The formation constructed using countless Saint Crystals was unmistakably a spatial array. The grand gate at its center had been refined from scattered warship fragments, and along its edges was layered a thin coat of Ethereal Crystal!
This layer of Ethereal Crystal was the key to opening and maintaining the Void Passage—refined from over a hundred spatial rings.
It was only now that Lü Guichen and Yue Xi finally understood what method the Ghost Ancestor intended to use to escape from here—he planned to use this spatial array to teleport himself away.
All the doubts, all the confusion that had plagued them vanished the instant they laid eyes on this Void Passage.
But anyone present could see that the Void Passage produced by this spatial array was extremely unstable and could collapse at any moment. Could such a thing even be used? And even if it could teleport them, no one knew where the destination was. If they were sent tumbling into some spatial rift, it would be far worse than staying on this continent—at least here, the spiritual energy was rich and the resources abundant.
For a moment, everyone fell silent.
The Ghost Ancestor smiled. "Now it's time for you to lend a hand!"
The moment these words left his mouth, everyone's hearts sank to the floor.
He seemed to want someone to go inside and test the waters...
Seeing through his intention, every face in the crowd changed.
"Senior, this isn't wise!" Yue Xi said urgently, trying to explain the stakes to the Ghost Ancestor.
"Hmm? What isn't wise?" The Ghost Ancestor regarded her with cold severity, his sinister aura descending over her like a dark canopy, rendering her speechless in an instant.
"Do you think I let you stop killing each other, let you gather resources here, out of the goodness of my heart? Hmph! If you weren't still somewhat useful, I would have killed every last one of you long ago to fuel the spirits of my Ghost Soul Banner. I wouldn't have tolerated your insolence!" The Ghost Ancestor snarled viciously. In that moment, his cruel nature was laid bare and his mild demeanor turned bloodthirsty and sinister in the blink of an eye. "Whoever dares refuse again, I'll show them what happens right now!"
Everyone froze like cicadas in winter, and no one dared utter another word.
With his strength, even brute force would leave them powerless to resist. So they all promptly behaved.
The Ghost Ancestor nodded with satisfaction, his sharp gaze sweeping through the crowd. Every person he looked at involuntarily lowered their head, looking as though they feared being chosen.
"Don't look at me. Don't look at me..." Shentu lowered his eyelids, expression tense, muttering softly over and over like he was chanting a spell to divert the old man's gaze elsewhere.
"You! Come here, boy!" The Ghost Ancestor suddenly pointed.
Everyone followed his finger. When they saw who it was pointing at, their tension immediately eased, and quite a few even showed expressions of schadenfreude.
"Damn!" Shentu's face darkened. He cursed inwardly and gave an awkward, sheepish laugh, rubbing his large hands together as he carefully tried to fool himself: "Senior, you're talking about me, right? You're not talking about me, are you?"
In that moment, he wished he could die. He silently resolved that if the Ghost Ancestor truly chose him to test the spatial array, he would rather die than comply.
"The one next to you!" The Ghost Ancestor shifted his gaze to Yang Kai.
"Me?" Now it was Yang Kai's turn to change color. He pointed at his own nose and said indignantly, "Why me? There are so many people here—why pick me of all people?"
He was thoroughly vexed. Nearly a hundred warriors from the Sword Alliance and Purple Star were gathered here. The Ghost Ancestor had singled him out specifically, and he had no idea whether it was bad luck or deliberate targeting.
The Ghost Ancestor snorted coldly. "You look like the restless type."
"Just because of that?" Yang Kai frowned and quickly said, "Senior, let me off. I promise I'll behave myself from now on."
"From now on? There is no from now on!" the Ghost Ancestor said impatiently.
"Senior is truly wise!" Yue Xi's lips curled into a cold smirk as she chimed in, her beautiful eyes glancing at Yang Kai with undisguised satisfaction.
Just recently, Yang Kai had humiliated her, and now he was meeting his comeuppance—karma couldn't possibly arrive any faster. Yue Xi even felt a flicker of gratitude toward the old man. She longed to see Yang Kai suffer, to vent the hatred in her heart and avenge her disciple.
Yang Kai's expression turned icy. He glanced at Yue Xi and snarled through gritted teeth, "Vile wench, I'll remember you!"
Yue Xi let out a derisive laugh, unconcerned, and mocked, "Let's see if you even survive today first."
"The Senior is indeed most wise! My Purple Star will unconditionally follow the Senior's arrangements!" Lü Guichen added from the side.
As long as the Ghost Ancestor didn't choose their people, neither Lü Guichen nor Yue Xi cared.
"The people have spoken! Don't try to weasel out of it, boy!" The Ghost Ancestor laughed heartily and opened his palm. An irresistible pulling force erupted from it, and Yang Kai's body flew involuntarily toward him, arriving before the Ghost Ancestor in an instant, unable to even muster the strength to resist.
Staring at the Void Passage opened by the spatial array, Yang Kai's expression was grave.
He could sense that this Void Passage was completely different from any he had seen before.
The ones he had seen previously had been formed accidentally during great battles between powerhouses in ancient times, but they had existed for countless years and had long since stabilized.
This one, framed by a gate, was wildly erratic. The spatial turbulence raging within was so chaotic that even Yang Kai's heart trembled.
If he charged inside, danger would be everywhere. He could easily get lost and never find his way out—trapped for the rest of his life.
"I won't seal your strength, because there may be dangers inside. Go in and investigate. If you make it back alive, that would be best. If you don't, don't blame me... well, just look out for yourself!"
As he spoke, the Ghost Ancestor prepared to throw Yang Kai into the Void Passage.
"Wait!" Yang Kai shouted urgently.