Yang Kai's eyes went wide, staring at Wu Mengchuan in shock as he stammered, "What… what do you mean? Are you saying that Lord… isn't dead?"
Wu Mengchuan knew he had let something slip in the heat of the moment. He merely stared at Yang Kai coldly, killing intent plastered all over his face.
A chill suddenly shot up from the soles of Yang Kai's feet, making him shudder involuntarily.
The Heaven-Devouring Emperor — that was a legend. But this legend had been slain by the combined might of the Emperors in the Shattered Star Sea, his soul utterly annihilated. Yet now Wu Mengchuan had let slip some rather unusual information.
If it had been anyone else saying this, Yang Kai might not have taken it seriously. But Wu Mengchuan was a descendant of the Heaven-Devouring Emperor. His words carried at least some weight.
If the Heaven-Devouring Emperor wasn't dead, then everything was insane.
Tens of thousands of years of hiding and enduring — what had the Heaven-Devouring Emperor been doing all this time? And for what purpose?
Yang Kai swallowed hard.
"I originally thought you were a promising talent and was unwilling to kill you so easily. But now it seems you have to die!" Wu Mengchuan growled through clenched teeth. He suddenly clenched his fist and threw a punch toward Yang Kai. The fist intent tore through the barrier, crushed the void, and carried boundless might.
This desperate need to silence him only made Yang Kai more uneasy, wondering whether his earlier guess had been correct.
After Wu Mengchuan struck, Yang Kai couldn't help but feel a jolt of shock as well.
The man's strength was extraordinary — far beyond what any ordinary Dao Origin Realm cultivator could boast. One could even say he had surpassed the Dao Origin Realm entirely.
Even prodigies like Wuchang or Xia Sheng might not possess the same depth of power as Wu Mengchuan.
Truly worthy of being a descendant of the Heaven-Devouring Emperor. Even having cultivated on his own all these years, he was in no way inferior to those elite disciples.
But though Wu Mengchuan was formidable, Yang Kai was no pushover either. Seeing the punch barrel toward him, he didn't dodge — instead, he answered with a punch of his own.
Boom…
The explosive sound rang out as chaotic energy swirled and clashed between the two fighters.
"Hm?" Wu Mengchuan was stunned, a flicker of shock passing through his heart. Yang Kai's strength had exceeded his expectations.
He knew his own power well. No ordinary Dao Origin Realm cultivator could stand against him. Otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to kill so many in the Shattered Star Sea and seize so many Star Seals, upgrading his own to the Seven-Rayed Star Seal.
But precisely because of this, Wu Mengchuan's eyes blazed even brighter. "What kind of fortune have you stumbled upon all these years?" he growled. "Back then you were merely at the Void King Realm, and now you've grown to this level so quickly — it truly opens this Lord's eyes."
He didn't know what kind of fortuitous encounters Yang Kai had experienced, but for someone to attain such formidable power in so short a time, Yang Kai's luck must have been extraordinary. It didn't matter what opportunities Yang Kai had found, though — once he was dead, it would all belong to Wu Mengchuan.
Even as he spoke, he had already lunged before Yang Kai, his fists raining down like a violent storm. Madness burned in his eyes, yet a thread of clarity remained.
Yang Kai's expression turned solemn. He secretly activated the Indestructible Five Elements Sword Qi, letting the five elemental forces swirl around his body as he met the onslaught without flinch.
Earlier by the Origin Sea, their fight had been nothing more than a show, so neither had used their full strength. Neither had known the other's true limits.
But in this life-or-death struggle, neither was holding back.
In an instant, fists and feet collided as the sounds of battle rang out like clashing metal.
In terms of physical cultivation, Yang Kai was undoubtedly superior. Combined with the Indestructible Five Elements Sword Qi, a body-tempering technique, Wu Mengchuan quickly found himself at a disadvantage in this exchange. Yang Kai's blows landed squarely on his flesh, beating him into a sorry state.
Wu Mengchuan was equally shocked. He realized he had underestimated Yang Kai once again.
In barely thirty breaths, blood was already streaked across Wu Mengchuan's entire body, making him look utterly wretched.
Yet his eyes burned bright.
Yang Kai also sensed something was wrong. Anyone else who had taken such a beating would have had their fighting spirit wane, but Wu Mengchuan's aura showed no sign of weakening — in fact, it seemed to be growing stronger.
Meanwhile, Yang Kai himself was expending considerable energy.
Suddenly, Yang Kai's eyes narrowed. "You old thief — you've been devouring my power?"
Through careful observation, he had finally caught on. Every time his strikes connected with Wu Mengchuan's body, a portion of the force would inexplicably vanish — and that energy had clearly been devoured by Wu Mengchuan.
Wu Mengchuan threw his head back and laughed. "This Lord practices the Heaven-Devouring Art — invincible against all comers! Unless you can kill me in a single blow, you might as well accept your death!"
Killing Wu Mengchuan in a single strike was beyond the reach of any ordinary first-level Dao Sovereign. It would require the power of at least a second-level Dao Sovereign or higher.
Yang Kai realized the danger and immediately tried to pull back.
But Wu Mengchuan's voice turned savage as he roared, "In front of this Lord, you don't get to come and go as you please! Heaven-Devouring Domain — unfold!"