With these thoughts running through his mind, Xie Hongchen actually moved to rush forward and seize someone, but he had barely taken a step before one of the two Return Void Realm experts blocked his path.
"Young Master, there's something strange up ahead. There should genuinely be a formation of considerable power." The warrior furrowed his brow, staring at the vast open space before the cave entrance as his Divine Sense swept back and forth.
On their way here, Yian had told them about how over a dozen Saint King Stage Three warriors from the Xu family had been completely wiped out, but nobody had taken it seriously — they figured that even if a formation existed, its power would be limited and couldn't withstand the bombardment of Return Void Realm cultivators. But upon arriving at the scene, they discovered that this formation was clearly extraordinarily sophisticated.
"Something strange?" Xie Hongchen wasn't exactly stupid. He nodded upon hearing this. "Fine, then I won't go up there myself. No need to walk into their little trap."
Right at that moment, Yang Yan finished what she was doing and hurriedly retreated into the cave, hiding behind Yang Kai. Her delicate body trembled as Wu Yi took her hand and gently patted it.
Xie Hongchen withdrew the gaze that had been following Yang Yan all this while and cast a sidelong glance at Wu Yi, letting out a cold snicker. A vicious look crossed his face as he raised his voice: "Wu Yi, don't say I never gave you a chance. If you know what's good for you, you'll come along with me obediently, and I'll let bygones be bygones. But if you're foolish enough to refuse, don't blame me for being ruthless."
Wu Yi's face was pale, but she still declared: "In your dreams! If you want me to go with you, you'll have to kill me first!"
"Good, good, good." Xie Hongchen wasn't angered at all — in fact, he burst into laughter. When he'd first learned that Wu Yi had gotten involved with Yang Kai, he had indeed been furious. But now, having laid eyes on Yang Yan, who was even more stunning than Wu Yi, that knot of frustration in his chest had dissipated considerably. This time, he would not only get Wu Yi but also this beautifully proportioned beauty — two birds with one stone. Xie Hongchen was naturally delighted.
He stopped paying attention to Wu Yi and instead fixed his gaze on Yang Kai, speaking in a cold tone: "Kid, you've got some nerve. Daring to set your sights on my woman. It doesn't matter where you came from — you're dead. Crawl over here, kowtow, and beg for forgiveness. Call me Grandpa a few times, and I'll give you a quick death. But if you hand that woman over to me as well, heh, I might just spare your life!"
Yang Kai frowned slightly. He had seen plenty of spoiled young masters, but he had never encountered one as arrogant as Xie Hongchen. As far as this guy was concerned, anyone and anything should bend to his word. First he'd told Wu Yi to go with him obediently, and now he was telling Yang Kai to crawl over — who did he think he was?
"Is this guy all talk?" Yang Kai looked at Wu Yi.
Wu Yi answered with contempt: "He's out of his mind."
"Yeah, well said. Definitely not right in the head. Probably some kind of psychological distortion from a physical disability." Yang Kai nodded lightly.
Seeing him so calm and composed, the tension in Wu Yi and the others seemed to ease considerably.
On the other side, upon hearing Xie Hongchen say he would let Yang Kai go, Yian actually spoke up: "Young Master Xie, this man's background is unknown. He forcibly occupied our Haik family's Dragon Crest Mountain, turning from guest into host and driving us out. I ask Young Master Xie to uphold justice and execute this man!"
Having already decided to eliminate Yang Kai at the root before he could grow powerful enough to threaten the Haik family's interests, Yian naturally wasn't about to let him off easily. As for Wu Yi — she had already left the family, which meant she was no longer a Haik family member. Whatever fate awaited her if Xie Hongchen dragged her back was none of his concern.
"Do I need you telling me how to do things?" Xie Hongchen shot Yian a sidelong look. Yian's expression turned awkward, and he immediately fell silent.
Then Xie Hongchen bellowed toward the cave: "You've got some real nerve, kid! Not only did you try to poach my woman, you even dared to forcibly seize another family's territory. You really don't take my Shadow Moon Hall seriously, do you? Don't you know the Haik family is an outer force under my Shadow Moon Hall?"
"If you want to fight, then fight! Enough of the nonsense!" Yang Kai couldn't be bothered to waste more words on him. This guy was clearly unhinged — talking to him any further was just wasting saliva. In the end, it would all come down to a show of force.
"Fine! Today, I'll show you what happens when you offend me. Don't worry, I won't kill you right away. That woman is yours, isn't she?" Xie Hongchen pointed at Yang Yan. "You dared to lay hands on my woman, so I'll take yours. I'll let you watch with your own eyes how I satisfy her — and when that happens, don't feel too inadequate!"
With that, he gave a light shout: "Hong Zhen, grab that kid for me. The nerve of this bastard, offending me — he's really asking for it."
Hong Zhen, the Return Void Stage One expert, frowned and hesitated: "Young Master, there's a formation over there!"
"So what? A few petty formations are enough to stop you? Then what use are you?" Xie Hongchen jumped to his feet. "If one of you isn't enough, then both of you go together. I refuse to believe those trash formations can hold you off. Grab him now! I want to throw him on the ground, step on his face, and piss on it!"
Hong Zhen's expression turned so dark it could drip ink.
Return Void Stage One — across the entire Dark Star, that counted as formidable, since the strongest anyone here had reached was only Return Void Stage Three. But he had been ordered to protect Xie Hongchen, and he couldn't refuse the command.
The other Return Void expert looked at him, seemingly about to speak. Hong Zhen waved his hand and said: "I'll go test it out. If it doesn't work, you join in."
"Fine." The other nodded and said nothing more.
Hong Zhen then walked toward the cave one step at a time, his Divine Sense erupting outward as he probed the surroundings. But the more he probed, the more alarmed he became. This area was like a quagmire — his Divine Sense sank into it and received absolutely no response. He immediately realized he had underestimated the formation's power.
At this point, retreating was already too late. He had clearly entered the formation's range. What he hadn't expected, however, was that the other side showed no intention of activating it — though he couldn't tell whether they simply couldn't.