The Black Crow Divine Lord, who was currently presiding over the great array, let out a cold snort upon hearing this. "That brat sure knows how to slack off!"
He could plainly see that Yang Kai hadn't gone all out. Setting aside everything else, the divine ability manifestation the brat had used before was nowhere to be seen now. That manifestation carried tremendous power — if he unleashed it, it would surely help the situation immensely.
But since Yang Kai had called for aid, he couldn't simply ignore him. If Yang Kai's side collapsed, the great array on his end would inevitably be affected as well. They were at a critical juncture in breaking the seal, and he refused to let everything fall apart at the last moment.
So despite his dissatisfaction with Yang Kai holding back, the Black Crow Divine Lord still swept his great banner, and a vast expanse of blood mist instantly condensed into a blood cloud that drifted toward the Star Tortoise, enveloping it completely.
Immediately after, the blood cloud burst apart, transforming into two blood beasts whose size was in no way inferior to the Star Tortoise, along with countless blood writhing like living creatures — blood serpents.
The two blood beasts attacked the Star Tortoise from both flanks with utter fearlessness, while the innumerable blood serpents crawled along the edge of its shell, swarming over its body.
The Star Tortoise swept its tail, and one of the blood beasts instantly disintegrated — but it immediately reformed, as though it were undying and indestructible.
Seizing this moment of breathing room, the group reorganized their formation and launched their techniques once more.
Yang Kai let out a slight breath of relief. He truly hadn't been going all out. In the current situation, he didn't dare to. The Golden Crow Forges the Sun was powerful, yes, but its consumption was enormous. If he spent too much of his reserves fighting the Star Tortoise, he might have nothing left for self-preservation afterward. Why would he do something so foolish?
Fortunately, the Black Crow Divine Lord placed extreme importance on the Blood Demon God Palace, so even though he understood Yang Kai's calculation, he had no choice but to lend a hand.
With those two undying blood beasts charging at the forefront and countless blood serpents harassing the Star Tortoise, everyone's safety improved dramatically. The Star Tortoise was undeniably powerful, but perhaps due to slumbering for too many years or simply its nature, its spiritual intelligence wasn't particularly high. Irritated by the blood beasts' harassment, it engaged them in a relentless struggle, leaving itself no room to focus elsewhere.
This phenomenon delighted Yang Kai and the others, but their elation hadn't lasted long when the blood beasts were thoroughly annihilated, unable to reconstitute. Even the blood serpents covering the Star Tortoise's body were destroyed down to the last one by its earth-element power.
Yang Kai silently cursed under his breath. He could only step forward once again, his Azure Dragon Spear dancing and thrusting to draw the Star Tortoise's attention. This was something he had agreed to do for the Black Crow Divine Lord, and it concerned whether the Blood Demon God Palace could be opened — he couldn't stay out of it.
The pressure was crushing. Fighting a seventh-grade demon beast like this, the slightest lapse could cost him his life. Yang Kai naturally had to summon every ounce of his concentration.
The others assisted from the sides, and for the time being, they managed to keep the Star Tortoise occupied.
Stealing a moment amid the chaos, Yang Kai glanced toward the Blood Demon God Palace and noticed that in this short span of time, the palace had become considerably more solid. It seemed the Black Crow Divine Lord and his group were making good progress on their end. According to their prior agreement, once the Blood Demon God Palace was fully manifested, his task here would be complete, and he would no longer need to clash with such a tough opponent.
Wei Buque was privately shaken. Although he had heard from his junior brother Xu Zhen about Yang Kai's prowess — and even heard that this person had defeated Jade Rakshasa in a single move at the Asura Arena in Thousand Bird Star Market — hearing about it was one thing, witnessing it with his own eyes was another entirely. Only now did he truly grasp the gap between himself and Yang Kai.
Though everyone contributed when fighting the Star Tortoise, the bulk of the pressure still fell on Yang Kai, who kept charging to the forefront. Wei Buque estimated that if he were in Yang Kai's position, he would have been completely exhausted in less than half an incense stick's time, possibly even facing the risk of being slain.
Yet Yang Kai persevered. Though the situation appeared precarious at times, with heart-stopping danger flashing by every moment, it seemed as though everything remained under his control.
The Black Crow Divine Lord truly had a keen eye for talent. No wonder his junior brother had exhorted him repeatedly before their departure — if he encountered Yang Kai, he absolutely had to win him over. Such a talent, even if he only reached sixth-grade Open Heaven in the future, would be far beyond ordinary sixth-grade cultivators.
A beam of light suddenly shot toward him. Wei Buque shook his head, clearing the flurry of distracting thoughts from his mind, and focused as he slashed out with his blade.
As time wore on, the injured grew in number. Even Wei Buque and the others were covered in wounds, to say nothing of Yang Kai. If not for his exceptional self-recovery and endurance, he would have died countless times already.
A seventh-grade demon beast was truly terrifying. With so many people combining their strength, they could barely hold it in check — killing it was completely out of the question.
Yang Kai estimated that only a mid-grade Open Heaven cultivator would have any hope of slaying this Star Tortoise, and it would have to be a fifth or sixth-grade mid-grade Open Heaven at that. A fourth-grade simply didn't have the power.
With the Star Tortoise tied down, the Black Crow Divine Lord faced zero interference and made rapid progress. In just half an hour's time, the Blood Demon God Palace had nearly solidified into a tangible form.
However, the Star Tortoise had been slumbering here presumably to guard the Blood Demon God Palace in the first place. The further the Black Crow Divine Lord progressed, the more furious the Star Tortoise became, and the greater the power it unleashed. Yang Kai and the others fighting it felt this change acutely.
At one moment, a soft cracking sound rang out, and a aura that sent chills down one's spine suddenly spread through the air. Immediately after, from Lin Feng's waist, a strand of sword energy suddenly erupted, slashing directly at the Star Tortoise.
Sword energy raked across the void, tearing space apart.
On the Star Tortoise's thick shell, a gash several zhang long was carved clean through — through the wound, one could almost see the writhing entrails and flesh within.
Yang Kai, who had been locked in a grapple with the Star Tortoise, froze for a moment. The others froze as well. Lin Feng's body went rigid, and he looked down at his own waist.
The next instant, his pupils contracted.
His identity jade badge had shattered. In other words, in that fleeting moment he had been in mortal danger, and the technique sealed within the identity badge had activated automatically.
Cold sweat drenched him in an instant! Lin Feng hadn't even understood what had just happened. All he knew was that a streak of earth-yellow light had shot toward him from the direction of the Star Tortoise, so fast that he simply couldn't react...