In the midst of the barren wasteland, a ferocious battle erupted — so violent it seemed as though it would collapse the entire sea of sand. Facing the Chaos Bodies and the Chaos Spirit Clan for the first time, Yang Xiao and Yang Xue did not lose their composure. After all, they had spent years fighting across various Great Domain battlefields.
Aside from a somewhat awkward start while they struggled to find effective means of countering their enemies, the tide of battle gradually shifted into their hands as time progressed.
Pure natural forces, even the power of the Dragon Veins, and ordinary Secret Arts and Divine Abilities all dealt only negligible damage to those monsters. However, when both of them channeled the Dao of Time simultaneously, manifesting the profound mysteries of the Dao Realm, they were able to suppress their enemies.
The three Chaos Spirits that had already formed physical bodies possessed strength roughly comparable to Human Race Eighth Order cultivators or Mo Clan Domain Lords. The Chaos Bodies without physical forms displayed much more variable power — some were so feeble that a single surge from the Dao of Time reduced them to ash in an instant, while others could struggle and hold on for a time.
But within this sea of sand condensed from shattered Dao Marks, the Chaos Bodies seemed endless…
Fortunately, from the very beginning, the twins had adopted the strategy of capturing the ringleader to subdue the followers.
The two of them — one already possessing an Ancient Dragon body with abundant Dragon Vein power, the other at the peak of the Eighth Order, both formidable in their own right — had cultivated the Dao of Time together since childhood for thousands of years. Working in concert, the myriad mysteries they manifested through the Dao of Time far surpassed what their cultivation rank should have been capable of.
After expending considerable effort and paying some price, they slew the three Chaos Spirits one by one. In the end, only that massive sand mountain — hundreds of zhang tall — remained, fleeing toward the depths of the wasteland…
While the twins were locked in fierce battle against the Chaos Spirit Clan, along the banks of the Endless River, Yang Kai and Liao Zheng walked side by side. After inquiring about Xiang Shan and learning that Xiang Shan had not advanced to the Ninth Order and had entered the Qiankun Furnace, Yang Kai felt a brief pang of regret.
However, this also meant that both he himself and a well-known veteran Eighth Order like Xiang Shan would inevitably be targeted if discovered by Mo Clan powerhouses.
The Mo Clan would not allow either of them to seize the fortune within the Qiankun Furnace and advance to the Ninth Order.
"Senior Brother Yang, was there a Mo Clan powerhouse secretly watching us just now?" Liao Zheng suddenly asked.
He remembered clearly — after Yang Kai had secretly intervened, joining forces with him to slay that Mo Clan Domain Lord, Yang Kai had immediately given chase, clearly having detected something.
Yang Kai nodded. "There was one, but they fled early when they saw things going badly. I couldn't pin down their movements."
By the time he had given pursuit, all that remained was a faint trace of aura. Within the Qiankun Furnace, saturated with countless shattered Dao Marks, even Yang Kai could not precisely determine the direction of the enemy's escape and could only return empty-handed.
Had it been outside, with his mastery over Spatial Arts, there was no way he would have let a Domain Lord slip away under his very nose.
But in this peculiar environment, tasks like searching, tracking, and probing had become many times more difficult.
Liao Zheng could not help but feel a lingering chill upon hearing this. He realized that had he not happened to run into Yang Kai, the situation would likely have been reversed — that Domain Lord's fate would have been his own end.
The two continued onward, searching for Opening Heaven Pills while also looking for traces of other Human Race cultivators.
Less than half a day passed when Liao Zheng suddenly brightened, producing a Communication Bead and sensing it for a moment. "Senior Brother Yang, a Seventh Order cultivator is up ahead," he said with delight.
It had to be said that the General Affairs Office — or rather, Mi Jinglun — had made very thorough preparations. This was also thanks in part to the relatively rich intelligence the Human Race possessed about the Qiankun Furnace.
Knowing that most people would be scattered after entering, they had instructed Human Race cultivators to walk along the Endless River. That way, no matter which direction they headed, they would eventually encounter others. Inside the Qiankun Furnace, the Human Race could only stand together to contend with the Mo Clan's Pseudo King Lords.
Moreover, Mi Jinglun had specifically requested that Divine Cauldron Heaven forge a set of Communication Beads that all Human Race cultivators could use to contact one another, distributing them well in advance.
Liao Zheng had been monitoring the Communication Bead's activity the entire time, also attempting to send messages to others, but had received no response.
Just moments ago, a Human Race Seventh Order cultivator had established contact with him.
Since their Communication Beads could connect, it meant they were already not far apart.
Yang Kai nodded immediately. "Let's go find him. Also, tell him not to venture deep into the river." Though he doubted the other party would be so reckless, it was better to err on the side of caution. The Endless River contained many Chaos Bodies — Yang Kai had not yet encountered any Chaos Spirits in it, but a Seventh Order Opening Heaven cultivator entering would still face considerable danger.
Liao Zheng acknowledged the instruction and channeled his spiritual sense for a moment.
After proceeding a while longer, they indeed saw a figure approaching from ahead — it was a woman with a graceful figure. She had only established contact with Liao Zheng, clearly unaware that Yang Kai would be here as well. Upon meeting, the woman could not help but look visibly moved. She bowed respectfully with cupped fists.
"Disciple Qu Lingling greets the Palace Master!"
Yang Kai let out a sound of surprise. "A disciple of Lingxiao Palace?"
He had never met this Qu Lingling before, but since she addressed him as Palace Master, she was undoubtedly from Lingxiao Palace.