Yue He's face turned ashen in an instant. It wasn't that she was grieving over her Artifact—although it was a decent piece, it wasn't particularly precious. But with the small boat destroyed during their escape, their prospects had instantly dimmed.
She knew that Yang Kai had mastered the Laws of Space and was skilled at evasion, but under Red Star's relentless pursuit, those spatial laws might not be enough.
She had chased Yang Kai through the void before and experienced firsthand the marvel of his spatial teleportation. But in the end, Yang Kai had still surrendered without a fight. She was a Fifth-Order Open Heaven cultivator, and Zhao Baichuan was also Fifth-Order. If she could capture Yang Kai back then, how could Zhao Baichuan possibly fail?
She was just about to tell Yang Kai to flee first while she stayed behind to hold them off, when she saw him sneer coldly. "You want to play? Fine, I'll play along with you. Let's see who outplays whom."
With those words barely spoken, he activated the Laws of Space. A single teleport carried them over a thousand li.
It was a shame that the vast void had nowhere to hide. Even though they'd put some distance between themselves and their pursuers, they were quickly spotted again, and Red Star continued to give chase. That Hundred Refinements Peak moved at an absurd speed, constantly closing the gap.
"Young Master, why don't we head to the Cosmos Temple?" Yue He suggested. "There's a Cosmos Temple in this Great Domain as well. I left a Cosmos Escape Seal there—I can take you directly."
The Cosmos Temple was a fortress built jointly by the Great Domains and Blessed Lands, where all conflict was forbidden. As long as they could make it inside, they would be safe. Zhao Baichuan and his people would never dare follow them in.
Yang Kai shook his head. "We can hide for a while, but not forever. Even if we make it to the Cosmos Temple, we can't stay inside indefinitely."
Yue He considered this and realized he had a point. The Cosmos Temple was safe, but they couldn't remain hidden there forever. She dropped the matter.
After the teleport, Yang Kai relaxed his mind and let Yue He channel her power to propel them forward. His own speed couldn't match hers, and in this situation, it was better to let her take the lead.
Behind them, the Hundred Refinements Peak was quickly closing in. When it got close enough, Yang Kai took over again and executed another teleport, widening the gap once more.
On the Hundred Refinements Peak, Zhao Baichuan was so furious he nearly stamped his feet, and Chen Tianfei was cursing up a storm. This kid named Yang was far too slippery. He'd heard before that those who mastered the Laws of Space were good at escape, but today was the first time he'd truly witnessed it in action. Unless they could seal off the space around him, there was no way to pin him down.
But Yang Kai always kept the distance right at the limit, never giving them the chance to seal the void around him.
Days of pursuit and escape passed, and Red Star's people couldn't lay a finger on Yang Kai.
At one point, Yue He suddenly exclaimed, "Young Master, some of them have broken off!"
Yang Kai turned to look. Several figures had dropped down from the Hundred Refinements Peak. Moments later, their hands formed seals, and a formation array blazed to life beneath their feet.
It was unmistakably the glow of the Cosmos Escape Technique.
He snorted coldly. "They're heading to the Cosmos Temple."
The two of them had been heading toward this Great Domain's Cosmos Temple. Red Star's people probably assumed they were trying to reach it for sanctuary, so they'd split off a few to get there first and cut them off from behind.
What they didn't realize was that if Yang Kai and Yue He had actually wanted to go to the Cosmos Temple, they would have done so already. They wouldn't have been foolish enough to fly straight there.
But this was exactly the effect Yang Kai wanted.
Seeing those few depart, he immediately had Yue He change direction.
On the Hundred Refinements Peak, Zhao Baichuan was so enraged he nearly spat blood. He realized immediately that Yang Kai had tricked them, but it was too late to regret it. Those Open Heaven cultivators had already teleported to the Cosmos Temple, and at this distance, there was no way to contact them in time.
Chen Tianfei was baffled. "Where the hell is this kid even going?"
Zhao Baichuan didn't know either. But two days later, he figured out Yang Kai's plan—he was leaving this Great Domain entirely and entering a different one.
At the Domain Gate, Yang Kai activated the Domain Shuttle, and the two of them passed through into another Great Domain.
Half an hour later, the Hundred Refinements Peak plunged through the Domain Gate, but a look around revealed nothing but empty void. There was no sign of Yang Kai.
"Search! Even if you have to dig three feet underground, find him! We won't get another chance like this!" Zhao Baichuan roared.
Nearly thirty figures immediately launched from the Hundred Refinements Peak—some scattering in every direction, others activating the Cosmos Escape Technique to teleport to the Cosmos Temple.
Zhao Baichuan himself piloted the Hundred Refinements Peak forward at full speed, continuing the search.
But Yang Kai's maneuver had forced them to split their forces. With only a dozen or so Open Heaven cultivators remaining on the Hundred Refinements Peak—and the Artifact's power and speed depending on how many people were channeling it—their velocity had dropped significantly.
Before long, one of his subordinates sent word: they'd found Yang Kai's trail. Based on his trajectory, he was heading toward the Domain Gate once more.
Zhao Baichuan silently retrieved the Cosmos Map, checked their position, and made a snap decision. He withdrew the Hundred Refinements Peak, and together with the remaining Open Heaven cultivators, they all activated the Cosmos Escape Technique to teleport to this Domain's Cosmos Temple.
They rushed out of the Cosmos Temple without pause and rendezvoused with a subordinate, who immediately reported, "Boss, I've got it—those two came to the Cosmos Temple, and now they've headed off in that direction!"