In front of the Western Army's military office, the adjutant finally swallowed and found the chance to answer Ding Yao's earlier question.
Learning that Yang Kai and Zhong Liang had actually made such a wager, he glanced over at the large incense stick burning nearby and didn't know whether to laugh or cry.
A stick of incense that large would take at least half a shichen—possibly more—to burn through. Biluo Pass might be sizable, but using it as the boundary, Yang Kai was a newly minted Seventh-Order master who, despite possessing Space manipulation, could very well fail to escape Zhong Liang's grasp.
No wonder Zhong Liang had agreed to the wager. Anyone else in his position would probably have found it just as hard to refuse.
Refusing was certainly an option, but Yang Kai would inevitably remain defiant, and further complications would follow. It was better to seize this opportunity to crush his stubbornness and put an end to future trouble.
Still, the commotion just now had been considerable. The atmosphere inside Biluo Pass was now restless, with everyone wondering what had happened. Ding Yao pondered for a moment, then immediately issued a string of orders.
Before long, the figures who had risen above Biluo Pass descended one after another, content to simply watch from the sidelines.
For the soldiers in the Pass, as long as it wasn't an Ink Clan invasion, nothing else was particularly grave.
Meanwhile, somewhere on the western side of Biluo Pass, Yang Kai was fleeing in a panic, pushing his Space Law to its absolute limit. Every time his form flickered, layer upon layer of ripples spread through the void.
But no matter how he fled, a single strand of spiritual lock remained fixed on him from afar.
That was Zhong Liang's spiritual lock, of course!
Without severing it, no matter how exquisite his Space techniques were, he could never shake off Zhong Liang's pursuit. Yet the gap in their strength made cutting it an almost impossible task. Yang Kai tried repeatedly, but none of his attempts succeeded. Despite teleporting and flickering about at will, Zhong Liang shadowed him like a ghost that refused to be shed.
Yang Kai knew that his two sneak attacks had truly provoked Zhong Liang, and the Army Commander was now dead set on teaching him a lesson.
He secretly grimaced, but his figure only grew more ethereal and elusive. Teleportation was already the pinnacle of all evasion techniques—among the countless methods of escape in the world, none could compare.
For a time, it seemed as though Yang Kai's silhouette could appear anywhere across Biluo Pass—in the east, west, north, or south—but he never lingered at any single spot for more than three breaths, because Zhong Liang clung to his heels like a burr that simply could not be shaken.
One pursued, one fled, and time slipped away.
In front of the Western Army's military office, the large incense stick had burned down by more than thirty percent.
Ding Yao and the others were finally taken aback!
They had originally assumed that with Zhong Liang himself taking action, subduing Yang Kai should have been effortless. But as things stood, it was apparently not so easy after all. They all knew how formidable the Space Law was, but only now did they truly appreciate just how troublesome it could be.
Fortunately, this particular incense stick burned more slowly than an ordinary one. Had it been a normal stick, the allotted time would have long since run out.
Even if Yang Kai were captured at this very moment, his defeat would still be an honorable one.
On the other side, Zhong Liang was growing frustrated at his inability to close in. He had intended to end things quickly, but not only had that failed to materialize—it had dragged on for far longer than expected. If he lost this wager, the consequences would be dire.
Suddenly, Zhong Liang's figure came to a halt, freezing in midair.
Sensing the change in Zhong Liang's movements, Yang Kai immediately darted away, but the spiritual lock pinned to his body still refused to come loose.
He didn't know what Zhong Liang was about to do, but he guessed the Army Commander was preparing something major. His guard shot up at once.
Sure enough, a powerful surge of Heaven and Earth Great Force radiated from Zhong Liang's position. The next moment, a ripple-like wave radiated outward from him in every direction, sweeping across the surroundings. The wave's speed was neither fast nor slow, but wherever it passed, space was sealed—locking down heaven and earth.
From a distance, Yang Kai saw this and his expression changed drastically. He cried out in anguish and indignation, "Army Commander, that's cheating!"
Zhong Liang was preparing to deploy his Small Universe, spreading it across the entirety of Biluo Pass!
Yang Kai had no doubt the man was capable of it. After all, Zhong Liang was a peak Eighth-Order master—once his Small Universe was fully unfurled, blanketing Biluo Pass would be entirely within his power.
If that happened, the entire territory of Biluo Pass would fall within his Small Universe, and within that domain, Zhong Liang would be absolute sovereign! At that point, Yang Kai would have no path to the heavens or the earth, reduced to a fish on the chopping block, at his mercy.
The move was certainly formidable, but in the context of a wager, it was rather shameless. Still, it only underscored how determined Zhong Liang was to capture him.
Hearing Yang Kai's shout, Zhong Liang's expression didn't so much as flush. He simply let out a cold, amused huff and said, "Against an enemy, you use every means at your disposal. Try shouting 'that's cheating' at the Ink Clan sometime—see if they'll show you any mercy!"
As he spoke, the boundary of his Small Universe expanded further. Yang Kai retreated in a frantic hurry, but within Biluo Pass, where could he possibly hide?
All he could do was watch helplessly as the ripple passed over his position and enveloped him completely.
In an instant, Yang Kai's face turned ashen.
Zhong Liang, meanwhile, burst into hearty laughter. He flickered over, hands clasped behind his back, regarding Yang Kai with an air of supreme composure. "Will you surrender on your own, or shall I take you by hand? I'll say this upfront—surrendering voluntarily will save you from any physical suffering. But if I have to take you myself… I'm feeling rather worked up at the moment, so I may not be able to control the force I use."
Yang Kai ground his teeth furiously. "A shameless act like this from an Army Commander! I'll fight you to the death!"