Hu Jiao'er sneered repeatedly: "You already admitted I'm a woman, so what if winning isn't gentlemanly? As for you, if you think men are inherently superior, challenging me to a duel already shows something is wrong with you."
Fang Ziqi was rendered speechless by her retort, sighing again and again: "As expected, only petty people and women are difficult to raise!"
The fate of the turtle-type demon beast had been half-decided the moment the disciples from the three sects charged out together. Su Yan's subsequent attack completely snuffed out its last spark of life.
Right now，facing the onslaught from the disciples of the three sects，it had no power to fight back. Death was merely a matter of time.
And the root of all this lay in Yang Kai's imposing punch. That very punch had ignited the fighting spirit of the three sects' disciples，giving them the courage to battle such a colossal creature.
Hu Meier was helping him bandage his injuries. The blood vessels in his right arm had burst，and it trembled ceaselessly.
Yang Kai never imagined that the Star Trace，when executed，would possess such overwhelming power—power so immense he couldn't control it at all. After throwing that punch，his entire body had gone numb，rendering him completely immobile.
Otherwise，why would he be standing there like a javelin planted in the ground? Only now had the numbness begun to subside somewhat，and the excruciating pain throughout his body finally made itself known.
Gazing at the battle involving the several hundred disciples，Yang Kai failed to notice the sinister expression on Xie Hongchen's face.
Ever since that punch from Yang Kai had erupted，Xie Hongchen had remained frozen in the air above，as if he had lost his senses. It was only recently that he finally regained his clarity.
He knew Yang Kai must have obtained some incredible opportunity within this Inheritance Grotto-heaven. Otherwise，with his strength，he could never have unleashed such a punch.
That was a punch capable of severely injuring a peak sixth-grade demon beast!
He couldn't let him grow any stronger. If he did，not only would he fail to obtain Su Yan，but his own life might be in danger!
With this thought，a glint of ruthlessness flashed in Xie Hongchen's eyes. He signaled someone below.
That person was Nie Yong!
Like Lan Chudie，he had been injured in the recent battle and was now recovering not far behind Yang Kai.
Nie Yong's feelings were currently a jumble. He couldn't describe the taste in his heart. He had spent several days with Yang Kai，constantly speaking ill of him，making things difficult for him，and later even leading people to hunt him down.
But they hadn't found Yang Kai's hiding place then. The matter had been dropped，but Yang Kai's existence still felt like a fishbone stuck in his throat，a thorn in his back.
He remembered the words Yang Kai had said when he fled over ten days ago.
In just over ten days，Yang Kai had somehow become this powerful! Nie Yong was almost stunned stupid. If that punch had landed on him，he would likely be reduced to smithereens.
What to do? What to do? Right now，everyone's attention was fixed on the demon beast，temporarily leaving no room to think about anything else. Once the beast died，how would he face Yang Kai's fury?
In his anxiety，Nie Yong saw Xie Hongchen in the sky signaling to him.
He understood Senior Brother Xie's meaning and couldn't help but shudder.
But in the next instant，Nie Yong's gaze turned cold and sinister. Yes，if he wanted to live，he had no choice but to kill Yang Kai! Otherwise，Yang Kai would definitely seek revenge! Moreover，Senior Brother Xie wanted him to do this. Even if he killed Yang Kai，with Senior Brother Xie's full protection，he would surely be safe.
The threat posed by Yang Kai's punch left Nie Yong unable to think calmly. He could only place his hopes on Xie Hongchen.
Nie Yong slowly rose to his feet and began walking towards Yang Kai step by step.
Facing such a crisis，Yang Kai seemed utterly unaware，remaining motionless where he stood.
Nie Yong quickened his pace. Right now，the only person near Yang Kai was Hu Meier from the Blood Battle Gang. If he struck fast enough，he could definitely kill him.
As for what happened after the killing，that was no longer within Nie Yong's consideration.
Almost everyone's mind and eyes were drawn to the turtle-type demon beast. No one noticed Nie Yong's movements—except for one person.
That was Lan Chudie.
Ever since Yang Kai had burst onto the scene to save Su Yan，and then severely wounded the turtle-type demon beast with a single punch，a sense of sourness and regret had been churning in Lan Chudie's heart.
She hadn't expected that this junior brother，who just over ten days ago had followed behind her and obeyed her every command，could now display such heroic prowess. If she had known... if she had known...
The feeling was like having originally possessed a beautiful piece of jade but treating it as a stone and discarding it. This disparity between gain and loss filled Lan Chudie with immense regret.
While others watched the three sects' disciples battle the demon beast，she had kept her eyes fixed on Yang Kai's retreating figure—a sight that dazzled and captivated. Comparing people like Xie Hongchen to him was like comparing clouds to mud.
This disaster could be said to have been brought about by Xie Hongchen，but in the end，it was this person who resolved it. Comparing them like this，their levels were instantly clear.
Nie Yong's movements quickly caught Lan Chudie's attention. At first，she didn't think much of it，assuming Nie Yong had recovered enough to join the fight. But after watching for a moment，she realized that wasn't the case. Nie Yong's target was actually Yang Kai standing there. And as he walked，faint fluctuations of Yuan Qi emanated from Nie Yong's body.
Lan Chudie was an intelligent woman. She immediately understood what Nie Yong intended to do. Just as she was about to warn Yang Kai，before she could even shout out，she suddenly saw Yang Kai—still standing there—abruptly turn his head and look towards Nie Yong with a mocking gaze.
He was smiling，a wicked smile that revealed several of his white teeth.