It was true that the Peerless Boundary had been transformed by the Great Demon God. It was true that his aura had saturated every inch of land. But this was still a Small Mysterious Realm, and Yang Kai was still its master. If Mo Sheng could draw upon the might of heaven and earth here, couldn't Yang Kai?
Invisible power from the heavens and earth pressed toward Mo Sheng, but he paid it no heed—until the moment it reached him. Only then did he chuckle softly, drawing a circle in the air around himself with one hand. The circle was small, no more than three zhang in diameter at most, yet within that three-zhat radius, a thousand techniques could not penetrate. The might of heaven and earth arrived at that boundary and simply could not advance a single inch.
Yang Kai gritted his teeth at the sight, feeling a headache coming on.
The third domain of this Small Mysterious Realm had originally been the various continents of the Demon Domain—the territory of the Peerless Boundary. The Great Demon God had been this world's previous master, and Yang Kai was its current master. But whether past or present, either of them had the ability to draw upon this world's power.
Now that they were actually clashing, it felt like a battle between one's own left hand and right hand. Even though Yang Kai's cultivation far exceeded Mo Sheng's, he couldn't do anything to him—unless he could exert stronger control over this world than Mo Sheng could.
But Mo Sheng had spent countless years in the Demon Domain, his aura saturating every inch of its land. How could Yang Kai hope to surpass that? Fortunately, the Demon Domain had become part of the Small Mysterious Realm, and fighting here gave Yang Kai the advantage of terrain. Otherwise, it wouldn't have been a stalemate—he would have been completely overwhelmed.
Yang Kai pushed his power to the limit, but Mo Sheng remained solid as a fortress, unmoved by any wind. Forget about injuring him—even entering his three-zhang perimeter was impossible.
This kind of battle was a contest of control over the world, having little to do with one's own cultivation. So even though Yang Kai could transform into a dragon or employ other techniques, he had no heart to use them.
Splitting his attention would only give Mo Sheng an opening, doing nothing to improve his current situation.
The world hummed. Heaven and earth trembled. Across the third domain, countless demon races lifted their faces to the sky, bewildered by what was happening to the world, their expressions full of panic.
"Not bad at all." Mo Sheng gazed at Yang Kai with perfect composure. "To have made contact with the might of heaven and earth at your stage—if I gave you more time to grow, you might well break free of this cage. It's a pity, though. You're rather too rigid!"
As he spoke, he suddenly raised both hands and slowly pushed them outward, as though shoving open a pair of tightly sealed doors.
With his movement, Yang Kai's expression shifted. He could feel the might of heaven and earth from across the entire realm converging toward Mo Sheng's hands. That zone which had been merely three zhang in radius was rapidly expanding, bearing down on him.
No matter what Yang Kai did, he could not reverse this passive position. Horror gripped his heart. So this was the Great Demon God? This was merely a clone, yet his control over the might of heaven and earth had reached such a degree.
His mind shook, but this was hardly the time for admiration. If he couldn't master this world, it would truly end in tragedy. He immediately focused his mind and linked his consciousness to the Small Mysterious Realm.
The world's hum grew even more intense. The invisible, formless might of heaven and earth, driven by the competing wills of its two successive masters, began to take on tangible form—collaring against each other in opposition.
When some critical threshold was reached, a deafening dragon roar erupted. A colossal black dragon a thousand zhang long materialized out of thin air. Its eyes, whiskers, mane, claws, presence, and scales were all clearly visible, vivid and lifelike.
At the same time, accompanied by a furious roar, a giant that seemed to hold up the sky and anchor the earth appeared between heaven and earth. Its eyes were fierce and its gaze savage, though its face remained a blur.
Whether dragon or giant, both were manifestations of this world's power, given shape because Yang Kai and Mo Sheng had pushed their control to the absolute limit.
Yang Kai was hidden within the dragon's head, while Mo Sheng stood amid the giant's chest and belly. The two titans hurtled toward each other, and in an instant they clashed with the force of a world-shattering cataclysm.
Booms like muffled thunder rolled across heaven and earth. Every demon race member still living in this world felt their chests go tight, their blood churn, and an inexplicable sense of apocalypse rise within them.
Collision after collision, clash after clash—and neither could gain the upper hand. Both were masters of this world; the power of heaven and earth they could draw upon was naturally equal. A battle like this could never produce a victor—unless one side made a mistake. But would Yang Kai or Mo Sheng ever commit such a foolish error?
Yang Kai roared, "Mo Sheng, if this keeps up, this world is going to collapse! You're the Great Demon God—don't you care?"
Within the giant's chest, Mo Sheng smiled calmly. "The fate of this world—what is it to me?" For him, the Demon Domain's only purpose had been to serve as a place for him to recover from his wounds. Eons ago, he had already devoured every last trace of spirit fortune within it. Though the Peerless Boundary had become the Demon Domain as a result, and the humans who lived there had been transformed into demons, creating some small connection to him—what did that matter?
The only thing he cared about now was the Star Boundary. That world still possessed the spirit fortune he needed.
A long sigh escaped the dragon as it dodged the giant's punch and retreated a thousand li in the blink of an eye. His voice rang out like thunder: "There's no point in pointless fighting. I don't intend to kill you just yet."
There were many things Yang Kai wanted to ask Mo Sheng—about the woman who had wounded him, for instance. And more importantly, what lay beyond the boundaries of the universe itself. Even the Great Emperors might not know the answer to that, but if anyone did, it would be Mo Sheng.
Such a person would be a waste to kill.
But Mo Sheng heard those words as though they were the funniest joke he had ever heard. The composed, indifferent mask he always wore gave way to a broad, knowing smile. "Kill me? Are you really that confident—" He stopped mid-sentence, his head snapping toward a certain direction, his brow furrowing.
He had hidden within the Small Mysterious Realm for many years. Being able to draw upon the Demon Domain's power naturally meant he could perceive everything within it. Yet at the Demon Domain's edge, there had always been one place shrouded in mist—even he could not see through it. He had once slipped over to investigate, but had found no way in.
All he could sense was that from within those clouds and fog, the aura of another world seemed to drift.