"Mm." Yang Kai nodded, his expression turning somewhat ferocious. "Being suddenly used as a bargaining chip against you — even I, the Sect Master, am not too happy about it, Elder Sha. Will there be any trouble if I kill this Jiang Huai'an?"
Sha Hu sighed at his words. "Spare his life. I'll deal with him personally."
"As you wish!"
"You want to kill me? Let's see if you have the ability!" Jiang Huai'an's face was twisted with rage as he glared viciously at Yang Kai.
Yang Kai's composure infuriated him, and a deep unease stirred in his heart. He couldn't tell whether Yang Kai truly had some powerful backing that made him unafraid of the Tide Sound Azure Wave Array — after all, the rumors he'd heard claimed that Yang Kai had slain peak Return Void Realm powerhouses.
Still, no matter how strong an individual might be, they couldn't possibly surpass an array formation, right? At that thought, Jiang Huai'an's unease settled considerably. He regarded Yang Kai with cold contempt, his face full of mockery.
As time passed, the power of the Tide Sound Azure Wave Array grew ever stronger. The abundant water-elemental spiritual energy in the surroundings poured endlessly into the formation, coalescing into spirit beasts and weapon-shaped constructs that grew larger and larger.
A wave of pressure descended from the heavens — so immense that even Sha Hu's expression changed drastically.
Yet Yang Kai still showed no intention of making a move. He stood at ease in place, as though he were carefully appraising the might of the Tide Sound Azure Wave Array.
A full half a cup of tea's time later, the formation's power had been raised to its absolute peak.
A sound like a tsunami roared at his ears, unsettling the mind. Looking around, the sky was filled with countless spirit beasts and weapons formed from water-elemental energy, each one bearing down on Yang Kai like a ravenous predator, ready to tear him to shreds the moment the signal came.
A look of relief appeared on Jiang Huai'an's face. He knew that now, no matter what heaven-defying abilities Yang Kai possessed, there was no escaping the Tide Sound Azure Wave Array.
This massive formation had been refined and reinforced over generations by countless talented individuals of the Sea Palace — it was a trump card capable of withstanding an entire sect's annihilation.
"Sect Master Yang, considering you are Senior Uncle Sha's guest, why not surrender quietly? I, the Palace Master, can consider showing leniency. What do you say?" Jiang Huai'an spoke unhurriedly, looking as though Yang Kai was already in the palm of his hand.
"No thanks," Yang Kai shook his head, smiling at Jiang Huai'an. "I came with sincerity, yet I was met with this sort of treatment. To be honest, your Sea Palace has made me rather angry. If Elder Sha weren't here, I'd have been tempted to wipe the Sea Palace off the Dark Star entirely. But since the Sea Palace is Elder Sha's sect, I can't go too far."
"You think you have the power to wipe my Sea Palace from the Dark Star? Who gave you such confidence?" Jiang Huai'an bellowed. "Do you actually have that ability?"
Yang Kai chuckled softly, making no grand gestures. He simply looked at Jiang Huai'an and softly uttered a single word.
"Break."
The moment the word left his lips, the Tide Sound Azure Wave Array — charged to its absolute limit — suddenly shuddered and hummed. The countless spirit beasts and weapons suspended in midair seemed to gain sentience of their own, obeying Yang Kai's command. In a cascading series of explosions, every single one of them detonated.
Even the brilliant barrier of light that shrouded the entirety of Black Reef Island shattered in that same instant.
The Sea Palace's guardian grand formation was broken — in the blink of an eye.
It was as though the word Yang Kai had spoken contained supreme authority, compelling the spiritual energy between heaven and earth to obey his decree.
Sha Hu stood dumbstruck, his mind profoundly shaken. He gazed at Yang Kai with utter disbelief, as if meeting him for the very first time.
Jiang Huai'an was frozen in place, darting his eyes between Yang Kai and his surroundings, unable to believe it. The Tide Sound Azure Wave Array — broken by a single word from the other party's mouth?
Third Palace Master Qi Yunhai was likewise rendered speechless, his body trembling faintly.
The remaining Sea Palace powerhouses all cried out in disbelief.
"What's going on?" After a long moment, Jiang Huai'an finally snapped back to his senses and turned to roar at Qi Yunhai. "Where are the disciples managing the formation? Why did they shut it down?"
He assumed the formation had fallen because the disciples had deactivated it — not because Yang Kai had done anything.
Qi Yunhai's head throbbed. He hurriedly produced a communication compass, channeling divine sense into it to contact the disciples operating the Tide Sound Azure Wave Array. A moment later, his face went pale. "Great Palace Master — the disciples didn't shut it down. They simply can't activate the formation anymore."
"How is that possible?" Jiang Huai'an's eyes trembled with terror as he stared at Yang Kai.
Yang Kai grinned. "No point in wasting your efforts. Right now, the ambient spiritual energy within a thousand-li radius is under my control. Without my permission, your formation is nothing but a decoration."
"Preposterous!" Jiang Huai'an snapped. "Even if you're at the Void King Realm, there's no way you can command spiritual energy over such a vast area! Do you take me for a fool?"
Yang Kai let out a soft chuckle. His hands slowly rose in front of him.
His movement wasn't fast — quite the opposite, it was almost leisurely. But as his hands lifted, the seawater around Black Reef Island erupted as if brought to a rolling boil. Massive bubbles surged up from beneath the surface in violent succession.
One enormous vortex after another took shape around Black Reef Island, spinning with frenzied power.
Booom… booom… booom…