That alone would have been one thing. What was truly terrifying was Yang Kai's momentum. As the battle raged on, his aura grew stronger and stronger, and the force behind each punch he threw surpassed the last. Xue Lian, caught in the very vortex of combat, felt this with crystal clarity.
After fighting him for no longer than the time it took to finish a cup of tea, the opponent's strength had gone from evenly matched to actually gaining the upper hand.
What was going on? Had Yang Kai not even been going all out this entire time?
Xue Lian's expression grew increasingly solemn, yet his face burned with a wild, feverish excitement.
He was a favored son of heaven, a dazzling new star upon Dichen Star. He would never cower before a powerful foe. The madness in his blood yearned for battle—only by slaying the strong could he demonstrate his own might!
He was finally interested in Yang Kai!
"Yu Xiong, what's going on?" A hundred zhang from the battlefield, atop the palace rooftop, Shan Qingluo had suddenly appeared. Her delicate brows were tightly furrowed as she gazed down at the fierce stalemate below and demanded urgently.
With such an enormous commotion, how could she not have noticed? The moment she realized the fluctuations from the fight were emanating from Xia Ningshang's pavilion, she had rushed over immediately—and arrived just in time to witness Yang Kai and Xue Lian drenched in blood, locked in savage combat.
"How did Yang Kai end up fighting this Xue Lian fellow? Didn't he only arrive a few days ago?" Shan Qingluo was riddled with suspicion. If Yang Kai had clashed with Mi Tian, she could have understood that. After all, there was already bad blood between them—Yang Kai had killed two of Mi Tian's rank-nine demon beasts, and given Mi Tian's temperament, how could he let that slide?
But Yang Kai and Xue Lian had clearly never met before. The two had no deep grudge or ancient enmity. So how were they fighting each other to the death down there?
"I don't know!" Yu Xiong shrank back, hurriedly waving his hands to signal that this had nothing to do with him—but those shifty eyes let Shan Qingluo catch a hint of what was really going on.
"You really don't know?" Shan Qingluo narrowed her eyes at Yu Xiong, cold light flickering in her beautiful gaze.
"Ahem... I really don't know..."
"I'll ask you one last time. What exactly is going on?!" Shan Qingluo hissed through clenched teeth.
Yu Xiong's face immediately turned bitter as a gourd. He gazed at Shan Qingluo pitifully, wearing an expression of pure grievance, smacking his lips without a word.
"Sure enough, this is your doing!" Shan Qingluo was fit to be tied. Her chest rose and fell with fury. Xue Lian was no ordinary member of the Demon Race—if Yang Kai fought him, whether he won or lost, it would lead to nothing good.
Once she realized Yu Xiong had orchestrated the whole thing, Shan Qingluo wished she could tear this stepbrother of hers into eight pieces to vent her rage.
"I didn't really do anything..." Yu Xiong scratched his head awkwardly. "Xue Lian just arrived at the palace these past few days, so I just happened to brag to him and Mi Tian about how exceptional Master Xia's alchemy skills were. And it just so happened that Xue Lian needed some pills refined, so..."
Shan Qingluo said nothing. She glared at Yu Xiong through clenched teeth.
"Don't blame big brother!" Yu Xiong said quickly. "Big brother originally wanted to egg Mi Tian into making a move, but that fellow was too cunning—he actually pushed Xue Lian to the front instead. Oh, right. Come to think of it, this is actually your fault."
"Mine?!" Shan Qingluo shrieked, her fury mounting even further.
Yu Xiong fidgeted uneasily. "It's because you wouldn't let big brother handle it himself. But probing that kid's true depth was an order from our foster mother. Big brother thought about it for three days and three nights before having a flash of brilliance and coming up with this great idea! If you'd let big brother act earlier, I would have definitely been more careful and not hurt the kid. He's my future brother-in-law, after all! Hahahaha!"
"So you're saying it really is my fault?" Shan Qingluo smiled sweetly, gently biting her pearly teeth.
"No, no, it's big brother's fault," Yu Xiong admitted without hesitation. He knew that if he kept arguing, things would only get worse for him. Better to own up to it—maybe then his little sister would forgive him.
"If anything happens to my man, you're dead!" Shan Qingluo snarled under her breath.
"When you care too much, you lose your composure, Lady Qingluo!" Just then, a voice suddenly came from the side.
Both Shan Qingluo and Yu Xiong startled. They hurriedly turned toward the source of the voice and were stunned to find that Ba He had somehow appeared, standing not far from them.
As expected of the foremost expert below the Void King Realm on Dichen Star! It seemed that two hundred years of living in seclusion had not only failed to make his cultivation regress, but had actually pushed it further!
Yu Xiong and Shan Qingluo straightened respectfully and hurriedly bowed.
"Senior, what you just said... do you favor Yang Kai's chances?" Shan Qingluo looked up at Ba He with bright, hopeful eyes, her spirits lifting.
Although she was now also at the Void Return Stage Three level and on par with Ba He in cultivation, when it came to discernment and insight, she knew she couldn't compare. So Ba He's words immediately put her much more at ease.
Ba He chuckled. "I didn't say that exactly. But... he's definitely not easy to handle. I'm afraid Xue Lian won't be able to take him down—in his current state, at least!"
After a pause, Ba He sighed with admiration. "Extraordinary, truly extraordinary. Young people these days are really something else. This little fellow is only at Void Return Stage Two, yet he can actually push Xue Lian to this extent. If he were to truly advance to Stage Three, Xue Lian would be no match at all!"
Shan Qingluo's expression brightened, and a surge of pride welled up within her.
This was the man she had chosen. Truly one of a kind.
Back in Zhongdu, he had stirred up great storms even with his pathetically weak cultivation. In those days, he had constantly created miracles. Decades had passed, and now he seemed even more remarkable than before!
Xue Lian was no ordinary powerhouse of the Demon Race. He came from a distinguished lineage, and even among experts at the Void Return Stage Three level, he stood at the very pinnacle.