Seeing Yang Kai's unrelenting attitude, the short man flew into a rage. "You think I'm afraid of you just because your surname is Yang? Old Gou here simply doesn't want to waste energy on a pointless fight that only benefits others!"
Yang Kai grinned savagely. "Killing you isn't a pointless fight... If you want to live, it's simple—leave that gourd vine behind and I'll stop chasing!"
The man surnamed Gou snarled, "Then by all means, keep chasing. Let's see whether you're faster at chasing or I'm faster at running."
Had it not been for that punch Yang Kai had landed on him earlier, he wouldn't have been fleeing so pathetically. With the gourd vine in hand, who would he need to fear in the Void Great Ruins? But that punch had truly rattled him—without the gourd vine's protection, it would have reduced him to paste.
The two bickered continuously as they recovered, neither willing to let the other rest in peace.
After an incense stick's time, Yang Kai rose to his feet, tore through the membrane of the bubble before him, and charged forward.
The man surnamed Gou paled with alarm. Ignoring the fact that the spirit pill in his stomach hadn't fully dissolved, he fled in haste.
Over the next several dozen days, the man surnamed Gou lived a fate worse than death. Yang Kai's recovery ability was clearly far superior—more often than not, the moment he'd barely regained some strength, Yang Kai would come bounding after him in peak condition, forcing him into yet another panicked retreat.
The injuries on his body, lacking effective treatment and rest, showed no signs of improvement. If anything, they were getting worse.
He knew he couldn't keep this up. With each passing day Yang Kai grew stronger while he grew weaker. Sooner or later, Yang Kai would catch up to him, and when that time came, he wouldn't even have the strength to fight back.
Over these days, the distance between them had been steadily shrinking. At first there had been dozens of bubbles between them; now only a handful remained—they were practically within arm's reach.
Throughout his flight, he had been continuously exploring the mysteries of this fruit's inner world, hoping to decipher its secrets and claim the World Fruit for himself. Regrettably, after so many days, he had discovered nothing at all.
And Yang Kai was in the same boat.
This entire world was composed of countless bubbles stretching endlessly in every direction. Each one was virtually identical to the last, with no discernible difference.
Though Yang Kai had been chasing relentlessly, driving the man surnamed Gou to utter desperation, he too felt a growing unease. After all, who knew what was happening outside? If he missed the closure of the Land of No Elders, he could be trapped here for the rest of his life.
If he couldn't leave, Yue He and the others would surely suffer as well.
Which was why Yang Kai pursued with ever greater ferocity. Only by finishing this quickly could he begin to explore the mysteries of this place.
After another round of meditation, Yang Kai didn't wait to recover his full strength. He rose, tore through the membrane of his bubble, and lunged at the man surnamed Gou.
This time, the man did not flee. He simply sat cross-legged in place, watching Yang Kai approach with cold, vicious eyes—and in them, a trace of grim resolution.
Yang Kai grinned. Of course—he'd finally driven the man into a corner, leaving him no choice but to fight to the death.
This was exactly what he'd been hoping for.
In the blink of an eye, Yang Kai crossed several bubbles and entered the one where the man surnamed Gou sat. After dozens of days of pursuit, the two finally faced each other at close range for the first time.
"Seal!" Yang Kai formed a hand seal with one hand, activating the spatial laws. The space within the bubble was instantly locked down—the man surnamed Gou could forget about escaping easily. Unless he broke through Yang Kai's spatial seal, which would inevitably leave him wide open.
"It seems you and I can only meet in life or death. What a shame—I hadn't wanted to send you on your way so soon, but you just had to force my hand." The man surnamed Gou showed no trace of panic. Instead, he wore an expression of absolute certainty, as though victory were already in his grasp.
As he spoke, he exhaled a long breath and slowly rose to his feet. And as he stood, his previously flagging aura surged upward, climbing higher and higher!
Yang Kai regarded him calmly, unhurried. "Who's sending whom on their way remains to be seen. Don't be so quick with the big words—you might end up with egg on your face."
Their gazes collided, and sparks seemed to flash between them.
The next instant, they moved simultaneously, as if by prior agreement.
Yang Kai flicked his fingers in rapid succession. One after another, Moon Blades screamed through the air, blanketing a vast area. Where they passed, space itself shattered into fragments.
The man surnamed Gou, meanwhile, formed a flurry of hand seals. A massive drill bit tore through the air, spinning violently toward Yang Kai.
The Dao-Breaking Seal!
This divine ability was designed specifically to counter Dao Marks, its power terrifying beyond measure. Yang Kai had already suffered from it once before, and Ding Yi had nearly lost his life to this very technique.
Having witnessed it twice already, Yang Kai was well prepared. He diverted a portion of his focus to stabilize his Dao Mark, keeping it from being shaken loose, while simultaneously commanding the Moon Blades to reverse course. They howled back toward the Dao-Breaking Seal and began to tear at it from all sides.