With a loud bang, the Giant Furnace burst and shattered into pieces before vanishing without a trace in the blink of an eye.
Yang Kai felt as though he had fallen into an ice cellar at the sight. He froze in his tracks and stared ahead blankly, “What’s going on!?”
The Illusionary Heavens Furnace was the key item in the Grand Dao battle that finally appeared after so many days of waiting! Why did it shatter so abruptly? Did that mean that everybody had to return home empty-handed!?
However, he soon calmed down. The reason was that although the Giant Furnace had shattered, the Grand Dao aura in the world had not vanished. Rather, it was becoming more intense. Besides, the Giant Furnace had been nothing more than an illusory phantom, a mere projection of the actual Illusionary Heavens Furnace. Therefore, the shattering of the illusory phantom did not mean that something had happened to the Illusionary Heavens Furnace itself.
For those reasons, Yang Kai only paused in his tracks for a moment before continuing onward.
As time passed, his expression gradually became rather strange. The Grand Dao aura that currently flooded the world was too rich, which gave him the urge to stop and try to perceive it; however, doing that would be sacrificing the future for today. So, he suppressed the impulse despite the desires in his heart.
Be that as it may, the Grand Dao aura running wild could indeed bring great benefits to all the Pseudo-Great Emperors and Half-Saints. The limitations of the world prevented them from becoming a Great Emperor or a Demon Saint, but as long as they could leave the Profound Heavens Temple alive, they would definitely be able to make great progress after being nourished by the Grand Dao aura in this place.
[What a pity…] Yang Kai suddenly thought of Li Wu Yi. With Li Wu Yi’s ability, the benefits he could obtain here would be unimaginable. He also had a great chance of winning that one and only opportunity to become a Great Emperor. Unfortunately, he voluntarily gave up this opportunity for the sake of the Star Boundary and the livelihood of the common people. His decision in making such a sacrifice could be said to be cutting off his own future. It was both admirable and sad.
[Luckily, I collected a lot of the World Source Liquid. I’ll give him some when I return. It should be able to make up for some of his losses. The astounding aura contained within the World Source Liquid is no worse than the Grand Dao aura in the Profound Heavens Temple after all.]
“Do you smell anything?” Bing Yun asked suddenly, her nose twitching lightly as she spoke.
“I do. There’s a fragrance in the air,” Yang Yan replied immediately. It was obvious that she was aware of it too.
Following their conversation, Gan Li realised that there was indeed a faint aroma wafting about. It was not something that he had ever smelled before. It was vague and hard to describe, but it made him feel warm and refreshed. Even the exhaustion from the previous battles vanished, leaving him feeling energetic again.
Although Yang Kai was in a hurry to arrive at his destination, he could smell the aroma too. It was not very obvious at first, but it became stronger and stronger as he moved forward. It smelled like fruit but also of flowers…
Based on the perception of his Divine Sense, many powerful auras had intruded into his surveillance range. These auras included both the Pseudo-Great Emperors of the Star Boundary and the Demon Race Half-Saints. It was just that everyone was attracted by the Illusionary Heavens Furnace and were rushing over to where it had appeared, so nobody was in the mood to pick a fight.
At this moment, everybody in the entire Profound Heavens Temple was only doing one thing, heading to where the Illusionary Heavens Furnace was!
The Illusionary Heavens Furnace was located inside a Bronze Grand Hall. The Bronze Grand Hall was simple but majestic. Nobody knew when it first appeared, but just by looking at it, they could sense an ancient and desolate aura that seemed to pull them into that extremely far-off era.
Yang Kai was proficient in the Dao of Space; therefore, he arrived relatively early even though he had started quite far away. At a glance, he could see that the Bronze Grand Hall stood on the ground and the surface of the building was mottled with time. Most of all, it was exuding an aura that people couldn’t help but want to bow down to and worship. That aura felt similar to the World’s Will.
For a moment, Yang Kai felt something rising in his body and resonating with the entire Bronze Grand Hall. He understood clearly in his heart that it was the World’s Will in his possession. Before the Illusionary Heavens Furnace was revealed, he had relied on the World’s Will’s guidance to faintly perceive where the key to becoming a Great Emperor was located. It was just that he had encountered Cang Mo, Jia Long, and the others before he had a chance to investigate carefully. The Illusionary Heavens Furnace had revealed itself during their battle, so the slight advantage that he just received became useless as a result.
This was probably the real Profound Heavens Temple! Throughout the ages, everybody had called this Source Sealed World by the name ‘Profound Heavens Temple’. However, the Profound Heavens Temple probably referred to this Bronze Grand Hall.
The Profound Heavens Temple contained the Illusionary Heavens Furnace and the Illusionary Heavens Furnace contained the secret to becoming a Great Emperor!
Step by step, Yang Kai had steadily progressed in his journey along the Martial Dao until today, where the biggest mystery was currently right in front of his eyes. It was just waiting for him to remove that mysterious veil and uncover its secrets. It would be a lie to say that he was not excited. Nevertheless, he was not so hot-blooded that he lost his reasoning. Just as Jia Long had mentioned earlier, the appearance of the Illusionary Heavens Furnace was just the beginning. The final result at the end would depend on each person’s abilities.
Taking a deep breath, Yang Kai quickly said, “Brother Gan, you are free to go or stay as you wish once we enter the Profound Heavens Temple, but please help me until then.”
Gan Li nodded when he heard those words, “Brother Yang, please rest assured, until the very last moment, this Old Master’s only enemy will be the Demon Race.”
At the same time, the last trace of worry in his heart disappeared. He was considering parting ways with Yang Kai and the others when they entered the Profound Heavens Temple. His lifelong pursuit was right in front of him after all. Even if he had to put his life on the line, he had to try. At that time, he would not be on the same side as Yang Kai and the others anymore.
“Good!” Yang Kai laughed loud as Space Principles surged and enveloped the other three, then he rushed forward again.
There was a gate at the front of the hall. It was huge and imposing, nearly 1,000 metres tall, overflowing with an oppressive air. Moreover, it was now open, as if to welcome its guests that came from afar. Who could predict what kind of opportunities and dangers were hidden inside the pitch-black hall?
Yang Kai slipped inside.
In that instant, a violent barrage of attacks came from all directions. There was a short fight before somebody yelled, “Stop! Stop! They are allies!”
When the figures separated from each other, they spread out on both sides.
Bing Yun, Yang Yan, and Gan Li were gathered around Yang Kai closely, watching their surroundings vigilantly. It wasn’t until Yang Kai saw who was attacking him that he burst out laughing.
He had a hunch that somebody had already entered the Profound Heavens Temple before him when he saw that the two bronze doors were already open. If he were in their shoes and had the advantage of being in the lead, he would most likely lay an ambush near the entrance to kill the enemies that came inside. Therefore, he had already prepared himself for an ambush before entering the palace. If it weren’t for that, he would definitely have been disgraced by that round of attacks just now.
“So it is Brother Yang and his companions.” The elderly man leading the group gave an embarrassed smile and bowed to all parties with an apologetic expression, “It happened too quickly and I couldn’t see clearly. Please forgive me.”
Yang Kai raised his hand to stop the other party, “Please don’t mind it, Brother Luo. We did not sustain much damage.”
While speaking, he studied the line-up opposite him. There were not many of them, only three in total. However, none of them were seriously injured and they seemed to be in a good state of mind. The elderly man in the lead was a Pseudo-Great Emperor from the Western Territory and currently served as one of the Army Commanders, Luo Meng.
This was good news for Yang Kai. The more Pseudo-Great Emperors from the Star Boundary that survived, the more advantages they would have in the upcoming Grand Dao battle.
“When did you arrive, Brother Luo?” he asked.
Luo Meng observed the situation and was secretly surprised. Yang Kai had the lowest cultivation out of the four in his group, but he clearly seemed to be the one leading them; thus, Luo Meng couldn’t help wondering about it. Not to mention, he had sensed an oppressive strength coming from Yang Kai during their brief exchange just now.
It was hard to understand how a High-Rank Demon King could be so powerful without actually fighting against Yang Kai. All everybody knew was that he had a record of killing a Demon Race Half-Saint together with Lan Xun and her companions. Even so, that was only something they heard. There had been no sense of reality to those words until this moment.
[Extraordinary!] Luo Meng secretly gave Yang Kai an evaluation. A High-Rank Demon King was only equivalent to a Third-Order Emperor Realm Master. [I’m afraid I wouldn’t even be qualified to hold this boy Yang Kai’s shoes when I was back in the Third-Order Emperor Realm…]
Feeling slightly ashamed in his heart, Luo Meng replied, “I only just arrived. I was hoping to get rid of a few of those bastards here, but I never expected to accidentally hurt all of you instead.”
Yang Kai said, “It was a good idea, Brother Luo. But, are you sure that the Profound Heavens Temple only has one entrance?”
Luo Meng was stunned, “There are other entrances?”
Yang Kai shook his head in response, “I don’t know. I just flew over to the nearest entrance I could see, so there might be other entrances in other directions.”
Luo Meng’s face twitched at those words. [If that’s the case, then why are we still laying an ambush here? Forget about the fact that we are wasting our time in vain, we might not even get anything out of this! After all, it is hard to say which side will be left behind and killed even if a Demon Race Half-Saint does enter through this entrance.]
“Jia Long and the others should be coming here too,” Yang Kai and Jia Long’s group had come from the same direction. He only arrived ahead of them by relying on his Space Secret Techniques. It would not take long for Jia Long to lead his group of four here.
Based on the strength of Luo Meng and his companions, they would have lost their advantage and ended up losing the battle too if they had ambushed Jia Long here.
Sure enough, the expressions of Luo Meng and others couldn’t help changing at the mention of Jia Long’s name, “Brother Yang, did you meet Jia Long just now?”
“We fought them not long ago.” Yang Kai nodded. Thinking about the person that had died because of Cang Mo, his eyes darkened considerably. [Cang Mo must not be allowed to leave the Profound Heavens Temple alive!]
“How many of them are there?”
“Four!”
Lup Meng instantly felt a chill running up his spine and secretly rejoiced at his luck. It was fortunate that Yang Kai and the others were the ones to enter just now. If they had encountered Jia Long and his group instead, the consequences would have been dire for them. Jia Long was somebody that even Li Wu Yi was helpless against after all. But to escape unscathed from a four-on-four battle against Jia Long… It seemed that he was still underestimating Yang Kai’s strength.
“In your opinion, Brother Yang, what should we do?” Luo Meng asked.
Yang Kai looked at him and said, “Now that the Illusionary Heavens Furnace has appeared, I’m sure it is somewhere inside the Profound Heavens Temple. It is more important to locate the Illusionary Heavens Furnace first. In any case, we will eventually meet each other again. It will not be too late to fight them when we are competing for the opportunity.”
Luo Meng pondered for a while before nodding in agreement, “Brother Yang, your words hold truth in them. In that case, let’s go forward together so that we can take care of each other.”
“Good!” Yang Kai nodded and turned his head to look into the depths of the hall. He had been ambushed by Luo Meng the moment he entered, so he had not had the time to look around yet. Scanning his surroundings now, he saw that the area ahead was so dark that he could not see anything. Even when he tried to use his Divine Sense to penetrate the darkness, it felt like a rock sinking to the bottom of the sea. There was no feedback whatsoever.
The inside of the entire hall felt like it was shrouded in a thick layer of fog. In addition, the source of that peculiar fragrance was very close at hand and a rich Grand Dao aura flowed around them.
“Brother Luo, have you checked out the situation ahead?” Yang Kai asked while turning to look back.
Luo Meng shook his head, “We have only just arrived. There was no time to investigate anything yet. But, the inside of the Profound Heavens Temple feels very strange. I’m afraid the journey ahead is going to get a little bumpy.”
Yang Kai smiled, “When have we ever had a smooth road to walk on throughout our cultivation journey? Despite encountering many difficulties and adversities, the only way forward is to forge ahead bravely and cut through the thorns that bar our path.”
Luo Meng nodded, “You’re right, Brother Yang.”
“Let’s do it this way.” Yang Kai turned his head and looked around at the crowd, “I will lead the way. Yang Yan and Brother Luo will bring up the rear. The rest will remain in the middle to support us. Please take action if any unusual changes occur.”
Yang Yan frowned and objected, “I should lead the way.”
When it came down to it, the one walking at the forefront was also the one in the most danger. Nobody knew what kind of restrictions were arranged inside the Profound Heavens Temple. Although Yang Kai’s cultivation was a little lower than the others, he had part of the World’s Will in him, which made him one of the strongest contenders in the Grand Dao battle. How could she allow any accidents to befall him? The reason she and Bing Yun participated in this struggle was to ensure his safety. This was something they had discussed with Li Wu Yi in advance and received his approval.
Yang Kai raised his hand to stop her, “There’s not much time, so let’s not argue over this. I am capable of keeping myself alive.”
Seeing his insistence in this matter, there was not much else that Yang Yan could say so she simply nodded, “Fine. Be careful.”
While speaking, she shot a look at Bing Yun. Bing Yun immediately understood the meaning of the look and nodded gently in response.
Following a simple negotiation, the two groups gathered together and moved forward. Yang Kai led the way, followed closely by Bing Yun. Both of them silently circulated their Demon and Emperor Qi, prepared to attack at any time. Meanwhile, the others spread out behind them with Luo Meng and Yang Yan brought up the rear. Everyone maintained a tight formation, only a few steps apart from each other.
They stepped into the pitch-blackness that was so dark they couldn’t see their hands in front of them. Even their Divine Sense had been suppressed to the limit. Fortunately, sounds were not cut off from their senses so they could hear each other’s breathing and light footsteps. At the very least, they did not feel so alone.
Their speed of progress was not fast but not slow either. Their journey through the hall was smooth and unobstructed. They did not encounter the dangers and restrictions that they had imagined. Even so, nobody relaxed their guard, no matter who they were.
Yang Kai was observing the situation around him at all times while also keeping an eye on the movements of the people behind him.
All of a sudden, his expression changed when he checked on the situation of the group. That was because there was nobody behind him at all! Just a moment ago, he could still hear their faint heartbeat and footsteps, but in the next moment, the people who had been following him had disappeared without a trace!
Yang Kai turned around abruptly to look behind him, but there was nobody there. Even Bing Yun, who had been following no more than three steps behind him, was nowhere to be seen!
Cold sweat oozed from his forehead as he hurriedly released his Divine Sense so that he was alert to all the movements in his surroundings. Yang Kai had completely failed to notice when or how the people behind him had disappeared, but with his current Soul cultivation, even a Demon Saint or a Great Emperor could not achieve this level of secrecy around him. The only explanation was that he had activated some sort of restriction in the Profound Heavens Temple, which separated him from the others.
[If that’s what happened to me, then how are the others doing? Also, what kind of dangers will this restriction bring?] Yang Kai had no idea. All he could do now was to remain vigilant and continue moving forward…
At the same time, Bing Yun, who had been walking in the hall, suddenly let out a low cry.
“What happened!?” Yang Yan immediately asked.
“Yang Kai is gone!” Bing Yun exclaimed in shock.
Upon hearing those words, everybody was so horrified that all the hairs on their body stood upright. They were all Pseudo-Great Emperors; moreover, they were all basically within arm’s reach of one another. Even if the situation in this place was strange and their Divine Sense was greatly suppressed, they should still be able to monitor the movements of any one of the people around them if they put their minds to it. However, the reality was that none of them had noticed Yang Kai’s disappearance until Bing Yun made a sound. Not even Yang Yan, who had been paying close attention to Yang Kai.
With a whoosh, Yang Yan rushed over from behind and stared forward intently, but there was nobody in front. She asked grimly, “When did he disappear?”
She had clearly heard Yang Kai’s heartbeat and breathing just a moment ago.
“Just now!”
“How did he disappear?”
“I don’t know,” Bing Yun frowned deeply. She had not been distracted by anything else and as she was the closest to Yang Kai, she had been paying close attention to him at all times. Even so, she had not noticed how he had disappeared. It wasn’t until he was gone that she reacted. It was simply unbelievable.
The entire purpose of her and Yang Yan’s presence here was to protect Yang Kai and participate in the final stage of the Grand Dao battle, but they had lost sight of him completely. No matter how strong her heart was, Bing Yun couldn’t help feeling a little emotional at this moment. [If that was the case, then what was the point of Li Wu Yi’s sacrifice!?]
“Watch out, everyone. Brother Yang must have activated some sort of restriction,” Luo Meng shouted.
Yang Yan frowned at those words, “If it were some sort of restriction, then why was he the only one to go missing? Wouldn’t we have been dragged into it as well?”
Although she could not rule out the fact that the restriction might have affected only one person, it was still a little too strange to be true.
At that moment, a small light suddenly bloomed in the dark hall. The light seemed to come from very far away. It was a little hazy, but when it appeared, the darkness that enveloped the entire hall receded considerably. A faintly glowing path about ten metres wide appeared beneath their feet, leading them straight towards the source of the light.
Yang Kai’s sudden disappearance was followed by the appearance of this faintly glowing path. This series of events left everybody extremely bewildered, but they did not sense any danger when standing on this path. On the contrary, they could vaguely sense something calling out to them from the front. It would seem that the goal everybody had been chasing was just right ahead.
After pondering for a moment, Luo Meng said, “Sister Yang Yan, Brother Yang might be missing, but nothing bad will happen to him easily with his abilities. Besides, he will surely head to that final place once he gets himself out of trouble. Why don’t we proceed ahead for now and wait for him to arrive? What do you think?”
Yang Yan fell silent for a while after listening to his suggestion. Then, she nodded gently. She knew that what Luo Meng said was right. She was completely clueless as to how Yang Kai went missing and where he was currently, so even if she tried to search for him, she had no clues to work with. In that case, she might as well head for the final area to wait for him as there was a higher possibility of meeting him there.
Having made their decision, everybody delayed no longer and immediately continued on their way. Nevertheless, they acted more cautiously after learning from their previous experience. To their surprise though, nothing else unexpected happened until they reached the end of the faintly glowing path.
At the end of the path was an empty hall. The ceiling was more than a thousand metres high and it was very spacious inside. More importantly, a quaint-looking Giant Furnace was slowly spinning in the centre of the hall. The patterns around the Giant Furnace were flickering with a faint light and a dense Grand Dao aura radiated from within.
“The Illusionary Heavens Furnace!” Luo Meng exclaimed softly, staring intently at the Giant Furnace that was carved with countless complicated and intricate patterns with a scorching gaze. This Giant Furnace was identical to the Giant Furnace that was projected into the world before. Although it had shrunk in size countless times, it was still several tens of metres tall.
It wasn’t just Luo Meng who had a scorching look in his eyes. The eyes of all six Pseudo-Great Emperors present here were burning brightly at this moment.
Before entering the Profound Heavens Temple, everybody was told that they had to find the Illusionary Heavens Furnace upon entering the Source Sealed World. It was just that nobody knew where the Illusionary Heavens Furnace was located. At this very moment, the key item to becoming a Great Emperor had finally revealed itself before their very eyes. As long as they could figure out the secret behind the Illusionary Heavens Furnace, they could become a Great Emperor!
There was a whooshing sound as a figure passed by Luo Meng’s side to head straight at the Illusionary Heavens Furnace. However, he was ruthlessly cut down by his companion beside him.
The Demon Race Half-Saints were the eternal enemies of the Pseudo-Great Emperors from the Star Boundary, but even their original companions became their rivals now that the final moment was here.
Luo Meng was startled, but even so, he quickly came back to his senses and rushed forward with a shift of his body.
*Shua shua shua…* Gan Li and another Pseudo-Great Emperor were not far behind. Only Yang Yan and Bing Yun were left standing in their original positions.
The two women looked at each other in surprise. They never expected to arrive at the deepest part of the Profound Heavens Temple so easily, let alone find the Illusionary Heavens Furnace just waiting for them. In this way, the Grand Dao battle had reached the most critical moment. Even if they were unwilling, they were already stuck in this whirlpool. Who would not selfishly think only of themselves in this situation?
They both understood the meaning in each other’s eyes. Yang Yan shouted, “Let’s go!”
Pushing her Emperor Qi, she flew forward together with Bing Yun. Their previous task had been rendered meaningless now that Yang Kai was missing. Regardless of whether he was dead or alive, who could turn a blind eye to the Grand Dao opportunity in front of them?
At that moment, an anomaly occurred.
The energy in the hall suddenly went wild as numerous figures emerged from all directions. Waves of Divine Abilities shot out from everywhere, targeting the person closest to Illusionary Heavens Furnace. That person was a Pseudo-Great Emperor who came here with Yang Yan and the others but was the first to rush forward just now.
Luo Meng’s expression changed greatly at the sight and he shouted, “Watch out, Brother Zhou!”
Similarly, the man surnamed Zhou was shocked. He had thought that he and the others were the first to arrive at this place, so he believed that he could take advantage of their lead to obtain the prize first. Who could have known that that was not the case?
Turning to look around him, he saw that there were passages leading into the hall from every direction. Moreover, numerous figures came flying out of those passages. Both the Pseudo-Great Emperors from the Star Boundary and the Demon Race Half-Saints were included among these people. It was obvious that they had all just arrived in this place. Furthermore, the time of their arrival was all roughly the same. It was just that they had not come via the same shimmering path.
Those who attacked him were the Demon Race Half-Saints. Although the Pseudo-Great Emperors were vying to get the lead on the others, they had not reached the point where they would kill each other yet.
Even so, the man surnamed Zhou felt his scalp go numb with fear. There were at least a dozen Divine Abilities raining down on him. Even though these attacks were rushed, how could he defend against these many attacks all at once? His complexion turned pale as he hurriedly raised his hand, summoning many artifacts at the same time to form a layer of protection around his body.
There was a loud rumbling and energy ran wild, causing the layers upon layers of protection that seemed fairly sturdy to shatter apart like paper in a single blow. It was followed by a muffled groan as a figure was sent flying backwards. That person was completely covered in blood and his aura was weak.
Luo Meng reached out to catch that person, and when he looked down at the person in his arms, his heart sank.
At this moment, the man surnamed Zhou’s Emperor Qi was fluctuating erratically. His complexion was as pale as a sheet and his body was covered in injuries. It was obvious that he was severely injured. That did not come as a surprise, however, as so many Half-Saints had attacked him all at once. Even Li Wu Yi could not have defended against that barrage of attacks, much less this man surnamed Zhou who had been completely focused on the Illusionary Heavens Furnace. In his haste, the ability to deploy those layers of protection had been his limit. Luckily, the layers of protection had not been useless and had ultimately saved his life. Nevertheless, suffering such severe injuries at this stage was equivalent to losing his qualification to compete in the Grand Dao battle.
“Brother Luo…” The man surnamed Zhou opened his mouth and spat out another mouthful of fresh blood, his expression became more worn out than ever. His eyes were filled with remorse and regret. After a lifetime of cultivation, he finally reached this step only to fall short at the last moment. How could he willingly accept something like that? He deeply regretted putting his neck on the line to be first, but who could have imagined that so many people had arrived in this place?
“Brother Luo, please go on ahead. This Zhou will need to treat his injuries first,” He managed to speak with some difficulty and turned his head to look at Illusionary Heavens Furnace.
From the looks of it, another Pseudo-Great Emperor from the Star Boundary was already rushing towards the Illusionary Heavens Furnace with a fired-up expression on his face. He lunged forward at the Illusionary Heavens Furnace with a slight body shift.
However, he was blocked by an invisible force before he could even get close. It was as though there was an invisible barrier around the Illusionary Heavens Furnace. As long as the barrier was not broken, nobody could even think about approaching the furnace.
There was a slight moment of delay, and then a storm of attacks rained down again. That person’s expression changed drastically and he hurriedly dodged out of the way, but was still struck by some of the attacks. Blood immediately stained the sky.
More people rushed at the Illusionary Heavens Furnace only to be blocked by that invisible barrier. There were no exceptions. Meanwhile, the Demon Race Half-Saints attacked fiercely. They were ignoring the huge opportunity contained in the Illusionary Heavens Furnace, choosing to go on the offensive against the Pseudo-Great Emperors from the Star Boundary instead.
One side was scattered and chaotic while the other side had come prepared; therefore, the result was easy to imagine.
It only took an instant for the Star Boundary to suffer a devastating loss. In just 10 breaths, one of the Pseudo-Great Emperors from the Star Boundary had already died tragically on the spot.
After several more defeats, the Pseudo-Great Emperors from the Star Boundary stopped approaching the Illusionary Heavens Furnace so rashly. Everybody could understand the situation by now. Although the Illusionary Heavens Furnace had revealed itself, it would seem that it was not time for the final moment yet. Trying to snatch the opportunity at this moment was meaningless, so they might as well take this opportunity to get rid of their competitors instead.
A chaotic melee then broke out. Lights flickered throughout the huge hall as the powers of both Emperor Artifacts and Demon Artifacts were unleashed. The explosions that rang out were deafening and endless.
Screams would ring out from time to time. On this battlefield where only Pseudo-Great Emperors and Half-Saints stood, any trace of negligence would become a fatal flaw. Both sides suffered casualties as the battle continued to rage. Body after body fell out of the sky and their vital essence would vanish without a trace before they could even touch the ground, essentially turning them into mummified corpses.
On the other hand, the rotation speed of the Illusionary Heavens Furnace standing in the centre of the hall seemed to have increased slightly. The pure World Energy that filled the inside of the Giant Furnace was also gradually strengthening. It was expanding and contracting rhythmically, as if something was about to break out of the cauldron.
While the Pseudo-Great Emperors and the Half-Saints were engaged in battle inside the hall, Yang Kai was standing in a seemingly infinite void. He had gotten separated from Yang Yan and the others without him noticing only to appear directly in this strange space.
Even so, he did not panic as he did not sense any danger in this place. Rather, he felt a sense of security and tranquillity that was reminiscent of returning home after a long journey. This feeling was rather fascinating and it tempted him to stay forever, just sinking into this comfortable silence.
The moment that thought formed in his head though, he felt a cool sensation washing over his mind that woke him up instantly. That was naturally the work of the Soul Warming Lotus. It was important to note that the Soul Warming Lotus, which was a Supreme Treasure, would only react in that way when his Soul was being influenced by an outside force.
Yang Kai was stunned as he had thought he was already being vigilant enough, so he was shocked to learn that he still nearly became bewitched by something. Not to mention, there was nothing in this strange space whatsoever. Just being in this place gave him such dangerous thoughts.
[What the Hell is this damned place!”]
In his confusion, a loud bell-like voice suddenly sounded in his mind, “What is the World?”
“Who are you?” Yang Kai shouted loudly. Turning to look around him, he found nothing in his vicinity. There was nothing in this place except for him, so how could anybody else be here? He couldn’t help frowning in response, but upon further consideration, he realised that the sound did not seem to have come from the outside, but rather from within his body.
“What is the World?” The voice sounded again.
Wary, Yang Kai quickly asked, “Who is sneaking around!?”
There was no reply. After waiting for a while, the voice came again. It was still the same question as before, “What is the World?”
This attitude that indicated the other party would not give up until they obtained the answers they wanted gave Yang Kai a headache. If it were a tangible enemy, he could have created a huge commotion to see if he could escape his current predicament; however, there was nothing he could do when even the source of that voice was unclear.
After pondering for a moment, Yang Kai answered loudly, “The World gives birth to everything and nourishes all life. Everything in the World exists in accordance with the World. The World attains spirituality from everything, and everything, in turn, constitutes the World.”
After saying that, Yang Kai looked around attentively. He waited for a long time, but the voice did not sound again so he raised his brow slightly and thought to himself, [Is that a pass?]
That thought had only just flashed through his mind when the voice sounded again. It was still as sonorous as ever and so loud that it shook the eardrums and the mind, “What is the Dao?”
With the experience from before, Yang Kai did not try to engage with that voice and simply answered, “The Dao is the law, the way of things, eternity itself, the source of everything in the World.”
“What is the Dao?” This time around, the voice sounded again without pause.
Yang Kai frowned. [Was that the wrong answer?]
“The Dao is grief, sorrow, and joy. The Dao is birth, old age, sickness, and death. The Dao is fate. The Dao is returning after achieving success. One follows the Earth, Earth follows the Heavens, the Heavens follow the Dao, and the Dao follows nature!”
“What is the Dao?”
“The heart is the Dao!”
“What is the Dao?”
“The Dao is the road under our feet. The beginning and end. Everything from the trees to the grains of sand have their own Dao. This Dao is their destiny, existence, their way!”
“What is the Dao?”
…..
In the beginning, Yang Kai needed to ponder for a while before coming up with an answer; however, his answers flowed out with increasing speed as the voice continued to question him non-stop. It was as though it was not somebody else who was asking him the question but his own heart!
With every sentence that Yang Kai uttered, the feeling that he could finally see the bright moon through a layer of fog began to sprout in his heart. All the thoughts in his heart seemed to become clear all of a sudden and he felt extremely refreshed.
“What is the Dao?”
Yang Kai lowered his heart and grinned to himself, “What is the Dao?”
Pausing for a moment, his relaxed gaze slowly became firm and determined, “Stop asking! If you keep on nagging like this, then I say I am the Dao!”
*Hong…*
It felt as though something inside his body had exploded. The surrounding space shattered like a mirror, peeling off piece by piece. The fog in front of him vanished in an instant, and he suddenly appeared inside a hall. Before he could check out his surroundings, however, he felt numerous gazes locking onto him from all directions.
Turning around to look, Yang Kai broke out into a grin and whistled, “Heh! There’s a lot of people here!”
There were clearly two groups of people in the hall. One side was composed of the Pseudo-Great Emperors from the Star Boundary while the other was composed of the Half-Saints from the Demon Realm. There were about ten or so people from each camp, but there were a few more Half-Saints compared to the people from the Star Boundary.
It was just that most of these Pseudo-Great Emperors and Half-Saints were injured to some extent at this moment. Yang Kai also saw Jia Long among the Demon Race Half-Saints. Jia Long had a huge and hideous wound on his chest, which illustrated how brutal the struggle he went through just now was.
In addition to these two groups of people, there were also many mummified corpses scattered across the hall. Judging from the clothes of the mummified corpses, both the Pseudo-Great Emperors from the Star Boundary and Half-Saints from the Demon Realm were among the dead. There were as many as 20 or 30 corpses in total.
When the Profound Heavens Temple opened, a total of 70 entered this place. Among those 70, 30 were Pseudo-Great Emperors from the Star Boundary while the remaining 40 were the Demon Race Half-Saints! Including the Masters who died outside the Profound Heavens Temple, then all those who were still alive and had the power to fight at this moment were gathered in this place.
The Grand Dao battle was finally showing its fangs. It had only been a little more than a month since the Profound Heavens Temple opened, but in this short time, the number of Masters from the Star Boundary and the Demon Realm who died numbered as many as 40 or 50. Something like this would have been unimaginable in the past, but death had become commonplace in the Profound Heavens Temple.
“Yang Kai, are you alright!?” Yang Yan called out. She had felt both surprised and delighted when she first saw Yang Kai. Although she could tell that he was in good shape, she couldn’t help worrying about whether he had encountered any accidents.
Yang Kai shook his head, “I’m fine.”
In fact, he wasn’t just fine, he felt surprisingly refreshed after going through that strange experience just now. It felt as though something had relaxed inside his body.
Turning his gaze to the side, he met the concerned gazes of both Yang Yan and Bing Yun. That wasn’t all, he also saw Sheng Yu Zhu among the crowd. When their eyes met, Sheng Yu Zhu gave him a small smile to which he nodded back in return.
His gaze continued to sweep across the crowd, and when he saw a certain person, his expression immediately turned cold and his murderous intent surged, “Old dog Cang Mo! How dare you show yourself here!”
Similarly, Cang Mo’s expression was filled with hatred when he looked at Yang Kai; even so, he remained silent in the face of Yang Kai’s cursing. That was because he knew exactly what he had done. Arguing with Yang Kai at this time would only expose that fact. If that happened, there would be no place left for him in the Star Boundary.
Many Pseudo-Great Emperors frowned upon hearing Yang Kai’s shout. They all knew that Yang Kai had a grudge against Cang Mo, but that was nothing more than a personal grudge. Nobody knew why Yang Kai was suddenly causing a commotion at this time.
Yang Yan sent a Divine Sense transmission to Yang Kai at that moment, “We can discuss the matter regarding Cang Mo when we get back. Our priority is to deal with the immediate situation.”
Yang Kai gently nodded at those words. With a flicker of his body, he headed towards the people of the Star Boundary. He really wanted to take this opportunity to kill Cang Mo, but he would only embarrass the entire Star Boundary in front of the Demon Race if he made a move. It might even break this eerie calm that had settled over the hall.
For that reason, Yang Kai could only endure silently even if his mind was flooded with the thoughts of killing Cang Mo. He walked over to Yang Yan and asked in a whisper, “What happened here?”
The tragic situation in front of him undoubtedly indicated that both the Humans and Demons had gone through an unprecedented battle before his arrival. Unfortunately, the root cause of this battle was definitely related to the Grand Dao opportunity.
“The Illusionary Heavens Furnace is here!” Yang Yan gestured at something behind him.
Yang Kai turned around to look, his eyes narrowing at the sight. Behind him stood a quaint-looking Giant Furnace in the very centre of the hall. It was emanating an ancient and desolate aura as though it had just stepped out of the past to emerge from the river of history. There were countless peculiar patterns engraved around the Giant Furnace. At first glance, those patterns did not seem to mean anything; however, one would find that these patterns coincided with the Principles of the Grand Dao upon closer inspection…
Even though Yang Kai had seen the gigantic projection of the Illusionary Heavens Furnace from afar before, he couldn’t help being stunned when he saw the real Illusionary Heavens Furnace for the first time. His mind seemed drawn towards the Illusionary Heavens Furnace, giving him a desperate impulse to delve into the mysteries contained in it.
At this moment, the Illusionary Heavens Furnace was not empty; there was actually a tree inside of it. It was small and not very tall, only about 10 metres or so. It had lush green leaves and a single fruit hanging from one of its branches. The fruit was about the size of a fist and crystal-clear with inexplicably colourful lights that kept changing inside.
A peculiar fragrance lingered at the tip of his nose, penetrating directly into his mind. This fragrance was rather familiar. It was the same smell that he had noticed while on his way here. The realisation struck Yang Kai suddenly, this was the source of that fragrance.
“What is that?” Yang Kai furrowed his brow tightly. The information he received from Sheng Yu Zhu was only regarding the existence of the Illusionary Heavens Furnace, and yet, at this moment, there was a small tree inside the Illusionary Heavens Furnace, not to mention a fruit hanging on the tree…
He turned to glance at Sheng Yu Zhu, but the latter just shook her head slowly to indicate that she did not know either. Yang Kai did not know if she truly was clueless or if she was only pretending to be. In any case, he had the vague feeling that the key to becoming a Great Emperor was not the Illusionary Heavens Furnace, but this fruit from the small tree inside the Illusionary Heavens Furnace!
Yang Yan stood next to him and explained the situation. It turned out that after they parted with Yang Kai, they came directly to this place. Not long after their arrival, they discovered that everyone had been gathered in this place. There was nothing more to say when everybody encountered each other. A huge battle immediately broke out.
People dropped like flies in that battle. With the increasing number of deaths, the small tree gradually grew inside the Illusionary Heavens Furnace and a fruit gradually grew on the tree. That was what led to the scene they were currently looking at. Too many people had died on both sides, not to mention the rest were gravely injured. Death and pain finally made both sides calm down, leading to a stalemate between both the Humans and the Demons before Yang Kai’s arrival.
“That’s the Heavenly Source Fruit!” Jia Long’s voice came from the opposite side. Yang Kai looked up to see Jia Long obsessively staring at the only fruit on the small tree. While speaking, Jia Long even licked his lips in temptation, “Whoever snatches that Heavenly Source Fruit and successfully refines it will obtain the opportunity for the Grand Dao.” Narrowing his eyes, he glanced sideways at Yang Kai and provocatively asked, “Do you want it?”
“Heavenly Source Fruit?” Yang Kai raised his brow at those words, “Did Can Ye tell you about it?”
It had to be said that the Star Boundary was at an absolute disadvantage in terms of information in this Grand Dao battle. Many Great Emperors were currently trapped inside an inexplicable space that they could not escape, while on the other hand, the Demon Race had Can Ye on their side, who could give the Half-Saints some pointers in advance so that they knew what their goal was from the start during this expedition.
“Over the generations, those who entered this Source Sealed World were all Pseudo-Great Emperors. Which of these people was not a person blessed with luck and good fortune by the Heavens?” Jia Long did not answer Yang Kai’s question and instead began monologuing, “It’s not just the Pseudo-Great Emperors from the Star Boundary. The same goes for the Half-Saints from the Demon Realm. Who among us is any different?”
Even though they were enemies, Yang Kai could not refute Jia Long’s words. Those who could cultivate until they became Pseudo-Great Emperors and Half-Saints were those born with great destinies. Each one of them had lived a wondrous and adventure-filled life. Just take him for example. His cultivation journey had been blessed with countless opportunities. Which among those opportunities would not make ordinary people burn with jealousy? If not for those opportunities, how could he have reached this point in his life?
In this world, there would always be some who were born with great luck. These people would survive after falling off a cliff. Moreover, they would stumble upon a cave mansion only to inherit both the wealth and the Divine Secret Techniques left behind by an ancient Senior, which would allow them to escape their predicament and propel them to greater heights.
Who among all the Pseudo-Great Emperors and the Half-Saints standing here had not experienced such opportunities and good fortune?
“The Heavenly Source Fruit that can be found in the Source Sealed World grows by absorbing the luck and fated fortune we carry as nutrients. Without that luck and fortune, this fruit would not have appeared.” Jia Long looked at Yang Kai calmly, a contemptuous smirk appearing at the corner of his lips.
Yang Kai frowned thoughtfully and said, “So, you are saying that the Source Sealed World took away the luck of those who died to produce this Heavenly Source Fruit.”
“More or less!” Jia Long’s expression became serious, “That is why most of the participants will die in each Grand Dao battle. There is no helping it. It won’t work if there are no deaths. How would this fruit form if no deaths occurred? The Heavenly Source Fruit will only be born when enough people are dead and their luck and good fortune have returned to the world. After all, the total amount of luck and good fortune in the world is limited!”
The reason why only one Heavenly Source Fruit was produced this time was that only one Great Emperor was allowed to be born in this world today. If the World’s Bottle still had more capacity to spare, then the tree would have borne more than one Heavenly Source Fruit by now.
“Putting it that way, it would mean that I am taking away all the luck and good fortune of those who died if I consume this Heavenly Source Fruit.”
Yang Kai was secretly surprised. [It’s no wonder the Heavenly Source Fruit has such a mysterious effect if all the luck and good fortune of so many Pseudo-Great Emperors and Half-Saints have been combined into one.]
“Of course,” Jia Long said quickly. “Besides, the Grand Dao battle this time is unlike any other Grand Dao battles in the past. This time, my Demon Race is participating in it!”
Yang Kai looked solemn, “That truly is a lot of luck and good fortune from two Universe Worlds.”
Jia Long spread his arms to the side with a look of madness on his face, “This Heavenly Source Fruit is stronger than all the other Heavenly Source Fruits across history! Whoever can get their hands on it will be able to stand above all the other Great Emperors and Demon Saints in the future!”
Yang Kai took a deep breath, “So, that’s how it is.” Then, he grinned, “It looks like not enough people have died yet.”
Likewise, Jia Long smiled, “En, the fruit has not ripened.”
At this moment, the Heavenly Source Fruit on the small tree was already exuding a tempting fragrance and the lights flowing inside of it looked extremely extraordinary. However, anyone with a discerning eye could see that the Heavenly Source Fruit was not fully ripe yet. In addition, the invisible barrier around the Illusionary Heavens Furnace was still in place. Nobody could get close enough to snatch the fruit. Still, the fruit had already grown so much that although it had yet to fully ripen, it was clearly going to happen soon.
Jia Long suddenly raised three fingers and quickly declared, “Three. It will only take three more deaths at most for the Heavenly Source Fruit to ripen!”
Yang Kai rubbed his chin and nodded, “That is to say, our work is done as long as we kill another three of you.”
Jia Long grinned, “Where do you get that much confidence? We have the advantage in numbers.”
Yang Kai lifted his chin and looked down at Jia Long, “If you really have such a huge advantage, then why are you still wasting your time talking to me? You are all injured, but I am in peak condition. If it comes down to a fight, it’s hard to say who will win and who will lose.”
Jia Long said, “And, that’s why I have a suggestion.”
“Speak!”
“Three duels. The outcome will be decided by death. Nobody is allowed to intervene in those battles, so the survivor of those battles will lie in the hands of fate. The Heavenly Source Fruit will ripen after three battles, everybody will have to rely on their own abilities after that.”
Yang Kai frowned when he heard those words as his gaze swept over the Demon Race Half-Saints standing behind Jia Long. He had the faint feeling that these Half-Saints’ injuries were more serious than he originally thought. Otherwise, Jia Long would not have come up with that suggestion with such an advantage in numbers.
[But…] Yang Kai then turned his head to look at the people of the Star Boundary. [The situation on our side is no better.]
Jia Long added, “If this chaotic battle continues, nobody can guarantee that it will end. Regardless of which side, the losses for both the Star Boundary and the Demon Realm are already too high. That is why this King wishes to use the smallest price in exchange for the greatest prize. What do you think?”
The people from the Demon Realm were led by Jia Long; therefore, no other Half-Saint would object to his decision.
On the contrary, there was no leader on the Star Boundary’s side. It was only natural that Yang Kai could not rashly make a decision on behalf of the others. Thus, he fell silent for a moment before he said, “We will need to discuss this among ourselves.”
Jia Long gestured for Yang Kai to proceed. Then, he turned to stare hungrily at the Heavenly Source Fruit. There was a look of greed in his eyes that could not be concealed.
It was impossible not to feel covetous. As long as he could get his hands on the Heavenly Source Fruit, he would instantly rise above all the other Demon Saints. It was a supreme glory! As Jia Long mentioned before, this Heavenly Source Fruit was different from all the other Heavenly Source Fruits throughout history. The formation of this fruit brought together the luck and good fortune from two Universe Worlds. Nobody knew what kind of mysterious effects it would have when consumed.
Yang Kai turned around and looked at the many Pseudo-Great Emperors from the Star Boundary. At this point, only 12 survivors remained among the people from the Star Boundary, including himself. It had to be said that there were a total of 30 people when they first entered the Source Sealed World known as the Profound Heavens Temple.
In the short span of one month, 18 Pseudo-Great Emperors had died in this place to become the nutrients for the birth and ripening of the Heavenly Source Fruit. Even Gan Li, who had been travelling with Yang Kai before, was nowhere to be seen. It was most likely that he was already dead.
A touch of sorrow appeared in the depths of Yang Kai’s eyes as he took a deep breath and said, “You must have heard what that guy said just now. What do you think?”
Yang Yan frowned, “Do you believe him?”
Yang Kai considered the question in silence for a bit, “I believe the part about the Heavenly Source Fruit. At this point in time, there is no reason for him to lie. Even if he did, it doesn’t change anything. Besides, I can feel that the fruit is indeed the key to becoming a Great Emperor. As for the rest…” He slowly shook his head.
Bing Yun piped up, “The information about the Heavenly Source Fruit does not seem to be false. There was no fruit tree in the Illusionary Heavens Furnace when we first arrived here, but as more people died, the fruit tree and subsequently the fruit itself gradually appeared.”
Another person said, “If that’s the case, then it’s okay to go along with his suggestion. In any case, it isn’t disadvantageous to us in any way. Rather, they lose more than we do if we agree to this.”
“There are only three battles. We need to carefully consider who will be sent to fight.”
Three matches needed to be fought, so those who didn’t fight would be able to recover their energy during this time. Although they did not know how long they would have to rest, they would at least be exempted from the risk of dying in this place. On the other hand, nothing good would come to the representatives of these battles. Regardless of whether they won or lost their fight, they would most likely miss out on the Grand Dao battle in the end.
This matter was related to their life-long pursuit, so nobody would willingly take the initiative to accept this task at this time. This fight was not just a fight to determine a winner, it was a life or death battle. For the Heavenly Source Fruit to fully ripen, somebody had to die in this place.
Yang Kai swept his gaze over the crowd and opened his mouth, but before he could say a single word, Yang Yan interrupted him, “In that case, let’s agree to their proposal for now. As for who will be chosen for battle… Let’s see how they choose first.”
Everybody nodded in agreement.
Yang Yan gave Yang Kai a fierce look as if warning him not to talk nonsense. Feeling helpless, Yang Kai sniffed slightly in response. Then, he turned around and looked at Jia Long, “We finished our discussion.”
“Well?” Jia Long put his hands behind his back and looked at Yang Kai with a smile. His expression was calm as though he had already known that the Star Boundary would not reject him.
“We will accept your proposal!”
He chuckled, “Good.”
“But, these three battles…” Just as Yang Kai was about to discuss the candidates of the battle, a change suddenly occurred.
A loud rumbling sound suddenly came from beneath the ground, causing Yang Kai’s sentence to trail off abruptly. He warily looked forward only to see that Jia Long was also watching him intently with a grim expression. When their gazes met, they both saw the confusion in each other’s eyes; thus, they realised that it wasn’t the doing of the other party.
In the next moment, the ground shook turbulently and a huge platform suddenly sprung up in the originally empty hall. The platform rose by more than three hundred metres in an instant before it stopped moving. Immediately afterwards, two translucent light barriers descended from the sky to cover both the camps of the Star Boundary and the Demon Realm respectively.
Everything happened so quickly that nobody could react in time. By the time they saw the light barrier coming down over them, it was too late to think about escaping. Countless shouts of anger rang out. Emperor Qi and Demon Qi surged in the hall as both sides tried to use their own means to break free; however, their efforts were unsuccessful with no exceptions. The two hemispherical light barriers separated the Human Race Pseudo-Great Emperors and Demon Race Half-Saints into two opposing sides.
Yang Kai frowned deeply as his body flickered slightly. It felt like he faded for a moment, but he quickly solidified again in the next moment. This sign undoubtedly meant that his Instantaneous Movement could not be used to escape. The light barriers that appeared out of nowhere had the effect of sealing space.
At the moment, both factions were in chaos. Divine Abilities blasted out constantly, slamming into the light barriers, but to their surprise, the toughness of the light barriers was far beyond what anybody could have imagined. The attacks had been launched by Pseudo-Great Emperors and Half-Saints, and yet, they were completely ineffective against the light barriers that sealed them inside.
Another rumbling sound came out and the ground covered by the two light barriers rose upwards, only stopping when the ground was higher than the platform in the middle by several dozen metres.
At this moment, the two parties were each standing on elevated platforms covered by light barriers. In the middle of these two elevated platforms was a similar elevated platform. It was just that this central elevated platform was much larger than the other two.
When all the changes finally stopped, all 20 or so Pseudo-Great Emperors and Half-Saints present in this place looked at each other in confusion, none of them knowing what was going on.
Yang Kai scowled and glanced at the elevated platform in the centre, but before he could study it thoroughly, he heard a soft swooshing sound coming from beside him. Immediately after that, a figure appeared on the central elevated platform near the edge that was closest to him.
He widened his eyes and called out in surprise, “Brother Lin!”
The figure that suddenly appeared on the central elevated platform was none other than the Forty-Ninth Army’s Army Commander, Lin Ru Song, the noble man who, when Cang Mo had challenged Yang Kai’s right to enter the Profound Heavens Temple, offered to give up his spot in order to quell the turmoil between them. His broad-mindedness was truly admirable.
Yang Kai’s astonishment could not get any greater. Similarly, the other Pseudo-Great Emperors around him cried out in shock. That was because Lin Ru Song had been standing beside them just now. Nobody had seen just how he managed to get to the central elevated platform.
Meanwhile, Lin Ru Song himself seemed extremely shocked too. He suddenly appeared on the elevated platform with a blank expression on his face.
At that moment, a Half-Saint suddenly appeared on the opposite side of the elevated platform. Just like Lin Ru Song, the Half-Saint looked like he had no idea what was going on when he appeared, glancing around in confusion.
A Pseudo-Great Emperor and a Half-Saint had appeared on that lonely elevated platform in a strange manner, standing less than a thousand metres apart. At the same time, the others were trapped inside the light barriers surrounding the elevated platforms on both sides with no way of escape. This situation was truly the best representation of fighting alone.
“The World is alive!” Yang Kai gritted his teeth and shouted. Despite looking up at the sky, all he could see inside the hall was darkness. He had only just agreed to Jia Long’s proposal when these changes occurred. It was almost as though there was a Great Will watching them from the shadows. A battlefield for a one-on-one battle was created immediately the moment both sides had agreed to the proposal; in this way, there was no need to worry about the other party secretly meddling in the battles.
Jia Long obviously figured out what was going on too and couldn’t help grinning, “It looks like the World is getting impatient too. Interesting, interesting indeed!”
The Heavenly Source Fruit was on the verge of ripening when both the Humans and the Demons fell into a stalemate earlier. With this opportunity, the World’s Will immediately accelerated the process of the entire Grand Dao battle! It didn’t even give both sides the chance to decide on their representatives and directly selected one representative each from the respective camps.
“Brother Lin, fight!” Yang Kai shouted.
Lin Ru Song was shocked, but he reacted quickly. It didn’t matter why he had appeared on this elevated platform. Seeing as there was a Demon Race Half-Saint standing opposite him, he had to kill his opponent first if he wanted to survive.
The moment Yang Kai’s words rang out, Lin Ru Song was already lifting a hand to summon a sword. The sword was quite short, barely longer than a dagger, but when he poured his Emperor Qi into it, it began releasing a barrage of Sword Shadows towards the opposite side.
A burst of strange cackling laughter sounded at that moment as the Demon Race Half-Saint on the opposite side turned into a blood light and rushed over. He passed through the boundless Sword Shadows unscathed, handling the attack with ease.
Lin Ru Song did not panic. Although he was getting on with age and had lived in seclusion in the mountains and forests before the Demon Race invaded the Star Boundary, his foundation as a Pseudo-Great Emperor was still there. Not to mention, he trained with this short sword artifact for countless years. He had long since become one with this artifact. Seeing his opponent rushing towards him, Lin Ru Song immediately clenched his fist and the short sword transformed into a giant sword that swept out horizontally.
Even though the rest of the Pseudo-Great Emperors and Half-Saints watching the battle were not facing the attack directly, they could feel the power behind it. Even if a mountain was in front of that sword, it would be cut in two in the next moment. Sure enough, the Blood Demon Half-Saint was a little overwhelmed by the attack and was sent flying by the impact.
A burst of cheers rang out on the Star Boundary’s end.
However, a loud explosion sounded out without warning at that moment. The Blood Demon that had been cut down immediately burst apart and turned into a Blood Sea. Bypassing the giant sword on both sides, he rapidly engulfed Lin Ru Song.
Lin Ru Song’s expression changed as he hurriedly formed a set of hand seals, drawing his sword back to defend himself. A barrage of Sword Shadows appeared once more and slammed into the Blood Sea. Large portions of blood were swept away with his efforts, but the Blood Sea seemed to be endless and he could not reduce the blood in the slightest.
Lin Ru Song retreated again and again, but there was nowhere to escape. There was an invisible barrier around the elevated platform, so he could not leave its range.
In his desperation, he bit the tip of his tongue and spewed out a mouthful of Blood Essence. The short sword shone brightly in response and instantly penetrated the obstruction of the Blood Sea and returned to his side. The sword immediately wound itself around him and began spinning to form a solid layer of protection. This artifact was clearly top-notch in terms of both offence and defence.
The strange cackling continued to ring out incessantly as the Blood Sea crashed down on Lin Ru Song with the force of a tsunami, wrapping him up within it so that he vanished out of sight.
The battle between these two had lasted for only a few breaths, and it was unclear whether the outcome was for the better or worse. Nevertheless, many Pseudo-Great Emperors from the Star Boundary looked concerned when Lin Ru Song disappeared from their field of vision.
Explosions rang out from the middle of the elevated platform, but unfortunately, nobody could see what was going on inside due to the obstruction of the Blood Sea. Judging by the commotion, it would seem that Lin Ru Song and the Blood Demon were holding nothing back in their fight to the death.
“How were Brother Lin’s injuries?” Yang Kai asked grimly as he watched the situation over there with a solemn expression.
Bing Yun shook her head sadly, “He was quite badly wounded. He sustained internal injuries in the melee before so he can at most exert about 70% of his peak strength.”
Yang Kai’s expression darkened when he heard the words.
Lin Ru Song was in an extremely dangerous situation as although his opponent was also injured, the exchange of blows just now indicated that the Blood Demon’s injuries were not as severe as the former’s. In addition, a large part of Lin Ru Song’s strength came from his short sword artifact. Unfortunately, a Blood Demon’s Blood Sea had a strong corrosive effect, so if Lin Ru Song could not finish the battle in a short time, he would lose his biggest support once his artifact was damaged by Blood Sea. If that were to happen, the situation would only worsen further.
The feeling of knowing that a companion’s life was in great danger yet being powerless to do anything was horrible. Yang Kai repeatedly tried to use Instantaneous Movement to teleport himself to the elevated platform, but all his efforts proved to be fruitless. The light barrier surrounding the elevated platform he was on had completely sealed off this space. Gloomily looking in the direction of the central elevated platform, Yang Kai could only clench his fists in frustration.
Although Yang Kai barely interacted with Lin Ru Song in the past, the latter’s willingness to give up his place to enter the Profound Heavens Temple was still fresh in Yang Kai’s memory. Such selfless and righteous people did not deserve to die in a place like this.
On the contrary, somebody like Cang Mo, who betrayed his own companion, was still standing safe and sound on this elevated platform. Yang Kai turned around to look at Cang Mo coldly, vaguely realising the cruelty of the Heavenly Way.
“I hope the Heavens show favour to a good man like Brother Lin.” Yang Yan sighed. Even so, she knew that it was just a form of self-consolation. The only thing Lin Ru Song could rely on while fighting a one-on-one battle in that kind of isolated environment was his own strength.
On the opposite side, Jia Long looked over with a smile on his face. When he met Yang Kai’s gaze, he slid his hand across the front of his neck in a slitting gesture.
The fierce battle continued, but due to the Blood Sea, nobody could tell what was going on inside. Only a constant sound of explosions could be heard coming from inside the Blood Sea while at the same time, Demon Qi and Emperor Qi fiercely collided against each other.
Yang Kai’s heart soon sank to the bottom of the abyss as he realized that the fight had dragged on for too long…
Half an hour passed by before the commotion on the elevated platform gradually subsided. Everybody watched as the Blood Sea retreated with a crashing sound and the scene that appeared from the inside was imprinted upon their eyes.
Despite being mentally prepared, the expressions of many Pseudo-Great Emperors from the Star Boundary could not help but darken at the sight of the scene laid out on the elevated platform at that moment.
At this moment, Lin Ru Song was lying at a corner of the elevated platform. His originally old body had already been reduced to nothing but skin and bones. Moreover, his shrivelled body was covered in countless wounds and fresh blood. It was a terrible sight to behold. His short sword artifact had also fallen to the ground beside him. The sword that used to be full of brilliance was now dim and dull, just like his turbid eyes. In addition, the blade of the sword was scarred by various traces of corrosion.
His shrivelled body and his artifact that had lost a great deal of spirituality all served to show just how fierce the battle had been.
On the other hand, Lin Ru Song’s opponent, the Blood Demon Half-Saint, was half-kneeling not far away and breathing heavily. His eyes were filled with murderous intent as he glared coldly at Lin Ru Song who was lying less than three hundred metres away from him. Judging by the state he was in, the battle had not been easy even though he won.
Under normal circumstances, the result of a Pseudo-Great Emperor and a Half-Saint fighting in a one-on-one battle would be a lose-lose situation unless one side had an obvious advantage in strength.
Staggering slightly, the Blood Demon stood up with a smirk and strange laughter came out of his mouth as he slowly walked towards Lin Ru Song.
“Old Lin!” Somebody shouted.
Lin Ru Song was currently in a wretched state, but his chest was still moving up and down slightly. It was clear that he was still alive. Both parties were arrows at the end of their flight. Even though the Blood Demon seemed to be in better condition, he might still be able to turn the situation around if he could launch a powerful final attack. Unfortunately, Lin Ru Song showed no response even when the Blood Demon stopped right in front of him.
The Blood Demon raised his hand and a crimson red blood mist appeared on the surface of his body. Pointing his hand at Lin Ru Song, the thick blood mist turned into countless Blood Snakes that entered Lin Ru Song through all seven orifices. Lin Ru Song suddenly opened his eyes wide with an expression of extreme pain. He looked towards the many Pseudo-Great Emperors from the Star Boundary and reached out his hand towards them as though trying to grab at his last chance of life.
Looking into those turbid yet hopeful eyes, the Pseudo-Great Emperors from the Star Boundary all felt a deep sense of powerlessness. It felt as though a volcano that might erupt at any time was brewing in their chests. No matter who it was, they couldn’t help feeling a sense of sorrow as they watched a veteran Pseudo-Great Emperor creep closer and closer to his demise with their own eyes. In addition to their grief, they were secretly worried that the next person to participate in a life-or-death battle on the elevated platform would be themselves. They also wondered if they would be the next person to follow in the footsteps of Lin Ru Song.
What infuriated the Pseudo-Great Emperors even more was when the Blood Demon Half-Saint turned his head at this moment to grin at them with savage triumphant as if to demonstrate his might.
Yang Kai glared back at the Blood Demon, the coldness in his eyes like eternal ice that would never melt.
Meeting Yang Kai’s eyes directly, the Blood Demon grinned and his mouth moved silently. Judging by the shape of his mouth, he seemed to be mouthing, “Kill me if you can!”
Lin Ru Song failed to turn his defeat around in the end. The injuries he suffered before were fairly severe. Combined with the Blood Demon’s Secret Technique, he became incapable of resisting whatsoever.
10 breaths later, what little vitality remained in him disappeared. His already shrivelled body instantly turned into a mummified corpse at a speed that was visible to the naked eye. On the other hand, the Heavenly Source Fruit inside the Illusionary Heavens Furnace became more complete and the tantalising fragrance it exuded also became more intense.
Upon seeing that scene, everybody understood that what Jia Long said before was the truth. It was true that three more people needed to die in this place for the Heavenly Source Fruit to ripen completely. When that happened, the final stage of the Grand Dao battle would kick off.
*Shua…*
The figure of the Blood Demon who obtained victory vanished from the elevated platform and returned to the Demon Race camp in an instant. It was not that he had returned voluntarily but instead similar to how he had appeared on that platform before, completely ignoring his own will.
Jia Long turned to look at the Blood Demon and nodded slightly in acknowledgement, “Good job.”
The Blood Demon smiled to himself. Then, he sat down cross-legged to meditate. He closed his eyes and focused on recovering from his injuries. He had been severely wounded from his fight with Lin Ru Song and if he did not recover quickly, he would be unable to participate in the upcoming final battle.
At this moment, an uneasy thought popped up in the minds of both the Pseudo-Great Emperors from the Star Boundary and the Half-Saints of the Demon Realm. [Who will be the next person to step onto that elevated platform? If I get chosen, then who will my opponent be?]
Before they could even finish the thought though, there was a slight movement beside them. Nobody panicked this time since they had already experienced this once. Instead, they immediately glanced towards the platform. Everybody in the Star Boundary exclaimed in surprise at the sight. Meanwhile, Yang Yan and Bing Yun’s pretty faces darkened instantly. The candidate from the Star Boundary for the second life-or-death battle was none other than Yang Kai!
Looking around, they confirmed that Yang Kai, who had been standing right next to them just now, was gone.
Yang Yan suddenly looked anxious and she simply could not understand the current situation. [Why did the World’s Will choose Yang Kai to participate in this battle!? Doesn’t he hold part of the World’s Will in him!? Logically speaking, the world should be partial to him!]
At this time, he should not be allowed to participate in the battle regardless of the reason. Whether he won or lost, it would not benefit him in any way. Even if he won, he would have consumed a lot of his energy. If he lost, then it would only lead to a tragic ending.
At this moment, Yang Yan even had the urge to start cursing out loud, [Damn Heavens! Are you blind!?]
On the other side, Jia Long’s eyes suddenly gleamed brightly. He stared at Yang Kai intently with an eager and impatient look on his face. He was the strongest Master below the Demon Saints from the Demon Realm, as well as the strongest Half-Saint in existence. If not for Yang Kai’s Space Secret Techniques, he had full confidence that he could kill the latter.
It was just that, be it in the outside world or the Source Sealed World, Jia Long knew he could not kill Yang Kai even if he could win against the latter. That was because Yang Kai would immediately escape as soon as he noticed that the situation was not in his favour. Instantaneous Movement was something nobody other than the Demon Saints could handle.
However, that platform where the life-or-death battles took place was different. It was only a thousand metres in diameter. More importantly, there was an invisible barrier that sealed off space. Yang Kai would not be able to escape!
[As long as the world chooses me as the next participant in battle, I am confident I can end his life here!] Unfortunately, the look of anticipation in Jia Long’s eyes quickly turned into disappointment. There was a whooshing sound next to him and the figure of a Demon Race Half-Saint appeared on the platform closer to their side.
When Jia Long glanced over, his expression instantly became as black as the bottom of a pot. On the other hand, the worried and anxious expressions on Yang Yan and Bing Yun’s faces became a little strange.
Bing Yun soon laughingly said, “He certainly is favoured by the World. Even at a time like this, he can still obtain such a great bargain.”
Similarly, Yang Yan also breathed a sigh of relief, “En, there’s no need to worry anymore.”
For a moment, Yang Kai simply stood on the elevated platform in a daze; however, he quickly realised that he was standing on the life-or-death stage. Like Yang Yan, he was slightly surprised and wondered why the World’s Will chose him to participate in the battle.
Even so, there was no time for him to ponder that question. Seeing as he had been chosen, then all he could do was finish off his enemy at the lowest cost possible. As for whether or not he had the ability to do so… He was extremely confident in himself.
The rest of the Pseudo-Great Emperors and Half-Saints in this place had already gone through a huge battle by the time he arrived at this place, so all of them had been injured in one way or another and none could exert their full strength.
On the contrary, he had entered a strange space where he was asked about what the Dao meant to him. Not only was he completely unscathed, but he also attained a deeper understanding of the Heavenly Way, enhancing his cultivation. There was no reason for him to lose against a wounded enemy when he was at full strength.
[The Star Boundary lost the first match and Lin Ru Song lost his life in the process. I need to win this second match no matter what!] Before Yang Kai could finish his thought though, a figure appeared opposite him. He immediately looked over, and after seeing who his opponent was, Yang Kai couldn’t help grinning in response.
A few hundred metres away stood a pale-faced Blood Demon covered in blood. He looked around in a panic, unable to understand why he was standing on this platform again when he had just stepped off of it a moment ago. [There are 14 other Half-Saints on our side, so why did I get chosen twice!? What are the odds of this!?]
Meanwhile, Jia Long looked gloomy and muttered, “Favoured by the World, was it…”
If the opponent was anybody else but Yang Kai, he would have believed that it was simply a matter of bad luck; however, things were not as simple as that since Yang Kai was the one chosen as a representative from the Star Boundary.
In the past, everybody had been wondering what kind of help Yang Kai would receive from the World’s Will in his body during the Grand Dao battle, it was just that nobody could give a clear answer. There was no such precedent throughout history after all. It had always been that a person would only receive the World’s Will after obtaining the Grand Dao opportunity and becoming a Great Emperor, but the entire process was reversed when it came to Yang Kai. Since this situation was unprecedented, there were no examples to draw reference from.
It wasn’t until this moment that both the people from the Star Boundary and the Demon Realm came to deeply realise the benefits brought by the invisible and intangible World’s Will.
This Blood Demon was the one who fought Lin Ru Song for half an hour earlier. Although he won the battle, he was an arrow at the end of its flight. At this moment, even an ordinary High-Rank Demon King could have killed him, so what more need be said about Yang Kai whose strength was comparable to that of a Half-Saint?
This match was decided in the Star Boundary’s favour before it even began, there was no doubt about it. It was also precisely because of this reason that Yang Yan and Bing Yun relaxed completely even though Yang Kai was standing on the life-or-death stage.
Standing among the crowd, Cang Mo’s expression became gloomy. Likewise, his eyes that were full of anticipation filled with disappointment instead…
Meanwhile, Yang Kai stood on the platform and looked at the Blood Demon standing about a thousand metres away from him with an indifferent expression. He did not choose to make the first move.
Unexpectedly, this silent oppression made the Blood Demon panic instead and he turned to look at Jia Long for help. That was just like what Lin Ru Song had done before his death… At this moment, the Blood Demon experienced the same despair his opponent had felt during the last battle. The light of hope in front of him was now completely shrouded in darkness.
*Ta ta ta…*
Yang Kai strode forward calmly.
On the other hand, the Blood Demon couldn’t help but retreat, but where could he run? He was already standing at the edge of the field. Besides, the invisible barrier surrounding the platform sealed off space and did not allow him to withdraw any further than that.
The Blood Demon glanced over in horror. Yang Kai’s head was lowered and his hair fell over his forehead to cover half of his face. Be that as it may, the Blood Demon could vaguely catch a glimpse of the murderous light coming from his opponent’s eyes…
There was a mummified corpse lying on the platform still. It was Lin Ru Song. Yang Kai walked over to the mummified corpse, crouched down, stretched out a hand, and placed the mummified corpse into the Small Sealed World. When he stood back up, he lifted his gaze to look at the Blood Demon who was cowering at the very edge of the platform and watching him warily. He slowly raised a hand and spat out a single word, “Die!”
A strong wind blew and Yang Kai’s figure seemed to remain in place, but another him appeared at the edge of the stage at the same time, gripping his spear in one hand as a figure dangled from its tip.
The Azure Dragon Spear penetrated the chest of the Blood Demon Half-Saint and fresh blood slid down the shaft of the spear.
The Blood Demon widened his eyes in surprise, clutching at the spear with a death grip. His expression was filled with utter shock. He opened his mouth as if to say something, but only a mouthful of blood spurted out instead.
The crowd was in an uproar… After seeing who the two opponents that would be facing each other were, they knew that this battle would surely end in Yang Kai’s victory; even so, it was still a shockingly powerful visual impact to see him impaling the Blood Demon Half-Saint so easily and effortlessly.
The heavily injured Blood Demon was completely powerless to resist the enraged Yang Kai. Squirming and struggling, he made a gurgling sound in his throat. The Blood Qi in his body churned violently and he held it in for a long time before he shouted furiously, “I refuse to accept this!”
If he were given the chance to have a fair one-on-one battle with Yang Kai, he was certain that he would not have ended up in such a miserable state. Unfortunately, he had already fought Lin Ru Song to the death previously and could barely use 20% of his full strength at the moment. Hence, he didn’t even stand a chance to evade Yang Kai’s lightning-fast attack.
He was well aware of the horror of the Martial Truth and there was already a strange force destroying both his body and mind after he took this spear; thus, his grief and rage finally turned into a fearsome roar.
Meanwhile, the Pseudo-Great Emperors from the Star Boundary were watching this scene in delight. They were thinking about how this Blood Demon had silently provoked Yang Kai while torturing Lin Ru Song to death earlier. They did not expect to see him suffer the consequence of his actions so quickly.
“Even if this King dies, he won’t let you feel any better!” The Blood Demon Half-Saint let out another furious roar as the vitality in his body suddenly began to give off a dangerous aura. His hands swiftly formed a seal and his body rapidly began to swell.
“Yang Kai, watch out!” Bing Yun screamed in horror. Looking at that posture, the Blood Demon seemed to be planning to self-destruct. Even if he was an arrow at the end of its flight, the power of a Half-Saint’s self-destruction would not be insignificant. The slightest carelessness could lead to horrible consequences.
“The final struggles of a dead man!” Yang Kai coldly snorted as the Azure Dragon Spear trembled slightly and a violent force spread out from it. There was a loud blast and the body of the Blood Demon who was impaled on the tip of the spear exploded from the impact and pieces of his corpse scattered all over the place. Before the pieces of the corpse could touch the ground, they had already lost all essence in them and turned into pieces of dried flesh.
No more than 10 breaths had passed since Yang Kai stepped onto the platform. The Blood Demon Half-Saint didn’t even manage to launch a single attack. Even if he was to face a real Demon Saint, he might not have been as powerless as this. He was definitely the fastest Half-Saint to die throughout history.
Yang Kai retrieved his spear and stood straight, he then glanced at the Demon Race Camp coldly and pointed his spear at them, “Who wants to die next!?”
As soon as those words rang out, Yang Yan frowned deeply. She worriedly asked, “He can’t be thinking of using the World’s Will in him to influence the candidate for the next match, right?”
Bing Yun’s expression changed slightly as she nodded, “It’s possible!”
There were no specific rules as to how the two candidates were chosen; therefore, the Pseudo-Great Emperors and Half-Saints in this place could only accept the outcome passively. However, if it was Yang Kai, then what Yang Yan mentioned was plausible. He might actually be able to influence the battle with the World’s Will in his body.
In the second match, the World’s blessing had given him a huge advantage after all. It had practically dropped pie into his lap. If any other Half-Saint had appeared on the battlefield, he would not have had such an effortless victory.
However, Yang Kai’s figure vanished from the life-or-death platform in the next moment and by the time the crowd came back to their senses, he was already standing on the elevated platform of the Star Boundary camp once more.
Yang Kai frowned and let out a sigh. It was just as Yang Yan had guessed. He wanted to use the World’s Will in his body to exert some influence to see if he could remain on the life-or-death platform for the third death match. It was a pity that the results left him feeling disappointed…
His gaze swept across the crowd as he wondered, [Since I’m back, who will be the one to participate in the final battle?]
Everywhere he looked, he saw the Pseudo-Great Emperors wearing solemn expressions.
Out of the corner of his eye, Yang Kai saw a figure disappearing out of sight. He was startled and immediately turned to glance at the life-or-death platform before his pupils instantly shrank.
Next to him, Yang Yan also reached up to cover her red lips in surprise, her beautiful eyes filled with worry.
A pure white figure stood alone at the edge of the life-or-death platform that was closer to the Star Boundary. The only trace of colour on this figure was the blood staining her clothes.
Bing Yun turned her head to look around and smiled softly, “Is it me this time?”
She looked up and glanced forward at the side opposite her. Similarly, a burly figure had appeared there, and when she recognised who it was, a trace of bitterness appeared in her eyes.
“Jia Long!” Yang Kai shouted through gritted teeth, suddenly feeling the impulsive rage to curse out loud.
It was bad enough that Bing Yun was the Star Boundary’s candidate for the third match, but the Demon Race’s candidate just had to be Jia Long! Bing Yun was in great danger!
Jia Long was the strongest among the Demon Race Half-Saints and even Yang Kai had to admit that he would have a hard time if he encountered the former in a fight. The practically infinite Corpse Puppet Army Jia Long commanded was simply beyond annoying, while Jia Long himself was also extremely powerful.
It would not have been so bad if it was just a match to determine a winner as there was always a chance of survival even if there was no way to win. Unfortunately, this was a life-or-death battle that would only end when one party died. According to Yang Kai’s estimation, Bing Yun had less than a 30% chance of winning this fight. There was a high possibility that she was going to die on the life-or-death platform today.
The two of them both came from Heng Luo Star Field, and ever since Yang Kai met Bing Yun in the Solitary Void Sealed World, she had taken very good care of him. Later, she even took Su Yan in as her final Disciple and taught the latter diligently.
[If something happens to Bing Yun in this place… How am I going to explain it to Su Yan and Ji Yao when I return? Am I supposed to tell them that I watched as Jia Long killed her, powerless to interfere!?] Thinking about what might happen to Bing Yun, Yang Kai felt his scalp tingling in fear.
“What do we do!?” Similarly, Yang Yan was panicking. This was a situation she had never foreseen.
Yang Kai gritted his teeth and clenched his fists before suddenly, he ferociously lashed out with his spear. A violent burst of energy swirled, but the barrier of the elevated platform was completely unharmed. His actions only served to startle the others.
At this moment, a battle was taking place on the life-or-death platform, and just as Yang Kai had not given the Blood Demon Half-Saint any chance of reprieve, Jia Long clearly had no intention of giving Bing Yun time to breathe. He immediately unleashed his boundless Corpse Qi the moment he appeared on the platform and flooded the entire life-or-death platform with it.
Bing Yun’s long sword slashed out as Sword Light after Sword Light swept out across her surroundings. An icy aura permeated the air, blocking the spread of the Corpse Qi.
Jia Long grinned and lifted his hand, after which numerous figures emerged from within the Corpse Qi, each one of them emitting a powerful aura.
Bing Yun’s expression turned grim at the sight. Reaching out, she slid her hand down the length of her longsword. Fresh blood flowed and her sword hummed. Then, a whip-like sword wave slashed out. Many Corpse Puppets were cut into two, but they quickly healed under the nourishment of the Corpse Qi, stood back up, and rushed at her without pausing whatsoever.
Meanwhile, Jia Long concealed himself within the Corpse Qi cloud. His figure drifted about erratically as powerful Secret Techniques would fly out at Bing Yun from time to time.
Ice Principles permeated the air and snowflakes fell from the sky. When the snowflakes landed in the Corpse Puppets, they immediately transformed into ice crystals that swiftly spread out to freeze their targets into ice sculptures.
However, there were two Corpse Puppets that were not affected by her attack. These two Corpse Puppets were refined from the corpses of Half-Saints and they were the strongest Corpse Puppets under Jia Long’s control. Each of them seemed to have retained a good deal of their power from when they were still alive and they flanked her from both left and right, providing support for Jia Long and overwhelming her as a result.
Comparatively speaking, Bing Yun had only been a Pseudo-Great Emperor for several years while Jia Long was a veteran Half-Saint from the Demon Realm. He was also the strongest after the Demon Saints, so there was a big gap in their strength from the outset. With the support from his Corpse Puppets, it became a three-against-one battle. How could Bing Yun be a match for him?
No more than a dozen breaths had passed since their battle began and Bing Yun was already panting heavily. In a moment of carelessness, she was struck by Jia Long’s attack and her shoulder immediately rang out with a cracking sound as she was thrown backwards.
Bing Yun and Jia Long were currently stuck in a deathmatch on the life-or-death platform; meanwhile, on the Star Boundary’s viewing platform, Yang Kai was bringing out everything in his arsenal to bombard the barrier. In the beginning, he was the only one, but Yang Yan soon joined him. A short while later, Sheng Yu Zhu stepped in to assist as well. Unfortunately, even the combined strength of these three could do nothing to shake the barrier in any way.
A person standing nearby gave a sigh, “Please stop, you three. This barrier is not something we can destroy. We already tried doing that just now. I’m afraid we won’t be able to leave until somebody dies in this battle.”
Yang Kai ignored those words as his rage was blazing inside his chest and his attacks became increasingly fierce. The rampaging power made many of the Pseudo-Great Emperors involuntarily turn pale.
Bing Yun’s scream rang out again on the life-or-death platform. She had been hit by Jia Long’s Divine Ability again and a hint of green light appeared on her originally pale face. It was obvious that the Corpse Qi had invaded her body.
Yang Kai turned to look only to see Bing Yun fleeing desperately and struggling to persevere. He immediately felt as if his eyes were going to pop. Judging from the situation, Bing Yun would be in mortal danger in less than half a cup of tea’s time. When that time came, all he would be able to do was to collect her corpse.
In his desperation, the wheels in Yang Kai’s head spun swiftly as his thoughts raced. What could he do to save Bing Yun from this crisis?
Leaving aside the fact that the barrier around the viewing platform was so strong that none of them could break it, what could they do even if they did manage to break it? There was another barrier surrounding the life-or-death platform. He could not help Bing Yun turn the situation around unless he could resolve this issue within half a cup of tea’s time.
All of a sudden, Yang Kai seemed to remember something and turned to look at the Illusionary Heavens Furnace.
The Heavenly Source Fruit hanging from the small tree in the Illusionary Heavens Furnace was beating gently like the heart of a living creature. A dazzling brilliance was flowing within, as if it was going to ripen soon.
Back then, the Heavenly Source Fruit experienced a small change when Lin Ru Song died. Further changes occurred to the Heavenly Source Fruit when the Blood Demon Half-Saint died, and at this rate, the Heavenly Source Fruit would ripen as long as one more person died in this place!
[As long as one more person dies… But, that person… does not necessarily have to be Bing Yun!] The moment that thought occurred to Yang Kai, his spirits suddenly lifted. He secretly sent a Divine Sense transmission to Yang Yan and the Demon Qi in his body simultaneously surged fiercely.
Yang Yan, who was casting Secret Techniques to attack the barrier, froze for a brief moment when she heard his transmission and her beautiful eyes immediately lit up as she nodded almost imperceptibly. In the next instant, she spun around abruptly and the three bracelets around her wrist turned into three flaming rings that enveloped a certain person in an instant as she shouted, “Cang Mo sacrificed Feng Wu Liang in order to flee from battle! His actions are beyond despicable and shameless and prove he lacks righteousness! The Heavenly Way will not tolerate it!”
Likewise, Yang Kai turned around sharply as soon as Yang Yan made her move. His Spiritual Energy rolled out like a tsunami as a golden slit of light appeared in his left eye when he met Cang Mo’s gaze. Then, he fiercely thrust out with the Azure Dragon Spear. A small black spot the size of a fist appeared at the tip of the spear, emitting an aura that threatened to devour everything in the world.
The changes happened so quickly that nobody could react in time. Even Cang Mo himself was still coldly watching Yang Kai and Yang Yan attacking the light barrier with the mentality of watching a good show. Who could have thought that those two would point their weapons at him in the next moment?
Caught unprepared, he was affected by Yang Kai’s Soul attack and his mind went blank for a moment. Nevertheless, he had an impressive heritage and soon recovered his senses. Roaring furiously, he punched out, his fists forming a barrage of shadows that covered the sky in front of him.
Loud explosions rang out as Yang Yan’s Three Blazing Flame Rings were sent flying, their light flashing wildly as a result. Similarly, Yang Kai’s figure was also pushed backwards and he staggered several steps. The black spot on the Azure Dragon Spear flashed and disappeared, causing a huge piece of space to collapse.
Meanwhile, Cang Mo took advantage of the explosions to fly backwards, his complexion as pale as a sheet.
Yang Kai was surprised and secretly thought to himself. [This old dog’s strength is pretty impressive, but he hastily took on two powerful Divine Abilities that Yang Yan and I shot out. I don’t think he got out unscathed either.]
Before Yang Kai could make another move, however, he heard a low voice entering his ears, “Ephemeral Allure!”
A viridescent figure flashed by at that moment, and by the time Sheng Yu Zhu appeared again, she was standing behind Cang Mo, blood dripping from the twin sabres in her hands.
Cang Mo felt as if he was struck by lightning and looking down at himself, he saw two huge wounds on his chest and waist respectively. He abruptly turned his head around and cursed angrily, “Bitch!”
He had no grudges or bad blood with Sheng Yu Zhu; in fact, he had never even met her before, hence, he could not understand why this woman was attacking him. Not to mention, she had chosen such a critical moment to make her move that he didn’t even have the chance to avoid or defend himself.
“Many thanks!” Yang Kai shouted. During his exhale, he suddenly retracted his spear and stabbed out once more like a Flood Dragon going out to sea.
*Shua shua shua…* The sounds of three objects speeding through the air rang out as Yang Yan also cast a Secret Technique with a solemn expression. The Three Blazing Flame Rings flew out and transformed into three shackles that closed in on Cang Mo.
Unable to dodge, Cang Mo was bound tightly by those shackles and his expression changed drastically. Scorching heat was coming from the Three Blazing Flame Rings, restricting his freedom and disrupting the flow of the Emperor Qi in his body. He watched helplessly as Yang Kai stabbed him mercilessly and he roared furiously, “How dare you, Yang Kai! I am part of the Star Boundary! How dare you kill me when the enemy is right before us!? You will be condemned for this!”
Yang Kai was unmoved and declared in a cold tone, “Why didn’t you think about how you are part of the Star Boundary when you betrayed Brother Feng? Don’t you think it’s ridiculous to bring up such excuses now?”
The moment his words sounded, the Azure Dragon Spear penetrated Cang Mo’s chest and caused a large amount of fresh blood to gush out.
Cang Mo’s body stiffened and he glared at Yang Kai furiously, his eyes feeling like they were about to explode from rage.
Mere metres away, Yang Kai unflinchingly returned Cang Mo’s glare, his eyes cold and ruthless.
Silence filled the viewing platform as all the other Pseudo-Great Emperors from the Star Boundary were staring at this scene in shock and horror. They were having trouble comprehending what just happened in front of them.
Less than 3 breaths had passed since the start of Yang Kai’s outburst until now. It simply happened too quickly for anybody to react. They had been watching the battle on the life-or-death platform with complete focus, secretly worrying for Bing Yun’s safety, so who could have imagined that Cang Mo, who was standing beside them, would be brutally murdered before Bing Yun died?
It was not that Cang Mo was weak. For him to become a Pseudo-Great Emperor meant that he had his own series of opportunities and attainments. It was just that three people had attacked him on the viewing platform in quick succession. Furthermore, those attacks had caught him completely off guard. He was blindsided by the attacks, so how could he defend himself in time? Not to mention, his freedom had been restrained by Yang Yan’s Three Blazing Flame Rings.
Not only was the viewing platform on the Star Boundary’s side quiet, but even the viewing platform on the Demon Realm’s side was quiet. Many Demon Race Half-Saints were staring at them wide-eyed with confused expressions.
*Dida dida…*
Fresh blood dripped onto the ground and splashed in all directions. Blood trickled out of the corners of Cang Mo’s mouth. Reaching out, he grabbed at the Azure Dragon Spear as if he was holding on to the last bit of his vitality. His eyes were full of hatred and regret as he muttered, “If I had known earlier… If I had only known… this King would have killed you in that Lower Star Field!”
Yang Kai tilted his head and looked at Cang Mo, “This King can refine a pill for regret, do you want to buy some?”
*Pu…* Cang Mo spewed blood.
Yang Kai coldly snorted, “I don’t have much time left. For the sake of the Star Boundary; for the sake of the common people, please… die!”
His hand trembled and his Demon Qi flared wildly, rampaging through Cang Mo’s meridians and obliterating his vitality.
There was a look of unwillingness in Cang Mo’s eyes, but the light behind them quickly dissipated. Only then did Yang Kai pull out his spear and sweep a glance around.
Ten or so Pseudo-Great Emperors from the Star Boundary were frowning and watching him warily. Even though they had gotten some clues from what Yang Kai and Yang Yan said just now, nobody could say whether they were speaking the truth. In any case, Cang Mo was dead and nobody wanted to stand up against Yang Kai and Yang Yan for a dead man. Be that as it may, they remained a little vigilant towards those two!
Yang Kai knew that his actions would most likely make the surviving Pseudo-Great Emperors from the Star Boundary alienate him; even so, he couldn’t care less. Bing Yun’s survival was on the line. In the worst case, he could just explain himself to these people once he returned to the Star Boundary. He believed that the truth would be revealed quickly with Yang Yan’s testimony.
He then glanced at Sheng Yu Zhu again and nodded slightly at her. Sheng Yu Zhu had not said anything nor asked any questions, she simply extended a helping hand when she saw Yang Kai making a move. It was most likely because she had been rescued by him and owed him a life debt from that incident. He and Yang Yan would not have been able to resolve the battle so quickly if not for her. Under those circumstances, the longer things dragged out, the more detrimental the situation would become for both him, Yang Yan, and Bing Yun.
Noticing his gaze, Sheng Yu Zhu smiled slightly and pointed a finger to the side, silently sending a Divine Sense transmission to him, “Get ready.”
His expression turned solemn and the Demon Qi in his body secretly began to surge again.
On the viewing platform, Cang Mo collapsed to the ground and his corpse quickly turned into a mummified corpse.
Following that, the patterns on the surface of the Illusionary Heavens Furnace, which had been rotating slowly all this time, suddenly burst forth with a dazzlingly brilliant light. Grand Dao aura flowed freely while at the same time, the Heavenly Source Fruit hanging from the small tree inside the furnace lit up with an assortment of colours. It was flashing through an infinite cycle of seven-coloured light that illuminated the whole hall.
*Kacha…*
With the sound of something breaking, the light barriers that had been shrouding the viewing platforms on both sides suddenly shattered and disappeared.
At this moment, the eyes of the Pseudo-Great Emperors from the Star Boundary and the Demon Race Half-Saints blazed with extreme heat.
*Xiu xiu xiu…*
Numerous figures sped through the air and rushed towards the Illusionary Heavens Furnace, their target the ripe Heavenly Source Fruit.
When the light barrier was broken, Yang Kai felt a sense of relief washing over him. He could finally confirm that what Jia Long said before was right. Only three more lives were needed for the Heavenly Source Fruit to ripen completely; therefore, his plan to rescue Bing Yun was successful.
He was just about to join the competition for the Heavenly Source Fruit when his gaze involuntarily shifted towards the life-or-death platform, and what he saw at that moment made him scowl deeply.
Bing Yun was never Jia Long’s opponent so she had been deflecting or dodging his attacks the entire time they were on the life-or-death platform. However, she actually took the initiative to attack when all the barriers fell apart and the Heavenly Source Fruit ripened. A dazzling brilliance shot out from her longsword, turning into a Sword Circle that surrounded Jia Long. Judging from her actions, she seemed to be trying to tie him down.
Jia Long was furious. The greatest opportunity in the world was right in front of him, so how could he be in the mood to fight with Bing Yun? It was only natural that his priority was to join the competition as soon as possible. Nevertheless, she was still a Pseudo-Great Emperor so it was not easy to break free from her harassment if she really wanted to stop him.
In a fit of rage, Jia Long opened his mouth to inhale sharply. His chest and abdomen bulged from the air he was inhaling, then he exhaled sharply in her direction. A turbid Corpse Qi rushed at her like a Flood Dragon going out to sea. At the same time, he roared, “Get lost!”
The Ice Principles surged around Bing Yun’s body, but even that could not stop the intrusion of the Corpse Qi. She was thrown backwards by the blast and spat out blood mid.
On the other hand, Jia Long ignored her and rushed towards the Heavenly Source Fruit at lightning speed.
Seeing that Bing Yun was about to fall to the ground, a figure suddenly appeared behind her and supported her with one hand, a worried voice calling out, “Senior, are you okay?”
Bing Yun looked up and met Yang Kai’s eyes and she couldn’t help getting impatient with him, “Don’t mind me! Go!”
She had desperately attacked Jia Long in hopes of slowing him down for a moment. It was all just to give the Star Boundary a little bit more of an advantage. Who could have known that Yang Kai would come to her instead? What was the point of her previous efforts then?
After saying that, her face paled even more than before and her complexion became almost bloodless.
Yang Kai was also aware that time was running out. Seeing that Bing Yun’s life was in no danger, he immediately drew upon his Divine Sense to place her in the Small Sealed World, leaving her in the care of the two Wood Spirits. He did not dare to delay for another moment then and his body flickered, immediately vanishing from the spot.
“Get out here!” Jia Long’s roar came out and Yang Kai, who was travelling through the Void, suddenly felt a huge force slamming into him in mid-air. His figure was revealed involuntarily, still some distance away from the Illusionary Heavens Furnace.
The Illusionary Heavens Furnace was currently surrounded by numerous silhouettes scrambling to rush forward like cats chasing after a single fish. Everyone was going all out to compete for the biggest opportunity in the world.
At this point, both the Pseudo-Great Emperors and Half-Saints were mostly fighting for themselves, even though they might still have the intention of siding with their factions. Everybody around them was a competitor.
A chaotic melee broke out again next to the Illusionary Heavens Furnace as countless Divine Abilities and various artifact attacks blasted out in an extremely intense battle.
Now that the Grand Dao battle had reached the final climax, everybody was being extremely careful. Nobody wanted to be injured at a time like this, so nobody was attacking with their full power, focusing on protecting themselves while advancing forward.
The entire scene might seem extremely explosive, but the brutality of the fight was far less than the initial battle. Everybody was holding back to a certain extent in preparation to snatch the Heavenly Source Fruit. Unfortunately, nobody could approach within a hundred metres of the Illusionary Heavens Furnace since everyone was obstructing each other. Anybody with the opportunity to get any closer would instantly be blocked by an enemy.
The Demon Realm held an absolute advantage in terms of numbers among the people who entered the Profound Heavens Temple. Although the advantage was not as big as it was before, there were still four more Half-Saints from the Demon Realm than Pseudo-Great Emperors from the Star Boundary. Even so, these four were enough to become the key to determining the outcome of this battle.
As time passed, the Demon Race Half-Saints gradually gained the upper hand. Working with each other, they formed a defensive line to approach the Illusionary Heavens Furnace little by little while preventing the Pseudo-Great Emperors from the Star Boundary from moving forward.
For a time, everybody was in a panic.
Every time Yang Kai tried to use Instantaneous Movement to approach the Illusionary Heavens Furnace, Jia Long would use a Secret Technique to interfere with him; therefore, his expression was as ugly as could be.
Jia Long might not be proficient in the Dao of Space, but the Illusionary Heavens Furnace was right there. If Yang Kai wanted to snatch the Heavenly Source Fruit, he would need to approach the Illusionary Heavens Furnace. Hence, Jia Long only needed to disrupt the space surrounding it through brute force.
The Pseudo-Great Emperors from the Star Boundary were unable to break through the defensive circle of the Half-Saints and could not get close to the Heavenly Source Fruit as a result. At the final moment, the extra few on the Demon Race’s side turned out to be the key to success.
The battle continued without pause with the Pseudo-Great Emperors burning with anxiety as they watched the Half-Saints getting closer and closer to the Illusionary Heavens Furnace while being unable to do anything about it.
When the Illusionary Heavens Furnace was within arm’s reach, Jia Long shouted, “Stop them!”
After saying that, he turned and reached towards the Illusionary Heavens Furnace, opening his large hand and grabbing at the Heavenly Source Fruit. His eyes were blazing with a fiery light. As long as he could get his hands on the Heavenly Source Fruit, he would obtain the final victory. Not only would the Star Boundary lose everything, but the Demon Race would also gain an additional Demon Saint. At that time, the Star Boundary would be powerless to resist.
At that moment, somebody’s low voice suddenly rang out slowly, “Heaven Severing… Slash!”
A fearsome Spiritual Energy wave suddenly burst out. That invisible and intangible Soul attack transformed into a sword that was visible to the naked eye, which then shot straight at Jia Long’s head.
Yang Kai widened his eyes abruptly and turned to look in the direction of the person who spoke just now. What he saw was a middle-aged man smiling at him with cunning eyes. He recognised the middle-aged man; however, they were not on familiar terms. It was Fire Lord, one of the Four Great Lords of Demon Heavenly Dao.
Yang Kai had paid special attention to this man when he first entered the Profound Heavens Temple. This man was the only Human in the Demon Race camp after all. That fact alone made him stand out like a crane amongst chickens. It was harder not to notice him.
It was just that Yang Kai had neither met with nor dealt with this person in the Source Sealed World known as the Profound Heavens Temple. Although he had exchanged several blows with the other party during the chaotic battle just now, he could not determine the other party’s true strength since everybody was holding back at the time. Who could have expected that Fire Lord would suddenly unleash such an attack at this time? Moreover, the target of his attack was none other than Jia Long!
His actions were too shocking. It was almost similar to that time when Yang Kai attacked Cang Mo without warning. The Demon Race had not expected Fire Lord of Demon Heavenly Dao to have the courage to betray the strongest Demon Race Half-Saint.
Only Yang Kai’s eyes brightened in pleasant surprise. If Fire Lord had remained silent, he might not have understood the situation and would simply have assumed that Fire Lord had nefarious intentions from the start and wanted to snatch the Heavenly Source Fruit for himself. However, the moment the words ‘Heaven Severing Slash’ rang out, Yang Kai immediately thought of something.
This Soul Secret Technique was something he could also use, and the one who taught him this Secret Technique was a man he once met in the Azure Sun Temple’s Divine Ascension Mirror, Tian Yan.
Tian Yan was born and raised in the Divine Ascension Mirror, and because of that, he did not have a physical body. As a result, his attainments in Soul cultivation were extremely terrifying. The Divine Ascension Mirror was an independent world that had its own World Principles, which allowed Tian Yan to rise to the level of a Great Emperor when it came to attainments in Soul cultivation.
Yang Kai later obtained the Flesh Incarnation Fruit by chance and refined the Flesh Incarnation Pill to help Tian Yan obtain a physical body and break free of the shackles of the Divine Ascension Mirror and venture into a wider world.
It was just that Tian Yan had been very weak when he first obtained a physical body; therefore, he later stayed at the Azure Sun Temple for some time to cultivate before leaving to wander the world after he became a little stronger.
There had been no news from Tian Yan after that. Yang Kai had tried to inquire news about Tian Yan’s current whereabouts, but the invasion of the Demon Race and the great mayhem in the Star Boundary left him with no energy for anything else. He could never have imagined that the Senior who had been missing for so many years had been right in front of him all this time. Not only did Tian Yan become one of the Four Great Lords of Demon Heavenly Dao, but he also infiltrated the Profound Heavens Temple only to switch sides at the last moment.
Yang Kai did not know what Tian Yan had gone through all these years that could allow the latter to cultivate until he became a Pseudo-Great Emperor after starting over from scratch. Be that as it may, it was not that surprising either. Tian Yan originally had the heritage of a Great Emperor, it was just that he did not have a physical body. Despite receiving Yang Kai’s help in creating a physical body and needing to start all over from the beginning, all the insights regarding the Martial Dao and Heavenly Way remained with Tian Yan. He only needed to cultivate steadily for his strength to improve rapidly. In addition, he would not be limited by various bottlenecks like other cultivators.
As for why his appearance had changed, it was probably due to some sort of Secret Technique.
In the first place, Tian Yan’s Soul cultivation was on par with a Great Emperor’s, so even if he was bound by all kinds of restrictions and could not exert his full strength, his attack just now was still not to be underestimated.
Jia Long was completely unprepared when the Soul Sword pierced into his head from behind. His burly body stiffened and for a moment, he was completely frozen in place, unable to move. His large hand that was stretching out towards the Heavenly Source Fruit was less than a forearm’s length away from the seven-coloured Divine Fruit.
The situation was not over yet, however. After Tian Yan finished launching his first attack, he didn’t even bother to look at Jia Long and instead clapped his palms together before immediately pushing them out to the sides with great force. A large ring of fire that was centred around him spread out all of a sudden. The ring of fire contained a scorching heat that caught many Demon Race Half-Saints off guard, causing their stances to falter as a result, opening a hole in their defensive formation.
“What are you still standing there for!?” Tian Yan chuckled as he stared at Yang Kai, who had a confused and astonished expression on his face.
“Many thanks, Senior!” Yang Kai hurriedly said before he rushed through the gap that Tian Yan had forcefully created and arrived in front of the Illusionary Heavens Furnace in the blink of an eye.
“Bastard!” It wasn’t until that moment that Jia Long returned to his senses. Suppressing the pain that was drilling into his head, he formed a fist with the hand he had stretched out earlier and struck at Yang Kai’s waist.
Yang Kai ignored the attack, his eyes completely fixed on the Heavenly Source Fruit. The moment Jia Long’s fist came into contact with his body, he used Nihility to exile himself into the Void. The punch that contained a highly destructive force passed right through Yang Kai’s body. Although he was not hit by the full power of the blow, the force that reverberated through the Void was enough to make him grunt in pain.
Jia Long’s expression changed drastically as he realized it was already too late to stop Yang Kai. By the time he turned around, Yang Kai had already appeared beside the small tree.
Grabbing the Heavenly Source Fruit with one hand, Yang Kai gently plucked it from the branch and placed it into his pocket.
Jia Long fell into complete madness and charged at Yang Kai with a furious roar.
On the other hand, Yang Kai faced Jia Long calmly. He knew that it was time for them to fight to the death. Everybody had held back previously in order to compete for the Heavenly Source Fruit; however, he was in possession of the Heavenly Source Fruit right now, so how could the Half-Saints of the Demon Realm accept such an outcome? Even if they had to fight with their lives on the line, they refused to let Yang Kai bring this fruit out with him; therefore, a storm of attacks rained down on him from all directions. The cooperation of more than 10 Half-Saints made even Yang Kai’s expression extremely grim.
At that moment, a transparent light barrier appeared around the periphery of the Illusionary Heavens Furnace. With a loud rumble, all the attacks were blocked by the light barrier before they could land on Yang Kai.
Yang Kai was stunned, as was Jia Long. Even the rest of the Half-Saints and the Pseudo-Great Emperors were frozen in shock. Silence filled the entire hall as countless eyes were fixed on Yang Kai, who was still standing next to the small tree in the Illusionary Heavens Furnace. The emotions behind those looks varied greatly.
“Hahahahahaha!” Yang Kai couldn’t stop the laughter from bubbling out of him. His tense nerves relaxed completely at this moment. He never imagined that the Profound Heavens Temple would protect him with a barrier after he obtained the Heavenly Source Fruit. His elation was also mixed with a tinge of lingering fear. [Thank goodness Senior Tian Yan took action in time. If Jia Long had gotten his hands on the Heavenly Source Fruit, the one anxiously standing outside would be me instead!]
His laughter continued to echo inside the hall. The Half-Saints from the Demon Realm had extremely ugly expressions on their faces. On the other hand, the Pseudo-Great Emperors from the Star Boundary looked a little disgruntled. Nevertheless, this result was still within the acceptable range. In the end, the greatest reason they entered this place was to prevent the Demon Race from obtaining this opportunity. Although they were not the ones having the last laugh, at least Yang Kai was still part of the Star Boundary.
Yang Yan breathed a long sigh of relief. Recalling what Li Wu Yi had asked of her before her departure, she felt as if a great weight had been lifted off her shoulders. Li Wu Yi’s sacrifice and the deaths of nearly 20 Pseudo-Great Emperors had not been in vain. In the end, it was Yang Kai, a High-Rank Demon King, who ultimately achieved the lifelong dream of the people in this generation.
Feeling relieved, she turned to look at Sheng Yu Zhu. She noticed that Sheng Yu Zhu seemed to hesitate for a moment before seemingly letting go of something and revealing a hint of a smile.
A short while later, the laughter died down. Yang Kai coldly glared at Jia Long who was standing only metres away from him, then playing with the Heavenly Source Fruit, he gave a warning in a dangerous voice, “This King will kill every single one of you the moment he finishes refining this fruit!”
Jia Long glared so fiercely that his eyes felt like they were going to explode. The veins in his temples twitched in anger. Looking at Yang Kai who looked to be within arm’s reach, he suddenly understood what the saying ‘So close yet so far’ meant. As long as the barrier existed, there was nothing he could do to Yang Kai no matter how hard he tried. Furthermore, he couldn’t help feeling a sense of danger when he heard Yang Kai’s threat.
[The strength of this little bastard was not to be underestimated in the first place. How much stronger will he grow once he completely refines the Heavenly Source Fruit? Will the Half-Saints be able to match him in terms of power when that happens?]
After Yang Kai made his declaration, he opened his mouth, stuffed the Heavenly Source Fruit into it, and chewed aggressively. His gaze was fixed on Jia Long the entire time, looking as though he was immediately going to leap out and fight him to the death.
Jia Long’s expression fluctuated. At this moment, it didn’t matter how unwilling he was anymore, it would not change a thing. Yang Kai had already eaten the Heavenly Source Fruit, so was he supposed to make Yang Kai spit it out? Besides, Yang Kai might finish refining the Heavenly Source Fruit if he procrastinated in this place for too long. At that time, it would be difficult for him to escape even if he wanted to. The moment that thought flashed through his mind, he decided to withdraw and shouted, “Let’s go!”
After saying that, he led the 10 or so remaining Half-Saints and retreated slowly.
There was a hint of hesitation on the faces of the Pseudo-Great Emperors from the Star Boundary, but they did not stop the enemy from retreating in the end. Now that the dust had settled and their numbers were more or less even, it would not benefit anybody to continue fighting. They might as well wait until Yang Kai finished refining the Heavenly Source Fruit and received a huge boost in strength. It would not be too late to get rid of the enemy at that time.
On the other hand, the Heavenly Source Fruit transformed into a sweet nectar the moment it entered Yang Kai’s mouth. The nectar immediately flowed down his throat and into his abdomen where a feeling of warmth spread out in an instant. It made his tense nerves relax immediately, so much so that he even felt drowsy as a result. At the same time, all sorts of insights flashed through his Knowledge Sea, allowing him to comprehend many mysteries that had once eluded him.
“The Profound Heavens Temple is going to close soon.” Forcing himself to endure and stay awake, Yang Kai turned to the people in front of him. He did not know how he knew that fact, he just did somehow. The entire situation within the Profound Heavens Temple now seemed to be at his fingertips.
Everybody was shocked by the news, but they quickly calmed down. The Heavenly Source Fruit had been consumed by Yang Kai, so the Profound Heavens Temple no longer had a reason to remain open. It stood to reason that it would close soon.
“There is no need to panic. When the Source Sealed World closes, you will all be transported back safely. As for me, I might need to stay here for a while. I will be leaving everything in the outside world to you,” Yang Kai cupped his fists.
Everybody else returned the gesture and Yang Yan said, “Just focus on refining the Heavenly Source Fruit. Don’t worry about what’s going on outside.”
Yang Kai nodded. There was no point in him worrying about what was happening outside. The World had given them a chance of survival, and now that he had gotten hold of it, what he needed to do was to refine the Heavenly Source Fruit with all his strength so as not to let the entire World down.
“This person is Senior Tian Yan. He is one of us. Temple Master Wen of Azure Sun Temple knows his origins.” He then pointed at Tian Yan.
Yang Yan turned and smiled at Tian Yan.
Although Tian Yan previously played the role of Demon Heavenly Dao’s Fire Lord, his actions at the last moment had proven his stance. Under those circumstances, he could have rushed into the Illusionary Heavens Furnace himself to grab the Heavenly Source Fruit; however, he did not do that and instead launched a sneak attack on Jia Long and the rest of the Demon Race Half-Saints to open a path for Yang Kai, giving the Star Boundary a final shot at victory.
That was why the Pseudo-Great Emperors from the Star Boundary were not being hostile to him. In fact, they were not even very vigilant towards him.
“Senior, I will not forget what you have done for me here today. Please allow me to thank you properly once I come out of retreat,” Yang Kai faced Tian Yan and cupped his fists once more as a sign of respect.
Tian Yan simply smiled, “There’s no need for that. The Divine Fruit might be amazing, but it is of very little use to me. Being able to give you this opportunity is proof that it was not a waste of time for this Old Master to live incognito for so many years.”
Yang Kai was taken aback for a moment, but he quickly realised that Tian Yan had a Great Emperor’s heritage in the first place. Other people might covet the Heavenly Source Fruit, but it might truly be of little use to Tian Yan.
He was about to say something when he suddenly furrowed his brow together, “It’s time. Goodbye and stay safe. I hope we can share a drink together in the future!”
When the words left his lips, a rumbling noise filled the entire hall. Following that, everybody felt a force of rejection pressing in from all directions. That repulsive force was something none of them could resist and they all vanished at the same time within a short three-breath span.
Afterwards, Yang Kai looked at the empty hall and felt his drowsiness growing stronger. Thus, he dropped into a cross-legged sitting position, closed his eyes, and completely immersed himself in his mind.
…..
High above the skies of the Star Boundary was a simple yet majestic palace. Regardless of who it was, all the living creatures in the Star Boundary only needed to raise their heads and look at the sky to see the distinct outline of that palace.
A month had gone by since the start of the Grand Dao battle. During this month, the situation in the Star Boundary had become more and more precarious.
The Demon Race had activated a Heaven Shaking Grand Array, which caused the Demon Lands to expand and spread out into the surroundings with the 108 Demon Strongholds acting as nodes. A large part of the Star Boundary’s land was lost as a consequence, devoured by the Demon Essence with every passing moment. Worse yet, this speed only became faster and faster with the passing of time.
The space in which the Human Race could move about freely within the Star Boundary was continuously being reduced. The armies had retreated over and over again until there was no place left for them to retreat. There was no pure land left in the entire Western Territory; it had completely been devoured. Likewise, the situations in the Eastern, Southern, and Northern Territories were not much better. At this moment, there was less than one-tenth of the original land that could be used by the Human Race. The Star Boundary would collapse completely in another 10 days to half a month. At that time, the Star Boundary would no longer exist. There would be nothing else they could do to turn the situation around and the entire Human Race would eventually be reduced to becoming Demons.
The two Great Elders of the Dragon Clan had attempted to counterattack on numerous occasions, but the effects were negligible. Even if Zhu Yan and Fu Zhun had become much stronger and could now suppress the three Demon Saints if they joined hands, they were unable to stop the expansion of the Demon Lands.
The grey hairs on Li Wu Yi’s head had increased significantly. As the Supreme Commander of the Star Boundary army, he was under more pressure than anybody else in the world. Before the Grand Dao battle, he had asked the Pseudo-Great Emperors who were participating in the Grand Dao battle to leave their respective Life Lamps with him. The Life Lamps would remain lit as long as they were alive. On the other hand, if any of them lost their lives, then their respective Life Lamps would be extinguished.
Over the past couple of days, he watched helplessly as, one by one, the 30 Life Lamps in his possession gradually went out and fell silent. It was difficult to imagine how heartbroken, worried, and anxious he felt. At the moment, only 11 Life Lamps in his possession remained lit. In order words, out of all the people who entered the Profound Heavens Temple, only 11 remained alive! He had heard that the Grand Dao battle was extremely cruel and that, over the generations, only one-third of the people who entered the Profound Heavens Temple would return alive. It would seem now that that statement was true.
The only thing that he rejoiced over was that Yang Kai’s Life Lamp remained lit, as did the Life Lamps of Yang Yan and Bing Yun… As long as the three of them were still alive, a small ray of hope would remain.
Spirit Beast Island in the Eastern Territory used to be the home of Martial Beast Great Emperor, but at this moment, it was occupied by numerous Star Boundary armies and the entire island was crowded with Human soldiers.
All the Army Commanders were gathered together in the main hall. Li Wu Yi sat at the head, sweeping his gaze over the people before him and saw that everybody looked extremely solemn. The atmosphere around them was incredibly gloomy.
They were gathered here today to discuss matters regarding their evacuation. The Western Territory had completely fallen. The Eastern Territory, the Southern Territory, and the Northern Territory would soon suffer the same fate. It was only a matter of time. Even so, the Star Boundary had to make a final effort to survive.
Li Wu Yi was silent for some time before finally speaking up, “We won’t be able to remain in the Eastern Territory for long. According to the reports from various areas, it won’t take more than 10 days before the Eastern Territory follows in the footsteps of the Western Territory. Even Spirit Beast Island will not be spared from that fate. How is the situation in the Southern Territory?”
While speaking, he turned to look at Wen Zi Shan.
Wen Zi Shan stood up, cupped his fists, and responded solemnly, “The situation there is worse than in the Eastern Territory. The time remaining is even shorter. It can only last for another 5 days, at most.”
Upon hearing this, Li Wu Yi frowned and glanced at another person, “What about the Northern Territory?”
Pan Geng Nian, the Army Commander of the Nineteenth Army, stood up, “The Northern Territory is in slightly better condition, but it won’t last very long either. However…”
“But what?” Li Wu Yi raised an eyebrow.
“Most parts of the Northern Territory are essentially lost, only the area around High Heaven Palace is still in fairly good condition. The expansion of the Demon Land dropped sharply and became very slow when it came within a thousand kilometres of High Heaven Palace. Based on this Old Master’s estimation, High Heaven Palace can hold out for at least a month or so!”
“High Heaven Palace!” Li Wu Yi seemed pensive, “The World’s last sanctuary…”
There was no reason why High Heaven Palace would be any different from other places, so the only reasonable explanation was that it had something to do with Yang Kai. High Heaven Palace was established by Yang Kai himself and the large Sect was the result of his painstaking efforts. More importantly, Yang Kai retained part of the World’s Will in him; hence, it made sense to say that High Heaven Palace was where the World was concentrating the last of its strength.
“In that case, is our only option to evacuate to High Heaven Palace?” Ma Qing stroked his goatee.
“That’s just drinking poison to quench one’s thirst. What can we do in a month’s time? Are we supposed to wait in High Heaven Palace until our deaths come!?” The person who spoke lifted his head to look at Li Wu Yi and asked, “Supreme Commander, how is the situation at Dragon Island? If we evacuate to Dragon Island…”
Dragon Island was a Sealed World; moreover, its lands were vast enough to accommodate a lot of people. Based on the current situation of the Star Boundary army, there was more than enough space even if all of them evacuated to Dragon Island. As for all the other Humans in the world that were not part of the Star Boundary army… They would have to fend for themselves.
Li Wu Yi shook his head slowly, “The expansion of the Demon Lands is caused by the erosion of the Demon Realm’s Demon Essence. Dragon Island might be a Sealed World, but it is still attached to the Star Boundary. If the Great World succumbs to the corrosion, the Sealed World will not escape unscathed either. Hiding in Dragon Island is not a wise decision, it will only make things easier for the Demon Race to catch us all in one place. We will only be stuck in an even more passive situation than before.”
Li Wu Yi pondered for a moment before steeling his resolve and shouted, “Inform the entire army. In three days, we will evacuate to High Heaven Palace in the Northern Territory. I command…”
All of a sudden, the entire world rumbled and shook, cutting off his speech mid-sentence as a result.
Immediately afterwards, a mysterious aura surged and swept across every corner of the Star Boundary. All the Masters who could sense this aura looked pensive for a moment, almost as if they gained something from the aura.
Li Wu Yi was stunned as well before soon realising something. His figure flashed as he hurriedly rushed out of the hall. The others hastily followed after him. When they arrived outside the hall, they saw that Li Wu Yi was looking up into the sky. They followed his gaze and their eyes immediately widened in astonishment.
In the sky, the Profound Heavens Temple that had been silent all this while was becoming distorted and seemed to be changing to something else. It soon transformed into the appearance of an ancient Giant Furnace. The Giant Furnace was shining brightly; moreover, there were many strange and peculiar patterns carved into its surroundings. The patterns seemed to bob up and down on the surface, forming name after name that flashed and disappeared one after another.
From among those names, they saw some familiar and some unfamiliar names. Those names included Yellow Sovereign, Black Sovereign, Golden Cicada, Devouring Ghost, Flowing Time, Heaven Devourer, Soaring Sky, Iron Blood, Bustling World, Azure Sea, Cyan Lotus, Ice Feather, Wondrous Pill, Heavens Revelations, Martial Beast…
“The Grand Dao Record!” Li Wu Yi shouted with a burning gaze.
The titles of the Great Emperors were neither chosen by themselves nor spread by the world, they were given directly by the Heavenly Way. Every Great Emperor would receive a title that coincided with their Grand Dao. Naturally, it was a Grand Dao recognised by the world. Only those who could inscribe their names in the Grand Dao of the world could become Great Emperors admired and respected by all.
Those familiar and unfamiliar names were undoubtedly the titles that belonged to the countless Great Emperors throughout history. The titles of the 10 Great Emperors in the current generation were among those names. There were no omissions; even Can Ye’s ‘Night Shadow’ was clearly indicated.
The font colours of the characters that flashed across the Giant Furnace seemed to vary slightly. They were all written in a golden-yellow shade; however, the further back in the past they existed, the darker the shade of golden-yellow they became. In comparison, the titles of the 10 Great Emperors in the current generation shone the brightest.
“Huh? Is it… over?” Li Wu Yi’s lips suddenly felt dry. He stared unblinking at the Giant Furnace, trying to find a new title from amongst the names.
The Profound Heavens Temple had remained unchanged ever since it appeared. Now that it suddenly transformed into a Giant Furnace and even kept displaying the titles of all the past Great Emperors, it could only mean that new progress had been made in the Grand Dao battle. It was also highly likely that it was over.
What was the situation on the Star Boundary’s side? Whose hands did the Grand Dao opportunity fall into in the end? These were the questions that concerned Li Wu Yi the most. If the Star Boundary managed to obtain the opportunity, then the current critical situation in the Star Boundary might change for the better. But, if the Demon Race had succeeded instead, then the Star Boundary was truly in great danger.
轩辕 – Yellow Sovereign (Xuan Yuan)
真武 – Black Sovereign (Zhen Wu)
罗刹 – Devouring Ghost (Raksasa)
These are actual figures in mythology.
Xuan Yuan is known as the Yellow Emperor
Zhen Wu is known as the Black Emperor. (He wears all black.)
Raksasa is a demon that likes to eat.