He had crept over in complete silence, but upon arriving at the scene, he found no trace of anyone. Towering ancient trees leaned at crooked angles all around, the ground was a complete mess, and the bodies of over a dozen wolf-like demon beasts lay scattered about. Their auras had vanished entirely, blood pooled everywhere, and the lingering ripples of battle still hung in the air.
Though these dozen or more demon beasts were already dead, Yang Kai identified at a glance that every single one of them was at the Demon King level. The leader among them was a size larger than the rest, its fur a shimmering silver that suggested it had reached the peak of the Demon King stage. A pack of demon beasts like this was no weak force.
From the moment Yang Kai heard the commotion to his arrival here, no more than ten breaths had passed. To have killed so many powerful demon beasts in such a short time spoke volumes about the strength of the one who had done it.
Moreover, the air still held not only the lingering ripples of battle but also a faint trace of demonic qi...
Yang Kai let out a soft laugh, his gaze fixed on a particular direction. "Are you going to come out on your own, or would you like me to invite you?"
The surroundings were utterly silent. No answer came.
Yang Kai didn't bother asking a second time. He reached out and grasped the air, summoning the Azure Dragon Spear. In the span of a heartbeat, he drove the spear into the ground in that direction.
A thunderous boom erupted as the ground was blasted open by the tremendous force. Amid the swirling dust and debris, a figure shot out from underground and fled toward the distance at breakneck speed.
But no matter how fast he was, how could he outrun Yang Kai? The Azure Dragon Spear transformed into a sky full of afterimages that enveloped him, and as energy erupted freely, a rapid succession of clanging sounds rang out.
With two swishing sounds, the two figures separated and drifted apart. Yang Kai stood tall in the air, spear in one hand, a faint smile on his face as the breeze brushed against him, his white hair whipping about in the wind.
Not far from him, a half-sage wreathed in surging demonic qi glared at him with an ashen face, grinding out through clenched teeth: "Yang Kai!"
"That would be me!" Yang Kai snorted. Even as he spoke, a trickle of blood leaked from the corner of his mouth. Though he had caught the other off guard, the exchange had cost him a small price. A half-sage's cultivation was no joke either—the full-force counterattack had rattled his organs, leaving him with minor injuries.
Though his combat strength now rivaled that of a half-sage, his actual cultivation hadn't reached that level. Being able to contend with a half-sage head-on without gaining ground was already a testament to his formidable power.
His earlier ability to slay a Stone Demon half-sage had been partly due to catching them off guard, relying on the sharpness of the Azure Dragon Spear and the mystifying nature of his martial dao true essence. Additionally, Lin Yun'er, Lan Xun, and Mo Xiaoqi had been there to provide support. Though those three girls were only Emperors, each had received direct instruction from a Great Emperor and wielded supremely powerful Artifacts—they were not to be underestimated.
As he spoke, Yang Kai glanced at the half-sage's midsection. A foot-long wound gaped there, blood flowing freely. Despite the demonic qi swirling around it, the bleeding refused to stop.
A wound inflicted by his martial dao true essence—no matter how small—was enough to accumulate into a lethal threat.
The half-sage had clearly realized this upon recognizing Yang Kai. His already ashen face grew even more grim. He pressed his hand against the wound, but no matter what he did, he couldn't staunch the flow of blood.
"I believe your name is Luo Ya?" Yang Kai tilted his head as he regarded him. Back in the Demon Realm, he had traveled between the various continents repairing and maintaining the realm gates. Most of those continents had been presided over by half-sages, so he had crossed paths with quite a few of them. He knew the majority of the Demon Realm's half-sages, and this one standing before him was one of them.
And Luo Ya appeared to be a Sand Demon. He had been hiding underground just now, clearly aware that a battle might attract others to investigate. After killing those demon beasts, he had immediately concealed himself as a precaution.
He never expected Yang Kai to arrive so quickly and discover his hiding spot so effortlessly.
"If I had known it would come to this, I should have killed you back then!" Luo Ya hissed through gritted teeth. The first time he had encountered Yang Kai on his continent, Yang Kai had possessed nothing near this terrifying level of strength. Had he acted then, he would have had a very real chance of taking Yang Kai's life—a strong chance, at that. Now, however, Yang Kai had grown fully into his power. Short of a Demon Saint acting personally, no half-sage could hope to kill him.
"Who can say what the future holds?" Yang Kai wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and leveled his spear at Luo Ya. "I'll give you two choices: submit, or die!"
Luo Ya seemed to be goaded into fury. A sinister gleam flickered in his pale yellow eyes as he spoke in a chilling tone: "Do you really think I'm afraid of you?"
"Sorry, wrong answer!" Yang Kai flashed a grin, but the smile had barely spread across his face before he was already lunging at Luo Ya. The Azure Dragon Spear expanded rapidly before Luo Ya's eyes. What barreled toward him was no ordinary spear—it was a colossal dragon with bared fangs and unsheathed claws. The oppressive dragon aura was so overwhelming that even a half-sage like him could barely catch his breath.
Suppressing the tremor in his heart, Luo Ya let out a furious roar, his demonic power surging violently.
The Azure Dragon Spear struck Luo Ya squarely, but Yang Kai's brow furrowed—he hadn't felt the slightest sensation of hitting a solid body. Under the force of the blow, Luo Ya's entire form shattered with a thunderous burst, transforming into an enormous sandstorm that engulfed Yang Kai.
Wind howled and sand swirled. Each tiny grain of sand had transformed into an indestructible blade. In mere moments, Yang Kai was covered in wounds, blood streaming from his body, and the surrounding trees had all collapsed.
"Dare to defy the dignity of a half-sage, and today you shall die here!" Luo Ya's voice echoed from every direction, making it impossible to pinpoint his location.
A piercing dragon roar rang out. A magnificent dragon head gleaming with golden light flashed and vanished as the Dragon Transformation Art was activated. Yang Kai's form shifted into a hundred-zhang dragon body. The surrounding sand grains battered against his dragon scales, producing a ceaseless crackling sound as sparks flew in every direction.