Yang Kai's figure emerged from the churning waves, the power of the Great Dao surging around him in turbulent waves.
In terms of sheer aura alone, he was slightly more formidable than Mo and Zhang Ruoxi had been before—a direct result of his tremendous leap in Dao comprehension.
The most immediate manifestation was the volume of his River of Time and Space.
Its current volume now rivaled the river Mu had left behind. The magnitude of the increase was beyond imagination.
A young serpent had metamorphosed into a divine dragon. Though Yang Kai's cultivation realm had not risen dramatically, his present strength was in an entirely different league from before.
A sharp gaze fell upon him.
At a glance, Yang Kai spotted Mo standing in the distance, the hatred and killing intent in those eyes fixed on him utterly unrestrained.
Mo's appearance bore a strong resemblance to Little Eleven as Yang Kai had seen him in the Primordial World—if Little Eleven had grown up normally, he would have looked much like this.
Ruoxi was positioned between them, standing guard with focused vigilance.
Yang Kai had been absorbing and refining Mu's final gift the entire time, knowing nothing of what transpired outside. But the moment he saw the state Mo and Ruoxi were in, he understood that the two must have fought each other, and it seemed to have ended in mutual injury. Neither Ruoxi nor Mo felt as overwhelmingly powerful as he had expected.
His divine sense swept outward like a tide, and in moments, the scene of the distant battlefield in the void imprinted itself upon his mind.
He furrowed his brow slightly.
Compared to his side, the situation of the Human Race and Small Stone Race alliance was dire. If things continued as they were, the alliance would inevitably be defeated.
Yang Kai immediately called out: "Ruoxi!"
Zhang Ruoxi answered promptly: "I'm here, sir."
"Go to the battlefield and help the Human Race kill the enemy."
Zhang Ruoxi froze at his words.
Her original thought had been that now that sir had emerged from seclusion, they could join forces against Mo.
She was no match for Mo alone, but if she fought alongside him, their chances of winning would be substantial.
Mo's strength had been significantly weakened—partly from Yang Kai sealing his origin power, and partly from the great battle she had fought with him. The collision of Light and Darkness had been continuously eroding them both.
If they could eliminate Mo, the threat to the Three Thousand Worlds would be resolved at its source.
Seemingly reading Zhang Ruoxi's thoughts, Yang Kai said: "The Human Race army is the last remaining force. If it's annihilated here, then even defeating Mo would be meaningless. Ruoxi, go help the Human Race. I'll handle things here."
Zhang Ruoxi understood this logic perfectly. If the Human Race army truly fell, then even defeating Mo here would accomplish nothing.
This war had always been the Human Race's counterattack for survival. The outcome of the war rested upon the shoulders of the Human Race army.
She gritted her teeth and said: "Then please be careful, sir. I'll return as soon as I can!"
With that, she shot Mo a fierce glare, unfurled the wings behind her, and transformed into a streak of light, hurtling toward the battlefield.
With her gone, only Mo and Yang Kai remained in the void, staring at each other.
"A wise choice!" Mo remarked calmly.
Yang Kai raised an eyebrow: "In what regard?"
Mo smiled faintly: "Her condition isn't good. You sent her away because you wanted to preserve her life."
Yang Kai's frown deepened: "I was expecting to face a deranged, malicious madman. I didn't expect someone so perceptive. That complicates things."
Yang Kai had assessed Zhang Ruoxi's condition at a glance. He didn't know the ultimate outcome of the Heavenly Punishment bloodline harmonizing the Solar and Lunar forces, but the eight Ninth-Order Small Stone Clan warriors around her were clearly on the verge of collapse.
And as the eye of the Nine Palace Formation, she must have been enduring tremendous pressure.
If she stayed here to continue fighting Mo, and those Ninth-Order Small Stone Clan warriors collapsed—if Mo found an opening—Ruoxi would be in grave danger.
Of course, sending Ruoxi away wasn't entirely to protect her. The Human Race and Small Stone Race alliance truly needed reinforcement. Without external intervention on that battlefield, the alliance would be defeated for certain.
The intensity of combat Zhang Ruoxi would face over there should be relatively manageable. As long as she was careful and kept the eight Small Stone Clan warriors alive, she wouldn't be in too much danger.
What surprised Yang Kai was Mo.
Just as he had said, he had expected to face a mindless, violent creature. Yet Mo's thinking was clearly lucid, his reasoning intact…
Yang Kai would have far rather faced someone who had lost all reason and knew only slaughter—such a creature would have been easier to deal with.
"You didn't stop me from absorbing and refining Mu's River of Time and Space. That did surprise me," Yang Kai said.