Ouyang Lie's reason for entering the Qiankun Furnace this time was not to seek fortune for himself.
What he was thinking was: if possible, seize a supreme-grade Open Heaven Pill and hand it to Yang Kai so he could break through to the Ninth Rank! Back then, Yang Kai had chosen to advance directly to the Fifth Rank of Open Heaven under the suppression of the Cave Heavens and Blessed Lands, yet now they had to rely on him to bear the heavy responsibility of carrying the Human Race's extended fortune.
This was something the various Cave Heavens and Blessed Lands owed him. In that case, they should find an opportunity to make it up to him.
Moreover, Yang Kai's own strength far exceeded that of his peers. If he advanced to the Ninth Rank, it would bring the Human Race even greater advantages and more benefits.
Of course, this was merely Ouyang Lie's own consideration and plan. There was no guarantee it could be fulfilled. Supreme-grade Open Heaven Pills were exceedingly rare, and now the Qiankun Furnace had drawn together experts from three races—the Human Race, the Mo Clan, and the native Chaos Race. Obtaining a supreme-grade Open Heaven Pill would not be easy at all.
Putting aside the stray thoughts in his mind, Ouyang Lie turned to look in the direction of the demon leopard. He recognized the figure as the Emperor of the Myriad Demon World who had risen to prominence over the past millennium. He was about to exchange pleasantries and offer his thanks when Lei Ying's transmission arrived in his ear:
"Everyone, Yang Kai is fighting a pseudo-King Master and may not hold out much longer. Please rush to his aid at once!"
Ouyang Lie's expression immediately turned grave. "Where is Yang Kai?"
Lei Ying's form dissolved into a sheet of dark shadow that swept over the four Human Race Eighth-Rank experts, his voice simultaneously reaching their ears: "Enter my divine ability—I'll take you there!"
The dark shadow spread, and the four figures vanished without a trace. Lei Ying activated his innate divine ability and swept silently toward the battlefield where Yang Kai and Meng Que were fighting.
On that battlefield, Yang Kai's condition was deteriorating by the moment. At some point, a chunk of his chest had caved in, and most of the fine dragon scales draped across his body had shattered. The situation was perilously close to collapse.
Fighting such a brazen pseudo-King Master, even Yang Kai was struggling. Half an hour—at his estimation, he could hold out for half an hour at most. By then, the severity of his injuries would strip him of the ability to fight back, and before that happened, he would have no choice but to use his trump card for survival.
All he could do was hope that everything was going smoothly on Lei Ying's end.
The trouble was that Meng Que, despite having every advantage, kept running his mouth. He never stopped shouting that if Yang Kai dared to flee, he would immediately go kill those Human Race Eighth-Rank experts, and so on...
This made Yang Kai's blood boil. The crux of the matter was that he truly was no match. He had repeatedly relied on the chaos jellyfish bodies he had previously collected to escape danger, but those chaos jellyfish bodies were of extremely limited use against a pseudo-King Master. Every time he released one, it was swept aside by Meng Que's overwhelming power, causing his supply of chaos jellyfish bodies to be nearly depleted in a short time.
In contrast, Meng Que was clearly feeling triumphant. The Mo Clan's several operations against Yang Kai had all ended in failure. Monaye had once advised the King Master that without the means to seal the heavens and lock down the earth—to restrict Yang Kai's spatial divine ability—they should never make a move against him lightly, or retaliation would surely follow.
The King Master had agreed wholeheartedly at the time. Yang Kai had brought the Mo Clan endless humiliation and incalculable losses. His greatest advantage was not his strength that surpassed his peers—even if he was powerful, could he possibly surpass a pseudo-King Master or a King Master?
His advantage was nothing other than that elusive ability to escape.
If they couldn't restrict that, any scheme or strategy was meaningless.
So the Mo Clan had their Mo thralls develop the Four Gate Eight Palace Sumeru Array and refine numerous array foundations, all so they could deploy the grand array in time when dealing with Yang Kai.
But now, he, Meng Que, had pinned Yang Kai firmly in place all by himself. He hadn't relied on any Four Gate Eight Palace Sumeru Array, nor any helpers. All he needed to do was utter a few threatening words.
Such brilliant and effective methods—how could that fellow Monaye compare?
If he could kill Yang Kai here, it would be a tremendous achievement. And beyond that, Yang Kai still had an Open Heaven Pill on him.
Once he returned to the Non-Return Fortress with his mission accomplished, the King Master would surely reward him handsomely. That mere Monaye would sooner or later be trampled beneath his feet.
His heart was brimming with anticipation, but he hadn't forgotten the threat of that demon leopard. It was still a pseudo-King Master-level powerhouse, and he wasn't about to be careless enough to ignore it.
Just then, Meng Que suddenly sensed something. He slightly retracted his attacks against Yang Kai and threw a fierce punch toward the empty space beside him, a cold smile forming at the corner of his lips.
In that direction, there was a trace of unusual movement. Clearly, the demon leopard could no longer hold back and was about to make its move.
He had thought that even if this strike failed to achieve its goal, it would at least force the demon leopard into the open. But to his surprise, after his punch was launched, it met a mountain-toppling, ocean-sweeping force. The power behind it clearly exceeded what any demon leopard should possess.
The cold smile on Meng Que's face twisted into astonishment. The Mo force shrouding his body was scattered by that tremendous power, and his figure staggered back two steps despite himself.
An invisible shockwave rippled outward. Lei Ying's innate divine ability was shattered, and one by one, figures appeared before Meng Que's eyes. Their combined momentum surged like a rainbow and pierced like a sword.
Taking in the situation before him, Meng Que was first stunned, unable to comprehend how several Human Race Eighth-Rank experts had suddenly appeared. Then it dawned on him.