The living beings of the Witch and Demon Races stared in absolute shock as the figure walked from the horizon. With hands clasped behind his back, he radiated an aura of peerless, world-defying arrogance.
"Isn't Kunpeng dead?"
"Incredible... word was he was besieged and slain by Styx and the East King Duke. Not only is he alive, but he seems exponentially more powerful."
The Great Demons of the Yao Race were both stunned and ecstatic. This Kunpeng was different; he carried a confidence that radiated from the marrow of his bones. Clearly, he had returned to turn the tide and save the Yao from the brink of destruction.
"Kunpeng! You're alive! This is wonderful!" Guiche shouted, his nine heads bobbing with genuine excitement for Kunpeng's rebirth.
Kunpeng merely raised a hand, signaling for silence. He even shot Guiche a sharp glare, as if blaming him for ruining the dramatic atmosphere of his entrance.
"Hahaha! I wondered who it was... just another feathered bird! I hate things with feathers more than anything else!"
Di Jiang let out a thunderous laugh, genuinely amused by Kunpeng's bravado. The other Ancestral Witches joined in, their faces masks of mockery.
"Hmph!" Kunpeng let out a cold snort, his eyes sharp and filled with a lethal chill. "Laugh while you can. Soon, you won't be able to make a sound. Disrespecting me leads only to death. Invading my Yao Race? That is a double death sentence!"
The Yao ranks erupted in cheers! Their morale skyrocketed! He was different! Truly different! Kunpeng's absolute self-assurance gave them hope. Maybe they truly were saved!
At East Kunlun, the Sanqing watched the battle with measured nods. Kunpeng's performance made their investment feel worthwhile; he truly looked the part of a Yao Hegemon now.
"Not bad," Laozi remarked. "With his current cultivation, he can finally bridge the gap in the Yao's strength." With the addition of the Queen Mother of the West, the scales were finally balanced. This was the "Enhanced Ultimate Edition" of Kunpeng!
The Clash of Titans
"Bold words! I'll see just how many catties of weight you actually carry to dare speak such filth to us!"
Di Jiang laughed again, unable to restrain himself. Aside from that Golden Crow (Ling Xiao), no one had ever dared to be this arrogant in front of the Ancestral Witches. Did Kunpeng think having wings made him equal to the Crow? They wouldn't lose to a birdman twice!
"Since you're so eager to find death, I shall fulfill your wish!" Kunpeng declared, pointing a finger at the group of Ancestral Witches. "Come at me together!"
The world fell silent before exploding in an uproar. Arrogant! Too arrogant! Even the Yao generals were stunned. They wanted to tell Kunpeng to calm down, but seeing his "Invincible" expression, they hesitated, trapped in a state of constrictive anxiety.
"Seek death then!" Di Jiang roared, finally provoked. Every minor being thought they could challenge the entire council of Witches now! "Together! Tear this beast to shreds!"
He intended to use Kunpeng to restore the Witches' terrifying reputation, reminding the billions of souls in the Great Desolation what it meant to live in fear of Pangu's lineage.
The Ancestral Witches charged, shattering the Void Realm (Void Realm) as they closed in on Kunpeng.
"Come! All of you!" Kunpeng's eyes blazed with a brilliant, defiant light. He would take them all!
RUMBLE...
The battle ignited instantly. Di Jiang's fist tore through time itself, seeking to obliterate the divine bird. Kunpeng didn't retreat an inch, meeting the strike head-on.
BOOM!
They collided in a series of bone-shaking impacts. Kunpeng used his raw physical strength to deliver blows that carried world-ending power. Di Jiang was inwardly shaken—Kunpeng's physical body was actually on par with his own, perhaps even slightly superior.
This was unthinkable. He was an Ancestral Witch, a being whose very existence was defined by physical invincibility. Yet Kunpeng was outperforming him in his own specialty!
"Vile beast! Your physical body... how is it this strong?" Di Jiang barked.
"I have always been known for my physique. Did you only just realize?" Kunpeng sneered, relishing his advantage. With the help of three Saint Essence Bloods and the successful Slaying of Three Corpses, his strength had undergone a transformative evolution.
"No wonder you're so cocky. You have improved," Di Jiang said coldly. He used to be able to beat Kunpeng with one hand. "But don't get ahead of yourself! You're a long way from taking on all of us at once!"
"We'll see about that!" Kunpeng roared, more spirited than ever.
The Reality Check
Soon, Zhu Rong, Gonggong, and the others swarmed in. The surrounding void was annihilated; laws of order collapsed into a state of total destruction.
In the Sea of Blood, Styx watched with wide, horrified eyes. Only one question burned in his mind: Wasn't this bird killed by me and the East King Duke? How is he alive and this powerful? His face was sallow and grim. He had possessed a Primordial Purple Qi for so long without a hint of Sainthood, and now even Kunpeng was stronger than him! He was getting desperate.
"I must establish a sect and become a Saint!" Styx resolved.
On the battlefield, the tide was turning. The Ancestral Witches hit incredibly hard. Kunpeng quickly found himself unable to keep up; two hands simply couldn't fight twenty. The Witches landed punches and kicks from every angle. Kunpeng was being hammered so hard his vision began to blur.
The watching Yao demons were dumbstruck. This wasn't how they imagined it. They expected Kunpeng to sweep the Witches aside in a display of peerless glory; instead, he was getting a world-class beatdown.
However, they were still impressed. "He's actually tanking a combined assault from the Ancestral Witches!" Anyone else would have exploded in the first second.
"Damn it! These Witches are too strong!" Kunpeng roared, his counter-attacks becoming increasingly futile. He had talked a big game and now he couldn't end it. He was close to being beaten to death!
He glared at the Yao army. You idiots! You see me getting jumped and you're just standing there watching the show? Did you take my 'come at me' literally? Use your brains!
"Children of the Yao! The Witches are at their limit! Strike together and exterminate them!" Kunpeng roared, trying to save face while forcing a general melee.
The Yao army responded with a tidal wave of war cries, charging into the fray. The grand melee was catastrophic, bloody, and terrifying. With Kunpeng and the Queen Mother of the West leading the charge, the Yao's combat effectiveness reached a new peak.
Finally, after what felt like an eternity of slaughter, the outcome began to reveal itself.