Seeing Yang Kai take damage, every powerhouse of the Star Boundary and the countless soldiers below felt their hearts leap into their throats. But the scene that unfolded next left their eyes gleaming with astonishment!
When that spear thrust was unleashed, Can Ye's expression changed once more. He felt as though the entire will of heaven and earth was bearing down on him. Despite his dignity as a Great Emperor, he even found it difficult to breathe.
He hastily raised his defenses, but a tremendous force crashed into him head-on, sending his figure hurtling backward.
Yang Kai followed like a shadow, each strike of his spear heavier than the last, his expression calm as an ancient well, yet his attacks were ruthless and merciless.
Boom, boom, boom…
Blow after devastating blow forced Can Ye into a desperate defense, his figure darting and weaving frantically within the massive cage, yet never managing to break free.
Under the eyes of all, the Great Emperor Night Shadow had been instantly suppressed, completely driven onto the back foot.
The entire battlefield erupted in uproar…
No one had anticipated such a scene. Though everyone knew Yang Kai now possessed the strength of a Great Emperor, Can Ye had been renowned for ages. Even if Yang Kai could fight him on equal terms, the outcome would have been far from certain. Yet as things stood now, Yang Kai was clearly dominating the battle.
"Can Ye's injuries must be quite severe…" A thoughtful gleam passed through Li Wuyi's eyes.
The legion commander who had come to his side earlier remarked, "Does that mean it's not that Can Ye is weaker than Lord Void… but rather because his injuries haven't healed?"
Li Wuyi nodded. "That's likely the case. There may also be a matter of momentum…"
If Yang Kai wanted to save the Star Boundary, he had to end the fight within an hour, so he was holding nothing back. Can Ye was different—all he needed to do was stall. There was no necessity to fight Yang Kai to the death. Once Lingxiao Palace was fully corroded, no matter how strong Yang Kai was, it would be too late.
One was fighting with everything he had. The other was holding back. On top of that, Can Ye was already wounded. That the battle had turned out this way was hardly surprising.
"Insolent brat!"
From within the cage came Can Ye's suppressed roar, as though he had been provoked beyond endurance. "Don't push your luck!"
Yang Kai made no reply. Boundless battle intent blazed within him like wildfire, along with the dense killing intent locked firmly onto Can Ye.
"Fine! If that's what you want, then so be it!" Can Ye roared in fury. His other hand, previously empty, suddenly clenched in the void, and a second curved blade materialized in a flash.
With a blade in each hand, Can Ye's aura underwent a drastic transformation. Invisibly, the will of heaven and earth converged upon him, and he crossed both blades to block the incoming strike.
"Boom…"
A thunderous crash rang out. Can Ye, who had been continuously retreating and losing ground, now stood firmly in place. Yang Kai pressed down with his spear, and the Azure Dragon Spear ground against the twin curved blades, producing a piercing screech and a spray of brilliant sparks.
They stood barely three zhang apart, staring each other down—one seething with rage, the other as deep and still as an abyss. Around them, the very fabric of the four cardinal directions shattered.
"This Emperor is also one of the Great Emperors acknowledged by the Star Boundary! The power of heaven and earth is not yours alone to command!" Can Ye snarled.
The reason Great Emperors were called such was precisely because they had been acknowledged by heaven and earth, bore the will of the world, and could wield its primordial power. This was the fundamental difference between a Great Emperor and an ordinary Emperor.
Yang Kai bared his teeth in a savage grin. "And what of it?" As he spoke, his grip surged with power. On his dragon-vertebra spine, the newly condensed Dao Imprint blazed with brilliant light, and boundless might flooded into his body.
The stalemate was shattered in an instant. Can Ye was forced back, step by step.
The sudden turn of events drained the color from Can Ye's face. "How is this possible?!" he cried out involuntarily.
In that moment, he had actually felt his connection with this stretch of heaven and earth weaken ever so slightly, while the power of heaven and earth on Yang Kai's side had surged. Without that shift, the balance would never have been broken.
Yang Kai gazed at him with something approaching pity. "Nothing is impossible. You abandoned this world—did you truly think it would still let you do as you please?"
His grip tightened further. A shockwave rippled outward, and Can Ye's entire body was blasted away like a meteor, blood spraying from his mouth mid-flight.
Yang Kai hovered in the air, his voice detached and cold. "The world has a spirit, Can Ye. Don't you understand yet?"
If the world had no spirit, then at this final hour of the Star Boundary's existence, the Profound Heaven Palace would never have opened. If the world had no spirit, Yang Kai would never have been sheltered by the World Secret Realm after the contest for the Origin Heavenly Fruit.
The world watched over these billions of lives at every moment. The invisible, silent Heavenly Dao always guided the most certain path at the most critical juncture.
Can Ye halted his figure, wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, and spoke in a frigid tone. "If the world truly had a spirit, it would never have allowed me to ascend to Great Emperor. Spare me these absurdities."
Yang Kai let out a derisive chuckle. "Whether they're absurdities or not, you know the truth in your heart. Since you turned your back on the Heavenly Dao of this world, then I suggest you return everything you ever took from it."
The instant his words fell, a colossal rift tore open in the void behind Yang Kai. Its shape was strange and distinctive, resembling a vast eye that gazed down at Can Ye with absolute indifference.
Can Ye's eyes widened in horror as he stared at that enormous eye in the sky. Under that gaze, his bond with heaven and earth grew thin at an alarming rate.
Yang Kai spread his arms wide, an odd expression surfacing on his face. Invisible, boundless power of heaven and earth poured into his body. In his hand, the Azure Dragon Spear let out a resounding dragon's roar.