"Damn it, you ungrateful wretch..." Ye Jingyu cursed under his breath. With a sweep of the Chiyou Banner, he enveloped Hu Yanqi and the others, then spun on his heel and fled...

What a joke. He had poured his full strength into the Eastern Emperor Bell just now, and it had only managed to smash a few of that demon's bones. In contrast, the injuries he suffered from the rebound seemed lighter. How could he possibly contend with that level of strength?

Of course, it wasn't that the Eastern Emperor Bell wasn't powerful enough; it was simply that Ye Jingyu’s own strength was too insufficient, allowing him to wield only a fraction of the Bell's true power.

It was enough to deal with an Arhat-grade master, perhaps, but it fell short against a Flood-grade expert. If even his strongest artifacts couldn't kill Yan, why stay here and invite death?

His speed was terrifying; he vanished almost instantly. As he left, he didn't forget to sweep that pile of gemstones into his robes. After all, these gems could boost the strength of the Devouring Demon; they couldn't be allowed to benefit his enemy.

Seeing the individuals who had ambushed him disappear without a trace, Yan was first stunned. When he noticed the small mountain of dark stones had also been swept away, he erupted in fury, his body transforming into a streak of light as he chased the direction Ye Jingyu and the others had fled.

Naturally, it wasn't just the dark stones driving him; it was a matter of face. Being ambushed and wounded by these people, whose strength was far beneath his own, had deeply enraged him. However, what truly solidified his resolve to pursue—and pursue alone—were the artifacts Ye Jingyu and the others had used to injure him.

What did the Demon Race lack most? Not grain, not women, not resources—but weapons. The demons only understood slaughter, destruction, devastation, and devouring; they had no concept of crafting arms. Forget forging a divine weapon; they couldn't even hammer out a simple iron rod.

Most demons went unarmed. Occasionally, some possessed weapons, but these were usually fashioned from the body parts of other demons—sometimes teeth, sometimes claws, or simply bones. Admittedly, there were Gold-Devouring Demons, allowing some powerful fiends to possess weapons forged from them. But Gold-Devourers were rare and scattered; they couldn't be mass-produced, requiring the consumption of vast amounts of metal to yield just one or two arms, contrary to Ye Jingyu's imagination.

Most crucially, the strength of these Gold-Devouring Demons mostly hovered around the Profound-Grade or Earth-Grade. Sky-Grade ones were exceptionally scarce. If, by rare chance, two Arhat-Grade Gold-Devourers appeared, they would immediately be captured and ‘farmed’ by the top generals below the Lords, for even they required weapons. After all, an Arhat-Grade Gold-Devourer could forge Flood-Grade weaponry—equivalent to a general top-tier divine artifact.

As for artifacts of the Cosmos-Grade or Universe-Grade, those belonged exclusively to the Seven Great Lords or their direct lineage. These weapons largely dated back to the Primordial Era of the Witches.

A Flood-Grade demon like Yan disdained common weapons, yet superior ones were unattainable for him. Now, having witnessed weapons capable of harming his physical body, how could he possibly let them go? Possessing such arms would elevate his strength by at least one tier, perhaps even giving him a chance to challenge the Seventh Ranked General!

Weapons capable of injuring his core body, wielded by someone so much weaker than himself—these were undoubtedly above Cosmos-Grade. For Yan, possessing them was akin to a savage in the primitive age obtaining a submachine gun.

It had to be acknowledged: a Flood-Grade master possessed not only immense power but also terrifying speed. Especially under the immense pressure of the Abyss, even Ye Jingyu’s speed was significantly hampered.

In both the Demon Realm and the Mortal Realm, he could absorb starlight to activate his Phantasmal Star Step. But here, this ability he prided himself on was useless. He could only rely on sheer velocity to escape. If not for condensing the Essence of Wind, which made his body incredibly light, his speed might not even surpass Liang Xiaoke, who was flapping his feathered wings furiously.

Seeing Yan drawing nearer, Ye Jingyu and Liang Xiaoke's expressions grew grim. Assassinating someone two full realms above them was inherently a mad gamble. It was like a three-year-old wielding a dagger against an armored Tyrannosaurus Rex. The blade only managed to scratch the scales, and now, faced with the enraged beast, what could they possibly do?

Aside from running for their lives, there was nothing left but to run desperately...

Yan closed the distance. Gazing at the fleeing figures ahead, he unleashed a punch across the void...

A formidable wave of fist energy tore through the air, instantly striking Ye Jingyu's back. Ye Jingyu paled, preparing to summon the Eastern Emperor Bell for defense, when Jiu Feng, beside him, whipped the Water-Controlling Banner of Profound Origins. Ripples of black water flashed out, shielding the group.

That surge of kinetic force slammed into the dark water barrier, causing ripples to spread, but Yan’s power overwhelmingly surpassed Jiu Feng’s. The black shield managed to hold for mere breaths before shattering.

Jiu Feng, who controlled the banner, immediately spat out a mouthful of blood.

Is this the cultivation of a Flood-Grade expert? Even a primordial treasure like the Water-Controlling Banner of Profound Origins could only last this short time?

Seeing Yan prepare to launch another punch, Ye Jingyu grabbed Jiu Feng’s slender waist with one arm while simultaneously raising the Eastern Emperor Bell over his head. Streams of azure light cascaded down, enveloping those around them.

Meanwhile, Hu Yanqi, still running, nocked an arrow onto his Sun-Setting Divine Bow...

"Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh, whoosh, whoosh, whoosh, whoosh..." Seven light sounds followed in rapid succession. A beautifully executed Seven Star Alignment shot was unleashed—this was the absolute limit of Hu Yanqi’s current capacity. After releasing these seven arrows, Hu Yanqi’s body went limp, devoid of strength, nearly collapsing until Hu Yanmeng caught him...

At that moment, Yan's berserk punch slammed into the Eastern Emperor Bell.

"Pfft..." Ye Jingyu involuntarily coughed up a stream of blood. The azure radiance of the Eastern Emperor Bell dimmed significantly, and everyone shielded beneath it was violently thrown backward...

Yan roared with laughter. He hadn't been wrong; although these weapons were all above Cosmos-Grade, these youngsters clearly couldn't utilize their full potential. Killing them would be effortless. Just as he prepared to unleash another void-strike, he suddenly noticed seven streaks of light shooting toward him. He snorted coldly, believing that arrows of this caliber posed no threat to him. He casually raised a hand to swat away the black radiance...

(Keep requesting recommendation tickets and golden bricks!) [Note to Readers: The current chapter marks the final page of this book.]