As though a handful of salt had been tossed into a boiling cauldron of oil, once the halo of light rippled outward, a sight defying all reason unfolded.
The bodies of over ten thousand demons blazed with crimson light, each and every one of them surging with power as though they had been injected with some potent stimulant, their auras skyrocketing in an instant.
Wen Zishan, Ma Qing, and Xiao Yuyang's expressions shifted simultaneously, their faces filling with shock.
Ma Qing blurted out, "What kind of secret technique is this?"
Such a technique was utterly unheard of — never seen, never even imagined. That crimson glow blazed forth, and the combined aura of the ten thousand demons climbed significantly, as though their strength had been elevated by an entire tier for nothing. A technique like this could only be described as miraculous.
Just imagine: if two evenly matched armies were locked in a bloody melee, and one side suddenly received the backing of such a technique, the outcome would be decided without the slightest suspense.
And that was to say nothing of the fact that Yang Kai's technique, once unleashed, could blanket over ten thousand people at once.
Ma Qing had never seen it. Xiao Yuyang had never seen it. Wen Zishan certainly had never seen it either. All three stood gaping, struck dumb.
Meanwhile, Fan Wu, Cang Gou, and Luan Feng, who had come along to see what was happening, exchanged glances. Cang Gou furrowed his brow. "I feel like this looks rather like…" The last few words were spoken so softly that even with Ma Qing and the others straining their ears, they couldn't make them out.
Fan Wu gave a slight nod. "It does bear a resemblance."
Luan Feng knit her brows. "It shouldn't be possible, though. How could he possibly execute that kind of technique?"
Though none of the three had witnessed this particular technique before, the Saint Spirit lineages each of them carried contained similar memories. Because they had never actually seen it, however, they couldn't be entirely certain.
The three went back and forth, each adding a comment, driving Ma Qing and the others to the edge of their seats with frustration. They scratched at their ears and cheeks, thinking: Whatever you have to say, why not just come out and say it? What's with all the mystery? But facing three Saint Spirits, they didn't dare push their luck.
At that moment, the incantation flowing from Yang Kai's lips shifted. He pointed downward once more, the light at his fingertip pristine and immaculate, its halo rippling outward.
As the milky-white radiance swept across the assembled demons, all ten thousand let out pained moans. Then, strand by strand, demonic qi seeped from their bodies and dissipated into nothingness.
Ma Qing's eyes went wide. "It actually works!"
It wasn't as though they had never attempted to purge the demonic qi from those people before. They had tried, but could never find the right method. That bizarre demonic qi was extraordinarily stubborn — even when they managed to expel some of it, they could never fully cleanse it, nor could they achieve anything close to Yang Kai's effortless, almost casual mastery.
It had to be remembered that they could only purge the demonic qi one person at a time. Yang Kai had just enveloped over ten thousand people in a single sweep. The gulf between the two approaches was beyond measure.
"An ancient Witchcraft!" Fan Wu's expression sharpened, and he called out in a low voice.
If before this he had only suspected, now he could confirm it. The secret technique Yang Kai was executing was none other than an ancient Witchcraft!
"Ancient Witchcraft?" Ma Qing's eyes bulged as he turned to stare at Fan Wu, and with genuine humility asked, "Brother Fan, you mean to say this is a technique inherited from antiquity?"
Fan Wu glanced at him and didn't bother answering.
He was a Saint Spirit, after all. Every one of his Demon Kings was comparable to a third-stage Emperor, and Ma Qing himself was merely at that same cultivation level. Out in the Desolate Ancient Lands, Ma Qing ranked no higher than one of his own subordinates — and yet here he was, presuming to address him as "Brother"? Fan Wu could hardly be expected to dignify that with a response.
Spotting the undisguised contempt in Fan Wu's eyes, Ma Qing's face flushed crimson. But his fists weren't as big as the other's, and he didn't dare cause a scene. The embarrassment was almost unbearable.
Wen Zishan stifled a laugh inwardly, but kept his expression neutral as he remarked, "This kid's fortune really is extraordinary. To think he could actually come into possession of an ancient technique. This is going to be an enormous help."
Fan Wu said flatly, "That has nothing to do with possession."
"How so?" Wen Zishan asked with curiosity.
Perhaps because of his connection to Yang Kai, Fan Wu's attitude toward Wen Zishan was comparatively civil. After a moment's thought, he explained, "In the current Star Boundary, secret techniques inherited from ancient and primordial times are not nonexistent. But have you ever actually seen anyone use them?"
Wen Zishan frowned. "No, I haven't. Perhaps they simply guard them jealously and cultivate them in secret?"
Luan Feng chuckled softly. "They can't be cultivated at all."
Wen Zishan blinked. "Why is that?"
Luan Feng said, "Each era has its own Heavenly Laws, and under those corresponding Heavenly Laws, corresponding techniques come into being. Witchcraft belongs to the ancient era — it can only be cultivated under the Heavenly Laws of that age. The current laws of the Star Boundary simply cannot satisfy the requirements for its cultivation."
Ma Qing and Wen Zishan stared at each other. "There's such a rule?"