This discovery sent a chill through Yang Kai's heart.
Because this was the true danger of the Ice Cliff.
The ever-present icy intent could erode a martial artist's mind, causing them to lose their lives without even realizing it. That was why the dead martial artists all maintained peaceful expressions, with no signs of struggle or pain whatsoever.
After inspecting the cave dwelling, Yang Kai thought for a moment, then jumped straight off the cliff face toward the depths below.
Though Kou Wu had warned him repeatedly never to descend deep into the Ice Cliff, this was a rare place where Emperor Might lingered, and Yang Kai naturally wanted to experience it firsthand.
Years ago, when he had comprehended Emperor Might in the Dead Zone beyond the Dark Star, the experience had been immensely beneficial.
He had already developed his own set of methods for coping with the suppression of Emperor Might.
Still, he didn't dare push too hard, carefully controlling his speed as he descended ever so slowly.
Just as Kou Wu had said, the further down he went, the denser the Emperor Might became, and the more terrifying the icy intent woven within it grew.
After descending only a hundred zhang, Yang Kai was already struggling. With his full power unleashed, he still couldn't withstand the bone-deep cold. Even the circulation of his own Origin Power became sluggish and labored.
Left with no choice, Yang Kai activated his Domain Force.
His Domain Force had originally formed under the suppression of the Emperor Might within the Imperial Garden—Emperor Might that was no weaker than what existed here, if not stronger.
So his Domain Force possessed a degree of resistance against Emperor Might.
With his Domain Force deployed, Yang Kai immediately felt much more at ease.
He quietly released his Divine Sense, probing downward to gauge how deep the Ice Cliff truly was, but before long, he retracted it in alarm.
He had discovered that the icy intent and the force of Law had actually frozen his Divine Sense as it extended outward. Had he not pulled it back in time, his spiritual perception could have been damaged.
Realizing this, Yang Kai never dared extend his Divine Sense outside his body again.
Below, all was pitch-black, like a primordial beast of the abyss yawning its maw wide, sending shivers through the heart.
He continued descending another three hundred zhang. A crackling sound emanated from beyond his body.
That was the telltale sign that his Domain Force was reaching its limit. If he pushed any deeper, his Domain Force would collapse entirely, and with only his own strength to rely on, he would have no way to contend with the Emperor Might and icy intent at this depth—only death awaited.
This was his limit! Yang Kai understood this clearly, and he didn't try to be foolish about it. Instead, he gathered himself and shot upward.
This exploration had yielded nothing concrete, but it had shown Yang Kai that this was indeed an excellent place to temper one's willpower. In a sense, he owed a debt of thanks to Bian Yuqing.
He didn't fly all the way to the top of the Ice Cliff. Instead, he chose a spot about a hundred zhang from the summit and carved out a cave dwelling for himself.
This was the place best suited to his current level of strength. The Emperor Might and icy intent here were at precisely the threshold he could barely hold his own against. Cultivating in seclusion at this depth would be enormously beneficial to his growth.
Carving out the cave dwelling proved to be quite the ordeal.
Having been steeped in this peculiar icy environment for untold ages, the cliff walls had long since been corroded by Emperor Might and the force of Law. They were no longer ordinary rock but rather an extraordinarily hard ice-stone.
It took Yang Kai a full three days to carve out even a crude dwelling.
And even then, it consisted of nothing more than two small rooms.
He didn't rush into seclusion right away. Instead, he sat cross-legged inside the cave, simultaneously bracing against the harsh environment and recovering his strength.
Fortunately, from all the pill refining he had done recently, he had accumulated a considerable stock of Void King-grade spirit pills and Origin Crystals, so his recovery was swift.
Yang Kai spent several more days bringing his condition to its peak before finally turning his attention to the most important matter at hand.
The breakthrough!
His power had already been accumulated to the very pinnacle of the Void King Realm's second stage. His comprehension of the Martial Dao and the Heavenly Dao was more or less sufficient as well. Ever since arriving in the Star Boundary and entering the Jade Feather Sect, he had already possessed the qualifications to break through.
But he hadn't been in any hurry to do so.
For one, he didn't want to draw too much attention. He was living under someone else's roof now, and a measure of caution never hurt. For another, he had wanted to accumulate more power to ensure this breakthrough would go as smoothly as possible. Most importantly, he hadn't yet found a suitable location.
Although he had a place of residence in the Jade Feather Sect, and his identity token could activate the house's protective formations to block the prying eyes of ordinary martial artists, it could absolutely not stop Bian Yuqing's Divine Sense from observing him.
Yang Kai didn't want to expose his secrets.
This wasn't the Dark Star. On the Dark Star, he had been the master—merely a thought in his mind could find a remote, undisturbed place for seclusion.
He had originally planned to stay in the Jade Feather Sect for a while longer, earn Bian Yuqing's trust, and then temporarily leave to find a suitable spot on his own to attempt his breakthrough.
But this trip to the Ice Cliff had changed his thinking.
Wasn't this Ice Cliff the perfect place for a breakthrough?
For ten thousand li in every direction, not a soul in sight, and with Emperor Might and the force of Law permeating everything—even if his breakthrough caused some commotion, there was no way it would carry very far.