He transformed into a streak of light, scenery rushing past on all sides as Yang Kai flew at full speed, occasionally glancing behind him, as though something dangerous was closing in from the rear.
Behind him, danger was indeed present. A beam of blood light pursued relentlessly, and within it, two silhouettes were faintly hidden. No matter how Yang Kai changed direction, the blood light clung to him like a maggot on bone, impossible to shake off.
A hundred li separated them—a seemingly vast distance, yet for cultivators at the half-sage or pseudo-emperor level, that gap could be crossed in just a few breaths.
Moreover, as time passed, the distance between them only continued to shrink.
Space Laws rippled. Yang Kai's figure flickered, vanishing on the spot, and when he reappeared he had widened the gap once more, but he still hadn't escaped the blood light's pursuit range.
From within the blood light came an exasperated shout: "Yang Kai, you're dead meat! Even if the King of Heaven himself showed up today, no one could save you! I will absolutely capture you and drain your blood drop by drop, carve your flesh piece by piece!"
Only a half-sage of the Blood Demon Clan could perform the Blood Escape technique. The Blood Escape was one of the most outstanding escape arts in the entire Demon Domain, boasting incredible speed that most people could never hope to outrun.
In truth, Yang Kai's own speed alone fell slightly short of the Blood Demon's Blood Escape. But he had the power of Space. Whenever the distance reached a critical danger threshold, he would teleport to widen the gap once more.
This had happened many times already, enough to drive the Blood Demon pursuing him nearly to the point of coughing blood from sheer frustration.
Under normal circumstances, the Blood Demon wouldn't have chased this relentlessly. Everyone knew Yang Kai commanded the Space Laws, coming and going like the wind. Everyone knew the Martial Dao True Meaning he had comprehended was bafflingly tricky. Dealing with him properly required assembling at least three or four half-sages to kill him in one decisive strike, giving him no chance to fight back.
But this was the Profound Heavens Temple, filled with all manner of natural restrictions. The Blood Demon had witnessed firsthand that while Yang Kai's teleportation still worked, it could no longer carry him very far in a single jump.
That had given him the chance to pursue the whole way.
What's more, Yang Kai was currently injured, covered in wounds, his exposed aura fluctuating and unstable. The Blood Demon had no idea what Yang Kai had been through these past days, but it was safe to say his recent days had been anything but peaceful.
How could he pass up such a golden opportunity? If he could slay Yang Kai here, he could seize his portion of the Will of Heaven and Earth—and that would be of tremendous help in the coming battle for the Great Dao.
Since ancient times, men died for wealth and birds died for food. With such temptation laid bare before him, how could the Blood Demon not be moved? Besides, he was not alone. He had a companion—two silhouettes were wrapped within that blood light.
"This is dragging on too long—we can't afford to wait any longer." From within the blood light came the voice of a second Demon half-sage.
The Blood Demon's expression turned darkly grim at those words, but he knew the other was right. This chase had already consumed half a day, and all this commotion—if others discovered them, someone else might swoop in and reap the spoils.
The Blood Demon spoke in a low, solemn voice: "The cost of using that secret technique is not small."
The second half-sage replied: "The kill is yours. The merit is mine."
The Blood Demon's eyes lit up. "Truly?"
"I swear on the name of the Great Demon God!"
The Blood Demon burst into laughter. "Good, good, good. With that said, I'm at ease." The one who killed Yang Kai would claim the Will of Heaven and Earth. The one who earned the merit would gain the Demon Sages' favor and personal instruction in the secret of ascension to sagehood. Neither side stood to lose. After a brief exchange, their deal was struck. The Blood Demon's expression turned solemn. He formed hand seals, his scarlet eyes fixed on the fleeing figure ahead, glinting with cold, ruthless light. Then he bit the tip of his tongue and sprayed a mist of essence blood.
The blood light—which had already been moving at tremendous speed—instantly erupted in a crimson radiance that pierced the heavens. Its velocity surged dramatically, and like a bolt of lightning it shot forward, rapidly closing the distance between them.
"That should be about enough." The thought passed silently through Yang Kai's mind as he fled. Half a day of pursuit had drained a considerable amount of their energy, and now they had apparently resorted to some self-damaging secret technique to close the gap. It was time to bring this to an end.
His body, which had been hurtling forward at breakneck speed, came to an abrupt halt. The transition from full speed to absolute stillness was both jarring and eerily natural.
"Hm? He's charging this way!" Within the blood light, the second half-sage's voice rang out in utter astonishment. He hadn't expected that Yang Kai—after fleeing for half a day—would suddenly turn around at this moment. Had he realized escape was hopeless and decided to go down fighting?
"A death wish!" The Blood Demon's eyes, by contrast, blazed with delight. With a savage grin, he swept both arms outward. The blood light exploded, transforming into a boundless sea of blood that surged toward Yang Kai, threatening to engulf him whole.
A dragon's roar shook the air. The Azure Dragon Spear materialized in Yang Kai's grip. With a single devastating thrust, he cleaved through the crimson tide, parting the sea of blood on either side. The figure holding the spear wore a faint smile at the corner of his lips, carrying a trace of something strange and unsettling.