If you think of a cultivator's potential as a vessel, then at this moment, the Blood-Demon Patriarch is nothing more than a teacup, while Evan Chu is an entire ocean.
But if you compare the power they can unleash right now, the Blood-Demon Patriarch can pour out all the water in his teacup in an instant, while the strength Evan Chu can release at his current realm is just a trickle.
Of course, thanks to Evan Chu's Perfect Blood, Ninefold Stellar Transformation, his nine elemental avatars, and other trump cards, even fighting at peak late-stage Saint against a mid-stage Saint Venerable, he is only slightly at a disadvantage.
Unfortunately, in a clash between true powerhouses, even being just a little weaker can turn the tide completely—and Evan Chu has paid a heavy price for it.
The power of the Demon-Twin Stars collided head-on with the Blood-Demon Patriarch's blood-star. As their forces crashed together, the entire land trembled, and even the sky seemed unable to withstand the terrifying outburst, growing unstable.
This is just a small star region among thousands within the Star-River Dominion. Only tens of millions of lives exist here, so the elemental energy sustaining this world is limited. If a true powerhouse erupts in battle and pushes their power to the limit, it could destroy this star region entirely.
Right now, although the destructive power hasn't reached the level of annihilating a star region, at the very heart of Evan Chu and the Blood-Demon Patriarch's battle, everything that existed has already been wiped out.
Boom! Boom! Boom! Explosions thundered without end. Hundreds of miles around, including several Blood-Demon cities, were utterly destroyed by the terrifying power of the stars. At the blast's core, things were even more brutal—Evan Chu's hands, gripping the Crimson Demon Star and Blood-stained Demon Star, shattered as soon as the explosion began, and even his arm bones showed fine cracks.
A storm of energy swept through, blasting an unfathomably deep pit into the earth. Evan Chu himself was struck straight down to the planet's core.
On the surface, the bodies of his nine elemental avatars were even more miserable—shattered to pieces, leaving only their divine beast essence blood and elemental lifeforce fleeing for survival. Of course, the other two guardian Old Ancestors caught in the explosion didn't fare much better: one dragged a half-crippled body, while the other drifted in the air as a soul remnant, both stunned by the sheer scale of destruction.
Reaching their current realm, early-stage Saint Venerable, sounds strong. But in truth, limited vision and talent mean they've never witnessed a true battle between top experts. Now, reflecting honestly, could they ever cause such destruction?
No, absolutely not!
But now, Evan Chu is fighting head-to-head with the Blood-Demon Patriarch, a mid-stage Saint Venerable, using only his late-stage Saint cultivation—and the terrifying might they unleash is far beyond anything we could achieve! Only now do the two realize: when the three sect guardian Old Ancestors besieged Evan Chu earlier, he was still holding back?
Lucky! Truly lucky—they're grateful Evan Chu didn't go for the kill earlier. Otherwise, with their current injuries, they probably wouldn't have survived at all; they'd have ended up just like the fallen Blazefire Sect guardian Old Ancestor.
Is that all the power you have? Pathetic.
The Blood-Demon Patriarch, riding his blood-star now magnified dozens of times by his power, sat atop the star, both recovering his strength and gazing into the pit below.
The recent battle secretly shocked the Blood-Demon Patriarch—he'd used eighty percent of his strength, yet in the final clash, Evan Chu still managed to injure him! Now, wounds on his chest and arms bled uncontrollably.
But this suited him perfectly—the more blood he poured into the blood-star, the stronger he became. In just a dozen breaths, the Blood-Demon Patriarch's aura surged to the peak of mid-stage Saint Venerable, only a step away from late-stage!
Looks like you're dead.' After staring into the pit for a long while and sensing no trace of Evan Chu's aura or power, the Blood-Demon Patriarch concluded Evan Chu had perished.
Heh, to withstand a blow from eighty percent of my power—you should be satisfied. Since that's the case, these two stars now belong to me.
The Blood-Demon Patriarch greedily eyed the Crimson Demon Star and Blood-stained Demon Star floating in the void. With a sweep of his massive hand, he seized them both tightly.
Such powerful stars! Hmph, but only I can unleash their full brilliance. Mere Saint-realm ants are not worthy of possessing these stars.
Blood-Demon Patriarch!
Seeing the Blood-Demon Patriarch claim the Crimson Demon Star and Blood-stained Demon Star for himself, the two guardian Old Ancestors of Southern Star Sect and Northstar Sect grew anxious.
Blood-Demon Patriarch, no matter what, that boy only came here for you to kill because we helped make it happen. Now you claim those two strongest stars for yourself—we have no objection. But those ten...
We need them!
The guardian Old Ancestors of Southern Star Sect and Northstar Sect stared hungrily at the ten small meteors drifting around the edge of the void. Their star-light wasn't dazzling, but it was enough to make both men salivate.
You want them? Fine, you can have them—on one condition. From now on, Southern Star Sect and Northstar Sect must submit to my Blood-Demon race and swear a Heavenly Dao Oath: break it, and Heaven's lightning will strike you dead!
This...
Fine! I agree!
The Southern Star Sect's guardian Old Ancestor hesitated, but the Northstar Sect's Old Ancestor agreed immediately. Soon after, the Southern Star Sect's Old Ancestor nodded vigorously too—faced with the temptation of the stars, they'd lost their last shred of integrity.
The Blood-Demon Patriarch grinned. These stars didn't suit his attributes anyway, so keeping them was pointless. Selling them wouldn't maximize their value either; better to hand them over to these two old fools and have them work loyally for him.
When the time came, the power balance between the Blood-Demon race and the three sects would be broken. In this star region, the Blood-Demon race would reign supreme, monopolizing all resources—only needing to pay tribute to the ruling Rivengrace Dynasty.
Thinking of this, the Blood-Demon Patriarch couldn't help but laugh with joy.
But in the next moment, just as the Southern Star and Northstar Sect Old Ancestors and the Blood-Demon Patriarch prepared to absorb the stars' power and refine them, they discovered the stars wouldn't respond at all! Why?
No! That kid isn't dead!
At that moment, the three Old Ancestors heard Evan Chu's low chuckle: "Heh, just now figured it out? Isn't it a little late?"
Want to lay hands on my stars? Let's see if you have what it takes!
The ultimate secret art of the first turn of Ninefold Stellar Transformation—Starshift Reversal!
Swish! Just as they released their own Stellar Power to try to communicate and refine the stars, Evan Chu unleashed a bizarre, incomprehensible technique. They could only feel their Stellar Power draining rapidly, and in the next instant, it was all sucked into the figure at the bottom of the pit...