The Azure Dragon Spear punched clean through, impaling the Blood Demon Half-Sage through the chest. Blood slid down the shaft of the spear in a dark stream.
The Blood Demon's eyes bulged, his hands clutching desperately at the spear shaft. Shock twisted his features; he opened his mouth as if to speak, but only coughed up a mouthful of crimson.
The crowd erupted in commotion…
Even after seeing who was fighting, everyone had known Yang Kai would not lose this bout. But watching him skewer the Blood Demon Half-Sage with such casual ease still delivered a staggering visual blow.
The Blood Demon was already gravely wounded. Against a furious Yang Kai, he had been utterly powerless to resist.
The Blood Demon writhed and struggled, a guttural rattling clawing its way up his throat. His blood energy churned violently, and after a long, agonizing moment he finally roared: "I refuse to accept this!"
Had he been given a fair chance to fight Yang Kai one-on-one, he was certain he would never have ended up in such a wretched state. But he had already fought Lin Rusong to the brink of death beforehand; less than twenty percent of his combat strength remained. Against Yang Kai's thunderous strike, he hadn't even had the chance to dodge.
He knew all too well how terrifying and relentless that Martial Dao intent was. Beneath that single thrust, an eerie force was already ravaging his body and soul. His grief and fury finally erupted into a roar.
The myriad Star Boundary pseudo-emperors watching the scene wore expressions of pure satisfaction. They recalled how this brute had tortured Lin Rusong while silently taunting Yang Kai—and now, in the blink of an eye, he had gotten exactly what was coming to him. Retribution, it seemed, came swiftly.
"Even in death, I won't let you off easy!" The Blood Demon Half-Sage let out another furious bellow. The vital energy radiating from his body suddenly surged with an extremely dangerous aura. His hands flew through a rapid series of seals, and his body began to swell at an alarming rate.
"Yang Kai, be careful!" Bing Yun cried out in alarm. From the looks of it, the Blood Demon was preparing to self-detonate. Even in his current state—nothing more than a spent shell—a Half-Sage's self-destruction could still pack a devastating punch. A single misstep could cost Yang Kai dearly.
"Just a dying man's thrash!" Yang Kai snorted coldly. The Azure Dragon Spear trembled and shook, and a savage wave of power surged outward from the shaft. With a thunderous crack, the Blood Demon skewered on its tip was blasted apart, reduced to chunks of bone that scattered in every direction.
Before the bone fragments even hit the ground, they had lost every trace of vital energy, crumbling into desiccated husks.
From the moment Yang Kai had stepped onto the stage to the end of the fight, no more than ten breaths had elapsed. The Blood Demon Half-Sage had not managed to launch a single attack. Even facing a true Demon Sage, one would not have suffered such a one-sided defeat. This was, without question, the fastest a Half-Sage had ever died.
Yang Kai planted the spear and stood tall, his cold gaze sweeping toward the Demon Race camp. He pointed the spear forward: "Who's next to die?"
The words had barely left his lips when Yang Yan's brows knitted together, worry etched across her face. "He wouldn't try to use his own Heavenly Dao will to influence who fights the next round, would he?"
Bing Yun's expression shifted slightly, and she nodded. "It's possible!"
The first two selections of fighters had been entirely random—all the pseudo-emperors and Half-Sages present could only endure them passively. But if it was Yang Kai, he might well be able to do exactly what Yang Yan suggested, leveraging his own Heavenly Dao will to exert influence.
After all, in this second round, that portion of Heavenly Dao fortune had already brought him enormous benefits—he had reaped a tremendous advantage. Had any other Half-Sage taken his place on that stage, victory would not have come so easily.
But in the very next instant, Yang Kai's figure vanished from the Life-and-Death Platform without warning. By the time everyone realized what had happened, he had already returned to the Star Boundary's elevated platform.
Yang Kai frowned and sighed inwardly.
Just as Yang Yan had said, he had indeed attempted to use his Heavenly Dao will to exert some influence—to see if he could keep himself on the Life-and-Death Platform for the third bout.
Unfortunately, the result was somewhat disappointing…
His gaze swept across the crowd. Since he had returned, who would be sent to fight next? Under his scrutiny, every pseudo-emperor wore a grave expression.
Then, from the corner of his eye, he caught a figure disappearing without a trace. Yang Kai's heart lurched. He whipped his head around toward the Life-and-Death Platform, and his pupils contracted sharply.
Beside him, Yang Yan raised a hand to cover her lips, her lovely eyes brimming with worry.
On the Life-and-Death Platform, in the corner nearest the Star Boundary's side, a lone figure in white stood in solitude. Bloodstains dotted her robes, and an aura of piercing cold radiated from her body.
Bing Yun turned her head, glancing around at the surroundings. A faint smile crossed her lips. "So this round is mine?"
She lifted her gaze toward the opposite corner. A hulking figure had appeared there as well. The moment she made out exactly who it was, a trace of bitterness surfaced in her eyes.
"Jia Long!" Yang Kai hissed through gritted teeth, a surge of fury nearly driving him to curse aloud.
Having Bing Yun selected as the Star Boundary's third fighter was one thing—but of all people, the Demon Race had sent Jia Long! In this round, Bing Yun was in mortal danger.
Jia Long was the strongest among the Demon Race Half-Sages. Yang Kai was confident that even he himself would not emerge unscathed in a fight against him. That boundless army of refined corpses was an endless torment to deal with, and Jia Long's personal combat strength was equally terrifying.
If this were merely a contest of victory or defeat, it would be one thing—losing did not necessarily mean death. But on the Life-and-Death Platform, one side was guaranteed to fall. By Yang Kai's estimation, Bing Yun's odds of winning were less than thirty percent. There was a very real chance she would perish on that platform.