The powerhouses within the Forbidden Land came from many different worlds, and the cultivation systems in these worlds were not the same. In the world Chong Jiu came from, for instance, there was no such thing as the Opening Heaven Realm — the people there had their own system for classifying realms.
Yet cultivation was much the same in principle. At Yang Kai's level and beyond, it had all evolved into the comprehension and application of the Dao.
The golden, radiant tree behind Chong Jiu was his Dao. The River of Time and Space was Yang Kai's Dao. And the sword-wielding giant battling Yang Kai naturally had his own Dao as well.
The sword in his hand *was* the Dao!
Yang Kai had never seen anyone whose attainment of the Dao was so pure. Over these eight thousand years, he had encountered numerous powerhouses here and clashed with many of them, but in terms of aggression and offensive pressure, no one could compare to this sword-wielding giant.
The man spent the vast majority of every battle on the offensive, with virtually no concept of defense — at most, he would dodge slightly.
Fighting someone like this was the most troublesome kind of encounter, because it was nearly impossible to determine a winner. And once a victor did emerge, death was certain to follow.
"Jian Ba, there was never any enmity between us. Why push so hard?" After exchanging blows for a time, Yang Kai let out a sharp shout, the waves beneath him churning violently.
Not far away, Jian Ba bared his teeth in a savage grin. "Why talk about enmity in a godforsaken place like this? Since I'm here today, it's either you die or I do!"
Yang Kai shook his head slowly — there was no reasoning with this fellow whatsoever.
If the Silhouette Technique were still usable, he would have been confident he could defeat Jian Ba. But eight thousand years ago, when he had been fighting Mo, he had already summoned a silhouette from a future time-space segment. The consequence was that he was now trapped here, with absolutely no way to invoke the Silhouette Technique again.
A silhouette from any given time-space segment could only be summoned once.
Left with no other option, he could only channel the power of the River and wage a relentless battle against Jian Ba.
Yet for some reason, Yang Kai felt an inexplicable sense of unease today. He had initially attributed it to the approaching eight-thousand-year deadline and his own anxiety, but soon realized that was not the case.
Battling a formidable foe like Jian Ba allowed him no room for distraction — how could he possibly spare the mental energy to dwell on some eight-thousand-year deadline?
What was unsettling his mind was an *external force*!
As a result, he gradually began losing ground in his battle with Jian Ba.
Chong Jiu, watching from afar, noticed the unusual turn of events and couldn't help but frown. But he had no idea what Yang Kai was experiencing. He was currently locked in a standoff with the helper Jian Ba had brought along, making it impossible for him to step in and assist — all he could do was watch and wait.
The forces of the Great Dao surged and clashed without cease. At some point, a voice called out beside Yang Kai's ear.
His expression faltered for a split second, and before he could make out the words, Jian Ba had vanished from sight.
A sense of crisis engulfed his entire body. Yang Kai's heart sank as his figure rapidly twisted and blurred. In the next instant, Jian Ba lunged before him and slashed down with his sword.
Blood sprayed into the air. Yang Kai's figure reappeared at another location as he raised a hand to clutch his abdomen — there, Jian Ba's strike had carved open a wound, flesh torn and mangled.
That voice rang out again. Yang Kai shook his head, trying to banish the inexplicable sound, but found he couldn't.
When the first voice had sounded, a second quickly followed, then a third...
In just a few breaths' time, Yang Kai felt countless voices buzzing inside his head. The innumerable voices dissolved into chaotic noise, which eventually coalesced into two words.
It was his name!
Having wounded Yang Kai, Jian Ba pressed his advantage and surged forward. And just as he was about to strike, an overwhelming sense of terror flooded his heart. When that feeling rose within him, Jian Ba's eyes went wide — not with horror, but with intense excitement.
Because ever since his cultivation had reached its peak, no one had been able to give him this feeling. Not even here in the Forbidden Land, where he had encountered countless powerhouses, had anyone managed to make him feel terror.