Zhan Tianhe's words were spoken with such heartfelt sincerity that they drew a soft sigh from Ouyang Lie.
Having heard all this, if he still pressed Zhan Tianhe into refining this supreme-grade Opening Heaven Pill, he would only be making things difficult for the man. A strange feeling suddenly welled up in his heart — the greatest fortune in the world was right here in his hands, something everyone should have been fighting over, so how had it turned into such an awkward predicament?
Liu Feifei chimed in from the side: "Senior Brother Ouyang, you should just refine it yourself."
Ouyang Lie clutched the wooden box, turned to glance at Yang Kai, and gently suggested: "How about… we leave it for Big Head Xiang? Big Head Xiang also came in—"
"Senior Brother Ouyang!" Yang Kai cut him off before he could finish, his expression stern. "As a senior of the Human Race who has fought the Ink Clan for so many years, slain countless enemies, faced death without flinching, and never gave up even when you were separated from the human army and stranded beyond Unreturning Pass — now, when it comes to simply refining a single spirit pill, why must you be so indecisive? Please, Senior Brother, show some of that backbone and stop letting us juniors look down on you."
Liu Feifei couldn't help stealing a glance at Yang Kai. Being a woman, she was more perceptive — the way he had spoken so decisively made her a touch uneasy.
Ouyang Lie lowered his head and stared intently at the wooden box in his hands, his expression solemn. He said nothing.
Yang Kai pressed on: "Senior, right now powerhouses of both the Human Race and the Ink Clan have gathered in this world within the furnace, along with the native Chaos Spirit Clan. We can't afford to think about the long term — we must seize every moment. One more Ninth Grade powerhouse would be of tremendous significance to our race!"
Ouyang Lie let out a long, heavy sigh: "Do you think I don't understand that? Fine — since you've gone and goaded me, if I keep dithering, I'll only look small."
He suddenly gripped the wooden box tight, settled his qi into his dantian, and bellowed: "Fellow juniors, today I shall refine this pill and advance to the Ninth Grade! I'll trouble you all to stand guard for me!"
Yang Kai broke into a grin: "That's exactly how it should be."
Zhan Tianhe and the others cupped their fists solemnly: "Refine in peace, Senior Brother Ouyang."
With his decision made, Ouyang Lie wasted no time. He immediately opened the wooden box, drew out the spirit pill that radiated a hazy, rosy glow, parted the gateway to his Small World, and absorbed it within.
The instant the gateway to his Small World opened, that fleeting glimpse of the interior made Yang Kai furrow his brow.
Veteran Eighth Grade powerhouses like Ouyang Lie, who had fought the Ink Clan for years on end, had endured more life-and-death crises than anyone could count. Though they still lived, they bore accumulated hidden injuries — something Yang Kai had long known.
Beyond Unreturning Pass, the Eighth Grade powerhouses who guarded those harvesting resources were all of this older generation.
Physical hidden injuries were nothing. What truly troubled these veteran Eighth Grades were the problems that had developed within their Small Worlds.
Take Ouyang Lie, for instance. In that instant the gateway had flashed open, Yang Kai had clearly caught sight of conditions inside his Small World that were somewhat abnormal.
This didn't mean his Small World was damaged or its foundation unstable — it simply wasn't quite like a normal Small World. The power seeping from within was insufficiently stable as well.
When Ouyang Lie had said he had no absolute certainty, it wasn't merely an excuse — it was the truth. Otherwise, why would he have even considered letting Zhan Tianhe refine the pill?
Now that he had absorbed the spirit pill into his Small World, whether he could successfully break through his shackles and advance to the Ninth Grade remained an open question.
But since he had made this decision, and he had earned this right, it was worth the gamble.
All Yang Kai and the others needed to do was stand guard for him.
But standing guard in a place like this was no easy task. The commotion from a Ninth Grade breakthrough would surely be considerable, and might attract powerful enemies. That fled Meng Que would definitely spread the news — perhaps Ink Clan powerhouses were already searching the area.
If it were possible, Yang Kai would have wanted to seal off this entire stretch of void to prevent the disturbance from Ouyang Lie's breakthrough from spreading outward. But such a thing was somewhat impractical. Though he was well-versed in the Dao of Space, in this place where the fractured Dao marks seethed with chaotic disorder, he couldn't seal off too large an area.
So the four humans and one demon beast held a brief discussion, then immediately spread out, each guarding a direction.
It was the simplest method — and the only method available.
Many of the human seniors had in fact achieved the Ninth Grade within the Universe Furnace. What the seniors could accomplish, the juniors certainly couldn't let them hog all the glory.
At first, there was no great commotion from Ouyang Lie's side. But before long, Yang Kai, who stood guard nearby, sensed a peculiar fluctuation emanating from Ouyang Lie's direction — clearly the result of his pill refinement. The fluctuation was remarkably wondrous; even someone like Yang Kai, who had cultivated the Three Parts into One secret technique, could perceive the profundity within, giving him an irresistible urge to focus his mind and contemplate along with its rhythm.
If even he felt that way, let alone Zhan Tianhe and the others. Fortunately, they too understood the gravity of the situation and forcibly suppressed their impulses, extending their spiritual senses to monitor the surroundings.
Trouble came soon enough — and it was a kind of trouble Yang Kai hadn't expected.