Even though they were all Demon Saints, there were still differences in strength among them. This was true not only for the Demon Domain, but also for the Great Emperors of the Star Realm. Take Great Emperor Tianshu and Great Emperor Miaodan, for instance—if they actually clashed with anyone else, they certainly wouldn't be a match for the other Great Emperors. The two of them had never been known for their combat prowess. Among the ten Great Emperors of the Star Realm, the strongest fighter was probably Great Emperor Tiexue. The title "Iron Blood" spoke for itself.
Xue Li and Huo Bu's feud could be traced back twenty thousand years. Though the details were unclear, one could infer from their words that twenty thousand years ago, this Demon Saint called Huo Bu had suffered a great defeat at Xue Li's hands. Otherwise, they wouldn't still remember it so clearly after all this time.
"Arghhhh..." In just a few exchanges, Huo Bu was driven into a towering rage, stamping his feet endlessly on the blood-colored pillar. Gritting his teeth, he roared, "Xue Li! I'll make sure you die a miserable death!"
Xue Li snorted coldly. "A mere wisp of a soul fragment, and you think I wouldn't dare destroy you?"
Huo Bu immediately fell silent. His enmity with Xue Li was well-known to everyone. He had wanted to use this opportunity to mock his rival, but if he really provoked Xue Li into destroying his soul fragment, the other Demon Saints wouldn't stand up for him. Once a soul fragment was destroyed, he would inevitably suffer some damage. Yet being threatened by Xue Li like this without making any response—he wasn't willing to just take it lying down.
Fortunately, someone stepped in to mediate. "Enough, both of you say less. Settle your grudge privately. Right now, Ming Yue is what matters most." The speaking Demon Saint had a pair of wings growing from his back. He appeared to be of the same race as Bo Ya—likely a Demon Saint of the Winged Demon race. He turned his head to look around, and cold words escaped his lips: "Kill him, or not?"
The Demon Saints were not incapable of slaying Ming Yue in the Demon Domain. When they had severely wounded him before, there had been a perfect opportunity. But at the time, they had planned to let the Demon Domain digest Ming Yue—adding a Demon Saint position to the Demon Domain while permanently reducing the number of Great Emperors on the Star Realm's side. That was why they had set up the great array and conducted a blood sacrifice of hundreds of millions of living beings.
But things had not gone as planned. Now Ming Yue had the means to break free, and their earlier plan was about to fall through. They could only think of another approach.
As for the question posed by this Winged Demon Saint, no one could give an answer. If they killed him, then all their previous arrangements would be wasted, and the hundreds of millions of lives on the Zhoutian Continent would have died in vain. But if they didn't kill him, who knew how much damage a cornered Great Emperor could wreak? Even for the Demon Saints, this was a dilemma.
Silence fell. Only the sizzling sound of pure white light purifying the blood water filled the air.
Pairs of eyes all turned toward one tall figure. It was as if this Demon Saint held great authority among all of them, as if his words could convince everyone. Under the collective gaze, this Demon Saint spoke: "Let's try once more. If it truly doesn't work, then we'll use Plan B!"
The Demon Saint of the Shadow Demon clan said, "Plan B does indeed have a chance of success. But we've discussed this before—our Demon Race clansmen may not gain the recognition of that realm, and once they fail to gain recognition, they will certainly die. Moreover, most importantly, if we actually go through with it, the Half-Saints under your command will probably suffer considerable casualties. Expecting them to kill a Great Emperor without paying a price is impossible."
The Sand Demon Saint said, "Since it's an opportunity, we must seize it. Whether they gain the recognition of that realm depends on whether our subordinates have the fortune. As for life and death... I believe they would rather set aside concerns of life and death for the sake of their own future. If it were us, we would make the same choice."
The numerous Demon Saints all nodded in agreement. This time, even Xue Li and Huo Bu, who couldn't stand each other, were of one mind.
Seeing this, the tall Demon Saint who had spoken earlier said, "Since none of you object, then it shall be done!"
Once the discussion was settled, the twelve Demon Saints simultaneously formed hand seals. In an instant, the twelve blood-colored pillars erupted with crimson light, filling heaven and earth. From within the constantly shrinking blood sphere, a terrifying aura surged outward. Under the enhancement of the Twelve Heavenly Great Demon Array, the blood sphere's power had been amplified to its utmost.
The pure white light was continuously compressed and weakened, until not a trace of light remained. In a mere half-hour, even Ming Yue's aura had become imperceptible.
Seeing this, the Demon Saints couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief. They had genuinely believed Ming Yue had fully recovered before, but now it appeared it was just a false alarm. Perhaps Ming Yue had used some secret technique to suppress his injuries for one final attempt. It was just a pity that he had truly underestimated the power of the Twelve Heavenly Great Demon Array. If Xue Li had truly been the only one here, perhaps he might have succeeded. But Ming Yue didn't know that this great array could summon the soul fragments of other Demon Saints at any time to enhance its power. It could only be said that he fell short of success, destined to perish in the Demon Domain.
And in this way, their original plan could proceed once again—let Ming Yue slowly weaken, let the Demon Domain digest him...
The very instant the Demon Saints relaxed their guard, Xue Li's expression suddenly changed and he shouted, "Watch out!"
Unlike the other Demon Saints who had projected their soul fragments here, he was physically present. His perception was naturally much sharper than the others'. Plus, as a Blood Demon, he could perceive changes within the blood sphere to the greatest extent. So the slightest disturbance within the blood sphere—he could detect it.
Just in that very instant, Ming Yue's aura, which had previously been extinguished, suddenly reignited from the ashes once more. And it was expanding at a speed that even he found terrifying. The earlier weakening had actually been nothing more than a disguise—a strategy of showing weakness to the enemy.
In that moment, Xue Li's mind was clearer than it had ever been. A flash of realization crossed his eyes. So that was his plan!
No wonder he had the ability to break free all along but had hidden it. He had deliberately applied pressure, making him summon the soul fragments of the other eleven—intending to destroy all these soul fragments in one stroke.