As long as Yang Kai stayed out of it, with Yu Xueqing's strength, there was no way she could stop him—he could simply leave at his leisure.
So whether he lived or died hinged entirely on a single thought from Yang Kai.
Yu Xueqing's delicate brows furrowed, and she hastily called out, "Don't be afraid, little brother! That brat's Fire Radiance Sect may have some strength, but our Ice Heart Valley isn't made of clay either. We will naturally protect you. Please help me kill this villain!"
She was terrified that Yang Kai would be intimidated by the other party's threats and back down at the last moment.
After all, Yan Chilei was nothing like Jiang Xi. Jiang Xi might have been powerful, but he was ultimately a lone wolf—killing him wouldn't bring anyone seeking revenge. Yan Chilei, on the other hand, was an elder of the Fire Radiance Sect, backed by an enormous force.
"Of course I'm going to kill him!" Yang Kai bared his teeth in a vicious grin, gazing at Yan Chilei with mockery. "At a time like this, you're still trying to threaten and intimidate me? Are everyone in your Fire Radiance Sect this stupid?"
Yan Chilei's face went pale.
"Oh right, I forgot to mention—this isn't my first time killing someone from the Fire Radiance Sect. I killed a fellow named Kong Wendong in the Imperial Garden before, and not long ago in the Blood Prison, I killed another called Zhang Qing. They were both from your Fire Radiance Sect, weren't they?"
Yan Chilei was truly panicked now.
He hadn't expected Yang Kai's grudge against the Fire Radiance Sect to run this deep. Both Kong Wendong and Zhang Qing were prominent figures within the sect—elder-level experts who outranked him. Kong Wendong had gone to the Imperial Garden and never returned, and Zhang Qing had vanished without a trace after entering the Blood Prison.
If what Yang Kai said was true, did that mean they had all died at this young man's hands?
"I don't have any fondness for your Fire Radiance Sect, so... die!" Yang Kai's expression turned cold abruptly. A thread of purest soul force condensed into a straight line and blasted straight toward Yan Chilei.
Silent yet vast as the ocean, the power surged forth like an unstoppable blade, shredding Yan Chilei's defenses and piercing directly into his sea of consciousness.
Yan Chilei screamed, his face as white as paper—his soul had been injured.
Yu Xueqing's beautiful eyes lit up. Seizing the moment, she activated her own force field and artistic conception, using her body as the epicenter. Within a thirty-zhang radius, the temperature plummeted to a bone-chilling extreme, as though even the air itself had frozen solid.
A thin layer of frost appeared on Yan Chilei's skin, and the chill seeped into his body, disrupting the circulation of his Saint Source and sapping his physical agility.
The fire bird swooped down at the opening, spreading its enormous maw and swallowing Yan Chilei whole.
A visible bulge churned within the fire bird artifact spirit's belly, but the scorching power overwhelmed and incinerated everything within.
As time passed, the movement grew smaller and smaller until it vanished entirely.
A burst of lightning flickered inside the fire bird's body. The fire bird transformed into a streak of flame and returned to Yang Kai's body, leaving behind only a pile of remains on the ground.
This fellow had clearly cultivated the secret art of Heavenly Thunder Fire as well—just like Zhang Qing and Kong Wendong, his Heavenly Thunder Fire was devoured by the fire bird after death, further strengthening its power.
A crisis had been resolved in the most peculiar manner.
Yu Xueqing stood where she was, catching her breath while gazing at Yang Kai with a complicated expression.
The other women of Ice Heart Valley wore stunned faces as well.
Only Qingya beamed with a bright smile.
After a long while, Yu Xueqing finally managed to accept reality and gave Yang Kai a nod. "Thank you."
If Yang Kai hadn't suddenly displayed such extraordinary power this time, the Ice Heart Valley squad would have been lucky to see two or three survivors. Yet now, not only were they completely unscathed, but the entire Fire Radiance Sect group had been annihilated.
Yu Xueqing was truly grateful to Yang Kai from the bottom of her heart.
"No need—I was just protecting myself. Can we get moving now?" Yang Kai gave a slight smile.
Yu Xueqing nodded and sent a disciple to gather the spoils, then led everyone onward in the direction of Ice Severing Island.
Only this time, no one regarded Yang Kai with hostility anymore.
All of them had shed their inexplicable animosity, and they no longer surrounded him in a protective formation the way they had before. The battle against the Fire Radiance Sect had shown everyone that among their group, Yang Kai was by far the strongest.
There was absolutely no need for them to protect him!
Along the way, they kept stealing glances at Yang Kai, filled with curiosity. They simply couldn't figure out how this young man had cultivated—his cultivation was clearly only at the Return to Void Stage Two, yet he had displayed such absurd combat power.
"Thirteenth Elder, why were we looking for him in the first place?" Qingya read the room, sensing this was the best time to ask, and spoke up.
The other Ice Heart Valley disciples all wore bewildered expressions, looking at Yu Xueqing with puzzlement.
They had been out in the field fighting and searching for over a year. Every single one of them had been hunting for Yang Kai, and many of their senior sisters had died right before their eyes. Naturally, they were deeply curious about what this was all for.
Yu Xueqing frowned, looking troubled, and said, "I'm not entirely clear on the specific reasons either. The Fire Radiance Sect was searching for him, so our Ice Heart Valley couldn't let them succeed. Perhaps... he knows something himself."
As she spoke, Yu Xueqing glanced at Yang Kai with a pensive look.
Yang Kai's expression was placid, as though his mind had wandered far away—he showed no intention of answering.
"You don't need to worry about this. If the Sect Master and the Elder Council have decided to act this way, there must be a reason."
"Yes!" the group acknowledged in unison.