When the Myriad Opportunities Furnace's ninth Grand Dao transformation descended, whether it was the humans who were still searching for traces of the Mo Race powerhouses, or the Mo Race cultivators hiding in concealment, all had grown accustomed to this phenomenon.
After all, this sort of thing had already occurred eight times before. Aside from the first time, when everyone had been somewhat alarmed and suspicious, they had since paid it no mind after the second occurrence. This was the profound mystery of the Myriad Opportunities Furnace—there was no need to dwell on it too much.
However, this ninth transformation seemed different from any that had come before. Under the turmoil of the Grand Dao, the entire world within the furnace trembled, and in that instant, it was as though something was undergoing a fundamental change. Yet no one could see it clearly or explain it with any certainty.
The infinite river that ran through the entirety of the furnace world, shifting from shallow to deep, contained within it the secret of how chaos gave rise to the myriad Daos.
The Grand Dao transformations, occurring again and again, were themselves demonstrating the profound mystery of chaos birthing the myriad Daos.
The very existence of the Myriad Opportunities Furnace seemed to be displaying to all living beings the ultimate truth of the Grand Dao—the true essence of heaven and earth.
When this final Grand Dao transformation occurred, Yang Kai took the spacetime river of his own body as a foundation and drove the power of the myriad Daos, returning it to chaos, reversing the natural flow. This was no different from planting an opposing banner in the midst of this surging tide.
In some vague way, something was touched upon.
In that instant, Yang Kai felt an indescribable and tremendous pressure surge inward from every direction. The spacetime river coiling around his body quaked violently in that very moment, nearly failing to maintain its form.
To follow the heavens was to achieve twice the result with half the effort. To act against them was the opposite.
Yang Kai now stood opposed to this world within the furnace. In acting against the natural order during this final Grand Dao transformation, he would inevitably be suppressed by this realm itself.
His escape slowed dramatically. Yet the Chaos Spirit King pursuing him from behind was entirely unaffected by these disturbances, and the distance between them closed with alarming speed.
Fang Tianci, who had taken over partial control of the body and was fleeing with all his might, was struck with alarm. Though he did not understand the cause of this sudden change, he knew it had to be related to his main body's actions.
Gritting his teeth, he mustered his resolve and hastily activated the Dao of Space, teleporting forward—though he could not cover much distance.
Yang Kai was likewise pouring everything he had into maintaining his spacetime river. His exploration within the infinite river had allowed him to catch a faint glimpse of something, but he had not been able to see it clearly. Now, if he wanted to verify it, he had no choice but to rely on this method.
This had been his plan all along. But the Chaos Spirit King pursuing him from behind had now become a potential threat. There was nothing to be done about that—the moment he had seized that supreme-grade Kaiyuan Pill, it had been inevitable that he could not shake this Chaos Spirit King off. Otherwise, some other human cultivator would inevitably suffer for it.
The river shuddered ceaselessly, showing signs that it might collapse at any moment. Yet Yang Kai pressed on stubbornly, and before long, a look of elation crossed his face.
The Grand Dao transformation, which should have come and gone in a flash, had not dissipated. Instead, it was growing more and more intense.
This was clear proof that his actions were having an effect. Even if he was defying this entire world with nothing more than his own strength, there was an old saying—even a single grain of rat droppings could spoil an entire pot of porridge. One must not dismiss something merely because the quantity seemed small.
Yang Kai now was precisely that single grain of rat droppings that had fallen into the furnace world.
The Grand Dao tremors grew even more violent, and the world within the furnace was thrown into turmoil. Both humans and the Mo Race were shaken and uncertain, unable to discern what exactly was happening.
Fang Tianci's voice rang out: "Boss, I can't hold on much longer!"
He had only a small portion of control over the body to begin with, and Yang Kai's actions had made controlling it incomparably difficult. Even activating the spatial divine ability could not carry him far. The Chaos Spirit King pursued without respite, and the distance between them had already closed to a dangerously short span!
In another moment, they would likely fall within the Chaos Spirit King's attack range. If that happened, no matter what Yang Kai was attempting, his efforts would come to nothing—he might even put himself in mortal peril.
Hearing Fang Tianci's shout, Yang Kai did not answer. Whether he had not heard it or simply could not respond was unclear.
Yang Kai himself felt he could barely hold on any longer. Against the backdrop of the entire furnace world's chaos giving birth to the myriad Daos, he was going against the current with nothing but his own strength. The pressure was immense.
He did not even know whether his actions held any meaning at all. But he had genuinely glimpsed something within the infinite river, and if he did not verify it now, he might never have another opportunity in his entire life.
He refused to let this rare chance slip away, so he could only keep holding on.
Fortunately, having ascended to the Ninth-Order realm and possessing the body of a Sacred Dragon, his capacity to endure was far greater than before. Had he still been at the Eighth-Order level, he likely would have long since been unable to continue.
It felt like a single instant, yet also like ten million years.
A violent attack surged from behind—the Chaos Spirit King had closed in and finally had an opening to strike.
It was at precisely that moment that Yang Kai, pouring every fiber of his being into driving his own power, suddenly caught sight of an enormous river—vast and winding, stretching on without end.
It was the legendary infinite river said to run through the entire furnace world!
In truth, though this great river pierced through the entire world within the furnace, it was not visible everywhere, and Yang Kai was in fact far removed from the infinite river's location.
Yet he saw it. It was as though, in that very instant, the space of the furnace world had become disordered.
He was not the only one who saw it. In that moment, every surviving human and Mo Race cultivator alike beheld the appearance of this great river—rising from some unknown origin and flowing toward the world's very end.