In that moment of crisis, Yang Kai’s Azure Dragon Spear suddenly vanished from his hand as he stowed it away.
Following that, he grabbed Mo’s shoulder with both hands and flung himself backwards in an attempt to drag Mo into the Space-Time River.
The short exchange just now made it clear to Yang Kai that he was unable to hold his own against Mo right now.
Since that was the case, he needed to bring the fight to an advantageous environment for him, and the Space-Time River was an excellent choice.
Yang Kai was confident that as long as he was able to drag Mo into his Space-Time River, he would be able to unleash even more powerful attacks that could perhaps be enough to deal with this enemy.
However, before Yang Kai could do anything else, Mo kicked him.
Yang Kai felt his chest caving in as he fell into the river.
“Waste!” Mo stood above the river. The torrential waves fiercely charged at Mo, but they would die out once they were within 10 steps of him, filling his eyes with disappointment.
[Mu’s successor is weaker than I thought. He’s not even stronger than that woman earlier who wielded a portion of the Primordial Light’s power. At the very least, she’d been able to cause a bit of trouble for me, but Mu’s successor is nothing more than a child.]
As Mo quietly eyed the Space-Time River beneath him, he lightly raised his hand…
[In that case, I shall destroy it all!]
A gust of pure and concentrated Black Ink Strength unlike any that had been seen before poured out towards the Space-Time River as the might of a Creator began to emerge. Any part of the river that was touched by Black Ink Strength immediately showed signs of being corrupted by it.
The river was made out of Dao Strengths. Ordinarily, Black Ink Strength from the Black Ink Clan was only capable of corrupting living beings; however, as the source of Black Ink Strength, Mo was even capable of corrupting Dao Strengths.
As Yang Kai’s body sank downwards into the river, his heart sank along with it. With just two strikes, he had a clear understanding of just how powerful Mo was.
[I definitely won’t be able to defeat him.]
Yang Kai coughed lightly and the stench of blood filled his mouth.
He was now a Divine Dragon with thick skin and hard flesh, impervious to most ordinary strength, but a simple kick from Mo was enough to break a few of his ribs.
It had been a long time since he last suffered such injuries.
The pain of his broken bones sticking into his organs cleared his mind, and in the very next breath, he sensed the changes happening to his Space-Time River.
He realised the severity of the situation. If Mo was allowed to continue what he was doing, sooner or later, his Space-Time River would be completely corrupted by Black Ink Strength. He would lose all his Dao Strengths, and even if he did not die, he would become crippled and useless.
The urgent sense of danger consumed Yang Kai and he knew that if he did not do something soon, it would be too late.
After stabilising himself, Yang Kai gathered his thoughts and wielded all the strength he could muster.
The next instant, his body turned into an invisible black hole that devoured large amounts of the river’s water!
He was refining the Dao Strengths and absorbing them into his body!
Yang Kai had been able to put away his original Space-Time River and summon it out when he wanted to deal with his opponent because he had gained the river through hard work and diligent cultivation. It was the manifestation of his own Dao Strengths.
However, the gift from Mu had been too overwhelming. Even though he used his Space-Time River to devour and refine Mu’s Space-Time River, which led to a great increase in his mastery over the 10,000 Grand Daos, he now had a problem on his hands too.
He did not have full control over his new Space-Time River!
Currently, he was like a three-year-old who was trying to wield a massive sledgehammer. Though the sledgehammer was powerful, he could not even lift it.
That was the reason why he could not fight back against Mo. It was to the point where he seemed even weaker than Zhang Ruo Xi; after all, Ruo Xi had diligently cultivated for some 2,000 years in the Chaotic Dead Territory. By using her Heavens Order Bloodline to harmonize the powers of Yin and Yang to a level where she could control it, she was able to unleash all of that power freely.
There was only one way for Yang Kai to deal with his current situation, and that was to refine the Dao Strengths and absorb them into his body! That was the only method for him to gain control over his new Space-Time River and be strong enough to oppose Mo.
It was an extremely dangerous move. If he were careless for even a moment, he would explode from the overwhelming power of the massive Space-Time River and would undoubtedly die.
That was the reason why Yang Kai did not choose to do so earlier, but under the present circumstances, he had to throw caution to the wind and take the risk.
As he did this, a huge vortex emerged on top of the river. It looked like a large mouth that was swallowing the water.
Meanwhile, Mo was still channelling his Black Ink Strength and corrupting the river. By doing so, Mo could even absorb the river and strengthen itself.
After seeing the appearance of the vortex though, Mo’s eyes flashed with an unreadable glimmer as he scoffed, “You finally realised it?”
Mo had spent many years with Mu and understood the Space-Time River far better than Yang Kai did, so he could immediately tell what Yang Kai was doing when he saw the movement of the river.
Both of them continued to refine the power of the Space-Time River which rapidly shrank before them.
When it came down to it though, this was still Yang Kai’s Space-Time River. Thus, Mo could not refine it as quickly as Yang Kai could. It could be said that Yang Kai and Mo were devouring the river at a ratio of seven to three.
Beneath the river, Yang Kai’s face had turned red as his Dragon Vein throbbed with ferocity within him. The Dao Strengths he devoured and absorbed into his body made him feel as if he were going to explode. He even had the urge to transform into a Divine Dragon.
Nevertheless, he squashed down this thought. Although turning into a Divine Dragon could ease the pressure on his body, there was still a limit. It would not make a difference if he could not find a way to surpass that limit.
Therefore, he chose to grit his teeth and bear it.
Thankfully, he had endured a similar kind of pressure when he first started taking in the gift Mu left behind and was now able to have a marginally easier time with it.
As time passed, the massive Space-Time River had shrunk by about 30%.
Beneath the river, Yang Kai was surrounded by Dao Strengths, while above the river, Mo’s aura had grown a lot stronger too.
All of a sudden, Yang Kai’s eyes hardened. As he continued to devour the power of the river, he raised his hands and snarled, “Rise!”
The Space-Time River that cut across the void seemed to abruptly come to life as the water churned and the waves came crashing down at Mo.
Mo’s gaze darkened as he swiftly backed off.
He knew that even with his present strength, he would have a hard time if he was struck by the full force of the Space-Time River.
His eyes briefly flickered with surprise as he did not think that Yang Kai would be able to gain control over the Space-Time River so quickly.
If Yang Kai was previously likened to a three-year-old attempting to wield a sledgehammer and failing due to his lack of strength, then he was now a young child able to raise the sledgehammer, though luck and fate would determine whether or not he could strike his opponent with it.
As the river surged, Yang Kai’s figure appeared out of it. It was clear that something was not right with his present state. It was as if an indescribable power gathered within his body. He looked like he was about to explode at any given moment.
That was indeed the case. He was at his limit from the Dao Strengths that had built up inside him. He felt a pressing need to let it all out of him, so with that thought in mind, he shot up and charged at Mo.
As he moved, the colossal Space-Time River followed behind him like a shadow.