No one had expected that someone like Yang Kai would have dabbled in the mysteries of space. The power of space had always been an exceedingly niche domain — not only extremely difficult to comprehend but even harder to break through. Warriors who understood the mysteries of space were exceedingly rare.
Even across the entire Star Domain, those who had mastered spatial mysteries could be counted on one hand.
A powerhouse like the Ghost Ancestor had studied them for a thousand years without producing anything meaningful. The spatial formations he had created were completely useless.
"Brother…" Shen Tu licked his dry lips and muttered, "You really came from a lower-grade continent? You haven't been playing the pig to eat the tiger this whole time, have you?"
He had voiced what everyone was thinking. Almost all of them had entertained the notion that Yang Kai must come from some extraordinary background, that he had been putting on an act all this time to fool them.
Yang Kai chuckled. "If I hadn't come from a lower-grade continent, I wouldn't be completely ignorant of the Star Domain's common knowledge."
Shen Tu considered this for a moment and gave a slight nod. "Fair point."
Ever since he had gotten to know Yang Kai, the latter had constantly been asking him about basic, common-knowledge questions. If all of that had been an act, it would have been way too much.
"Still, you really are full of surprises…" Shen Tu said with a rueful smile. "Why are you telling us all this now?"
"Because getting you all out will require your cooperation." Yang Kai's expression turned grave. "I can tear open a passage into space and guide you through the spatial turbulence to find a way out. But the space I tear open is not the same as a spatial tunnel that has existed for a long time… A spatial tunnel is stable — it connects two points in space and allows people to travel freely between them. The space I tear open is unstable."
The expressions of the group shifted. They suddenly realized that things were not as simple as they had imagined. The path to freedom, it seemed, was fraught with thorns.
"I need all of you to promise me that you won't use any force in there!" Yang Kai swept his serious gaze over everyone, finally settling on the Ghost Ancestor. "You too, Senior. The moment any of you uses your power, it could disturb the spatial turbulence and make things even more chaotic. We could end up banished into some unknown spatial rift, and once we lose our bearings, even I won't be able to get us out!"
"Oh?" The Ghost Ancestor grinned and nodded. "Very well. This old man will hold back his power."
"Have you all remembered that?" Yang Kai looked at the others.
They all nodded in unison.
"Nothing else, really. Just stick close to me and we should be fine." Yang Kai thought it over carefully, convinced he had covered everything worth mentioning. Then he said, "If you're ready, let's go."
As he spoke, he reached out and tore. The void split open, a rift appearing as though an invisible hand had pulled it apart. It yawned open several zhang wide, revealing pitch-black darkness within, not a sliver of light. Violent spatial forces collided and churned inside, forming a terrifying zone like a bottomless mire. It was utterly bizarre.
Even the Ghost Ancestor's expression turned solemn. He peered into the spatial rift with deep, unfathomable eyes. The others were each more tense than the last.
Yang Kai gripped a luminous strange stone he had pried from the cave wall. Without a word, he stepped inside.
The Ghost Ancestor's eyes flickered. Rather than rushing to follow Yang Kai, he grabbed Shen Tu and tossed him in.
Bi Ya went in right after Shen Tu. Only then did the Ghost Ancestor casually enter, pushing Yue Xi and her two companions to the very back.
Once all seven had passed through, the rift rapidly sealed shut behind them.
Surrounding them was cold, impenetrable darkness. The only light came from the strange stone in Yang Kai's hand, illuminating the way forward.
They dared not fall even a single step behind. Every one of them treaded as if walking on thin ice through the spatial turbulence, glancing warily left and right, their faces pale with shock.
None of them had ever experienced anything like this. They had never imagined they would one day walk through the spatial rift itself.
The surrounding spatial turbulence was chaotic and wild, like some monstrous beast with its gaping maw wide open, threatening to devour them all. The turbulence also resembled the most treacherous swamp — full of muddy traps at every turn. One careless step, and you would be dragged in and banished to the ends of the world.
Loud, pounding heartbeats echoed from every chest.
They marveled at the sights around them while their hearts lurched in their throats.
What reassured them was that wherever Yang Kai stepped, the chaotic spatial forces seemed to smooth out, as if tamed. The treacherous, muddy turbulence solidified into firm ground beneath his feet, making it relatively safe to walk.
Every one of them keenly sensed that Yang Kai's entire being — his spirit, energy, and vitality — had achieved some kind of mysterious resonance with the turbulence around them. He had glimpsed its underlying patterns, which was how he could navigate a path to freedom.
They held their breath, each person stepping precisely in the footsteps of the one before, moving forward one by one.
Suddenly, a brief cry of alarm rang out. Yang Kai stopped abruptly and looked back. "What happened?"
"Nothing…" He Miao patted her chest, her face apologetic. "Sorry — I thought I was falling."
Beside her foot, a patch of space was shattering inch by inch, fragmenting like a broken mirror. It inevitably created the illusion of plunging into an abyss.
Yang Kai nodded without saying much and continued leading the way.
"Don't go getting startled like that, little girl! You scared this old man half to death!" The Ghost Ancestor turned back and flashed He Miao a grin. His sinister smile only made her already pale complexion look worse.
Walking at the front, Yang Kai halted once again. He reached out and tore — and another rift split open through the spatial barrier.