The power of space that he had cultivated through his own efforts should prove useful in a situation like this. As long as he picked the right moment to tear through the fabric of space, making a clean escape wasn't out of the question. For that reason, Yang Kai was the calmest among the five.
However, the risk was considerable. If the spatial rift he tore open encountered too powerful an energy impact, it could become unstable or even collapse entirely. Traversing through an unstable spatial rift — even he couldn't guarantee his own safety.
He wouldn't resort to that unless there was absolutely no other choice.
All five of them were trapped in peril with not a single solution in sight, left to stand rooted in place and wait for death. That sense of despair settled over every one of them, sending everyone into a state of panic.
It was then that the elderly man surnamed Chen suddenly let out a sharp cry, as though yet another change had occurred.
Following his exclamation, the flow of interwoven five-element energy before their very eyes surged in speed without warning. The cave entrance carved into the rock face became startlingly clear, as though it had already stabilized and could be freely entered or exited by anyone.
The Five-Element Tribulation Spirit Formation appeared to be on the verge of breaking through!
This discovery sent a thrill of desperate hope through the group. But the very next instant, every single one of them screamed.
As the energy in the void swirled, an impossibly vast suction force surged toward them from the front. Whatever residual power remained in the bodies of the other four poured out like water through a collapsed dam, entirely beyond their control.
Visible to the naked eye, their auras withered. One by one, their faces turned pale as paper, their bodies swaying unsteadily. Even Yang Kai was not faring well — in that single instant, he felt a significant portion of the Saint Yuan within him simply vanish into thin air.
The amount lost was roughly equivalent to the total power of a third-level Return Void realm martial artist.
He possessed a vast reservoir of Saint Yuan, so he had no immediate fear for his life. But Elder Jiang and the other three were a different matter entirely. The residual Saint Yuan inside them was not only drained clean in a heartbeat — even the vital essence of their blood and flesh was being stripped away.
All four of their eyes rolled back. Their breathing grew shallow, with far more air leaving their bodies than entering. Ropes of vivid crimson energy were drawn out of them like slithering blood serpents, brimming with a strange sentience, dissolving into the void before them.
That was their life force — the very foundation upon which their existence depended.
Visible to the naked eye, their bodies shriveled at a horrifying rate. Eye sockets sank deep, facial skin withered like ancient bark. Time seemed to flow through them in the span of a single breath — a hundred years, a thousand years — and even their hair turned streaked, rapidly bleaching to a snowy white.
Without a sound, in the span of just ten breaths, four second-level Return Void realm powerhouses lost all claim to life. Their auras extinguished completely.
And at that very moment, the Five-Element Tribulation Spirit Formation appeared to have reached its fullness, transforming into a massive wave of energy that began to batter against the cave entrance.
But without the other four to assist him, Yang Kai alone could not maintain the balance of the five elements.
Once that balance was broken, the Five-Element Tribulation Spirit Formation, by its very nature, would reflect all of its energy outward.
That would be the full combined force of the life essence and Saint Yuan of four second-level Return Void realm cultivators. Even Yang Kai couldn't guarantee he would survive such a backlash — at best he would suffer catastrophic injuries. Most likely, he would simply be obliterated on the spot.
All this effort for nothing? A flash of defiance crossed Yang Kai's eyes. The five of them had come searching for treasure together. The others had all died right in front of him. They had been mere acquaintances, strangers thrown together by circumstance with no real bonds between them — but to fall at the final hurdle like this would render their deaths entirely meaningless.
Yang Kai didn't feel anguish over their fate. A martial artist's path of Cultivation had always been fraught with risk. To perish without warning was simply part of the life. But giving up now — that was something he could not accept.
He couldn't possibly maintain the five-element balance alone.
Was tearing open space and fleeing immediately truly his only option?
That thought had already taken shape, and Yang Kai began condensing his space power, preparing to rend the fabric of space itself. But the very next moment, his eyes suddenly lit up, as though something had clicked into place. Instantly, he suppressed the space power and instead flipped his hand, a sphere of five-colored light materializing in his palm.
The Indestructible Five-Element Sword Qi!
The Indestructible Five-Element Sword was a body-tempering technique, but the requirements to cultivate it were extraordinarily demanding. It demanded not only exceptional physical resilience but also a powerful Divine Sense, so that one could endure the excruciating pain involved. On top of that, one had to seek out five-element supreme treasures and draw upon the spiritual energy within them to practice the technique.
Yang Kai had expended considerable effort and time, gathering the five-element supreme treasures both deliberately and by chance, and had practiced the technique for a period of time.
The five-colored sphere of sword qi in his palm was the fruit of that labor. However, his training had been too brief — the Indestructible Five-Element Sword Qi was still far too weak to be deployed against a truly powerful foe.
But for the situation at hand, it might just prove helpful.
Solar Essence, Dark Yin Mysterious Water, Thunderwood, Profound Crystal, Great Extension Divine Sand — which of these wasn't a heaven-defying material? Materials like these simply couldn't be found on the Dark Star. Five-element sword qi refined from such ingredients, no matter how weak, couldn't possibly be insignificant.
Moreover, this was something unique to Yang Kai alone. He could command it at will, with far greater ease and far more balanced control than coordinating the flow of Saint Yuan with others.
And especially now — the Five-Element Tribulation Spirit Formation was practically on the verge of breaking. It needed only the final push.
Perhaps the Indestructible Five-Element Sword Qi could be the last straw that broke the camel's back!
With that thought crystallizing in his mind, Yang Kai swung his hand without hesitation. The five-colored sphere split into five, transforming into five exquisitely crafted miniature swords. Each one shot toward the void from the position where one of the five had previously stood, merging into the terrifying energy storm beyond.