In the snowy mountains, nearly a thousand members of the Ancient Demon Clan emerged from the Small Mysterious Realm, scattering across the vast expanse.
Not far away, Xue Li stood at the forefront with Yu Mo, Zhang Ao, and Cao Guan behind her. They watched with wary curiosity, wondering where this crowd had come from.
Suddenly, the ambient spiritual energy became chaotic. Every Ancient Demon Clan member who had stepped out of the Small Mysterious Realm seemed to emanate a suction force of varying intensity, frantically devouring the surrounding spiritual energy of heaven and earth.
In the blink of an eye, the spiritual energy within a radius of more than ten li had been completely drained.
Energy from further away surged inward, continuously absorbed by the clan members.
In the sky, clouds and wind shifted in turmoil, and terrifying waves of heavenly might bore down from above.
Everyone's expression changed drastically.
But the Ancient Demon Clan members all revealed looks of elation, opening their bodies and minds to welcome the baptism of heaven and earth's might.
Wu Jie watched with a peculiar expression, and after a long moment, blurted out in shock: "A breakthrough?"
This scene, this commotion — they were unmistakable signs of an imminent breakthrough. And it wasn't just one or two people; of the nearly thousand Ancient Demon Clan members, more than half stood at the very edge of breaking through.
The rest had all seen their internal strength surge noticeably in an instant.
Yang Kai's expression shifted again and again as he suddenly recalled that when he had first traveled from his own world to the Tongxuan Continent, his strength had also surged in a similar manner. Once the invisible shackles sealing his power were shattered and he was nourished by this world's energy, his realm and cultivation had naturally advanced a step.
The situation the Ancient Demon Clan now faced was probably much the same as what he had experienced back then.
Turning his head to survey the area, Yang Kai was startled to discover that among the clan members on the verge of breaking through, Han Fei and Hua Mo were generating the most dramatic upheaval.
Both commanders had originally been First Level Saints who had cultivated to their absolute limits. If they broke through now, they would advance to the Second Level Saint Realm.
A breakthrough at the Saint Realm was no laughing matter.
The two seemed to realize this as well and immediately activated their movement techniques, fleeing to a distance so that the heavenly might generated by their breakthroughs wouldn't affect the other clan members.
Yang Kai glanced tensely at Li Rong and was surprised to find the beautiful woman radiant and vibrant, her elegant eyes gleaming with brilliance — clearly, her strength had improved significantly upon leaving the Small Mysterious Realm and setting foot in this world.
Yin Ya and Xue Ji were the same.
"Lord Li..." Yang Kai called out to her. "Shouldn't the clansmen spread out a bit?"
There were simply too many people about to break through, and the converging heavenly might made even his heart quiver. If they didn't separate for their breakthroughs, casualties were very possible.
But with powerful enemies watching them closely, dispersing wouldn't be a wise move either.
"No need." Li Rong shook her head gently. "Has the Master forgotten what our clan's greatest asset is? Han Fei and Hua Mo have already left. As long as the heavenly might from their breakthroughs doesn't affect the other clansmen, they'll be fine."
At her words, Yang Kai suddenly remembered — the Ancient Demon Clan's greatest asset was their overwhelmingly powerful physiques.
At the same cultivation level, the Ancient Demon Clan's physical bodies far surpassed those of any other warrior in Zhongdu.
Moreover, they could activate their Demonic Patterns to make their bodies even more resilient.
Enduring the baptism of heaven and earth's might was precisely what required a powerful physique.
Seeing Li Rong's completely unconcerned demeanor, Yang Kai relaxed.
"Besides, the bigger problem right now isn't the clansmen's breakthrough." Li Rong gazed toward Xue Li in the distance. "Master, that woman — she's one of the current Demon Generals, isn't she?"
"Mm. A Third Level Saint."
"Not bad, then." Li Rong chuckled softly, appraising Xue Li with a measured gaze. "At least our Demon Race hasn't declined too badly."
Meanwhile, Yu Mo frowned as he spoke to Xue Li: "My Lady, what should we do now? It looks like many of them are about to break through. Should we..."
Xue Li slowly shook her head. "They are of our Demon Race. Though I don't know why they're with that human boy, if we act against them now, it might earn their enmity. Let's wait until they're finished and then ask. If possible, we can bring them back to Sand City. Four First Level Saints... one Second Level Saint... that's formidable power! If we can win them over, Sand City's strength will surpass the other three."
"As you say, My Lady!" Yu Mo bowed his head in agreement and said nothing more.
These Demon Race members who had appeared so suddenly were numerous and powerful. If they could truly be won over, they would become a tremendous asset. When that happened, the forces under the other three Demon Generals would pale in comparison to Lady Xue Li's.
"It seems they have no intention of stopping my clansmen." Li Rong observed Xue Li from afar and smiled.
Yang Kai snorted coldly: "That woman probably thinks you're no match for her, so she doesn't care whether you break through or not."
"Then she may be in for quite the surprise." Li Rong's words carried a deeper meaning.
Yang Kai looked at her in surprise and saw confident light dancing in her beautiful eyes. He couldn't help but fall into thought.
He had never seen Li Rong fight. He only knew her cultivation was roughly at the Second Level Saint Realm, a full level below Xue Li.
But from the way she spoke now, it seemed she didn't consider Xue Li a threat at all.
Yang Kai broke into a silent, enigmatic grin, secretly filled with anticipation.
He was very curious to see what kind of scene two such women would create if they clashed.