Martial Peak

The Infinite Hourglass contained ten thousand and eight grains of Flowing Time Divine Sand, and every one of them was personally refined by Flowing Time Great Emperor, so they were all infused with Time Principles. Every grain could be used to activate the power of one month, so ten thousand and eight grains indeed had the power of over eight hundred years.

The might of Time Principles was profound and peerless. Even though the power of the Great Emperor's Divine Ability within the Command Token was inscrutable, it would still wear down under the influence of the time. That was the reason Wind Lord was able to fend off Iron Blood's Divine Ability. In an instant, Yang Kai understood everything.

"Do you want to give it a try?" Wind Lord looked smilingly at Yang Kai. Despite his question, he didn't really intend to give Yang Kai a choice. As he activated his Emperor Qi, he turned the hourglass upside down again and the fine sand started trickling down. A visible glow expanded and engulfed Yang Kai in it, giving him no chance to react.

Following that, Yang Kai could feel that he was closely connected to something. Then, he traced it back and stared fixedly at the hourglass in Wind Lord's hand.

At this moment, the Infinite Hourglass had targeted him with its aura. It was as though there were a pair of invisible eyes that were staring at him, which caused him to feel that he would never be able to break free of its gaze.

Without thinking, Yang Kai directly dashed into the nearest Void Crack. The Infinite Hourglass was even able to ward off a Great Emperor's Divine Ability, so he wasn't interested in trying to oppose its power. Presently, his best option was to run for his life.

Moreover, even though the hourglass was powerful, it was impossible for Wind Lord to use it continuously. When he reached his limit, it would be the time for Yang Kai to counterattack.

After emerging from the crack, Yang Kai realised that he was inside the same hall again just like what he had come across when he first entered the palace. Everything had returned to the starting point. Presently, time and space had become a mess, and the reason for that was the clash between the Infinite Hourglass and the Great Emperor's Divine Ability.

However, Yang Kai soon found out that the aura that had targeted him hadn't been cut off just because he had fled. It was still closely connected to him. The next moment, Wind Lord also emerged from the crack that Yang Kai had come out of. With the hourglass in his hand, Wind Lord was able to accurately locate him. Smiling wickedly, he said, "It's pointless to flee. With the hourglass in my hand, I'll be able to locate you wherever you are. Surrender without a fight and you can avoid suffering."

"Even if you can follow me, let's see if you're able to catch me!" Yang Kai said through clenched teeth before shooting into a nearby crack.

Wind Lord slowly shook his head as his lips curved into a sneer. It was as though he was laughing at Yang Kai for not knowing his limitations. Despite his slow pace, he was able to follow Yang Kai closely as his voice broke through space and time, seemingly speaking into Yang Kai's ears, "Why torture yourself like this? Although you're not bad, it's impossible for you to escape this treasure's aura. Haven't you realised yet? I suggest that you should stop struggling now."

Upon hearing that, Yang Kai indeed detected something. To be precise, he had confirmed something because he had suspected it earlier, but he wasn't certain until now.

After Wind Lord turned the Infinite Hourglass upside down, the treasure's aura immediately targeted Yang Kai. When Flowing Time Divine Sand trickled down inside the hourglass, Yang Kai could feel the flow of time washing over him. It was a similar feeling when he headed from the Two Seasons Mountain Range to the Flowing Time Temple.

Noticing a change in Yang Kai's expression, Wind Lord laughed, "What do you think is being affected by Flowing Time Divine Sand? Foolish boy. The thing that's trickling down inside the hourglass is your life!"

Yang Kai's face fell not because Wind Lord was trying to frighten him but because he could confirm that what the latter had said was true.

When the Infinite Hourglass targeted him and the Flowing Time Divine Sand started trickling down, Yang Kai could feel himself ageing rapidly. Every grain of Flowing Time Divine Sand that fell represented a month of his life.

After fleeing for a while, Yang Kai realised that several dozen to over a hundred years of his life had left him. It was snatched away by the Infinite Hourglass just like that! The existence of such an artifact that could literally drain someone's life away made his body go cold. He couldn't help but wonder if he would die of old age in this place if this dragged on.

Of course, Yang Kai wasn't afraid of death. Although it had only been a short time since he started cultivating, he had lived his life to the fullest as he had experienced countless exciting events in the world. Even if he was killed in battle right now, he would have no regrets. Nevertheless, he couldn't accept it if his life was sucked dry without even being able to put up a fight.

With this thought in mind, Yang Kai turned around and balled up his fists. Staring fixedly at the crack he had just come out of, he pushed it with an immense force.

He had exerted all his might with his Half-Dragon form. Even if his opponent was a Great Emperor, the other party would be injured.

The next moment, Wind Lord dashed out of the crack. He didn't appear surprised at all as he shot Yang Kai an impassive look.

Yang Kai's heart sank after he pushed out his fists because his violent strike had basically hit the air instead of his opponent. Just now, he could clearly see that Wind Lord accelerated time around himself and nonchalantly dodged his strike.

Before he even had the time to react, Yang Kai felt a great force coming at him from behind, as though a mountain was crashing towards him. Upon impact, he was sent flying forward as he sprayed out a mouthful of blood. At the same time, he was pushed into the crack in front of him.

After passing through the crack, Yang Kai realised that he had returned to the same hall and there was someone else present.

A healthy 'self' was standing there in a dazed state. Yang Kai could see the shock and vigilance behind his gaze, just like when he first entered the palace.

He had practically come across his past 'self'. His face twitched as he wasn't even sure what expression he should put on. Oddly enough, he wiped the blood off his mouth and said, "Cut the crap. Look for your son now!"

After he finished speaking, he realised that it was exactly what he had heard when he stepped into the hall initially, but he had no idea why he had said such a thing. However, Yang Kai didn't have the time to explain anything as Wind Lord was chasing after him, so he quickly dashed into the nearest crack.

Before he entered the crack, he could feel his past 'self' anxiously running after him, but he soon lost track of the latter.

Surprisingly, Wind Lord was standing in front of him this time, as though he had been waiting for a long time. His burning gaze was that of a person who had come across an old friend he deeply missed, "Where do you think you can go? Stop your futile resistance."

Upon finishing his words, he pushed out a palm at Yang Kai.

His speed wasn't rapid. At the very least, Yang Kai was able to see it clearly, thus he lifted his hand to retaliate. As Space Principles undulated, over ten dark Moon Blades shot forward and left scars on the surrounding space.

Just then, Yang Kai's mind turned blank for a moment, and when he came to his senses, he realised that his Moon Blades had disappeared and he was struck with a palm, which caused the vitality in his chest to roil and all his bones to crack.

After being sent flying, Yang Kai struggled for a moment before getting to his feet, then, he stared grimly at Wind Lord as he narrowed his eyes and muttered, "I see. It's not that you've become faster."

They had clashed twice now, which allowed Yang Kai to understand some things. Initially, he thought that it was Wind Lord's speed that had accelerated, which was why the attack landed on his back as he was caught off guard; however, now it seemed that it wasn't the case. It was Yang Kai who was affected rather than Wind Lord.

Wind Lord replied with a smile, "The Infinite Hourglass doesn't only have the power to drain a person's time. It's Flowing Time Great Emperor's Legacy Artifact after all, so it isn't so simple."

Yang Kai nodded, "I see. It seems that it has affected my perception of time."

"There's a saying that a day drags past like a year, which isn't totally unfounded. If one is powerful enough, he definitely can achieve that." Then, Wind Lord shook his head, "However, this treasure is truly abstruse, and I've not completely refined it yet. Although I've still not reached that kind of realm, I've already gained some insights."

"So, it lengthened my perception of time." Yang Kai spat a mouthful of blood. If something could be dealt with in a breath's time, it would take Yang Kai ten breaths or even a hundred breaths to react to it, which was why he was unable to handle it. He had been struck by the opponent's attacks twice exactly because of this.

"So, are you not going to admit defeat yet?" Wind Lord stared dispassionately at him, "I really don't want to kill you."

Yang Kai grinned, "If you were powerful enough, you could have just frozen me completely. By doing so, you would be able to do whatever you wanted to me."

Wind Lord heaved a sigh, "Your barking is becoming grating."

With the Infinite Hourglass on his left palm, he performed a hand seal with his right and then pointed at Yang Kai.

At that instant, a deafening thunder was heard in the hall as Yang Kai was engulfed in a whirlwind, which turned into a storm of razor-sharp blades as it continuously slashed at his figure. If an ordinary Emperor Realm Master was trapped in this whirlwind, he would have been cut to pieces in an instant.

Although Yang Kai wasn't killed, he was drenched in blood and his clothes had become tattered. Amidst the howling of wind, a high-pitched Dragon Roar was heard as a gigantic figure appeared. A three-hundred-metre-long Dragon was seen standing tall in the centre of the whirlwind and sparks were seen around his Dragon Scales.

Yang Kai opened his mouth and sucked the gale around him into his mouth like he was slurping a bowl of noodles. In just three breaths' time, the whirlwind disappeared.

Wind Lord was shocked because Yang Kai was the strongest cultivator he had ever seen whose cultivation was below that of a Pseudo-Great Emperor. He could easily kill any Emperor Realm cultivator, but the boy in front of him was far more extraordinary. Further proof was how Yang Kai had survived until now.

Just then, a cracking sound was heard. Yang Kai's lips could be seen wriggling as though he was chewing something. As he stared at Wind Lord with his big Golden Dragon eyes, he bellowed, "You can have this back!"

His last word turned into a Dragon Roar which seemed powerful enough to shake the world. Following that, he spat out a gust of Wind Qi towards Wind Lord.

It was useless, however. In Yang Kai's eyes, he had managed to hit Wind Lord, but after blinking, he realised that the latter was already standing far away. What he had struck was just the Wind Lord in his sight, but as his perception of time had been affected, it was difficult to accurately locate his opponent.

However, Yang Kai didn't stop as he started chanting in an ancient and abstruse Dragon language. When he opened his mouth again, he spat a breath of raging flames.

Fire Dragon's Breath!

The reason the Golden Divine Dragon's Source was so highly revered was that, with its Source Strength, its owner was able to use all sorts of Dragon Clan Secret Techniques, whether he had the appropriate bloodline or not. For example, Yang Kai could use Fire Dragon attacks, or those of a Water Dragon, Wind Dragon, Ice Dragon and so on. As long as Yang Kai wanted, he could achieve this. In the past, Yang Kai had no idea how to do it, but after a visit to the Dragon Temple, he had learned about this ability by studying one of the Dragon Clan's ancient records.