Space was a profoundly mysterious existence. Throughout the ages, countless geniuses of extraordinary talent had risen to prominence in every era they inhabited, yet how many among them had truly fathomed the secrets of space?
Even Yang Kai, powerful as he was, would not dare claim to have grasped the essence of the Dao of Space. He had simply walked further down that grand path than most and glimpsed further than others.
He had traversed the Spatial Rift many times, so the ubiquitous void currents were hardly unfamiliar to him.
Ordinary people might find themselves disoriented here, unable to discern any pattern. But for one who had mastered the Laws of Space, these surging void currents still left traces that could be followed.
Though he could be reasonably certain that the Dayuan Core had been lost within the Spatial Rift, no one knew exactly where within it. After thirty thousand years of being battered by the void currents, the core could have drifted to any number of unknown locations by now.
What Yang Kai needed to do now was find whatever clues he could and use them to track down the core within this vast expanse of rift space.
This was undoubtedly an incredibly difficult task.
The only piece of good news was that the core likely hadn't drifted too far. Otherwise, it would not have been able to interfere with the stability of the teleportation channel back then.
He racked his memories, trying to recall the location where the teleportation channel had been disrupted. His body moved like a fish as he activated the Laws of Space, darting through the swirling void currents.
At the same time, at the teleportation formation of Fengyun Pass, Yuan Xingge issued his instructions: "Send a message over to Dayuan. Inform them of the situation here."
Yang Kai had ventured into the Spatial Rift to search for the Dayuan Core, and no one knew how long that would take. The people at Dayuan were still waiting for news.
The guard on duty acknowledged the order and quickly prepared a blank jade slip. Pouring his spiritual sense into it, he recorded the details of the current situation, then activated the teleportation formation and sent the jade slip toward Dayuan.
The instant the formation connected the two locations, Yang Kai—who was deep within the Spatial Rift—perceived it. With his spiritual sense, he detected an object piercing through space at tremendous speed, flashing past in an instant.
He quickly realized that this had to be Fengyun Pass relaying a message to Dayuan Pass.
Yuan Xingge was thoughtful after all. Yang Kai himself had been a bit careless—he should have spoken with Grand Ancestor Xiaoxiao before setting out.
Still, having Fengyun Pass relay the news worked just as well.
He searched along the direction of the void currents, but found nothing. A twinge of vexation rose in Yang Kai's heart. Had he known that the Dayuan Core had been lost in this Spatial Rift, he would not have opened the teleportation channel so quickly back then. That would have been the optimal moment for the search, because the source of the interference would have pointed him directly to the core's location.
The direction of the interference would have been exactly where the core currently resided.
Unfortunately, once he had established the channel between the two locations, all those clues had been wiped clean.
There was no use regretting it now. At the time, no one could have anticipated the current situation.
Perhaps... he could try destroying Dayuan's spatial formation and recreate the scenario from thirty thousand years ago?
The thought surfaced, but within moments Yang Kai shook his head and dismissed it. Destroying Dayuan's spatial formation was no problem, and repairing it afterward would be manageable too. But the chances of recreating the exact conditions of thirty thousand years ago were minuscule—the slightest deviation would throw everything off by a mile.
The best approach now was simply to put in the hard work and search bit by bit. Perhaps that would yield some results.
Just as Yang Kai was searching in every direction, he suddenly sensed an abnormal reaction from his space ring. He halted immediately, focusing his attention to perceive what was happening.
In the next instant, his expression turned to shock. A surge of incredibly dense spatial energy was emanating from within his space ring.
Before he could figure out what was going on, a prismatic streak of light burst forth from the ring. The light twisted and shifted, solidifying directly before him into the form of a young woman.
Yang Kai stared at her, dumbstruck: "Si'niang?"
The young woman before him was unmistakably Huang Si'niang—who should have been at Bucheguan.
How had Si'niang appeared here, and from inside his space ring, no less?
Besides, wasn't there a Blood Oath between the Phoenix Clan and the Dragon Clan that prevented them from leaving Bucheguan unless their very existence was under threat of annihilation?
While he was still reeling with astonishment, Huang Si'niang stretched leisurely, looking thoroughly content: "Finally free!"
She turned to survey her surroundings, and a hint of surprise crossed her face: "You're cultivating the Dao of Space here? No wonder I felt fluctuations of spatial energy."
If she hadn't noticed the wildly chaotic spatial energy fluctuations around this area, she wouldn't have revealed herself at this moment.
She had assumed Yang Kai had run into some enemy and was in the middle of a fight. To think he was actually inside the Spatial Rift.
Yang Kai looked Huang Si'niang up and down and asked hesitantly: "A clone?"
When she had first appeared, he had genuinely thought the real Si'niang had come in person. But upon closer inspection, he realized that wasn't the case. This seemed to be a clone-like existence—the Huang Si'niang before him wasn't as powerful as the true body he had seen before, yet she was also different from a normal clone in some ways.
Si'niang didn't bother explaining further. She gave a slight nod: "Something like that."
Yang Kai laughed despite himself: "Then that tail feather?"
Huang Si'niang pressed her lips together and smiled.
Yang Kai slapped his forehead: "I should have known. Why would Si'niang be so generous upon first meeting me? So this was your plan all along."
Back in the Phoenix Nest, Si'niang had told him she lost a bet to Liu Lang, and as a result, she had gifted him one of her tail feathers.
Yang Kai had found it odd at the time—how did a wager between the two of them end up involving him? But it was a Phoenix Clan tail feather, one that could be used to gain insight into the Dao of Space. He naturally wouldn't refuse, so he had accepted it with delight.
Now it was starting to make sense. That tail feather had contained a thread of Si'niang's consciousness—or perhaps even served as an anchor for this very projection. The moment he had entered the Spatial Rift and begun stirring up wild spatial energy, the feather had activated, and she had manifested here through it.
He fixed Si'niang with a look: "You were watching me the whole time?"
Si'niang tilted her head, neither confirming nor denying it, and simply smiled. That smile was answer enough.
Yang Kai shook his head helplessly. A Phoenix Clan powerhouse had planted a watcher on him, and he had been none the wiser the entire time. The gap between their levels was laid bare in this single matter.
"Since you're here," Yang Kai said, putting aside his grievances, "this junior has a favor to ask."
Si'niang arched a brow, waiting for him to continue.
"The Dayuan Core has been lost in this Spatial Rift for thirty thousand years. I'm searching for it, but the rift is vast and I have almost nothing to go on. Senior, with your mastery of the Dao of Space, perhaps you could lend a hand?"
He laid it out plainly, without any pretense. He had no pride to spare when it came to a task this monumental.
Si'niang gazed into the depths of the void, her eyes shimmering with an ethereal, prismatic light as she extended her senses. After a long moment, she withdrew her gaze and shook her head: "The Spatial Rift is not my domain. The void currents here are too chaotic, and even I can't trace anything meaningful."
A flicker of disappointment crossed Yang Kai's face, but he accepted it quickly. He hadn't truly expected her to find anything—Si'niang's expertise lay in other aspects of the Dao of Space, not in navigating the void currents of this rift.
"However," Si'niang continued, "I can feel that the rift does contain remnants of an extraordinary spatial force—not the natural currents of the void, but something artificial. Something that once disrupted the flow of space here."
Yang Kai's eyes sharpened: "That's the core's interference signature!"
Si'niang nodded: "Most likely. It's incredibly faint—thirty thousand years of erosion have reduced it to almost nothing. But it's there."
"Can you trace its source?"
Si'niang considered this for a moment, then extended one slender hand. Prismatic light gathered at her fingertips, forming an intricate web of spatial runes. She swept her hand outward, and the runes dispersed into the void like ripples on a pond, probing the currents.
Several minutes passed in silence. Si'niang's brow furrowed slightly, and the glow at her fingertips flickered.
Then, suddenly, she pointed toward a distant patch of void: "That direction. The remnants are strongest from there, though they could lead anywhere within a wide radius."
Yang Kai committed the direction to memory immediately.
"It's still a rough estimate," Si'niang cautioned. "I'd say it narrows down your search to perhaps a tenth of what it was before. But within that narrowed area, you'll need to search by hand."
"A tenth is more than enough!" Yang Kai said with genuine gratitude. Searching even a tenth of the Spatial Rift would be far more manageable than combing through the entirety of it.
Si'niang smiled faintly: "Consider it payment for borrowing your tail feather."
Yang Kai paused, then chuckled. "A rather generous exchange for a single feather."
"The Phoenix Clan always pays its debts," Si'niang replied airily. With that, her figure began to shimmer and grow translucent. "I can't sustain this projection for long. The void currents are too hostile. Good luck, Yang Kai."
Before he could respond further, her form dissolved into motes of prismatic light that scattered into the void and vanished.
Yang Kai stood in the silent rift for a moment, then turned and headed in the direction Si'niang had indicated.
With a narrowed search area, his confidence had grown considerably. The Dayuan Core was somewhere in that direction—he was certain of it now. The only question was how long it would take to find it.
He pushed the void currents aside and dove deeper into the rift, his figure vanishing into the swirling darkness.
---
Meanwhile, at Fengyun Pass, Yuan Xingge stood before the teleportation formation, his expression grave.
The message to Dayuan had been sent. Now all they could do was wait.
A guard approached: "Commander Yuan, the scouts report no unusual activity along the front lines. The Demon Race seems to have pulled back."
Yuan Xingge nodded absently. The Demon Race pulling back was no cause for celebration—it likely meant they were consolidating their forces for a larger offensive. But that was a problem for another day. Right now, his thoughts were with Yang Kai, somewhere in the depths of the Spatial Rift.
Finding the Dayuan Core was critical. Without it, Dayuan Pass could not maintain its defensive formations indefinitely. And if Dayuan fell, Fengyun Pass would be next.
"Pass the word," Yuan Xingge said. "Double the guard on the formation. I want it ready at all times in case Yang Kai sends word back."
The guard saluted and departed.
Yuan Xingge gazed toward the distant sky, where the faint shimmer of spatial turbulence was barely visible to the naked eye—the entrance to the Spatial Rift, from which Yang Kai had vanished.
"Come back safely," he murmured to himself. "And bring back that core."