On the battlefield, Han Yi, who had been sent flying nearly a thousand miles by the impact, rose to his feet. He stared at the Great Sage Demonic Ape, which had been sent reeling by the recoil of his own attack.
Something's wrong.
The Great Sage Demonic Ape shouldn't be this weak.
To be recognized as a Great Sage of the Demon Clan, he must be a peak Demon Monarch-level Demon Immortal. The power of that single strike was far too feeble.
His eyes blazed with golden light, the Golden Pupils of the Dao of Fate shimmering as he focused on the Great Sage Demonic Ape a thousand miles away. Finally, he detected faint traces of foreign auras coiled within the ape's Demon Body, intertwined with his own and hidden with great cunning.
The Great Sage Demonic Ape is injured!
That's right. Hundreds of years ago, the Primal Art Dao Field cornered him in the Holy Spirit Mountain Range. I heard that if the Immortal Monarch hadn't wanted to use him for experiments, he would have been killed outright. Even so, he was nearly ground down to dust.
For an Immortal Monarch, failing to recover from such injuries in just a few hundred years is perfectly normal.
With this realization, Han Yi's anxiety dissipated. The doubts that had lingered after his initial strike were dispelled, replaced by renewed confidence.
Moreover, having cultivated multiple paths, he hadn't anticipated the true power of a Void Extremity Realm Ancient God. Merely through the might of the Ancient God alone, he had withstood the Immortal Monarch's attack and sustained only minor injuries.
In truth...
He had overlooked that even when he first ascended to the Supreme Truth Realm Ancient God, he could have shattered a Senior Golden Immortal with his Ancient God Power. Now, having reached the Void Extremity Realm Ancient God, enduring a direct hit from an Immortal Monarch was well within his capabilities.
Thanks to the Panel's corrections and advancements, his Ancient God cultivation was such that even in the Primordial Era, when Ancient Gods dominated the Primordial World and reigned supreme as its premier species, he would still rank among the strongest of his tier.
Therefore, without any Immortal Path enhancements, he already possessed the strength to contend with an Immortal Monarch, relying solely on his Ancient God Power.
Divine power surged within Han Yi, flowing into his arms. The densely packed lacerations and flesh wounds began to mend, flesh regenerating, merging, and rejuvenating. In a single breath, they fully healed, restored to their original state.
The True Body of an Ancient God displayed its extraordinary regenerative power.
"Kill!"
With a thunderous roar, he charged forward. Despite his hundred-thousand-zhang stature, he moved with surprising agility, transforming into a streak of divine light that flashed across the battlefield. His fist erupted with two Divine Arts—Divine Wrath and Divine Thunder Tribulation— unleashing a sea of thunder that crashed down upon the Great Sage Demonic Ape, bearing the full fury of divine power and wrath.
The Great Sage Demonic Ape roared in response, his form abruptly swelling. As a member of the Demon Race, his natural Demon Body was already massive, but even in its complete form, it paled in comparison to an Ancient God's Body. He strained to reach three thousand zhang before his growth halted.
Of course, he could continue to grow larger, but his power would inevitably become diluted. This 3,000-zhang True Body of the Demon Race was the form in which he could unleash his greatest strength.
Compared to the 100,000-zhang True Body of the Ancient God, his form was as insignificant as an ant.
Yet when the Great Sage Demonic Ape struck down with his staff, Han Yi, despite being in his Ancient God's Body, was sent flying again, unable to gain the upper hand.
Meanwhile, the raging Divine Wrath and Divine Thunder Tribulation also struck the Great Sage Demonic Ape. The Divine Thunder Tribulation caused a slight tingling on his skin, while the terrifying force within the Divine Wrath forced him back two more steps.
On the other side, Han Yi, who had been blasted nearly 500 kilometers away by the Demonic Ape's staff, rose again. His body began to shrink, stopping only when he reached around 3,000 zhang.
He had initially manifested his Ancient God's Body in desperation, intending to seize the Yueguang Divine Spear, burn his Life Seed, and make a desperate, all-or-nothing attack.
But now he realized that even at a disadvantage, his Ancient God cultivation prevented the opponent from truly harming him. Even if injured, the Ancient God's recovery power meant it wouldn't be a life-threatening wound. This realization emboldened him.
Han Yi shrank to a height of three thousand feet, matching the Demonic Ape's stature. He charged forward again, Divine Might swirling around his palm as he unleashed a powerful strike. The surrounding space trembled violently from the surge of divine power.
Boom!
Their collision resulted in Han Yi being sent flying, injured once more.
This time, he didn't use Divine Wrath or Divine Thunder Tribulation, but another technique: the Divine Suppression Palm, a strike capable of suppressing both gods and demons.
In the next moment, Han Yi lunged forward again, this time combining the Divine Sealing Art with the Divine Suppression Palm.
"You dare use me as your practice dummy?"
"Die!"
The Great Sage Demonic Ape roared with fury. Profound Light shimmered around his demonic staff as his body swelled, and a colossal Boundary Heaven materialized behind him—the Demon Realm he had cultivated, the very foundation of his power as a Demon Monarch.
With the illusory Demon Realm manifest, the Great Sage Demonic Ape's demonic power surged exponentially. His Seventh-Tier staff struck with devastating force.
Meanwhile, the Black-Robed Star Lord from the Black Realm, who had been observing from the sidelines, chose this critical moment to strike.
Instead of his Mirage Dragon Profound Pearl, he wielded a black Profound Tome. Guiding its Profound Light toward Han Yi, the light instantly teleported above the warrior's head, poised to descend.
This Profound Tome, known as the Great Black Heaven Secret Profound Demonic Scripture, is not of the Great Luo realm, but a treasure from the Wicked Realm of the Nine Realms. The Profound Light within it, called the Great Black Heaven Profound Light, when it envelops a target, immobilizes their Immortal Soul and subjects them to the trials of the Great Black Heaven Demonic Profound. Even an ordinary Immortal Monarch would barely escape unscathed, let alone Han Yi.
Moreover, even if Han Yi managed to escape, it would take time—time during which he would be utterly immobile, leaving him vulnerable to the Demonic Ape's attack and certain death.
This was their plan, their timing perfectly coordinated to trap Han Yi between the Demonic Ape and the Black Realm Star Lord.
As for the Black Realm Star Lord, there was no concept of ambush or two Immortal Monarchs ganging up on a Golden Immortal. They were assassins; any means necessary to eliminate their target.
Had he known Han Yi's strength had advanced so rapidly, he might have simply saturated the area with toxic gas to kill him outright.
On the battlefield, the Great Sage Demonic Ape manifested the Demon Spirit Realm before him, unleashing an overwhelming attack, while the Black Realm Star Lord struck from behind.
Though the Demonic Ape was injured, reduced to the strength of an ordinary Immortal Monarch, and the Black-Robed Star Lord was also only an ordinary Immortal Monarch, facing two Immortal Monarchs attacking from both sides, Han Yi faced imminent peril.
Yet fear did not grip his heart; instead, he braced himself.
The moment he had been waiting for arrived.
He knew he needed to escape, but his current strength was insufficient. At his current level, he could only passively endure attacks; he lacked the power to flee.
Therefore, escape had only one path: burning his Life Seed to unleash a devastating strike that would halt the pursuit of the two Immortal Monarchs. Otherwise, even if he managed to flee, they would eventually catch up. Even a Star Lord, given enough time, could wear him down and ultimately kill him.
He kept a close eye on the Black Realm Star Lord, who had been observing the battle.
The moment the Great Sage Demonic Ape erupted into action, Han Yi knew his chance had come. He guessed that the Black Realm Star Lord would likely make his move, and sure enough, the Star Lord vanished from his spot almost as soon as the thought crossed Han Yi's mind.
Realizing this, Han Yi hesitated no longer. With a single thought, he unleashed the power of his Life Seed, burning it wildly in this life-or-death moment.
At the same time, the Yueguang Divine Spear, which had fallen below, began to vibrate. It rapidly shrank to ten thousand feet in length and teleported into Han Yi's hand.
He thrust the spear forward.
This strike was no longer a mere swing or smash, but a true manifestation of the Ancient Divine Artifact's power. Even though the power unleashed was less than one ten-thousandth of the artifact's peak state, at the Immortal Monarch level, it became an overwhelming force capable of crushing all opposition.
Like a star exploding, an overwhelmingly brilliant light erupted endlessly, drowning everything in its path.
Explosion, destruction, death... Bang!
Crack!
The moment the Heaven-Piercing Giant Cudgel in the Great Sage Demonic Ape's hand collided, it was instantly covered in a web of fissures. The largest crack ran from end to end, nearly splitting the seventh-rank immortal artifact in two.
With a mournful shriek, the giant cudgel transformed into a fleeting afterimage, flying from the Great Sage Demonic Ape's grasp and hurtling into the distance, vanishing in a flash.
The recoil force traveled up his arm and through his entire body. His thumb was shattered, his eyes trembled violently, and he roared furiously. His thirty-thousand-zhang Demon Body followed the cudgel, crashing through mountains like a star scraping across the land, flattening ancient forests and demon veins. In a single breath, he had traveled tens of thousands of miles.
Meanwhile, on the other side, the Black-Robed Star Lord, wielding the Great Black Heaven Secret Profound Demonic Scripture, unleashed Profound Light that hovered above Han Yi's head, unable to descend further. The Golden Light emanating from the Yueguang Ancient Divine Artifact shattered the Profound Light.
The Demonic Tome recoiled from the backlash, trembling violently.
The Black-Robed Star Lord, terrified, clutched the tome and turned to flee, but the Divine Spear pierced through space with lightning speed. In that fleeting moment, he gritted his teeth and whirled around, shielding the tome with his body.
Pfft!
The spear pierced through the tome, unleashing a surge of demonic energy. But the moment it emerged, it was engulfed by golden light, hunted down, annihilated, and obliterated.
This Seventh-Rank Immortal Artifact from the Wicked Realm had been destroyed by Han Yi's peak spear strike.
Using the Demonic Tome, the Black Realm Star Lord instantly escaped Han Yi's attack range. But he dared not look back. The sense of impending doom in his Immortal Soul persisted, refusing to fade.
In other words, returning now would likely mean his demise.
This realization struck terror into his heart.
Han Yi's standing in his mind soared to new heights.
He couldn't fathom how Han Yi had unleashed even a fraction of the Ancient Divine Artifact's power. Even an Immortal Monarch would struggle to deliver such a strike, let alone a Golden Immortal.
Yet the evidence was undeniable, forcing him to accept the truth.
After unleashing the spear, even with his Life Seed burning to sustain it, Han Yi, as the conduit, was nearly drained of all strength, barely able to maintain the True Body of an Ancient God.
He swiftly stowed the Ancient Divine Artifact, which was on the verge of fully awakening, and turned to flee.
You've got to be kidding.
Just now, he had unleashed less than one ten-thousandth of the Divine Spear's true power, yet it had grievously wounded two Immortal Monarchs. If the artifact were to awaken fully, he wouldn't last a single breath. Not only would his Life Seed be drained, but his very essence would be devoured, leaving him dead on the spot.
Before stowing the Divine Spear, Han Yi seemed to hear a frustrated sigh—a lament from the artifact itself, unsatisfied at being unable to unleash its full might.
Han Yi didn't dare voice his complaints and fled swiftly.
He knew that spear strike must have dealt a devastating blow to the Great Sage Demonic Ape's condition, but he couldn't gauge how much fighting power the ape retained. If it resorted to desperate measures, he might never get such a favorable opportunity again.
As for the Black Realm Star Lord, he had blocked the Ancient Divine Artifact's attack with an Immortal Artifact, sustaining no injury. If he pursued, the situation would become even more perilous.
The best course of action was to slip away while the enemy was either preoccupied or temporarily deterred.
Because he had unleashed that spear strike primarily using his Life Seed, with divine power as auxiliary, and having previously clashed with the Great Sage Demonic Ape using divine power, Han Yi now had only twenty percent of his divine power remaining.
With his Immortal Dao cultivation, Han Yi retained about eighty percent of his power.
Activating both the True World Eternity and the Cosmic Light Thought Realm, his speed approached that of an Immortal Monarch.
After fleeing hundreds of thousands of miles, Han Yi plunged toward the nearest Immortal City.
No.
Demon City.
Ever since the Great Sage Demonic Ape appeared, Han Yi had anticipated that he had been teleported from the Sui Zhu Immortal Court to the Eastern Sovereign Demon Court.
Of course.
Even within the Eastern Sovereign Demon Court, Han Yi had his escape methods.
After landing in the Demon City, Han Yi used the Fetal Transformation Disguise to change into a Heavenly Demon-level Demon Immortal, adopting the appearance of the Lion-Elephant Demon Clan, which he had encountered in the Spirit Origin Immortal Domain years ago.
Then, he stormed into a Transmission Formation, randomly selected another Demon City, and teleported away.
Before leaving, he unleashed divine power, summoning a Divine Thunder Tribulation that destroyed the entire Teleportation Hall, erasing all traces of his escape.
This Demon City was only a mid-sized settlement, with the strongest Demon Immortal being a Heavenly Demon. By the time he arrived, all he found was the scene of destruction.
After using Demonic Power to recreate Han Yi's earlier breach, the Heavenly Demon's face turned ashen. "A Heavenly Demon of the Lion-Elephant Clan... cursed be they."
"Relying on that Demon Venerable, the Lion-Elephant Clan has been acting recklessly. It infuriates me to no end."
Gritting his teeth, the Heavenly Demon could only swallow his anger, too afraid to confront the Lion-Elephant Clan. If he dared to show up, he'd be nothing more than a single bite for the Lion Camel Demon Monarch.
Not long after Han Yi left...
The Black Realm Star Lord and the Great Sage Demonic Ape, his face twisted with rage, arrived at the Demon City.
The Heavenly Demon overseeing the city paled, just as he moved to meet them, the Demonic Ape went berserk, slamming his fist down with crushing force, crushing the Heavenly Demon against the ruined Transmission Formation. The entire Demon City trembled violently, its foundations cracking as half the city was destroyed.
"Damn it."
"Damn it all!"
The Great Sage Demonic Ape roared with fury. The Profound Light on his Heaven-Piercing Giant Cudgel dimmed, its surface cracked. Though enraged, his Wisdom remained. He hadn't dared use the cudgel to kill the Heavenly Demon, fearing that while the Demon City might be destroyed, his Seventh-Rank Immortal Artifact would shatter beyond repair.
Turning to glare at the Black Realm Star Lord, the Demonic Ape forced his fury into a low growl:
"Mo Wuqi, you owe me an explanation."
Earlier, Han Yi had sent him flying with injuries, while Mo Wuqi had fled in terror from a single spear strike. This incident had sent the Demonic Ape's fury skyrocketing.
Mo Wuqi suppressed his fear and counterattacked immediately. If he could seize the opportunity to slay Han Yi, he would. Even if he couldn't kill him outright, he could stall him until the Great Sage Demonic Ape returned, allowing the two Immortal Monarchs to pincer him. Then, Han Yi wouldn't be able to use that spear again, and they could definitely kill their target.
If the Black Realm weren't so formidable, the enraged Great Sage Demonic Ape might have taken his anger out on Mo Wuqi, the Black Realm Star Lord, to sate his hatred.
For the Demon Race, such behavior was hardly surprising. They acted on impulse, their temperaments violent and unpredictable.
The Black Realm Star Lord—whom the Great Sage Demonic Ape had addressed as Mo Wuqi—shifted his gaze from the ruined Transmission Formation to the Great Sage Demonic Ape. In a solemn tone, he declared:
"Rest assured. Since the Black Realm has taken this commission, we will fulfill it."
"The next time we strike, Han Yi will undoubtedly perish."
No sooner had he spoken than he turned away from the Great Sage Demonic Ape and vanished using an Escape Technique.
He feared that in his fury, the Old Demonic Ape might lash out at him in vengeance.
At the same time, his estimation of Han Yi grew increasingly grave. He now regarded him as a true Immortal Monarch-level enemy. For their next move, he would undoubtedly prepare far more meticulously.