The moment Shaman Che finished speaking, the surrounding lightning forces surged inward like a crushing tide, wrapping around Yang Kai and pinning him in place on the spot.
Che looked up, his voice arrogant. "Well? Do you need to reconsider?"
Within his Lightning Domain, he held absolute dominion. There was no way this Shaman Niu could so much as stir up a ripple.
Yang Kai struggled a few times, but his body was locked tight, utterly immobile. He couldn't help but offer a word of praise. "Impressive!"
Che's brow furrowed slightly, a strange expression crossing his face. The faint compliment from the Shaman across from him sounded absurd in his ears — it was as if he weren't facing a freshly promoted Shaman, but rather a Shaman King or Shaman Saint, someone standing in a position of lofty superiority, critiquing the very techniques Che took pride in.
Why would he have such a bizarre illusion? The other party was just a Shaman.
But in the next instant, Yang Kai drew in a deep breath, his chest swelling outward. The Hundred Million Sword in his hand trembled lightly, and from its tip, a wave of extraordinarily strange fluctuation rippled outward, generating concentric ripples visible to the naked eye.
Wherever those ripples passed, the Lightning Domain suddenly loosened, showing signs of imminent collapse.
Che's face drained of color. Not daring to hold back any longer, he surged with renewed effort, intensifying his control over the Lightning Domain.
When he had first deployed the Lightning Domain, he hadn't used his full strength — after all, the other party's cultivation was an entire major realm below his own. But who could have imagined this Shaman Niu possessed the ability to shake his domain?
Yet it proved futile. The ripples emanating from that Shaman artifact sword seemed to carry inconceivable power, and no matter how much Che intensified his grip, he could not halt the domain's disintegration.
Cold sweat burst from Che's forehead. He stared at Yang Kai as though looking at a ghost, his eyes brimming with horror.
The Hundred Million Sword danced gently, the power of the Space Law coiling around it. Yang Kai stepped forward, cleaving through the Lightning Domain, advancing toward Che one step at a time.
In the martial world of later ages, Return Void realm cultivators had to master Force Fields, Void King realm cultivators mastered Domain Fields, and by the Dao Origin realm, one could commune with the Laws of Heaven and Earth. As for the Emperor realm — that was the realm of commanding those Laws entirely.
Che's Lightning Domain was, strictly speaking, slightly more refined than a Void King realm Domain Field, and it did channel a sliver of the Laws of Heaven and Earth.
But the power Yang Kai commanded was far superior.
Had Che not tried to show off, attempting to use this Lightning Domain to restrain Yang Kai, but instead fought him head-on with genuine martial prowess, Yang Kai might have had to expend considerable effort — after all, his current cultivation limited how much power he could bring to bear. But Che had done exactly what he shouldn't have, trying to crush Yang Kai through the absolute advantage of his realm, and that gave Yang Kai the opportunity to break free with ease.
The power of the Space Law was inherently mysterious beyond measure. Now, flooding into every corner of the Lightning Domain all at once, it caused the domain to teeter on the brink of collapse almost instantly. Wherever Yang Kai passed, the sky full of lightning was wiped into blank emptiness — every trace of the domain field was erased.
The gulf in their comprehension of the Laws was plain for all to see.
With each step Yang Kai took, Che could actually hear the sound of his own domain crumbling apart.
The distance between them was closing rapidly.
A mocking smile played on Yang Kai's lips, while Che's expression had long since lost its former nonchalance and lofty composure.
When Yang Kai's final step landed, it felt as though that foot had not stepped on empty air, but directly onto Che's heart.
The powerful Great Shaman — one of the Frost Snow Tribe's paramount commanders — Wu Che, shuddered violently. He opened his mouth and a cloud of blood mist sprayed forth. His Lightning Domain collapsed in an instant, and he staggered backward, clutching his chest. The brightness in his once-luminous eyes dimmed abruptly.
To have one's domain shattered was tantamount to having one's foundation damaged. He was gravely injured. Earlier, when this Shaman Niu had claimed he couldn't stop him, Che had dismissed it as empty bluster. Now it seemed… the man had been telling the plain truth.
How could a Shaman of this world possibly exist like this?
Yang Kai, however, showed no joy at having broken free. Instead, he turned his head and scanned the surroundings, clicking his tongue in annoyance. "What a hassle."
As he spoke, he produced a Green Leaf, channeling his consciousness into it. A flash of green light flickered, and his figure vanished without a trace.
Deep within the palace, a terrifying aura suddenly erupted — like a slumbering dragon awakening. The emergence of this aura seemed to trigger a chain reaction of no small magnitude. Soon, wave after wave of equally formidable auras rose from every corner of the royal palace.
They were the Shaman Kings of the Frost Snow Tribe, roused from their seclusion.
Every Frost Snow Tribe member within the palace wore a deathly pale face, trembling from head to toe, standing with heads bowed.
Several powerful divine senses swept across the area. Che endured the flare-up of his injuries, pressed a hand to his chest, and bowed toward the empty air. "Greetings, honored Lords."
"What happened!" The aura that had appeared first suddenly spoke, its voice drifting and ethereal, its source impossible to pinpoint.
Che hesitated briefly, then gave a concise account of what had transcribed, emphasizing Yang Kai's extraordinary abilities and his astonishing skill in preparing medicinal concoctions.
The Shaman Kings were silent for a moment — whether they communicated privately among themselves was unclear. Then the one who had spoken first said, "If he is of use to the tribe, then go and invite him here once more. However, Lord Qing appears to be under his protection, so do not be too impolite."
"Lord Qing…" Che's expression shifted.
There was only one being in the entire Barbarian Tribe whom a Shaman King would address as Lord Qing — the Evergreen Divine Tree that sheltered the whole of Frost Snow City.