With each assault from the Ancient Demon Clan, an enemy was beheaded or torn apart, blood spraying in all directions.
Tendrils of pitch-black demonic energy rampaged through the crowd like caged beasts set free, ruthlessly crushing the will and fighting spirit of the Poxuan Manor and War Soul Hall disciples. They screamed, they begged, and they died in despair.
The pristine, untouched snow mountain had become a slaughterhouse. Blood pooled and flowed in rivulets, severed limbs and shattered bones flew through the air.
In a matter of moments, over a thousand disciples from these two powers had been killed or wounded.
Zhang Ao, Cao Guan, and the rest had bloodshot eyes, roaring madly as they tried to fight back, but against Li Rong and the others, they were utterly powerless — nothing more than cattle awaiting the butcher's blade.
Every expert in the Transcendent Realm was dead or dying.
The four Entering Saint Realm masters were also losing ground.
Zhang Ao proved somewhat capable — the shockwaves from his attacks even killed a few weaker Ancient Demon Clan members, which only made Li Rong show even less mercy.
Yang Kai watched all of this with cold detachment, truly comprehending what it meant for the weak to be prey for the strong.
As time passed, the battle gradually subsided.
Corpses and mangled remains littered the ground. The Ancient Demon Clan warriors were drenched in blood, howling toward the sky — even so, the killing intent in their hearts seemed impossible to contain. The overwhelming aura of carnage converged in one place, pressing down on the heavens themselves.
Of the Poxuan Manor and War Soul Hall's four Entering Saint Realm experts, three had been killed on the spot. Only Zhang Ao remained, captured alive.
Thick, luminous blood-red energy coiled around him like ropes, leaving him completely immobilized. Li Rong dragged him before Yang Kai, awaiting his judgment.
Standing at the very center of this hellscape, Yang Kai closed his eyes and unleashed the World Destruction Demon Eye in his Sea of Consciousness, drawing upon its tremendous pulling force to absorb all the scattered soul energy drifting through the world.
Zhang Ao waited in trembling terror, unsure what fate awaited him. Cold sweat poured down what had once been a proud, spirited face as he stared at Yang Kai in horror.
A good while passed before Yang Kai slowly opened his eyes and looked down at Zhang Ao.
"Holy Lord Yang... I am, at the very least, a formidable figure. Please, show mercy and spare my life! I'll pledge my loyalty and serve you without question!" Before Yang Kai could even open his mouth, Zhang Ao hurriedly blurted out his plea, terrified that Yang Kai might strike him down on the spot.
Seeing such cowardice, Li Rong and the others couldn't help but show a flicker of contempt.
"A formidable figure... I suppose you are, at that. You chased me for several months." Yang Kai nodded lightly. "But I'm sorry — I have no interest in you. The forces I've gathered are more than sufficient. With or without you, it makes no difference. Keeping you alive seems like nothing but a liability."
"No, no! Holy Lord Yang, I'll do whatever you ask—" Sensing Yang Kai's killing intent, Zhang Ao grew frantic. He turned his gaze toward Wu Jie and urged, "Sect Master Wu! For the sake of our years of friendship, say something for me!"
Wu Jie let out a deep sigh. "Brother Zhang... Heaven's punishment may be forgiven, but self-inflicted ruin cannot be escaped... I tried to convince you two years ago to quit while you were ahead, but you insisted on pushing to the bitter end. Now the tables have turned — what do you want me to say? Besides, I only survive under the Holy Lord's protection. How could I possibly have any voice here?"
Seeing Wu Jie refuse, Zhang Ao felt his hope crumble. He quickly blurted out, "Holy Lord Yang, I have a secret! If you promise not to kill me, I'll tell you everything."
"A secret?" Yang Kai chuckled. "Who doesn't have a secret? What value could yours possibly hold for me?"
"This secret may concern the mystery of the Starry Sky. I'm sure the Holy Lord would be interested. As the Holy Lord of the Nine Heavens Holy Land, you'll eventually reach the pinnacle of the third level of the Entering Saint Realm. That's exactly the kind of power that pursues the Great Dao of the Stars!" Zhang Ao said in a low voice.
Yang Kai raised an eyebrow, interest piqued. He leaned down and fixed Zhang Ao with a piercing gaze. "How could this relate to the mystery of the Starry Sky?"
"Because I experienced it once myself. It felt as if I were standing in the midst of the endless Starry Sky, surrounded on all sides by countless twinkling stars. It was truly extraordinary..."
"My Lord, this fellow may be stalling, or simply making things up," Han Fei said coldly.
Yang Kai raised a hand and gestured for Zhang Ao to continue. "Go on."
Seeing that Yang Kai seemed genuinely interested, Zhang Ao perked up immediately. "Moreover, there was a strange power surging there. Even though I'm already at the second level of the Entering Saint Realm, I could barely withstand it. It felt as though my entire body was about to be crushed to fragments. I believe only those at the third level of the Entering Saint Realm could endure such terrifying energy with their physical bodies."
Yang Kai frowned. What Zhang Ao described was strikingly similar to his own experience in the Starry Sky. Involuntarily, he began to believe Zhang Ao might actually be telling the truth — someone who had never been to the Starry Sky would have great difficulty describing it with such precision.
After a moment of contemplation, Yang Kai grinned. "That does sound somewhat convincing. But what does any of it have to do with the Starry Sky? How do you even know that place was the Starry Sky?"
"To be completely honest with the Holy Lord, at first I didn't pay it much mind. But one day, I stumbled upon a peculiar stone within my sect. It clearly wasn't from this continent... Over the following years, I kept finding strange fragments of stone there, until one day I obtained something."
"What was it?" Yang Kai asked in a deep voice.
"It's in my Cosmos Bag. You can check it yourself. Once you see it, you'll know I'm not talking nonsense." Zhang Ao gestured toward the bag.
Yang Kai glanced at the Cosmos Bag and reached for it. Just as he was about to open it, Li Rong stepped forward. "My Lord, let me do it."
She clearly didn't trust Zhang Ao, fearing he might have set some kind of trap inside the bag.
Yang Kai nodded and handed the Cosmos Bag to Li Rong.