With just a single glance, Yang Kai understood. Within thirty zhang of Lord Wind, time itself had been distorted, creating this visual illusion. In moments like these, what the eyes perceived was not necessarily reality.
All of this should have been the power of the Great Emperor's remains—not Lord Wind's own strength.
Without hesitation, Yang Kai shot into the sky and charged toward Lord Wind's position.
His expression was solemn, demonic energy surging around him—righteous might tinged with an aura of darkness. Forming hand seals, he murmured in a low voice, "The waxing and waning of years, like a shuttle, like a dream!"
Within the thirty-zhang radius, Yang Kai's palm struck downward!
The twisted space-time was instantly smoothed out. Though Yang Kai's mastery of the Time Law was not profound, he had at least gained an initial understanding. Moreover, the Shuttle of Years Seal was a divine ability passed down from the Great Emperor of Time—more than sufficient to counter the disruptive power of the Great Emperor's remains.
In that same instant, Bai Zhuo—freed from the constraints of the Time Law—let out a piercing howl and raised his hand. A crimson river of blood surged toward Lord Wind. Within that torrent, tormented souls writhed and wailed in agony, its power truly unfathomable.
The Dharma Body reached out and grasped at the void, seizing a demonic war hammer into its palm and smashing it down at Lord Wind.
Two Half-Saints and one high-stage Demon King, each displaying their divine abilities—all targeting Lord Wind. Their overwhelming might shook the very soul.
Caught off guard by this turn of events, Lord Wind's expression changed dramatically. As a Pseudo-Emperor, his perception was keen—he knew full well that neither the Dharma Body nor Bai Zhuo were easy targets. And there was also Boya, who had just been knocked flying by the formation's backlash but had now returned. Three Half-Saints all at once—how could he possibly stand against them alone?
In a flash of inspiration, he glared at Yang Kai and snarled through gritted teeth, "Yang Kai!"
As one of the four great envoys of the Demonic Heaven Dao, his intelligence network far exceeded that of ordinary cultivators. When Yang Kai had returned from the Demon Realm with Yu Rumeng and the others, he had crossed paths with Can Ye, and Night Shadow the Great Emperor would naturally have relayed this information. Lord Wind had learned of these events precisely from Can Ye.
Thus, he harbored no confusion about why demonic Half-Saints would attack him—he knew all too well that they were his enemies.
Truly worthy of being a Pseudo-Emperor, he maintained his composure in the face of crisis. With a single thought, a fierce gale erupted. Wind blades spun around him, forming layer upon layer of wind shields. He raised his hand and launched a shuttle-shaped Artifact at Bai Zhuo.
The Artifact was barely a foot long and looked utterly unremarkable, yet Bai Zhuo treated it as a mortal threat. His charging body came to an abrupt halt as the blood river reversed its flow, coiling around him for protection.
A thunderous boom erupted as the shuttle-shaped Artifact detonated, blasting the blood river to shreds. Bai Zhuo was caught in the blast, staggered, and forced to retreat a hundred zhang, thoroughly disheveled.
Lord Wind raised his hand once more, his colossal palm print meeting the Dharma Body's demonic war hammer head-on. After the clash, the Dharma Body was sent hurtling backward, but Lord Wind suddenly transformed into a clear breeze, evading the ferocious blow entirely without bearing any of its force.
In the blink of an eye, Lord Wind had forced back two Half-Saints—a testament to the formidable extent of his abilities.
Yang Kai's Shuttle of Years Seal had already descended, striking squarely against Lord Wind's chest.
Lord Wind let out a muffled grunt, his features contorting as his appearance aged at a visible rate—only to stop shortly after, restoring itself to its original state. The Shuttle of Years was not without considerable power, but its effectiveness ultimately depended on the enemy.
As a Pseudo-Emperor, Lord Wind's body was robust enough to contend with the Time Law contained within the Great Emperor's remains. Blocking the Shuttle of Years posed no challenge for him.
That said, he had not emerged entirely unscathed—Yang Kai's palm strike had injured him to some degree.
The Dharma Body and Bai Zhuo returned, and Boya—suppressing the churning in his blood and qi—charged in from afar. The killing intent of three Half-Saints boiled into the heavens as Yang Kai raised the Shuttle of Years Seal once more!
A helpless expression crossed Lord Wind's face. He could withstand a single combined assault from two Half-Saints and Yang Kai, but certainly not a second. And this time, Boya had joined the fray.
It was not that he was lacking in strength—one man's fists simply could not match four hands. He did have several Emperor Realm subordinates, but the formation's backlash had either killed or wounded them, rendering them all but useless. The only one left unscathed was Grand Master Sun, a formation master who was no fighter. Gritting his teeth in silent fury at Yang Kai and his allies for their shamelessness—ganging up on him without any semblance of the dignity befitting a powerhouse—he nevertheless did not hesitate in his actions. With a look of grim resolve, he bit down on the tip of his tongue and sprayed his essence blood onto the Great Emperor's remains in his hand.
A brilliant radiance erupted as a single golden character—massive as a bucket—flew out from the Great Emperor's remains. Its script was bizarre, and no one could decipher what it was.
Yang Kai and the others all changed expressions. It did not matter that they could not recognize it—what mattered was the exceedingly dangerous aura they sensed emanating from it. At this critical moment, Yang Kai's gaze turned fierce. Rather than retreating, he surged forward. The Shuttle of Years Seal struck down once more, the Dharma Body's demonic war hammer descended, and the divine abilities of both Bai Zhuo and Boya arrived simultaneously.
The golden character flickered, and every mind in that instant ground to a halt.
When Yang Kai's consciousness returned, he could see that Lord Wind's face had visibly aged. His once thirty-something appearance now clearly looked closer to forty.
The Shuttle of Years Seal had dissipated, and the attacks of the Dharma Body, Boya, and Bai Zhuo had vanished without a trace—as if those few breaths of time had simply been stolen from their lives. What exactly had occurred in those brief moments, no one could say.
Lord Wind, now a decade older, wore a smile that was deep and unfathomable.
Yang Kai's thoughts raced as he hastily examined himself, confirming that he was entirely unharmed. Only then did he relax—though a cold sweat still broke out across his body. Lord Wind had definitely done something just now, but no one had seen it, and no one had sensed it.
He turned to look at the three Half-Saints and immediately spotted the problem.