"A Soul Artifact!" Wu Kuang's eyelids narrowed as he stared at the long saber held in Yang Kai's hand, unable to hold back a cry of astonishment.
Artifacts were rare enough, but Soul Artifacts were rarer still. Among a thousand Artifacts, not a single one might be forged specifically for the power of the soul — such was their preciousness.
Wu Kuang had never expected Yang Kai to possess a Soul Artifact. The kid must have hidden the saber somewhere in his sea of consciousness that even he had failed to detect.
This was going to be troublesome. A Soul Artifact, one that specifically targeted the soul, combined with Yang Kai's dense and refined spiritual power — it might actually pose a genuine threat to him.
Though wary, Wu Kuang still wore a look of contempt and sneered, "Not a bad Artifact, but to kill this Lord, it's still lacking."
Yang Kai's expression turned solemn. He ran two fingers along the blade, and the hum of the Soul-Slaying Saber fell silent at once. Pointing the saber at Wu Kuang from afar, he said coldly, "This Artifact is called the Soul-Slaying Saber. To die beneath this blade, Wu Kuang — consider yourself lucky across three lifetimes."
"Ha ha ha ha!" Wu Kuang burst into laughter, amused by Yang Kai's audacity, and clicked his tongue. "This Lord won't deny it — this Artifact may pose some threat. But to kill this Lord? Boy, go cultivate for another few tens of thousands of years first."
Yang Kai replied playfully, "Then by all means, Lord Devouring Heaven — keep your eyes wide open!"
As soon as the words left his mouth, he channeled his spiritual power. The sea below, which had been calming, once again churned and roared, surging en masse into the blade. In an instant, the Soul-Slaying Saber blazed with radiant light, blinding to behold.
That wasn't all. Yang Kai formed a series of hand seals, continuously striking them onto the saber.
Might and killing intent billowed outward together, dense as a physical substance.
Wu Kuang's expression gradually grew grim as he secretly mobilized his own power, as if preparing some kind of defense.
Clang...
A clear, resonant tone rang out. The saber's momentum seemed to have been pushed to its limit, trembling and quivering before Yang Kai. It strained to break free from his grip and strike the enemy.
At that moment, a strange light flashed in Yang Kai's eyes, and he murmured, "Heaven-Shattering Strike!"
A mysterious force drifted forth, enveloping the Soul-Slaying Saber, instantly sheathing the dazzling blade in a thin golden film. And with the appearance of this film, the saber's aura skyrocketed several times over.
"What kind of technique is this?!" Wu Kuang's face drained of color as he cried out in shock.
As a Great Emperor, he could naturally sense the change in the Soul-Slaying Saber. He had no idea what Yang Kai had done to cause such a dramatic surge in its power.
If the saber's might had been enough to give him slight pause before, then now it genuinely inspired fear.
Because he could clearly feel that the Soul Artifact's power was already sufficient to threaten his soul form.
Yang Kai's expression turned cold as he declared in a deep voice, "Devouring Heaven — the one who kills you is named Yang Kai!"
With a sweep of his hand, the Soul-Slaying Saber transformed into a streak of light and hurtled toward the two Great Emperors like an arrow loosed from the bow. It was like a blazing sun plummeting from the sky, carrying apocalyptic force.
The Heaven-Shattering Strike was a technique Yang Kai had learned from Tian Yan's hand within the Spirit Wandering Mirror of the Qingyang Temple's secret grounds.
Though Tian Yan existed only as a soul without a physical body, his cultivation had reached the Great Emperor realm. And because he had no flesh, he had devoted his life to the study of the soul's power — making his soul techniques far more formidable than those of either Wu Kuang or Duan Hongchen.
The Heaven-Shattering Strike was especially terrifying.
Normally, he would nurture the Soul-Slaying Saber with his own spiritual power, accumulating energy over time. When the moment came, it would all erupt at once. The destructive force that could be unleashed was practically beyond imagination. Though each use required him to start accumulating all over again, this kind of technique could often deliver the decisive, finishing blow in a critical moment.
The Soul-Slaying Saber was a Soul Artifact, perfectly suited to the Heaven-Shattering Strike. The two complemented each other almost perfectly.
"A mere ant dares to kill this Lord!" Wu Kuang howled in hysteria, no longer carrying any trace of his earlier disdain. Yang Kai's strike had forced him to take this seriously.
Even as he spoke, he desperately channeled his power, trying to break free from Duan Hongchen's restraint. But Duan Hongchen would never allow that. Laughing wildly, he said, "Wu Kuang, stop struggling! The two of us journeying to the Yellow Springs together — isn't that a fine thing? We'll have company on the road!"
"Get off me!" Wu Kuang roared, his power becoming extremely unstable.
Duan Hongchen's expression shifted slightly. Though he didn't know exactly what Wu Kuang was attempting, he knew this was the best chance to kill him. He could only pour every ounce of his strength into binding Wu Kuang's body, bracing to receive that terrifying blow.
The sun-like radiance descended, enveloping both Great Emperors' soul forms within it.
Wu Kuang's scream rang out immediately, interspersed with Duan Hongchen's muffled groans.
It seemed neither of them was faring well under this attack.
After unleashing the strike, Yang Kai immediately turned and retreated to the island formed by the Warm Divine Lotus, once again activating the seven-colored radiance to shield himself.
Rumble, rumble, rumble...
The colossal shockwave detonated outward. The entire sea of consciousness boiled over completely, with monstrous waves surging in all directions. At the very center of the blast, a massive crater had been violently gouged out.
Yang Kai's head throbbed as though it might split apart. Using his own techniques, his own Artifact, to attack his own sea of consciousness — it was something he had never even considered before. But today, he had been left with no choice.
The damage was even more severe than when the two Great Emperors had been fighting earlier. Yang Kai felt himself drowning in agony, dizzy and lightheaded, nearly losing consciousness on the spot.