Chapter 673

"Cough! Cough!"

Li Yi tumbled headfirst into the Tianyi Palace, his body drenched in blood, covered in cracks; even with a Dao artifact protecting him, his astonishing physique, and his divine bloodline, he could not withstand a single blow from the great demon.

Simply surviving this far was already lucky enough.

"This great demon truly has no honor—suddenly appearing and striking me without warning. Luckily, I was prepared and channeled all my energy into the Chi Yu Zi Jin Armor, maximizing its defensive power. Otherwise, I'd have been reduced to pulp."

Li Yi's heart pounded wildly—he had just instinctively used his heart's blood.

With that surge of vital blood, he barely managed to return to the Tianyi Palace.

But he wasn't sure whether the Tianyi Palace could withstand the great demon's assault.

Yet there was no time to worry about it now.

Li Yi immediately pulled a pill from the Five Elements Bracelet.

The pill glowed in three colors—it was the Three-Color Treasure Pill crafted for him by Liu Guzi. He didn't know its exact effects, but it was surely extraordinary.

After swallowing the treasure pill,

Li Yi immediately felt a vast, strange energy envelop his entire body; his wounds were healing at an unimaginable speed, while his soul was bathed in a three-colored radiant light, growing stronger.

Moreover, his divine blood surged and rapidly strengthened within him.

Only moments passed.

His injuries stabilized, and even the side effects of using his heart's blood began to fade.

"Excellent pill," Li Yi finally exhaled in relief.

But he immediately had to think of how to handle the crisis before him.

The best option now was to open the interdimensional gate and escape.

He could go to the Four Seas and Eight Provinces, the End-Era Dao Cultivation World, or the Incense Worship God World—his interdimensional device held coordinates for all three; no matter which world he chose, he'd at least be safe.

But the moment this idea surfaced,

BOOM!

A tremendous tremor shook the ground.

A terrifying attack slammed into the Tianyi Palace.

The palace shook violently, as if it might collapse at any moment.

Li Yi instantly activated the Heaven-Earth Absorption Great Method, drawing cosmic energy from within the Tianyi Palace and channeling it entirely into the Dao artifact. The once-unstable palace erupted in brilliant light, revealing its true form.

A magnificent, awe-inspiring palace suddenly materialized on the battlefield.

"Another treasure?"

The great demon Lei Jiao's eyelid twitched—he had assumed his single strike would shatter the human's fortress and kill the evolutionist, leaving only the need to retrieve the Bao Yue Bow and Wu Jin Arrows from the ruins.

These two treasures could not be destroyed by great demon power, so he had struck without restraint.

Yet after his blow, the fortress had transformed into a splendid palace, radiating divine light and exuding extraordinary power—its defense clearly immense, capable of withstanding even a great demon's assault.

The Tianyi Palace was a mid-grade Dao artifact; though it had endured the End-Era, it remained intact, and as a Dao-level imperial palace, its defense was among the finest in its class.

Even higher than the defense of Li Yi's Chi Yu Zi Jin Armor.

For a great demon to break through the Tianyi Palace was already difficult, let alone now, as Li Yi continued gathering cosmic energy and spiritual qi to activate the palace's grand array, further enhancing its defense.

Yet at the same time,

Other great demons arrived one after another.

"Lei Jiao, where are the Bao Yue Bow and Wu Jin Arrows?" one great demon demanded immediately.

Lei Jiao pointed to the Tianyi Palace beneath his feet: "That human evolutionist hid inside this building. Its defense is incredible—I tried smashing it, but failed. If you're capable, break it open and drag him out. The Bao Yue Bow and Wu Jin Arrows are in his hands."

"So you haven't succeeded yet? Good," the other great demons chuckled.

Lei Jiao shot them a cold glare.

Now four great demons had gathered—meaning any one of them could claim the treasure.

"Then let's combine forces and smash this building. I don't believe we can't break this thing," the great demon Chi Jia declared confidently.

The several great demons exchanged glances and instantly reached consensus.

First, unite to shatter the building.

As for who ultimately claims the treasure—that's up to each one's own ability.

"Fine. Each of you unleash your strongest attack and shatter it," Lei Jiao said, immediately channeling demonic power. In an instant, the surrounding heavens and earth churned violently as a terrifying demonic force coalesced.

Countless ancient Dao traces intertwined with the demonic energy, radiating an unimaginably terrifying power surge.

The great demon Chi Jia and the other two great demons did the same, gathering their demonic power to unleash their ultimate strikes.

If even four great demons combined couldn't break the Tianyi Palace, then Li Yi's fate was simply not to die.

Though hidden within the Tianyi Palace, Li Yi could sense the four terrifying attacks forming outside. Under these circumstances, he had no time to open the interdimensional gate.

Calibrating the device, gathering cosmic energy, opening the interdimensional gate, and crossing over—all required time.

The great demons' attacks wouldn't wait that long.

He also needed to continuously channel cosmic energy to reinforce the Tianyi Palace's defense; if he didn't, the palace would be shattered instantly, leaving him with no escape.

But Li Yi wasn't going to sit idle. As he channeled energy into the Tianyi Palace, he also pulled out the interdimensional device from the Five Elements Bracelet, preparing to open the gate.

He prepared for both possibilities.

Yet the four attacks had now fully coalesced.

"Attack!"

The four great demons unleashed their strongest strikes without hesitation, certain that together they could shatter the palace.

"Roar!"

But at that moment, a dragon's roar echoed across heaven and earth.

A celestial dragon, claws outstretched and fangs bared, surged forward from Earth's direction, carrying the might of heaven and earth, straight toward the four great demons.

"What?"

This sudden turn stunned the four great demons—they could sense the terrifying power of the celestial dragon charging toward them. Even as great demons, they dared not meet it head-on; to do so would mean certain death.

The celestial dragon roared as it intercepted the four great demons' combined strike, forcibly shielding the Tianyi Palace.

BOOM!

An unimaginably terrifying wave of cosmic energy erupted, blotting out the heavens and turning the earth into an abyss.

Beneath the terrifying shockwave, the four great demons paled and retreated in unison.

They retreated a full dozens of miles.

Fortunately, the attack had not been aimed directly at them, so they escaped unharmed.

"What was that attack? Did Earth's experts come to reinforce? I felt that dragon's power—it was terrifying. If I'd faced it directly, I'd be dead. When did Earth hide such a powerful being?"

The great demon Lei Jiao was shaken—he had truly been startled by that attack.

"Don't you remember? Three of Tian Yue's great demons were slain on Earth. Earth must have powerful experts. I never intended to cause trouble there—I came only for the Bao Yue Bow," another great demon frowned.

"An expert has arrived. Forget the treasure—prepare to unite," the great demon Chi Jia said gravely.

As the great demons conversed,

The residual force dissipated.

A magnificent palace stood amidst ruins, shaken but unharmed.

Above the palace, an ethereal, aloof immortal maiden suddenly appeared on the battlefield—her feet resting on auspicious clouds, dragon and tiger energies coiling around her, her gaze radiating chilling killing intent.

"Immortal Maiden, you've finally arrived," Wu Laodao, who had rushed here as a five-colored rainbow, sighed in relief upon seeing her.

Just moments ago, with the four great demons united, his heart had been in his throat—he feared the Dao artifact would be shattered and Li Yi annihilated.

"Wu Laodao, great demons have invaded, and Li Yi's life is at stake. You should have informed me sooner," Immortal Maiden Xuan Yuezi said coldly, revealing a hint of displeasure.

"Immortal Maiden, forgive me. It wasn't my delay—their arrival was sudden. Originally, only Yuan Cang was present from the Demon Realm. Today, four more appeared without warning, crossing the border unexpectedly, causing this disaster," Wu Laodao hurriedly apologized, then explained patiently.

Then he secretly glanced at Xuan Yuezi's head.

There, three flowers bloomed fully, translucent and radiant, exuding a profound, mysterious Daoic aura.

Clearly, Xuan Yuezi had reached the peak of the Three Flowers Realm.

A cultivator at this level possessed heavenly power—she could become a titan even in the Dao world. When Xiang Xiangzi had forcibly borrowed two flowers, she had slain the great demon Feng Yu. How much more formidable was Xuan Yuezi now, with all three flowers fully open?

"We'll settle accounts later," Xuan Yuezi said, then glanced once more at the Tianyi Palace.

She sensed Li Yi was unharmed.

Her timely intervention had blocked the attack; though the residual force was immense, the Tianyi Palace, as a mid-grade Dao artifact, could easily withstand it.

Then Xuan Yuezi's gaze turned to the four—no, five—great demons before her.

Unnoticed until now,

The great demon Yuan Cang stood at the battlefield's edge, holding his Iron Staff, his expression grave as he stared at Xuan Yuezi, pondering who this expert truly was.

"Just a pack of hairy, horned beasts. Come all at once—I'll send you all to your deaths today," Xuan Yuezi declared, her killing intent surging, her Dao robe flaring, dragon and tiger energy coiling around her, the three flowers atop her head blooming, the five qi churning violently around her.

Merely the release of her aura made the great demons sense imminent doom.