Ye Yu watched two streaks of sword light hurtle toward them, their force undiminished. He had no intention of meeting them head-on and, undecided, slipped behind Bai Qingsong, the Demon Lord of Dongyao Prefecture.
Bai Qingsong’s face immediately twisted in bewilderment. “Hey, friend, that’s a bit much! I’m your ally, not your human shield. Standing right behind me—could you be any more obvious?”
Before Bai Qingsong could voice any further complaint, Qu Zhengding, the ostentatious Demon Lord of Xianyan Prefecture, barked, “Fellow Demon Lords, unite and resist!” He strode forward and swept his arm through the air, channeling his demon qi to erect a black barrier.
At his signal, the other Demon Lords also sprang into action—except for two veterans who lingered in the rear. Ye Yu and Ling Qiansha, Demon Lord of Qintian Prefecture, exchanged a glance, amusement dancing in their eyes. They were the only ones left in the back row; it was hard not to notice each other. Neither felt any embarrassment. To stand behind the front line was natural—Ye Yu’s cultivation was the weakest among them, while the others were all Demon Lord Realm or half-step Demon Emperor Realm. It was only right that the strongest bore the brunt of the fight. And Ling Qiansha, his cultivation the highest, was being saved as a secret weapon, not to be used lightly.
Everyone expected the barrier to hold the oncoming sword lights. Yet, at the very last moment, Ling Qiansha flickered into motion. With a single outstretched hand, he dissolved both sword lights into nothingness. His sudden intervention took everyone by surprise.
“Weren’t you supposed to only deal with Immortal Emperor Realm opponents? Why step forward now? A guilty conscience or just waking from too much idling?” murmured the assembled Demon Lords.
Before they could ponder further, fifteen figures materialized before them. This array of Immortals was far stronger than the previous group: twelve Immortal Kings, two half-step Immortal Emperors, and at their center a young man astride a flying sword, his righteous bearing unmistakable. That he occupied the center—even ahead of the half-step Immortal Emperors—and radiated an inscrutable aura suggested he, too, was likely of Immortal Emperor caliber.
“Who is this newcomer? I’ve never seen him before,” Ye Yu mused, scrutinizing the youth. The boy appeared unremarkable; encountering him randomly, one would never «N.o.v.e.l.i.g.h.t» suspect he was an Immortal Emperor.
The youth was the first to speak in a familiar tone, “Ling Qiansha, after that sword strike failed to kill you, it seems you’ve risen another level. Shouldn’t you be thanking me?”
Ling Qiansha’s expression was icy, neither angry nor pleased. “Tang Tianjia, we have waited for this day far too long. Today, I hope one of us will meet death!”
No sooner had he spoken than both men vanished. Above them, streaks of light flashed and shot away at tremendous speed, ensuring their battle would not endanger their allies. It was a considerate gesture, to say the least.
With Ling Qiansha gone, Qu Zhengding swelled with pride. He slapped his palm to summon a nine-tiered Demon Tower and shouted, “Demon Lords, let them taste our might!”
Though it sounded melodramatic, none bothered with such trivialities now. The Demon Lords of the Demon Realm clashed with the Immortal Kings of Heaven.
This time, Ye Yu did not slack off. In the chaotic melee of nearly twenty combatants, he aimed to invoke the principle of Heaven rewarding diligence. Resolute, he surged forward and, without evasion, struck a flying sword at Immortal King level squarely with a single punch, shattering it. Riding the momentum, he closed in on another Immortal King and pulverized his body on the spot.
All who witnessed it twitched in disbelief. The Immortals gasped: were these Demons this ferocious? To shatter a supreme Immortal sword with one punch—surely that was extravagant.
Surprisingly, even the Demon Lords were stunned. They had heard rumors that the Dream-Demon Lord of Lianhua Prefecture cultivated the strongest Body Tempering Method in the Demon Realm. Such tales might sway the lower ranks, but these provincial Demon Lords would never believe it—what genius could emerge from that backwater? At best someone had found a decent manual and hoarded it like a treasure. Besides, Ye Yu wasn’t even at Demon Lord Realm, so they hadn’t taken him too seriously—until now.
But this was too much: breaking an Immortal sword and killing an Immortal King-level opponent? It was beyond their expectations.
Bai Qingsong ground his teeth and whispered to Xu Nanjiao not far away, “Mistress, this fellow’s power is extreme. We must reassess him immediately.”
Indeed, Xu Nanjiao had not followed the Demon horde to distant battlefields. Under the pretext of command, she remained nearby, directing Dongyao Prefecture’s forces. She did so intentionally—waiting for an opening. Though Demon Lords were formidable, fighting on heavenly ground was treacherous; a single misstep could be fatal. At this moment of greatest weakness, Xu Nanjiao planned to seize control of another Demon Lord, thus greatly augmenting her power and resources. Such was her ambition.
Even after witnessing Ye Yu’s prowess, she knew this new Demon Lord was not to be trifled with. Yet when the fighting began, she realized she had underestimated this so-called master of the strongest Body Tempering Method. It was unimaginable that someone without the Strength Demon constitution could possess such a formidable physique.
While everyone reeled in shock, Ye Yu had already entered monster-slaying mode. With a sudden stride, he finished off the stunned Immortal King and charged straight at the half-step Immortal Emperor wielding a long whip. If he claimed he could take down a half-step Immortal Emperor, he intended to prove it.
