Thanks to the Great Demon God's momentary distraction, Yang Kai immediately channeled the forces of heaven and earth, pushing the Pure Land's boundaries outward by a fraction. The effect was less than ideal, but it was at least the first counterattack he'd managed since clashing with the Great Demon God.
When he glanced toward the Temple of Time, he saw the temple—embedded in the earth moments before—wobble and rise into the air once more. Its glow had dimmed considerably, but it appeared undamaged.
Yang Kai breathed a secret sigh of relief, certain that Yang Xiao and Yang Xue were unharmed.
The Temple of Time was, after all, a treasure left behind by the Great Emperor of Time itself—it wouldn't be destroyed so easily. And those sheltering within it were in no mortal danger.
The Great Demon God's attack had failed, and he erupted in fury. Seeing the temple rise again, he had no appetite for a second strike—not with the pressure Yang Kai was exerting. He had borrowed the power of seven Great Emperors to command this world's energy and contest Yang Kai for dominion over it, but it was borrowed power all the same, not his own, and it could never be wielded with perfect fluency.
"A bunch of useless wretches!" the Great Demon God roared. The situation had been so favorable, yet he couldn't bring Yang Kai down quickly or devour the Star Boundary outright—and that drove him to the edge of humiliation.
As he spoke, an odd light flickered within those colossal pupils.
At that very instant, with a sharp sound, a figure came hurtling backward from the front lines, trailing blood through the air as it shot straight toward Yang Kai.
Yang Kai reached out and caught the figure, asking, "Brother Xiao, are you alright?"
It was Xiao Chen who had been flung toward him. Based on his aura, he had taken a serious blow just now, though it didn't appear life-threatening.
Xiao Chen didn't answer. Instead, he spun around and thrust his sword directly at Yang Kai. Emperor Yuan surged in a torrent—within that single strike was concentrated the entirety of his power. The moment the sword left his hand, his previously weakened aura exploded upward, and a hideous grin curved across his lips.
The attack came so suddenly that Yang Kai had no time to react until the blade was practically upon him. Rage and shock filled his voice as he bellowed, "What are you doing?!"
He slapped a palm toward Xiao Chen.
Under normal circumstances, Xiao Chen—a mere Second-Stage Emperor Realm cultivator—couldn't have posed any threat to him. But right now, every shred of Yang Kai's attention was devoted to battling the Great Demon God for control of this world. Any distraction, no matter how small, could spell catastrophe.
As his palm descended, he noticed that Xiao Chen's eyes had turned pitch black, and his heart sank. He immediately reined in several degrees of force. Blackened eyes meant this wasn't voluntary—Xiao Chen had most likely been corrupted.
But when? When had Xiao Chen fallen to the demonic corruption? He hadn't detected a thing before this.
With a wet cough, Xiao Chen was sent tumbling away again, the surging aura collapsing as abruptly as it had risen.
But it wasn't over. The very instant Yang Kai's palm sent Xiao Chen flying, another figure burst from the side—sword aimed at Yang Kai, a faint floral fragrance drifting outward to unsettle the mind.
"Li Shiqing!" Yang Kai ground his teeth, staring at the figure charging at him, his face contorted with fury. "Even you've fallen?!"
Li Shiqing seemed not to hear. Her beautiful eyes were entirely black. In a sudden flash, her entire form dissolved into a storm of flower petals that engulfed Yang Kai. Every petal was a razor-edged killing instrument, swirling through the air with lethal purpose.
Yang Kai thrust his hand into the petal storm. A muffled grunt sounded, and the petals shattered—Li Shiqing was in his grip, clutched by the throat.
He applied just enough force to knock her unconscious, then tossed her into the Small Divine World.
In the span of a heartbeat, two former companions had turned on him. The shock rippled through the crowd, and everyone wheeled around to scan the others, searching for signs of corruption. Only after confirming that no one else had been affected did their tension ease. Meanwhile, Yang Kai had already pieced together the truth.
Within the Three Sacred Peaks of the Small Divine World, Li Shiqing had spent several days in close proximity to Mo Sheng's clone. It was entirely possible something had been done to her then.
Mo Sheng had kept this chess piece hidden, waiting for the perfect moment—and this was it. Li Shiqing's corruption was the work of that clone. Xiao Chen's case was probably more complicated.
Yang Kai had sensed something off about Xiao Chen's mindset for a while now, especially after Yang Kai had ascended to the Great Emperor realm. Demons were born from the heart—if Xiao Chen had harbored any dark thoughts or jealousy, Mo Sheng would have found the perfect opening.
The Great Demon God was cunning enough to know that neither of these two could truly harm Yang Kai. But facing two people he had known and fought alongside, Yang Kai couldn't kill them and couldn't not kill them—either choice would fracture his concentration.
The advantage Yang Kai had gained from Yang Xiao and Yang Xue's return had now been completely erased by Xiao Chen and Li Shiqing's betrayal.
With his focus divided, the initiative he'd held crumbled in an instant, and he was pushed back once more—harder than before. He watched in alarm as the demonic corruption surged toward Ling Xiao Palace at terrifying speed.
"He who resists will perish. Yang Kai, a wise man submits to the times—surrender now, and it may not be too late."
"Sure!" Yang Kai agreed readily. "Why don't we stop fighting first and have a proper discussion?"
The Great Demon God laughed. "A discussion? Fine—lay down your arms first, and I might show you merc—" He broke off. His expression shifted, as though he'd sensed something. Then came a thunderous roar: "Useless! All of you, utterly useless!"
At the same moment, Yang Kai's eyes widened in surprise. In that brief instant, the pressure from the Great Demon God's side had weakened dramatically—as if their hold on the world's energy was rapidly fading. This allowed him to channel far more of heaven and earth's power, and the most immediate result was the Pure Land expanding outward at breathtaking speed.
He didn't know what had happened or why this sudden shift had occurred, but for Yang Kai—for the entire Star Boundary—it was a wonderful, unexpected gift.