Although You was indeed a mid-rank Great Shaman — only one small rank above himself and Zhu — the man's actual strength was far greater than he had estimated. Even joining forces, the two of them couldn't gain the slightest advantage in front of him.
His Shaman Artifact was a gourd. A sea of blood could pour from it at will, and that blood sea possessed an extremely corrosive nature. Once trapped within it, he and Zhu could only exert about eighty percent of their full strength.
If not for that, the situation just now wouldn't have been nearly so desperate.
You had clearly intended to defeat them one at a time — using the blood sea to bind and restrict Zhu, then striking him with a killing blow. After only a brief exchange, You had beaten him into complete helplessness. If You hadn't voluntarily pulled back just now, he would have been either dead or severely wounded.
Why had he pulled back? Chi didn't know, and he couldn't tell whether this was some kind of tactic, so he could only retreat to Zhu's side and keep watch warily.
Then, in the very next moment, he understood.
A terrifyingly sharp aura suddenly pierced upward from beneath the blood sea. Even though it wasn't directed at him, Chi felt his soul shudder and his mind go restless.
And You, who was facing that aura head-on, was certainly not having a good time either.
That was exactly right. You — who had been handling everything with effortless composure — now looked like he'd encountered a natural enemy. His expression was taut with alarm, incantations tumbling from his lips without pause. The blood sea churned into towering waves that converged into a single point, spiraling into a vortex. From within that crimson whirlpool radiated a terrifying power capable of shattering mountains and splitting seas.
Chi drew a sharp breath, eyes wide with horror.
Not because of You's strength. The man was only a Great Shaman — even being one small rank above him, how much stronger could he really be? You's power was built entirely on that blood gourd Shaman Artifact.
This was absolutely not something a Great Shaman could obtain so easily!
It must have been bestowed upon him by a Shaman King — or even a Shaman Saint. At that thought, Chi's heart sank.
Before he could dwell on it, the razor-sharp aura collided with the blood sea. A barrage of sizzling sounds erupted, and streaks of sword qi materialized out of thin air, roaming through the blood sea. Wherever the sword qi passed, sheets of blood mist evaporated — a considerable portion of the sea had been destroyed.
Chi's eyes lit up. He didn't know where this powerful reinforcement had come from, but he knew this was a perfect opportunity to counterattack. He shot a glance at Zhu, and their eyes met. Everything was understood without a single word.
Each chanting their own incantation, their Shaman Artifacts blazing with radiance, they unleashed everything they had at You.
The blood sea surged, its waves coalescing into a wall that stood before You, rendering the two Great Shamans' attacks completely futile. Worse still, their Shaman Artifacts were tainted by the blood sea, losing a significant measure of their spiritual energy. Both men cried out in distress.
But their assault had, at the very least, tied up some of You's attention — causing the power he was directing against the sharp aura to fluctuate and grow unsteady.
The crimson vortex suddenly went haywire, then collapsed with a crash. And from within it, a beam of sword light erupted skyward — man and sword merged as one — slashing straight at You.
"Roar!" You reacted without panic, bellowing a low roar as he raised both hands. Blood arrows materialized out of nowhere, forming a rain of projectiles that hurtled toward the sword light.
Sssssssss...
The overwhelming deluge of arrows hampered the sword light's advance. Stained by the defiling blood glow, the sword light dimmed abruptly, and a figure emerged from within.
With a cold snort, Yang Kai landed in the blood sea, regarding his surroundings with a hint of curiosity.
"You!" Chi stared at Yang Kai in shock, unable to believe that this sudden reinforcement was none other than that shaman from the Southern Barbarian tribe.
Was this even a shaman anymore? How could he possibly wield such overwhelming power?
Even Zhu's eyes were trembling, clearly still unable to process what he'd just witnessed.
"A Shaman?" You furrowed his brow. He had assumed the newcomer was at the very least an upper-rank Great Shaman, but now that he got a clear look, the other party was merely a Shaman. However, You quickly showed a look of understanding, his gaze lingering on the Million Sword for a moment.
He'd figured it out. The reason this Shaman could exert power far beyond his own level was, at its root, that sword — an artifact that even Shaman Kings and Shaman Saints would be hard-pressed to ignore.
Having come to this realization, You couldn't help but let out a derisive snort. His blood sea's greatest strength lay in its ability to corrupt Shaman Artifacts. No matter how powerful, any artifact that touched so much as a drop of that blood water would lose its spiritual energy.
Relying on a powerful artifact to challenge him was the most foolish course of action.
Once he corroded the spiritual energy of that sword, within this blood sea he could do whatever he pleased — it wouldn't matter whether the enemy was two or three.
But in the very next instant, You's entire body went rigid, his eyes filling with horror as he stared ahead.
Because Yang Kai merely gave the Million Sword a slight shake, and every drop of blood water vanished without a trace, revealing the bright, broad blade once more — with absolutely no sign of corrosion.
How was that possible?!
And in the instant You's mind went blank, Yang Kai had already transformed into a bolt of thunder, hurtling toward him once more.
"Watch out!" Chi cried in alarm. Though Yang Kai's stunning strike just now had left him shaken, the man was still only a Shaman. Charging at the enemy so recklessly — how could that possibly end well?
You laughed heartily, regarding Yang Kai as though staring at a dead man. He raised a hand, and the blood sea parted like a curtain. A tidal wave of crimson crashed down upon Yang Kai's head, swallowing him from sight in an instant.
Chi's jaw dropped, his face twisted with frustration as he silently cursed that Southern Barbarian shaman for being more hindrance than help. You's blood sea was already a nightmare to deal with — now, having absorbed his power through corrosion, it would only grow stronger. He and Zhu wouldn't stand a chance.