At a certain moment, the middle-aged man suddenly turned his head to look in one direction, as though he had detected something. His eyes widened as he gazed into the distance, his originally furious emotions suddenly calming down and giving way to excitement and agitation—his very body began to tremble.
"Hahahaha!" He burst into loud laughter. "The seed has ripened! Finally, one seed has ripened! Who is it! Who!"
He raved and shouted in a half-mad state, his expression so ecstatic that he could barely contain himself. Before long, he summoned a warship and rumbled off deep into the Shattered Star Sea. The direction he headed was none other than toward the Origin Sea.
...
Time continued to flow.
Although Yang Kai had split off a portion of his awareness to monitor his surroundings—preparing to retrieve his Dharma Body and the Mysterious World Crystal the moment anyone drew near—his own absorption and refinement had not slowed in the slightest.
The Mysterious World Crystal and the Dharma Body were also devouring power with increasing ferocity, enough to send a chill down Yang Kai's spine.
One day, two days, five days, ten days…
The Origin Sea had shrunk dramatically compared to its original size. And not only that—the Origin Power remaining within the sea had grown countless times thinner than before.
This time, not only the cultivators at the edges had noticed the problem, but those deeper within had too.
At the deepest reaches of the Origin Sea—the territory claimed by the Emperor Realm powerhouses.
The red-haired young man who had attacked Yang Kai earlier suddenly furrowed his brow and looked up toward the sky. There, suspended in midair, a solitary figure stood, gazing down at him coldly.
The red-haired young man grinned fearlessly and returned the stare without the slightest hint of trepidation.
"So it wasn't you causing this?" The newcomer studied the red-haired young man for a moment, then abruptly uttered a seemingly nonsensical question.
The red-haired young man pondered briefly before replying: "I'd like to know who it is causing this, myself!"
The two exchanged a glance, then simultaneously turned their gaze in the same direction.
"The Origin Power seems to be continuously flowing toward that side," the red-haired young man said.
The newcomer nodded, his expression grave: "That direction is where Yao Si is located!"
"Yao Si!" The red-haired young man's eyelids contracted at the name, a flicker of wariness crossing his features—as though Yao Si's background was formidable enough that even an Emperor Realm cultivator like himself dared not take it lightly.
"Shall we go take a look?" the newcomer asked.
The red-haired young man sneered dismissively: "So that's why you came looking for me. Are all the cultivators of the Southern Domain this cowardly and timid?"
The newcomer gave a soft snort but did not deny it. He simply said: "After all, Yao Si is the child of a Great Emperor!"
The red-haired young man laughed coldly: "Doesn't the Southern Domain also have a Great Emperor's child here? Why didn't you go to her instead? Why come specifically for me?"
The other replied: "She hasn't reached the Emperor Realm yet. Bringing her along would be useless. If you're afraid, I'll go alone to investigate."
"Who said I'm afraid!" the red-haired young man growled. Even as he spoke, he rose to his feet, his voice harsh: "Anyone who dares steal my Origin Power will spit it back out—even if they're a Great Emperor's child."
He launched into the air and shot directly toward Yao Si's location. The other man hastened to follow.
Before long, the two of them stumbled upon an unusual scene. Not far ahead, on a sprawling small island, three newly ascended Emperor Realm cultivators had gathered. And not only that—the Yao Si they were searching for was among them.
Standing before the three Emperor Realm cultivators was a young man at only the third level of the Dao Source Realm.
It was unclear what the four of them were doing at that moment—they simply stood glaring at each other, with no intention of striking. What astonished the two observers most was that this Dao Source Realm youth, facing three Emperor Realm powerhouses, showed not the slightest change in expression and not a trace of fear.
"It's him!" the red-haired young man blurted out involuntarily.
The other asked in astonishment: "You know him?"
The red-haired young man's face darkened as he replied: "This fellow passed through my territory half a month ago. He took a blow from me without a scratch."
Upon hearing this, the other's expression shifted slightly, as though he could hardly believe it.
The red-haired young man continued: "I wasn't holding back either. There's something interesting about this man. If he ever advances to the Emperor Realm, his future potential will be limitless. I have no idea which domain he's a disciple of, but he's definitely not from the Eastern Domain."
The other said nothing, but the shock in his heart took a long time to subside. His gaze remained fixed on the Dao Source Realm youth.
"Let's go down and take a look," the red-haired young man called out, flying toward the small island first.
On the island, Yang Kai wore a thoroughly displeased expression.
Just moments ago, while he had been enjoying a hearty absorption of Origin Power, he had suddenly sensed someone approaching his location. Startled, he had hastily retracted both the Mysterious World Crystal and his Dharma Body. Before he could even process what was happening, three Emperor Realm cultivators appeared before him, all wearing dark expressions and staring at him as though they wanted to devour him whole.
These three Emperor Realm cultivators had undoubtedly all recently ascended within the Shattered Star Sea. Their realms appeared unstable, but they were Emperor Realm nonetheless, and carried the natural aura of powerful experts.
How they had found his location, Yang Kai could more or less guess—it was simply because the commotion from his absorption of Origin Power had been far too conspicuous, alerting others who had come to investigate.