However, a short while later, he realized that although the System's rewards were not weak, but he himself was merely a Qi Refining cultivator.
"Yang Kai Long! I only poured half my Qi into that! Will it not be enough for you?"
Ye Fang's voice reverberated against the cave walls. His face was etched with worry; he genuinely feared that his limited support might not be enough to sustain Yang Kai Long through this desperate struggle.
Across the cavern, Yang Kai Long stood frozen, motionless as a statue. Ye Fang's words echoed in his mind, ringing like thunder.
'Only... only half his Qi? Is he serious? Did he really only use half his energy?'
He looked at his own massive, 10-armed Divine-Demonic manifestation. The avatar was so potent that the air around it rippled, as if the space itself were on the verge of tearing apart.
'This meager amount of his energy allowed me to achieve such a breakthrough! He turned a lowly cultivator into a deity in mere moments, yet he asks, "Is it not enough?" What is this person? He is not human; he is an ancient monster who doesn't even comprehend the true depth of his own power!'
Ye Fang, meanwhile, misinterpreted Yang Kai Long's silence, fearing he had disappointed the warrior. 'Shit! Did I provide too little? Look at how hard he's fighting, and I only gave a small portion of my energy. And with just that, he created such a terrifying Dharma Body! This guy is a true monster. I only have the System to rely on, but he... he is lethal even without it!'
They stared at one another—one who remained oblivious to his own boundless power, and the other trembling before that very might.
Suddenly, a bone-chilling laughter shattered the silence. The Grand Elder, his eyes flooded with the madness of his cultivation, hovered in the air.
"Hahaha! Are you two staring at each other, or are you waiting for your deaths?" The Elder's voice sounded like a chorus of thousands of tormented souls. "Today is the last day for all of you! Once I finish you, I shall step out of here and erase the rest of these Sects and Clans... I will wipe them all out with this power! No one shall remain alive!"
He twisted his hands into a strange seal.
"Blood Hell Art: Thousand Phantom Slashes!"
As the technique activated, the entire Secret Domain transformed. The light vanished, swallowed by a thick, viscous crimson hue. The stench of blood became so overpowering that it suffocated the senses.
Blood began to drip from the walls, instantly morphing into thousands of razor-sharp blades. These were no ordinary swords—they were the screams of the souls he had sacrificed, materialized into weapons. A crushing pressure descended upon the environment, as if the heavens were about to collapse.
Yang Kai Long realized this was no common strike. This technique targeted the soul directly. Physical armor would offer no defense.
The blood-red sky, the shrieking spirits, and the viscous gore dripping from the walls—the air was heavy with the scent of death. The Grand Elder, his youthful body bursting with demonic energy, stood as an omen of apocalypse. Every drop of blood raining down became a sword, carrying the agony of the disciples he had slaughtered.
Ye Fang's heart pounded violently. He realized this was no longer just a fight; it was a war of existence between him and the Grand Elder. He could hear the Elder's vile laughter poisoning the air.
"Little System! Tell me! What technique is this? How do we survive this attack? My life is on the line!" Ye Fang shouted internally, his voice trembling.
The System's cold, mechanical voice resonated: "Host, this is the supreme technique of the Grand Elder's 'Blood Hell Art.' It strikes directly at the soul. Conventional physical armor cannot block it."
"Then give me something to survive! Quickly!"
"Affirmative, Host. I have an 'Unbreakable God Shield.' It can absorb all demonic and spiritual attacks. Its base price is 10,000 System Points, but you currently possess only 150. I can activate a 'Limited Time' variant. In exchange for 100 Points, I will grant you this shield for 2 minutes."
"Only 2 minutes?!" Ye Fang's throat went dry. "The entire battle must end in 120 seconds? Fine! System, do it! Whatever it takes!"
As Ye Fang consented, a blue screen flickered on his interface: [Transaction Successful: 100 System Points Deducted. Remaining: 50. Shield Activated: 2 Minutes.]
Ye Fang pulled the artifact from the System Store. In the blink of an eye, a golden shield engraved with ancient runes appeared in his hands. It pulsated with cosmic energy. Ye Fang wielded it with all his might.
"Everyone, get behind me! Quickly!" he shouted. Wang Mai, Wang Ling, and their companions scrambled behind him. As Ye Fang activated the shield, a massive golden dome of light expanded around them.
BOOM!
The Grand Elder's thousands of blood-blades struck the shield. The cavern shuddered as if mountains were crumbling. But the shield... it stood firm. Not a single crack, not a single tremor.
Ye Fang looked toward the sky, where Yang Kai Long still glared at the Grand Elder with his divine energy. Ye Fang shouted with all his strength, "Yang Kai Long! This shield is holding—he's watching me! Don't miss this opportunity, finish him now!"
The Grand Elder's gaze suddenly fell upon the golden shield glowing in Ye Fang's hands. His eyes widened. He could not believe what he was seeing. "This... what is this? Such a powerful shield? How can a mere cultivator possess such an artifact?"
A terrifying realization flashed in his eyes. "Those pills... that mysterious power... and now this shield! This boy... this boy is controlling everything! He holds the pills!"
The Grand Elder's face twisted with rage and greed. "So you are the worm who ruined my plans! I will not spare you today!" He squeezed every ounce of power from his 'Burial Coffin.' His crimson Dharma Body grew even larger, focusing entirely on shattering Ye Fang's shield.
But at this moment, Yang Kai Long's power was boundless. Fused with the 'God-Demon Rebirth Pill' and Ye Fang's pure energy, he had become an unstoppable warrior, unbound by physical laws. He hovered in the air like a deity.
"You have spilled the blood of many," Yang Kai Long said, his voice cold. "Now, the time for your end has come."
The five faces of his 10-armed Divine-Demonic Dharma Body turned in different directions. And then, the incredible happened.
CRACK!
With a divine resonance, the 10-armed Dharma Body split apart!
Central Face (Golden): Detached, becoming a 'Golden Warrior' wielding the Sword of Justice.
Purple Face: Enveloped in dark energy, transforming into a 'Demonic Shadow.'
White Face (White Dragon): Formed from pure sacred energy, manifesting as a 'Divine Dragon.'
Blue Face (Blue Dragon): Transformed into a 'Thunder Lord,' crackling with blue lightning.
Light Golden-White Face: Symbolizing light and speed, it became a 'Lightning Emperor.'
The five avatars surrounded the Grand Elder. The Elder, previously arrogant, began to tremble violently. There was no escape.
"No! This is impossible! What kind of cultivation technique is this?!" he shrieked.
Yang Kai Long's main body stood between the five avatars. He raised his giant 'Dragon Breathing Sword.' The energy erupting from the blade was no longer just blue lightning; it was a violent fusion of the ancient 'God-Demon' energy gifted by Ye Fang.
"Be obliterated!" Yang Kai Long's roar shook the entire valley.
The five avatars unleashed their weapons upon the Grand Elder simultaneously.
The Golden Warrior's sword severed his defenses. The Demonic Shadow ensnared his soul. The Divine Dragon shattered his Burial Coffin. The Thunder Lord and Lightning Emperor incinerated his blood-body with bolts of lightning.
The Grand Elder's screams died out against the cavern walls. He had sacrificed everything, staked his entire life, but he could not withstand the strike. Before their eyes, the Grand Elder's body melted into the divine radiance. His Burial Coffin shattered like glass, and his blood-body evaporated into thin air.
The darkness began to recede.
Ye Fang lowered his shield, panting. He saw that no trace of the Grand Elder remained—only a pile of ash and remnants of golden energy.
Yang Kai Long slowly descended. His Divine-Demonic form gradually faded. He looked at Ye Fang, his eyes no longer filled with anger, but with profound respect.
"Ye Fang..." he said in a heavy voice. "This victory may be mine, but the foundation... was laid by you."
Ye Fang sighed in relief. A notification chimed in his system: [Mission Accomplished: Grand Elder Eliminated. Rewards: Secret Techniques and Divine-Grade Burial Coffin transferred to Inventory.]
Ye Fang smiled. He looked at Wang Mai and Wang Ling, who were still in shock. Silence blanketed the cavern, but Ye Fang knew—this was just the beginning.
He whispered to the Little System, "System, we did an amazing job this time, didn't we?"
For the first time, there was a hint of a human smile in the System's voice. "Host, what you achieved is no small feat. Today, you have written a legend that shall be etched in golden letters in the history of the Tianxia Continent."
As the first ray of sunlight pierced through a crack in the cavern, illuminating Ye Fang's face, the silence that followed the Grand Elder's demise felt heavy, like a great burden lifted. The moment the wicked Elder's soul flickered out of existence, the invisible Void Talisman he had laid out shattered like glass.
Crackle...
The ancient runes carved upon it extinguished one by one. And then, the next moment—
BANG!
The entire talisman exploded into a thousand pieces.
As the Void Talisman was destroyed, the terrifying aura that had been suppressed within the Secret Domain—a power the talisman had kept hidden—was unleashed. In an instant, the very air of the domain shifted. The sky trembled, mountain peaks swayed, and tremors ran through the earth.
Wherever a cultivator stood, their faces drained of color.
"What... what is this?"
"Such terrifying pressure!"
"My spiritual sea is trembling!"
"Has an ancient existence awakened?"
Sects, clans, and independent cultivators searching for treasures in the Secret Domain were struck with panic. They felt as though the presence of both a divine deity and a supreme demon had manifested simultaneously. One power was holy, the other abyssal... but both were so vast that they felt like mere ants before them.
In a mountainous region, several disciples of the Jiang Clan were gathering rare herbs. Suddenly, one youth fell to his knees.
"Senior Brother! I can't breathe!"
A veteran cultivator's face turned grim. "Drop everything!"
"What?"
"I said drop everything!"
"But we could find more treasures!"
The elder roared, "Fool! Can't you feel it? If this pressure is truly the result of a battle between an ancient demon and a deity, we will all die in a single blow!"
Hearing this, their faces turned ashen. A similar scene unfolded across the entire Secret Domain. Leaders of various sects began arguing:
"We must leave immediately!"
"But the treasures?"
"Treasures are only useful if you remain alive! The portal is still open—take whatever you have and run!"
Within a short time, the entire Secret Domain descended into chaos. People scrambled toward the exit, clutching rare herbs, spiritual metals, weapons, and treasures. None of them knew that the terrifying pressure causing them to tremble was not a fight between a deity and a demon.
The pressure emanated from a single person—Yang Kai Long. Residual energy from the God-Demon Rebirth Pill was still surging through his body. This mixture of divine and demonic energy created such a horrific presence that cultivators across the Secret Domain were misled. Within a few hours, thousands had fled the Secret Domain.