How exactly the Heaven-Opening Pill — the pill that could help warriors shatter their own shackles — was produced, Yang Kai had no idea. But there had to be some profound mystery within the Qiankun Furnace. If he was dragged in like this, things would not end well for him.
The moment he realized the direness of his situation, Yang Kai frantically poured his power into breaking free from the connection between himself and the Qiankun Furnace.
But it was no use. That invisible tether bound him tight, and the force pulling from the other end was something even he — at the peak of the Eighth Grade — found powerless to resist.
The Grand Dao of Space surged and fluctuated. The void twisted and distorted. With an expression of extreme shock and bewilderment on his face, a vortex suddenly materialized at Yang Kai's location. The next instant, his figure was rapidly swallowed by the vortex and vanished without a trace!
In that final moment, only a single thought flashed through Yang Kai's mind…
He hadn't killed Mo Na'ye yet!
Grief surged through him. If nothing unexpected had happened, Mo Na'ye would surely not have survived his efforts. But now, because of the Qiankun Furnace, Yang Kai's own fate was uncertain while Mo Na'ye had escaped with his life.
It left a bitter taste of unwillingness in his heart. He would have accepted being dragged into the Qiankun Furnace even after killing Mo Na'ye — that would have been fine.
Fine, fine. Though he hadn't managed to kill Mo Na'ye, he had at least eliminated so many Innate Domain Lords. He had done his best.
With that self-consolation, his mood improved slightly.
In the Projection Space, the change happened with shocking speed. In what seemed like the span of a single blink, Yang Kai had abruptly vanished. Mo Na'ye, who had been in a wretched state, was still shifting and dodging to evade the lethal attacks launched through the folded layers of space. Suddenly, the turbulent, trembling space went still, and the ever-present killing intent dissipated in an instant.
Mo Na'ye froze for a moment, then turned to look toward where Yang Kai had been — only to find him gone.
He dared not let his guard down, remaining on high alert, watching all directions warily.
A long while passed with nothing out of the ordinary. Finally, he couldn't help but transmit a voice message: "Lord King, where is Yang Kai?"
Mo Yu furrowed his brow and briefly recounted what had just happened. In truth, he hadn't figured out how Yang Kai had disappeared either. He had only seen a mysterious vortex appear at Yang Kai's location, after which Yang Kai was swallowed by it and vanished completely.
Mo Na'ye was utterly stunned.
Yang Kai had been swallowed by a vortex that appeared out of nowhere?
A trick? If that were the case, it meant Yang Kai was still hiding somewhere in this space, only the Mo Clan had no one capable of detecting his location.
But what would that accomplish? The area outside the Projection Space was already sealed by a grand array that locked down heaven and earth. As long as the array remained, Yang Kai could not escape. Once the phantom of the Qiankun Furnace solidified, his position would be exposed regardless.
Moreover, Yang Kai had clearly been moments away from killing him just now, nearly succeeding. There was no reason for him to create complications at that critical juncture.
In this bizarre Projection Space, Mo Na'ye knew he could not withstand Yang Kai's assault. Had the attack continued just a little longer, death would have been certain.
That meant something genuinely had happened to cause Yang Kai to be swallowed by that strange vortex — he had not voluntarily abandoned his attempt.
Mo Na'ye racked his brains but could not fathom why.
The Mo Clan knew far too little about the Qiankun Furnace. Mo Na'ye could not even determine whether Yang Kai was still hiding within the Projection Space.
After a brief pause, Mo Na'ye said: "Lord King, the Qiankun Furnace is about to manifest, and a great battle between our two races is imminent. You need to return to Buhui Pass to take command and coordinate all fronts!"
Mo Yu nodded slightly. "And you here…"
Mo Na'ye smiled casually. "There's no need for the Lord King to worry about me. If Yang Kai had wanted to kill me, he wouldn't have stopped just now. Since he didn't continue, he must have something else in mind. I'll simply wait and watch. But as a precaution, let's keep the surrounding grand array in place — just in case he really does try to escape. It also gives me a bit more leverage if I need to negotiate with him."
Mo Yu had no objection. He ordered the Domain Lords managing the array to hold their positions and follow Mo Na'ye's commands. After casting one deep glance at the Projection Space, he transformed into a streak of black light and shot off toward Buhui Pass.
Buhui Pass was now the Mo Clan's great rear base, where all the King-Level Mo Nests had been placed. This time, to deal with Yang Kai, Mo Yu — a King Lord himself — had personally taken the field. But he could not stay away for too long, lest the Human Race's powerhouses exploit the opportunity.
Watching his Lord King depart into the distance, Mo Na'ye sat cross-legged and looked around before speaking aloud: "Brother Yang, the Lord King has left. Won't you show yourself so we can have a proper talk? Things have come to this — there's no need to keep hiding, is there?"
He had a strong feeling that Yang Kai was no longer here, but he simply could not be certain. After all, if Yang Kai wasn't here anymore, where could he have gone?
And what exactly was that vortex that had swallowed him?