Chapter 2499
Time passed slowly as the Golden Divine Dragon continued to swallow the rushing World Energy. The power of the torrent gradually weakened as Yang Kai's strength steadily increased.
After a stick of incense, the Heavenly Manifestation above Yang Kai's head dissipated and his surroundings returned to its original peace.
Without the thunder and lightning, the funnel cloud and pressure that seemed to have fallen from the sky also disappeared.
All of the surrounding swirls of World Energy had vanished, completely absorbed into Yang Kai's body. Crackling explosions emitted from within his motionless body, conveying a celebratory aura.
It seemed that he had broken through successfully.
Wu Kuang and Duan Hong Chen ogled at the scene with their jaws dropped, as they could not come to terms with what just happened for a long while.
Yang Kai did not feel the slightest joy, however. Not only that, his heart was hammering in his chest. This feeling of anxiety grew stronger ever since the world around him grew calm, as if something extremely terrifying was about to happen.
He clearly felt that he had not really reached the Emperor Realm, seemingly lingering right on the cusp of breaking through but unable to take the last step.
[What happened?]
The Heavenly Manifestation from his breakthrough had vanished, and he already survived the terrifying World Energy Baptism, so why hadn't he broken through to the Emperor Realm? Yang Kai was lost in confusion and anxiety as the pounding in his chest grew ever fiercer.
Suddenly, a majestic aura emerged from the surrounding world and turned into a stream of light, plunging as fast as lightning straight towards the top of Yang Kai's head.
Horror struck Yang Kai as a feeling of utter helplessness filled him when he sensed this majestic aura, as if he would turn into ashes without any ability to resist as the stream of light struck.
Moreover, the falling aura gave him a familiar yet foreign feeling. He vaguely remembered sensing it somewhere but could not identify it immediately.
"World Force!" Wu Kuang and Duan Hong Chen exclaimed in unison, staring at the direction Yang Kai was in. The two Great Emperors became extremely confused at that instant. What could Yang Kai have possibly done to inspire the World Force to appear during his breakthrough to the Emperor Realm?
World Force was a very special and mystical power, even more profound than the World Principle and Source Strength.
Every Great Emperor was proficient in various Principle Strengths and casually used their Source Strengths in battle; but none would underestimate World Force.
That was the power that belonged exclusively to the world itself.
All living beings were as tiny as ants before the world as the world controlled the destinies of every living being. Even someone like the Heaven Devouring Great Emperor could never fully control World Force. This is also the reason why Duan Hong Chen was able to secretly injure him in the previous fight.
Duan Hong Chen had cut his own cultivation multiple times over the past few tens of thousands of years, wandering along the road of the Martial Dao, fumbling about in the Bustling World. Through so many repeated journeys, he had comprehended the essence of the Bustling World. The essence of the Bustling World could also be regarded as a type of World Force, so it could cause damage to Wu Kuang.
Even so, Duan Hong Chen's Bustling World power still could not be compared with the true World Force.
The release of World Force was equal to the Will of the World; no one could oppose it.
[He's dead!] The two Great Emperors thought they were witnessing the birth of a genius, but right now they could not help but feel a little disappointed that the outcome was otherwise. There was no way Yang Kai could contend with a bolt of World Force.
The Golden Divine Dragon phantom roared up to the sky, rising upwards to meet the force of Heaven and Earth.
But as the stream of light descended, it pierced through the Golden Dragon phantom, which fell apart and vanished instantly, not impeding the bolt of light which drove towards the top of Yang Kai's head unabated.
Yang Kai stared upwards, his eyes cold and indifferent.
One could only display their true mettle in a state of crisis. Yang Kai's mind suddenly became extremely clear and his whole being relaxed in peace.
He snapped his fingers and the Mountains and Rivers Bell flew out. The quaint Mountains and Rivers Bell expanded in the air to the size of a house, the magnificent patterns and carvings on it seemingly coming alive and dancing around vividly.
An immense world-suppressing aura suddenly filled the air!
"Mountains and Rivers Bell!" Duan Hong Chen's eyes widened, his face pale in shock as he cried out, "Mountains and Rivers Bell, it's Yuan Ding's Mountains and Rivers Bell!"
The ghost fires in Wu Kuang's sockets were also dancing wildly in fear. Completely ignoring the fight with Duan Hong Chen, he stared in the direction of Yang Kai with a blazing gaze in shock.
The abilities and methods used by Yang Kai during his breakthrough to the Emperor Realm shocked the eyes and minds of the two Great Emperors. In the past, the two of them would never have dared to imagine that a person could possess so many treasures.
The Golden Divine Dragon was the ancestor of the Dragon Clan and was rumoured to have disappeared long ago; however, its Source had appeared in Yang Kai. Yuan Ding's Mountains and Rivers Bell was an Ancient Exotic Artifact, a treasure even coveted by other Great Emperors. During the War of Great Emperors, Yuan Ding used the last bit of his strength to drive it into The Void, and it was nowhere to be found since. Yet, at this moment, it was presented with a strange brilliance in Yang Kai's possession.
[Who is this brat? Why is he so blessed by the Heavens?]
The two Great Emperors finally understood why his breakthrough to the Emperor Realm would lead to being a target of the World Force.
He must have had unlimited opportunities and immense good fortune during his growth, but the Heavenly Way was fair and just. There must be gains and losses on the Martial Dao; the more opportunities one obtains and the more excellent a cultivator's aptitude, the more hindrance one would encounter during breakthroughs. The two factors had a proportional relationship.
No one ever comprehended the reason for this phenomenon, but there were never any exceptions throughout the ages.
It would be outrageous for the World Force to not be attracted to the person possessing both the Golden Divine Source Strength and the Mountains and Rivers Bell.
The two Great Emperors no longer felt sorry for Yang Kai, because such a catastrophe was inevitable for him. Even if it did not appear now, it would appear sooner or later. It was only a matter of time.
The World Energy Baptism earlier was just an appetizer, while this bolt of World Force was the main course.
Yang Kai would surely soar into the sky if he survived this calamity, but there was nothing to say if he did not.
"Wu Kuang, you are knowledgeable, do you think he can survive?" Duan Hong Chen gulped.
Wu Kuang was merely a skeleton now, and obviously had no saliva to swallow, but his 'visible' Adam's apple was bobbing in anxiety and he replied faintly, "The Mountains and Rivers Bell's chime is sufficient to suppress mountains and rivers, its aura sufficient to invert the universe. Among the Great Emperors back then, this Old Master admired you the most, but the one whom this Old Master feared the most was Yuan Ding! Because he had the Mountains and Rivers Bell!"
"Is this why you desperately aimed to inflict serious injuries on him first?"
Wu Kuang snorted coldly, "This King wanted to kill him, but it's a pity that you sabotaged this King's plan!"
"These are things from the past, let's change the topic," Duan Hong Chen grinned meaningfully.
"If Yuan Ding personally summoned the Mountains and Rivers Bell, this World Force would naturally not be able to penetrate it. The Mountains and Rivers Bell indeed has the power to suppress the World itself, making it the nemesis of the World Force, but how much power of the Mountains and Rivers Bell can this brat exert?" Wu Kuang asked.
Duan Hong Chen questioned in a solemn voice, "So, do you think he will die?"
"It will be hard to survive!"
Duan Hong Chen rolled his eyes and suggested, "Then shall we make a bet?"
"What bet? What do we bet with?" Wu Kuang asked in a deep voice.
Duan Hong Chen pointed with his finger, "Bet on whether he lives!"
"What if he lives? What if he dies?"
"If that boy dies, this Old Master will commit suicide in front of you and destroy my own Soul. If he lives, you have to do it instead!"
Wu Kuang's face changed drastically at his proposal and he exploded, "Duan Hong Chen, do you just want to kill this King so badly that you would not even hesitate to use your own life as a chip!?"
Duan Hong Chen answered quickly, "This Old Master told you he would drag you down to die even if his Soul would perish! I don't care about my life anymore, so what is this Old Master afraid of?"
Wu Kuang's eyes quivered in anger.
"Are you afraid?" Duan Hong Chen smiled contemptuously, his eyes narrowed at him.
"Don't bother trying to provoke this King!" Wu Kuang snorted, "This King has not been afraid of anything since he was born."
"Then do you agree?"
Wu Kuang sneered, "This King controls his own life, no one else can decide it for him!"
Duan Hong Chen snorted loudly, "Wu Kuang, Wu Kuang, I did not expect you to become so cautious. It seems that you have changed a lot after these tens of thousands of years of sleep. The old you wouldn't have said that."
"What would this King have said?" Wu Kuang looked at him coldly.
Duan Hong Chen answered, "The old you would definitely agree to it, and then secretly killed that boy."
"Is this King such a despicable person in your eyes?" Wu Kuang snorted coldly.
"You should know how despicable you are. Why would you ask me?"
While the two Great Emperors were talking, the stream of the World Force was already very close to Yang Kai, but was greatly slowed down by the Mountains and Rivers Bell.
The Mountains and Rivers Bell's aura seemed to have a great effect on suppressing the World Force.
However, Yang Kai was under tremendous pressure at the moment.
The cost of using the Mountains and Rivers Bell was enormous, and although his strength at this moment was much higher than before, Yang Kai was still feeling overwhelmed. It was also extremely alarming to watch a fatal attack slowly descending upon him.
Yang Kai knew that if he could not stop this bolt of World Force, he would definitely die.
Yang Kai had never felt more tormented as the aura of death slowly engulfed him.
*Kuang! Kuang! Kuang!*
The Mountains and Rivers Bell tolled loudly, and the force of suppression became more and more aggressive, but the stream of light was still sinking downward steadily. Yang Kai was at a loss for what to do as blood was trickling down his mouth and nose miserably.
As the stream of light advanced closer and closer to him, Yang Kai's heart sank as he felt the Mountains and Rivers Bell could no longer suppress it.
At this moment, a flash of inspiration crossed his mind, and he suddenly fathomed what this inexplicable power was.
This was World Force!
It was the Will of the World!
No wonder it was so familiar.
It was familiar to him because he had used World Force before!
After understanding this, an extremely bold idea popped into his mind.
He stretched out his hand in the next moment, and the Sealed World Bead suddenly appeared at his fingertips. Communicating with it silently, Yang Kai pulled a profound and mysterious power from the Sealed World Bead and blasted it towards the approaching World Force.
