With a thunderous crash, the great cauldron shattered, vanishing into thin air in the blink of an eye.
Yang Kai felt as though he had plunged into an ice cellar. He abruptly halted, staring blankly ahead. "What just happened?"
The Void Heaven Cauldron was the key to the contest of the Great Dao. After days of waiting, it had finally appeared before them, only to crumble to pieces just like that. If that was the case, wouldn't everyone leave empty-handed? But he quickly composed himself. Although the great cauldron had shattered, the aura of the Great Dao between heaven and earth had not disappeared. If anything, it had grown even more dense.
Moreover, that great cauldron had been nothing more than a phantom—an apparent projection of the true Void Heaven Cauldron. The phantom shattering did not necessarily mean anything had gone wrong with the actual cauldron.
So he merely paused for a single heartbeat before hurtling forward once more.
As time passed, Yang Kai's expression grew increasingly peculiar. The aura of the Great Dao permeating the world now was far too thick—an almost irresistible impulse to stop in his tracks and fully absorb it surged within him. But doing so would be the height of foolishness, trading a watermelon for a sesame seed. So no matter how his heart yearned, he forced the urge back down again.
That said, the unrestrained flow of the Great Dao's aura would undoubtedly bring tremendous benefits to every pseudo-emperor and half-sage present. Though the restrictions of heaven and earth prevented them from advancing to the realm of Great Emperor or Demon Saint, absorbing this ambient aura of the Great Dao meant that as long as they survived and left the Profound Heavens Temple, their strength would advance by leaps and bounds.
What a pity… Yang Kai suddenly thought of Li Wuyi. With Li Wuyi's abilities, had he entered this place, the benefits he could have reaped were beyond imagination. As for that singular opportunity, he would have had a very strong chance of claiming it. Yet Li Wuyi, thinking of the Star Boundary, thinking of all living beings, had voluntarily given up this chance. Such a sacrifice was tantamount to severing his own path forward—inspiring admiration, yet also heartache.
Fortunately, he had collected a fair amount of Heaven and Earth Source Liquid during this trip. He could send some to Li Wuyi afterward to help offset the loss. The aura of primordial creation contained within that Source Liquid was no less potent than the aura of the Great Dao currently flooding through the Profound Heavens Temple.
"Did you catch a scent of something?" Bing Yun suddenly asked, her nostrils flaring gently as she spoke.
"Fragrance," Yang Yan said immediately—clearly, she had noticed it too.
After they spoke, Gan Li confirmed that a faint, elusive fragrance had indeed begun to drift through the surroundings. He had never smelled anything quite like it before. It was impossible to describe precisely, yet it lifted the spirits wonderfully, sweeping away all the fatigue from the earlier battle and leaving one feeling thoroughly invigorated.
Yang Kai had been forging ahead with his head down, but he had caught the scent as well. At first it had been barely noticeable, but as he pushed forward, it grew clearer and clearer.
It smelled like fruit—and like flowers…
Within the range of his divine sense perception, numerous powerful auras had already crossed into his detection zone. Some belonged to the Star Boundary's pseudo-emperor, others to the Demon Race's half-sages, but at this moment everyone was drawn by the Void Heaven Cauldron and was converging on it from all directions. None of them had the slightest inclination to engage anyone else.
In this single instant, every living being inside the Profound Heavens Temple was doing the same thing—racing toward the Void Heaven Cauldron!
The location of the Void Heaven Cauldron was none other than the heart of a great bronze hall. The bronze hall was towering and ancient, its origins lost to the mists of time. One mere glance at it and a wave of primordial desolation washed over you, as though trying to drag you back into some impossibly distant era.
Yang Kai commanded the power of space. Despite being relatively far away, he had arrived on the early side. He looked up and saw the bronze hall rising from the earth, its surface mottled by the passage of countless ages. From within the hall emanated an aura that compelled one to bow in reverence—a presence that felt like the very will of heaven and earth. In that instant, Yang Kai sensed something stirring restlessly inside his own body, resonating with the bronze hall across the distance.
He understood. That was the thread of heaven and earth's will that he carried within himself. Before the Void Heaven Cauldron had appeared, it was precisely this guiding thread of will that had allowed him to vaguely sense the crucial direction of the Emperor's Throne. Unfortunately, before he could investigate further, he had run into Cang Mo, Jia Long, and the others. A great battle ensued, and by the time the Void Heaven Cauldron manifested, that nascent advantage he had gained had been rendered useless.
This must be the true Profound Heavens Temple!
Throughout the ages, everyone had referred to this heaven and earth secret realm as the Profound Heavens Temple, but the name had always pointed to this very bronze hall.
Within the Profound Heavens Temple lay the Void Heaven Cauldron. Within the Void Heaven Cauldron lay the secret of the Emperor's Throne!
Step by step, he had walked this path, and now the greatest mystery lay right before his eyes, waiting for him to lift its veiling shroud. To say he was not excited would be a lie—but excitement aside, Yang Kai had not reached the point of letting his blood rush to his head. Just as Jia Long had said earlier, the appearance of the Void Heaven Cauldron was merely the beginning. How things ultimately turned out would depend on each person's individual capabilities.
He drew a deep breath and spoke in a low voice: "Lord Gan, once we enter the Profound Heavens Temple, whether you stay or leave is entirely your choice. But until that moment comes, I would ask for your assistance."
Gan Li nodded upon hearing this. "Rest easy, Lord Yang. Until that final moment, my only enemies will ever be the Demon Race." At the same time, the last lingering trace of worry in his heart dissolved. He had been considering splitting from Yang Kai and the others once inside the Profound Heavens Temple. His life's aspiration lay just ahead—even if it cost him his life, he intended to fight for it—and when that time came, he naturally could not continue traveling with Yang Kai's group.
"That is excellent!" Yang Kai laughed aloud. The Laws of Space surged around him, enveloping all three as they charged forward.
Before the hall stood a gate—a bronze gate several hundred zhang tall, towering and colossal, radiating an overwhelming sense of pressure. The doors stood open on both sides, as if welcoming guests who had traveled from afar. Within the pitch-black interior of the hall, who could predict what manner of fortune or peril awaited?
Yang Kai flashed inside.