Compared to losing one's life, this outcome was undoubtedly still acceptable.
"This is trouble," Zhan Wuhen said, his gaze fixed on the colossal figure stretching between heaven and earth ahead, his expression grave.
Yang Kai's expression was no better. Ever since each of the Demon Saints had cast themselves into the Great Demon God's body, his aura had been climbing in relentless waves. The already terrifying pressure emanating from him had become even more horrifying, and beyond that, the wounds covering his body were recovering at a speed visible to the naked eye. In the span of mere moments, every last gash had vanished without a trace.
The Demon Saints' suicidal, moth-to-flame charge seemed to have not only replenished him greatly but strengthened him dramatically.
Reaching out with his senses, Yang Kai found that within that body—hundreds of zhang tall—it truly seemed to contain an entire world within it. The aura of a self-contained cosmos washed over him like a physical force.
So this was the realm of Creation—utterly terrifying.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh…
Figure after figure streaked through the void and came to rest on either side. The auras of the Great Emperors radiated outward. Every remaining Great Emperor of the Star Boundary had gathered here—all except Ye Ying, whom Yang Kai had slain. Not only them, but the Dragon Clan's two Grand Elders, the descendant of Tian Xing, and Tai Yue, the Sacred Spirit who had restored the glory of his ancestors…
The most elite powers the Star Boundary had to offer, every last one, had assembled together. The combined presence they projected was in no way inferior to the Great Demon God's own.
Within his body shrouded in darkness, the Great Demon God's eyes slowly opened. The fury from before was gone, replaced by utter indifference. His gaze swept one by one over the dozen-odd figures before him.
It was a look no one was unfamiliar with—the same contempt a person might direct at insects crawling on the ground.
"I would rather not admit it, but you insects have actually done reasonably well. Forcing me to this extent was beyond my expectations. However… it ends here. Something I have plotted for countless years—could I allow it to be ruined by the likes of you ants? To die at my hands is your honor!"
The moment he finished speaking, his cheeks puffed slightly, and a sharp hiss escaped his lips. A breath of attack, invisible and formless, sliced through the air toward the cluster of Great Emperors. Though the breath left no trace, it carried killing power of terrifying magnitude. Every Great Emperor's face changed drastically as they felt a wave of death bearing down upon them. None dared to hesitate—they all moved to block it.
A massive crescent blade slashed forward. Led by Yang Kai, the Great Emperors unleashed every technique at their disposal, pushing the power of heaven and earth to its absolute limit in that instant.
A deafening boom rang out. The sky and earth lost all color. Countless spatial cracks writhed through the void like serpents. In that instant, the world itself shattered—an omen of the apocalypse descending.
Combined, their power successfully stopped the Great Demon God's strike. But not a single face showed any relief, for what had just come at them was nothing more than a single breath. If the power was this devastating, what would it be like if he truly fought without restraint?
To have ascended to the Great Emperor realm, every person present had fought through countless life-and-death battles over the course of their lives. Yet in terms of sheer danger and ferocity, none of those encounters could hold a candle to this one—even the Great Emperors' battle in the Shattered Star Sea from years past paled by comparison.
Against a powerful foe, especially one whose realm surpassed your own, attack was always the best defense. Did the Great Emperors not understand such a simple truth?
And so, in the wake of their combined strike, without half a moment's hesitation, the dozen-odd figures surged toward the Great Demon God simultaneously. Not a word of coordination had been exchanged, not even a shared glance, yet every movement was perfectly synchronized.
They all knew that at a moment like this, even the most tenacious defense would only delay the inevitable. Only by pressing forward into the fray could they possibly carve out a path to survival in this desperate situation.
Nine Great Emperors shot across heaven and earth like nine meteors blazing across the firmament, hurtling toward the Great Demon God with devastating force. Each figure bore within it the collective will of the Star Boundary's entire world, the hope of every living soul still surviving within it.
Flanking the nine figures on either side were the hundred-zhang dragon forms of the Dragon Clan's two Grand Elders, their roars shaking the heavens, their dragon might surging with overwhelming majesty.
And above them all, Zhang Ruoxi gripped the Tian Xing Sword. Behind her, the colossal phantom of a woman seemed on the verge of coming alive, the great sword in its hands radiating a blinding brilliance.
Thud, thud, thud—the earth trembled. Tai Yue charged forward, each step transcending the boundaries of space, each footfall leaving a deep crater in the ground.
This battle, destined to be remembered for tens of millions of years, was launched by the fall of the Tian Xing Sword. When that sword descended, nothing existed in all of heaven and earth but its light—a brilliance so dazzling that every last person was momentarily transfixed.
The Great Demon God, facing this terrifying strike, merely answered with a punch. The fist arrived, and the sword light shattered. Zhang Ruoxi let out a muffled grunt as the phantom of Tian Xing behind her flickered and distorted.
"Your ancestor was indeed formidable, but hopelessly obstinate. Had he been willing to emulate me, his injuries would long since have healed, and he would not have perished in a trivial world like this. I shall send you on your way first, so as not to tarnish your ancestor's reputation!" The Great Demon God's voice boomed like thunder. His fist, still carrying its momentum, arrived before Zhang Ruoxi in the span of a heartbeat. In the face of that titanic fist, she was no larger than a mosquito.
No one doubted that if that frail body were struck by that fist, she would be reduced to nothing in an instant.