As soon as Yang Yan's formation activated, Yang Kai knew the Xu family was done for.
The swirling mist blanketed an area of a thousand zhang in every direction. While his vision was somewhat impaired and even the divine sense he extended sank into it like mud, he could at least still make out the silhouettes of the Xu family members.
But those dozen-plus Xu family Sacred King Realm Third Stage cultivators all wore panicked, bewildered expressions. Yang Kai was standing only a short distance from them, yet it was as though they couldn't see him at all. They gazed around with fearful vigilance, and some spun about aimlessly like headless chickens before stumbling right up to where he stood.
"Yang Kai, this formation doesn't have any offensive capability right now. If you want to kill someone, you'll have to do it yourself," Yang Yan's voice suddenly sounded in his ear. Yang Kai grinned. "Understood."
The moment the words left his mouth, a mass of pitch-black fire roared forth like a howling fire dragon, surging toward the nearest Xu family elder.
That elder was still disoriented. Though he was on high alert, it wasn't until the fire cloud was already upon him that he sensed it. His power erupted violently as he struck out at the flames with everything he had.
But his Sacred Yuan, once poured into the fire cloud, did nothing to diminish its power. If anything, it was like adding fuel to a fire—the already ferocious flames blazed even stronger, engulfing him like an ancient primordial dragon swallowing its prey.
"Black fire…" the Xu family elder screamed in terror just before death.
He had heard from the warriors who'd fled back to the Xu family that Xu Zhishen had been burned to death by exactly this kind of black flame, and that its power was so great not even the Hundred Peaks Diagram could withstand it.
His strength was inferior to Xu Zhishen's, and he possessed no powerful artifact like the Hundred Peaks Diagram. How could he possibly resist?
The next instant, the Xu family elder was reduced to a charred husk. The Sacred King-grade mid-tier armor he wore hadn't provided even the slightest protection.
"Fifth Elder, what's happening?!" A middle-aged man less than three zhang away roared in alarm. He had clearly heard the Fifth Elder's scream, but when he called out, there was no response.
A deep unease surged in his heart. He spun around and suddenly saw a young man standing behind him, gazing at him with a cold, mocking smile full of contempt and disdain.
"It's you!" He recognized Yang Kai at a glance. Without a moment's hesitation, he summoned his whip artifact and lashed out, unleashing countless afterimages of the whip toward Yang Kai.
Yang Kai leisurely took a single step back. To the man's absolute horror, that one small step made Yang Kai vanish before his eyes. The countless whip afterimages struck nothing but empty air, as though the target had never been there at all.
Having gone all out and hit nothing, the middle-aged man felt his blood roil in his chest. A sweet, metallic taste rose in his throat—he knew instantly that his own attack had backlashed him. Before he could steady himself, he suddenly felt a large hand clamp around his neck. Searing power poured from that grip into his body. Only one thought of sheer terror crossed his mind before his body rapidly ignited. He had time for one agonized scream, and then he was dead.
Yang Kai tossed the corpse aside and turned his gaze toward another Xu family powerhouse nearby, strolling toward him at an unhurried pace.
A few breaths later, another scream pierced the air.
Simple. Far too simple.
Yang Kai knew that with his current strength, even if he fought a Sacred King Realm Third Stage cultivator head-on, he could win quickly. But it certainly wouldn't be this easy. The people trapped in the formation seemed unable to see him—he merely had to walk over and harvest their lives.
Was this the power of a formation? The formation of the Nine Heavens Holy Land from before was absolutely nothing compared to this.
What exactly was Yang Yan's background? So young, yet she was both a Void-grade artifact refiner and a formation grandmaster?
People had always been the ones marveling at Yang Kai's abilities, but this time Yang Kai was genuinely stunned by Yang Yan. Moreover, according to her, this was only a defensive formation and still incomplete. If it were fully set up, wouldn't he not even need to lift a finger? The Xu family members would still be dead for certain.
This girl was something else. Apart from being a bit timid and not knowing how to fight, her other abilities were simply heaven-defying.
Yang Yan definitely had a story, but Yang Kai wouldn't pry. The day she wanted to talk about it, she would speak of her own accord.
Within the formation that blanketed a thousand zhang, the screams of Xu family powerhouses rang out without cease. Each scream meant one more death. Yang Kai walked slowly through the mist-shrouded formation, and wherever he went, the mist that blocked vision and divine sense parted of its own accord, guiding him toward his next kill.
Yang Kai knew this was Yang Yan assisting him.
The Xu family patriarch Xu Zhikun was a far cry from his earlier arrogance and contemptuous bearing. His face was deathly pale as he brandished a long staff, smashing wildly in every direction. Five Xu family experts huddled tightly around him, refusing to leave his side.
But no matter how they attacked, the mist clung to them, never dispersing, always enveloping them.
The mist itself was harmless, yet the Xu family members were as terrified as startled rabbits. Every scream that echoed from nearby set their scalps tingling and their hearts hammering with dread.
In the beginning, they could still hear many of their own experts calling out to each other and the sounds of attacks striking the surroundings.