That voice was seething with fury, and it even carried a strange wave of impact that surged directly toward Yang Kai's sea of consciousness.
Yang Kai snorted coldly, his Divine Sense erupting outward to neutralize the attack.
Upon hearing that voice, the warrior surnamed Hai, who was still bound by the golden threads, was overjoyed and shouted, "Uncle-Master, save me!"
Hearing this shout, Yang Kai immediately understood that the newcomer must be the Sea Heart Gate's Void Return Realm expert. After all, Tianyun City was only a few dozen li from Dragon Cave Mountain, so it wouldn't take long for someone to rush over after receiving the message.
However, Yang Kai felt no fear whatsoever. He had intended to wait for this Void Return Realm expert here all along, so the other party's timely arrival was exactly what he had been hoping for.
Gazing toward the direction the newcomer was approaching from, a strange smile appeared on Yang Kai's face as his Divine Sense erupted from within his sea of consciousness, forming an invisible blade that hurtled toward that direction with explosive force.
The other party had tried to use a Divine Sense sneak attack against him, so naturally Yang Kai had to return the courtesy in kind.
The streak of rainbow light hurtling through the sky suddenly faltered. A startled grunt echoed from within, and then the rainbow light wavered unsteadily, looking as though it was about to fall.
Although the newcomer was a first-level Void Return Realm powerhouse, he had still suffered a small loss under Yang Kai's Divine Sense attack. His expression grew wary and uncertain, and after he steadied himself, all his previous arrogance had vanished completely. He cautiously approached Dragon Cave Mountain from then on.
He had just received a message from his disciple saying there was an excellent place to rest and stay, and that the host was cooperative and willing to receive them courteously. He had assumed it was some minor family and had rushed over eagerly, never expecting to encounter a situation like this.
In the blink of an eye, this Sea Heart Gate's Void Return Realm expert arrived before Dragon Cave Mountain and revealed himself.
Yang Kai took one look at him and found the man quite fierce-looking. He wasn't particularly tall, but was broad-shouldered and thick-waisted. His red hair was a tangled mess like a hen's nest, with a flat nose, sunken eyes, and a face full of coarse flesh. He looked utterly vicious and imposing.
Scanning the situation before him, the newcomer's eyes narrowed as fury boiled within him.
Even a dragon could not suppress a local snake, but the Sea Heart Gate was still a considerable power. It was simply that they were far from this area. Seeing his disciple in such a predicament, he immediately said in a deep voice, "Boy, was it you who hit him?"
As he spoke, he stared straight at Yang Kai, a cold light gleaming in his eyes as invisible pressure bore down upon him.
Although he had suffered a small setback moments ago, once he probed and confirmed Yang Kai's true cultivation level, he felt no fear. He subconsciously concluded that Yang Kai must have relied on an Artifact's power to achieve that earlier feat. With Void Return Realm cultivation against a mere Saint King Realm, it was only natural to dominate through sheer pressure.
"So what if it was?" Yang Kai flashed a broad grin, completely unaffected by the other's pressure, still looking as calm as a light breeze.
"Why did you hit him?" the red-haired warrior demanded sharply.
"Why?" Yang Kai smiled faintly and glanced at the battered and bruised warrior surnamed Hai. "You might want to ask your own disciple what happened."
The red-haired warrior frowned and shot a vicious glare at his disciple. "Tell me exactly what happened. If you were in the wrong first, don't blame me for standing aside. But if someone is bullying others with their power, then hmph—although the Sea Heart Gate has long resided on the Worry-Free Sea, we are not soft persimmons that just anyone can squeeze."
These words carried a clear implication. The warrior surnamed Hai's eyes lit up upon hearing them, and he immediately adopted an expression of extreme sorrow, crying with snot and tears, "Uncle-Master, you must see the truth! We came here on your orders to find a place to stay. After much effort, we discovered this fine location and intended to negotiate with the host, offering some Spirit Stones in exchange for him to vacate a few rooms for us. Who could have known this person would be utterly unreasonable, attacking without even asking why? I am ashamed to say my skills were lacking and I was captured. Not only did this person refuse to let it go, he also humiliated me and forced me to speak words against my will. I am so ashamed I could die—please, Uncle-Master, deliver justice!"
Yang Kai stared at the warrior surnamed Hai in astonishment, discovering that the man showed absolutely no trace of shame. He spoke with complete conviction, looking as though he were in unbearable agony, as if he had truly suffered some great injustice.
Yang Kai was angry inside, but his expression remained unchanged as he let out a cold, sinister laugh.
Hearing this, the red-haired old man's eyes grew even colder as he demanded in a low voice, "Did you tell him you are disciples of the Sea Heart Gate?"
"I did, Uncle-Master, but it was useless. He doesn't regard our Sea Heart Gate with any respect at all," the warrior surnamed Hai answered with a long face, continuing to embellish the story, thinking that now that his expert had arrived, he had nothing left to worry about.
"Very well! Very well! Very well!" The red-haired old man took a deep breath, then abruptly turned to face Yang Kai, his voice booming like thunder as he roared, "Boy, do you have anything to say for yourself?"
"Nothing to say." Yang Kai slowly shook his head with a peculiar expression. "Your Sea Heart Gate's techniques and martial skills don't look like much, but your ability to twist black into white is absolutely first-rate. I'm truly impressed!"
"Boy, you dare insult my Sea Heart Gate!" The red-haired old man was furious and was about to strike immediately. Although he understood that any force residing near Tianyun City would certainly have some connection to the Shadow Moon Palace, the Shadow Moon Palace was currently being pressured by various factions and couldn't even look after itself. If he merely taught this boy a lesson, there would surely be no major issues. The Shadow Moon Palace wouldn't bother going against the Sea Heart Gate over these people.
Then he could use this to force them to hand over Dragon Cave Mountain. That wouldn't count as bullying. Surely the Shadow Moon Palace would have nothing to say about that.