The clam demon waved its hand, and the seawater surged toward Yang Kai and the others. While it lacked any real killing force, it was more than enough to show just how capable this clam demon was.
Yang Xue's frown deepened. The creature was trying to drive them away after barely a word—there was no room for negotiation at all. After a brief pause, the young girl looked at the clam demon and said, "Forgive the offense."
As the words left her lips, she stepped forward, forming a delicate orchid finger, and gently tapped the barrier ahead.
On the other side, Yang Xiao needed no instructions. The moment Yang Xue made her move, he raised both palms and pressed them toward the barrier as well—slowly, yet with absolute resolve.
Both of their movements were light as a feather, carrying not the faintest trace of mortal exertion.
The clam demon laughed—a cold, contemptuous laugh—and stood on the other side of the barrier with its arms folded, gazing at Yang Xue with open mockery. "Little girl, you have no idea how vast the heavens and earth truly are. This king's cave abode was reinforced by generations of my clan's refinement. You think someone like you can—"
It couldn't finish the sentence. The smile on its face froze mid-curve, because the moment Yang Xue and Yang Xiao's hands touched the barrier, a cascade of cracking sounds rang out, and countless fissures split across the luminous barrier.
Every member of the clam demon clan turned pale with shock. The smaller clam demons who had been peeking out curiously immediately snapped their shells shut, hiding inside, and rolled away to the back.
The cracking sounds came without end. The lead clam demon's eyes had turned red. He stared up at his own cave abode's barrier, his face filled with horror—those cracks weren't splitting the barrier, they were splitting his heart.
He couldn't understand it. The two children who had attacked were clearly not particularly powerful—so how could they accomplish something like this?
There was no time to ponder. A few breaths later, accompanied by a tremendous crash, the cave abode's barrier shattered into nothing.
"Insolence!" the lead clam demon roared. The rest of the clam demons channeled their demonic yuan in unison, and a great battle was on the verge of erupting.
Several figures materialized out of thin air. With a sharp whinny, demonic yuan rolled forth as four Half-Saints of the Demon Race appeared simultaneously, instantly surrounding the clam demons from all four sides.
But that wasn't all. Qiong Qi transformed into his true form, opening his massive jaws in a roar—large enough to swallow over a dozen clam demons in a single bite. Liu Yan pinched her small hands together, and behind her, the figure of a fire phoenix materialized, breathtakingly beautiful. Where the fire phoenix existed, the seawater simply ceased to be!
There was no need for this many people to deal with a group like the clam demons. Either Liu Yan or Qiong Qi alone could have annihilated them.
But Yang Kai had summoned all four Half-Saints and called for additional support anyway. He didn't do this to kill—it was to intimidate!
He had no enmity with the clam demons, so resorting to slaughter was uncalled for. But if a fight broke out, accidental casualties were inevitable, and if things truly escalated, it would be difficult to rein back.
Better to simply present a lineup so overwhelming that the clam demons would despair and withdraw on their own.
When the four Demon Race Half-Saints appeared, the clam demons sucked in a sharp breath. Those who had been about to attack froze in their tracks. Upon sensing the Half-Saints' immense power, their expressions grew even more panicked. And when Qiong Qi revealed his true form and the fire phoenix displayed its magnificent figure, the entire horde of clam demons felt their scalps go numb, as though plunged into an icy abyss.
What manner of people were these?! Aside from those two young ones, there wasn't a single entity among them that was safe to provoke. Each one's powerful spiritual sense blanketed the entire area, leaving the clam demons with parched throats. They clamped their shells tighter involuntarily, as if doing so might grant even a sliver of security.
They had thought the other side was few in number and that the clam demon clan had nothing to fear—never had they expected the situation to take such a turn.
The clam demon chief was a shrewd one. After freezing for only an instant, he quickly shouted, "Wait, wait!"
As he spoke, he turned his gaze toward Yang Kai. All four Demon Race Half-Saints had been summoned by him—it was impossible not to notice. The chief realized that the person truly in charge must be him.
A flicker of unwillingness and humiliation passed through his eyes, but the clam demon chief spoke: "This time… the clam clan admits defeat. Whatever you want, Bangbang'er will give it to you. But there is one condition—if you so much as harm a single one of my clan's children, the clam clan will fight you to the bitter end!"
The moment the words left his mouth, every clam demon was stricken with shock. They cried out in unison, their voices heavy with grief: "My King!"
Some clam demons bared vicious looks, their gazes sweeping over Yang Kai and his companions one by one. They gritted their teeth and said, "My King, there's no need to fear them! At worst, we die—that's all. We'll fight them to the death!"
"Fight them to the death!"
"My King, just give the order!"
Bangbang'er bellowed, "Silence, all of you!" Bravery born of fury was something anyone could muster. If he truly gave the word, the clam clan would indeed fight to the last—but what would be the outcome? With the strength the other side had just demonstrated, they could slaughter the entire clam clan at will. These hundred-odd people wouldn't even be enough to fill the gaps between their teeth.
He was the clam demon chief, and naturally he had to consider the fate of his entire clan. Sacrificing himself to ensure the clan's safety—now that was a trade worth making.
"Anyone who dares speak out of turn again will face clan punishment!" His gaze swept across the crowd, and sure enough, not a single clam demon dared utter another word. After leading the clan for so many years, he still carried that measure of authority.
Bangbang'er looked at Yang Kai once more, gritted his teeth, opened his mouth, and reached his hand inside.
When he drew it back out, blinding light erupted from his palm. In the pitch-black depths of the sea, it was as though a full moon had suddenly appeared. The moon was no larger than a dragon's eye, radiating a soft, gentle glow—it was an exceedingly rare, top-quality pearl.
A pearl, and also Bangbang'er's demon core. Demonic yuan flowed within the pearl, surging with astonishing power, and from it came the rhythmic sound of ocean waves.