With that thought, Yang Kai retracted the Wind Gourd in an instant, reaching out to grasp at the void. As dragon might surged forth, he summoned the Azure Dragon Spear. With a casual flick that blossomed into a spear flower, he thrust straight ahead.
The Mantis Head charged forward in a blind rage, never expecting Yang Kai to switch techniques so swiftly. As the tip of the Azure Dragon Spear rapidly enlarged before its eyes, it hastily crossed both blade-arms in front of itself as a guard.
A sharp clang rang out. The Mantis Head's expression shifted, both compound eyes trembling violently as its forward-lunging body inexplicably drifted backward like a leaf carried on the wind, utterly weightless.
Having retreated over a hundred zhang, the Mantis Head looked down at its right arm. There, a deep dent had appeared—its blade-arm, which was exceptionally hard and durable, had nearly been pierced clean through by a single thrust.
Horror gripping its heart, it stared at the Azure Dragon Spear in Yang Kai's hand and rasped, "What kind of spear is that?"
It knew its own body well. While it couldn't claim to be impervious, very few things in existence could wound it. Yet this opponent's single strike carried such terrifying force that it had felt a lethal threat.
"Obviously… the spear that's going to kill you!" Yang Kai had already flashed before the Mantis Head mid-sentence, another thrust lancing forward like a diving dragon.
At the same time, a trace of regret flickered through his mind. That first thrust had been meant to take the Mantis Head's life outright. The Azure Dragon Spear had been forged from an entire dragon skeleton—even across the Three Thousand Worlds, it was a top-tier killing Artifact. The Mantis Head's defenses might be formidable, but they shouldn't have been able to withstand the Azure Dragon Spear's full power.
Unfortunately, it had still fallen short.
Having already suffered once, the Mantis Head had no intention of taking another hit head-on. It twisted its body and dodged, transforming into a streak of green light that circled around Yang Kai at blinding speed. Its blade-arms whirled, slashing out impossible attacks from every conceivable angle.
Yang Kai pushed the Azure Dragon Spear's power to its absolute limit, filling the sky with an impenetrable curtain of spear shadows that enveloped his body entirely.
Compared to the Mantis Head's exquisite, seemingly effortless blade techniques, Yang Kai's spear work was practically that of a beginner. He had never formally trained in spear martial arts—ever since acquiring the Azure Dragon Spear, he had simply fought by instinct. In terms of technique, the two were in completely different leagues.
It wasn't that Yang Kai dismissed the importance of technique. He simply believed that in a life-or-death battle, raw power was the ultimate deciding factor. No matter how masterful your technique, a single overwhelming strike could shatter it all.
Only now did he realize how narrow that thinking had been.
The Azure Dragon Spear's power was boundless, yet it couldn't do a thing against this Mantis Head. The creature's body slipped around like an eel, its blade techniques otherworldly—it had clearly reached a terrifying realm where finesse overcame brute force. Occasionally, it would find a gap and land a slash, a jet of blood spraying from the wound each time.
Even his hardened dragon body couldn't withstand the razor-sharp edge of those blade-arms.
If this kept up, he would be the one at a disadvantage.
Yang Kai's expression grew serious, though he found himself at a loss. He could leave whenever he wished—the Mantis Head might be fast, but it couldn't stop his Spatial Instant teleportation. Yet retreating now would leave a bitter frustration in his heart, and that would do harm to his martial path.
"Your blood… it smells absolutely delicious." Amid the fierce battle, the Mantis Head still had the composure to notice other things. It was clearly at ease. It spoke through ragged breaths, as though it had spotted something irresistibly appetizing that made its appetite stir.
Yang Kai was drenched in dragon blood. Ordinary martial artists might not notice anything unusual, but the Mantis Head was a demon beast by origin, with an exceptionally keen sense of smell. It had immediately perceived the difference.
"No wonder the Mistress wanted me to capture you alive—hahaha, Lord Mantis is about to earn a great merit!" The Mantis Head laughed loudly, its voice seeming to come from all directions as its body circled and spun.
Yang Kai pressed his lips tight, saying nothing, pouring all his concentration into fending off the Mantis Head's storm-like barrage of attacks. Wherever the two clashed, blade energy and spear light crisscrossed between heaven and earth. The already-ruined Star Market was torn to shreds around them.
Yet a prolonged defense inevitably left openings. After a full half-hour of battle, the Mantis Head finally spotted a critical opportunity. Its blade-arm knocked the Azure Dragon Spear aside, and it slammed its body forward until it stood face to face with Yang Kai. Both compound eyes blazed with savage light as it drove a blade straight into Yang Kai's torso.
A muffled thud. Half a blade-arm plunged into Yang Kai's abdomen, piercing clean through and out his back.
Blood sprayed into the air. Yang Kai's face paled slightly, but the corner of his mouth curved into a mocking smile. "Finally caught you!"
The words had barely left his lips when, ignoring the blade-arm's razor edge entirely, his left hand shot out and clamped down on it, gripping it tight. His fingers were instantly slashed open, blood gushing forth.
The Mantis Head had thought victory was assured and was about to laugh triumphantly when those words reached it. A jolt of alarm shot through its heart—an instinctive sense of dread. It looked up to see the Azure Dragon Spear driving straight toward its head.
It let out a raspy laugh. "Catch Lord Mantis? You little thing are far too naive!"
The blade-arm buried in Yang Kai's abdomen twisted violently, and while Yang Kai recoiled from the pain, the Mantis Head wrenched its arm free and leaped backward.
"Freeze!" Yang Kai roared as the spear thrust forward. His Space Laws were pushed to their absolute limit—his words became law, and space itself solidified in an instant.
The Mantis Head's grin froze on its face. It felt the surrounding space crushing inward from all sides, its backward momentum plummeting. The Azure Dragon Spear rapidly filled its vision as it screamed in terror: "The little thing is far too cunning!"
No matter how desperately it fought to break free, it could not outrun the spear.
A soft pop, like something shattering, echoed through the air. The Mantis Head's skull exploded in midair. Its headless corpse spasmed and twitched, toppling toward the ground like a plummeting stone.
Yang Kai pulled the spear back, a mouthful of blood erupting from his lips as his body plummeted downward, crashing hard into the earth.