The Myriad Beast Seal was a unique treasure that could seal the spirits of demon beasts, releasing them to fight on its master's behalf during combat. The sealed demon beast spirits retained the majority of the powers they had possessed in life—the more spirits sealed within, and the more powerful they were, the greater the Myriad Beast Seal's might became.
Since advancing to the Emperor Realm, Zu Hong had been hunting demon beasts across the Eastern Region. At this point, there were no fewer than eight hundred spirits sealed inside his Myriad Beast Seal, nearly all of them at the eleventh rank, with over a dozen formidable twelfth-rank demon beast spirits serving as seal spirits.
This was not even the Myriad Beast Seal's strongest form. At its peak, the artifact could seal a full ten thousand demon beast spirits.
If he were to go all out, a mere first-order Emperor would be no match for him.
It was precisely by relying on the Myriad Beast Seal that Zu Hong had been able to unify Kunyuan City and ascend to the lofty position of its City Lord.
However, he had been injured beforehand, and although he had spent some time recovering his breath, he had not yet returned to his peak condition. As a result, the Myriad Beast Seal's true power could not be fully unleashed—all the demon beast spirits he released were limited to the eleventh rank.
But this was more than enough. As long as he could delay Yang Kai even slightly and create an opening, he believed Ju Tianqing would make this brat understand the consequences of offending a powerhouse.
This was the same tactic he and Ju Tianqing had used against Gao Xueting earlier, so it came as second nature.
Rumble…
A relentless tide of demon beasts bared their fangs and roared as they surged toward Yang Kai—those that flew through the air, those that charged across the ground, every variety imaginable, all converging into a vast army of beasts in the blink of an eye. The sheer pressure was staggering.
Yang Kai's eyes lit up at the sight. He immediately recognized that the Myriad Beast Seal had to be an extraordinary Artifact.
Though the demon beast army bore down with terrifying ferocity, he felt no fear. With a flick of his wrist, the Million Sword slid gracefully from its sheath, and with a single sweep, a bolt of sword light streaked like a bolt of white silk straight toward the charging horde.
"Those are all demon beast spirits—they have no physical bodies. Normal attacks won't work on them… Watch out for a sneak attack!" Gao Xueting's voice transmission suddenly rang in his ear.
Though she was sheltered inside the restriction healing from her wounds and unable to move freely, that did not prevent her from observing the battle as a spectator.
When Yang Kai had first appeared so suddenly, she had been seized by both shock and alarm.
Shock, because she never expected to encounter Yang Kai in a place like this. Alarm, because she could not fathom why he had come to this godforsaken place.
Regardless of his talent, he was still young. Even with heaven-defying abilities, he could not possibly be a match for both Ju Tianqing and Zu Hong. Having suffered at their hands herself, she knew firsthand how formidable they were—if even she had been no match, how could Yang Kai hope to hold his own?
Perhaps given time, his achievements would surpass theirs, but certainly not now.
Her first instinct had been to urge Yang Kai to flee immediately.
But on reflection, the reason Yang Kai had appeared here was almost certainly for her sake. She had no idea how he had learned that she was trapped here—otherwise, what were the odds of such a coincidence?
Now that he had already entered, even if she told him to run, he probably would not leave.
When she had sensed that Yang Kai had already reached the Emperor Realm, Gao Xueting had been profoundly stunned.
She still remembered that the first time she had met Yang Kai, he had been merely at the first level of the Dao Source Realm. He had come to the Azure Sun Temple alongside Qin Chaoyang, carrying a Red Dust Token, to request a spot in the Four Seasons Realm. In the span of just a few short years, he had already reached the Emperor Realm, matching her own level of cultivation.
Such a speed of Cultivation was without precedent—she dared not say no one would ever match it, but no one before had come close.
Her own talent was extraordinary as well; otherwise, she could never have glimpsed the mysteries of the Emperor Realm. But how long had it taken her to advance from the first level of the Dao Source Realm to the Emperor Realm? Fifty years? A hundred?
It had been so long that she had forgotten.
Even their own superior, the Temple Master Wen Zishan, could not compare to him. The geniuses of the Sect, when measured against Yang Kai's Cultivation speed, were like the light of fireflies competing with the brilliance of the full moon.
What kind of fortune had he encountered in the Shattered Star Sea to grow to such a level?
While Gao Xueting was still crying out, Ju Tianqing had already seized the moment when Yang Kai's attention was drawn to the Myriad Beast Seal and flown to the space above his head. His blade descended in a cleaving strike that stirred the power of all directions—the Star Image Burning Sea Blade erupted with a sky full of stars, engulfing Yang Kai in an instant.
In that fleeting moment, Yang Kai was struck by the illusion of standing amid a vast ocean of stars, feeling utterly insignificant.
That brief spiritual disruption caused Yang Kai's movements to falter for an instant, and by the time he reacted, the violent blade light had already reached his chest.
Yang Kai's eyes narrowed. A trace of panic and terror flashed through those once-bright pupils as the blade light struck him squarely.
The next instant, the demon beast army stampeded forward, rumbling over the spot where Yang Kai stood. To the naked eye, his body was ripped to shreds by the savage torrent of force.
"AH!" Gao Xueting cried out in alarm, her delicate face draining of all color.