A figure blurred and Yang Kai vanished from his spot in an instant. Duan Hai, who had been seated in the seat of honor, raised his eyes, a sharp light erupting from his gaze: "Spatial Laws!"
As he spoke, one hand reached forward, grasping at the void.
With that single motion, Yang Kai—who had fled the main hall and was sprinting through the Fire Spirit Ground at top speed—felt an overwhelming surge of crisis erupt within him. He twisted his head to look back, only to see the shadow of an enormous hand materializing behind him, blotting out the sky as it swept down upon him as if to seize the heavens and scoop up the ocean.
Yang Kai's heart lurched. He drove his Spatial Laws frantically, his body flickering ceaselessly from place to place, yet no matter what he did, he simply couldn't escape the reach of that massive palm. A powerful aura had locked onto him with iron certainty, pinning him in place no matter how he shifted.
The great hand descended, swallowing the sky and blocking out the sun. Yang Kai's entire body went rigid. He let out a muffled grunt as the scenery before his eyes blurred and warped at dizzying speed. When his senses returned, he found himself inside a sealed chamber.
Duan Hai, Du Rufeng, and Yu Lian were all present. The latter two flanked Duan Hai on either side behind him, one wearing an expression of indifference, the other a pleasant smile.
Yang Kai's mind was taut as a bowstring. He looked left and right, searching for any exit, but found nothing. The bitterness flooding his mouth surpassed anything that could come from eating the bitterest of herbs. Damn it—he was trapped this time. He had even deployed his Spatial abilities, yet they hadn't been enough to break free from Duan Hai's grasp. The gulf between a Fourth-Order Open Heaven Realm master and himself was simply too vast.
"Junior Brother Yang, why the running?" Yu Lian asked with a smile. "Senior Brother isn't going to eat you. I simply need to borrow your Wood Element power for a while."
And what—just stand there and wait to die? Even though he had known the chances of escape were slim, he still had to try. His face grim, he said, "If Senior Brother wanted the Wood Element power, all you had to do was ask. Your Junior Brother would have willingly contributed. There was no need to deceive me like this."
Yu Lian chuckled. "Since Junior Brother is a man of understanding, then just be good and don't resist."
Yang Kai said, "But I am curious—can the Yin-Yang Five Elements power of others really be forcibly seized?" He had asked Old Fang this question before, and even Old Fang hadn't been able to give a clear answer. But now that this was actually happening to him, it was proof enough that Yin-Yang Five Elements power could indeed be taken by force. Otherwise, why would they go to all this trouble?
"There is only one type of person whose Yin-Yang Five Elements power can be seized." Perhaps because his ascension to the Open Heaven Realm was now within reach, Yu Lian was in an exceptionally good mood, and he didn't begrudge Yang Kai an answer. "The power can only be stripped from someone who has condensed a single element, as you have, Junior Brother. If you had condensed two, it would be impossible." He smiled as he explained further, "And after the extraction, your Wood Element power will drop by one or two grades. But that's no concern—word has it that the Wood Element power you refined is Fifth-Order at minimum. All Senior Brother needs is Fourth-Order, so as long as we're lucky, even with the drop in grade, it will still be usable."
So that was how it was. "I see!" Yang Kai exclaimed.
Yu Lian asked, "Does Junior Brother have any other questions?"
Yang Kai's face was dark. "What will happen to me after my Wood Element power is stripped?"
Yu Lian shrugged. "Die? Well, if you're lucky, you could survive. But chances are you'll never be able to cultivate again."
Those words sank Yang Kai's heart straight to the bottom. Either outcome was catastrophic for a cultivator. Being unable to practice any further was practically a fate worse than death.
Giving Yang Kai no chance to speak further, Yu Lian turned and cupped his fists toward Duan Hai. "Please, Venerable!"
Duan Hai gave a slight nod. His great hand rose and swept downward with a sharp motion.
Clank—clank—clank. The sound of chains whipping through the void rang out from every direction as streams of violent energy lanced toward Yang Kai from all sides. He looked around and saw chain after chain—each as thick as a thumb, their lengths formed from intricate and overlapping runic inscriptions—piercing straight toward him. He wanted to dodge, but his body was locked rigid, utterly unable to move.
Ssss. A series of piercing sounds echoed as those intangible yet solid chains plunged through his major acupoints. Yang Kai cried out in agony in an instant, his robes drenched through with sweat.
A grand array blazed to life beneath his feet, its patterns rotating slowly, ceaselessly.
So they had set up an array here in advance. It seemed they had been fully prepared and simply waiting for the right moment to drag him over and strip his Wood Element power.
The chains pulled taut, and Yang Kai was lifted slowly into the air, his body swaying. Duan Hai and Yu Lian each stepped into a designated position of the array, while Du Rufeng remained to one side, standing guard.
Yang Kai was desperate. This situation was a death sentence—there was no way his own strength could break him free. The only person he could possibly count on was Elder Xu.
But Elder Xu had entered the Seven Skills Earth three months ago and had given no sign of life since. Yang Kai had no idea where the man was or what he was doing, so expecting him to come to his rescue was unrealistic at best. Moreover, Yang Kai had probably already lost whatever value he held in Elder Xu's eyes. If anything, his life was in the old man's hands—and even if Elder Xu learned of his predicament, there was no guarantee he would care.
Within his array position, Yu Lian steadied his mind and sat cross-legged, his body radiating an aura of profound mystery.
On the other side, Duan Hai wore a solemn expression, his hands forming a continuous stream of seals.