Yang Bai's expression turned solemn, and the gaze he fixed on Yang Kai finally grew somewhat heavier. He said with a hint of surprise, "Martial nephew, so you actually possess this kind of power. Not bad—it seems you have some outside help to draw upon. But only at the fifth layer of the Shenyou Realm? That's still far too weak."
"Is that so?" The Earth Demon stepped forward, positioning himself protectively beside Yang Kai. Dense, malevolent demonic energy surged from his body, identical in nature to the aura radiating from Yang Bai, the two forces pulling at each other as if drawn by an invisible magnet.
The eight old patriarchs simultaneously bellowed, pushing their power to a full one hundred and twenty percent. Their expressions were fierce and inflamed, united in hatred and purpose, as though they were prepared to fight Yang Bai to the death.
Yang Bai threw his head back and laughed. "You think you can defeat me just by outnumbering me? You're all far too naive. Very well—before I leave, I'll show you all what the third layer of the Transcendent Realm truly means. Old friend, I gave you a chance, but you refused to appreciate it. That demonic energy you carry—I'll be taking it from you today."
These final words were directed at the Earth Demon.
Back when Yang Bai had emerged from Kunlong Gorge, his cultivation had not yet reached the third layer of the Transcendent Realm, and he had been unable to absorb all the energy within that demon lord's corpse. He had planned to wait and return after advancing further, only to have the Earth Demon swoop in and seize it for himself.
Now, with opportunity right before his eyes, he naturally intended to reclaim the power that should have been his.
As he spoke, he waved his hand lightly. A layer of seven-colored light membrane materialized around his body, wrapping him like armor.
The martial techniques and Artifacts of the eight great family patriarchs had already erupted into brilliant radiance, slamming into Yang Bai. These attacks, which should have been powerful enough to overturn rivers and topple mountains, only managed to send faint ripples across the light membrane surrounding him—not even enough to breach his defenses.
Though they had already known that Yang Bai's abilities were heaven-defying and his strength immense, seeing this scene with their own eyes still left the eight old patriarchs unable to believe it. Every one of them wore a look of horror and shock.
The Earth Demon struck as well, lightning-fast. A mass of blood-light erupted and transformed into a bloody mist that surged toward Yang Bai, enveloping him. That blood-light contained the Earth Demon's years of accumulated comprehension and the full force of his cultivation. It was insidious and virtually impossible to defend against—enough to corrode anything in existence.
But Yang Bai merely gave a slight shake of his body, and the bloody mist dispersed.
The Earth Demon let out a cold snort and stumbled back three steps. His expression was as grave as it could possibly be.
The absolute gap in realm was not something his experience could bridge. If there had been a large quantity of blood available here, he could still have employed the Demonic Shadow Holy Art—but all the blood spilled by the dead and wounded in recent days had already been consumed by Yang Bai. Even the cleverest housewife cannot cook without rice.
A piercing dragon roar rang out, and behind Yang Kai a colossal dragon head materialized, thrashing its head and swinging its tail, its massive jaws gaping wide as it lunged toward Yang Bai.
"A flood dragon?" Yang Bai scoffed with contempt. His left hand clenched the empty air, and a titanic seven-colored venomous serpent appeared out of thin air. The serpent was vividly multicolored, baring its fangs and lunging ferociously toward the black dragon. From its maw it spat stream after stream of seven-colored light rays. Those rays contained a terrifying evil energy, and in an instant they shattered the flood dragon into pieces.
"Is that all you've got?" Yang Bai sneered with a mocking smile, his demeanor perfectly composed. He said coldly, "Go ahead—release all the power you have. I want to see if anyone here can stand in my way! I, Yang Bai, have suffered a bitter life, and all I have ever pursued is the advancement of power. What does righteous mean? What does evil mean? As long as it makes me stronger, that's all that matters. Whoever stands in my way dies!"
"Even the master who raised and taught you?" Yang Kai gazed at him with cold eyes. Though the situation was dire, he showed not the slightest trace of panic—instead, his expression was one of calm indifference.
The Earth Demon read Yang Kai's expression carefully. Though he had no idea what trump card Yang Kai was relying on, having followed him for so long, the Earth Demon knew that Yang Kai would never act without confidence. He immediately suppressed his instinct to flee and stood quietly at Yang Kai's side, on guard against any unforeseen danger.
"My master?" Yang Bai laughed coldly. "I no longer have a master."
As he spoke, he drove the evil energy within his body once more. The eight great family patriarchs all groaned simultaneously, their knees buckling as they dropped to the ground. Their faces all turned seven-colored, and their true essence and physical strength drained away at a terrifying rate, converging toward Yang Bai's body in a mad rush.
The absolute suppression of realm made them understand viscerally just how terrifying Yang Bai was, and they realized that with only themselves, there was no way they could do anything to him.
"Yang Kai, you need to run. We probably can't escape..." Yang Yinghao suddenly spoke up, his voice growing fainter with every word.
If they had known beforehand that Yang Bai's strength was this horrifying, they would never have come down with just eight people.
They had believed that even if the eight of them died, they could at least drag Yang Bai down with them. Now that notion seemed laughably absurd in the face of reality.
All they could do now was sacrifice their lives to keep Yang Kai alive.
"No one leaves!" Yang Bai wore an expression of leisurely amusement, shaking his head faintly. He pointed a finger, and a sharp blast of wind shot forth, punching through Yang Yinghao's shoulder. Blood immediately gushed from the wound.
"Yang Bai, you betrayed your master and brought shame upon the Sect! Today I will cleanse this sect on behalf of Grandmaster!" Yang Kai suddenly erupted like a beast driven to fury, his roar violent and savage.
Yang Bai blinked in surprise, casting him a curious, dismissive glance. "A mere fifth-layer Shenyou Realm cultivator dares to spout such empty words? You truly have no sense of your own insignificance, martial nephew. In a moment you'll be dead—are you planning to return as a vengeful ghost to cleanse the sect for that old fossil?"
Though they hailed from the same sect, Yang Bai held absolutely no regard for Yang Kai, believing that whatever power the young man currently wielded was nothing more than a borrowed crutch.
"Heh heh..." Yang Kai let out an eerie laugh that trailed off into silence. His smile vanished, and he barked a command: "Earth Demon!"
The Earth Demon responded without a heartbeat's hesitation, charging at Yang Bai in a frenzy.
Yang Bai's expression was one of pure disdain. He waved his hand at the Earth Demon, and a violent surge of energy erupted forth. The Earth Demon's true essence flickered violently—bright, then dim—before quickly extinguishing entirely. He was blasted backward, crashing heavily to the ground. But he immediately scrambled back to his feet, seemingly unconcerned.