"Xuanpin Spirit Fruit…" Yang Kai raised an eyebrow slightly. Had the old man not mentioned it, he truly wouldn't have known what that spirit fruit actually was. What he could confirm was that it was something exclusive to the Mo Battlefield — never once seen in the Three Thousand Worlds.
The old man produced the wooden box and opened it to explain. "This fruit is enormously useful for repairing a damaged Small Universe."
Yang Kai grasped it instantly. "The Gate of the Profound Female, root of heaven and earth, enduring and ever-present!"
The old man nodded. "Precisely so. Our warriors' Small Universes are themselves miniature worlds, and this fruit has the power of restoration. That is why our predecessors named it the Xuanpin Spirit Fruit."
For an ordinary Open Heaven cultivator, this thing would be of little practical use. But for someone like the old man, whose Small Universe had been damaged, it was an exceptional treasure. Once a Small Universe was incomplete, one's cultivation could never progress further, and the combat strength one could bring to bear would also be drastically diminished. This old man was a prime example — had his Small Universe not been damaged and incomplete long ago, Yang Kai wouldn't have been able to wound him so easily.
But if the Xuanpin Spirit Fruit could repair it, he would be able to recover his peak power.
When Yang Kai had burst out from the Void Corridor, he had indeed sensed something unusual. However, his attention had been immediately captured by the Xuanpin Spirit Fruit, and he hadn't bothered to investigate further.
The reason he had appeared at that location in the first place was precisely because spatial fluctuations had radiated outward the instant the entrance to the Void Corridor had opened, drawing him over.
"Even on the Mo Battlefield, this fruit must be quite rare, right?" Yang Kai asked.
The old man nodded. "Although there are quite a few secret realms within the Mo Battlefield, not every secret realm contains Xuanpin Spirit Fruits. They are genuinely rare." He paused and let out a self-deprecating laugh. "If it were otherwise, I wouldn't have resorted to trying to silence you — to prevent you from revealing the fruit's existence. Who would have thought…"
Who would have thought he wouldn't even be the match of a mere Sixth-Order? He couldn't even defeat someone who hadn't reached the Seventh-Order. It was a source of considerable shame.
Still, he now finally understood why the Great Cavern Heavens and Blessed Lands had entrusted the monumental task of sealing the Void Corridor to a Sixth-Order Open Heaven cultivator.
A Sixth-Order of this caliber was no ordinary Sixth-Order. In all his years, he had never encountered such a formidable one.
And then there was that miraculous purification technique he had displayed — it could even disperse the Mo power that had corroded his Small Universe for years. The sheer incredulity of it defied belief.
Yang Kai quietly counted himself fortunate that this senior had attacked him first. Otherwise, it would have been quite difficult to determine his identity. Mo Servants, in their normal state, were completely indistinguishable from ordinary people — there was no outward sign of anything being wrong.
"That pure white light… what sort of technique is it?" the old man couldn't help asking, his curiosity piqued. "Do the Great Cavern Heavens and Blessed Lands already possess such a secret art?"
If so, it would be tremendous news for the forces at No Return Pass. This secret art had an extremely pronounced restraining effect against Mo power. No matter who had been corrupted by Mo, they could potentially be saved.
Over the years, the Great Cavern Heavens and Blessed Lands had invested vast numbers of personnel at No Return Pass. Many had died in battle, but even more had been converted into Mo Servants, turned into enemies. This was the single greatest reason why the Great Cavern Heavens and Blessed Lands had never been able to win victory on the Mo Battlefield. Otherwise, with the relentless stream of manpower poured in over the ages, they could have ground the Mo clan to dust through sheer attrition.
Yang Kai shook his head. "This isn't a secret art of the Great Cavern Heavens and Blessed Lands. It's something this junior obtained through a stroke of fortune, and it's a technique only I can perform."
He made no mention of Solar Blaze and Lunar Yin. There was no need — explaining that it was a technique exclusive to himself was sufficient.
The old man looked somewhat disappointed, but quickly accepted the explanation. If such a secret art had truly been developed by the Great Cavern Heavens and Blessed Lands, they would have deployed it at No Return Pass long ago, rather than waiting until today for it to appear.
Gazing at Yang Kai, the old man let out a long, drawn sigh. "Heaven envies the talented!"
Yang Kai broke into a smile. Something about those words made it sound as though he were about to die.
The old man said, "For you to make such a sacrifice for the sake of the Three Thousand Worlds is truly remarkable. The Great Cavern Heavens and Blessed Lands owe you a great debt of gratitude."
"It is but the path of righteousness — where duty calls, there I go. You flatter me, Senior," Yang Kai replied modestly.
The old man sighed once more. "But since you've come, there's no going back. Is there any wish you have yet unfulfilled?"
Yang Kai furrowed his brow slightly. "Senior, what you mean is…"
Something about the old man's words didn't quite sit right.
The old man said, "You are a hero to the Three Thousand Worlds, and by rights should not meet such a fate. But the existence of that Void Corridor is a matter of utmost gravity — we must ensure it is never revealed." His expression turned solemn and his voice dropped low. "Only the dead keep secrets. I hope you understand what I'm implying."
Seeing Yang Kai fall silent, the old man clearly misread the situation and spoke again. "I believe you have no wish to see your efforts go to waste. And I believe that when you chose to seal the Void Corridor alone, you had already prepared yourself for the worst outcome."
Yang Kai hastily raised a hand to stop him. "I understand what you mean, Senior."