"Not for the moment. He should have fled."
Yang Kai was curious. "How can you be so certain, my lord?" After all, once Mo Huang and the others had retreated, only Emperor Mingyue had been left over there. Facing six opponents alone, how could Mingyue possibly hold his own? Even death and the dissipation of his Dao were possibilities.
Mo Huang smiled faintly. "Mingyue is still an Emperor, after all. Capturing him won't be so easy. Besides... if he had died, I would have sensed it."
He didn't explain how he would sense it, but Yang Kai guessed it was tied to the Star Boundary itself. All ten Great Emperors had been acknowledged by this world's Heavenly Dao — the fall of any one of them would inevitably trigger a cosmic phenomenon.
The two were still talking when Mo Huang's brow suddenly lifted, his gaze sharpening as he stared into the distance. His voice turned grave. "There's movement on the Demon Race side."
Yang Kai's expression sobered instantly, and he raised his eyes to look as well. Sure enough, from within that demonic territory, an endless tide of demons was slowly advancing outward, their posture unmistakably that of an impending assault.
Mo Huang's face darkened. "They must have discovered the Space Array. They want to destroy the array here to delay our forces from gathering."
After all, there had been hardly anyone here to begin with — and now, within just a few days, a hundred thousand had suddenly assembled. The demons weren't blind. They would certainly notice the signs, and anyone with half a brain would refuse to let things develop unchecked. They would find a way to destroy the array first.
Nearly the entire demon army of a million marched out, yet their formation was perfectly disciplined. The thunderous sound of their synchronized footsteps merged into a single rumble that shook the very earth.
How could the Northern Domain's cultivators fail to notice? They immediately sprang into action, raising the alarm and scrambling into position.
For a moment, the scene descended into near-chaos — a stark contrast to the orderly advance of the demon forces.
Mo Huang glanced back over his shoulder and spoke. "These are all your Northern Domain people. Go organize them. Don't let them fall apart before the fight even begins."
Yang Kai nodded solemnly, flickered forward, and soared to a high vantage in the sky, his voice booming across the ranks. "Prepare for battle!"
A figure hurried over immediately, cupping his fists. "Palace Master Yang, the demons are coming."
The man was a first-order Emperor Realm cultivator, around fifty in appearance. Yang Kai found him vaguely familiar but couldn't recall exactly which Sect he belonged to — some sort of Sect Master, it seemed. His faction had sent over three hundred disciples this time.
At this moment, the man's face was pale with alarm, his fear palpable.
For the cultivators of the Star Boundary, one-on-one duels and even group brawls were everyday occurrences. After all this time in Cultivation, who hadn't had some dispute or another? Who didn't have a few deaths on their hands?
But a full-scale battle between two armies? That was an entirely different matter. Among the hundred thousand gathered here, only Yang Kai had experience with warfare on this scale. No one else had.
So when they first laid eyes on that vast black mass of demons surging toward them, their instinct was simply to flee. Everyone understood the principle that two fists couldn't match four hands. They were clearly outnumbered — barely a tenth of the enemy's forces. How could they possibly fight?
If even an Emperor Realm cultivator like this man was having such thoughts, what about those in the Dao Source Realm and Void King Realm? If Mo Huang hadn't been stationed here, they would have scattered in all directions already.
Yang Kai swept a cold gaze across the crowd before settling it on the Emperor Realm cultivator. His tone was flat. "I'm not blind. I can see the demons approaching — which is precisely why I told you to prepare for battle."
Immediately someone spoke up. "Palace Master Yang, did you see how many demons there are?"
Yang Kai replied indifferently. "Lord Beast Martial says there are a million of them."
"A million!" The crowd froze. They had known the demons were numerous, but the exact figure had been unclear. Now, hearing the word "million," many of them began trembling.
"Are you afraid?" Yang Kai's gaze swept over them once more.
No one answered, but the panic written plainly across their faces was answer enough.
"A million — so what?" Yang Kai thundered. "Most of them are nothing but cannon fodder. They may be numerous, but they're fragile. There are a hundred thousand of us here, every single one above the Void King Realm — how can we possibly cower before them! Lord Beast Martial has told us they've discovered the Space Array and are coming to destroy it. But this array is the key to the Southern Domain and Eastern Domain reinforcements teleporting here — it cannot be lost under any circumstances. We must hold this position and crush the demons!"
The crowd was silent. They were all from the Northern Domain, and Lingxiao Palace was nominally its leading Sect. Now that Yang Kai was invoking Emperor Beast Martial's authority as his banner, even if they were still afraid, none dared voice any dissent. But every face was clouded with worry, each one wondering whether the anniversary of their death might be today.
Morale was in the gutter. Yang Kai's blood ran hot with frustration. Thank heavens the Eastern and Southern Domain cultivators hadn't arrived yet — if they witnessed this, his reputation would be utterly destroyed.
After a brief pause, Yang Kai spoke. "This is the first battle between our Star Boundary and the Demon Domain. Its significance cannot be overstated. If we lose this fight, what confidence will we ever have to face the demons again? The Demon Race is savage — if they devour the Star Boundary, they will seize your Sect foundations, take your wives and daughters, slaughter your descendants! In the underworld, what faces will you show to your ancestors?!" His words crashed down like peals of heavenly thunder, shaking in the ears of every one of those hundred thousand. Harsh though they were, they made many eyes burn red. The scene Yang Kai had painted was impossible to accept. Even knowing he was being deliberately provocative, they also knew that if the demons truly overran the Star Boundary, such horrors would come to pass.
"This battle must be won!" Yang Kai roared. "And it must be won brilliantly! A billion cultivators across the Star Boundary will remember this day — remember your sacrifice! This is the glory of our Northern Domain's warriors, the honor of our Northern Domain's cultivators!"
"Furthermore..." Yang Kai glanced toward where Mo Huang stood. "With Lord Beast Martial holding this ground, what is there to fear?"
Li Jiao saw that the moment was ripe and immediately stepped forward, cupping his fists. "Li Jiao and the entire Azure Dragon Palace pledge to follow Palace Master Yang into battle! We shall slaughter a million demons and raise the banner of the Northern Domain's might!"