As his words fell, Yang Kai raised his hand and pointed at Wind Lord from a distance.
With a piercing whinny, an exotic beast wreathed in black flames and bearing a single horn on its forehead made its spectacular entrance—majestic and powerful, it resembled a horse but towered far above any ordinary steed. Its entire body roiled with demonic yuan, its aura fierce and overwhelming. It had clearly already reached the Half-Saint level.
Yang Kai had more than just three Half-Saint demons at his side. In the Small Sealed World, there was also Chasing Wind. The reason he hadn't called it out before was that within Boundless Darkness, everyone enveloped by the technique would be affected—aside from himself. Even if he summoned Chasing Wind, it would be blinded and deafened just like Wind Lord, and rather than helping, it would only cause more trouble.
Things were different now. Wind Lord was as spent as he was, and summoning Chasing Wind would be the perfect opportunity to kick a drowning dog.
Though Chasing Wind was a demonic beast of the Demon Domain with limited intelligence, it could still tell friend from foe. The moment it appeared, it glanced back at Yang Kai, blinked its large eyes, then looked over at Wind Lord on the other side. In an instant, both its eyes turned red, demonic flames erupting from its entire body. With another sharp whinny, it lowered its head and charged straight at Wind Lord.
Wind Lord stared in dumbfounded disbelief, nearly struck senseless.
He had thought the outcome was settled, victory assured—he only needed to wait for Yang Kai to perish. Who could have guessed that the fellow would raise his hand and summon such a fearsome creature? He couldn't identify what kind of exotic beast Chasing Wind was, but that Half-Saint aura was unmistakable. Such a ferocious creature would have been a headache even at his full strength, let alone in his current wretched state.
Seeing Chasing Wind charge headlong at him, the horn on its forehead gleaming with cold light, Wind Lord knew full well that if he were struck, he would surely die. In this moment between life and death, he bit down on the tip of his tongue and sprayed a mouthful of essence blood onto the Endless Hourglass in his hand!
The ancient and unadorned Endless Hourglass suddenly blazed with blinding radiance. As the light spread, the entire Temple of Years trembled and hummed. In the next instant, a barrier of light materialized out of thin air, wrapping around Wind Lord.
BOOM! Chasing Wind slammed into the barrier with a tremendous crash and was sent hurtling backward. At the same moment, the Temple of Years let out another shuddering hum.
It was as though Chasing Wind's charge hadn't struck the barrier at all, but the entire Temple of Years itself!
Chasing Wind went flying through the air. Wind Lord and Yang Kai both glared at each other and launched into furious cursing: "Despicable and shameless! Cunning and treacherous!"
After they finished, they both clutched their chests and dissolved into violent coughing fits, blood constantly spilling from the corners of their mouths.
They had fought each other to the death, and the battle had ended in what was practically mutual destruction. And in the end, it turned out they had both been holding back. Yang Kai thought Wind Lord was despicable and shameless; Wind Lord thought Yang Kai was cunning and treacherous...
But after that single exchange of insults, both fell silent—they simply didn't have the energy to continue. Whether Wind Lord or Yang Kai, this was probably the first time in either of their lives they had been reduced to such a wretched state.
Meanwhile, Chasing Wind crashed to the ground heavily. After picking itself up, it shook its head, locked onto Wind Lord's position once more, and charged with ferocious intent.
Moments later came another thunderous boom as Chasing Wind was sent flying again, exactly as before.
Yang Kai's eyelid twitched—he felt that this time things had gotten truly troublesome. He had endured and endured, holding back from summoning Chasing Wind, wanting to give Wind Lord a massive surprise at the critical moment. He had thought he could deliver the final blow in the end, but who knew Wind Lord had also been hiding a trump card.
That barrier of light, activated by Wind Lord spitting essence blood onto the Endless Hourglass, possessed no offensive power, but it was obviously incredibly tough. After two charges from Chasing Wind, it showed not the slightest sign of damage. With Chasing Wind's strength, there was probably no way to break through. As long as the barrier held, Wind Lord would not die—and if Wind Lord didn't die, Yang Kai was finished.
Divine sand flowed within the Endless Hourglass, his lifespan draining away steadily. He couldn't hold out much longer. Was his only option to flee into the Small Sealed World? The Small Sealed World existed as its own independent realm—if he retreated inside, he might be able to sever his connection with the Endless Hourglass. But that was only a possibility. Having never tried it, Yang Kai couldn't be sure.
Still, this was truly his final retreat.
Across from him, Wind Lord chuckled softly, laughing with genuine delight.
Yang Kai couldn't stand it. With a cold face and a feeble voice, he said: "Keep laughing and I'll knock your teeth out."
Wind Lord shook his head and responded in an equally weakened voice: "It's no use. It's no use. The Endless Hourglass is not only a Great Emperor's relic—it is also the core mechanism controlling the Temple of Years. I channel the power of the hourglass and unleash the might of the temple to protect myself. Unless this wretched beast can destroy the entire Temple of Years, there is nothing anyone can do to me. Not even if a Great Emperor came in person!"
"If a Great Emperor actually showed up, try saying that then..." Yang Kai's face was full of scorn.
Mockery aside, Yang Kai suspected Wind Lord wasn't lying. At this point, there was no need for deception. Moreover, during Chasing Wind's two charges, each time the barrier was struck, the Temple of Years had shuddered and hummed. This proved that the barrier was indeed intimately connected to the entire temple. Without destroying the Temple of Years, there was simply no way to harm Wind Lord in the slightest. But how could Chasing Wind destroy the Temple of Years? It was an unsolvable problem.
As the two spoke, Chasing Wind had already lowered its head and charged for the third time.