Yang Kai possessed the Golden Crow Forging Sun Divine Ability Manifestation, while the man surnamed Gou had the Gourd Vine that could manifest the power of Open Heaven. Either of them could unleash power no weaker than a low-grade Open Heaven cultivator, making this truly a clash between equals—a meeting of true talent against true talent.
Inside the fruit world, the great sun blazed brilliantly, golden light radiating in all directions. The Gourd Vine pierced through heaven and earth, shattering the void.
The collision between the two was like two stars crashing into each other.
A deafening boom erupted. Terrifying shockwaves rippled outward, and the surrounding bubbles burst one after another, vanishing without a trace. Yang Kai's eyes nearly split from fury as he poured every ounce of his strength into that single thrust. The man surnamed Gou had done no less.
Boom, boom, boom...
Heaven and earth changed color. Countless spatial rifts appeared across the fruit world—clearly, this world itself could barely withstand the impact of such violent forces.
Yang Kai coughed blood and was sent tumbling backward, the great sun extinguished.
The man surnamed Gou spat out a torrent of blood, his face turning deathly pale. The sound of bones cracking echoed from within his body, and the seven-colored radiance of the Gourd Vine dimmed before re-forming into seven gourd fruits. His body, too, went flying like a tattered cloth sack.
This collision had ended in mutual devastation—neither Yang Kai nor the man surnamed Gou had gained even the slightest advantage.
The instant he hit the ground, Yang Kai tried to mobilize his strength to stand, only to find he couldn't get up. That last strike had nearly exhausted all of his energy. Now both his physical body and his Dao Imprint had reached their absolute limit. If he forced himself, he might sustain some irreparable damage.
His heart sank. He had never expected this battle to turn out like this. He silently admonished himself—he truly must not underestimate the heroes of this world. This man surnamed Gou had been completely unknown before, yet possessed such terrifying strength, and he was merely a Bearer of one Sacred Spirit. What kind of astonishing abilities did the others possess?
Of course, this fellow's power was built upon that Gourd Vine.
Fortunately, if he couldn't get up, the man surnamed Gou was lying motionless as well.
Having forced the power of Open Heaven through a body at the Emperor Heaven Realm, the damage the fellow had sustained was no better than his own.
Pop, pop, pop, pop...
The bubbles in this world kept bursting. Under the impact of their combined forces, a chain reaction had set in and showed no signs of stopping—the speed of destruction only grew faster.
In the blink of an eye, every last bubble had burst, leaving only a single palm-sized bubble floating in midair.
That bubble was utterly unremarkable. Neither Yang Kai nor the man surnamed Gou had ever noticed it before. They had chased and fled through countless bubbles, yet had never seen this one.
Once all the other bubbles had shattered, it stood out as utterly unique.
Yang Kai blinked his blood-misted eyes and stared hard at the bubble. A light suddenly sparked in his mind—he realized this bubble must be the key to this World Fruit. If he could refine it, he might be able to claim this fruit.
Never mind resting. Yang Kai immediately began to crawl, wriggling his body toward that bubble. In his current state, he didn't even have the strength to stand.
He had barely dragged himself a few steps when something tightened around his ankle. He turned his head to look and silently cursed.
His attention had been captured by that lone bubble, and he had forgotten about the man surnamed Gou. The fellow had swung his Gourd Vine and wrapped it around Yang Kai's ankle. The next moment, a powerful force yanked him back behind the man, and he rolled several times before regaining his bearings.
He had been relatively close to that bubble, but now, thanks to the man surnamed Gou's interference, the fellow was the one who was closer.
The man surnamed Gou had clearly recognized the bubble's uniqueness as well and was now wriggling his own body, crawling toward it.
What Yang Kai found fortunate was that even though he had been dragged back, he hadn't sustained any additional injuries. The man surnamed Gou clearly had no energy left to deal with him either—otherwise, he would never have let him off so easily.
Yang Kai seethed with fury and scrambled forward with all his might.
And so the two of them wriggled across the ground like a pair of maggots, inching their way toward that bubble bit by bit.
The man surnamed Gou's injuries were visibly more severe, and before long Yang Kai overtook him. Yang Kai shot him a contemptuous look, his face full of disdain. "Once I claim this World Fruit, I'll come for your miserable life!"
The man surnamed Gou's face was dark and stony, saying nothing. His hand flicked the Gourd Vine once more.
Yang Kai was dragged back again!
Yang Kai's face instantly turned black. He cursed under his breath, raised his Azure Dragon Spear, and stabbed at the Gourd Vine.
"Aiyoyoyo!" A chorus of startled cries rang out. All seven gourds on the vine had grown eyes and were staring at Yang Kai with aggrieved expressions, crying out in unison: "You're hurting us!"
Yang Kai ignored them, stabbing again and again until he finally broke free from the Gourd Vine's grip.
The man surnamed Gou gave the vine a shake, and the seven small gourds tumbled off together, transforming into the Seven Gourd Brothers. But even they now looked utterly drained—clearly, the earlier collision with Yang Kai had taken a severe toll on their Yuan Qi as well.
The seven brothers lay on the ground. The eldest said weakly, "I am the Eldest!"
The second added, "I am the Second!"
The third declared, "I am the Third!"