Though he had clashed with Yang Kai moments ago, that had merely been a skirmish—he hadn't been fighting at full strength. But now, desperate to obtain the Void Thought Crystal and break through to the pinnacle Void King Third Stage, Gongsun Liang was holding absolutely nothing back.
This strike was a full ten-tenths of his power, yet the other side had blocked it with ease.
Not only that, a wave of force came hurtling back from the other end, so overwhelming he could barely withstand it. Under that pressure, he felt like a lone boat tossed upon a raging sea in the midst of a typhoon—waves crashing upon him one after another, capsizing at any moment.
Gongsun Liang's heart lurched with terror. Even as he struggled desperately to resist the energy assault pouring in from Yang Kai, he roared through gritted teeth: "Brother Li, what are you waiting for?!"
He had no choice but to call upon Li Maoming for help.
Li Maoming's face was a mask of reluctance. "Why must it come to this… Why must we…"
Even as he grumbled, he had no option but to unleash his own Domain, pressing it toward Yang Kai.
After all, he still owed Gongsun Liang a favor. And since Yang Kai had already returned the Sovereign Token and was no longer a Purple Star Sovereign, attacking him raised no moral objections.
Still, he had absolutely no desire to fight someone at the same cultivation level. So he merely released his Domain to pressure Yang Kai—nothing more. He wasn't getting serious.
From the left and the right, the Domains of two Void King Second Stage masters bore down, like two mountains squeezing together from either side, threatening to grind everything between them to dust.
And the focal point of that crushing force was precisely where Yang Kai stood.
The pressure on Yang Kai mounted sharply. He had held the upper hand moments ago, but now he had to divert a portion of his strength to fend off Li Maoming's Domain. Gongsun Liang seized the opening at once, seizing back the initiative and forcing Yang Kai to dip slightly.
Even as he pressed the attack, Gongsun Liang snarled through clenched teeth: "Young man, there's a saying—those who read the times are heroes. Hand over the item, and I'll trouble you no further. I might even welcome you as an honored guest of Purple Star. What do you say?"
"Why do you sound as though you've already won?" Yang Kai's expression showed strain, but his demeanor was utterly composed, studying Gongsun Liang with leisurely calm.
Gongsun Liang laughed heartily. "Because I already have!"
"Is… that so!" Yang Kai's lips peeled back in a grin, baring his white teeth, and the instant that second syllable left his mouth, his Domain erupted outward with a thunderous boom.
Hummm…
A tremor ran through the very soul. The surrounding space seemed to lose its stability, as though it might shatter at any moment.
Like a boulder hurled into a still lake, the might of Yang Kai's Domain formed visible ripples that radiated outward.
Crack crack crack…
A cascade of fine, sharp sounds rang out.
Gongsun Liang and Li Maoming's faces changed at the same instant. The former cried out in disbelief: "How is this possible?!"
To his horror, he discovered that under the combined pressure of both his and Li Maoming's Domains, Yang Kai had not only avoided being suppressed—he had erupted with force, dismantling their Domains piece by piece.
Gongsun Liang's heart shook violently.
He had advanced to the Void King Realm a full thousand years ago and broken through to the Void King Second Stage three hundred years ago. He had spent over a millennium immersed in the Void King Realm, meaning his Domain had been tempered for a thousand years, giving him his own unique insights and understanding. In the entire Star Field, there were only a handful who could surpass him.
Li Maoming was roughly his equal.
And yet now, the Domains of both of them combined couldn't match a single one of Yang Kai's. Their alliance had been shattered in turn—which could only mean one thing: his Domain was more powerful than both of theirs put together!
This realization sent a chill through Gongsun Liang's heart, his eyes flooding with raw terror, his pupils trembling.
Only now did he realize that Yang Kai had never been fighting at full strength. He had already done his best to overestimate the young man's power, only to discover he had still underestimated him.
"Not good!" Li Maoming shouted, hastily withdrawing his Domain. His face was ashen.
When a Domain was shattered, it damaged the practitioner's very foundation. If the damage reached an irreparable degree, it could cause a regression in cultivation—a drop in realm. Any Void King Realm cultivator would find that consequence utterly catastrophic.
Fortunately, he had reacted quickly, or the danger would have been real.
With his Domain withdrawn, Gongsun Liang alone stood no chance of withstanding Yang Kai's might. A barrage of explosive cracks filled the air, and with each report, Gongsun Liang's body shuddered in turn—traces of blood seeping from his eyes, nose, ears, and mouth.
These were the signs of a Domain, tempered over a thousand years, being torn apart.
After this battle, even if Gongsun Liang survived, restoring his Domain would require at minimum a hundred years of secluded cultivation.
And it wasn't over yet. Yang Kai gazed at the nearby Gongsun Liang and drove the Dragon Bone Sword downward with savage force. Accompanied by a power that seemed to rival the splitting of heaven and earth, Gongsun Liang went hurtling backward like a tattered burlap sack.
ROAR…
A dragon's cry reverberated between heaven and earth, resonant and clear, as the Dragon Bone Sword transformed into a colossal emerald dragon. It swept its massive body through the air, glaring with eyes larger than houses, and plunged straight after Gongsun Liang, its great maw yawning wide—as though it intended to swallow him whole.