Chapter 628 627: Stalemate

'What's going on?'

Yang Xiao's Heart Spirit had just started to react. Before he could even check the image in his Thousand Mechanism Eye, a terrifying aura enveloped him.

Immediately after, a strange, demonic voice resounded in his mind.

'Eh? Not only is he a Saint Prince of the Human Race, but he also carries the aura of my Netherworld Erosion Clan. Haha, I understand now! This boy is a blood descendant I left behind! And he actually cultivated a perfect Divine-Demon Body! HAHA! The Celestial Demon Emperor truly watches over me. This body... I'm taking it.'

The moment the Netherworld Erosion Demon Venerable arrived, he sensed the aura of the Corrosion Demon Pattern on Yang Xiao.

From that, he also detected the aura of the Divine-Demon Body from the Twelve Heavenly Forbidden Techniques. The Netherworld Erosion Demon Venerable was instantly overjoyed.

As a Dark Night Demon God, he knew very well what a heaven-defying existence a Divine-Demon Body was.

Especially since the Demon Pattern that formed this Divine-Demon Body was his own Corrosion Demon Pattern.

'This is... this is simply a physical body prepared for me by the heavens themselves!'

'Wouldn't it be a waste of heaven's arrangement if I don't seize it? Once I obtain this body and lie low for a million years, who in this world could possibly be my opponent?'

The Divine-Demon Body.

It was a perfect constitution.

Once it fully developed, becoming a new Demon Emperor in the future wasn't out of the question.

At the very least, it would allow him to break through the Demon Venerable realm and become a Demon King, or even a Great Demon King. If that happened, even in the Void Dark Realm, he would become a major figure, second to only one but above all others.

That would be countless times stronger than his current station as a mere Demon Venerable.

Thus, the Netherworld Erosion Demon Venerable, who had originally appeared here only intending to devour the Saint Prince and flee, wanting no part of a confrontation with the Top-tier Divine King likely sent by the Human Emperor, instantly changed his mind.

His figure transformed, dissolving into a cloud of black mist.

It lunged directly at Yang Xiao.

He was going to perform a possession.

He would extinguish Yang Xiao's Divine Sense, seize his physical shell, and claim this perfect Divine-Demon Body for himself.

'This guy... he wants to possess me?'

Yang Xiao's expression changed drastically.

But as the black mist rushed toward him, a terrifying power suppressed him completely, even with the support of the Emperor's True Body within him.

It was still far from enough to resist.

After all, his Emperor's True Body was only at the level of a Tier Seven Divine Marquis. The being before him, however, was a Divine King-Level existence—and a Top-tier Divine King at that.

He was not much weaker than Elder Long.

As someone who had once stood at the pinnacle of the Divine King Realm, known as a Supreme Divine King, Yang Xiao was very clear about the unique nature of this realm.

Don't be fooled by its division into just four levels.

Ordinary Divine King, Peak Divine King, Top-tier Divine King, and Supreme Divine King.

The gap between each level was like a celestial chasm. For instance, with his Divine-Demon Body, Yang Xiao could affect beings five tiers stronger than himself.

Previously, when he had the combat power of a Tier Three True God, he could influence an expert at the level of a Tier Eight Divine Venerable.

And now that he had advanced to Tier Seven Divine Marquis, even Great Elder Lu Yunxiao, an ordinary Divine King, was affected by him. Yet Elder Long, a Top-tier Divine King, showed no reaction at all.

The difference between them was plain to see.

It had long since surpassed a range of five tiers.

In fact, having once stood at the level of a Supreme Divine King, Yang Xiao understood even more clearly that the gap within the Divine King Realm was like the difference between a Demigod and a Divine Venerable.

It might even be greater.

In other words, those four "ordinary" levels already spanned a gap of more than nine tiers.

As for the specifics, there was no consensus.

This was because the realm was defined entirely by combat strength.

After all, everyone walked a different path. The difficulty of proving one's Dao to become a Great Emperor varied, and the resulting combat power could be worlds apart.

That was precisely why this realm wasn't divided into Early, Mid, and Late stages like the previous eight realms, but into four levels. And although there was no consensus on these four levels...

...a general classification still existed.

Typically, those one to three tiers stronger than a Peak of Tier Eight Divine Venerable were considered ordinary Divine Kings.

Those four to six tiers stronger were Peak Divine Kings.

Those seven to nine tiers stronger were Top-tier Divine Kings.

As for Supreme Divine Kings, they were all beings who surpassed the weakest Divine King by more than nine tiers.

Almost any one of them had the strength to contend with an ordinary Great Emperor. Some exceptionally powerful ones could even rival Peak Emperors, Top-tier Emperors, or even Unparalleled Emperors.

The Great Emperor Realm was divided in the same way as the Divine King Realm, based on the differing power of their proven Dao.

With that in mind, one could only imagine how vast the disparities within the Divine King Realm could be.

During the Ancient Times, a Divine King had even proposed that the Divine King Realm be classified as its own separate major stage.

Because in this realm...

...the potential for increasing one's combat power seemed endless.

Take Yang Xiao's first life, for example. Known as a Supreme Divine King, his true combat power was already seventeen tiers beyond a Tier One God King, the weakest level among ordinary Divine Kings.

Even among Supreme Divine Kings, he was considered one of the best, capable of contending with an average Top-tier Emperor.

It was terrifying.

One must understand that even the current Human Emperor, Emperor Xuanyuan, was only known as a Top-tier Emperor. Although he was somewhat stronger than the Yang Xiao of the past, the difference was limited.

At most, the gap was only about one tier.

Therefore, Yang Xiao was very well aware of the intricacies among Divine Kings.

And now, this existence, no weaker than Elder Long, was making a move on him.

The gap between them was almost more than nine tiers.

It was like a Tier One True God facing an ordinary Divine King.

He had no power to resist at all.

'Damn it, damn it! How did this guy suddenly get here?'

Yang Xiao roared internally.

But he was helpless.

He could only watch as the black mist entered his body,

rushing straight for his Sea of Consciousness,

vying for central control.

The process was incredibly fast.

Even Elder Long...

...who had reacted instantly, determined that the Demon Venerable-level Dark Night Demon God's target was Yang Xiao, and rushed over...

...everything...

...was already set in stone.

He was completely unable to stop it.

"Damn it! This is big trouble."

Elder Long, who had appeared in an instant, had an incredibly ugly expression on his face.

He wanted nothing more than to slap himself a few times.

It was his idea.

If he had known this would happen, he never would have gone to protect the ordinary people of the Carefree Sect.

He would have followed Yang Xiao and escorted him to the Burial God Celestial Abyss.

But now, it was too late to say any of that.

'Right now, the only hope is Yang Xiao himself. If he can resist the Dark Night Demon God's corrosion, perhaps there's still a sliver of a chance...'

But was that possible?

Yang Xiao knew the gap between them, and so did Elder Long.

Not to mention...

...if they were only comparing Spiritual Power...

...the gap between them was even greater.

After all, Yang Xiao's Spiritual Level was only equivalent to the Demigod Realm.

This disparity instantly turned the current situation into a dead end.

A hopeless, desperate dead end!