Chapter 945: Mutual Destruction

After Li Yi delivered his third strike and severed the Purple Dragon God’s head, his body reached its limit; unleashing such power came at too great a cost—he felt his strength utterly drained, though fortunately his realm did not regress, for his Law Flower and Life Flower had merely bloomed briefly and now withered without major consequence.

But his divine blood had suffered severe loss; he did not know if he could still manifest a god’s true form.

“Cough, cough.”

Li Yi coughed out several mouthfuls of blood, weak and depleted—his blood contained little divine power or life essence; he immediately ceased burning it, redirected the remaining divine blood back into his acupoints, and dispersed excess energy.

Instantly, a wave of weakness surged through him.

“Taiyi.”

At once, Xiangxiangzi and Xuan Yuezi rushed over, guarding him on either side to prevent the Demon King from launching a surprise attack.

“Don’t worry—I’m fine,” Li Yi waved his hand. “My power is spent; I’m just weak now. Too bad I only severed this demon god’s physical form, not destroyed it utterly.”

“But this is enough—at least this demon god won’t reappear for a long time.”

He felt no triumph over his enemy.

For this battle was, at best, mutual ruin: the enemy’s dragon soul survived, while his own power was crippled—both sides would need time to heal.

“As long as Taiyi is unharmed, that’s what matters. That was too close—the demon god’s power was terrifying. It’s infuriating we lacked the strength to assist,” Xiangxiangzi sighed, then added with regret.

Li Yi said, “Now is not the time for this. The battle isn’t over—return to the front. I need to return to the Immortal Warship to recuperate; I doubt I’ll be able to join the next major clash.”

“Don’t worry—we can handle what’s left. Without the Purple Dragon God, victory is certain,” Xuan Yuezi said, thinking Li Yi had pushed himself too far.

There was no need to burn himself so severely.

Reaching this realm was no small feat; once power drops, reclaiming it is extremely difficult—especially for a cultivator like Li Yi, whose potential is immense. With steady cultivation, he could reach demon god realm in no time.

Li Yi then glanced at the massive corpse of the Purple Dragon God and immediately sealed it inside the Crimson Gold Five Elements Bracelet—such a relic was a true treasure; perhaps he could still use this demon god’s body to recover some of his lost strength.

Soon.

When Li Yi returned to the battlefield, all who sensed his aura were instantly stirred—though his presence was far weaker than before, his safe return spoke volumes.

Yet the moment he appeared, several Demon Kings immediately launched a coordinated assault.

“He’s been gravely wounded by the demon god—his power is less than one-tenth of what it was. Cut him down and avenge the demon god!” one Demon King roared.

Li Yi’s weakened aura signaled opportunity to these Demon Kings—they saw a chance to eliminate a top-tier Earth warrior; if they could kill him, the outcome of this great battle might not be a total defeat.

But Li Yi’s return also drew the attention of Earth’s elite warriors.

In an instant, five military powerhouses surged toward him, unleashing terrifying strength and repelling five Demon Kings, preventing them from attacking Li Yi again.

Yet the Demon Kings surrounding him were not limited to five—more arrived one after another, convinced that even at great cost, eliminating Li Yi was worth it.

After all, he was a demon god-level warrior; as long as he lived, he was a dire threat to the Demon God Realm.

“Your defeat is sealed. Instead of fleeing, you dare strike back? You’re walking straight into death,” Li Jiye charged in, his incense power surging as he forcibly repelled one Demon King.

The wounded Demon King, furious and desperate, abandoned caution and lunged at Li Jiye—having lost the initiative, he might as well create an opening for the others.

In an instant, a brutal battle erupted around Li Yi.

One Demon King reached Li Yi’s side, only to be blasted away by Xiangxiangzi’s Dao technique.

Yet more and more Demon Kings rushed in, trying to overwhelm him with sheer numbers and carve a bloody path to his life.

“Never thought I’d be so popular,” Li Yi said calmly, unmoved by the encirclement—but he was surprised to see Li Jiye fighting the Demon Kings.

He hadn’t expected his father to come aid after opening the dimensional gate.

“Taiyi, for safety’s sake, get aboard the Immortal Warship,” Xuan Yuezi said at once. “The newly forged warship is built from divine wood—unbreakable, even by Demon Kings.”

At that moment, a streak of golden light approached from afar.

The AI Hong Ji piloted the Immortal Warship across the battlefield and arrived beside Li Yi.

Though the original plan had kept the three Immortal Warships as reserves, now that the demon god was defeated and the tide had turned, deploying one would have no negative impact.

Li Yi glanced at the brutal battlefield, made no hesitation, and flew straight into the Immortal Warship.

He knew these Demon Kings targeted him alone—so long as he was safe, their plan would collapse, and they’d scatter. Staying here would only fuel their fury.

“Don’t you dare flee!”

The Demon Kings, seeing Li Yi vanish into the warship, screamed in rage, desperate to lure him back—this was a once-in-a-millennium chance they couldn’t afford to lose.

But Li Yi vanished from all their sight without looking back.

As the warship’s hatch sealed shut, the Demon Kings were plunged into despair—they knew they had lost their final chance to kill Li Yi; this great battle would end with the annihilation of the Demon God Realm.

They could not accept this outcome.

Some Demon Kings went mad, unleashing their power wildly, trying to take as many enemies down with them as possible.

Others realized the tide had turned, abandoned hope, and fought to break out of the battlefield—to flee, whether across dimensions or into hiding, as long as they survived.

But most were filled with bitter resentment, crying to the heavens, begging for a second demon god to arise and reverse their fate.

Yet none of this mattered to Li Yi now.

He had completed his mission.

Back inside the Immortal Warship, Li Yi collapsed instantly, falling to the ground—his wounds reopened, and the lingering demon god energy, like a parasitic worm, clung to his body, preventing healing.

Added to his depleted primordial spirit and exhausted divine power, his condition was dire.

Forcing himself upright, Li Yi immediately retrieved vast quantities of Life Water from the Crimson Gold Five Elements Bracelet and submerged himself in it.

As torrents of life energy flooded his body, his weakened frame regained some strength, and his ruptured wounds began healing at a visible pace.

Though the wounds closed, the lingering demon god energy remained—any movement would trigger it, tearing the wounds open again, sending Li Yi to the brink of his primordial spirit fleeing his body.

Li Yi had no choice—he had to let his body heal first, and delay removing the lingering demon god energy.

Then he formed a hand seal and activated the Great Heaven-Earth Qi Absorption Technique, drawing all spiritual energy within the warship into himself.

Time passed; his strength slowly returned.

But the depletion from burning his divine blood was nearly impossible to restore—such damage was almost irreversible. Only by returning to the Wildlands could he see if the valley where the gods’ bones lay had produced a second silver apple.

Only by consuming the second silver apple could he replenish this loss.

“Hong Ji, steer the Immortal Warship to the rear of the battlefield. We’re done here—Dongji Tianzun will handle the rest.”

The AI Hong Ji received the command and immediately carried Li Yi away from the battle’s center.

They flew swiftly.

The Immortal Warship endured multiple attacks from Demon Kings.

But this new warship’s defense was far more formidable than its predecessor—it glowed with brilliant golden light, activating countless arrays; even Demon Kings could only watch helplessly as Li Yi departed aboard it.

The situation on the battlefield was also detected by Earth’s high command aboard the command vessel.

“Good—Li Yi has safely withdrawn. Send reinforcements to meet him. Absolutely no further risks to Li Yi.”

“So far, this battle has gone smoothly—even better than expected. Though our Demon King-level strength is inferior, with Dongji Tianzun present, our numerical disadvantage will soon vanish.”

“Now that Li Yi is safe, press the advantage and crush the Demon God Realm—take this great realm once and for all. Then we won’t have to worry about cross-dimensional migration anymore. After a little tidying, this world will become Earth’s second home.”

The high command began debating, deciding to press forward and not let this opportunity slip away.

Their desire to expand territory reached its peak.

Compared to other worlds, the Demon God Realm was undeniably a near-perfect world—provided the demons could be purged.