"Rather than let you eat me, I'd rather end myself!" Ao Liu roared, violently tearing at the tentacles around his body. At the same time, the divine power within him gradually boiled over, his vital essence erupting like a volcano. Anyone could feel that scorching heat, as though it were about to explode.
"Troublesome..." Holy Emperor muttered, raising the Juedi Tiantong on his right arm, apparently intending to add another slash. Just then, a prism of light flew in from afar and pierced through Ao Liu's chest. Ao Liu stared at his own chest in disbelief, then bellowed in a voice like a broken gong, "Wang Qi!"
Wang Qi drifted over from nearby, several Sword Lights flaring from his palm and severing the tentacles around Ao Liu like mowing grass. "Did I say you could die? If you die here, it'll be a stain on my record."
As he spoke, he used spatial traversal to rush toward Ao Liu, Heavenly Sword Qi winding around both hands. Wang Qi's palms fluttered up and down like a pair of dancing butterflies. Tentacle after tentacle was severed. Yet Holy Emperor disdainfully wielded the long sword in his right hand, sweeping and chopping, and drove Wang Qi back in just two moves. Wang Qi vanished once more, only to reappear beside Ao Liu. He grabbed Ao Liu, cut several tentacles, and prepared to activate spatial traversal again.
But the vital-essence demon qi on Ao Liu's surface suddenly exploded, knocking Wang Qi's hand away. By then, the cone of light that had pierced through Ao Liu's chest had transformed into dense formations covering his skin. This power suppressed Ao Liu's self-destruction and robbed him of his strength as well. His legs gave way, and he no longer had the strength to resist Holy Emperor's devouring.