Though the battle against the god had only just begun and one yaksha had already fallen, the remaining yakshas did not retreat an inch.
The next moment, the five surviving yakshas attacked the god again. But as before, these yakshas had been controlled by the god for so long, their power suppressed, that they had never had the chance to grow strong. Hurting him now was incredibly difficult.
In that moment, Hepuyuan, the eldest brother of the yakshas, came up with the best plan.
"Do not engage him directly—"
"Evade—"
"Wear down the god's elemental power."
This god who had controlled them had just finished a battle with another deity. He had already consumed a vast amount of elemental power, and what remained was limited. The only way for the yakshas to defeat him was to exhaust him.
But as the ruler of this land, how could the god not understand this? When Hepuyuan and the others adopted a strategy of delay and attrition, the god responded with overwhelming force. He lashed out indiscriminately with long‑range attacks and shockwaves, or simply charged at the yakshas, killing one with a single punch.
Clearly, even now, the god was not taking this fight seriously.
In his heart, the yakshas had always been nothing more than the killing tools he controlled. They were toys. When he needed them, he could send them to the front lines to die. When he didn't, he could simply kill them and discard them. From start to finish, the god had never looked at these yakshas as equals.
The god was the ruler of this land. The yakshas were mere ants beneath his feet.
And so, under the god's powerful, almost mocking assault, the second yaksha fell... the third fell... the fourth fell...
Of the six yakshas who had broken free, only Hepuyuan and Alatus remained.
From the moment they shattered the god's control, they had known he was immensely powerful, capable of destroying heaven and earth. But only now did they truly understand why he was called a god: his power approached that of the divine. It was far beyond what ordinary yakshas like themselves could match—especially after being suppressed for countless years.
The battle had reached this point, and even Alatus had nearly lost the will to fight. He leaned on his weapon, refusing to let his body fall. Wiping the blood from his face, he panted, "Brother Hepuyuan—let me hold off the god. You escape. We can't kill him this time."
Though he hated the god more than anything, the god's overwhelming power made him tremble. Even using all his strength, he could barely scratch the god's skin.
Hearing this, Hepuyuan let out a bitter laugh. "One of my legs is already useless. I can't go far. Your talent is greater than mine, Alatus. Your future achievements will surely surpass mine. I'll cover you. You escape. As long as you survive, there is still hope for revenge."
He offered the chance to escape to Alatus. But the young yaksha's heart was filled with hatred for the god. How could he agree to flee? He would fight to the end.
Before they could catch their breath, the brutal, terrifying god swung his massive fist at them again.
With a crash, the spot where they had been standing was instantly turned into a massive crater. Both Hepuyuan and Alatus were hurled dozens of meters away by the shockwave, gravely wounded.
Alatus clutched his spear and struggled to his feet, calling out his brother's name. "Brother Hepuyuan—"
But in the distance, Hepuyuan lay motionless, as if dead.
Just as the god and Alatus both believed Hepuyuan had perished, a surge of powerful elemental energy erupted from his fallen body. This power far exceeded Hepuyuan's usual strength—and even Alatus's. Even the brutal god furrowed his brow when he felt it.
Under the watch of the god and the young yaksha, a green elemental force exploded from Hepuyuan's prone form. Like fire, like wind, it gathered around him, coalescing into the shape of a great kite bird—the true form of Hepuyuan.
For any yaksha, their bloodline was thin, making it extremely difficult to manifest their true form. But in this moment, on the brink of death, Hepuyuan's desperate power awakened his bloodline. The kite bird materialized above his body.
In that instant, Hepuyuan became a truly powerful adeptus.
Seeing this, the brutal god finally began to take these two yakshas seriously. Instead of attacking the kite‑bird Hepuyuan, he swung his fist at Alatus, intending to kill him first before dealing with the transformed yaksha.
For the already wounded Alatus, blocking the god's full‑powered blow was nearly impossible. Yet he raised his weapon with all his strength and struck at the god's knee. Even if he died, he would leave a wound on the god.
The god's fist drew closer and closer. Just as it was about to strike Alatus and end his life, the kite‑bird Hepuyuan suddenly appeared before him. His green wing swept across the god's body, blocking the blow at the last moment.
In the past, if Hepuyuan had taken a full‑powered blow from the god head‑on, he would have been as good as dead. But now, in his kite‑bird form, he was several times stronger. Not only did he withstand the strike, but he also countered.
His green wing slashed across the god's body with blinding speed, leaving a deep gash.
Feeling the pain, the god grew furious. These yakshas he had once controlled, used as killing tools, treated as slaves, had actually managed to wound his divine body.
The god erupted in rage, unleashing all his power against Hepuyuan in his kite‑bird form.