Yang Kai had once enlisted Qian Tong to look into information about Blood Essence Stones, but unfortunately, even with the might of Shadow Moon Hall, no trace of the rare mineral had been found. He never expected that venturing deep into the Imperial Garden would yield a piece right here.
How could he not be thrilled?
In an instant, Yang Kai had already claimed the Blood Essence Stone as his own!
But first, he needed to find a way to resolve the predicament facing the three from the Qiantian Sect. With that thought, Yang Kai turned his gaze back to the battlefield.
The Qiantian Sect had three people; their opponents had four — a disadvantage in numbers alone. The only reason they had held out this long was entirely due to the formidable cultivation of Gu Zhen and Mo Yu.
As the Sect Master, Gu Zhen's strength was naturally nothing to scoff at. He was currently single-handedly fending off two enemies — one at the third level, one at the second level of the Void Returning Realm — while Mo Yu was locked in combat with another third-level opponent.
As for Shen Shitao, she was scrambling about near Mo Yu, pursued by the last remaining second-level opponent with no way to fight back. All she could do was use her Nine Palace Heavenly Net Umbrella to ward off the incoming attacks, her delicate face etched with anxiety.
After observing for a moment, Yang Kai immediately decided to make his breakthrough point at Mo Yu. As long as he could free Mo Yu, the battle here would be decided in short order.
With that decision made, Yang Kai abandoned all pretense of concealment. He pushed off with both feet and burst straight through the window.
Midair, he had already released the Fire Bird Artifact Spirit. In an instant, the temperature inside the palace skyrocketed.
Both warring factions changed color, turning to look in his direction. They had been locked in a fierce battle — who would have imagined someone would pick this moment to intervene? Every one of them wondered whether the newcomer might be a reinforcement for the other side.
What they saw was a scarlet, oddly shaped fire bird hurtling toward them like a ball of living flame. A shrill cry rang out as its beak opened wide, spewing fireballs the size of washbasins, their searing heat enough to make one's heart race.
"That's..." Mo Yu's eyes narrowed, but quickly filled with a mixture of surprise and relief.
He had participated in the battle at Dragon Cave Mountain. He remembered the Artifact Spirit fire bird all too well, and the moment he laid eyes on it, he immediately deduced that Yang Kai had arrived.
Not an enemy reinforcement — an ally! Mo Yu was overjoyed. With his mind at ease, his strikes grew even more savage, holding nothing back.
The four opponents, however, wore expressions that shifted between dark and light. Sensing the power of the Artifact Spirit fire bird, every one of them looked grim.
As for Yang Kai, who had burst out behind the fire bird — they barely gave him a passing glance.
In the span of a heartbeat, the fireballs launched by the bird had already reached the head of Mo Yu's opponent. The terrifying power concealed in each fireball made his face go pale with shock. In a panic, he jerked backward to break free of Mo Yu's entanglement, then spun in place. A ring of milky-white mist radiated outward from his body, enveloping several zhang around him in its embrace.
It was unclear what technique this was, but at first glance it appeared to possess formidable defensive power.
Boom, boom, boom...
The fireballs arrived as promised, slamming into the milky-white mist. The impacts sent the mist scattering in all directions, briefly revealing the silhouette of the warrior within. Yet upon closer inspection, the man was completely unharmed. And the dispersed mist, as though it were alive, writhed and surged, attempting to mend the gaps.
At that very moment, a streak of swift golden light shot out from behind the Artifact Spirit fire bird, piercing straight toward the man's chest and abdomen.
Yang Kai had struck. He had released the fire bird first to draw the enemy's attention, and hiding behind it had been solely for this single strike. He would not let this opportunity slip by.
He had no idea what wondrous properties the opponent's defensive technique possessed, but he certainly wouldn't let that mist repair itself.
The Golden Blood Thread was razor-sharp, blindingly fast, and possessed exceptional concealment. The man only realized the danger when the golden light was already upon him. He let out a startled cry and swung a long-halberd-shaped Artifact to intercept the Golden Blood Thread.
But it was already too late.
With a soft *pfft*, the Golden Blood Thread pierced clean through the man's lower abdomen, the golden thread emerging from the other side of his body before coiling tightly around him.
The Artifact Spirit fire bird chose that exact moment to spread its wings and swoop down upon him.
And Mo Yu, who had been fighting the man all along, thrust out his massive palm as well — a hand that seemed to extend infinitely, transforming into a colossal slap that bore down from above.
The man had nowhere to dodge. In an instant, he was engulfed by a torrent of raging flame and the towering palm print. A scream tore from within, then abruptly cut off.
Once the palm print dissipated and the fire bird soared back into the air, all that remained in that spot was a charred corpse.
A third-level Void Returning Realm powerhouse — obliterated in the blink of an eye!
Yang Kai's ambush had certainly played its part, but the devastating power of the Artifact Spirit and Mo Yu were the primary reasons. Without their combined might, the Golden Blood Thread's sneak attack alone would never have been enough to kill the man.
After eliminating one enemy, Yang Kai didn't waste a single moment. With a thought, he and the fire bird turned together upon the two fighting Gu Zhen, while Mo Yu charged directly at the second-level Void Returning Realm opponent who had been relentlessly pursuing Shen Shitao.