Half an hour later, Yang Kai was brimming with vigor once more, his complexion ruddy and eyes bright, no longer showing any trace of his earlier weakness or dishevelment.
He ceased his technique, and his figure vanished in a flash before reappearing before the Dharma Idol.
The massive Dharma Idol seemed to sense his presence and opened its eyes to glance at Yang Kai.
Meeting each other's gaze, Yang Kai said, "That Artifact Spirit doesn't seem to have been completely destroyed. A wisp of its divine soul is still hiding inside the warhammer. Be careful."
The Dharma Idol grinned, spreading its five fingers and speaking in a deep, resonant voice, "You mean this?"
Yang Kai looked closely and saw that clutched in the Dharma Idol's palm was a ball of black energy, condensed into a sphere that seemed to possess a will of its own. It darted and surged in every direction, trying to break free from its captor. But this place was the Minor Grand World, and the Dharma Idol's spiritual sense was connected to Yang Kai's — at a mere thought, the laws of the Minor Grand World bent to their will. How could this wisp of black energy possibly escape? Though it was held within a single palm, it was suppressed and locked down by the very fabric of heaven and earth, like a savage beast caged and cornered.
"You forced it out?" Yang Kai's eyes flickered with surprise.
The Dharma Idol shook its head. "It came out on its own."
"What happened?" Yang Kai's eyes widened.
The Dharma Idol chuckled. "Probably sensed danger, I'd guess."
Yang Kai stared blankly. "What did you do?"
"Nothing much…" The Dharma Idol patted its own belly with a casual air. "Just swallowed the warhammer, that's all."
Yang Kai's lips twitched at the words, and he wailed, "Won't that cause problems? That's an ancient demonic artifact — an existence at the Emperor Treasure level! Swallowing it so rashly, the impact on your body—"
"Devouring Heaven Art — nothing it cannot devour. What's a mere demonic war weapon in comparison?" The Dharma Idol smiled proudly. "You haven't cultivated this technique, so you don't understand its mysteries. But rest assured, since I dared do it, I naturally have a certain measure of confidence. That was only a demonic war weapon's spirit — if I grew a bit stronger, I could even devour the demonic consciousness sealed within your body!"
Yang Kai's body jolted, and he cried out in alarm, "That's possible too? Wouldn't that make this technique invincible under heaven?"
The Dharma Idol laughed. "Probably only a body like mine could manage it. If you tried to cultivate it, it simply wouldn't work. Your physical body, though powerful enough, couldn't withstand the corruption of that pure demonic energy. If you practiced the Devouring Heaven Art, you'd likely lose your sanity before long and become nothing more than a killing machine."
Yang Kai nodded. "Understood. That old scoundrel Wu Mengshan clearly had no good intentions. I just wonder why he taught me this technique in the first place. What exactly was his goal?"
The Dharma Idol replied, "He probably never expected you'd be able to resist the temptation and refuse to cultivate it yourself, only to hand it over to me instead."
Yang Kai fell silent for a moment before responding, "If you hadn't been here, I might very well have tried to cultivate it myself. After all… the Devouring Heaven Art's reputation is simply too great. I doubt anyone could resist that kind of temptation."
With that, Yang Kai waved his hand. "Never mind. Go ahead and refine it. If you can truly absorb and refine that demonic war weapon, it'll benefit you greatly."
As his words fell, Yang Kai's figure swayed, and he departed the Minor Grand World, reappearing within Yuqing Mountain.
Looking around, he saw Hua Qingsi sitting cross-legged on the ground, her back against a large tree, thoroughly engrossed in studying the World Spirit Bead in her hands.
Yang Kai glanced at her and saw that she showed no sign of snapping back to awareness. He extended his hand and recalled the World Spirit Bead, then looked left and right in surprise. "Where's Liu Yan?"
He had not detected Liu Yan's presence at all — even the Luan Phoenix Black Flame that had previously covered a hundred-li radius in this area had vanished without a trace.
"She already went back," Hua Qingsi answered, rising to her feet.
Yang Kai paused, then sent out his spiritual sense and indeed found Liu Yan somewhere inside the Minor Grand World. However, she was currently wreathed in black flame, her expression strained as she circulated her power to refine it.
He wasn't sure when she had returned to the Minor Grand World — the Dharma Idol must have recalled her. What surprised Yang Kai, though, was that Liu Yan had absorbed all of the Luan Phoenix Black Flame in such a short time. But from the look of things, fully refining it would still require a bit longer.
"You go back too. I still have things to do!" Yang Kai said, and swept Hua Qingsi back into the World Spirit Bead. He then took out a Message Compass and transmitted a thought into it, instructing Qin Zhaoyang to keep an eye on Zhang Ruoxi, before heading back the way he'd come.
According to Hua Qingsi, Zhang Ruoxi was currently staying with a woman named Ye Qinghan. Though Yang Kai felt that Ye Qinghan was no bad person, having an acquaintance look after her was naturally better.
After receiving Qin Zhaoyang's acknowledgment, Yang Kai put away the Message Compass. The laws of space rippled around him, and in a single instant he traversed a hundred li.
Before long, he arrived back at the location where the Eighteen Spirit Eyes had been.
Looking out over the area, the terrain had undergone a complete transformation due to the earlier battle. The most obvious change was at the battlefield itself, where a spirit lake spanning roughly ten thousand zhang had appeared.
When the Artifact Spirit had smashed its hammer down, the underground cavern had collapsed, creating an enormous depression directly. Then the spirit liquid from beneath the Eighteen Spirit Eyes had surged upward, filling this depression until it gradually formed into a lake.
This was a true spirit lake — every shimmering ripple of water upon its surface was liquefied spiritual energy of heaven and earth.
In just a matter of hours, the lake had already overflowed. The excess water spread outward in every direction, transforming into pure, concentrated spiritual energy that filled this entire space.
Countless martial artists had gathered around the spirit lake, each one wearing an expression of excitement and exhilaration.