The great net was remarkably tough, clearly forged from exceedingly rare materials, and with over a hundred people channeling it through a combined battle formation, its might was truly extraordinary. It trapped the gourd inside, and no matter how the gourd charged back and forth within, it could not break free for the time being.
The short man's expression darkened slightly. He clearly hadn't expected this group from Emperor Heaven to be so troublesome.
Even Yang Kai found himself reassessing them. He had always assumed the organization known as Emperor Heaven was loose and scattered as sand, but it seemed Ding Yi had some real ability—he had actually managed to rally this motley crew into a formidable force.
Several more battle formations surged forward, transforming into rolling torrents of power that crashed toward the short man. By now, the only gourds remaining at his side were the ones bearing earth and wood attributes.
Yet he remained calm even in the face of crisis. Only when the formation torrents were about to swallow him did he form a single-handed seal. The Fifth Gourd let out a grunt as an earthy yellow glow abruptly surged from its body, enveloping the short man within a protective barrier—even sturdier than the First Gourd's indestructible golden body.
The earth element was inherently oriented toward defense. Just like the earth power Yang Kai had refined, which allowed him to manifest the Dragon Shield Secret Art, it was hardly surprising that this gourd could produce such a protective force.
Amid a series of thunderous booms, wave after wave of attacks hammered down, only to be deflected in unison by the luminous barrier.
The remaining Wood Gourd spun around and plunged into the earth. Immediately, the ground cracked open as root tendrils rolled and spread underground like subterranean dragons, causing the very earth to heave and billow.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh, whoosh…
Root tendrils burst from the ground one after another, piercing through battle formation after battle formation, inflicting devastating losses on Emperor Heaven in the blink of an eye.
Meanwhile, the Water Gourd and the Fire Gourd worked in concert, unleashing a water-fire detonation technique. The Yin and Yang Gourds transformed into enormous shears that tore through the void, slicing back and forth to harvest the lives of warriors.
Armed with nothing more than a single gourd vine bearing seven small gourds, the short man fought Emperor Heaven's forces to a standstill.
Yang Kai watched in awe. The power of this gourd vine was far more terrifying than he had anticipated—this was without doubt the most combat-capable Sacred Medicine he had ever seen. Even with Grape and Little Mushroom in his possession, he couldn't help but feel a twinge of envy at the short man's luck in obtaining such a Sacred Medicine. The fellow's fortune was truly heaven-blessed.
"What a pity," Xu Zhen sighed softly from the side. "This fellow is lucky enough and strong enough, but it just so happens he ran into Emperor Heaven."
Yang Kai nodded in agreement. For all his impressive display, the short man was ultimately fighting alone, while Emperor Heaven had numbers on their side. If the battle dragged on, he would inevitably come to disadvantage.
The key question was how long the Earth Gourd's protection could hold.
Sure enough, after roughly thirty breaths, the Earth Gourd suddenly flushed red and grunted, "I can't hold on anymore!"
The barrier it was maintaining was now shaking violently, teetering on the verge of collapse. It had endured far too many attacks—though it was a Fifth-Grade earth-element defense, even that could not withstand an endless onslaught.
The short man's expression shifted slightly.
It was then that Ding Yi suddenly bellowed, "I've been waiting for this moment!"
He had been watching coldly from the sidelines the entire time, never once joining the fray. Even as his own subordinates fell in droves, he remained unmoved—clearly he had been biding his time, waiting for the perfect chance to deliver a killing blow.
And now, that moment had come.
A searing, blistering power suddenly radiated from the ghost-head greatsword. Ding Yi raised the blade high and brought it slashing downward, his expression cold and resolute.
The instant Ding Yi made his move, both Yang Kai and Xu Zhen let out involuntary gasps and looked up at him. The blazing power coiling around that greatsword seemed far from ordinary.
Xu Zhen exclaimed, "Seventh-Grade fire element!"
Ding Yi had actually condensed Seventh-Grade fire-element power!
A flash of surprise passed through Yang Kai's eyes, and then understanding dawned on him.
Within the Void Great Ruins, the only way to condense Seventh-Grade power was by borrowing the strength of a Sacred Spirit. Zhu Jiuyin had told him as much—there had indeed been Seventh-Grade treasures in the Void Great Ruins long ago, but they had all been consumed over the ages. Yang Kai had once sought a Seventh-Grade gold-element treasure and come up empty-handed. Even Zhu Jiuyin's army of millions had scoured every corner of the Void Great Ruins without success.
But the absence of Seventh-Grade treasures did not mean Seventh-Grade power was unattainable. The inner cores of those Sacred Spirits were, at the very minimum, Seventh-Grade.
The fact that Ding Yi could now wield Seventh-Grade fire-element power clearly meant he had received a Sacred Spirit's aid. In other words, he too was a Bearer—a Sacred Spirit had used the power of its own inner core to help him condense Seventh-Grade fire-element power!
It wasn't hard to fathom, really. Sacred Spirits seeking out Bearers would naturally gravitate toward warriors with outstanding aptitude and immense potential. Before entering the Void Great Ruins, Ding Yi had been a complete nobody, but once inside, he had immediately risen to prominence, establishing Emperor Heaven right from the start.
Having roamed the Void Great Ruins for years and built a reputation, it was hardly surprising that some Sacred Spirit had set its sights on him.
And whichever Sacred Spirit had helped him condense fire-element power was certainly a fire-attribute Sacred Spirit. Yang Kai had seen at least fifty Sacred Spirits on the periphery of the Land of No Elders, among whom truly pure fire-attribute Sacred Spirits were exceedingly rare. He had no idea which one had taken a liking to Ding Yi.