The six Limit-Edge Kings from the demon race were clearly poorer than the four Han Jue's group had just slain. Still, after thoroughly searching their storage devices, the haul proved substantial, six top-tier treasures, four ordinary treasures, and miscellaneous items worth hundreds of trillions of Chaos Units.
Han Jue claimed the lion's share: three top-tier treasures and two ordinary treasures. Combined with his previous acquisitions, his collection of useless, for now, treasures had grown quite impressive.
"Star Sea King, you're probably richer than some Universe Venerables now," King Burning Hand joked, his massive frame radiating amusement.
"So what if I'm rich? I don't have the strength of a Universe Venerable," Han Jue laughed, shaking his head. "Being able to convert these things into my own power is what matters most."
"Star Sea King speaks wisely," King Golden Shadow nodded, his golden form shimmering. "One's own strength remains paramount."
"Let's go help Lei Dong," King Golden Shadow said, turning toward the center of this sealed space. "The real prize awaits."
"Agreed!"
The three shot forward, following King Golden Shadow as they flew toward the spatial center where the complete treasure set resided, the true highlight of this ancient vault.
Lei Dong snorted coldly, unleashing a punch imbued with crackling lightning power, only to have King Wind Nightmare block it by revealing his true form.
"Lei Dong, everyone says your speed is the fastest on this sixth battlefield," King Wind Nightmare sneered, his wings spreading wide. "Today, I'll finally test that reputation myself!"
He'd long been dissatisfied with his perpetual second-place position among speed-focused Immortal Kings.
"Then come and try," Lei Dong said calmly. Each of his strikes unleashed phantoms of thunder beasts hundreds of kilometers long, their roars shaking the very fabric of space.
Even a peak-level King would suffer severe injuries from such attacks. On King Wind Nightmare's massive divine body, however, they only caused superficial damage, barely diminishing his combat effectiveness.
King Wind Nightmare spread his wings, and howling gales erupted forth. Streams of wind-law power surged outward as time itself seemed to freeze. King Wind Nightmare's figure vanished from his position, reappearing behind Lei Dong in the blink of an eye, attempting a devastating sneak attack, only to be blocked again.
"Time stop? How original," Lei Dong mocked.
Both cultivated the fundamental time laws. As invincible kings, they naturally possessed mastery over the three major categories: time stop, time acceleration, and time deceleration. Their comprehension levels were roughly equal, the next breakthrough would elevate either of them to Time Venerable status.
If an invincible king broke through to the Venerable level, they would become one of the most powerful early-stage Universe Venerables, no weaker than the ferocious beast Han Jue had encountered deep in the Star Stream Sea.
"Heh!" King Wind Nightmare sneered, launching another assault.
Wind and thunder collided!
The power of two fundamental laws converged, flashing with dazzling brilliance that painted the void in brilliant colors. The surrounding space trembled violently, nearly torn apart by the powerful collision. This was the space inside Lotus Ancient City, even Universe Venerables couldn't forcibly tear open space here.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
The two combatants were practically touching, flashing continuously through the air at speeds that would make lesser immortals dizzy just from observation.
"Die!"
King Wind Nightmare went nearly mad, burning his immortal divine power and fusing it into his claws. Those claws weren't ordinary appendages, they'd been surgically fused with top-tier treasure components, granting them the power to easily shred immortal divine weapon-level armor.
After burning his divine power, King Wind Nightmare's aura surged dramatically, his presence expanding to fill the battlefield!
Lei Dong could no longer afford arrogance. He too burned his immortal divine power, clashing head-on with King Wind Nightmare in a battle of raw, overwhelming force.
"Boom!"
Lightning and gale collided with apocalyptic intensity!
The surrounding space fractured into countless particles before slowly repairing itself under the Lotus Ancient City's inherent restorative power. The shockwave from their exchange would have obliterated any King below the Limit-Edge threshold.
A terrifying attack indeed!
Burning divine power was a decision even two invincible kings couldn't make lightly. Each moment of sustained burning meant permanent loss of their divine body's mass, damage that could only be repaired through centuries of painstaking cultivation or consuming precious treasures.
By the time Han Jue, King Golden Shadow, and King Burning Hand arrived at the scene, the battle had reached its climax.
King Wind Nightmare and Lei Dong fought evenly!
Though King Wind Nightmare's divine body was larger and more durable, Lei Dong possessed technical advantages and superior law comprehension. The two remained perfectly matched, neither gaining lasting advantage despite the devastating power of their exchanges.
"Star Sea King? What are you doing here?" King Wind Nightmare's eyes narrowed as he spotted the three newcomers. His expression immediately darkened. "Where is King Poison?"
"Those four peak-level Kings from your demon race camp have long since been killed by our human faction!" Lei Dong laughed loudly, seizing the momentary distraction to press his advantage.
"Damn it!" King Wind Nightmare's eyes flashed with murderous intent. He instantly changed targets, launching a surprise attack at King Burning Hand, the weakest of the new arrivals!
Lei Dong was momentarily caught off guard, unable to intercept in time.
King Wind Nightmare's attack carried the full power of burned divine power, capable of severely wounding even a special life form like King Burning Hand.
"Boom!"
The expected devastation didn't occur. The attack was instead enveloped by a stream of star-laden seawater, its momentum completely arrested.
"Star Sea King!" King Burning Hand gasped anxiously.
Han Jue had blocked the invincible king's divine-power-burning attack for him!
Even as a special life form himself, King Burning Hand hadn't believed Han Jue could withstand such an onslaught.
"I'm fine. Lei Dong, attack!" Han Jue grunted, forcing the words through gritted teeth.
No further explanation was needed.
The instant King Wind Nightmare had struck, Lei Dong had already prepared his counterattack, once again burning his divine power for a devastating blow aimed at the demon king's exposed flank.
Annihilation Soul!
Han Jue couldn't afford to hold anything back. King Wind Nightmare's attack had destroyed nearly two-thirds of his divine body mass. If his recovery capabilities weren't extraordinary, he might have perished on the spot.
He unleashed his full power, including his most dangerous technique!
Star Stream Innate Secret Technique!
Like countless falling stars, seawater descended upon King Wind Nightmare, bombarding him relentlessly at near-light speed. Each impact carried the weight of a collapsing star system, the pressure building exponentially with every successive strike.
King Wind Nightmare burned his divine power to resist, but his soul proved clearly weaker than Han Jue's. With the assistance of the Annihilation Soul secret technique, Han Jue directly seized control of King Wind Nightmare's burning divine power and redirected it for his own use!
Han Jue discovered something remarkable, he seemed unexpectedly suited to this forbidden technique. After only a few applications in real combat, his mastery had progressed from beginner to highly proficient. The technique felt natural, as though it had been designed specifically for someone with his unique constitution.
"What?" King Wind Nightmare's expression changed drastically.
He could feel his divine power burning, the enhanced aura remaining intact, yet somehow his actual combat effectiveness hadn't increased at all. The burning power that should have elevated him to quasi-Venerable levels was being stolen mid-manifestation!
"How is this possible?" King Wind Nightmare couldn't help but exclaim in disbelief.
"Boom!"
Lei Dong didn't give King Wind Nightmare any opportunity to analyze the situation.
He burned his divine power once more, concentrating all his strength into a single devastating strike, one that would decide this battle once and for all!
Thunder Annihilation!
Countless bolts of lightning flashed across the star-filled sea, covering millions of kilometers in an instant. The seawater parted to make way for the lightning storm, allowing it to strike King Wind Nightmare directly with the concentrated fury of ten thousand thunderbolts.
"Pfft!"
King Wind Nightmare was utterly shocked. He tried desperately to escape!
However, this space had been sealed off by the treasure vault's ancient mechanisms, he couldn't enter dark space or teleport away.
He was trapped here!
And so,
In the distance, King Shadow Origin and King Bone Heart paused in their own battle as they witnessed King Wind Nightmare being chased haphazardly through the sealed space by Han Jue and Lei Dong. He couldn't escape this enclosed area, no matter how desperately he tried. Eventually, their combined assault beat him to the very brink of forced slumber.
"It seems we don't need to fight anymore," King Bone Heart said to King Shadow Origin, lowering his weapons. "This set of treasures belongs to the human race."
King Shadow Origin nodded slightly, his shadow form rippling with resignation. "With a new invincible king added to the human camp, the sixth battlefield is about to undergo dramatic changes."
The age of human dominance had begun.