The other seven Sacred Envoys were no different. Seeing that breaking open the Blood Gate was hopeless and that the Stone Spirit Clan intended to withdraw, they attacked without the slightest restraint, unleashing the full depth of their cultivation in an instant. The Stone Spirits locked in combat with them suffered grievous setbacks, forced to retreat step by step.
However, the Stone Spirit Clan possessed not only boundless innate strength but also extraordinarily tough physiques. Unless their bodies were completely pulverized, they would not only survive—they wouldn't even be wounded.
After driving his opponent back with a single move, the burly Demon King let out a thunderous shout: "All Demon Kings, heed my command! The Stone Spirit Clan has trespassed in the Blood Gate's forbidden grounds with treacherous intent! By order of the Sacred Sovereigns, seize them all!"
He pointed a finger, and the thirty-one Demon Kings who had been watching from nearby surged forward like wolves and tigers, their bodies flickering as they instantly surrounded the Stone Spirit Clan.
Yang Kai's heart sank. He realized the situation had just become dire—the Eight Envoys plus thirty-one Demon Kings meant nearly forty Emperors of the third tier. Such a formidable lineup could probably only be subdued by a Great Emperor in person.
Hummm hummm hummm…
Waves of overwhelming pressure erupted, and the entire world hummed with it. Pebbles on the ground began drifting upward of their own accord, as though some invisible force were lifting them into the air.
"If you don't have the diamond drill, why take on the porcelain work?" Hu Li sighed, shaking his head slowly. His gaze swept across the ten colossal Stone Giants before finally settling on Yang Kai. "This human is mine. The rest of you handle the others."
His cultivation was only at the second tier of the Emperor Realm. He had no courage to face the Stone Spirit Clan head-on, but dealing with a human at the first tier of the Emperor Realm posed no pressure whatsoever.
The burly Sacred Envoy clearly understood what Hu Li was planning. He merely shot Yang Kai a cold glance and warned, "Hu Li, be careful. This one commands the power of space."
Hu Li raised an eyebrow. "The power of space? Now that's interesting."
Though he said that, he still didn't take Yang Kai particularly seriously. The gap in cultivation was simply too obvious.
The burly Sacred Envoy's face was grim as he stared coldly at the Elder. "Elder. I respect your advanced years and have no wish to destroy ties with your clan. If you cooperate and surrender without resistance, the Sacred Sovereigns may well show mercy upon their return. But if you persist in stubborn defiance… then I will have no choice but to offend."
The Elder sighed. "I appreciate the Envoy's good intentions, but my Stone Spirit Clan will not submit to anyone!"
"Not even to the Sacred Sovereigns?" A cold light flickered in the Sacred Envoy's eyes.
The Elder shook his head slowly.
The Sacred Envoy nodded faintly, his expression indifferent. "In that case…" He raised one hand high, then slashed it downward, and a single word burst from his lips: "Kill!"
Swish swish swish…
The thirty-odd Demon Kings flickered into motion, shrouded in dense demonic energy, and howled as they charged toward the Stone Spirit Clan. In that instant, led by the Elder, the Stone Spirits roared in unison. Enormous fists swung through the air, carrying unimaginable ferocity, as though they could shatter heaven and earth themselves, smashing toward the oncoming Demon Kings.
The Demon Kings dared not meet them head-on. They unleashed their demonic arts one after another, concealing their forms, then relied on their numerical advantage and agile movement to circle and engage.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Explosive sounds rang out in succession, and bursts of brilliant light erupted. A heaven-shaking battle had begun in the blink of an eye.
"Take Stone Nine away—preserve our Stone Spirit bloodline!" the Elder suddenly roared. His staff swung in a wide arc, crashing down toward a Demon King who was hurtling toward him, but the Demon King nimbly dodged the blow.
Yang Kai knew the Elder was speaking to him. But at a moment like this, leaving was easier said than done. If he were alone, he could come and go as he pleased. But if he wanted to take Xiao Xiao with him, he would first have trouble storing him inside the Mysterious World Bead.
The problem was that Xiao Xiao had clearly lost his reason and was fighting shoulder to shoulder with the other Stone Spirits. Unless he cooperated willingly, Yang Kai had no way to force him into the Mysterious World Bead.
"Human, let me test your skills!" A figure blurred into view before him. Yang Kai saw that the Demon King called Hu Li had suddenly appeared right in front of him, a faint smile on his face, as he casually slapped a palm toward Yang Kai.
"Scram!" Yang Kai raised his own palm to meet the strike.
"Quite the nerve!" Hu Li chuckled, finding this human rather amusing—actually daring to clash head-on against someone a full tier above him. Was this fellow completely lacking in combat experience?
But very quickly, the smile froze on his face. The instant their palms struck, Hu Li felt a wave of force that was in no way inferior to his own surge from the front, utterly demolishing the power of his strike. Moreover, the opponent's attack contained a mysterious undulation of spatial force, as though it could cleave his palm apart.
Hu Li's expression changed drastically. He hastily retreated, staring at Yang Kai with undisguised horror, the contempt and nonchalance in his eyes completely gone, replaced by extreme gravity.
"Condense!" Yang Kai barked softly. Under the influence of spatial law surging all around, the space where Hu Li stood instantly thickened and solidified. Being in it felt like sinking into a quagmire—not only was movement severely hampered, but even the flow of energy within one's body became sluggish.
Yang Kai's hands came together again, then pulled apart. Accompanied by a sharp hissing sound, a massive crescent blade of pure black materialized and hurtled straight toward Hu Li.
Hu Li's face drained of color. Cold sweat beaded his forehead, and he felt his limbs go ice-cold. He desperately channeled his own power to dodge, only to find himself utterly incapable of doing so. Bound by that incomprehensible spatial law, there was no way he could evade this strike.