With both aspects of the Space-Time Great Dao breaking through to the ninth level, the foundation of the Space-Time River solidified, which in turn caused the efficiency of devouring and refining Mu's Space-Time River to surge dramatically.
Amid this frenzied devouring and refinement, Yang Kai's comprehension in other Great Daos was also rapidly advancing.
The Spear Dao broke through... The Sword Dao broke through... The Alchemy Dao broke through... The Formation Dao broke through... The Yin-Yang Dao broke through... Every Great Dao's comprehension was advancing at inconceivable speed, shattering one restriction after another and reaching new heights.
With each breakthrough, countless wondrous insights burst forth in Yang Kai's mind, deepening his understanding of every Great Dao until it became crystal clear.
Outside the Space-Time River, the clash between light and darkness raged without end.
Neither the world's first light nor the primordial darkness was in a complete state at this moment. However, relatively speaking, the power of darkness had been steadily strengthening over the years, so Mo's strength far surpassed Zhang Ruoxi's.
And this was despite Yang Kai having used the Gate of Mysterious Femininity to seal away more than thirty percent of Mo's origin power.
Had it not been for the various safeguards Mu had left behind, and had Mo possessed his full power, he would have been even more formidable.
Only by having eight Little Stone Clan bodyguards combine their strength to form a Nine Palace Formation could Zhang Ruoxi barely hold her own against Mo. But this was no long-term solution. Every clash with Mo placed enormous pressure on those eight Ninth-Order Little Stone Clan warriors.
In just a few hours, cracks had already spread across all eight Little Stone Clan warriors, threatening to shatter at any moment.
Zhang Ruoxi was doing her best to stall for time, but she had no idea how long she could hold on. She could only silently pray that he would finish up on his end.
Each collision of light and darkness was a mutual erosion of their respective powers — light dispelling darkness, darkness devouring light.
Again and again... Zhang Ruoxi's and Mo's powers were wearing each other down. The most obvious change was that the luster of Zhang Ruoxi's pristine white wings had grown dimmer, while Mo no longer seemed as frenzied as before.
This was not a good sign. Zhang Ruoxi could tell — as a consciousness born from the primordial darkness, Mo was unable to fully control this power. Countless years of accumulation and growth had pushed it beyond the limits of what Mo could command.
That was why, when she had appeared wielding the power of the first light, it had triggered the primordial darkness's frenzied hostility and instantly driven Mo to lose his reason.
Meanwhile, Mo's own consciousness harbored an almost obsessive yearning and attachment toward Mu's Space-Time River. His subconscious refused to let anyone lay claim to the power Mu had left behind in this world.
Power and consciousness were at odds, which was why Mo had behaved so erratically before — sometimes chasing Zhang Ruoxi with reckless abandon, other times turning around and charging toward the Space-Time River.
It was precisely by exploiting this inconsistency that Zhang Ruoxi had been able to keep provoking Mo and holding him in check.
But if Mo regained his reason, he would no longer be so easy to handle.
At this moment, Mo did possess power that surpassed everyone else in this world, but he was like an untamed beast — as long as the right approach was taken, he could still be dealt with.
But if he recovered his consciousness, even with somewhat diminished power, Zhang Ruoxi had no confidence she could stop him.
But the one thing she feared was exactly what came to pass. Through clash after clash, Zhang Ruoxi could clearly sense that Mo's gaze was gradually growing clearer.
To make matters worse, her Little Stone Clan bodyguards were beginning to falter.
What was more, the Solar and Lunar power she had harmonized through her Tianxing bloodline was showing signs of becoming unbalanced.
The Tianxing bloodline was indeed formidable — the only medium in this world capable of harmonizing Solar and Lunar power. Years of arduous cultivation had finally allowed Zhang Ruoxi to integrate this harmonized power into her body, granting her immense strength.
But the Ninth-Order Open Heaven realm was still slightly insufficient for bearing Solar and Lunar power. She couldn't sustain high-intensity combat for too long.
In the battle against Mo, Zhang Ruoxi had not dared to hold back. Every exchange had been at full power, and after so many bouts, the power within her body had become somewhat unstable.
Her Little Stone Clan bodyguards were in dire condition, and her own power was on the verge of losing balance. Zhang Ruoxi knew she was running out of time.
Yet even so, the thought of retreating never crossed her mind. Instead, her gaze grew resolute, as though she had made some kind of decision.
After yet another violent collision, the two figures separated.
Zhang Ruoxi could clearly sense that many more cracks had appeared on the eight Little Stone Clan warriors behind her.
She tightened her grip on the Tianxing Sword, exhaled softly, and spread her wings. A heaven-shaking, earth-shattering aura began to surge upward.
In the void across from her, Mo hung his head, motionless.
Just as Zhang Ruoxi was about to strike again, Mo suddenly raised one hand and gently held it before him. "Stop."
Zhang Ruoxi did not waver. Her aura continued to climb without limit. But Mo's current state gave her pause, and she couldn't help asking, "You've regained your reason?"
Mo looked up at her. Though struggle still lingered in his eyes, the previous madness was gone. "I have you to thank for that," he replied.
Zhang Ruoxi naturally knew what he meant.