Just as that crimson palm strike was about to reach him, Yang Kai raised a hand. Surging the Source Power within his body, he formed an equally massive palm print that surged upward to meet it.
Rumble rumble rumble...
A deafening explosion rang out as winds shifted and clouds churned. Energy radiated outward in every direction, and in the span of just a few moments, both palm prints dissolved into nothing, as though they had never existed.
Yang Kai stood motionless as a mountain, calmly remaining where he was.
From somewhere below, a soft "hmm?" sounded, tinged with surprise.
A refined strand of Divine Sense swept over him, scanning back and forth across his body — most likely checking whether he had concealed his true cultivation. But no matter how thoroughly it examined him, Yang Kai was still just a Dao Source Realm cultivator.
This left the Emperor Realm expert who had attacked him genuinely shocked.
He truly hadn't encountered a Dao Source Realm cultivator capable of withstanding a single palm strike from him. Though he hadn't advanced to the Emperor Realm for very long, he'd already killed seven or eight Dao Source Realm cultivators here in the depths of the Origin Sea. Every single one had been obliterated by a single strike. The gap in strength between the Emperor Realm and the Dao Source Realm was as vast as heaven and earth.
Yet against Yang Kai, his attack had been utterly ineffective.
It hadn't harmed him in the slightest — it hadn't even made him budge.
A chill crept into the man's heart. He couldn't fathom Yang Kai's background — how could a Dao Source Realm cultivator possess such terrifying power? He certainly hadn't been this strong back when he himself was at the Dao Source Realm.
Yang Kai grinned broadly. "I'm just a passerby looking for a place to settle down, friend. There's no need to be so welcoming, is there?"
His own Divine Sense had already locked onto the Emperor Realm cultivator who had attacked him. The man had a shock of red hair, as though forged from blood, and his entire being radiated an extremely violent, bloody aura. Yang Kai couldn't tell which Sect he hailed from or what kind of wicked art he cultivated.
Though Yang Kai feared him not in the least, they had no enmity between them, so if he could avoid fighting, he preferred to.
The red-haired youth raised his head toward Yang Kai's position, remaining silent for a long while before speaking: "Leave. Don't set foot within a thousand li of me."
"Much appreciated!" Yang Kai chuckled. He cupped his fists in a brief salute, then flickered past.
Still, having heard the man's words, Yang Kai now understood how the several Emperor Realm experts had managed to dominate the largest stretch of concentrated Origin Power. This single individual claimed a thousand li of territory all for himself. If several more Emperor Realm cultivators like him showed up, what room would anyone else have?
But this world had never operated on fairness. Strength was all that mattered.
Any Dao Source Realm cultivator who dared defy the rules would end up just like the corpses scattered across those small islands.
Half an hour later, Yang Kai had already traveled over two thousand li from the red-haired youth, yet he still hadn't found a place to settle. He'd discovered that the small islands which originally existed in these deeper regions had all been shattered by the Emperor Realm experts who had arrived first.
They clearly had no intention of leaving any positions where newcomers could absorb Origin Power, so they had resorted to such tyrannical measures.
A blinding spear radiance suddenly erupted from below, piercing through the void and ignoring the spatial barriers entirely. It arrived before Yang Kai in an instant, its piercing intent making his skin prickle with pain.
Yang Kai's eyes narrowed. Sensing the formidable power behind this strike, he didn't dare be careless. He raised his hand, drew the Million Swords, and slashed outward.
A brilliant arc of sword light swept across to meet the spear radiance, and the two collided with a tremendous boom.
"Hmm? A mere Dao Source Realm cultivator actually blocked my strike? How curious indeed." A voice drifted up from below, carrying the same note of surprise as the red-haired youth's had earlier.
Yang Kai's face darkened. "You Emperor Realm experts — fine, so you've claimed this entire stretch of territory. But does every single one of you have to resort to sneak attacks? Have you no shame at all?"
The person below laughed heartily. "Anyone who comes here without the strength to back it up deserves nothing but death." He paused briefly, then added: "You managed to make it here — does that mean you passed Red Ghost's test?"
Something clicked in Yang Kai's mind. "You mean that red-haired fellow?"
"That's the one."
"Same story as you — he launched a cowardly sneak attack, I blocked it, and he let me through." Yang Kai snorted with an irritated scowl.
"No wonder..." The man nodded slightly. A moment later, he waved his hand. "Go on, then. Since Red Ghost let you in, that means you have some potential. I won't make a move against you."
Hearing this, Yang Kai nearly curled his lip off his face. The way this man spoke, you'd think letting him pass was some extraordinary act of mercy — and to have the gall to call him a talent with potential. His arrogance knew no bounds.
"How many more Emperor Realm experts are ahead? Don't tell me they're all going to attack me too?" Yang Kai asked, his expression grim.
If that were truly the case, there'd be no point hiding his strength. He could simply fight his way through and save himself the trouble.
But the man's demeanor changed faster than the flip of a page. His voice turned cold: "Kid, you talk too much. I said you can pass, so pass. If you keep running your mouth, I might just decide to keep you here."
Yang Kai snorted, too lazy to waste any more words on the man. He turned and flew deeper into the Origin Sea.