soon as Qiong Qi withdrew, the situation on the battlefield subtly changed. The slight advantage that the Star Boundary held in the beginning was gradually levelled out. On the contrary, the Demon Race army organized a counterattack and began to push the Star Boundary’s armies back, little by little.
Yao Si slammed his fist down hard in frustration before hurriedly issuing the order to withdraw! The purpose of this battle had been to destroy the Demon Tower, and seeing that it was no longer possible to achieve that objective, there was no point in continuing. Prolonging the fight would only increase the number of casualties on their side. In any case, the army was unable to continue fighting after so many days of battle, so it was best that they withdrew while they still held a slight advantage.
In this battle, the number of casualties among both the Demon Race and the Human Race numbered in the millions. It took the Demon race army three whole days just to clean up the battlefield afterwards.
Meanwhile, Yang Kai was oblivious to the battle in the Star Boundary as he was currently meditating quietly in the ancient battlefield. Such a good opportunity was very rare to come by. The flow of time in the ancient battlefield was different from the outside world with a difference of several tens of times. Thus, it was only natural that he wanted to take advantage of this opportunity.
At first, there had been a purpose to what he was doing. Unfortunately, he became immersed in the experience as time passed and in the end, he was simply enjoying the feeling of becoming stronger.
During this period, he spent all his time inside the ancient battlefield aside from the occasional summons from Bo Ya to head towards another continent to continue the devouring process.
The area in which the two forces were raging rampantly in the ancient battlefield would shrink slightly every few months. When the two forces that had been clashing for so many years entered his body, Yang Kai would willingly act as their battleground so he could refine and absorb portions of the strength and insight they left behind. Thus, they became his capital and nutrients to increase his strength exponentially.
Furthermore, he could not feel any signs of his foundation becoming unstable after cultivating in this manner. Every step he took was unbelievably solid and steady. The reason for that lay in the flow of time in the ancient battlefield. The benefits he received there were not something he achieved overnight. On the contrary, it was something he steadily polished, bit by bit, so it was only natural that there were no hidden dangers to his cultivation.
Continent after continent disappeared from the Demon Realm. Accordingly, the third region of the Small Sealed World was gradually being perfected. Yang Kai, who was cultivating in the ancient battlefield, had long ago lost track of time. He only knew that he was slowly but surely becoming stronger.
When only half of the ancient battlefield that once covered over ten thousand kilometres was left, an unexpected change took place.
On that day, Yang Kai opened his eyes and silently examined the changes in his body; then, he questioned Bo Ya about the situation in the outside world. Upon learning that the current continent would require at least another few days before it could be completely devoured, he re-focused and took a step forward.
Only when Yang Kai reached his limit did he sit down cross-legged and open his mind. As usual, the two forces that filled the ancient battlefield immediately poured into his body as though they had finally found an outlet. They used his body as a carrier and battlefield as they clashed with one another, continuing the grand battle that began in ancient times as though they were finally about to determine a victor among them.
Yang Kai, however, furrowed his brow feeling as though something was different this time. It felt like there was something extra, but he couldn’t determine anything even when he examined himself carefully; thus, he couldn’t help wondering whether he was simply overthinking things.
Just as he was thinking that though, two figures suddenly imprinted themselves in his mind. One was tall and large, towering above the skies. On the other hand, the other figure was one ten-thousandth of the size of the other. Nevertheless, it was clear that the small figure was fighting the giant. In addition, their battle was raging with no distinct winner between them.
Yang Kai’s expression stiffened in surprise. Although he was nearly shaken out of his meditative state, he soon managed to stabilize his emotions. Upon a closer look, he realized that those two figures felt rather familiar to him. They were not visible to the naked eye. Rather, they were something he could only sense with his mind. For some reason, he could neither get a clear read on the gigantic figure nor the miniature figure. It didn’t matter whether it was their faces or the shape of their bodies, they were all blurry and chaotic to him. All he could tell was that they were fighting, but he had no idea what kind of overwhelmingly powerful attacks or Secret Techniques they were using; hence, he suddenly felt anxious to know more.
This ancient battlefield was where Flowing Time Great Emperor had fought with a Master from the Demon Race, and now, two figures had materialized in his mind while he was quietly meditating in cultivation. There was no way Yang Kai couldn’t guess who they were at this point. They were Flowing Time Great Emperor and the Master who he suspected was the Great Demon God!
Yang Kai had absorbed the Martial Truth left behind by those two Masters, and now, his mind had travelled through time and space to witness their original fight. If he could watch their fight closely to observe and emulate their movements and methods, he was certain that he would receive great benefits from this experience. It was just that he could only ‘see’ two vague figures. Forget what methods they were using in their fight, he couldn’t even get a proper glimpse of their faces, so what could he comprehend from such a scene? It would have been one thing if he had been oblivious to the entire situation; however, he could already guess who these two were but could not investigate the situation, making him feel as if he had an itch that could not be scratched.
On second thought, Yang Kai realized he had never ‘seen’ such a scene before. He believed that it was because he had been meditating in this place for a while now and consequently obtaining a vague essence of the Martial Truth belonging to these two Masters that he could receive this opportunity today. If that was the case, he would eventually be able to see their battle clearly if he continued to cultivate.
Once this thought crossed his mind, Yang Kai concentrated on his own cultivation and stopped paying attention to the two fighting figures.
By the time the area of the ancient battlefield shrunk by half again, more than 30 years had passed since Yang Kai began cultivating in this place. The difference in the flow of time had given him a unique advantage as with Bo Ya’s confirmation, it turned out that it had only been less than a year since he first entered the Demon Realm.
Following 30 years’ worth of cultivation, Yang Kai shed his former self and was reborn as a result. He was thankful that the fight between the two Masters had not disappeared since the day he was first able to ‘see’ them in his mind. Every time he felt himself growing stronger, he would try to observe the battle between the two Masters. Unfortunately, it had always failed.
But, it was going to be different this time. When Yang Kai tried to watch the ancient battle once more, at first the two figures remained blurry and he could not see much, but a short while later, it seemed to become slightly clearer. His spirits lifted while at the same time he concentrated on studying the fight. His Divine Sense surged inside his Knowledge Sea, causing the black and gold flames inside to churn tumultuously while large waves overlapped each other. It was clear that he was going all out.
Just when Yang Kai felt a pain in his head and was struck by a wave of drowsiness, he suddenly saw the small figure forming a set of hand seals. Time Principles surrounded the small figure who then slowly sent his palm forward.
Yang Kai’s eyes lit up at the sight. Those seals and the power of that palm strike were all exceedingly familiar to him. That was the Time Flies Seal! Moreover, it was the Time Flies Seal that Flowing Time Great Emperor himself executed!
That Secret Technique was Flowing Time Great Emperor’s most famous Divine Ability which Yang Kai coincidentally obtained in the Four Seasons Land in the past. He had learned a little bit about the Dao of Time during his time in the Four Seasons Land and obtained the Time Flies Seal through a certain opportunity rather than through his own comprehension. Who could say for sure whether he had actually obtained the essence of the Divine Ability or not?
Yang Kai originally believed that the Time Flies Seal he obtained would not embarrass Flowing Time Great Emperor even if he might not have fully comprehended its essence, but it wasn’t until he witnessed the Great Emperor using this move personally that Yang Kai finally realized just how ridiculous his previous confidence was.
It was the same Time Flies Seal, but even so, the difference in power and effect between Yang Kai’s and the Great Emperor’s version was like the difference between the light of a firefly and the brilliance of the moon. Naturally, part of the reason was the difference in strength between them, but clearly, the root cause stemmed from Yang Kai’s failure to understand Time Principles to a high enough degree. Not to mention, the illusory phantoms that remained in this place were only a manifestation of the remnant Martial Truth of the Great Emperor, not an actual attack from him. Despite being no more than an illusory phantom, the Time Flies Seal displayed was already far beyond Yang Kai’s comprehension. If that attack struck Yang Kai, he was certain he would be reduced to dust in an instant.
Staring at that palm strike blankly, Yang Kai felt as though his entire mind was filled with its majesty. Then, a hint of enlightenment was born in his heart as he realized just how the Time Flies Seal should be cast.
He had not given it much thought when there was nothing to compare to before, but now that he had an example before him, he realized that the Time Flies Seal that he had been using up until now was like the imitation of a naïve child at best.
After that palm strike, another Time Flies Seal came out, seemingly repeating over and over again like a looping recording. The real battle was definitely not like this as these two illusory phantoms were simply a manifestation of his comprehension of the two Masters’ Martial Truths. It was only because he had also cultivated the Time Flies Seal that he could even see this scene.
After repeatedly observing and emulating, Yang Kai suddenly understood something. His body, which was still under the Dragon Transformation subconsciously began to move in the ancient battlefield and performed hand seal after hand seal. Time Principles faintly lingering around his body gradually thickened…
It wasn’t until the two illusory phantoms suddenly broke apart that Yang Kai stopped moving. Looking down at his Dragon Claws, he clenched them tightly without warning and a savage smile broke out across his face. Although it was impossible for him to reach the level of Flowing Time Great Emperor, the power of his Time Flies Seal would definitely have undergone a dramatic improvement now.
Yang Kai stood up and strode forward, the look in his eyes as firm as the steps he took. He only managed to see the Time Flies Seal this time, but he was certain he could see even more next time.
As time passed, the area of the ancient battlefield shrunk little by little. Meanwhile, Yang Kai indeed began to see more and more things as he continuously grew stronger. It was no longer limited to just the Time Flies Seal. The scene of battle between the two Masters fascinated him greatly. It felt as though the world would collapse and the universe would turn upside down every time they collided with one another. The only thing that infuriated him was that he could not see what the Two Masters truly looked like as their faces remained a blur.
Just like that, several decades passed by in the blink of an eye. Only the core region of the enormous ancient battlefield now remained. Coincidentally, there was also only one last continent left in the Demon Realm that had yet to be devoured.
The two forces that flooded this last piece of the ancient battlefield could only be described as violent. Even Yang Kai had trouble guiding them into his body. Numerous cracks appeared on his sturdy Dragon Body and his Golden Blood flowed freely from his wounds. The Soul Warming Lotus spun desperately inside his Knowledge Sea, sending out a soothing power to keep him lucid and mend his damaged Soul.
Yang Kai had become indifferent to everything else and was now completely immersed in the battle between those two figures. Over the years, the battle had only gotten clearer and clearer to him; thus, he was very curious to see the final outcome. Although he had already guessed that Flowing Time Great Emperor would eventually die of serious injuries, he wanted to know what would happen to the suspected Great Demon God. The answer surely lay in this last scene.
Under the full focus of his Divine Sense, Yang Kai saw the two figures fighting fiercely with each other. The World Principles were chaotic; space itself was constantly being torn apart by their clashes. Yang Kai seemed to witness the collapse of the world and the division of an entire universe the longer he watched.
His brow twitched at that realization and he secretly thought to himself, [As I suspected… The collapse of the Demon Realm was indeed related to Flowing Time Great Emperor.]
In ancient times, the Demon Realm had been one whole; however, it was broken into countless pieces and scattered into the Void after the battle between Flowing Time Great Emperor and the Master who he suspected was the Great Demon God.
Nevertheless, the two Masters turned a blind eye to their surroundings. They had nothing but each other in their sights as they fought to the death for reasons unknown to the world. Time and space were turned upside down, and the final collision finally arrived.
It was the Time Flies Seal again. The Great Emperor struck out with his palm, and in response, the giant froze without warning. Raising his head, he let out a silent roar as numerous cracks appeared on his towering figure.
Yang Kai’s heart tightened at that moment, secretly rejoicing. This situation indicated that the outcome of the battle ended with Flowing Time Great Emperor winning by just a slight margin. Although he was mortally wounded in the end, he still managed to return to the Star Boundary so his remains could be buried in his homeland.
Just when Yang Kai was secretly rejoicing over the Great Emperor’s victory, he suddenly saw two rays of light appearing in the huge figure’s eyes. All this while, he had not been able to see the appearances of the two Masters. Their faces had always been a chaotic mess as if there was a layer of something covering their faces like a veil. At least, that was the case… until now!
The huge figure opened his eyes and two rays of light shot out from them. One was gold while the other was black! The golden eye was filled with a golden pillar of dominance. Just looking at it would cause a person to feel a sense of trembling in his heart. It felt as though his Soul had to surrender under such majesty. On the other hand, the black eye was like a bottomless abyss. There was no white nor pupil. Instead, it seemed to embody endless darkness that threatened to drag one in and never allow them to escape.
Yang Kai felt as though he had been struck by lightning and stood frozen on the spot in shock.
The last traces of the forces on the ancient battlefield had completely disappeared. Even so, Yang Kai continued to sit in the same spot blankly, unable to come back to his senses. His mind was filled with the image of those eyes he had seen at the last moment.
One golden eye and one black eye. The golden eye was extremely intimidating while the black eye was deep and unfathomable. If a normal person had seen those eyes, they would simply marvel at the wonder and power behind them. Yang Kai, however, was completely taken aback by the sight. That was because that one golden and one black eye were very familiar to him.
[Weren’t those the Demon Eye of Annihilation and the Black Purgatory Eye?] Even though he had only caught a glimpse of those eyes, he was sure that he was not mistaken. They were definitely the same Demon Eye of Annihilation and Black Purgatory Eye that he had. It was precisely because he had those same eyes that he was so familiar with them and could recognise them at a glance.
[It was just… Why did those eyes appear on that Master who is probably the Great Demon God?] Ever since he started cultivating, those eyes of his had brought great benefits to him. They had helped Yang Kai turn danger into safety countless times, saving his life more than once.
Of the two eyes, Yang Kai had obtained the Demon Eye of Annihilation in Tong Xuan Realm. It was said that there was once a Great Demon God in Tong Xuan Realm and the Demon Eye of Annihilation was a relic he had left behind.
It was just that the cultivation of Tong Xuan Realm’s Great Demon God was rather low. That was why, even though Yang Kai later learned about the existence of the Demon Realm’s Great Demon God when he was in the Star Boundary, he had not associated the two with each other. The gap in their cultivation was simply too large. Contrary to his earlier beliefs though, it would seem that there really was some sort of a connection between the two, especially if Flowing Time Great Emperor’s opponent was really the Great Demon God.
Thinking about it carefully again, Tong Xuan Realm’s Great Demon God might have been known as a Demon, since he stemmed from the Demon Clan, but his conduct in life had been the epitome of righteousness. After fighting with his life on the line to save his homeland, he had sacrificed himself to set up an Earth-shakingly powerful Grand Array that concealed Tong Xuan Realm, protecting it from the dangers of the vast Starry Sky, lest this Star with a weaker Martial Dao was discovered and subsequently conquered by malicious Masters.
It could even be said that the only reason Tong Xuan Realm survived to this day without being enslaved by other Masters in the Star Field was all thanks to the Great Demon God. Therefore, Yang Kai had a hard time connecting such a magnificent and benevolent person to the Great Demon God of the Demon Realm.
As for the Black Purgatory Eye, it was something he had obtained in the place where the Ancient Demon had been defeated outside of Maplewood City. A One-Eyed Great Demon had run rampant in the world during ancient times, causing great devastation. Consequently, Ancient Masters had come together to kill it. Even though they managed to destroy the Ancient Demon’s physical body, a single eye had been left behind. They were unable to destroy that eye, regardless of what means they used; hence, they had no choice but to seal it away in what would one day become Maplewood City.
The seal later weakened and allowed the Ancient Demon’s aura to seep out, nearly causing the fall of Maplewood City. Yang Kai and six others had used the Seven Points Black Tortoise Formation to charge out of the city to repair the seal. After an accident of sorts, Yang Kai was contaminated by the Demon Qi and somehow obtained the Black Purgatory Eye as a result.
He could still recall how great the commotion had been at the time. It had even caused Star Soul Palace to take action. In the end, Yang Kai ended up fighting against Gao Xue Ting, Xiao Yu Yang, and Chen Wen Hao under the effects of a kind of Demon Transformation when they came to investigate the situation. Yang Kai had only been a First-Order Dao Source Realm at the time while Gao Xue Ting and the others were already in the First-Order Emperor Realm. Nevertheless, Yang Kai still managed to escape safely in a situation where his enemies were much stronger than him and he was fighting in a three-against-one battle. That just went to show just how powerful the Black Purgatory Eye was. Truth be told, he would have lost himself in demonic impulses a long time ago if he had not relied on the gold and silver power of the Firmament Tree to seal that ancient Demon Qi away.
In addition, the Demonic War Hammer that the Embodiment was currently using was a Demon Artifact that used to belong to the One-Eyed Great Demon. Both the Demonic War Hammer and the Black Purgatory Eye belonged to the One-Eyed Great Demon, so how were they related to Great Demon God?
The final scene that Yang Kai had seen at the end of the battle left him feeling rather dazed, but there was no way he could mistake the Demon Eye of Annihilation and the Black Purgatory Eye. He couldn’t come up with a possible explanation even after careful consideration though, so he could only sigh sadly to himself. These events had happened much too long ago, and without witnessing what really happened, who could say what was the truth?
Unfortunately, Yang Kai failed to see how the battle ultimately ended. Two rays of light, one golden and one black, flashed brightly when the Master who he suspected to be the Great Demon God opened his eyes. The entire scene had fallen apart after that, so Yang Kai had no idea what happened to the two Masters as a result. It was fortunate that he had finished absorbing all the forces within the ancient battlefield, so this trip was not without gains.
At that moment, Yang Kai suddenly raised his brow with an expression of joy. He vaguely felt that the third region of the Small Sealed World had become complete. In other words, Gun-Gun had also finished devouring the last continent.
The Demon Realm was originally one whole but later broke up under the impacts of the battle between Flowing Time Great Emperor and the supposed Great Demon God. As the Void was blocked, the Demon Race could only rely on the existence of the Territory Gates to navigate between the continents for countless years. Although no issues had arisen in the short term, the Territory Gates gradually became unstable over time. Likewise, the connection between the continents in the Demon Realm became weaker and weaker. In the end, many continents vanished from the Demon Realm’s territory and were lost to the Void.
Yang Kai, who could shatter the Void and leap across space, managed to find and devour many of those lost continents. It was a process of breaking something in order to rebuild it again. Now that all the continents had been swallowed and merged together once more, the third region was completely transformed into a second Demon Realm. The world hummed softly as the originally flawed World Principles became perfect again. The newly reborn world might not be very impressive at the moment, but this place would become a scene of great beauty given 10,000 or 100,000 years.
As the Master of the Small Sealed World, the birth of this new world had given Yang Kai a faint sensation of rebirth. His mind felt extremely comfortable for inexplicable reasons. There was also a sense of being separated from the chaos just as the world was being born. Moreover, a power that was generally very difficult to grasp became incredibly clear to him at this very moment, World Force!
The biggest difference between Great Emperors, Emperor Realm Masters, and even Pseudo-Great Emperors lay in this point. Great Emperors were capable of connecting with the world and borrowing the power of World Force. Every action they took carried the prestige of the world with it. Emperor Realm Masters and Pseudo-Great Emperors were limited to exerting their own strength, but Great Emperors were beyond that category. They were on a completely different level altogether.
Under normal circumstances, a person would not be able to feel World Force until he or she became a Great Emperor, no matter how strong that person was. Even Li Wu Yi had never felt it before. However, Yang Kai was uniquely blessed in this aspect. The existence of the Small Sealed World allowed him to comprehend and even use World Force in advance. The Small Sealed World was a world in and of itself after all, and now that the third region was complete, it gave him a deeper understanding of this mysterious power.
Any other Third-Order Emperor or High-Rank Demon King would have been confused and at a loss for how to comprehend the mysteries of the situation even if they had the opportunity to experience something like this, and Yang Kai himself had been no better in the past. It was just that he had spent several dozen years on the ancient battlefield, greedily devouring and absorbing the Martial Truth of two peak-level Masters. In turn, it had allowed the scope of his vision to exceed the level it should have been at. Standing at a height that did not belong to him, it was not difficult for Yang Kai to comprehend a little about these mysteries. Those two Masters were undoubtedly the strongest in their respective Great Worlds, so who could surpass them in terms of their perception of World Force? It could be said that although these dozens of years of hard work had not propelled Yang Kai into the Half-Saint Realm, his true strength had undergone earth-shaking changes nevertheless.
In the midst of his joy, Yang Kai suddenly frowned and turned his head to look in a certain direction. The perfection of the Small Sealed World and the improvement of his state of mind had made him extremely sensitive to the world as a whole. Not to mention that he was the Master of this world in the first place. As long as Yang Kai focused, not even the movement of a blade of grass in a gust of wind could escape his attention.
The image that entered Yang Kai’s eyes was a figure coming toward him from afar. This person moved like the wind itself, his hands behind his back as he strolled leisurely, seemingly just taking in the beautiful scenery around him. Travelling through the skies, this figure was looking around his surroundings with a hint of nostalgia in his expression. Soon, he seemed to notice Yang Kai watching him and glanced over from a distance, smiling slightly.
Yang Kai couldn’t help narrowing his eyes as there was a distance of at least ten thousand kilometres between the two of them still. The only way he could see that person across such a distance was by relying on his advantages as the Master of this world, so how was the other party able to see him?
“As expected, he’s suspicious!” Yang Kai coldly snorted to himself. When he first saw this person, he couldn’t shake the vague feeling that something was not right about him; however, he couldn’t pinpoint exactly what was wrong which was why he left Bo Ya hiding nearby to monitor the situation. Even so, Bo Ya had not noticed anything out of place.
It wasn’t until this moment that this person finally revealed his true self. Yang Kai’s mind arrived at the Three Peaks with a single thought, the place where Li Shi Qing used to stay. Li Shi Qing had left the Small Sealed World a long time ago while Huo Lun was even now refining the power of the Myriad Demon Pills he acquired in the past. Therefore, the last owner of the mountain peak was gone and the place was empty.
Originally, Yang Kai had left Bo Ya here to monitor the situation, but right now she was taking care of Gun-Gun in the outside world, so there was nobody monitoring this place. For that reason, nobody knew when this person had left the Three Peaks.
Yang Kai was the Heavens themselves inside the Small Sealed World, so he was not afraid that this person might be hiding some form of malicious intent towards him. He could turn this person into ashes with the slightest motion of his hands after all.
A distance of ten thousand kilometres could neither be considered far nor near. Moreover, the other party was only a Mid-Rank Demon King, so it made sense that it would take the other party at least a quarter-hour to arrive. But, when Yang Kai looked up, he noticed that that person’s method of travelling seemed to be extremely profound, as though he was capable of borrowing the World Strength around him, allowing him to travel far faster than the average Demon King.
Less than an incense stick later, a familiar Demon arrived not far away from Yang Kai. This person stood with his hands behind his back and nodded at Yang Kai with a smile, as though he was greeting an old friend who he had not seen for many years.
Likewise, Yang Kai returned a look of interest. Although he could tell that the other party was no ordinary person, the layer of mystery shrouding this figure made him even more curious to see just what the other party was hiding under that veil.
The person glanced around himself and let out a soft sigh, “Truly, what a nostalgic sight this is.”
The tone behind that sigh was not deliberate. Rather, it was truly filled with a sense of nostalgia, his eyes full of melancholy.
Yang Kai raised his brow in surprise, “You’ve been here before?”
The Demon Race member looked at Yang Kai and smiled without smiling, “After being here for so long, I’m sure you can discern a little something. Whether I’ve been here before or not… Others might not know, but… are you saying you don’t know either?”
Those were mystifying words, but they made Yang Kai frown deeply. He studied the man in front of him carefully. Then, his expression changed drastically a moment later and he exclaimed with a strange expression, “Mo Sheng… Demon God… You can’t be implying that you are Great Demon God, right?”
When Yang Kai first heard the name ‘Mo Sheng’, he couldn’t help feeling a little strange. The names of the Demon Race were very different from the names of Humans of the Star Boundary. They held a strongly unique and noble bearing. Even if he was not familiar with the way the Demon Race decided on their names, he could tell that the name ‘Mo Sheng’ was somewhat inappropriate. It was too similar to the title of ‘Demon Saint’. He had initially been a little surprised that Mo Sheng managed to survive until now without being killed by any of the other Demon Race members. It truly was a miracle.
If that were all it was, he would only have associated this matter with the Demon Saints. It was just that he couldn’t help thinking that there was more to this situation than he previously thought now. The words ‘Mo Sheng’, ‘Demon Saint’, and ‘Demon God’ all sounded very similar after all.
It had simply been a casual remark. At first, Yang Kai believed that he was overthinking things, but who could have expected Mo Sheng to wave his hand dismissively in response, “Demon God? That’s just what they call me. Mo Sheng is my real name.”
Yang Kai involuntarily took two steps back before he remembered that he was in his own world. There was no reason to fear this Mo Sheng even if what he was saying was true. Composing himself, Yang Kai asked, “So, you really are the Great Demon God?”
If that were the case, then all the strange occurrences so far would make sense. It was precisely because he had the vague feeling that something was wrong that he had always kept an eye on Mo Sheng all these years.
Mo Sheng smiled slightly without giving an answer, which made him seem very mysterious and hard to predict.
On the other hand, Yang Kai did not know what kind of expression he should show on his face. Both the inhabitants of the Demon Realm and the Star Boundary were currently at war with each other and there had been countless deaths on both sides. As such, the hatred between the two Races was as deep as the sea. Under such circumstances, the legendary Great Demon God of the Demon Race just had to appear right in front of him. No matter how quick-witted Yang Kai was, he was still at a loss for what to do. What he had even more trouble accepting was that the situation was very different from what he had imagined.
This self-proclaimed Great Demon God was not as savage, bloodthirsty, cruel, or violent as Yang Kai had imagined. On the contrary, he had a leisurely bearing that made him seem rather warm and friendly.
“Are you really the Great Demon God?” Yang Kai repeated his question.
Mo Sheng fell silent for a moment before replying, “Yes and no.”
“What do you mean?” Yang Kai looked confused, but before Mo Sheng could answer, a look of realization crept across Yang Kai’s face as he posited, “A Soul Clone?”
If this person really was the Great Demon God, then he would not have the qualifications to even converse with him. Instead, Yang Kai would have been killed immediately on the spot. Besides, how could a Mid-Rank Demon King possibly be Great Demon God?
This reminded him of the Embodiment. Even he had an existence like the Embodiment, so it would not be surprising if the Great Demon God, who had a cultivation that vastly exceeded his own, had a Soul Clone.
“Well, something like that.” Mo Sheng did not explain, acting as though he tacitly agreed with what Yang Kai had said. Smiling brightly, he turned to look at Yang Kai, “You have something of mine.”
Yang Kai pointed at his eyes, “Are you referring to these?”
Mo Sheng nodded, “Those eyes were originally mine.”
Yang Kai grinned, “They are not yours. They belonged to the Great Demon God, and now… They belong to me.”
He could finally be sure that this person in front of him was the Great Demon God’s Soul Clone; moreover, the person who fought against Flowing Time Great Emperor on the ancient battlefield during the ancient times was none other than the Great Demon God.
Mo Sheng didn’t appear annoyed and pondered for a moment before saying, “True. What I lost is no longer mine.”
Sighing, he continued, “Humans are amazing.”
Yang Kai did not know what Mo Sheng was reminiscing about, but the nostalgic expression appeared on the latter’s face again.
In any case, he did not care that Mo Sheng was the Great Demon God’s Soul Clone. Not only was Mo Sheng just a Mid-Rank Demon King, the other party was also in his territory. It was only natural that Yang Kai was not afraid of Mo Sheng. Seeing that Mo Sheng was so easy to talk to though, he couldn’t help wanting to inquire more about the situation so he commented while stomping his foot slightly, “I saw many things here.”
Mo Sheng nodded in reply, “It was your opportunity that allowed you to see what you saw. It is also your ability.”
“But, I couldn’t see the outcome of the battle. Can you tell me how it ended?”
Mo Sheng smiled at those words and replied, “What else could have happened? The battle ended in death. That’s why I said that Humans are amazing.”
Although Mo Sheng did not specify who had died in that battle, Yang Kai understood that the only person he could be referring to was the Great Demon God, and for a moment, Yang Kai felt his spirits lifting. Even though he had long since guessed the outcome of the battle, he couldn’t help feeling a sense of pride when Mo Sheng confirmed the truth. The person who killed the Great Demon God was Flowing Time Great Emperor!
“If he’s dead though, why are you still alive?” He frowned at Mo Sheng. The main body was dead; hence, it didn’t make sense for the Soul Clone to survive. Yang Kai was certain that if anything were to happen to him, the Embodiment would die as well.
Mo Sheng replied, “The physical body might have been destroyed, but the Soul remains! Flowing Time Great Emperor was powerful indeed, but he was still a long way off from destroying my Soul.”
Yang Kai understood immediately. Leaving aside that the Great Demon God’s cultivation was overwhelmingly powerful; given the chance, even the average Emperor Realm Master and Demon King could escape with their Soul despite having their bodies destroyed. Nevertheless, Mo Sheng’s manner of speaking rubbed him the wrong way. It was Flowing Time Great Emperor who destroyed the opponent’s physical body, and yet, Mo Sheng made it sound as though he had the upper hand in the fight back then. He was acting as though Flowing Time Great Emperor had been helpless against him.
Mo Sheng seemed to have seen through Yang Kai’s thoughts so he calmly added, “I was injured at the time; otherwise, I would not have fallen into such a pitiful state.”
Yang Kai’s expression stiffened at those words. Although it was his first time coming into contact with Mo Sheng, he knew that there was no reason for a Master like the Great Demon God to deceive him. If Mo Sheng claimed that he had been injured, then he must have been injured. Since he was injured, it stood to reason that he could not exert his full strength. That being the case, he still managed to force Flowing Time Great Emperor into a battle where both sides ended up perishing. If that had happened under the condition that he was in an injured state, what would have happened if he had been in peak condition!? More importantly, who could have injured him in the first place!?
Although they had only exchanged a few words, Yang Kai felt as though this Demon Race member’s legends and myths had gently opened a door in front of him. Furthermore, it would seem that there was another vast world beyond that door. Suppressing the shock in his heart, he asked, “What happened to this pair of eyes?”
Mo Sheng blinked in response, “That’s what I want to know too. How did they fall into your hands? If you don’t mind, can you tell me?”
That answer was beyond Yang Kai’s expectations. He had believed that the other party would have the answers he sought; however, that one question and momentary puzzlement instantly made Mo Sheng topple off the lofty pedestal Yang Kai had initially placed him on.
[You’re nothing special after all!] Yang Kai secretly thought to himself. Seeing as there was nothing to hide, he recounted the story of how he obtained the Demon Eye of Annihilation and the Black Purgatory Eye to Mo Sheng.
Mo Sheng listened attentively, as though he was listening to an extremely moving story. It wasn’t until the story was over that he gave a laugh, “So that’s how it is. From what you’ve described, they seem to be similar to me.”
“They?” Yang Kai frowned at those words. Then, realization struck him, “Are you saying that those two were Soul Clones too?”
Mo Sheng nodded, “Perhaps, when my body shattered after the battle, my eyes broke through the Void and arrived elsewhere. They must have gained spirituality and became those two eventually.”
Yang Kai could barely accept what he was hearing. The One-Eyed Great Demon was bad enough as he had brought great devastation to the world and killed countless people back then. Moreover, it had taken many Great Experts working together just to kill him and seal his eye away.
Contrarily, the Great Demon God of Tong Xuan Realm had done a great service to the world. It was vastly different from the impression Yang Kai had of the Great Demon God. Not to mention, he had obtained a great many blessings from Great Demon God that ultimately contributed to his success today.
Mo Sheng suddenly spoke up quietly, “We are ourselves. The Great Demon God is the Great Demon God. We are different entities. If the true body had been here instead, you would not have had the chance to speak for so long.”
Yang Kai’s brow twitched upon hearing those words as he thought of the Embodiment again. The same went for him and the Embodiment. They were completely independent existences. It was only natural that the Embodiment had his own personality and manner of thinking that was different from Yang Kai’s.
It was true that Yang Kai had obtained the blessings of the Great Demon God in Tong Xuan Realm, but that Great Demon God was not the Great Demon God of the Demon Realm. It could even be said that the Great Demon God of the Demon Realm had died in that battle with Flowing Time Great Emperor. After understanding this point, Yang Kai felt his churning emotions relaxing slightly. He had received many benefits from the Great Demon God after all. Having to become enemies all of a sudden might not be an issue from a logical standpoint, but it was not acceptable from a moral one. Now that he understood the situation, he only needed to ask himself whether the person in front of him was an enemy or ally going forward.
“You’ve stayed hidden for so many years. Why show yourself now?” After putting aside his worries, Yang Kai felt a lightness in his heart. It was not easy to meet the Great Demon God’s Soul Clone, so it was only natural that he wanted to chat more with the other party. More importantly, he was very curious as to why Mo Sheng had been hiding inside the Small Sealed World.
Mo Sheng replied, “It’s the right timing. What else should I do if I don’t come out now?”
“What timing?” Yang Kai asked, his nerves becoming tense again as he considered whether he should defeat Mo Sheng before asking more questions. Regardless of how relaxed, carefree, and harmless Mo Sheng might seem, he was still Great Demon God’s Soul Clone. He must have some sort of agenda for hiding in the Small Sealed World, and people with different aspirations could never get along. When it came to matters of life and death, it was better to take the initiative in deciding the victor than to wait for others to make their move.
“Let me tell you a story,” Mo Sheng suddenly said.
Yang Kai was a little overwhelmed by Mo Sheng’s jumping thoughts, but after a moment of discomfort, he blinked his eyes and said, “Is it a good story? I’ll listen if it’s a good one.”
Mo Sheng ignored Yang Kai’s seemingly sarcastic remark and continued at his own pace, “In the past, there was a man who was extremely gifted and talented. He was a genius that stood above all others. Having reached the peak at a very young age, it was only natural that the young man was very arrogant due to his accomplishments. He travelled across the world and eventually made his way across the universe, acting unscrupulously.”
Yang Kai slandered in his heart, [That guy is you, right? I can almost guess the ending just by listening to the beginning of the story! I must say; this story is a terrible one!]
Nevertheless, the last sentence Mo Sheng said bothered him greatly. What did he mean by travelling across the universe?
“It was a very happy time.” A look of nostalgia appeared on Mo Sheng’s face again, “Unfortunately, good things don’t last forever. This young man eventually met his match. A woman.”
Yang Kai chuckled perfunctorily.
“That woman was also very powerful, and he had never seen a woman like that before. Despite exchanging blows on several occasions, their battles have been inconclusive…”
“And then, that guy fell in love with that woman?” Yang Kai glanced at Mo Sheng with a dull expression. He could effortlessly make up a bunch of stories about hatred-turning-into-love.
Mo Sheng glanced at Yang Kai, “Love meant nothing to that man. It’s just that his competitive spirit was aroused due to his opponent’s strength.”
Yang Kai coughed slightly, feeling embarrassed that he had guessed wrongly.
“The battles between those two continued on for over 10,000 years, until one day…” Mo Sheng’s sentence trailed off at this point, scowling deeply. A trace of a malevolent aura appeared on his usual indifferent expression. It made Yang Kai extremely vigilant. No matter how harmless this person seemed, he was still the Great Demon God’s Soul Clone!
“That woman’s strength increased all of a sudden, so it was only natural that she took the upper hand in their struggle. Nevertheless, that man was neither a coward nor a pushover. Despite being caught in a deadly battle, he managed to inflict critical injuries to his enemy as well.” Mo Sheng’s tone was flat, almost as though he was talking about somebody else’s affairs, “Fearful of each other, they agreed to a temporary truce to recover from their wounds. It was not easy for them to be wounded at their level of cultivation, so you can imagine just how difficult it was for them to heal once they were. They would not recover unless they devoured the Auspicious Spirit Essence of a Great World. That was the reason why that man came to this world.” While speaking, he gestured around to his surroundings with his hand.
Yang Kai’s expression changed. [That means that the Great Demon God wasn’t from the Demon Realm. Rather, he was an uninvited guest from the Outer Universe! And, the only reason he came to the Demon Realm was to devour this so-called Auspicious Spirit Essence in order to recover from his injuries.]
Yang Kai did not know what this ‘Auspicious Spirit Essence’ was. All he understood was that it could help the Great Demon God recover.
Mo Sheng smiled again and looked at Yang Kai, “Did you know? This world was not originally known as the Demon Realm. It had another name, ‘Peerless World’. It was only later that it changed its name to the Demon Realm. Moreover, the people that used to dominate the Peerless World were Humans, just like the Star Boundary.”
Yang Kai was surprised, “Really?” [If that was the case, then how did the current Demon Race come about in the first place?]
However, Mo Sheng did not bother to explain himself and simply continued speaking without regard for Yang Kai, “All the living creatures can be classified into four main categories: Humans, Monsters, Demons, and Spirits. As long as they are sentient and intelligent, they can be classified into any one of these four categories. There are 3,000 worlds that are dominated by one of these four Races. In the past, the Peerless World used to be dominated by Humans. It was just that the arrival of that man caused some changes to this world. That man came here to recover from his injuries by absorbing its Auspicious Spirit Essence, and as a result, the living creatures were affected and gradually became contaminated by his Demon Essence. Over time, they transformed into the Demon Race. Even the World Principles underwent subtle changes over time.”
Yang Kai was astonished. He never imagined that the Demon Race of the Demon Realm were originally Humans who were transformed due to the influence of the Great Demon God.
“After recuperating for tens of thousands of years in silence, the Peerless World underwent Earth-shaking changes. At the same time, that man’s injuries had significantly improved. He could have recovered fully given another ten or twenty thousand years, and if that happened, he could have come out of his retreat and resumed his fight with that woman.”
At this point, Mo Sheng frowned, revealing an annoyed expression, “It just so happened that an uninvited guest arrived at the Peerless World during this time. There was a disagreement between that man and the newcomer, and a great battle ensued. That man’s injuries might have gotten much better, but it was not a full recovery. Moreover, his opponent was not weak. Following this great battle, the Peerless World collapsed and that man’s body was smashed to pieces. It truly was an ill fate.” He shook his head and sighed endlessly.
Even though Mo Sheng did not name the parties involved, how could Yang Kai not realize that the uninvited guest he was referring to was Flowing Time Great Emperor? Moreover, as he had guessed before, the collapse of the Demon Realm was related to that huge battle back then.
“What happened afterwards?” Yang Kai asked. He had to admit; while the story was very straight to the point, it had captured his attention and he couldn’t wait to know what happened afterwards.
“His body might have broken apart, but his Soul remained. Although he was in a rather miserable state, it was not impossible for him to recover from those injuries one day.” Mo Sheng glanced at Yang Kai, “Unfortunately, this man had long since devoured the Auspicious Spirit Essence of the Peerless World. Even the whole world itself had been contaminated by his Demon Essence, so how could that world help with his recovery? Fortunately, there was another option.”
“The Star Boundary?” Yang Kai narrowed his eyes slightly.
Mo Sheng nodded, “Yes, the Star Boundary. These two universes had similar constitutions. If he could devour the Auspicious Spirit Essence of the Star Boundary, he would definitely have been able to recreate his physical body. Even if he couldn’t recover from his injuries completely, he could have at least escaped his current predicament.”
Yang Kai seemed to understand something, “It looks like that man has been planning this for a very, very long time now. It wasn’t just something he decided one or two thousand years ago, was it?”
If that were not the case, war would not have broken out between the Humans and the Demons in the past. Flowing Time Great Emperor probably noticed this point which was why he came to this world and caused trouble for the Great Demon God. Why else would Flowing Time Great Emperor come here as though he had nothing better to do?
“Recovery was never easy in the first place,” Mo Sheng replied nonchalantly.
Yang Kai pondered quietly for some time. Then, he asked a question that had been bothering him for a while now, “What will happen if the Star Boundary’s Auspicious Spirit Essence is devoured?”
Mo Sheng smiled slightly, “What happened to the Peerless World is what will happen to the Star Boundary. It won’t have much impact on the survival of the living creatures there, but their existing situation might undergo some small changes.”
Yang Kai chuckled, “It’s not ‘some small changes’ for Humans to all become Demons.”
“What does it matter?” Mo Sheng looked at Yang Kai with some pity, as if looking at a foolish rock, “Aren’t you currently partially someone from the Demon Race now?”
“It’s not the same.” Yang Kai shook his head repeatedly, “It’s not the same at all.”
Mo Sheng laughed at Yang Kai for a while before saying lightly, “If you say it’s different, then it’s different. Well, my story is over. It’s your turn.”
“Me?” Yang Kai reached out a finger and pointed to his nose, “I don’t have a story to tell.”
“Who asked you to tell a story? I simply want you to do me a favour.”
“What favour?” Yang Kai was amused. This world’s greatest enemy was currently residing in the Small Sealed World, standing in front of him, and asking him for help. It truly was a strange scene.
“Help me enter the Star Boundary,” Mo Sheng replied with an expression that seemed to say it was only a matter of course.
“Why should I?” Yang Kai raised an eyebrow.
Mo Sheng said, “Don’t tell me you want to watch all the living creatures in the Star Boundary die? The Demon Race has gone all out in their invasion. How can the Star Boundary even compare? The current persistence shown is no more than an ant trying to shake a tree.”
Yang Kai scowled, “How can you be so sure about what is happening outside when you have been inside here all this time?”
Mo Sheng had been placed into the Small Sealed World a long time ago and had not left this place since. Even so, what he just said seemed to indicate that he was very aware of the situation in the outside world.
“Of course, I know. But, that has nothing to do with you. Helping me is equivalent to helping yourself, as well as helping all the living creatures in the Star Boundary.”
“Do you plan on demonifying all of them?” Yang Kai’s voice gradually became cold. Although he had undergone demonification, the protection of the Soul Warming Lotus had preserved his original thoughts and feelings. However, there was no telling what would happen to all the other people in the Star Boundary if they underwent the same process.
“Why must you be so foolish and stubborn? I just don’t want to drag things out any longer.”
Yang Kai did not answer. After a long while though, he suddenly broke the silence and said, “Where are the Great Emperors?”
Mo Sheng said, “They’re not dead. They are still of great use to me.” Lifting his gaze, he looked at Yang Kai and smiled, “Yu Ru Meng is fine too. It’s just that she has to be punished.”
Judging by his expression, he knew about the relationship between Yu Ru Meng and Yang Kai.
“I’ll kill you if you dare to hurt her.” Yang Kai’s expression immediately turned hostile. Nevertheless, he was glad that the other party did not threaten him with Yu Ru Meng. It was obviously due to pride that Mo Sheng did not bother to resort to such lowbrow means.
“As long as you help me, you will be reunited once this is over.”
“What if I refuse?”
Mo Sheng smiled slightly, “It doesn’t matter. Life or death will simply be left in the hands of fate.”
For him, asking Yang Kai for help was only to shorten his recovery period. Nothing would change even if Yang Kai refused to help.
“I’ll think about it,” Yang Kai lowered his head.
“Consider it carefully. There’s no hurry,” Mo Sheng’s expression was calm. After waiting for so many years, why would he care about waiting for a little longer?
“I’ve decided,” Yang Kai abruptly raised his head.
Mo Sheng turned to look at Yang Kai only to see the latter baring a set of fangs at him. A hand reached out to grab at him, and a voice rang out, “I’ve decided to capture you first.”
Mo Sheng smiled in response. It was within his expectations. Even so, he didn’t move a muscle and was swiftly captured by Yang Kai.
Although Yang Kai’s opponent was only a Mid-Rank Demon King he was the Great Demon God’s Soul Clone, so who knew what kind of heritage he might possess? That was why Yang Kai did not hold back in his attack, not even hesitating to use the power of this independent world just to ensure victory in one move.
Who could have expected that Mo Sheng showed no signs of resisting whatsoever? Yang Kai’s hand wrapped around Mo Sheng’s throat, causing all the bones in the latter’s body to make cracking sounds as though they were about to break into pieces at any time.
Yang Kai was startled and subconsciously loosened his grip slightly. He only wanted to capture Mo Sheng for more information, not to kill him.
The next moment, however, a mighty force suddenly erupted from Mo Sheng’s body.
Yang Kai was in the middle of adjusting his strength, so it was too late by the time he noticed the change. With a loud boom, his body was sent flying into the air and his complexion turned pale as he spat out a mouthful of blood. Upon landing on the ground, Yang Kai stabilised his body and looked at Mo Sheng with a horrified expression, “World Force! How…”
With how powerful his physique and cultivation were, a trivial Mid-Rank Demon King like Mo Sheng should not have been capable of harming him no matter what methods the latter used. Unfortunately, the reality was that Yang Kai had been injured slightly during their momentary confrontation just now.
While being taken by surprise was part of the reason behind Yang Kai’s small loss, the main reason lay in the fact that Mo Sheng had mobilised not his own strength but the World Force of the Small Sealed World as well!
The Small Sealed World was Yang Kai’s territory. In this place, he was the Master. Even when Chang Tian and the others had entered this place, they were struck by the faint sense of suppression. To put it bluntly, the power of this world existed for Yang Kai to use, making him practically omnipotent in this place. Therefore, it never occurred to him that he would one day be injured by somebody else here, much less with his own power. How could he not be surprised?
Mo Sheng looked at Yang Kai in a carefree manner and chuckled, “The Peerless World was transformed because of me. My power has long since spread across every last piece of this world, so it is only natural that I can control the World Force here.”
Even if the Demon Realm had been devoured and recombined, it did not change this fact.
Yang Kai’s expression immediately became grim as he gritted his teeth and snarled, “Despicable!”
Mo Sheng had deliberately acted weak in front of his enemy. If not for that, Yang Kai would not have suffered such a loss.
Mo Sheng sneered, “It’s normal to use everything at one’s disposal in a fight between enemies. There are no such things as despicable or righteous means!”
There was truth in those words; thus, Yang Kai instantly took a deep breath and replied lightly, “Many thanks for your advice!”
As soon as the words left his mouth, the world hummed in response. He had already communicated with the Small Sealed World to mobilise its World Force to suppress Mo Sheng.