"Run — why'd you stop running?" Yang Kai turned his head and spat out a mouthful of blood, tilting his chin upward to peer down at his opponent.
Luo Ya spoke in a low voice: "The battle for the Grand Dao has only just begun. Must you be so aggressive? Why don't we call it quits here and make our plans for another day? There will come a time when we measure our strengths."
"Are you begging for mercy?" Yang Kai swung his spear up and rested it on his shoulder, his gaze mocking.
"Yang Kai, you need to understand — I do not lack the power to fight. I simply don't wish for us both to end up crippled," Luo Ya said angrily.
"That depends on whether you're even qualified!" Yang Kai slammed the Azure Dragon Spear into the ground, his expression suddenly turning solemn. His hands rapidly formed seals, and the aura of Law cascaded through his body. The entire world seemed to stutter, as though time itself had stopped flowing in that instant.
"Seal of Fleeting Years!" Luo Ya was horrified. The Demon Race's intelligence on Yang Kai was extremely thorough — they knew exactly what techniques he could employ. The moment Yang Kai began making those hand seals, Luo Ya knew what kind of attack was coming.
In Yang Kai's dossier, there were many things that made Half-Sages wary, but the top three were: first, his bizarre Martial Dao True Intent — even Demon Saints found it headache-inducing, let alone Half-Sages; second, his Space Law — when he had journeyed to the Demon Domain, he had been capable of repairing and maintaining World Gates, and now that his strength had grown, his mastery of Space Law had only deepened; and third, this — the Seal of Fleeting Years.
After all, anything involving the Law of Time was far more elusive and difficult to guard against than the Law of Space.
Even now, the Demon Domain still couldn't quite figure out how a single person could cultivate two types of Law. Whether it was Space Law or Time Law, both were extraordinarily profound and incredibly difficult to master. Having both converge in one person was simply inconceivable.
The instant he sensed the aura of Time Law, Luo Ya's resolve to flee returned. The determination he had just steeled himself with shattered in that moment. But before he could make any move, Yang Kai's palm was already pressing down upon him. The power of time flooded forth, freezing Luo Ya's consciousness for the briefest of instants.
That fraction of a heartbeat was all it took. Luo Ya snapped back to awareness, but what filled his vision was the indestructible great spear, hurtling toward him with devastating force.
At the precipice of life and death, Luo Ya poured everything he had into defense, throwing out a massive pile of Demon Treasures. One after another, they blazed with different colors of light before him, forming layer upon layer of shields.
Boom — crash, crash, crash. The sounds of destruction rang out as treasures that would have made every Demon King claw at each other in envy shattered instantly, their light snuffed out.
Luo Ya's face drained of color. An overwhelming force slammed into him from the front. His chest and abdomen erupted in pain, as though a mountain had collided with him head-on. His body was sent hurtling backward, spraying Demon Blood across the sky.
Yang Kai had already reverted to his human form, giving chase without pause.
In the depths of the jungle, the battle resumed. Despite his grievous injuries, Luo Ya still possessed the strength to fight — with Yang Kai pressing him so relentlessly, he certainly wouldn't simply lie down and await death.
A quarter of an hour later, in some corner of the jungle, Luo Ya lay on the ground like a heap of rotting flesh. The Azure Dragon Spear had pierced clean through his body, pinning him to the earth. Yang Kai trudged forward from the distance, breathing heavily, and came to stand over him. He gazed down at Luo Ya with utter indifference.
That bone-chilling look sent panic through Luo Ya's heart. How many years had it been since he had felt this helpless, since ascending to Half-Sage? His heart seethed with grief and indignation, but what good was it now? The only thing that truly gnawed at him was that he hadn't gone all out from the very start against Yang Kai. If he hadn't been so hesitant and cautious at the beginning, this battle might not have ended in such a devastating defeat.
Tsk, tsk, tsk... Yang Kai stared down at the wretched, dog-like Luo Ya. He thought back to the past — when facing powerhouses at the Half-Sage and False Emperor level, the pressure had been crushing, so heavy he could barely draw breath. Once upon a time, he had yearned for such power, and now? More than one Half-Sage had already perished at his hands. "The Demon Race's vitality is truly enviable."
In that fierce battle, half of Luo Ya's body had been obliterated. If a False Emperor of the Human Race had suffered such devastating injuries, there would have been no recovery — lingering on would only have delayed the inevitable. But the Demon Race was different. Even if Luo Ya's body had been reduced to a heap of mangled flesh, as long as his Demon Heart remained intact, he would not die.
Of course, even if he could use his Demon Heart to resurrect, his strength would be drastically diminished. Moreover, the erosion of Martial Dao True Intent would cling to him like bone-spur mites, impossible to shake off.
Fortunately, Yang Kai was in no worse shape. His Dragon Clan Origin Power had undergone a massive awakening, and in turn, his dragon body had grown considerably stronger. The Dragon Clan's physique was inherently endowed with formidable recovery.
"Spare me!" Luo Ya rasped, blood flooding from his mouth as he spoke.
"I gave you a chance. Too bad you didn't cherish it!" Yang Kai reached down and grasped the Azure Dragon Spear, giving it a slight twist. Pain contorted Luo Ya's face, but he gritted his teeth stubbornly and refused to cry out.
"Release me, and I can tell you everything you want to know."
"What do you think I want to know?" Yang Kai regarded him coldly.
"Everything about this World Secret Realm! Isn't that why you wanted me to submit — to gather intelligence?" Luo Ya gasped, blood foaming at his lips, looking utterly wretched. "I imagine your understanding of this Profound Heaven Hall is still far less than ours."
Yang Kai snorted. "That's only thanks to the traitor among you!"
If the Great Emperors were still alive, the people of the Star Boundary who had entered the Profound Heaven Hall this time wouldn't have been completely in the dark about this World Secret Realm. Instead, it was the Demon Race who had Can Ye — and even though Can Ye was still recovering from his injuries, he could surely pass along some intelligence. The Half-Sages' knowledge of this World Secret Realm, which belonged to the Star Boundary, was undoubtedly far more comprehensive than the Star Boundary's own.