All this seemed distant, yet it happened in the blink of an eye. Hei Ming Yingjie and the others watched the two collide.

Ying Kongwu’s body was instantly enveloped in lightning, blasted away with tremendous force. The blue battle armor he wore shattered completely, and even the iron fan in his hand was cleaved in two… In a single move, the majestic Fifth-Rank Demon Lord was defeated just like that.

Everyone present was stunned, especially Hei Ming Yingjie. She knew very well that she was currently at the same Fifth-Rank Demon Lord level as Ying Kongwu.

Yet, Ying Kongwu couldn't withstand a single strike from Ye Jingyu. That meant she likely stood no chance against him either.

How could he have become so powerful? At this thought, a subtle shift occurred in the way she looked at Ye Jingyu.

Charles and the others on the field were equally horrified. Both Charles and Leiyalon were Fourth-Rank Demon Lords.

For men their age, reaching the Fourth Rank was already the mark of a genius. Ying Kongwu was older than them, yet had reached the Fifth Rank, which wasn't surprising.

But this human, who looked no older than his early twenties, shouldn't have reached such a level, even if he had been cultivating since birth? Had human talent somehow escalated to such heights?

Ying Kongshi was the most shocked among them. He had fought Ye Jingyu before; back then, Ye Jingyu was at best equal to him when his power was sealed.

But in such a short time, how could Ye Jingyu now defeat his own elder brother, who was much stronger? This was utterly impossible… The only one who showed no sign of shock was Hei Ming Shixuan.

Seeing her big brother become so mighty, her face was flushed a cute pink, filled with excitement. “Heh… I didn’t expect someone so young to possess such strength.

But even so, do you truly think you can kill me?” Ying Kongwu finally spoke, casually tossing aside the broken half of his iron fan. He abruptly tapped his forehead with one finger.

A blue light flashed, and an overwhelming aura of absolute dominance erupted from within him… “Jialan Seal? Damn it!

This bastard Ying Kongwu has been hiding his true strength, sealing away his power with the Jialan Seal!” Sensing the powerful aura washing over them, Leiyalon and Charles stumbled backward, barely resisting the oppressive might, cursing loudly… Even Hei Ming Yingjie couldn't help but take a step back against the sudden surge of power. Ying Kongwu, having the power of a Fifth-Rank Demon Lord while suppressing the majority of his strength with the Jialan Seal, just how formidable would he be unleashed?

At least Sixth-Rank Demon Lord, right? A Sixth-Rank Demon Lord could absolutely annihilate any Fifth-Rank Demon Lord… On the field, only Ye Jingyu and Hei Ming Shixuan remained rooted to the spot… Everyone present understood that the higher the rank, the more insurmountable the gap in strength.

Once one reached the Demon Lord realm, the power increase between each level was geometric. If a First-Rank Demon Lord could possibly defeat a Second or even Third-Rank Demon Lord, it was nearly impossible for a Third-Rank to defeat a Fourth-Rank.

Between Fourth and Fifth Ranks, the disparity was even vaster. As for a Sixth-Rank Demon Lord, perhaps even a hundred Fifth-Rank Demon Lords attacking together might fail to defeat one.

This explained why, despite the Demon Realm having numerous Demon Lords, those truly reaching Seventh Rank and above were exceedingly rare. The reason Ye Jingyu could contend with a Sixth-Rank Demon Lord was that every Golden Core he condensed caused his strength to multiply geometrically—one plus one was far greater than two.

Sensing Ying Kongwu’s continuously ascending power, Ye Jingyu’s expression turned solemn. The Tianzun Saber in his hand emitted streaks of seven-colored lightning, seemingly eager to rush forward and drink Ying Kongwu’s essence blood… “Take this!

Ying *Kong Wuming!” At this moment, Ying Kongwu's power level had climbed to that of a Sixth-Rank Demon Lord. He slashed his hands through the void, forcibly warping the space itself.

Before Ye Jingyu could fully react, he felt the space before him rapidly compress, his body feeling significantly heavier… Immediately after, a giant hand emerged from the distorted void, slamming down towards his heart. Judging by the immense power radiating from it, even a massive mountain would surely be pulverized by this strike… He had no intention of testing that blow with his body.

Silver light flashed beneath his feet as he executed the Phantasmal Star Step, escaping the warped space in less than half a breath’s time, reappearing directly in front of Ying Kongwu… Seeing Ye Jingyu reappear before him, Ying Kongwu showed no surprise this time. A short spear, three feet long, materialized in his hand, aimed straight for Ye Jingyu’s heart.

However, he suddenly noticed a wicked smile curl onto Ye Jingyu’s lips… Before he could grasp what was happening, he saw Ye Jingyu place the Tianzun Saber behind him and pull out an ancient, worn, cyan-colored bell from who knows where, hurling it towards him! Had this guy gone mad from the shock of my sudden power surge?

Was he really attacking me with this scrap metal? Not only did this thought cross Ying Kongwu’s mind, but even Hei Ming Yingjie and the others looked on in utter confusion.

The bell looked like nothing more than battered scrap iron, exhibiting not the slightest fluctuation of energy. How could such a thing possibly injure anyone?

Had he truly lost his mind? To abandon such a fine divine blade for this junk?

Despite his confusion, Ying Kongwu cautiously thrust the short spear in his hand toward the cyan bell. This was a super-strong weapon he had spent centuries forging, infinitely sturdier than the previous useless fan.

He was confident that even the might of Ye Jingyu’s Tianzun Saber could barely scratch this short spear, let alone this piece of junk bell… Watching his short spear close in on the cyan bell, he could almost visualize his weapon piercing the broken bell first, and then continuing through Ye Jingyu’s body. Of course, to guard against any potential follow-up moves from Ye Jingyu, he only exerted seven-tenths of his strength… But he firmly believed that even seven-tenths of his power would be more than enough to pierce the ancient bell and then Ye Jingyu’s body… How could anyone possibly withstand the might of a Sixth-Rank Demon Lord?

“Crack…” A light sound echoed. Everyone expected Ye Jingyu’s cyan bell to shatter, but when they looked closely, they saw that although the bell was scarred, it remained completely intact.

Instead, it was Ying Kongwu’s short spear that had completely disintegrated… It shattered as if it were made of glass… Was this a dream?