Chapter 126: The Demon Returns

"Strike!" the Saint-Demon roared, his white hair whipping in the wind. Wielding a sword with both hands, he unleashed a hazy brilliance; the white blade sliced through the void, descending toward the colossal hand.

Zhou Tian’s mind was clear and translucent. Empowered by his skill, his cultivation had reached the Heavenly King realm, allowing him to perceive all things.

The thunderous hand did not evade. It continued its descent, a surging river of lightning crashing down like a torrential flood. Having transformed from solid thunder into a mist of light, the hand showed no fear of the immortal sword. Even as it was rent asunder, it continued to radiate blinding luminescence.

BOOM!

The waterfall of lightning detonated, a deafening sound that made the very void tremble. The Saint-Demon channeled his mystical powers, merging himself with the void, rendering himself untouchable and shielded from the electrical onslaught.

Zhou Tian remained composed, exuding the aura of a true Heavenly King. Miraculous visions manifested around him. Though his cultivation had reached the Heavenly King realm, he possessed no formal spells; instead, he relied on the ultimate sublimation of exotic energies to inflict devastating damage. The Heavenly King realm was a path to exploring the essence of the world, granting the ability to command the wondrous energies hidden within the void.

"Thunder Orbs Descend!"

The galaxy shimmered. The colossal hand reshaped itself under Zhou Tian’s command. Within its palm, stars began to emerge—spherical lightning bolts coalescing into a thunderous galaxy, crackling with terrifying intensity. From afar, the hand was vast enough to shroud the firmament, with entire cosmic star systems rotating within its palm as it descended to blanket the earth.

"This..." Even the Saint-Demon was moved. Though he found the naming of Zhou Tian's techniques indescribable, the sheer mastery required to manipulate lightning to such a degree, pushing energy to its absolute limit, was truly earth-shattering. It was heart-quaking; the powers of a Celestial Sovereign were indeed beyond imagination, possessing unfathomable creation.

"Shatter the Heavens!" the Saint-Demon shouted. Once ethereal and otherworldly, he now appeared possessed. He brandished his white divine sword, unleashing an ancient swordsmanship to meet the celestial river of lightning.

CRACK!

The sky fractured. A thousand layers of lightning flooded the area, cleaving the giant hand apart. Yet, the countless spherical lightning bolts remained, massive as volcanoes descending from the heavens, erupting continuously. The white-haired Saint-Demon was ensnared by the lightning, battered by the thunder, but his immortal sword possessed a strange demonic power, continuously annihilating the surrounding light.

CLANG!

Suddenly, the white immortal sword shuddered violently. A strange arc of electricity pierced through the blade and struck the Saint-Demon’s body. These bolts were terrifying; while Zhou Tian lacked formal spells, his ability to compress energy to its absolute limit was not to be underestimated.

With a thud, the Saint-Demon stumbled backward, staggering. Fortunately, he was not gravely wounded and did not cough up blood.

"Hahahaha!" The Saint-Demon erupted in wild laughter, his eyes filled with a murderous aura. He was completely transformed, now resembling a Demon King. The shift from his ethereal, otherworldly state to one of overflowing demonic energy was chilling.

Boundless demonic mist spilled forth. The Saint-Demon changed entirely; his immortal sword morphed into a great black halberd, and his white hair turned a deep, obsidian black, appearing to hold a sinister enchantment.

Zhou Tian was unaware that he held a significant advantage. The Saint-Demon’s cultivation was not merely that of an ordinary Heavenly King, but one nearing the limit of a Half-Step Dao Lord. However, because his being was split into two personas, one could not utilize the power of the other. At this level of cultivation, the slightest disparity was enough to become the straw that broke the camel's back.

Zhou Tian was not surprised by the sudden transformation, as Zhou Yi had warned him of the Saint-Demon’s dual nature. He did not speak; time was short, and he did not wish to waste it. If he could kill the Saint-Demon, it would save him much trouble.

The world rippled as Zhou Tian’s seemingly fragile body erupted with unimaginable force. His arms turned black and gold, the colors spreading to his fingertips—his left hand shining like refined gold, his right as dark as ink.

As Zhou Tian swung his black right fist, black waves surged behind him, filling the air with the breath of the Supreme Yin. When he swung his golden left fist, a massive sun rose from the black ocean, releasing the scorching, intense breath of the Supreme Yang.

The interplay of Yin and Yang contained the most essential power of the world. It was a terrifying combination, one of the few mixtures of exotic energy Zhou Tian could conceive.

"Yin-Yang Grand Fist!" Zhou Tian clenched his hands into seals. Black and gold beams surged forth, the rotation of Yin and Yang shattering the heavens and collapsing the firmament.

The Saint-Demon, now in his demonic form, unfurled a pair of pitch-black wings. His physique was robust, his muscles tense and bulging like coiled dragons. The halberd in his hand was made of obsidian—a rare material he had spent a long time traversing the star realms to gather—possessing unimaginable might.

The Demon form was not the scholarly figure of the Saint, but a warrior!

"Suppress!" the Demon growled. He swung the halberd, unleashing a tyrannical technique. In the wilderness, ferocious beasts roared and divine birds rent the sky; the halberd suppressed all, its explosive energy crashing into the beams Zhou Tian had unleashed.

The sound was so great it became silent. The world went still, and then a shockwave rippled out, nearly tearing the sky asunder. Musu and Ling Yu were enveloped in golden energy and sent further away, shielding them from the aftermath. Both watched the battle with bated breath. The energy unleashed by Zhou Tian and the Saint-Demon had far exceeded their expectations; they could only hope Zhou Tian would prevail, lest their own lives be in jeopardy.

"Exhilarating!" The Demon sneered. His halberd vibrated incessantly, but he ignored it, crushing the earth beneath his feet as he turned into a streak of light, charging toward Zhou Tian. He was a master of the art of war and sought close-quarters combat; energy clashes were not his specialty.

Zhou Tian frowned. Half the time had already passed, but his progress was limited. The Saint-Demon possessed myriad powerful techniques and a miraculous weapon, which had neutralized several of his attacks. He could feel it now: his own power was superior to the Saint-Demon’s, likely because the opponent’s dual personality prevented him from utilizing his full strength.

"Die!" The Saint-Demon let out a long howl. A shocking sight unfolded: the divine statues in the distance shattered into rubble under the ripples of his voice, scattering the clouds.

He gripped the halberd with both hands and swung it down with savage force toward Zhou Tian.

CRACK!

The world split open. A black bolt of lightning flashed, becoming eternal, illuminating the heavens. Beneath the halberd, the void collapsed inch by inch; nothing could block it, for it was truly unbreakable.