In the void, his figure hurtling forward, Yang Kai's brows were tightly knit. Outside the qiankun, it was difficult to discern the passage of time, but from the day he had encountered the Ten-Thousand Jointed Worm until now, half a year should have passed.
For those six months, he had been searching nearby for traces of Zhang Ruoxi, periodically channeling his power to activate the Spirit Void Bead. Unfortunately, he had found nothing—not the slightest word from Ruoxi.
Half a year of wandering had truly shown Yang Kai the myriad dangers beyond the qiankun. Terrifying existences like the Ten-Thousand Jointed Worm were countless across this vast cosmos; he had run into several over the past half year, though not all were Ten-Thousand Jointed Worms. There were other monsters as well.
Their sizes were all incomparably massive, no less imposing than the Ten-Thousand Jointed Worm or the Giant Spirits. However, while these beings possessed terrifying auras, they all seemed to lack in intelligence—the Giant Spirits and the Ten-Thousand Jointed Worm were the same. Whenever Yang Kai spotted them from afar, as long as he avoided them in time, he could pass by unharmed.
In half a year of wandering, he had even found a qiankun world.
A world much like the Star Realm. However, before he could approach, he felt several threads of hostility lock onto him from within.
That world had Great Emperor-level powerhouses as well.
Though Yang Kai was now a Great Emperor himself, rashly intruding into someone else's world would be exceedingly unwise. So upon sensing that hostility, he detoured and left.
Thinking it over, Ruoxi knew more about the world beyond the qiankun than he did. Moreover, her strength was not low—as long as she had escaped from the Ten-Thousand Jointed Worm's belly, she should be fine.
But this parting meant that the next time they might meet was anyone's guess. The universe was simply too vast, and the chances of the two of them crossing paths again were vanishingly small.
Another month passed, and Yang Kai had to accept the reality before him. He abandoned the notion of continuing to search for Zhang Ruoxi, picked a direction, and pressed onward.
Now that he had broken free from the qiankun's constraints and come to this world beyond, he should properly attend to his unfinished business—seeking clues to the World Tree.
Perhaps by the time he found the World Tree and returned to the Star Realm, Zhang Ruoxi would already be waiting for him there.
Clutching this hope close, Yang Kai journeyed onward.
Exploring alone, venturing forth single-handedly—it stirred a long-familiar sense of déjà vu. Back when he had entered the Star Domain from the Tongxuan Continent, then entered the Star Realm from the Star Domain, had he not always been solitary? Had he not always blazed a trail through sheer audacity? The world beyond the qiankun was dangerous, yes, but as long as one pressed forward boldly, a path could always be carved.
His state of mind opened up suddenly, and he could not help but feel a surge of anticipation for the road ahead.
One day, as Yang Kai was hurtling through the void, his expression shifted. He turned to look in a certain direction—whether it was an illusion or not, in that fleeting instant, he seemed to have heard a faint, barely perceptible call from that direction.
He quieted his mind to listen carefully, but the sign was gone.
The void was dangerous, and Yang Kai naturally maintained vigilance at all times. The Warm Spirit Lotus closely guarded his mind, keeping it inviolate from external influences.
He furrowed his brow slightly, finding it odd. But since nothing was amiss, he relaxed and carried on. Before he had gone far, that faint, elusive call reached his ears once more.
Yang Kai halted immediately, his expression turning grave. The first time could have been his imagination, but a second time could not be dismissed—this was no illusion. Something was really over there.
After a moment's deliberation, Yang Kai changed direction and raced toward the source of the sound.
The Warm Spirit Lotus showed no anomaly, and he himself had sensed nothing wrong, so the call was likely harmless. His current understanding of the world beyond the qiankun was limited to what he had discussed with Zhang Ruoxi at the outset. If there really was someone over there, perhaps he could seek them out and gather some information.
Before that, however, he first needed to confirm that there was genuinely no danger.
In any case, it would be better than wandering aimlessly through the void like a headless fly.
Traveling through the void offered no resistance. Yang Kai could push his speed to near-infinite if he wished, but to guard against potential dangers, he maintained a manageable pace.
Moreover, over these many months, Yang Kai had noticed that the world beyond the qiankun was remarkably clean—unlike the starfields of the lower star domains, which were littered with meteorite seas and the like. Thinking carefully, this probably had something to do with the Giant Spirit race.
The Giant Spirits possessed an innate divine ability to smell the aura of dying worlds in advance, after which they would go and wait to feed. Once a world perished, it was swallowed whole.
Dead worlds were all devoured by the Giant Spirits. How could there be any meteorite seas left in this universe? They must have long since ended up in the Giant Spirits' bellies. When he thought about it that way, the Giant Spirits were almost like the universe's garbage collectors...
He did not know how long he flew onward. The further he went, the more distinct that mysterious call became. Yang Kai could tell that he was still some distance from his destination, but it should not be too far.
At last, one day, a bright point of light suddenly appeared within a vast nebula ahead. Yang Kai's spirits lifted—finally, he had arrived. He focused his gaze and could not help but freeze.
It was too far away to see clearly, but Yang Kai had a vague sense that this thing looked... familiar somehow.
He quickened his pace and headed toward it. Several days later, Yang Kai's expression had turned peculiar.
Ahead, a massive oval curtain of light stood silently in the void. Strange radiance flickered ceaselessly across its surface, and from within that oval curtain of light, extremely clear fluctuations of spatial law emanated outward.