Nobody had anticipated such a situation, nor had anyone encountered anything like it before—not even in hearsay.
Five people stood within the same domain vortex, yet the vast majority of its power had been drawn toward a single individual, as if the vortex itself had begun to target that person, refusing to let him reach its very center.
With the pressure on the three—the old man and his companions—dramatically reduced, they naturally saw a glimmer of hope and were unwilling to simply hand over the Domain Stone.
They closed in on the center at tremendous speed, their expressions vicious as they glared at Yang Kai, murderous intent radiating from their bodies. Their intentions were clearly hostile.
Xue Sun's beautiful face shifted slightly. After shouting a warning to Yang Kai, she too prepared to dash forward.
"Stay put if you want to live!" Yang Kai's voice suddenly rang in her ear.
Xue Sun halted mid-step. She stared at Yang Kai's retreating figure with a shifting expression, her dark brows furrowed slightly, unable to fathom what he was up to.
But she didn't press the matter. She chose to trust Yang Kai.
Yang Kai appeared to be in grave danger. The enormous domain power he had drawn to himself was far beyond what any Return Void cultivator could endure—the mere fact that he could still stand there was nothing short of miraculous.
Xue Sun could clearly sense that Yang Kai's own aura was being suppressed inch by inch, forced back into his body. His aura simply could not contend with that bizarre domain power.
Xue Sun couldn't help but grow nervous. She had no idea what would become of this man once his aura was completely suppressed.
He would most likely perish on the spot!
If that happened, little Qingluo would surely be devastated. She'd heard their bond was rather close...
Under her anxious gaze, Yang Kai's aura collided with the domain power within the vortex like two great armies locked in fierce battle. But Yang Kai's aura was utterly routed, its defeat a catastrophic collapse, continuously driven back.
His aura field shrank bit by bit until it only covered the area immediately around his body.
The fluctuations within the domain vortex grew even more bizarre and violent, as if all of its power had been drawn to Yang Kai and was now launching a fierce, merciless final strike. In an instant, it shattered his aura field and engulfed him completely.
Xue Sun couldn't help but shriek, turning her head away, unable to bear witnessing Yang Kai's body exploding in a shower of gore.
The expected eruption of blood and flesh never came.
Xue Sun was startled and uncertain. The next instant, she heard Yang Kai's hearty laughter—unfathomably exuberant for someone trapped in such a desperate situation.
She whipped her head around, gazing at Yang Kai once more, and was astonished to find him completely unscathed despite being swallowed by the domain.
"How is this possible?" Xue Sun was stunned.
She clearly hadn't sensed Yang Kai release any aura whatsoever. He stood at the very heart of the domain vortex with absolutely no defenses, yet was perfectly unharmed!
A mysterious energy lingered around Yang Kai, merging him with the domain vortex. If she hadn't been looking with her own eyes, Xue Sun was certain she wouldn't have been able to detect his presence. At this moment, he seemed to have fused completely with the domain vortex, becoming one with it.
His foot, which had been suspended in midair, suddenly dropped downward, and he truly arrived at the very center.
With the fall of that foot, the domain vortex—which he had churned into chaos—returned to its normal state. The terrifying pressure that should have existed all along surged in from every direction once more, forcing a stifled grunt from Xue Sun as she struggled to withstand it.
The three—the old man and his companions—were not so fortunate.
When the pressure had been dramatically reduced earlier, they had charged inward with abandon, surging forward several dozen zhang in an instant. They were now only about ten zhang from Yang Kai's position.
Now that the pressure within the domain vortex had returned in full, how could they possibly endure it?
The sudden resurgence of domain power left the three horrified beyond measure. They screamed in panic, desperately channeling their Saint Qi and unleashing various Artifacts to shield themselves, attempting to retreat.
This was never a place they could have reached. Had Yang Kai not drawn away the majority of the domain vortex's pressure earlier, they never would have had the ability to come this far.
Now, retreating was undoubtedly too late.
The mysterious annihilating force erupting from the domain was something they could not resist. Their protective Artifacts shattered into dust one after another. Amid screams and wails, all three exploded in succession, their blood and innards scattering across the ground...
Xue Sun stared blankly at the scene, watching three Return Void Third Stage powerhouses perish in the span of just three breaths. A chill swept through her from head to toe.
She suddenly recalled Yang Kai's earlier warning.
Stay put if you want to live!
She was certain that had she not heeded Yang Kai's advice, she would have shared the same fate as those three—and met her end right here.
A feeling of having narrowly escaped death washed over her, and her face turned slightly pale.
This guy... had he been scheming this the whole time? He'd been trying to merge himself with the domain vortex all along, to escape its targeting? Where did he find the confidence to attempt something like that? How deep was his understanding of aura?
Had he already comprehended the mysteries of domains?
Countless questions swirled in Xue Sun's mind, but she didn't dare ask any of them. All she knew was that this human's attainment in the Martial Dao was something she could only look up to.
In truth, while the domain vortex before them was formidable enough, if the three had taken things step by step—slowly unraveling its mysteries and advancing inch by inch—they might well have reached the center without meeting such a miserable end.
What doomed them was that they were never given the chance. Yang Kai had given them hope—and just when they saw the light, he brought despair before their eyes...
With virtually no effort at all, he used the domain vortex's own power to kill all three!
If this was something he had planned all along, then that was beyond despicable...