On the island, Yao Changjun's figure flickered, and in the blink of an eye he vanished from where he stood. By the time he reappeared, he had already arrived in front of Yang Kai, who was still hurtling backward, clinging to him like a bone leech that could not be shaken off.
He let out a cold snort and reached out with a casual hand to grab Yang Kai. "Had you cooperated earlier, this old man might not have needed to take your life!"
The implication was clear — it was too late for Yang Kai to beg for mercy now.
He had been ambushed by Yang Kai once before and had harbored a deep grudge ever since, treating it as an unbearable humiliation. How could he possibly let the boy off easily?
"Bullying others too much always leads to a bad end — you forced this on me!" Yang Kai snarled through gritted teeth. Facing Yao Changjun's outstretched hand, he made no effort to dodge. Instead, both of his hands began forming a bizarre and intricate set of hand seals.
The moment the seals began, that bone-chilling sensation that left Yao Changjun terrified suddenly resurfaced. His expression changed drastically, and without a moment's hesitation his hand shot forward with even greater speed, seizing Yang Kai's shoulder blade.
It was precisely at that instant that Yang Kai's expression suddenly turned calm, his eyes going frigid as he spoke each word with deliberate weight: "The Seal of Cang Xuan — release!"
"The Seal of Cang Xuan? What the devil is that?" Yao Changjun looked utterly bewildered, having no idea what Yang Kai was talking about. But in the very next moment, his face contorted in shock. His entire body convulsed as though struck by lightning, his eyes bulging round as saucers — like a man seeing a ghost in broad daylight. He let out a shrill cry and retreated backward at tremendous speed.
Boom…
A thunderous explosion erupted. An indescribable aura suddenly detonated from Yang Kai's dantian, radiating an aura so sinister and malevolent it defied words — as if every foul and vicious negative emotion in the mortal world had converged into a single point. Even someone as powerful as Yao Changjun couldn't help but lose focus, his entire body trembling.
Pitch-black qi, dense enough to appear almost solid, spread outward and enveloped Yang Kai in an instant. The qi seemed to possess a life of its own, ceaselessly flowing across Yang Kai's body, forming one intricate and profound pattern after another upon his skin.
Yang Kai's aura climbed, level by level.
Heaven and earth quaked. The cosmos seemed to collapse. The world turned upside down. A force that could rend heaven and earth exploded across the void, radiating outward toward the four cardinal directions.
In a matter of moments, Yang Kai had vanished entirely. In his place stood only a figure of absolute blackness — a blackness that seemed to devour all things, through which not even light could penetrate. Only a pair of scarlet eyes remained, brimming with bloodthirsty killing intent.
"D-Demonic Qi!" Yao Changjun's upper and lower teeth chattered uncontrollably. He nearly bit his own tongue, staring at the scene before him in utter disbelief. With his vast experience, he could identify at a glance that the energy swirling around Yang Kai was Demonic Qi — and not ordinary Demonic Qi, but the purest form of Ancient Demonic Qi!
"Impossible!" Yao Changjun could scarcely believe his own eyes. In all his years of life, he had actually laid eyes upon Ancient Demonic Qi — and manifesting from a cultivator at the third level of the Dao Source Realm, no less.
Ancient Demonic Qi possessed exceptionally corrosive and assimilative properties. Even a powerhouse at the third level of the Emperor Realm like himself, if enveloped by Ancient Demonic Qi, would absolutely lose his reason in the shortest time possible and be reduced to a demonic creature.
How could Yang Kai possibly retain his clarity of mind? How had he stored such terrifying Demonic Qi within his own body?
Recalling what Yang Kai had said earlier, Yao Changjun suddenly understood — this brat had used some unknown method to seal the Demonic Qi within himself, releasing the seal only when facing an enemy.
But that meant re-sealing the Demonic Qi would be far, far more difficult. Was Yang Kai not afraid of truly being consumed by the demonic energy and losing himself? No wonder the boy had warned him again and again not to push him — he truly possessed the strength to fight back, even if it was somewhat of a shortcut. Still, it gave him grounds to back up those bold words.
Yao Changjun's heart burned with regret. If he had known this beforehand, he never would have pressed so hard. Now, with Demonic Qi wrapped around the boy, and who knew how much of his reason still intact — the surging demonic power and the terrifying pressure it exuded left Yao Changjun with absolutely no desire to fight.
He studied Yang Kai's eyes more carefully. Though they were scarlet and bloodthirsty, there still seemed to be a thread of reason struggling within. Yao Changjun hastily called out: "Young brother, wait — this old man has something to say!"
Yang Kai heard him and cast a indifferent glance his way. "Whatever you say, I'll treat it as the farting of an old goat."
Yao Changjun was so angry he nearly choked!
Had Yang Kai spoken to him like that before, he would have slapped the boy across the face without hesitation. But now, Yang Kai had every right to say such things.
Deep within his heart, a bitter taste welled up as he realized the source of the unease he had felt earlier. His expression shifted again and again.
"My power does seem a bit stronger than before…" Yang Kai clenched both fists, taking a moment to assess his current state. Rather than joy, he felt a thread of worry — because this time, having broken the gold and silver seals of the Cang Tree and released the Ancient Giant Demon's Demonic Qi within his body, he felt that his strength after the transformation was significantly greater than the last time.
This was not because his own power had grown, but because the Demonic Qi's compatibility with his body had deepened.
Last time, he had been only at the first level of the Dao Source Realm, yet after the demonic transformation he had fought three Emperor Realm first-level powerhouses and escaped unscathed. This time, the transformation was even more potent than before.
This filled Yang Kai with a vague sense of unease, for the greater the power boost from the demonic transformation, the harder it would be to reseal afterward. If he could not seal it completely, then he would truly be reduced to a demonic creature — losing his reason, cast into eternal damnation, with no return.