BOOM—
The Earth-Breaking Earth Dragon’s massive tail swept out, cracking like a steel whip with a deafening sonic boom. Song Changsheng shifted his feet, narrowly dodging the attack as it flattened two small hills.
SCREEE—
The Red-tailed Golden Eagle let out a high-pitched, piercing cry. A massive, golden eagle’s phantom appeared in the air, and in an instant, a dazzling golden light filled the sky.
Song Changsheng closed his eyes reflexively, crossing his arms to block in front of him.
SCREEE—
BOOM—
The golden eagle in the sky suddenly beat its wings, transforming into a sharp, golden arrow of light that shot toward Song Changsheng.
"Hmph."
Song Changsheng grunted as he was sent flying backward. A heart-piercing pain shot through his arms; if he wasn’t mistaken, both his radius and ulna were likely broken.
But amidst the agony, he felt a cooling sensation spread over his arms as if they had been coated in a soothing balm. Wisps of coolness seeped into his flesh, easing the pain and strengthening his bones and sinews.
He knew this was the Celestial Star Essence he had taken earlier kicking in.
Not only had his Recovery Power increased dramatically, but his Cultivation was also growing at a steady pace. This feeling of pleasure mixed with pain was truly beyond description.
Song Changsheng had been locked in a bloody battle with the three Great Demons for two ancient hours. New wounds were piled on top of old ones, and there was hardly an unblemished patch of skin on his entire body. If not for his tenacious Life Force and the Tai Chi Diagram protecting his vital points, he would have died countless times over.
He was taking more of a beating than a punching bag.
The three Great Demons weren’t faring much better. Song Changsheng’s reckless, all-or-nothing fighting style had left them with a fair number of new injuries as well.
At times, the Three-headed Hellhound even wondered which of them was the real Demon Beast. He was just too ferocious.
Song Changsheng was unaware of his opponent’s inner thoughts. But gradually, after enduring countless external blows, he finally merged completely with the Celestial Star Essence.
In that instant, an immense power erupted from within Song Changsheng’s body. The fleeting but formidable aura made even the Three-headed Hellhound feel a hint of a threat.
"What is this?"
The naturally cautious Three-headed Hellhound halted, able to clearly sense an extremely vast power being unleashed from within Song Changsheng’s body.
It wasn’t just the demons; even Song Changsheng himself was baffled. Just yesterday, Song Xianming had described in detail what would happen after taking the Celestial Star Essence, but he had never mentioned anything like this.
He could feel his internal organs and flesh undergoing a metamorphosis, much like the change his body experienced when breaking through from Foundation Establishment to the Purple Mansion realm.
In the Cultivation Realm, such a transformation was called a "Leap"—a leap in one’s own level of existence.
He didn’t know why taking the Celestial Star Essence would trigger the same feeling.
Faced with this change in his body, he was somewhat caught off guard but didn’t panic. After all, it was a good thing—an opportunity many would kill for.
He stood motionless in mid-air, carefully sensing the changes within his body.
The three Great Demons each took up a position, staring at him with ferocious glares, yet none of them dared to be the first to attack. The power radiating from him filled them with dread.
A strange silence suddenly fell over the sky, broken only by the sounds of fierce fighting from the ground below, a sign that time had not, in fact, stood still.
Suddenly, a furious and indignant roar echoed between heaven and earth, shattering the silence between the man and the three beasts.
"That’s the Bear Beast’s voice," the Three-headed Hellhound’s central head lifted and said in a deep tone.
The Earth-Breaking Earth Dragon’s heart sank. It looked in the direction of the voice and said, "It’s dead."
As soon as it spoke, Song Xianming appeared, Flying through the air in his simple white robes. In his right hand, he held the still-bloodied Stabilize the Realm, and in his left, he carried a furry, severed head.
Although the proportions were completely off, the three Great Demons immediately recognized the head’s owner.
Song Changsheng recognized it too and was overjoyed. He hadn’t expected Song Xianming to deal with the Back-Armored Barbarian Bear so quickly, especially since it was renowned for its immense power and sturdy defense.
In that moment, the tides of battle shifted subtly.
Although the Demon Beast side still held the advantage, they now seemed to lack confidence when facing the two men. After all, Song Changsheng’s earlier performance had left a very deep impression on them.
"Well? You want to keep going?" Song Changsheng took a step forward, his voice booming with confidence.
CLANG!
Stabilize the Realm let out a crisp ring of its own, eager for a fight.
The three Great Demons glanced at each other, then slowly began to retreat, showing no intention of fighting the grandfather and grandson.
With their leaders retreating, the other Demon Beasts had no intention of fighting to the death either. They fell back like a receding tide, leaving behind only a battlefield of carnage and mangled corpses.
Seeing this, the crowd erupted in a deafening cheer, their gazes toward Song Changsheng filled with reverence.
They didn’t know what Song Changsheng had taken; all they knew was that he had held off three opponents at once, creating the opportunity for Song Xianming to slay the Back-Armored Barbarian Bear.
At that moment, Song Changsheng’s personal prestige reached its peak. Even the "Mercenaries" who had been hired for the job couldn’t help but be won over by his display.
When the two of them descended from the sky onto Five Elements Peak, Song Lutong and the others rushed over to surround them.