Du Rufeng wasn't dead! The thought flashed through Yang Kai's mind. The Sky-Covering Net was Du Rufeng's Artifact, and the fact that it had been deployed now was proof positive that Du Rufeng was very much alive.
His body plummeted downward, but the Sky-Covering Net clung to him like a parasite clinging to bone — impossible to shake off.
The space in all four directions had been locked down — even Instant Movement was sealed. Watching helplessly as the great net closed over him, Yang Kai's heart raced with alarm. He channeled every ounce of his strength into the Azure Dragon Spear and thrust it upward toward the sky.
But the Sky-Covering Net absorbed the strike without effect, dropping straight down and wrapping Yang Kai up tightly. Restraining force surged from the net, and in an instant Yang Kai felt all the power in his body bound and sealed.
High in the air, Du Rufeng's figure slowly materialized, his face twisted with vicious hatred and lingering fear. When the Protective Earth Formation had activated earlier, if his luck hadn't been good enough, he would have followed his fellow disciples to their graves.
However, he wasn't in great shape himself — his face was deathly pale, one hand pressed against his chest, blood caking the corners of his mouth. The aftershocks from the clash between Duan Hai and Elder Xu had inflicted serious injuries on him.
"You're a lucky one — even that didn't kill you!" Du Rufeng glared coldly at Yang Kai, bound within the Sky-Covering Net, and formed a single-handed seal. The restraining force of the net abruptly intensified.
Yang Kai grunted. The situation was dire, but he refused to yield with words. "You're alive and well yourself."
Du Rufeng snorted. "Don't get smug — I'll kill you right now!" Yu Lian coveted the Wood Element Power within Yang Kai, but Du Rufeng couldn't care less. Everyone refined different elemental forces, and he had already refined Wood Element Power long ago, so Yang Kai's life or death meant nothing to him. With the upheaval in Seven Skills Earth, keeping Yang Kai alive risked complications — better to kill him first.
As he spoke, he was already preparing to strike. His hand grasped at the void, and a long sword materialized in his palm. His hand seals shifted, and he barked a low command: "Go!"
The long sword transformed into a streak of sword light and shot straight toward Yang Kai.
Within his field of vision, the sword light expanded rapidly before his eyes as the aura of death bore down upon him. At this crossroads between life and death, Yang Kai's mind became as still as water. When the dragon's roar erupted, his bones crackled and popped in rapid succession, his body swelling at tremendous speed as dragon scales spread across his skin.
Mid-transformation into his dragon form, he suddenly opened his jaws wide and caught the oncoming sword light in his mouth. The tremendous impact rattled him to his core — Yang Kai felt as though his teeth had nearly shattered, his mouth filling with the taste of blood.
Du Rufeng's expression froze, his gaze tracking upward as Yang Kai's body grew and grew, seemingly never having expected Yang Kai to possess such an ability. A moment later, he cried out involuntarily: "Dragon Bloodline!"
After his dragon transformation, the surface characteristics of Yang Kai's body were far too obvious — how could Du Rufeng fail to notice?
In the blink of an eye, Yang Kai had transformed into a colossal dragon body two hundred zhang in size. Yet even that wasn't enough to break free of the Sky-Covering Net's restraint. The thing shared a similar principle with the Six Harmonies Treasure Pouch — both could expand and contract, growing alongside Yang Kai's changing form, keeping him firmly bound.
However, Yang Kai could clearly feel signs of instability in the Sky-Covering Net. His heart surged with joy as he realized that even though it shared similar functions with the Six Harmonies Treasure Pouch, it was nowhere near as refined or wondrous as Elder Xu's version.
No more hesitation. Gripping the Azure Dragon Spear, he began to swing it with savage fury.
In an instant, the light on the Sky-Covering Net flickered wildly and rapidly dimmed.
"Not a chance!" Du Rufeng roared, beckoning with one hand. The sword light that Yang Kai had been biting down on suddenly flew back to him. Du Rufeng seized it and slashed it down toward Yang Kai with explosive force.
A massive blade of sword energy cleaved downward from above — Yang Kai had nowhere to dodge. If this blow connected, even if it didn't kill him, it would leave him gravely wounded.
At that critical moment, a streak of golden light raced in from the distance and threw itself in front of Yang Kai. The golden light had been just a small speck at first, but upon manifesting, it expanded explosively into a giant golden rooster over ten zhang tall.
"The Great General!" Yang Kai was stunned. The last person he expected to come to his rescue at a time like this was that perpetually unreliable idiot of a chicken.
When Du Rufeng had summoned him this time, Yang Kai hadn't brought the Great General along, leaving it behind at the orchard. He had no idea how it had managed to find its way here.
The sword energy slashed down. The Great General let out a brief, pitiful squawk and was sent flying through the air. Mid-flight, its body reverted to its original size, and the golden plumage across its body had dulled considerably.
Yang Kai erupted with fury. Dragon breath radiated from every pore as he thrust the Azure Dragon Spear forward — the spear shot forth like a dragon itself. "Break!" he roared.
Like a true Azure Dragon manifesting into the world, the spear's devastating power tore through the void.
With a resounding crash, the Sky-Covering Net that had been binding Yang Kai shattered apart, and the restraining force vanished in an instant. But the Azure Dragon Spear's momentum didn't diminish — it continued straight toward Du Rufeng.
Sensing the devastating power behind the strike, Du Rufeng's expression changed drastically. He dodged with several rapid shifts of position. Yang Kai wouldn't give him a moment to recover — this man was a half-step Open Heaven cultivator, stronger than himself, and possessed an Artifact like the Shadowless Veil. If he found the opportunity to throw that veil over himself, Yang Kai would never find him again.
A dragon claw shot out, grasping toward Du Rufeng, and at the same time, Yang Kai activated the Laws of Space.
The world in all four directions froze solid. Du Rufeng's body stuttered to a halt, and in that brief instant, Yang Kai's massive claw closed tight, seizing Du Rufeng in an iron grip.
"Get off me!" Du Rufeng roared, all of his power surging. Even in his dragon form, Yang Kai felt the grip beginning to slip. His chest suddenly swelled enormously, and he unleashed a furious blast of breath directly at Du Rufeng.