Ye Zhongming’s back bristled with goosebumps as his body twisted unnaturally into a backward flip, his weapons sweeping behind him in the same motion.
He could no longer afford to finish off the Twin Demons.
A tremendous force reverberated through his blades, while shadows surged toward him from all sides.
Ye Zhongming planted his weapon against the ground, propelling himself backward toward the Twin Demons’ position. Simultaneously, he hurled several objects around himself—they detonated the instant they left his hand. The blast wave sent him skidding another few meters away.
There was no deafening explosion at the epicenter—only a ripple of energy and faint wisps of smoke.
Landing in a crouch, Ye Zhongming wiped his cheek with the back of his sword hand, leaving a smear of blood.
Only now did he see what had attacked him.
The Heaven Speech Demon Vine!
He had never witnessed this mutated plant’s combat methods before—now he’d experienced them firsthand.
His blood.
Despite his injuries, Ye Zhongming was at his peak—bloodline fully activated, Stellar Gaze unleashed. Yet even in this state, those sinister petals had wounded him.
His eyes tracked the vines as they slithered back into the earth, but he didn’t pursue. Instead, he scanned the surroundings for their master—the God Hall Director!
…………………………
Mei Rang’s battlefield updates visibly relaxed the Great Leader and the Director.
“Truly worthy of the Heaven Speech Demon Vine,” the Great Leader remarked, his mood lightened. “Even operating independently, it poses such a threat to Ye Zhongming. I concede defeat.”
His cheer wasn’t unfounded. Sister Bo, though grievously wounded, still lived. So far, only God Hall’s Silver and Tong Lu had fallen—a favorable outcome for Soul Merchant.
Ye Zhongming was a cornered beast. His death was inevitable. The fewer his own casualties, and the more others lost, the better.
The Director’s mood improved slightly seeing the Demon Vine’s effectiveness, but the Great Leader’s words grated. The consecutive losses of key subordinates made one thing clear—this fat schemer was no longer content to follow his lead.
The three superpowers had always dominated the alliance between God Hall, Pin Palace, Soul Merchant, and minor factions. But even among them, hierarchies existed.
God Hall had long held the foremost position—and with it, marginally greater benefits. With fewer evolved than the others, maintaining this dominance was critical.
Sensing the Great Leader’s growing ambition, the Director suppressed his fury over losing two elites. With a flick of his right hand, a jade-smooth, deep-brown vine emerged from the ground at his feet—pristine, as if carved from polished stone.
The Great Leader stiffened.
This… was the Heaven Speech Demon Vine?!
Then what had been attacking Ye Zhongming?
The Director relished his rival’s shock. “What you see on the battlefield is merely a fragment of it,” he declared, pride lacing his voice.
The Great Leader’s jaw slackened. He pointed alternately at the distant combat zone and the lustrous vine before them, stammering, “That… and this… are one? Connected? Over such distance?!”
Behind his mask, the Director’s grin widened. “Indeed.”
The Great Leader offered no further comment—just a thumbs-up.
But the Director wasn’t done. A sharp whistle pierced the air. The final strike against Ye Zhongming would be delivered here.
Nearby, the roar of massive machinery erupted. The Great Leader’s eyes flickered toward the sound, thoughts unreadable.
…………………………
Ye Zhongming’s unease grew as his search for the Director proved futile.
The Demon Vine’s presence guaranteed its master was nearby. So why wasn’t he attacking?
The delay had granted Sister Bo critical recovery time. The gaping wound in her abdomen had shrunk to a fist-sized hole, and her ferocity had returned in full. Even her hovering spiked mace had reclaimed its position in the sky.
Abruptly, Ye Zhongming pivoted, his blades lashing out at the Twin Demons once more.
If the Director wouldn’t show himself, he’d force him out!
This time, Ye Zhongming fought with reckless abandon, discarding defense entirely.
Already enhanced by multiple buffs, his assault was terrifying. Though flawless in coordination, the Twin Demons could now only desperately block—their occasional counterattacks, once a pressure valve, were no longer feasible.
Meanwhile, the vengeful Lightning Sand Demon rematerialized, howling as it charged Sister Bo.
Payback was due.
With his Hell Envoy bloodline active for some time, its secondary ability triggered—a dark fissure split the battlefield, disgorging a fork-wielding humanoid entity shrouded in shadow. By all indications, another eight-star summon.
Luck had favored Ye Zhongming twice now, granting him peak-tier infernal reinforcements.
The fork-wielder’s cyst-covered, crimson head swiveled toward Saint Green Serpent—its serpentine companion particularly intriguing. With a guttural cry, it lunged.
A cold smile curled Ye Zhongming’s lips. To the Twin Demons, it might as well have been the grin of a demon.
With Sister Bo and Saint Green Serpent occupied, and Silver dead, they alone faced Ye Zhongming’s fury.
Yet despite their dread, the Twin Demons clung to one hope—the Heaven Speech Demon Vine lurked nearby.
Unshackled, Ye Zhongming shattered their defense in eight brutal seconds. Wind and Thunder arced toward one demon’s chest—an inevitable kill.
Then—salvation descended from above.
This time, the vines didn’t emerge from the ground but a nearby tree—five wrist-thick, spike-covered tendrils plummeted toward Ye Zhongming like divine retribution.
Evasion would require under a second—but abandoning his strike was the only way.
The Twin Demons exhaled. Surely, he’d dodge.
They were wrong.
Ye Zhongming unfurled the Staff of Nature with a sudden flourish, enveloping all three within its protective dome.
Wind and Thunder found their mark—armor shattered, flesh split.
The Water Bottle Protection held just long enough to block the vines before crumbling. Five lashes tore into Ye Zhongming’s back.
“Little Brother!”
The surviving Twin Demon’s anguished cry echoed as he caught his falling comrade, retreating at full speed.
Because the King of Cloud Peak—knocked prone moments earlier—had already sprung up, a crescent of blade light chasing his heels.