Yang Kai had a vague feeling that if he couldn't withstand the washing and baptism of all these different Great Dao powers, he might be assimilated into the Dao itself, and when that happened, both rivers of spacetime would surely collapse.
Dao Assimilation…
The thought surfaced inexplicably in Yang Kai's mind. This was a tribulation of cultivation—survive it, and the horizon would open wide; fail, and eternal damnation awaited.
So this was the trial one had to face when pushing cultivation to its absolute limit!
He hurriedly channeled the Warm Spirit Liquid's power to safeguard his mind and spirit.
His condition improved slightly, but the Warm Spirit Liquid—normally effective against all manner of threats—could not play a decisive role here…
If Mu's final gift was likened to a grand feast, then the Warm Spirit Liquid was merely the antidote.
In the past, whenever Yang Kai's mind and spirit were invaded or battered by external forces, the Warm Spirit Liquid had always guarded him well, keeping his consciousness intact and his awareness sharp.
But Mu's gift was different. The myriad powers of the Great Dao contained within the river of spacetime were no poison—they were supreme nourishment. The question now was whether Yang Kai could endure being supplemented in this manner.
The Warm Spirit Liquid could only do so much. Yang Kai had no choice but to furiously refine and absorb everything within Mu's river of spacetime, claiming the various Great Dao powers for his own.
The snake-like river of spacetime was rapidly growing in size, and as it expanded, the speed of its devouring and refining increased considerably as well.
Tremendous pressure bore down on him from both within and without. Yang Kai's skin cracked, and blood seeped through the fissures.
Even with his current physical constitution, he could barely endure it.
Without hesitation, a piercing dragon roar rang out as a colossal dragon body stretching ten thousand zhang manifested itself. Having transformed into a dragon, the physical pressure on him immediately eased considerably.
Yet the magnificent golden dragon looked nothing like it usually did. Dense and chaotic powers of the Great Dao swirled around the Sacred Dragon's body, trying to assimilate him into the Dao itself. The dragon scales stood on end as they resisted the encroachment.
From within the winding river of spacetime, the sounds of dragon roars and bellows echoed ceaselessly.
Outside the river of spacetime, Mo let out deep, guttural growls. As the sealed primordial powers returned to him, his strength and aura surged at a terrifying rate.
Unlike Yang Kai, who was struggling frantically, Mo still had the leisure to observe the state of the river of spacetime.
Those returning primordial powers had originally been stripped from his own body. Now they were merely being reclaimed—and not even all of it at that. Naturally, he could wield them as he pleased.
His gaze held no hatred, no resentment—only a trace of complex emotion.
Just as he had told Mu at the end, though his very existence was an original sin, since he had already been born, he too had the right to seek survival. He should not be locked behind that door for eternity.
Mo's power was the foundation; his consciousness was merely the awareness that had emerged from that foundation. Even without him as "Mo," something like "Black" or "Dark" would have been born in his place…
"I suppose I should thank you!" Mo murmured softly, clenching his fist lightly. All the power that needed to be reclaimed had already been reclaimed.
In the past, he could never fully wield his own power, because the growth of that power had long exceeded the scope his consciousness could command. To master such power required an even stronger will.
But Yang Kai's earlier journey, through the Gate of Xuanpin, had sealed away more than thirty percent of Mo's primordial power.
While this had weakened Mo significantly, it had also been a blessing in disguise. At the very least, he could now fully control his own strength.
In comparison, Mo in this state might actually be more threatening than at his peak!
He raised his hand and reached into the river of spacetime, calling out in a low voice: "Come out!"
What Mu had left behind—he wanted no one else to lay a hand on it. Earlier, in order to preserve the Primordial World, he had even voluntarily left it, leaping beyond the boundaries of the river of spacetime, for fear that his suddenly surging power would destroy it.
This river of spacetime was the last memory Mu had left him!
At his grasp, a dragon roar immediately erupted from within the river of spacetime. Yang Kai, who had been devouring and refining the river's power, suddenly felt an immense force seize him, as though trying to wrench him out of the river.
He could not sense Mo's presence, but he was certain it was Mo who had struck.
For the longest time, he had been curious about what kind of individual power Mo truly possessed—what exactly the legendary Creation Realm entailed.
Only now did Yang Kai personally experience the terror of Mo, this Creator.
Separated by the blockade of two rivers of spacetime, Mo could still project such tremendous force. Without the rivers of spacetime as a barrier, Yang Kai estimated that even in his Sacred Dragon form, a Ninth-Stage Open Heaven cultivator wouldn't last three moves against Mo before being slain!
He absolutely could not be pulled out!
Hiding within Mu's river of spacetime might still afford him room to fight back, but if he were dragged out, death would be the only option!
A flash of clarity struck his mind. Yang Kai roared in fury, frantically channeling the power of the river of spacetime, desperate to sever that restraining force.