That aura was clearly hidden somewhere within this spiritual continent, and his actions must have startled it into revealing itself. Moreover, this aura... gave him a strange sense of déjà vu, as though he had encountered it somewhere before.
Before he could think it through, a massive figure burst forth from the spiritual continent, its demonic energy sharp and biting, demonic essence rolling in waves, its entire body radiating a blinding golden light!
Yang Kai fixed his gaze and blurted out in astonishment: "The Golden Wolf King!"
No wonder the aura felt familiar—he had indeed seen this creature before. Back when Qu Huashang and he were being hunted by Yin Xinzhao, Yang Kai had stumbled upon two Sixth-Order demon beasts locked in battle: a Golden Ape King and a Golden Wolf King. Both were formidable, evenly matched, and left each other gravely wounded.
Yang Kai had seized that opportunity to escape from Yin Xinzhao and the others, eventually falling into Dingfeng City.
And within Dingfeng City, the Golden Ape King had seized the moment when Tan Luoxing tore through the city's restrictions, breaking in to wreak havoc. Yang Kai had fought it and forced it to retreat.
According to Mo Mei and the others, the Golden Ape King was a Sixth-Order demon beast they had been sustaining, one that had helped resolve several crises for Dingfeng City. So after Yang Kai had severely wounded it, Mo Mei had pleaded on its behalf, and Yang Kai had let it go.
Unexpectedly, after the Blood Demon Cave Heaven's collapse, he would encounter this very Golden Wolf King on such a broken fragment of a spiritual continent.
Yang Kai bared his teeth—what terrible luck. It seemed the Golden Wolf King and the Golden Ape King had fought their bloody battle, both severely wounded, and each had found a place to recuperate. His recent actions must have startled this one out of hiding.
The Golden Wolf King and the Golden Ape King—these two Sixth-Order demon beasts—likely bore a grudge that had festered for far more than a day or two. After all, both were Gold-attribute demon beasts, and each coveted the other's inner core enormously. When Yang Kai and Qu Huashang had first fled and encountered them, their bodies had been covered in wounds of every size—some fresh, some long healed—proof that they had fought each other countless times, but neither could best the other due to their matched strength.
Seeing the Golden Wolf King again now, he found its old wounds had yet to heal, while new ones had been added. The bloody gashes across its body had flesh curling outward, a truly horrifying sight.
In other words, the Golden Wolf King's condition didn't seem all that great either.
Yang Kai had managed to repel the severely wounded Golden Ape King despite his own unhealed injuries. Now, seeing this Golden Wolf King in a similar state, there was little reason to fear. He immediately gripped his spear.
A furious howl rang out. The golden light on the Golden Wolf King's body blazed brilliantly. Its four limbs surged forward, and in the blink of an eye it had pounced from dozens of zhang away, its gaping maw hurtling straight toward Yang Kai.
A suffocating aura crashed down from above. Yang Kai could even smell the nauseating stench of blood on the Golden Wolf King's breath!
He had been prepared to fight, but now his face drained of color. His feet tapped frantically against the ground as he retreated in a rush, because he realized this Golden Wolf King was not Sixth-Order—its entire body was radiating the aura of a Seventh-Order demon beast!
Had he not encountered that Star Turtle earlier, Yang Kai might not have been able to judge just how fearsome a Seventh-Order demon beast truly was. But having fought the Star Turtle, the terror of a Seventh-Order beast was still fresh in his memory.
So the instant the Golden Wolf King moved, he knew it was not the Sixth-Order creature he had known—it was Seventh-Order!
Was it a different Golden Wolf King? No—this was the same one he had seen before. The wounds on its body looked familiar.
But last time he had seen it, it had been at the peak of Sixth-Order. How had it become Seventh-Order now? Glancing again at the fresh, still-bleeding wounds on its body, Yang Kai suddenly understood!
This creature must have killed the Golden Ape King, devoured its inner core, and used that to advance to Seventh-Order!
Both demon beasts had been at the peak of Sixth-Order. Whichever one killed the other would inevitably advance, because they were already only a single step away from Seventh-Order. Swallowing the inner core of another peak Sixth-Order beast naturally meant no remaining stagnation.
Under normal circumstances, with their evenly matched strength, neither could truly do anything to the other. But the Golden Ape King had been pummeled relentlessly by Yang Kai in Dingfeng City, its already serious injuries compounded enormously.
The Golden Wolf King must have seized that very opportunity to slay its lifelong nemesis!
Yang Kai could almost picture it: when the Golden Ape King had barged into Dingfeng City, the Golden Wolf King had been trailing silently behind, waiting to ambush. And the moment the Golden Ape King had been driven off by Yang Kai and retreated into hiding to lick its wounds, the Golden Wolf King had finally struck—a single, decisive blow!
But even after killing the Golden Ape King, devouring its inner core, and advancing to Seventh-Order, the price the Golden Wolf King had paid was undoubtedly immense. The wounds covering its body said as much.
In a flash, countless thoughts raced through Yang Kai's mind. Though he could not confirm any of these speculations, he estimated the odds were overwhelmingly in his favor.
Yet upon realizing the Golden Wolf King had already advanced to Seventh-Order, Yang Kai felt equal parts alarm and elation.
What alarmed him was the terrifying power of a Seventh-Order demon beast. He had firsthand experience with the Star Turtle's might—so many had attacked it simultaneously and failed to bring it down. While Earth-attribute beasts were renowned for their defenses, that battle alone was enough to demonstrate the fearsome depths of a Seventh-Order beast.
What thrilled him was the Seventh-Order Gold-attribute inner core inside this creature!
What had he come to the Blood Demon Cave Heaven for, if not Gold-attribute and Yin-attribute cultivation resources? He was now only missing these two among the Five Elements of Yin and Yang. Once he gathered them both, he could advance to the Superior Open Heaven realm. Only then would he have a foothold in this vast cosmos, in the boundless Three Thousand Worlds, and only then would he have the means to contend with every danger that lay ahead.
Fight, or retreat?