"Gray Demon King, don’t celebrate too soon. It’s not that simple," the partially concealed Fox Immortal King said in her charming voice. "A Demon Spirit can materialize their soul consciousness power, but the actual strength of your Consciousness Power is another matter entirely."
The Fox Immortal King said softly, "Do you really think Younger Brother Bai wouldn’t know that materialized Consciousness Power can break an Elemental Ability?"
"Could it be..." The Gray Demon King seemed to realize something. The skin on his face tightened, revealing the fuzzy rat fur beneath. He froze, stunned, and only spoke after a long pause. "Could it be that Snake’s Consciousness Power is even stronger than the White Demon King’s?"
If one’s Consciousness Power isn’t stronger than their opponent’s, they naturally can’t break their opponent’s Elemental Power.
Both the Fox Immortal King and the Yellow Demon King nodded. Although it was unimaginable and hard to believe, the current situation spoke for itself. The White Demon King had charged into the black sphere, yet the sphere remained unshaken in the sky, which said it all.
"That Snake only just finished Crossing the Tribulation. How could his soul consciousness power possibly be stronger than that of a Deep Mountain Demon King?"
Everyone knew that soul consciousness power was incredibly difficult to cultivate. Unless one had a specific training method, most Demon Spirits and humans alike simply let their soul consciousness power increase gradually as their overall strength grew.
No one specialized in cultivating it alone.
If the Gray Demon King knew what had happened in the Snake Palace—that Demon King Liu had attempted to seize a new body and failed—he probably wouldn’t be so shocked right now.
Demon King Liu had been the strongest expert in the Yaoling Mountain Range, a master at the Rank Three Peak, on the verge of stepping into Rank Four. His only failure had been at his final Ascension.
A figure of his caliber would have possessed an incredibly strong soul consciousness power, far stronger than the White Demon King’s, at the very least. Yet, when Demon King Liu tried to seize a body with his Primordial Spirit, he still lost to Tu Xiao’an.
This just went to show how absurdly powerful Tu Xiao’an’s Consciousness Power was.
Unfortunately, this was a secret known only to Heaven, Earth, Tu Xiao’an himself, and Luo Ziyun.
The Gray Demon King was utterly shocked, and the Yellow Demon King’s expression was grim. The more he watched, the more impressed he became with the new king of the Snake Species.
’He’s really something,’ he thought.
"I said it before," the Fox Immortal King began, "we are all of the five lineages; we should be united. Besides, the new Snake King’s potential is unimaginable. Your little feud could have been resolved with a simple conversation, but you insisted on refusing my offer to mediate."
The Fox Immortal King spoke leisurely, her tone tinged with mockery.
’You’ve made such a huge scene, and in the end, you can’t even kill the Snake. Isn’t that a huge joke?’
The Gray Demon King had already lost immense face by fleeing in disarray. Now, the White Demon King had aggressively charged into the dark sphere, joining the Saint Peng King to turn it into a two-on-one battle. They were bound to become a laughingstock.
Even if they won, there would be no glory in it whatsoever.
Judging by the results, the White Demon King’s charge hadn’t achieved any sort of breakthrough. Instead, he was being toyed with in the palm of that Snake’s hand. ’If you can’t break his Dark Elemental Power, why charge in at all?’
The White Demon King had been so incensed by Tu Xiao’an’s taunts that he’d lost all reason. Normally, he would never have made such an idiotic move. He had only put himself on the defensive.
The saying "impulse is a Demon" was no lie.
"The White Demon King’s soul consciousness power may not be a match for that Snake’s," the Yellow Demon King suddenly said with a smirk, "but if he combines it with the Saint Peng King’s, they might just have a chance of breaking it."
When he said this, the Gray Demon King’s shifty, rat-like eyes immediately lit up.
The Fox Immortal King, however, simply rolled her eyes, remaining noncommittal.
Inside the dark sphere, the White Demon King’s Demon Qi surged as he roared in fury, but he couldn’t find even a shadow of the Snake.
No matter how much he taunted, it had no effect. Instead, Tu Xiao’an just conjured countless black, venomous snakes to sicken him.
Just then, an idea seemed to strike the White Demon King. He called out to the Saint Peng King in the darkness, "Brother Peng, join me! Let’s use our Consciousness Power to break this damn sphere!"
As Demon Kings who had lived for countless years, they understood each other with a single hint. Upon hearing this, the Saint Peng King roared with laughter, as if a great weight had been lifted from his mind.
"Dead Snake! Just you wait! Once I shatter your Dark Element, you’re finished!"
Suddenly, ripples emanated from the bodies of the White Demon King and the Saint Peng King. A mysterious power surged forth—seemingly colorless, odorless, and silent—yet the entire dark space was instantly thrown into turmoil.
Hidden in the shadows, a glint flashed in Tu Xiao’an’s eyes. ’How did these two suddenly get so smart? They actually figured out they should combine their Consciousness Power to break my Dark Power.’
’Hmph. A nice idea, but you’re about to find out how cruel reality can be.’
Tu Xiao’an sneered. Even he had no idea just how strong his Consciousness Power had become. Back then, not even Demon King Liu’s attempt to possess him with his Primordial Spirit had been enough to overcome it.
To break his Dark Power, their Consciousness Power had to be stronger than his.
Crucially, Tu Xiao’an possessed Celestial Power, which added an invincible Attribute to his soul consciousness power.
One was a Level 38 Deep Mountain Demon King, the other barely a Level 37 Demon King. Even if their Soul Power were combined, it likely wouldn’t even measure up to a master like Demon King Liu at his Rank Three Peak.
’Trying to compete with me, the Snake King, in soul consciousness power? You’re asking to die.’
In terms of pure combat strength, Tu Xiao’an wouldn’t dare claim he was stronger than them. But he possessed five great attribute abilities, which made his techniques absurdly versatile.
But when it came to soul consciousness power, Tu Xiao’an dared to claim that no one under heaven could match him.
More than ten minutes passed. The faces of the White Demon King and the Saint Peng King grew pale, their minds throbbing with exhaustion. The dark space continued to shudder violently, but it showed no signs of collapsing.
What did this mean? It meant that even with their power combined, the Consciousness Power of two Demon Kings was still weaker than the Snake’s.
The two Demon Kings swallowed hard, their throats suddenly dry. They stared into the darkness, their faces masks of utter bewilderment, unable to accept reality.
How was this possible? That Snake had only just completed his tribulation! For his soul consciousness power to be stronger than that of two Demon Kings combined... it was completely unreasonable.
If, given time, this Snake truly became a Demon King, wouldn’t he be completely invincible?
The Yaoling Mountain Range would be his to rule.
The Saint Peng King was drowning in regret. ’Why the hell did I have to charge in here? The Immortal Spirit Peacock was someone else’s nurtured Battle Companion to begin with, but I just had to insist on getting it back.’
’I waded into these muddy waters, and now I’m paying the price.’
"Brother Bai, what do we do?" The Saint Peng King’s voice trembled slightly.
The White Demon King’s face was grim. "Keep releasing our soul consciousness power," he said in a low voice. "I refuse to believe we can’t break this damned sphere!"
"Brother Bai, the drain on our soul consciousness power is too great! It will directly impact our physical combat strength!"
"Just hold on! That Snake must be at the end of his rope too! We’re draining our power, but he must be draining his even faster! What’s there to fear?"
"Brilliant, Brother Bai. I understand," the Saint Peng King replied.
Tu Xiao’an’s amused laughter echoed from the darkness. "I, the Snake King, would advise you to give up on this fantasy. Don’t waste your soul consciousness power. Otherwise, when the time comes, you won’t even know what hit you."
It was a perfectly well-intentioned reminder, but to the ears of the White Demon King and the Saint Peng King, it had the opposite effect, jolting their spirits. ’The Snake is scared! He can’t hold on much longer!’