At the horizon, a multicolored radiance was rapidly approaching. Within the luminous haze, the vague outline of a massive figure could be seen.
"Not good!" Ghost Ancestor bellowed. No longer bothering to toy with Xu Wei and Kong Fa, he unleashed a full-power strike that sent both Void King Realm experts flying backward, then shouted at Yang Kai: "The divine bird is returning to its nest — move faster, Yang Kai!"
He didn't need to be told. The instant that piercing cry reached his ears, Yang Kai knew exactly what had happened.
His expression grew utterly grave.
The divine bird possessed some unknown ability — it could somehow sense the changes in the Tree of Eternity. They had barely made a little progress before alerting it. At its speed, it wouldn't take long to return here, and when it did, everyone would have to scram.
He sat cross-legged on the spot, simultaneously controlling his Dharma Body to strike with everything it had while continuously issuing commands to Xiaoxiao.
"ROAR!" Xiaoxiao sensed Yang Kai's urgency. Its body abruptly sank, and it let out a thunderous roar. A visible shockwave of sound erupted from its mouth, and in the next instant, its small frame swelled violently, growing larger!
In the blink of an eye, Xiaoxiao's size had ballooned three or four times over.
Though this wasn't its limit and it still hadn't reached the stature of a stone giant, the surge in power was nothing to scoff at.
The Tree of Eternity was immediately being uprooted at a remarkable pace…
Yang Kai stole a glance toward the divine bird's position and couldn't help but blanch.
The multicolored radiance was already about to reach them — less than a hundred li away. A hundred li might seem far, but at the divine bird's speed, it was probably nothing more than two beats of its wings.
At that moment, not only was he panicking — everyone appeared flustered and at a loss.
Ni Guang and Zi Long had already stopped fighting and were shooting back. The former wrapped Xue Yue in Holy Yuan and bolted outward at lightning speed. Before leaving, Xue Yue shouted Yang Kai's name, urging him to flee immediately…
Zi Long had also taken Zi Donglai along, not daring to linger for even a moment as he retreated in haste.
"Brother Kong, run!" Xu Wei's scalp tingled with dread. Shouting at the top of his lungs, he formed hand seals and exhaled a puff of turbid qi. His body transformed into a streak of rainbow light, and he fled faster than anyone.
Kong Fa was right on his heels.
The numerous Void King Realm experts fled in panic like stray dogs — a comically wretched sight.
In an instant, everyone surrounding the Tree of Eternity had evacuated completely, leaving only Ghost Ancestor to guard Yang Kai.
Even someone as powerful as Ghost Ancestor was breaking into a sweat, the mass of black qi coiled around him churning restlessly, rising and falling in agitation.
"Grand Elder, leave first!" Yang Kai urged urgently.
"I'll stay with you." In this critical moment, Ghost Ancestor proved dependable — he had no intention of abandoning Yang Kai to flee alone. This made Yang Kai feel that admitting him into Lingxiao Pavilion had indeed been a wise decision.
After all, Ghost Ancestor's choice to stay at a time like this was putting his life on the line.
It was precisely in moments like these that a person's true character showed itself, and Ghost Ancestor had undoubtedly earned Yang Kai's genuine approval.
"I'm confident I can escape — don't worry about me," Yang Kai shot back at breakneck speed.
Ghost Ancestor paused briefly, then immediately understood. Yang Kai was probably planning to rely on his spatial power. "Then be careful," he said in a low voice. "I'll take my leave first."
As soon as the words left his mouth, his body flickered. The Myriad Soul Banner enveloped him, transforming into a ball of black qi that shot off into the distance.
In the time it took to exchange those words, the divine bird had closed to within arm's reach — in another breath, it would descend right on top of Yang Kai. At such close range, Yang Kai could finally make out exactly what it looked like.
It was a peacock of enormous size, its plumage a dazzling kaleidoscope of colors, its tail feathers long and splendid — breathtakingly beautiful.
Perhaps in all the world, only the legendary phoenix could rival the beauty of this divine bird.
But now, beneath that stunning exterior lurked a murderous intent capable of drowning the heavens!
Another piercing cry rang out. From the divine bird, the Seven Luminances Sacred Light surged forth, charging in wildly — as though the celestial river overhead had shattered and come crashing down.
Yang Kai sprang from his spot and dashed forward.
At the same time, the stone puppet Xiaoxiao and the Dharma Body had already secured the Tree of Eternity.
The instant the Tree of Eternity was pulled from the ground, the entire Medicine Valley trembled for a moment. Xiaoxiao grabbed hold of its fellow stone puppet — the Dharma Body — with one hand while clutching the uprooted Tree of Eternity in the other, then launched itself toward Yang Kai with a powerful kick off the ground.
The two sides met halfway.
Yang Kai stuffed both stone puppets into his spatial ring, then extended both hands. Dense spatial energy surged from his body as he plunged them into the void and tore them apart!
A spatial rift materialized instantly.
He dove straight in!
The incoming Seven Luminances Sacred Light engulfed the spot where he had just been standing, deflected by the spatial rift, but Yang Kai had already vanished without a trace.
The divine bird seemed to sense something. Its massive body dipped in a shallow dive and charged toward the torn rift.
Within the spatial rift, Yang Kai slowly let out a breath, his face etched with the lingering fear of a narrow escape.