Yang Kai's abrupt appearance shifted the battle's momentum in an instant. The Mo Clan Domain Lords, who had been pressing their numerical advantage with ease, had no will left to fight—the first thought that sprang to their minds was to flee, to put as much distance between themselves and Yang Kai as possible, or else their fates would be grim.
Fortunately, they all knew that trying to escape alone against Yang Kai, who had mastered the Dao of Space, was little more than a pipedream. After a brief moment of panic, several Domain Lords quickly closed ranks with one another, attempting to form a formation so they could stand against him together.
But forming a formation in this bizarre environment was extraordinarily difficult to begin with. The reason they had failed to do so earlier was precisely because the terrain was against them—surrounded by this swarm of jellyfish, the slightest misstep could bring them into contact with these strange Chaos bodies, and even Domain Lords as powerful as they were would have their minds momentarily scrambled.
That was why they had abandoned the formation earlier and relied on their numerical superiority to hunt down Lei Ying. Without that constraint, Lei Ying would never have held on this long.
Now, when they tried to form a formation again, it was already too late. Lei Ying, who had seen through their intentions, immediately lunged at the nearest Domain Lord. His agile body transformed into a streak of lightning and closed the distance in an instant, the brilliant flash engulfing both himself and his enemy, rendering them invisible from the outside. Only the violent clashes of power could be felt, rippling outward from within the light.
At the same time, Yang Kai charged into the jellyfish swarm, spear in hand.
The moment he burst onto the battlefield, he sensed the peculiar nature of these Chaos bodies—they were constantly shifting between the corporeal and incorporeal, appearing and vanishing without warning, all while continuously relocating themselves, as though the entire swarm was drifting and migrating through this vast world of the Qiankun Furnace, their journey's end unknown.
When they concealed themselves, even Yang Kai could detect nothing, and so he had barely charged onto the battlefield before crashing headlong into one of the jellyfish, his path blocked.
Light and shadow swirled as the jellyfish revealed itself. Yang Kai clearly felt a force—chaotic and disorderly—erupt from within the creature, surging straight toward his mind.
He understood at once. So this was why that Domain Lord who had touched one of these jellyfish-like Chaos bodies earlier had been momentarily dazed. Being struck by this strange force was tantamount to a mental assault. Caught off guard, it was indeed difficult to maintain one's focus.
If such encounters happened too many times, they could even cause lasting damage to one's consciousness.
These jellyfish-like Chaos bodies were born with an innate ability to attack the minds of intruders.
It was precisely because of this unique trait that both the Mo Clan Domain Lords and Lei Ying had been hampered in their movements. It seemed that everyone had paid the price for it before.
A nearby Mo Clan Domain Lord who witnessed what had happened lit up with joy and immediately pounced toward Yang Kai.
Even if they managed to form a formation, they might not be a match for this human killing star. Now that Yang Kai had been caught off guard and had his mind struck by the jellyfish, this was an opportunity that would not come again—it was the perfect moment to strike.
But the instant he closed in, the Domain Lord sensed something wrong. Yang Kai had indeed frozen in place, seemingly dazed with his body rigid, but those eyes were utterly clear, without the slightest trace of mental disruption.
By the time the Domain Lord realized his error, it was already too late. He was a decisive man, however, and immediately thrust both palms forward. A surge of Ink Force, vast as a tidal wave, erupted forth and bore down on Yang Kai in a devastating offensive.
Yang Kai snorted coldly and thrust his spear. The Azure Dragon Spear dissolved into a cascade of afterimages, then instantly condensed into a single point.
The Ink Force shattered. The Domain Lord grunted and his body was sent flying backward, a hole torn through his shoulder from which Ink Blood flowed in a dark stream. His face was pale with the lingering shock of a brush with death.
His vision blurred, and a figure appeared before him. Looking up, the Domain Lord's face went white with horror—Yang Kai had closed the distance in the blink of an eye, fist already descending toward him.
The Domain Lord crossed his arms before his chest in a desperate guard. The fist landed, and an overwhelming force swept through him. He was sent hurtling backward like a tattered cloth sack, both arms hanging limp at his sides, his chest caved in.
With the physical strength Yang Kai now possessed—his Dragon Body was only a single step away from ascending to the Saint Dragon realm—how could a mere Acquired Domain Lord hope to withstand it?
His battered body slammed into another jellyfish-like Chaos body that had just revealed itself behind him. His mind was struck by the assault, and the Domain Lord, already severely wounded, instantly felt his eyes dim.
Yang Kai raised his hand once more. The Azure Dragon Spear pierced the air, and in the instant the Domain Lord's mind was disrupted, it shot clean through his skull.
The Domain Lord's aura withered and died.
From the moment the Domain Lord had engaged Yang Kai to the moment his aura faded, no more than three breaths had passed. Such a swift and decisive killing left the other Domain Lords shaken to their core.
The Azure Dragon Spear flew back to Yang Kai's hand, drawn by the pull of his aura. He turned and shouted toward Lei Ying, who was locked in close combat with his opponent: "Old Third, these Chaos bodies can attack the mind—why didn't you warn me?"
Over there, Lei Ying let out a muffled growl, ignoring him entirely.
Did he even need a warning?
This place posed some restrictions for anyone, but for Yang Kai, who was protected by the Warm Spirit Lotus, there were no such constraints whatsoever. Any mental assault would be blocked by the Warm Spirit Lotus on its own. That Domain Lord had thought Yang Kai was dazed and saw an opportunity to strike, when in fact he had simply walked to his death.
And besides… what in the world was "Old Third" supposed to mean?