The strength of an Emperor-realm powerhouse was absolutely the most formidable tier within the human territories.
Even a peak Emperor-realm expert facing an early-stage Emperor-realm expert would find it nearly impossible to achieve an instant kill.
And the Emperor-realm powerhouse from the Undying Heavenly Capital was not merely early-stage—he was mid-stage, his strength considerably greater than that of an early-stage peer.
Yet at this very moment, he was as helpless as a baby who had just learned to walk. The moment that massive palm seized him, his entire body became pinned as if suppressed beneath a mountain of five fingers. No matter how he struggled, he could not budge an inch.
"Big Stone, these people have already fallen to the demonic path. Show them no mercy." Jiang Chen transmitted via divine sense.
The Giant Stone Clan had been a battle-hardened race since the ancient era—loyal and unwavering executors. Upon hearing Jiang Chen's order, the two brothers of the Giant Stone Clan stopped holding back.
Five fingers clenched. The Emperor-realm powerhouse from the Undying Heavenly Capital was finished in an instant.
This expert from the Undying Heavenly Capital had been second only to Emperor Yunlan among their group of powerhouses. Yet such a formidable figure could not withstand a casual grab from Big Stone.
The scene left every onlooker on the battlefield completely dumbfounded.
Fortunately, the Emperor-realm powerhouse from the Heavenly River Palace saw the situation was dire and bellowed: "Brothers, these two great monsters are terrifying—retreat!"
A warrior's sense of crisis was always razor-sharp. The moment they clashed with the brothers Big Stone and Second Stone, they felt that overwhelming, exaggerated aura and immediately understood—they were simply not on the same level.
A battle of this disparity was not a battle at all. It was slaughter.
Reining themselves in before it was too late, their faces drained of color as they bolted backward, desperately trying to break free of the combat zone.
Big Stone and Second Stone had only just been revived. Both their divine souls and their physical bodies were still at their nadir, and they were somewhat rusty in combat.
That was what gave the demonic servants a chance to extricate themselves.
If Big Stone and Second Stone had recovered even thirty percent of their strength, none of these people would have escaped.
Even so, of the two or thirty-plus powerhouses who charged out, after Big Stone and Second Stone cut them down, only half made it out in one piece.
The survivors dared not linger for even a moment and scattered toward the interior of the palace in a panicked rout.
This entire scene had been observed through the divine sense of the Heavenly Demon Lord—and even he was profoundly shaken.
He had never imagined that the demonic servants he dispatched would meet such a devastating end!
"Those two giants—they're actually reanimated stone statues? What kind of place is the Saint Unity Sect? How could they possess such sorcery?"
Even the well-traveled Heavenly Demon Lord was stunned by what he had witnessed.
As an extraterritorial Heavenly Demon, he hailed from a powerful plane—a raider who had infiltrated the Divine Abyss Continent. The demon race had always considered themselves a superior race, looking down upon the natives of the Divine Abyss Continent with utter disdain.
Seeing such an eerie spectacle unfold, how could the Heavenly Demon Lord not be alarmed?
Those were clearly stone sculptures—yet they could come back to life!
Under normal circumstances, if his dispatched servants performed this pathetically, the Heavenly Demon Lord would have flown into a towering rage, perhaps even activating his demonic consciousness to execute every last one of them on the spot. After all, it was far too humiliating.
But right now, he was actually grateful—grateful that they had the sense to flee rather than stubbornly throwing their lives away.
Otherwise, all the effort he had spent luring these human powerhouses here would have gone to waste.
"My Lord Demon Master, we are incompetent..."
"Please punish us, My Lord Demon Master. We were sent to kill that brat Jiang Chen, but two giants appeared instead. Their strength was monstrous—we couldn't get anywhere near him. One brief exchange, and we suffered devastating casualties."
"My Lord Demon Master, those two giants are far too powerful. None of us could stand against them."
These defeated generals quickly returned before the Heavenly Demon Lord, weeping bitterly and bowing their heads in confession.
This had been their first time serving the Heavenly Demon Lord, and they had ended in such a wretched result. Their hearts were gripped with unease.
The Heavenly Demon Lord was silent for a long while before sighing: "I saw the battle just now myself. Those two giants are extremely peculiar—at minimum, they possess Heavenly-realm-level strength. That you couldn't defeat them is entirely understandable."
Hearing this, everyone breathed a silent sigh of relief. They thought to themselves that this Heavenly Demon Lord was actually fairly reasonable, not blaming them for the debacle.
"And Yunlan?" the Heavenly Demon Lord asked.
"He lured away that Vermilion Bird divine creature. We don't know where they went."
The Heavenly Demon Lord's divine sense was currently weakened, and he did not wish to expend it further. He simply nodded: "There is no need for panic. Within this Heavenly Demon Domain, you are absolutely safe. If those two giants dare enter, I shall deal with them personally!"
The Heavenly Demon Lord's words sounded resolute and stirring, but in truth, his own heart was pounding with apprehension.