Heiyuan's face was grim. "You think you have that kind of ability?"
"Whether I do or not — why don't you try and find out?" Yang Kai snorted coldly, leveling his spear forward with his battle spirit blazing. "So don't even think about running. Today, either you kill me, or I kill you. There's no third option."
"Running?" Heiyuan was so enraged he laughed. The aura of a Domain Lord rose in escalating waves, and the dense power of Ink surged and roiled beside his massive frame. "A mere ant dares to challenge this Domain Lord's authority? You're courting death!"
Under that terrifying pressure, space itself warped and twisted. As his fury climbed, the already enormous body swelled even larger, appearing utterly mountainous.
Before Heiyuan, Yang Kai's small figure truly seemed like nothing more than an ant.
A titanic fist descended slowly, deceptively unhurried, yet the expression on Yang Kai's face was more grave than it had ever been — because wherever that fist passed, even the void began to shatter.
The strength of a Domain Lord was plain to see. And contrary to what Yang Kai had expected, the injury to his Divine Soul didn't seem to have significantly impacted Heiyuan's power at all.
This surprised him greatly, but there was no time to dwell on it. Facing Heiyuan's devastating strike, Yang Kai hardly deliberated. His body became wreathed in the glow of his spear as he charged headlong into the attack. The heaven-and-earth might of a Seventh-Order Open Heaven cultivator surged into the Azure Dragon Spear — with that kind of force, he could have shattered an entire Small Universe world.
When the savage powers collided, Yang Kai felt an overwhelming, irresistible force slam into him. It nearly tore the spear from his grip. That power annihilated all of his defenses with contemptuous ease, sending him reeling backward with stars exploding across his vision, blood spraying from his mouth.
If not for the World Tree sub-tree stabilizing his Small Universe, this single blow would have thrown it into complete upheaval. And once a warrior's Small Universe was destabilized, their strength would plummet — leaving them at the mercy of their opponent.
Yang Kai's Small Universe held firm, but the vast gap in their strength was not so easily bridged.
Heiyuan pressed his advantage ruthlessly, clearly intent on taking Yang Kai down in one decisive assault. His colossal frame shadowed Yang Kai's every move, and another fist came hurtling in.
Yang Kai swung his spear to block, but it was utterly insufficient. He was sent flying once more.
Boom, boom, boom — the void convulsed with violent tremors as each of Heiyuan's fists descended. Yang Kai fought back with everything he had, but he was beaten like a sandbag, utterly powerless to retaliate.
In just moments, his entire body was drenched in blood, his appearance wretched beyond recognition.
Heiyuan's fist came crashing down again. Yang Kai was launched hundreds of miles through the void before slamming into a floating fragment of land, which finally halted his flight. He hung there motionless in the emptiness, silent.
Heiyuan strode toward him. Each step covered dozens of miles, and in just a few he stood before Yang Kai, gazing down at him with a booming voice that echoed through the void. "Do you feel it now, ant — that hopelessness? But don't worry, I won't kill you. You still have great value to the King Lord. I wasn't sure how to track you down before, but since you've delivered yourself right to my door, I won't be polite."
With that, he reached down to seize Yang Kai.
"Save the big talk." Yang Kai suddenly let out a derisive laugh and, without any warning, rose straight to his feet. The blood caking his face gave his expression a savage look. "You think I truly had no strength left to fight? I just wanted to see exactly how wide the gap between us really is."
While he spoke, Heiyuan had already caught him in his grip. The enormous hand closed around Yang Kai's entire body, and the dense power of Ink coiled into bindings around him — clearly, having learned from past encounters with Yang Kai's Space Laws, Heiyuan was taking no chances of his escape.
Yang Kai's composure sent Heiyuan into a fresh rage. His grip tightened, and the crack of bones shifting echoed immediately. He lifted Yang Kai before his eyes and spoke in a frigid voice. "And? Did you see it?"
Yang Kai exhaled softly. "I did. It's nothing impressive."
"Arrogant fool!" Heiyuan snarled through gritted teeth. "You're in my grasp right now — I could crush you at any moment!"
Yang Kai flashed him a grin. The next instant, an invisible force condensed into a sharp spike and slammed directly into Heiyuan's mind. Caught completely off guard, Heiyuan felt as though a needle had been driven into his brain. Searing pain swept through his entire body, making him shudder uncontrollably, and a wretched scream tore from his throat.
And Yang Kai, still held before his face, suddenly thrust the Azure Dragon Spear forward. The weapon drove straight into Heiyuan's left eye. The razor-sharp spear pierced and obliterated the eyeball entirely. Dense Ink power and Ink Blood erupted from the ruined socket, spraying across Yang Kai's face and hair.
Heiyuan's screams turned even more agonized, and his body staggered backward.
In his pain, Heiyuan's massive hand clenched violently, as if trying to squeeze Yang Kai to death on the spot. But Yang Kai would never give him the chance. With a thunderous dragon's roar, his body suddenly transformed into a three-thousand-zhang colossus, breaking free of Heiyuan's hold with no effort at all. A colossal dragon tail swept sideways, slamming squarely into Heiyuan's body. In an instant, Heiyuan was sent hurtling away like an arrow loosed from a bow.
He flew an untold number of miles before he managed to stabilize himself, one hand clamped over his ruined eye. His expression was twisted and horrifying, Ink Blood oozing between his fingers.
Yang Kai had already reverted to his human form. Carrying the Azure Dragon Spear, he walked toward Heiyuan at an unhurried pace. His appearance was still bedraggled, but his fighting spirit showed not the slightest hint of decline — it burned even fiercer than before.
And as he drew closer, Heiyuan actually took several steps backward. His one remaining eye was filled with naked terror.
Yang Kai spoke flatly. "You thought showing off enough power would intimidate me? The more you try, the more it proves your guilt. That wound to your Divine Soul must be very hard to heal… Lord Heiyuan?"
"You knew all along!" Heiyuan snarled through clenched teeth.