The Primordial Grand Barrier was on the verge of breaking. Wu Kuang's continued presence there had lost all meaning — if anything, he would suffer backlash when the barrier fell.
So the moment he sensed that the situation had become irreversible, he withdrew from the barrier immediately.
At least this way he could ensure he remained unharmed. As for Yang Kai, who was still inside the barrier, Wu Kuang could no longer offer much assistance.
What caught the attention of the numerous Ninth-Order Human Race cultivators was the aura Wu Kuang now revealed.
Only a handful of Human Race powerhouses knew of Wu Kuang's existence — they knew Yang Kai had sent him here to guard the Primordial Grand Barrier, but no one knew how strong he was. Not even Yang Kai himself was certain.
After all, when Yang Kai had first brought Wu Kuang here, the man had been only a Seventh-Order Open Heaven cultivator. Though word had reached them that he had advanced to the Eighth and then Ninth Order, without ever having been in close contact, they had only rough estimates of his strength.
Now, at this very moment, Wu Kuang's power was finally laid bare for all to see.
It was unmistakably the pinnacle of the Ninth Order! His imposing presence seemed to exceed even that of the two most veteran Ninth-Order cultivators among the Human Race, Xiao Xiao and Wu Qing.
In the current situation, a peak Ninth-Order cultivator would be an immense boon to the Human Race.
But before the Human Race could even begin to rejoice, a sudden change occurred.
Wu Kuang's departure appeared to have accelerated the barrier's destruction. More cracks spread across its surface, and soon the Primordial Grand Barrier — which had endured for a million years — shattered like a smashed mirror.
Specks of luminescent light scattered across the void.
When the glow faded, what filled their vision was an endless expanse of ink-black darkness.
The darkness writhed and churned as if it possessed a life of its own, with the a countless number of living beings rising and sinking within it.
While the barrier still stood, the Mo Race could only exit through that single breach. Even during the most critical moments of the Human Race expedition, the Mo Race had been unable to send reinforcements through in large numbers, so the situation had largely remained under control.
But now things were different. With the barrier utterly destroyed, all the Mo Race forces hidden behind it were freed in an instant.
No one knew how many Mo Race creatures still lurked within that sea of darkness. The only consolation for the Human Race was that they had already killed a fair number earlier, slightly reducing the pressure they now faced.
The Human Race army held its breath and waited. Yet, to their surprise, not a single Mo Race creature emerged from the ocean of darkness for quite some time.
They seemed to be afraid of something.
Soon, the Human Race powerhouses realized what it was — the Mo Race feared Zhang Ruoxi.
The power she had displayed earlier was simply too inconceivable. It was a force that surpassed even the Giant Divine Spirits, and she had cut down King Lord-level beings as easily as chopping melons.
Right now, Zhang Ruoxi stood at the forefront of the Small Stone Race army. Though she was but a single person, her presence alone deterred billions of Mo Race creatures from daring to make a move.
The pure white wings spread behind her might have seemed minuscule against the ink-black darkness shrouding the void, yet the radiance they emitted was something no darkness could obscure.
This left many Ninth-Order cultivators feeling somewhat humbled. If Zhang Ruoxi had not appeared out of nowhere this time, the Human Race's second expedition would surely have ended in failure. Had that happened, their only option would have been to follow the escape route Yang Kai had prepared beforehand and venture with him into that new world to find a place to survive.
But as for what that new world actually held — who could say?
At the front of the army, Zhang Ruoxi remained perfectly still. Before her, the void churned with darkness, and the Mo Race creatures, stricken with fear, refused to emerge.
One person's power, enough to command such deterrence — it was terrifying beyond measure.
Suddenly, Zhang Ruoxi's expression shifted. Her eyes narrowed slightly as she gazed deep into the heart of the darkness.
She seemed to have sensed something. The wings behind her swept once, and she transformed into a streak of pure white light that plunged into the darkness in the blink of an eye.
From afar, her voice reached Mi Jinglun's ears: "He's in there. I'm going to check."
In an instant, the churning darkness grew even more violent. Clearly, Zhang Ruoxi's intention was far more than simply "taking a look." To reach Yang Kai's location within a void teeming with Mo Race creatures, she would have to carve a path through them by force.
…
In the Primordial World, the aftershocks of chaos within Dawn City had yet to subside. Just moments ago, everyone had witnessed a figure rocket skyward from the city's outskirts and vanish without a trace. And after that figure disappeared, the descending black light had vanished as well.
Though the anomaly was gone, the panic it had stirred would not be so easily dispelled in the short term.
The Holy Maiden and Li Feiyu both gazed toward that direction, contemplation flickering in their eyes.