Setting aside those mid-grade and high-grade Open Heaven realm experts whose strength was on an entirely different level, Black Crow Divine Lord — having achieved rebirth through body possession — was without a doubt the most formidable and tenacious enemy Yang Kai had ever faced.
Even the Great Demon God of old couldn't compare to him, for this fellow practically possessed an immortal body! The battle against the Great Demon God had been a fight where the entire Star Boundary rose up together, and Yang Kai had countless companions by his side, supporting each other through hardship and fighting shoulder to shoulder. Now, he was fighting entirely alone.
Whether he could slay Black Crow Divine Lord here, Yang Kai had no confidence whatsoever. After all, even his strongest technique — the Golden Crow Forge Sun — had been broken by his opponent. Beyond the single Profound Art Bead the Matriarch had given him, he had no cards left to play!
The situation was dire in the extreme! Yang Kai thrust spear after spear, the Laws of Space churning around him as his figure flickered and shifted, appearing and vanishing in the blink of an eye. Each strike inflicted grievous wounds on Black Crow Divine Lord, but even the most lethal injuries healed in the span of a heartbeat.
Yet as Black Crow Divine Lord continued taking damage, Yang Kai's own condition grew steadily worse. It had always been Yang Kai who relied on his extraordinary recovery to fight his enemies head-on — he never imagined that one day, someone would use the very same method against him. Truly, the tides of fortune were ever shifting, and nothing in this world was permanent!
His vision darkened in waves as Yang Kai pushed his potential and limits to the breaking point. Even if he couldn't kill this old dog today, he had to make him understand that he was not someone to be trifled with. Otherwise, if this pursuit continued, he would inevitably burn through every last drop of his strength.
Blood-red light slashed toward him. Yang Kai raised his spear to block — two sharp clangs rang out as Black Crow Divine Lord's twin butterfly blades were knocked away. But one of the blood blades suddenly dissolved into a puddle of blood and vanished without a trace.
At the same instant, a killing intent surged from behind, locking firmly onto him.
Yang Kai's heart lurched. He realized he had fallen into a trap through a moment's inattention. He tried to dodge desperately, but felt a slight pain at his waist. Looking down, he saw a streak of blood-light that had pierced through his back and emerged from his abdomen, punching a hole clean through his body. Blood flowed freely!
The blood-light flew back into Black Crow Divine Lord's hand. He raised the blade before his face, gave it a light lick, and nodded approvingly: "The taste of Sacred Spirit blood — not bad, not bad at all!"
Yang Kai stumbled back several steps, clamping a hand over the wound at his side. He channeled his energy to seal the gash, his body swaying unsteadily.
He had reached his limit. Despite giving everything he had, he had hit the absolute ceiling of what his body could endure. If he kept pushing, he would most likely perish right here.
Yang Kai sighed inwardly. Things having come to this, he had no choice but to keep fleeing and find an opportunity to heal. But in his current state, shaking off Black Crow Divine Lord's pursuit would be no easy feat.
"Young one, you may speak your last words!" Black Crow Divine Lord gripped his twin blades. The moment the words left his mouth, his figure blurred and he lunged directly in front of Yang Kai. The twin blades descended left and right, murderous intent surging like a tide!
Yang Kai raised his spear to parry. A thunderous boom shook the air as an overwhelming force bore down from above. Even with his Half-Dragon Body, he couldn't withstand it — his frame buckled, and he nearly dropped to his knees.
His vision blackened again.
When his sight returned, Black Crow Divine Lord's face was almost pressed against his, a savage grin splitting his features: "Die!"
Yang Kai gritted his teeth and roared. From within his Sea of Consciousness, his spiritual soul power erupted in a violent surge, condensing into a pure bolt of psychic force that hammered straight into Black Crow Divine Lord.
Black Crow Divine Lord's savage grin froze instantly. His eyes trembled violently, as though he had sustained a devastating blow.
The crushing pressure lifted abruptly. Seizing the opening, Yang Kai steadied himself in an instant and swept his spear in a horizontal arc, sending Black Crow Divine Lord hurtling away. Before the distance between them could widen further, the Azure Dragon Spear unleashed hundreds of thrusts in rapid succession, each one carrying the power to rend heaven and shatter earth.
Black Crow Divine Lord had no way to defend himself. His body was blown apart, utterly obliterated!
Yang Kai froze for a moment. Such a turn of events was something he had never anticipated. Moments ago, he had launched the soul attack purely out of desperation, hoping to ease the pressure bearing down on him — yet it had struck Black Crow Divine Lord's weakness dead-on, instantly crippling his combat strength.
After a moment's thought, the realization struck him like lightning.
Black Crow Divine Lord's soul was nothing more than a remnant to begin with. It had already suffered severe damage within Yang Kai's Sea of Consciousness, forcing him to sever a portion of his soul as a desperate escape. After that, he had possessed Zhou Yi's body. While the possession had succeeded, it was certainly not as simple as it appeared on the surface.
Zhou Yi had been an elite disciple of the Great Thousand Blood Ground, blessed with exceptional aptitude. For Black Crow Divine Lord to successfully possess him would have demanded a considerable toll.
After suffering these successive losses, how strong could Black Crow Divine Lord's soul possibly remain?
In other words, compared to the formidable strength he displayed, his soul power was practically negligible. No wonder a single soul attack had struck him so hard he couldn't even fight back — that was the reason why.
Having understood this, Yang Kai was filled with vexation. Earlier, he had been blinded by the overwhelming power his opponent had displayed and simply hadn't thought of this layer. Had he realized it sooner, this battle wouldn't have been nearly so troublesome.
Strike where the enemy was weak with your own strength — did Yang Kai not understand such a simple principle?