One word spoken, and the several leaders of Red Star were all shaken!
Real or fake? Who could be this insane—did he not want to live?
But looking at Yang Kai's previous performances and his current response, it was clear he truly was cultivating some kind of divine ability!
Between life and death lay great terror and great fear—but also great fortune!
Wandering at the gates of hell could spark sudden enlightenment and epiphanies. Chen Tianfei and the others were at least Open Heaven Realm cultivators who had lived for countless years—who among them hadn't had such experiences? But their experiences had all been forced upon them. None had deliberately thrown themselves between life and death like Yang Kai.
"He's gone mad, gone mad—this kid has really lost it," Chen Tianfei muttered in disbelief, stunned by the thought that had sprung to his mind.
"Look—behind him!" Madam Qin suddenly cried out.
The leaders of Red Star hurriedly looked behind Yang Kai, and what they saw made their eyelids tighten. Raging black flames boiled and surged across his body, churning ceaselessly. Though he was being forced back step by step by the Heaven-Dueling Star Array, his aura was climbing at a terrifying speed. Soon it reached a limit, and the surging black fire—like a beating heartbeat—appeared to be gestating some new form of life.
This scene was not only clearly visible to the leaders of Red Star but was witnessed by everyone in the Star Market. Even from a great distance, every person felt a chill creep through them, as if some supreme horror were about to break free from Yang Kai's body through the flames.
Yue He had been watching tensely. When she saw Yang Kai struggling, she had been ready to rush forward to help. Her Fifth-Grade Open Heaven cultivation could exert only limited power in the Grand Void Realm—truly going up against the Heaven-Dueling Star Array would be like smashing an egg against a rock. Yet she could not simply watch Yang Kai die. If she could wake him, with his mastery of the spatial laws, he would surely be able to escape and avoid perishing here.
But upon seeing those surging black flames, she forcibly held herself back, her heart leaping into her throat. Her beautiful eyes were fixed unblinkingly on Yang Kai's figure, both hands clenched tight, knuckles white.
"If it weren't for the Grand Void Realm, how would a mere Emperor dare act so brazenly before my Sword Pavilion? Break for him!" A thunderous shout rang out from within the sword light.
The already-dominant Heaven-Dueling Star Array blazed with brilliance, instantly tearing through the black flames surrounding Yang Kai and striking directly at his body.
A look of satisfaction appeared on Luo Qingyun's face, as if he could already see the scene of Yang Kai being slain. Though the battle had been grueling, they had won in the end, restoring the honor the Sword Pavilion had lost and showing the world that the Sword Pavilion could not be humiliated!
But at that very moment, a sudden tremor passed through Luo Qingyun's heart. Without knowing why, he was struck by an overwhelming sense of dread.
When he raised his eyes, he saw that Yang Kai—who had been as still as an ancient well, his expression neither pleased nor angry, his eyes vacant and devoid of thought—was now grinning. Those once-indifferent eyes now blazed with brilliant light, radiant and dazzling, as if he had finally returned to himself. A single word escaped his lips: "Open."
The voice was not loud, yet it rolled across the earth like muffled thunder, and heaven and earth buzzed with its resonance.
The instant the word fell, a great sun materialized behind Yang Kai—a golden sun hanging at his back, its brilliant radiance illuminating the world so brightly that no one could keep their eyes open.
"What is that?" Countless warriors who witnessed this scene cried out in shock. Never before had anyone seen such a strange sight. Could it be that Yang Kai truly had a small sun hidden within his body?
Not only the Emperors were bewildered, but many Open Heaven Realm cultivators were equally puzzled.
Only a handful of people froze for a moment, then seemed to suddenly recall something. Their entire bodies trembled, and expressions of shock and disbelief appeared on their faces. After all, while they knew things that ordinary people did not, none had ever actually witnessed this with their own eyes.
Madam Qin raised a hand to cover her red lips, murmuring in disbelief: "Could this be..."
"A Dharma Aspect!" Chen Tianfei forced those words through a constricted throat, his entire body of fat trembling from the force of his emotions.
The Ouyang brothers swallowed involuntarily. Bei Yushan stared at Yang Kai with undisguised admiration and couldn't help but exclaim: "Incredible!"
A while ago in the council hall, he had been sent flying by Yang Kai's punch and had always harbored some lingering resentment, believing he had been too careless and underestimated his opponent. Otherwise, he couldn't possibly have lost so badly. But now, upon seeing this Great Sun Dharma Aspect, that remaining dissatisfaction vanished in an instant.
For Yang Kai to condense a Dharma Aspect with Emperor-level power—there was simply no way he could have withstood it. His defeat that day had been no injustice, and neither had Poison Lady's or Gan Hong's deaths!
In the courtyard of Yang Kai's residence, Yue He closed her eyes in anguish.
After hiding it for so long, had it finally been exposed today? She cursed herself silently for not having warned him earlier about the stakes, so he could have concealed it better. But she truly hadn't expected that Yang Kai would actually be able to condense a Dharma Aspect at a time like this.
After today, Yang Kai's little secret would no longer be a secret. Under the gaze of thousands, how could it possibly remain hidden? In the Grand Void Realm, it didn't matter much—with this Dharma Aspect, no one could stand against him. But outside the Grand Void? Once this sensational news spread, what good end could Yang Kai possibly meet?
Would the tragedy from a thousand years ago repeat itself?
Thinking of that person who had died young, Yue He's heart ached with sorrow. He and the person before her now had both been equally brilliant and extraordinary. Only, this one seemed even more dazzling than the one from back then. At the very least, that person had never condensed a Dharma Aspect at the Emperor level!