It was as though a slumbering dragon had rapidly awakened. That overwhelming draconic might swept across all of Void Land, and even the two High-Rank Open Heaven cultivators locked in battle with Zhu Jiuyin couldn't help but glance over in surprise.
"A Dragon Artifact!" the sword-wielding figure exclaimed.
Across the entire Three Thousand Worlds, the Dragon Clan was an extraordinarily unique and powerful race—one noted above all for its unity. The Dragon Altar of the Dragon Clan was one of the Thirty-Six Cavern Heavens, though no outsider knew its location. Only Dragon Clan disciples knew the method of entering and leaving. Those who possessed the Dragon Meridian could also sense the Dragon Altar's presence, provided their dragon bloodline was dense enough, allowing them to seek it out.
Throughout the ages, the Thirty-Six Cavern Heavens and Seventy-Two Blessed Lands had never been fixed. As time flowed on and power shifted, Cavern Heavens and Blessed Lands could be destroyed or replaced. Yet the status and existence of the Dragon Altar had never once been shaken—unless the Dragon Clan itself was annihilated.
Its counterpart was the Phoenix Nest.
But one thing was undeniable: anything connected to the Dragon Clan was never a small matter.
No one had expected that a mere Emperor Realm cultivator would possess a Dragon Artifact, and judging by its might, that Artifact had clearly been forged from the body of a great dragon.
Who in this world would dare be so audacious as to wield a Dragon Artifact? If the Dragon Clan ever learned of this, they would never let it go!
The sword-wielding figure's heart raced with astonishment. Kong Feng was even more horrified. Before his eyes, Yang Kai still stood with spear in hand, but when he looked up, it was as though a colossal dragon loomed behind the young man, its form blotting out the sky, its eyes gazing down at him as one would regard an ant.
A mortal crisis enveloped him.
Kong Feng bellowed, frantically channeling the power of his Small World. The might of heaven and earth coiled around his body as he struck out at Yang Kai with a single palm.
He held nothing back in this strike. He had to go all out. At this point, even if he wanted to capture Yang Kai alive, he no longer had the luxury. Already gravely wounded, if he didn't give everything he had, Kong Feng felt he might actually die here!
If Yang Kai happened to die in the process, then so be it—that would simply be his fate.
At the same instant, Yang Kai thrust his spear forward!
A straightforward, unadorned thrust. All the remaining energy within the Nine-Layered Grand Formation surged out with that single strike. Cracks and pops echoed across Yang Kai's body as his flesh was torn and mangled in an instant. His cultivation was far too low to wield such immense power—before he could even threaten Kong Feng, his own body was already breaking apart.
With that one thrust, Yang Kai was completely emptied. His consciousness blurred, his vision darkening. He forced himself to stay alert, swaying on his feet but refusing to fall, his gaze locked unflinchingly on Kong Feng.
What he saw was a face twisted with panic, pupils shrunk to pinpoints. The Azure Dragon Spear shot from Kong Feng's grasp and transformed into a colossal dragon a thousand zhang long, thrashing its head, whipping its tail, roaring toward the sky as it lunged down at Kong Feng.
Before that thousand-zhang dragon, Kong Feng was as insignificant as a mote of dust—swallowed in an instant.
So this was the true power of the Azure Dragon Spear! A flash of understanding passed through Yang Kai's mind. He had refined the spear and used it many times to slay formidable enemies, but because his own strength was insufficient, he could barely draw out even a fraction of its power. He had always wondered what it would look like if the spear's full might were unleashed...
Today, he had finally witnessed it!
Though this was likely not its absolute limit. Even with the Grand Formation amplifying the Azure Dragon Spear's power to unprecedented heights, Yang Kai somehow felt the Artifact's true might had still not been fully revealed.
It seemed he would have to wait until his own strength reached a sufficient level before that wish could be fulfilled.
As these thoughts flickered through his mind, the thousand-zhang dragon suddenly dissipated and vanished. The Azure Dragon Spear reappeared, plummeting from the sky and embedding itself at an angle into the ground.
In midair, Kong Feng wore an expression of lingering terror. His entire body was drenched in blood, without a single intact spot, his aura feeble to the extreme.
He had already been gravely wounded by Zhu Jiuyin, and now, having taken a blow from the Azure Dragon Spear, his condition was worse than ever.
But he was not dead!
Yang Kai gritted his teeth—the old dog's vitality was truly tenacious. Then again, for a mere Emperor Realm cultivator to leverage the power of a Grand Formation and beat a Sixth-Order Open Heaven cultivator into this state was an unprecedented feat throughout all of history. Actually killing Kong Feng was probably still beyond his reach.
He had anticipated as much, yet seeing this outcome still brought a twinge of disappointment.
Having narrowly escaped death, Kong Feng was equal parts terrified and elated. Though he had lost roughly eighty percent of his strength, he still had enough fight left in him. He looked down and saw Yang Kai covered in blood as well, barely able to stay on his feet. His jaw clenched and he roared: "Let's see if you die this time!"
His figure blurred as he lunged at Yang Kai once more!
Yang Kai tried to invoke his Space Laws to flee, but every last drop of his energy had been drained by that previous strike—there was no escape to be had. He could only watch as Kong Feng hurtled toward him, powerless to resist.
Yet even so, he sneered: "If you've got the guts, don't run!"
A jolt of alarm shot through Kong Feng's heart. Something suddenly came to mind, and he whipped his head around. In the sky above, hundreds of Open Heaven cultivators were descending in a mighty tide. At their head, a figure bellowed: "Old dog, you dare?!"
It was Pang Duo!
Moments earlier, three hundred Open Heaven cultivators had charged into the Illusory Grand Formation, cutting through the enemy like melons splitting under a blade. The Hundred Families Alliance had offered no resistance whatsoever, suffering countless casualties.