Chapter 232: Exchanging Blows!
"That is..."
"That's Yun Yi..."
At the center of the grand array, countless people saw a figure clad in white robes. Those who recognized him felt their pupils contract, their gazes immediately fixed intently upon the grand array.
That person was precisely Yun Yi, who had vanished for a long time. Now that he had reappeared, everyone could sense the abyss-like aura within his body. Quite a few people discovered with a jolt of fear that it was actually far deeper and more profound than Hun Tiandi's before his breakthrough.
As for whether it had reached the level of the current Hun Tiandi, that was not something they could peer into.
"Wretched scoundrel—"
"Yun Yi, you little bastard! You actually dare to show your face!"
Just then, a furious, enraged roar came from within the Hun Clan's great army. Everyone turned their heads to look. Nihility Devouring Flame, his usually indifferent face now uncharacteristically and violently enraged, stared venomously at that white-robed figure. It was as if some deep, bitter hatred existed between the two.
"Oh~~~"
"So it's Teacher..."
"What's the matter? Seeing your disciple's current achievements, shouldn't you, as the teacher, be happy?"
From within the grand array, a gaze pierced through the clouds, shooting towards the Central Plains, passing over the crowd, and landing upon Nihility Devouring Flame. A calm, flat voice resounded across the entire sky above the Central Plains. Faintly, it carried an extremely terrifying pressure.
Nihility Devouring Flame's face was dark as water. His fists were clenched tightly, but he said not a word.
"Bastard—"
Having been tricked by Yun Yi, a mere Dou Wang, back then—looking back on it now, it was simply the disgrace of his entire life! Now that the other had brought up old matters again, it was undoubtedly rubbing salt into Nihility Devouring Flame's wounds.
Instantly, Nihility Devouring Flame's mind was drowned by the fury blazing in his heart. A fierce, murderous light suddenly erupted from his eyes. Both his hands abruptly pressed down on the void. A ripple of fluctuation transmitted out. Instantly, endless, boundless black flames materialized out of thin air and surged madly towards Yun Yi.
"Follow me and attack!"
As he struck, he didn't forget to let out a stern, commanding shout, rallying his loyal supporters within the Hun Clan to attack alongside him. Although he didn't know Yun Yi's current strength, based on his understanding of the other, since Yun Yi dared to show himself, he had naturally made thorough preparations.
As Nihility Devouring Flame's voice fell, the Hun Clan experts around him didn't hesitate. They opened their mouths and spat out dense, thick clusters of black flame!
These black flames swiftly coalesced. Finally, in the sky, they transformed into a bizarre, eerie array that shrouded towards Yun Yi high above.
"As the teacher, why not lend your student one final helping hand?"
Watching the black flames attacking towards him, Yun Yi's clear, bright laugh rang out beside everyone's ears. Immediately, he opened his mouth wide. Suction force surged violently. That black flame array shrouding down upon him was directly transformed into line after line of fire, which he devoured into his body in a single gulp.
Immediately following, Yun Yi looked at the horrified, pale-faced Nihility Devouring Flame and the others below. The hand hidden within his sleeve reached out and gently grasped...
Bang, bang, bang!
Before anyone could react, in the sky, those black shadows suddenly burst into clouds of blood mist without any warning...
The ones who had attacked together just moments ago—whether Dou Zuns or Dou Shengs—all, without the slightest sign, burst into clouds of blood mist. Even their souls were forcibly blasted apart in that very instant.
Gaze after gaze stared blankly at the blood mist spreading across the sky. This scene was both bizarre and magnificent...
Regaining their senses, quite a few people felt a chill run down their spines. The Dou Qi Continent's version had updated far too quickly. Dou Shengs, who had once been utterly unreachable and lofty in everyone's eyes, were now being effortlessly crushed and killed. Where exactly was the safest place?!
Fresh, crimson blood drifted before Nihility Devouring Flame's eyes. A chill gripped his heart. Yun Yi's strength had already far exceeded his expectations. It was almost on par with Hun Tiandi...
"Come over here. Lend your disciple one final helping hand!"
Yet, just at this moment, Yun Yi's voice, like the whisper of a demon, rang out beside Nihility Devouring Flame's ear once more. Subconsciously, he wanted to flee. But he was horrified to discover that his body had completely lost the ability to move!
"Hun Tiandi! Save me—"
A blood-curdling, desperate cry for help rang out. As Yun Yi's palm gently clenched, the latter's body directly exploded apart, transforming into sky-covering black flames that madly fled in all directions.
Unfortunately, no matter what, the black flames could not escape beyond a range of ten meters.
"Boom—"
Just at that moment, space abruptly burst open. A large hand, pure and lustrous as white jade, reached out from within space and grabbed directly towards the scattered Nihility Devouring Flame.
"Heh heh, my things... how could I allow you to lay a finger on them?" A cold laugh came from the sky. A giant hand swiftly tore through space, colliding viciously with that pure white giant hand.
Bang!
The two ferociously collided. A storm of destruction instantly swept outwards. The surrounding space shattered layer by layer.
"You've broken through to Dou Di?!"
"This is impossible—"
Repelled by a single palm, Hun Tiandi's blood-red pupils now surged with violent, intense ripples. Immediately, his expression abruptly contorted into savagery. His voice transformed into a roar, rumbling thunderously across the sky.
No wonder Hun Tiandi would suddenly lose his composure like this. To reach this step today, who knew what enormous price he had paid?
Yet, just as he succeeded, one after another, people were becoming Emperors. The Fire Evil Demon Emperor was one thing; he was, after all, an expert from the higher realm. A single illusory shadow could rival a Dou Di—who knew how much stronger his true body was?
But Yun Yi, this junior whom he had watched grow up from a mere Dou Wang—by what right had he also reached the same level as him?! How could he possibly accept this easily?!
Especially when, not long ago, when the other had betrayed and fled the Hun Clan, he had still been nothing more than an ant that could be crushed with a flip of his hand. The imbalance in his heart instantly reached its peak.
Watching Nihility Devouring Flame flickering in his palm, Yun Yi, after hearing Hun Tiandi's roar, looked at the other with a light laugh and said, "Heh heh, this stretch of heaven and earth does not permit only you to enter the Dou Di realm. Moreover, I never said I was a Dou Di either!"
"Not a Dou Di?!" Hearing Yun Yi flatly deny it, a brief look of bewilderment appeared in Hun Tiandi's eyes.
"Heh heh, I never imagined that in this Lower Plane, I would actually see an esteemed one of the Saint Heaven Clan. Truly, this is unexpected!" Just as Hun Tiandi was bewildered, the Fire Evil Demon Emperor finally spoke. He looked at Yun Yi with some surprise, his tone carrying a trace of deference.
"Let's put the idle chatter to rest here. Next, I must ask all of you to lend me a helping hand!" Facing the Fire Evil Demon Emperor's words, Yun Yi merely swept a light glance at him. He didn't answer. Instead, he spoke in a cold, indifferent tone.
As his voice fell, before anyone could react, somewhere in the Eastern Region, a city stood upon the plains. Within the city, crowds surged like a tide.
"Boom!"
In the next instant, a black pillar of light suddenly descended from the sky, completely enveloping the entire city.
Bang, bang, bang!
Under the shroud of that black pillar of light, within the city, the bodies of one figure after another suddenly exploded apart. Blood mist and shattered flesh burst forth.
The sudden change made everyone freeze in stunned silence. Watching those figures, some even right beside them, burst into clouds of blood mist, a deep, profound terror and shock swiftly surged from their hearts like a tide.
Amidst the terror, the city fell into violent chaos. Everyone madly fled towards the city gates. Some with decent strength even shot into the air. Yet, before they could even reach the city gates, the panic of self-detonation rapidly spread. In an instant, the city was filled with blood mist. Viscous, thick blood plasma and minced flesh submerged more than half the city.
The black pillar of light shrouded the city's sea of blood. Stream after stream of blood-red qi slowly rose, finally transforming into pillars of blood light that shot into the sky, sweeping into the enormous grand array shrouding the Central Plains.
The blood light swept out. The black light dispersed. What was left behind was a dead city, its stench of blood so thick and dense it was nauseating.
What happened here did not occur in just this single corner. It was happening across the Central Plains, the Northern Region, the Eastern Region—across the greater part of the Dou Qi Continent's territory.
Who could have imagined that the surviving people, having escaped Hun Tiandi's slaughter, ultimately could not escape Yun Yi's blood sacrifice?
"Hiss—"
"Ruthless enough—"
Gazing at that boundless, endless sea of blood clouds, Zhu Kun, Gu Yuan, Lei Ying, and the others all drew a sharp breath of cold air.
Yun Yi's array was a level above Hun Tiandi's Soul-Devouring Extinction Array. It completely extracted a person's soul and blood, leaving behind not a trace of life force.
Yet, before they could remain spectators for too long, countless black pillars of light swept overwhelmingly towards them. This Yun Yi... actually wouldn't even let them off!
"Quick! Defend and resist!"
Instantly, one terrifying attack after another poured out towards the sky, blocking the descending black pillars of light. Yet, before the crowd could even relax, a ceaseless, unending barrage of attacks followed closely behind.
To avoid meeting a fate of death, they could only desperately榨 (squeeze and drain) the meager Dou Qi remaining within their bodies, defending against these descending attacks.
Little did they know, all of this was within Yun Yi's calculations. The greatest difference between him and Hun Tiandi was that he could absorb all energy and transform it for his own use—including the attacks launched by the crowd.
"Interesting... You want to use the life force of an entire realm as a sacrifice to break through to Heavenly Sovereign. To be blunt, this probably isn't quite enough, is it? How about we join forces, lure out this realm's Plane Spirit, and borrow the Plane Seed to break through? That would be more conservative."
Regarding Yun Yi's earlier coldness, the Fire Evil Demon Emperor was not angered. Geniuses all had the temperaments of geniuses.
The other party was merely at the age of thirty, yet had already set about breaking through to Heavenly Sovereign. Such an accomplishment would make one a prodigy blessed by heaven, no matter which clan they belonged to.
Although the Extraterritorial Evil Clan revered the strong, and a Demon Emperor would receive courteous treatment wherever he went, they were not fools who understood nothing.
A direct-line prodigy of the thirty-two great clans—even he had to set aside the airs of a Demon Emperor and curry favor. Moreover, the other party almost stood on the same level as him. Such a minor matter was of no real consequence.
Added to Yun Yi's identity as a 'member of the Saint Heaven Clan,' his future would absolutely not stop at Nether Demon Emperor. He was bound to break through to Profound Demon Emperor, and even Heaven Demon Emperor. If he could befriend the other at this time, then for him and for the Fire Evil Clan, it would absolutely be a rare and precious 'opportunity.'
"It is indeed not enough. Therefore..." Hearing the Fire Evil Demon Emperor's words, Yun Yi nodded slightly, fully agreeing with him. The span required to break through to Heavenly Sovereign was enormous. Aside from becoming a Plane Lord to rapidly break through...
There was only slowly enduring the passage of time.
"Therefore... I must trouble you, Senior Demon Emperor, to also lend this young one a helping hand!" Yun Yi, at this moment, abruptly turned his head to look at the Fire Evil Demon Emperor and grinned sinisterly.
The Fire Evil Demon Emperor's heart lurched. In the next instant, a pitch-black giant hand suddenly bore down upon him with crushing force. That palm wind was filled with annihilating, destructive power.
"Your Highness Yun Yi! What are you doing—"
Yun Yi's sudden attack utterly shocked Leighton below. He rose to his feet, staring at Yun Yi in bewilderment and asked.
"Still can't see it? He wants to 'devour' even us along with them!" The Fire Evil Demon Emperor's gaze had now completely turned icy cold. He spoke in a cold, detached voice.
"What—" Hearing the Fire Evil Demon Emperor's words, Leighton was immediately stunned. He saw the cold, indifferent look in Yun Yi's eyes. He had no choice but to believe his old ancestor's words in his heart. The last sliver of hope he held for the other was utterly extinguished.
"Want to devour us? That still depends on your ability!" The Fire Evil Demon Emperor watched the descending pitch-black giant hand. His expression was cold and indifferent. He didn't execute any divine abilities. He merely stomped his foot. His figure directly tore through the void, like a world-destroying meteor, and punched out towards that giant hand.
This punch was utterly without fancy or flourish. Yet, under the bolstering of the surging, torrential evil qi within him, it was like the fist of destruction itself.
Boom!
The instant the two collided, piercing, ear-piercing sonic booms seemed to explode across heaven and earth. The terrifying shockwave raged wildly. Mountain peak after mountain peak on the ground burst apart, razed to flat ground.
Boom! Boom!
In the sky, berserk energy shockwaves raged wildly. The sky was torn apart. The earth below also had enormous fissures spreading across it at this moment...
Watching Yun Yi and the Fire Evil Demon Emperor locked in battle, Hun Tiandi sneered coldly. His figure moved, about to flee into the distance.
"Hun Tiandi! Where do you think you're going?!"
An indifferent, cold voice entered his ear, instantly making Hun Tiandi's heart bristle with alertness.
Swoosh!
In the next second, a white beam of light swiftly streaked across the horizon. Its figure swept past as if bringing a clap of thunder, abruptly appearing before Hun Tiandi.
"World in the Palm!"
Yun Yi pressed a single palm down with crushing force towards Hun Tiandi. Within his palm, a space seemed to form—dark and dim like a black hole. It directly flew out and, with the speed of lightning that left no time to cover one's ears, enveloped Hun Tiandi within it.
The giant hand swept across the horizon. Hun Tiandi's figure had already vanished from where he stood. He had already been trapped within Yun Yi's World in the Palm.
Boom! Boom!
Muffled, heavy thuds came from within the palm. Hun Tiandi, inside, attacked the surrounding space like a madman. Enormous booms transmitted out, shaking the space into instability. Faintly, it seemed as if cracks were appearing and disappearing...
"You are not a member of the Saint Heaven Clan!" Just at that moment, a flash of blood light streaked past. The Fire Evil Demon Emperor shot over. He looked at Yun Yi and questioned him with an icy, cold gaze.
"What makes you say that?" Yun Yi looked at him with keen interest and countered.
"Although your energy is the evil qi of my clan, the divine abilities you have used—not a single one is an inherited divine ability of my clan. Even the great divine abilities of the Saint Heaven Clan—you merely used a flame that is somewhat specious and not quite right..."
"Who exactly are you?! Where did you obtain this flame?!"
The Fire Evil Demon Emperor slowly analyzed. Towards the end, his gaze became burning and intense as he stared fixedly at Yun Yi.