At this moment, Qi Jin and Ling Chunqiu both found themselves wondering whether disrupting Bai Qi's breakthrough had been the right call. Had they left him alone, he might have at least tied Madam Boss down, preventing her from unleashing her full strength.
But now, with Bai Qi's breakthrough doomed and death inevitable, Madam Boss's fury had reached its peak. She had nothing left to hold her back.
The Wind-Thunder Whip cracked through the air, lashing out at Qi Jin and Ling Chunqiu. Though Madam Boss had suffered grievous injuries, her aura had grown even more terrifying than before. The whip's shadow surged toward them, and the sheer force rolling off it made both Qi Jin and Ling Chunqiu's eyelids twitch uncontrollably.
Who would dare face such a devastating strike head-on? Both dodged left and right in a flash.
BOOM! As though two worlds had collided, the whip smashed into the ground, shattering the earth. Even the void bore a deep, lingering scar that would take ages to mend.
Yet before Qi Jin and Ling Chunqiu could even catch their breath, the Wind-Thunder Whip swept sideways, sweeping through the void once more.
Qi Jin's heart trembled. Only now did he realize the true depth of Madam Boss's power. He too was a Sixth-Order Open Heaven cultivator. He had always assumed that even if Madam Boss surpassed him, it wouldn't be by much. But judging from the force behind those two strikes, Lan Youruo was leagues ahead of him — far more than just a slight gap.
A single supple whip danced through the air, wind howling and thunder rumbling. The combined might of Qi Jin and Ling Chunqiu was enough only to parry — they had no room to strike back. They stumbled and scrambled in utter disarray as the whip carved furrow after furrow into the ground. The entire secret realm shuddered, the void itself trembling.
With no more restraints holding her back, Madam Boss held nothing back. Under the weight of her towering rage, this small secret realm could not hope to endure. Its collapse was now only a matter of time.
"Someone get over here and help!" Qi Jin roared.
Only then did Yue He snap back to her senses. She cast one long, profound look at Yang Kai, then charged toward the battlefield at full speed.
The next instant, a ceaseless cascade of thunderous booms filled the heavens and earth. Spiritual energy raged wildly between sky and ground, the power of the world surging and plummeting in chaotic waves. Four figures clashed ceaselessly within that maelstrom.
This Yang-Locking Land was, after all, merely a secret realm. How could it possibly withstand the shockwaves of battle between four mid-grade Open Heaven cultivators? And with Madam Boss's murderous intent surging like a tidal wave, she attacked without the slightest reservation. In the span of mere moments, the Yang-Locking Land had begun to disintegrate. Chaotic spatial laws wandered aimlessly throughout the realm.
In a battle of this magnitude, Yang Kai had no way to intervene. Despite his concern for Madam Boss's condition, there was precious little he could do at a time like this. He stuffed a handful of spirit pills into his mouth and dashed to Old Bai's side. Looking down at the man, his lips moved, but no words came. He didn't know what to say.
He hadn't known Old Bai for long, but they had taken to each other naturally — their temperaments clicked. Old Bai could honestly be called the first real friend he'd made since arriving outside the Heavens.
He had imagined this would be Old Bai's moment of soaring triumph, the instant he would finally make a name for himself. Who could have predicted that at the critical juncture, everything would come crashing down?
"Everyone has their own fate," Old Bai said with a bitter smile. He was still struggling desperately to maintain the balance of power within his body, but the combined forces of Yin, Yang, and the Five Elements were not so easily subdued. They rampaged through him in violent collision — generating and counteracting each other in relentless cycles. Blood seeped from every pore on Old Bai's body, making him look utterly wretched.
"What will happen to you?" Yang Kai asked, licking his parched lips.
"In the best case, my cultivation will be completely destroyed," Old Bai managed a thin smile. "In the worst case, my soul will scatter and cease to exist. Either way… I'm afraid I won't be able to serve Madam Boss anymore."
"Don't think about that right now…"
"I know my own condition," Old Bai said hoarsely.
As the two spoke, a deep, rolling boom shook the earth beneath them. The secret realm could endure no more. It collapsed entirely.
The moment the realm shattered, chaotic spatial forces crashed in from every direction. An ordinary Emperor Realm cultivator would have had no choice but to ride the tide — and even that would only lead to being swallowed by spatial rifts. Fortunately, Yang Kai had a profound understanding of the Spatial Laws. He channeled their power to shield himself and Old Bai, and together they escaped the chaos of the void.
Looking up, he saw Madam Boss, Qi Jin, and the others burst free from the remnants of the realm as well. Madam Boss cast a worried glance in his direction, and only when she saw Yang Kai and Old Bai unharmed did the tension in her eyes ease.
Qi Jin, however, wore a grim expression, his heart bleeding with every beat.
The Yang-Locking Land had been one of Golden Rainbow Province's most closely guarded secret sites. The Yang-attribute sinister energy it produced was inexhaustible. With the Yang-Locking Land as its foundation, Golden Rainbow Province could have accomplished great things in the years to come. But this single battle had reduced it all to ruin. How could he not feel the sting?
Still, now was not the time to mourn for the Yang-Locking Land. The first problem he had to face was how to quell Lan Youruo's towering wrath.
Fortunately, they hadn't come seeking vengeance with only their small group this time — otherwise, things would have been far more troublesome.
He drew a deep breath and bellowed across the void: "Elder Hai! Now would be the perfect time to act!"
The moment the words left his mouth, a beam of sword light slashed in from the distance. Its radiance was so vast and blinding that it seemed capable of cleaving even the stars.
No one had expected Qi Jin's group to have reinforcements waiting in the wings. And judging from the overwhelming might of that sword strike, the newcomer's strength was at least equal to, if not greater than, Qi Jin's own.
Madam Boss hadn't expected it either. By the time she registered the danger, it was already too late. She snapped her whip up to block, but the sword light cut cleanly through the whip's shadow and struck her delicate frame.
Blood sprayed into the air. Madam Boss's body hurtled backward, retreating a thousand zhang before she finally managed to stabilize herself. She lifted her eyes and looked toward the void, where a figure strode forward with measured steps, a deep blue sword held loosely in hand. Sword intent soared toward the heavens.
"Hai Pingle!" Madam Boss fixed her gaze on the approaching figure, her beautiful eyes narrowing.