Ye Yu and Xu Nanqiao were shocked to find themselves back at the very spot where they had first met Tang Tianjia. Only this time, Tang Tianjia’s face was half mangled into a bloody blur, and his right hand was shattered and incomplete. It was clear that the recent Fragmented Sword Demon-Slaying Art had dealt him tremendous harm.
But Ye Yu couldn't understand how that brat had managed to pull them back. They had already reached the exit to the Demon Realm passage—a single step from happily returning to the Demon Realm and ending this ascent to Heaven with a perfect finale. So why had it reset now? Was this the power of the Immortal Emperor? It seemed a bit excessive!
In Ye Yu’s mind, Xu Nanqiao’s inner voice transmitted:
“Stars’ Shift pulled us back here. But it’s fine—let me run again, then you deal with him once more. This time it should work: Stars’ Shift /N_o_v_e_l_i_g_h_t/ can only be cast on the same target once every thirty days; he can’t pull us back again!”
Hearing this, Ye Yu forced a smile at Xu Nanqiao. As they say, people really do smile when they’re speechless!
The Fragmented Sword Demon-Slaying Art thrives on surprise. He had just shattered Tang Tianjia’s true Immortal Sword—did he really expect the Immortal Emperor to casually produce another sword for him to destroy? Did Tang Tianjia think Immortal Emperors’ brains were mush?
Tang Tianjia shouted, “Do you really think Immortal Emperors’ minds are mush?” then charged at Ye Yu. Raging, he added, “Damn you, bastard! How dare you ruin my Immortal Sword Peach Blossom! I swear I’ll forsake immortality if I don’t kill you!”
But instead of raising a hand to defend, Ye Yu grabbed Xu Nanqiao and tossed her northward.
“This time, remember to run faster!” he called.
In the next instant, Xu Nanqiao had been flung a thousand li away, disappearing from sight. Standing alone, she realized Ye Yu wasn’t sacrificing her but securing her a path to survival.
Meanwhile, Tang Tianjia shaped his hand into a sword stance, expecting to slice Ye Yu in two—but he only managed to inflict a thin cut on Ye Yu’s shoulder. What kind of being was this early-stage Demon Lord, with such a formidable physique?
Ye Yu glanced at the wound, frowned, and tore off his beggar’s robe. Instantly, purple demonic runes spread from his arm across his body, and the shoulder wound healed within two breaths, as if it had never existed.
“Why can’t you just let me leave the Heavenly Realm in peace? Then we’d both be better off,” he muttered.
His eyes then glowed red. Frankly, if he could escape, Ye Yu would have run—he only wanted to quietly reach the Demon Emperor Realm and break his highest dreamed-of cultivation record. But Tang Tianjia’s relentless pursuit had exhausted his patience, and he refused to flee any longer. He wanted to test an Immortal Emperor’s true firepower.
Of course, this wasn’t a resignation to death but a gamble. Though Tang Tianjia was an Immortal Emperor, he was gravely wounded, and Ye Yu refused to believe he had no chance.
With that resolve, Ye Yu stepped forward and drew the Hellfire World-Scorching Halberd. A roaring inferno erupted, enveloping ten thousand li in blazing red.
Tang Tianjia’s eyes widened. Ye Yu even wielded a demonic weapon! If this kid survived and reached the Demon Emperor Realm, he would become the Heavenly Realm’s number one enemy.
Tang Tianjia summoned every ounce of focus and reached for a spare Immortal Sword in his storage ring—but then hesitated. His face hurt too much. Fine, no sword. So what?
He formed a sword stance with one hand, and countless sword qi converged. Sword shadows flickered, and the air echoed with their cries.
Yet Ye Yu paid no heed to those displays; he gazed skyward. He could clearly feel the Heavenly Realm’s power gathering behind Tang Tianjia’s sword shadows. So this was an Immortal Emperor’s true strength—able to command the forces of Heaven and Earth! Pure cheating!
But there was no turning back now. Even if Tang Tianjia could marshal Heaven and Earth, Ye Yu wanted a proper battle—to taste what it felt like to slay an Immortal Emperor!
Clutching his halberd, Ye Yu charged. The moment Hellfire met the endless sword qi, the world shook. Auspicious clouds scattered across ten thousand li.
Both fighters grew more awed at each other’s strength with every clash. Indeed, the realms of Immortal Emperor and half-step Immortal Emperor were entirely different. With his sword intent alone, Tang Tianjia could easily dominate Ye Yu—and with an Immortal Sword at full power, the fight would have ended long ago.
As Tang Tianjia’s sword intent swelled and victory began to tip in his favor, Ye Yu steeled his heart and unleashed the Heavenly Demon World-Annihilating Art. When his colossal demonic form appeared, even Tang Tianjia’s eyelids twitched in shock. The supreme body-refining method of the Demon Realm combined with the prime art of the Demon World—this was far more than one plus one!
Relying on his immense physique, Ye Yu abandoned all defense and closed in for the kill. Tang Tianjia retaliated with his strongest strike, Scorching Sun Demon-Sweeping Strike. As he raised his left hand, a sword shadow stretched ten thousand zhang, and the blazing sun above lent it a golden glow as it cleaved down at Ye Yu.
Moments later, when the world settled, Ye Yu lay unconscious, his body returned to normal size, and a gruesome sword scar marred his chest, refusing to heal. Tang Tianjia’s aura had vanished entirely from the Heavenly Realm.
At that moment, a figure appeared before the gravely wounded Ye Yu, eyes gleaming as he looked upon him.
