"A guest of honor?" Zhou Dian's brow arched at the words, and he looked at Yi Quan with mockery. "Are you joking?"
He assumed Yi Quan was merely making an offhand remark. After all, even from fifty li away, he could clearly make out Yang Kai's figure and discern his cultivation level. What merit or virtue could such a human youth possibly possess to become Yi Quan's guest of honor?
"I am not in the mood to joke with you," Yi Quan snorted coldly. "Get out of my Heavenly Demon Valley immediately, or don't blame me for being discourteous."
"So it seems you're not planning to hand him over!" Zhou Dian's gaze darkened as he stared coldly at Yi Quan.
Yi Quan let out another cold snort and said nothing more. His power began to surge steadily from within.
At this point, both powerhouses knew that words were useless — only blows would settle the matter.
Everything between heaven and earth seemed to freeze in that instant. The gazes of two Third-Order Emperor Realm masters collided, sending invisible sparks flying into the void.
The numerous demon race experts, sensing the danger, scattered in every direction without looking back.
Lian Yan was no exception. His entire figure transformed into a streak of red light and retreated dozens of li in the blink of an eye.
A peerless battle intent suffused the air. An overwhelming imperial might descended. Space itself began to tremble, and fragments of rock on the ground rose slowly into the air…
Even from fifty li away, Yang Kai felt his entire body turn cold. Had he not lacked a flesh-and-body vessel, even breathing would have been a luxury at this moment.
Figures flickered, and two demon race experts — Yuan Fei and Bai Lu — appeared on either side of Yang Kai, giving him a slight nod.
The hostility and wariness they had shown before were gone. They had come for one purpose only: to protect Yang Kai.
"Where is the purple civet?" Yang Kai asked.
"The Young Miss has been moved somewhere safe," Bai Lu answered softly. "There is no need for Young Master Yang to worry."
Even the way she addressed him had changed — clearly a result of Yi Quan's earlier declaration that he was a guest of honor.
Yang Kai nodded faintly and focused his vision, gazing off into the distance.
This was a battle between two Third-Order Emperor Realm powerhouses. If he could observe even a fraction of it, the benefit to him would be immense. There was no way he intended to miss such a spectacle.
And just then, Zhou Dian moved.
He leapt upward, launching himself from the back of his mount high into the sky. A brilliant radiance exploded from his body, and when the light dissipated, a Fangtian halberd had appeared in his hand. The halberd was over three zhang long and as thick as a man's arm, its presence heavy and domineering. It drew in the surrounding spiritual energy on all sides, as though capable of stirring the world itself.
The moment the Fangtian halberd appeared, Zhou Dian's aura surged in explosive waves. The energy across his body roiled and churned like boiling water.
This was no Divine Soul Artifact — it was a weapon forged purely from Zhou Dian's own spiritual power. However, the halberd had followed him for many years and been refined through secret techniques. Though not a true Divine Soul Artifact, it possessed numerous wondrous properties that rivaled any such treasure.
With the halberd in hand, Zhou Dian threw his head back and roared with manic laughter. His entire being transformed into a streak of brilliant light as he dove toward Yi Quan, his furious battle cry resounding between heaven and earth.
"Yi Quan, let this General see whether you've improved in all these years!"
This strike was like a startled swan, like a falling meteor — it carried the force to cleave heaven and earth asunder. Every onlooker, regardless of cultivation level, felt a searing pain in their eyes as though they might be blinded. At the same time, a bone-deep chill spread through their bodies.
Yang Kai's heart lurched with shock.
Over this past period, he had witnessed the bearing of several Third-Order Emperor Realm powerhouses, but he had never truly seen one strike with their full might. In that moment, he finally understood just how powerful the Third-Order Emperor Realm truly was.
They were beings who stood as near-invincible under heaven.
Yet facing this devastating blow, Yi Quan simply stood in place, utterly motionless. His eyes regarded the oncoming attack with contempt, as though Zhou Dian were beneath his notice entirely.
Shhhhshhhh—
A thick pillar of energy, visible to the naked eye, erupted from the Fangtian halberd, coalescing into the shape of a dragon. It roared with a dragon's cry, baring its fangs and brandishing its claws as it lunged toward Yi Quan.
"It seems…" Yi Quan spoke in a flat, unhurried tone, "you've forgotten your pain the moment the wound healed. That battle two thousand years ago — have you forgotten?"
As his words fell, Yi Quan flicked a single finger.
An attack as delicate and slender as a horsefly shot forth to meet the draconic energy.
The disparity between the two appeared immeasurable, giving the impression of an ant trying to topple a great tree.
And yet—
When that tiny strike collided with the dragon, a blinding radiance erupted. The brilliance was so overwhelming that it swallowed all light in the world, engulfing the great dragon entirely.
The dragon shrieked again and again. Zhou Dian's expression changed violently.
Yi Quan took a single step forward from where he stood and vanished.
Ting—
A soft, clear sound rang out. By the time the onlookers regained their senses, they were stunned to find that Yi Quan had already closed the distance to Zhou Dian, a longsword pressed against the shaft of his Fangtian halberd, sending a shower of sparks into the air.
Zhou Dian stared at the sword, his face blank with bewilderment.
Two thousand years ago, when he had fought Yi Quan, his opponent had wielded no such weapon. Moreover, the longsword did not look as though it had been condensed from spiritual power at all. He had no idea what kind of treasure it actually was.