In that moment, the smile on Ye Yu’s face froze. He had originally thought that Ying Huo’s arrival this time would herald the return of the king. No more, no less—this scene, in any script, should have been the grand finale. The ending theme might even have started playing!
But just as Ye Yu believed everything was about to be settled and the villain would at last be finished off, he wondered why Ying Huo had been flung clear of the formation. That was entirely against all expectations! His little disappointment was substantial.
Seeing Ying Huo hurtle in this direction, Ye Yu couldn’t simply stand by. He surged forward and caught her.
“What happened? Are you all right?” he asked.
Ying Huo’s expression turned serious as she replied, “It was just a small mishap—he took me by surprise with an ambush. But it’s fine. I’ll take him down right now!”
At her words, Ye Yu gave her an encouraging look. “That’s the spirit. Take down Shen Kangren and I’ll send you a can of rations!”
Ying Huo tapped her toe and plunged back into the formation. Soon, rumbles of thunder echoed from within. The once-modest array swelled several times its original size. Even the Goddess of Balance, Yu Buxia, grew grave—this was more than she could withstand.
Before she could utter a whisper, Ying Huo was hurled out of the array again. She flew in exactly the same direction, and Ye Yu reached out once more—but this time the force behind her was far greater. Even he staggered back several steps.
Ying Huo steadied herself, breathing heavily as she stared at the shattered barrier. Gone was her earlier composure.
“I can’t hold out any longer,” she panted. “Shen Kangren’s power has increased too much. Even though I’ve returned to my peak, I’m no match for him. Yu Buxia, you take Ye Yu and leave. I’ll stall him as long as I can.”
Yu Buxia’s face darkened. As an old friend, she knew how proud Ying Huo was—admitting someone’s strength surpassed her own was unheard of. By asking them to flee, Ying Huo had clearly resigned herself to death.
Yu Buxia’s voice was low but resolute. “If the two of us fight together, might there still be a chance?”
Ying Huo shook her head, her eyes filled with despair.
The next instant, the barrier burst apart. A colossal flesh-and-blood monstrosity appeared, its foot smashing half of Balance City in a single stomp. Any deity caught by surprise was fused into its flesh—Icy horror gripped every onlooker.
“No one leaves!” Shen Kangren’s voice boomed like celestial thunder, rattling souls. Weaker gods fainted on the spot.
The giant’s body convulsed violently, and within moments an invisible force spread across ten thousand li.
“Flesh Sacrifice!”
With his roar, the world around them turned blood-red. Every god felt themselves sinking into sinewy flesh—moving even a finger required immense effort, and the stronger one was, the heavier the restraint. Countless crimson tendrils writhed toward Yu Buxia and Ying Huo, who fought desperately just to stay afloat, let alone aid Ye Yu.
By contrast, Ye Yu—only at the Great God stage—felt the flesh’s grip far less. He could slash through the threads easily, but escaping this blood-stained realm seemed nearly impossible.
“This disgusting thing won’t let us escape, so I’ll fight it,” he vowed. Through spirit-sound transmission he told Yu Buxia and Ying Huo, “I’ll try to immobilize Shen Kangren for a while—though it’ll be short. Use that chance to kill him, or none of us will get out.”
Yu Buxia and Ying Huo paused in shock. Did Ye Yu really plan to ⊛ Nоvеlιght ⊛ (Read the full story) bind a Late Ancient God Realm cultivator with only Great God power? Yet despite the hopeless odds, they chose to trust him—if they failed, every deity present would become part of Shen Kangren’s god-body.
Ye Yu’s form flickered as he closed the distance to Shen Kangren. Next to the towering flesh giant, he seemed insignificant. There was no way he wanted this battle—and yet there was no turning back.
He formed a hand seal, and a dazzling light flared. In the next moment, an identical flesh giant—same height, same build—materialized beside the original, as though cast from the same mold.
A cold sneer crossed Shen Kangren’s face. He assumed it was a mere illusion—how could a fake match the real thing? He reached out to swat it away, but in that instant Ye Yu raised one hand skyward in a bizarre gesture.
Shen Kangren’s body froze mid-gesture, the flowing flesh stilled. This was no illusion—it was Ye Yu’s latest divine art, Zuo Zhen Ju Zhong (Sit-at-the-Center), which sacrificed his own mobility to lock his foe in place. The higher the opponent’s cultivation, the shorter the paralyzing effect; in theory, even a God Sovereign could be held—though perhaps not for a single breath.
This was Ye Yu’s first use of the art, so its duration remained unknown. Meanwhile, Yu Buxia and Ying Huo—heeding Ye Yu’s warning—had already severed their surrounding tendrils and unleashed their strongest divine arts.
When the silver scales of the balance phantom appeared once more, Ying Huo wasted no time and stepped onto the left pan. Shen Kangren’s likeness occupied the right pan. The scales tilted—left high, right low.
