Spatial laws surged as a figure materialized between Yang Kai and his opponent, throwing a punch that sent the Pseudo-Emperor Demon reeling backward. Only then did the figure turn to look at him. "You alright?"
Li Wuyi!
Yang Kai wasn't surprised. After all, he had used the Spirit Communication Bead to teleport to Li Wuyi's location. Who could have guessed that Li Wuyi would be locked in a fierce battle with a powerful Demon at the exact moment of his arrival, causing Yang Kai to be pulled into the fray before he could even get his bearings.
"I'm fine!" Yang Kai cracked his neck and shook his head slowly.
Li Wuyi said, "Fall back for now. I'll talk to you after."
With that, he lunged at the Demon once more. In an instant the two were locked in combat, their battle blazing with ferocity. Li Wuyi was known as the strongest cultivator beneath the Great Emperors in the Star Boundary, and with his mastery of spatial laws, he stood head and shoulders above even other Pseudo-Emperors. The Demon was no weakling either, but he was clearly being overwhelmed.
That said, the Demon was likely a Strength Demon — powerful frame, thick hide, extraordinary defense. Though Li Wuyi held the upper hand, he couldn't find an immediate way to finish him off.
It wasn't just these two powerhouses fighting to the death. Across the vast battlefield, nearly a million Star Boundary cultivators were clashing with the Demon Race in brutal engagement, and every moment someone fell to the ground, dead. Thirty li away, a city stood firm, its grand formation blazing with protective light.
Yang Kai understood immediately. The situation here was much the same as at Tiger Roar City — holding their ground behind city walls. The difference was that battle had already erupted here, unlike Tiger Roar City, where the Demon Race was still circling and watching for an opening.
Seeing this, Yang Kai naturally couldn't stand by and do nothing. He summoned the Million Sword and charged into the enemy ranks, cutting a swath of devastation wherever he went, sending Demon after Demon tumbling.
The Demon forces here were considerably larger than those at Tiger Roar City, with more powerful fighters as well, including a single Pseudo-Emperor among them. The rest were Demon Kings.
Yang Kai's current strength meant he had nothing to fear from Demon King-level opponents. He carved through the Demon formation single-handedly, coming and going almost unopposed.
A full half-day passed before both sides finally sounded the retreat. The ground was littered with countless corpses. The Star Boundary had taken significant losses, but the Demon Race hadn't fared much better — a mutual bloodbath. Li Wuyi had no intention of pressing the pursuit, since no clear advantage had been gained, and ordered a withdrawal back to the city to rest and regroup.
Inside the City Lord's Manor, it was only after Li Wuyi had washed and changed into a clean set of robes that he finally had the chance to speak with Yang Kai.
"Senior, what's the situation with the Great Emperors?" Yang Kai was eager to learn what agreement the Great Emperors and the Demon Saints had reached that had kept both sides' most powerful forces out of the fight.
Li Wuyi said, "You've heard the news?"
Yang Kai nodded. "I just came from Tiger Roar City. I spoke with Li Jiao and Senior Sister Gao."
Li Wuyi said, "Then they must have explained the reason to you. Mm, the general explanation is about the same as what they told you."
"There's more to it?" Yang Kai raised an eyebrow.
Li Wuyi said, "The other reason has to do with Lord Mingyue."
"Please explain, Senior." Yang Kai straightened.
Li Wuyi sighed. "It seems Lord Mingyue is trapped somewhere in the Demon Domain. The Demon Saints have stated that if the Great Emperors dare to intervene, they will return to the Demon Domain and eliminate Lord Mingyue first. Conversely, if the Great Emperors stand by and observe, they will not rashly take action either."
Yang Kai frowned upon hearing this. "You're saying this proposal came from the Demon Domain's side first?"
Li Wuyi said, "Precisely. The Great Emperors had no choice. Lord Mingyue had previously sacrificed his own freedom and fallen into the Demon Domain in order to allow three other Lords to escape. His selflessness was truly admirable. Now that Lord Mingyue is in danger, the other Lords naturally cannot stand by and do nothing. If they were truly to force the Demon Saints into going after Lord Mingyue, then no matter how powerful Lord Mingyue might be, it would almost certainly end in tragedy — after all, that is the Demon Domain."
Yang Kai looked puzzled. "But what benefit does this proposal give the Demon Saints? They came to corrode and invade the Star Boundary — why would they voluntarily restrain their own hands?" They could have simply pooled their forces to deal with Great Emperor Mingyue first, or captured him, which would have given them an even greater advantage.
Li Wuyi shook his head slowly, indicating that he didn't know the full picture either. Though he had access to certain information unavailable to others, his knowledge had its limits.
After thinking for a moment, Yang Kai asked, "What was the Great Emperors' original inclination? Were they happy to go along with this, or were they compelled to hold back?"
"Going with the flow, I suppose," Li Wuyi replied.
"And if Lord Mingyue manages to break free?"
Li Wuyi shook his head slowly. "Unlikely."
"But what if..." Yang Kai's gaze burned intently as he stared at Li Wuyi.
Li Wuyi said, "When things go against the natural order, there must be something sinister at play. The Demon Saints made that proposal — while it benefits the Star Boundary, it must benefit the Demon Domain even more. If Lord Mingyue truly does manage to break free and return, I believe the Great Emperors will take action once again. The problem is, no one knows what scheme the Demon Domain is truly cooking up. Not even the Great Emperors can figure it out."
Yang Kai's eyes darted about as he sank into deep thought.
Li Wuyi said, "Let's drop this subject. Lord Mingyue's situation is for the Great Emperors to worry about — they'll certainly find a way to handle it. What about you? Last I heard, you went to the Frozen Wasteland. How did you manage to get back so quickly? How did things go?"