The closer they got to that full moon, the more intense the cold became. Under the moonlight's cascading glow, the numerous wind spirits slowed steadily, the frost upon their bodies growing ever thicker.
Yet even so, they could not be stopped. Under
The full moon in Yang Kai's Small Universe was the manifestation of a water-attribute divine ability, existing somewhere between illusion and reality. He wasn't certain what would happen if these wind spirits got close to it.
He didn't dare take the risk. Seeing that even the moonlight, pouring down like water, failed to halt these wind spirits, he hardened his heart and shouted: "Golden Crow Forges the Sun!"
The cold, clear full moon plunged downward. Accompanied by the cry of a golden crow, a massive sun suddenly rose in its place. Within that sun, a three-legged strange bird could be seen frolicking and soaring.
The freezing power was instantly replaced by incomparably scorching heat. The wind spirits had no time to check their momentum before blazing golden crow true fire erupted from the sun.
Ssss…
A strange hissing sound rang out, mingled with the distinctive howling wind-song of the wind spirits. Those that had been hurtling upward were engulfed in jet-black golden crow true fire from head to toe, the flames roaring as they wrapped around each spirit.
Golden crow true fire could incinerate all things—even these wind spirits could not withstand it.
Yang Kai's spirits lifted at the sight.
Looking around, those nearly twenty wind spirits had in an instant become twenty fireballs. As the golden crow true fire continued to burn, black smoke kept pouring off the spirits' surfaces.
Yang Kai's brow furrowed. His instincts told him this black smoke was anything but good. This was his Small Universe, and even the slightest anomaly was something he could perceive clearly. The wisps of smoke drifting outward gave him a sensation not unlike having eaten something spoiled.
As if sensing the ferocity of Golden Crow Forges the Sun, the wind spirits instinctively tried to flee. But once touched by golden crow true fire, how could they possibly break free?
Moreover, Yang Kai had long since sealed off this entire region. No matter how desperately they struggled, they could not escape the golden crow true fire's burning.
Yang Kai channeled his power, further amplifying the might of Golden Crow Forges the Sun.
The black smoke streaming off those wind spirits grew ever thicker. In correspondence, the color of the spirits' bodies gradually dimmed, their forms becoming translucent.
The very first wind spirit to appear had once been besieged by over a hundred Open Heaven Realm cultivators working together, and had already sustained severe damage. Now, under the golden crow true fire's relentless burning, it suddenly disintegrated and vanished without a trace.
Yang Kai's eyebrows shot up. As that wind spirit crumbled, he actually felt a surge of magnificent World Power pour into his Small Universe, greatly alleviating the foundation he had previously lost.
What was going on? There was no time to think about it, no leisure to ponder deeply. Yang Kai continued channeling Golden Crow Forges the Sun without pause while simultaneously strengthening the seal on all sides to prevent the wind spirits from escaping and causing further damage to his Small Universe.
The might of Golden Crow Forges the Sun was tremendous. With Yang Kai's current cultivation, even an upper-grade Open Heaven cultivator would suffer greatly if struck by it. Ordinary Open Heaven Realm cultivators could never hope to endure such a divine ability manifestation for long.
But these wind spirits proved remarkably tenacious. The great sun hung high, scorching their bodies without cease. Though Yang Kai could sense them growing steadily weaker, and they would eventually crumble to ash like that first spirit, it still required some time.
A full two days passed. Yang Kai, who had been closely monitoring the wind spirits' movements the entire time, suddenly fixed his gaze on one of them. At that very moment, with a muffled boom, that spirit's nearly translucent body abruptly shattered and vanished without a trace.
Just as before, the instant the wind spirit disappeared, a stream of exceptionally pure World Power poured into his Small Universe.
Boom, boom, boom…
Successive mounds sounded as one wind spirit after another burst apart. In that single instant, more than half of them were gone.
The World Power flooding into his Small Universe surged like a roiling ocean, actually giving Yang Kai a sense of disbelief.
Another day and a half passed before the final wind spirit was burned to death by the golden crow true fire. As its form collapsed and disintegrated, Yang Kai let out a long breath.
Nearly twenty wind spirits—each one, upon vanishing, had left behind a tremendous amount of World Power. What was especially remarkable was that this World Power was extraordinarily pure, containing very little impurity. In other words, anyone could absorb it and convert it into their own foundation.
Yang Kai's Small Universe had originally suffered devastating losses from those wind spirits' harassment, but now those losses had not only been fully recovered—he had gained an almost inconceivable harvest.
Without rushing to leave his Small Universe, Yang Kai gathered his focus and channeled the power of his Small Universe to refine the World Power left behind by the dead wind spirits, strengthening his own foundation.
Time trickled steadily away.
More than ten days later, on the shattered Spirit Continent,
Ever since Yang Kai had led them to this shattered Spirit Continent half a month ago, he had sat there motionless the entire time. Everyone had watched with their own eyes as he lured those wind spirits into his Small Universe, but what happened afterward, no one knew. The strangeness and power of those wind spirits was something they had all experienced firsthand, and Boss Lady and the others had naturally been consumed with worry.
Upon hearing Hua Yong's cry, Boss Lady quickly looked toward Yang Kai and indeed saw him slowly opening his eyes.
Before she could even ask a question, Yang Kai suddenly let out a long, drawn breath, and from his mouth, a plume of black smoke surged outward.