At that moment, Shen Kangren ground his teeth, fury practically erupting from his eyes.
He had already considered using the blood and flesh heâd pulled back in to reform into a blade and strike the beast from withinâa tactic that had never failed him before. Yet this divine beast seemed immune. All the blood and flesh he fed it vanished without a trace or response. That, more than anything, unnerved him. If it continued, perhaps this creature really would devour him completely.
âYouâwhat exactly are you?â
âWho, him? Thatâs Xiao Bai. You can also call him the White Deityâhe deserves the title!â
Ye Yuâs silhouette appeared in an instant, Wu Kai standing pale beside him. The latter had been horrified by the massacre of the Wuzhong Mountain clan. Not a single peer remained aliveâonly their lord, Taishi Xiaxin, whose gaunt form signaled he might soon join the dead. Summoning his courage, Wu Kai dashed forward, dragging Taishi Xiaxin away without a backward glance.
Shen Kangren paid them no mind. His eyes never left Yinghuo and Yu Buxiaâuntil they, too, vanished from his view.
Yinghuo and Yu Buxia hadnât fled; they were at Ye Yuâs side. Though Yu Buxia had led the way, she halted first and made way for Yinghuo, who rushed forward and threw her arms around Ye Yu.
âI knew it! Youâre aliveâyou had to be alive!â
Yinghuoâs excitement left her breathless. Yu Buxia said nothing, standing quietly as the background to their reunion.
Ye Yu gently patted Yinghuoâs back, his eyes soft with relief. Xiao Bai chuckled: âCongratulations to Big Brother and Second Sister on your reunion! Second Sister, °⢠N đ v đ l i g h t â˘Â° donât just stand thereâlet me take a picture with my Memory Stone, to celebrate your happiness!â
âSecond Sister?â
Ye Yuâs brow furrowed in confusion. Yu Buxia blushed furiously. âDonât listen to Xiao Baiâheâs talking nonsense!â
Before she could finish, a rough voice cut in.
âYou worthless foolsâdo you even respect me? Showboating your reunion here? Iâll devour you right now if you donât stop!â
Shen Kangrenâs roar shook the earth. He had never been so disrespected since breaking into the Divine Lord Realm. Were these ants mad?
âI donât believe youâif youâve got the guts, try me. Letâs see who eats whom faster!â
Xiao Bai stepped forward, thumping its flat belly with supreme arrogance. Ye Yu, Yinghuo, and Yu Buxia exchanged impressed glancesâonly Xiao Bai would dare.
But then Ye Yu noticed Shen Kangrenâs aura: he truly was at Divine Lord Realm level, far beyond what heâd been in the dream. How had he grown so much stronger?
To be safe, Ye Yu sent a thought to Xiao Bai: âHow are you holding up? Want to finish him off, or should I find you some antidote?â
âBig Brother,â Xiao Bai replied, âif I could finish him, would I be yapping with you? Honestly, Iâm about to burst. I really need to vomit!â
Ye Yuâs heart sank. He knew well how formidable Divine Lord power could be. The only reason Shen Kangren hadnât attacked was fear of Xiao Bai. If Xiao Bai puked, he hadnât truly devoured himâand Shen Kangren would risk everything, killing them all. So Xiao Bai mustnât vomit.
Before Ye Yu could dissuade him, Xiao Baiâs belly trembledâand thenâ
âUgh!!!â
Like a waterfall from the skies, Xiao Bai vomited the blood and flesh heâd just eaten. Shen Kangrenâs shock gave way to peals of mocking laughter. So the beast had been bluffing. He had even considered retreatâuntil his ânemesisâ collapsed first.
âHah! Impressive creature, but ancient god or not, youâre nothing to me!â
Leaping into the air, Shen Kangren flooded the mountain range with fresh waves of blackened blood and flesh. Obedient to his will, countless tendrils surged toward Xiao Bai, Ye Yu, Yinghuo, and Yu Buxia.
âXiao Bai, hang in thereâyou canât chicken out now!â Yinghuo and Yu Buxia cried.
But only one sound answered them:
âUgh!â
Xiao Bai was still vomiting, its resolve broken. Ye Yuâs blood ran cold: Yinghuo and Yu Buxia had exhausted their divine power, and now Xiao Bai was incapacitated. The only hope was Ye Yu himselfâbut a New God Realm cultivator fighting a Divine Lord Realm fiend seemed suicidal.
He had to actâand fast. A daring plan flashed through his mind. Drawing a repeating crossbow, he pulled the trigger. Three thousand bolts streaked forward, carving out a vacuum in the blackened carnage.
This was
Evil God Termination
(a reward from his dream)âthe more malice in his foe, the deadlier its strike. A supreme weapon against evil gods.
Shen Kangren eyed the crossbow and laughed. âA fine artifactâbut you really think thatâll kill me, ant?â
He spat the word âantâ with scorn. Clearly, he thought a New God Realm cultivator could never slay him with a mere weapon. Unsheathing the crossbow, Ye Yu did not intend to rely on it alone.
He strode forward confidently. âYou still donât get itâwhoâs the real ant here? Think devouring a bit of flesh makes you invincible?â
Shen Kangrenâs brow darkened at those words, uncertainty flickering in his eyes.