A piercing beam of green light condensed like an awl and shot straight toward Yang Kai's chest.
Yang Kai stood his ground, watching coldly as a layer of emerald luminescence abruptly surfaced across his skin, forming a powerful barrier of protection.
The green beam struck the barrier and shattered on contact.
"How is this possible?" the Human Emperor exclaimed in shock. He naturally knew that Yang Kai could wield Sacred Arts and channel the Sacred Tree's power — after all, he too was a Shaman, and any Shaman could perform Sacred Arts. But without having undergone the proper baptismal rite, why would the Sacred Tree automatically shield him? The princes and princesses received their protection and survived moments of crisis only after enduring an exceedingly complex ritual.
The Sacred Tree, as it stood now, felt peculiar. On one hand, it did not refuse the Human Emperor's commands. On the other, it was actively obstructing his attempts to kill his enemy — like a disobedient child acting on whims, doing whatever pleased it.
"So you really do want to kill me!" Yang Kai sneered, clearly having anticipated this.
The Human Emperor said nothing, his expression growing three shades more solemn. The incantation on his lips shifted, and with a raised hand he unleashed a bolt of raging thunder at Yang Kai. The thunder was terrifying in its fury, coiling like a flood dragon thrashing its head and tail, and in the blink of an eye it crashed down before Yang Kai, erupting in a blinding radiance that engulfed him completely.
The Human Emperor's expression changed once more.
When the light faded, Yang Kai stood in place without a single hair out of place — not even a wrinkle marred his robes.
"Why?!" the Human Emperor roared, though not at Yang Kai. He turned toward the Sacred Tree, like a stern father berating a mischievous child, his hair bristling with fury.
The Sacred Tree had thwarted him twice now, and his patience was wearing thin.
Yang Kai said coolly, "Want to know why?"
The Human Emperor growled low, "What tricks have you been pulling?!"
Yang Kai snorted. "Tricks or no tricks — surely you can see that for yourself? Why kid yourself?"
The Human Emperor ground his teeth. "I am the Human Emperor! How dare you defy me!" Whether this was directed at Yang Kai or the Sacred Tree was unclear.
He bellowed, and incantations rang from his lips once more.
As his chant sounded, the Sacred Tree began to shudder, undergoing some strange transformation. Then great gushes of green energy flowed out from within the tree and surged into the Human Emperor's body, causing his aura to climb relentlessly upward. His not particularly imposing frame suddenly swelled with a towering presence.
"Killing the hen to get the egg! You're courting ruin!" Yang Kai seethed with rage and immediately began chanting incantations of his own. Yet his words sounded far more ancient and arcane, more profound and abstruse than the Human Emperor's.
Though he did not know what Shamanistic art the Human Emperor was performing, he could perceive through his resonance with the Sacred Tree things invisible to the naked eye. The Human Emperor's method was damaging the Sacred Tree's very foundation — nothing short of killing the hen to harvest the egg.
It was clear that in his desperation to deal with Yang Kai, the Human Emperor had abandoned all concern for anything else.
If the Sacred Tree's foundation were shaken, Human Emperor City itself would suffer.
The green energy flowing toward the Human Emperor seemed to encounter some form of resistance, its pace slowing noticeably.
Seeing this, the Human Emperor's fury blazed even hotter. His incantations grew louder as he tried to wrest control of the Sacred Tree's power from Yang Kai.
Yang Kai gazed at him with icy eyes, his voice and tone utterly unchanged, his heart firm and unwavering.
The two stood face to face, no flashing blades or clashing swords, no storm of blood and rain — yet they had entered a contest of the most peculiar kind. The winner would claim everything; the loser would be crushed beneathfoot.
The key to it all lay in the resonance with the Sacred Tree. The deeper the resonance, the greater the power one could command.
Both Yang Kai and the Human Emperor understood this, and so neither attacked the other. They simply focused on doing their own part. The Sacred Tree possessed no conscious mind — it was merely a lingering vestige of will, faithfully upholding its mandate to protect the Shamans. Whichever Shaman sought its power, it would lend its strength.
The green glow on the Human Emperor flickered between bright and dim. When it shone brightly, it meant he held a slight advantage in the contest. When it dimmed, the opposite was true.
He suddenly realized that Yang Kai was an exceedingly formidable opponent — far more difficult to handle than he had imagined.
This man's resonance with the Sacred Tree was in no way inferior to his own, despite the fact that he, the Human Emperor, had lived beside the Sacred Tree from childhood to old age. Had it not been for this, he would have disposed of Yang Kai long ago, instead of now reaching a stalemate.
The Sacred Tree seemed to harbor an exceptionally special fondness for this outsider, favoring him at every turn while opposing him head-on.
He suddenly realized that letting Yang Kai come in here to observe the Sacred Tree up close had been a mistake. If he had simply struck him down right there in the Human Emperor's Hall, it might not have come to this.
I am the Human Emperor! I am the King of Mankind! The Human Emperor's heart roared, hoping this thought might somehow reach the Sacred Tree. Yet it produced the opposite effect — he could distinctly feel that the Sacred Tree was showing signs of rejection toward him, like a sullen child chafing under a father's scolding, a rebellious spirit stirring within.