Yang Kai's meaning was plain — time waited for no one.
Mo Mei and the others grew solemn upon hearing this. If it were truly as he said, then deciding who to save and who not to save would be an agonizing choice. In all her years as City Lord, she had known every resident of Dingfeng City, from the eldest elders to the youngest toddlers — each one's voice and face imprinted in her mind. To ask certain people to die so that others might live? The cruelty of that decision was almost too much to bear.
Then Yang Kai spoke again. "Beyond that, everyone can place a bet with me. If it works, every last person in Dingfeng City will be saved. If it fails… we can discuss failure when it comes."
Mo Mei immediately asked, "What kind of bet?"
Yang Kai replied, "I possess a world of my own into which I can draw this entire area. I can use my arts to lock in the Heaven and Earth force here. What I'm not certain of yet is whether I can preserve that force for any length of time." If it could be preserved long-term, then the aura of the Blood Demon Cave Heaven would not fade quickly, and the blood-path restrictions within their bodies would not be triggered. Once Yang Kai had the leisure, he could slowly work on saving them one by one. But if preservation proved impossible, then the plan was worthless.
Mo Mei's eyes lit up. "If such a method exists, then please, Mr. Yang, act quickly!"
Yang Kai nodded. "Please wait a moment — and I'll need you to have everyone in the city refrain from resisting." Drawing such an enormous spirit continent into the Small Universe should not pose much of a problem. His divine soul was far from ordinary now. The key issue was the multitude of cultivators in the city — if even a few of them resisted, it would add tremendous strain. Given the current state of affairs, the warriors of Dingfeng City were already in a state of panic, and the slightest disturbance could spark a full-blown panic. Cooperation was essential.
Mo Mei and the others immediately relayed the orders, simultaneously soothing the city's residents and explaining the current situation, emphasizing that they must not channel even a shred of defensive force.
Gradually, the cultivators of Dingfeng City grew still. The entire city fell silent — not a single voice could be heard, only the ragged, uneven sound of heavy breathing and the thudding of countless hearts.
Yang Kai hovered in the air above the spirit continent on which Dingfeng City sat, spreading his Divine Sense outward until it reached every corner of the landmass. Despite having prepared himself mentally beforehand, the moment he actually began, he realized he had underestimated the task far too much.
Even with his current strength of soul, his Divine Sense hemorrhaged like floodwaters through a broken dam. In mere moments, his consciousness sea was nearly depleted. Had it not been for the Warm Divine Lotus continuously nourishing his soul, he would have burned out completely before even starting.
In that moment, he yearned desperately for the days when Rolling had been the Little World — back then, Rolling had been able to devour an entire Demon Realm.
Under the gaze of all present, tension hung thick in the air. Yang Kai's face had gone deathly pale, his body trembling faintly, and everyone could feel his vast, tide-like Divine Sense surging outward in every direction.
Mo Mei and the others were shaken. Because of the Blood Demon Cave Heaven's suppression, they had been confined to the Emperor Realm their entire lives, and their accumulation and refinement at this level surpassed that of most cultivators. Whether it was the depth of their Emperor Qi or the condensation of their Divine Sense, few outsiders could match them.
Yet in this comparison, they came to understand just how narrow their perspective had been.
Setting everything else aside, the sheer magnitude of his Divine Sense power alone made theirs seem like a brook standing against an entire ocean.
A full incense stick's worth of time later, Yang Kai finally felt his Divine Sense had completely enveloped the spirit continent without leaving a single gap.
His tightly shut eyes snapped open, and he bellowed: "Collect!"
The gateway to the Small Universe opened wide. His Divine Sense seized the vast spirit continent, and the fluctuations of Space Law became violent beyond measure. The landmass twisted and blurred, a ripple passed through, and it vanished in an instant.
Yang Kai exhaled softly, took out several spirit pills and popped them into his mouth, then flashed into the Small Universe.
Inside the Small Universe, a massive spirit continent had appeared out of thin air. The Heaven and Earth forces of both realms collided with one another, and the aura of the Blood Demon Cave Heaven began dissipating rapidly.
Yang Kai had no time to rest. He immediately cast his arts to seal off the space around the spirit continent, halting the dissipation of both the Heaven and Earth force and the Blood Demon Cave Heaven's aura.
After a frantic round of work, Yang Kai was so exhausted that stars danced before his eyes.
But despite the enormous cost, the results were gratifying. The Heaven and Earth force within Dingfeng City's spirit continent had finally stopped dissipating. As long as that force was preserved, it meant the aura of the Blood Demon Cave Heaven would endure, and the cultivators of Dingfeng City need not fear their blood-path restrictions erupting.
It seemed his initial idea was entirely viable. Once he confirmed this, the tension that had been gripping Yang Kai's heart finally loosened. He relayed the outcome to Mo Mei and the others, and they let out deep, relieved breaths.
"City Lord Mo, now is not yet the time to perform the removal. Once I've settled things on my end, I'll come back and help you all dissolve the blood-path restrictions within your bodies," Yang Kai said. The Blood Demon Domain was in complete chaos at the moment — even if he had the will, it was impossible to perform such delicate work under these conditions.
Mo Mei bowed. "Please attend to your affairs, Mr. Yang. I will manage Dingfeng City myself. The debt of salvation you have bestowed upon us — the people of Dingfeng City will be eternally grateful."