When they heard this, everyone sucked in a sharp breath. Such an inconceivable thing was simply unheard of and unseen — what manner of creature could feed on a dead world?
Now that this creature had appeared here, did that not mean it had caught the scent of the Star Boundary's impending death?
Everyone was horrified, but Yang Kai recalled a few things.
The last time he had encountered this colossal being in the vast expanse of the cosmos, it had also been in a slumber. Back then, he had used the Mysterious World Bead to swallow the Demon Realm, and the moment he emerged, he had nearly been sucked into its belly. He remembered how the creature had stared at the void where the Demon Realm used to be with a look of melancholy. He also remembered how it had munched away at the World Bead with great relish.
He hadn't understood why at the time, but now, after hearing Zhang Ruoxi's explanation, it all clicked.
The Demon Realm had also been on the verge of death back then. The creature must have caught that unique scent and come to linger near the Demon Realm, sleeping as it waited — only for Yang Kai to snatch its prize. That was why, upon waking, it had stared at where the Demon Realm once existed and muttered something along the lines of "It's gone — why is it gone?"
As for why it had returned and remained near the Star Boundary, it was probably because the great battle had destabilized the Star Boundary, showing signs of fragmentation. It was waiting here, ready to feed on the dying world.
"If what you say is true, isn't this creature practically invincible? Can we drive it away?" Zhan Wuhen's brows knotted into a tight frown. On one side, they were doing everything they could to rebuild the Star Boundary and restore its vitality and spiritual energy — and on the other, a Great Titan was eyeing them like prey. No one could feel at ease. What if it threw caution to the wind, woke up, and started devouring the Star Boundary? By then, the Star Boundary wouldn't even have the power to resist.
Zhang Ruoxi slowly shook her head. "That's impossible. The Great Titans are simple-minded creatures. The pursuit of their entire lives is those dead worlds — once they've set their sights on something, no one can change their mind."
"Then what are we supposed to do? We can't beat it, we can't chase it away — are we all just supposed to sit here and wait to die?" Mo Huang's eyes went wide.
Zhang Ruoxi said, "The only course of action is to restore the Star Boundary's vitality as quickly as possible. As long as the Star Boundary still has life, the Great Titan won't make its move. Don't let appearances fool you — this race is actually quite non-confrontational. Of course, that's on the condition that you don't provoke them. If someone accidentally offends them, the consequences would be dire."
Zhan Wuhen pondered for a moment. "How long does this creature usually sleep for?"
Zhang Ruoxi slowly shook her head. "The Great Titan race is extraordinarily rare. Even in the worlds beyond the heavens, they are extremely difficult to encounter. Our ancestors only ever glimpsed one from afar and never made direct contact. But given its enormous size and terrifying power, sleeping for several hundred to a thousand years — or even longer — is perfectly normal. Though it's also possible it could wake up unexpectedly partway through."
"Several hundred to a thousand years..." Zhan Wuhen nodded slightly. "Then let's proceed this way. No one disturbs it. Before it wakes, we pour everything into restoring the Star Boundary's vitality. If it wakes and finds the Star Boundary still full of life, it will likely lose interest and move on."
But several hundred to a thousand years — how much could the Star Boundary actually recover? Given its current devastated state, recovering even a fraction of its Yuan Qi would take at least ten thousand years.
Everyone nodded in agreement. Faced with such a colossal and terrifying existence, no one entertained the notion of provoking it. They would have been more than happy for the creature to sleep right there until the end of time.
Everyone except one. While the others were talking, Yang Kai flew straight toward the Great Titan.
Everyone turned to stare, wondering what he was doing. But as Yang Kai drew closer, their expressions changed in alarm. Zhan Wuhen hastily transmitted his voice: "Yang Kai, what are you doing?!"
Yang Kai waved him off. Seizing the moment when the Great Titan inhaled, he rode the powerful airstream straight into one of its enormous nostrils. The next instant, a dragon's roar rang out — a flash of a golden dragon head flickered past, and his two-hundred-zhang half-dragon form materialized. He grabbed hold of a nostril hair, swung himself over to the adjacent flesh wall, raised his massive fist, and — under the horrified gazes of everyone watching — smashed it down with all his might.
The punch had landed on the Great Titan's nose, but it was the hearts of Zhan Wuhen and the others that lurched violently. Every Great Emperor's face went pale in unison, their hearts nearly leaping out of their chests.
Wu Kuang very nearly bulged his own eyes out of his skull, gritting his teeth and hissing: "Nuts!" His figure blurred as he retreated at full speed, instantly putting a thousand li between himself and the titan. Even from that distance he didn't feel safe, so he pulled back even farther.
Under that punch, the Great Titan's nose twitched several times, and it let out a tremendous sneeze.
The violent blast of air sent Yang Kai tumbling away, his two-hundred-zhang body spinning uncontrollably out of sight. But despite the blow, the Great Titan showed no signs of waking — it simply rolled over and continued snoring away.
A short while later, Yang Kai returned. He scratched his head as he gazed at the sleeping titan, puzzled. Last time, it had only taken something like this to wake the creature up. Why hadn't it worked this time?
"Yang Kai, get back here!" Zhan Wuhen's face was still taut with lingering fear. Thank heavens that strike hadn't actually worked — if it had, none of them would still be alive. Through that punch, he had gained a direct understanding of just how terrifyingly powerful this Great Titan was.
Yang Kai's current punch was something no one could withstand head-on, yet the titan's soft flesh had taken the blow without so much as a flinch. It was beyond imagination.
"Calm yourself, Lord Iron Blood. Leave this to me." Yang Kai raised a hand, steeled his resolve, and summoned the Azure Dragon Spear.
Zhan Wuhen nearly coughed up a mouthful of old blood. Horror etched across his face: "What is he going to do?!"
No one needed to answer. They could see Yang Kai already gripping the spearhead, holding the weapon inverted, swinging the colossal Azure Dragon Spear in a wide arc — and bringing it crashing down onto the Great Titan's bald head.
Clang...