Though Zhang Ruoxi had been sent flying and coughing up blood the moment she stepped out of seclusion, the power of that single sword strike had been nothing short of extraordinary.
The Great Demon God had barely managed to regenerate his physical body when his entire left arm was cleaved clean off. It crashed to the ground like a small mountain, blood flowing from the stump in gushing torrents. The Great Demon God let out a pained roar, bellowing in fury again and again.
A figure shot toward the fallen limb with incredible speed, eyes brimming with greed like a starving wolf that had just spotted a delicious morsel. In just a few leaps, he arrived before the severed arm on the ground. A wave of his hand, and the arm vanished—swallowed into some unknown space.
Yang Kai had been rushing toward Zhang Ruoxi's position and managed a quick glance in that direction, only to discover that the person was none other than Wu Kuang. His face darkened instantly.
Wu Kuang, having claimed the severed arm, could not suppress the delight surging through his heart and burst into hearty laughter, his voice dripping with smug satisfaction.
"Bastard!" the Great Demon God roared. He had been caught off guard and lost an arm, which in itself was one thing—such a wound was not insignificant, but as long as the severed limb remained intact, he could recover at a cost. However, someone had now taken it from him entirely. How could he possibly tolerate that?
With the arm gone, regeneration from nothing would require a far greater price.
Amid his thunderous roars, a massive hand unfurled and reached toward Wu Kuang. As the palm descended, it seemed to seal off heaven and earth itself. Wu Kuang's expression changed drastically, and he immediately twisted and darted aside.
Yang Kai had already caught Zhang Ruoxi, who had been knocked flying. "How are you?" he asked with concern.
Zhang Ruoxi's face was slightly pale, but she was smiling, her eyes curving like crescent moons. She pressed her lips together and said, "It's been a long time, sir."
Yang Kai smiled too. "It has indeed been a long time."
From the moment Zhang Ruoxi had entered the Blood Gate to now, decades had passed. For both Yang Kai and Zhang Ruoxi, it had been a vast stretch of time.
Yet even after decades apart, there was no awkwardness or distance between them—as if they had only parted the day before.
But Zhang Ruoxi was no longer the timid little girl she had once been. She now wielded the power of the Heavenly Execution, a true descendant of that lineage. The power of that single sword strike had already demonstrated just how formidable she had become.
"I've long wanted to fight alongside you, sir," Zhang Ruoxi said. "Now I finally have the chance." Despite the powerful enemies at hand, despite the very fabric of the world being torn asunder, her smile remained radiant as ever.
Yang Kai nodded. "Then I'm rather curious to see just how powerful you've become, Ruoxi."
"Hey! You two! If you don't get over here and help, I'm going to die right in front of you!" Wu Kuang's exasperated voice drifted over from where he was. The Great Demon God had him scrambling for his life, nearly cornered in mortal peril more than once. When he turned to look, that pair of lovebirds were standing there smiling at each other as though on a leisurely stroll. His nose nearly twisted sideways with rage.
Yang Kai and Zhang Ruoxi exchanged a glance and a smile. Yang Kai turned his head and called out, "Hang in there a little longer, Wu Kuang! I'll be right there!"
Wu Kuang's face turned pitch black at those words. He cursed under his breath but didn't dare slack off for an instant, pouring all his concentration into dealing with the Great Demon God.
"Ruoxi, lend me a hand!" Yang Kai turned and fixed his gaze on another figure hovering in the sky, his expression growing solemn.
Zhang Ruoxi gripped the Heavenly Execution Sword and nodded gravely.
"Let's go!" At Yang Kai's low shout, the laws of space surged around them, wrapping up Zhang Ruoxi as they lunged toward Yu Rumeng.
Yu Rumeng had been tangled up with Wu Kuang earlier, but somehow the old fox had slipped free of her. It seemed Wu Kuang's abilities were far more than what met the eye.
After Wu Kuang escaped, Yu Rumeng had simply stood in place with vacant eyes, motionless—until this very moment.
The instant Yang Kai and Zhang Ruoxi materialized before her, Yu Rumeng's expression shifted. A stream of pure spiritual sense poured forth from her sea of consciousness, transforming into a soul attack of bewildering allure, hammering straight toward Yang Kai.
Yu Rumeng was a Charm Demon—the most adept of all when it came to soul-based arts. Had it been any ordinary Great Emperor, even Zhan Wuhen himself would likely have been somewhat affected by such a strike. But Yang Kai was something special to Yu Rumeng. His soul had once undergone a massive enhancement thanks entirely to her Yin essence. Back then, Yu Rumeng had told him that from that day forward, no Charm Demon would ever be able to bewitch him with their arts—not even herself.
And so, though the soul attack was formidable, Yang Kai barely noticed it. A faint tremor passed through his mind and that was the end of it. His two hands shot out, reaching straight for Yu Rumeng.
Though Yu Rumeng was under the Great Demon God's control, her body and mind no longer her own, the countless eons of battle instincts buried deep within her remained. Faced with Yang Kai's grab, her figure swayed and she retreated.
Zhang Ruoxi appeared behind her in that same instant, the Heavenly Execution Sword descending in a devastating slash!
"Don't hurt her!" Yang Kai exclaimed in alarm. He hadn't had the chance to explain his relationship with Yu Rumeng to Zhang Ruoxi, nor had he expected her to strike so decisively from the very first move. He shouted the warning in haste.
Zhang Ruoxi's brows furrowed, and the downward arc of her sword halted abruptly—demonstrating perfect control, able to stop the strike at will.
Caught in a pincer attack at such close range, even a Demon Saint like Yu Rumeng could not defend. Her shoulders were seized tight as Yang Kai's two large hands clamped down on her.