"It really is you!" Yang Kai gave a light cold snort.
Ran Yunting snorted in turn, looking down at Yang Kai from above, as if gazing at an ant, her expression cold and indifferent.
"It seems you really want my life!" A mocking smile appeared on Yang Kai's face. "You went through all this trouble to provoke me into acting, just for this moment, didn't you?"
When he had sensed Ran Yunting was nearby, Yang Kai immediately knew that everything today was no coincidence—it was an elaborate trap.
Whether or not he would come to find Qingya today, he would definitely be drawn here. That was why Bing Die had deliberately shouted so loudly before arriving at Qingya's cave dwelling—to alert Yang Kai in the pavilion.
Once alerted by Bing Die, Yang Kai would certainly take action.
It was just that no one had expected Yang Kai to coincidentally happen to be nearby.
Repeatedly making things difficult for Qingya, pinning serious accusations on her, even striking her with heavy-handed force—all of it was merely to provoke Yang Kai into acting.
In the end, Bing Die had disregarded the safety of those fellow disciples from the Law Enforcement Hall and ordered them forward to kill Yang Kai—all for this same purpose.
Everything was proceeding exactly as planned.
And the mastermind behind it all was undoubtedly Ran Yunting!
As the Grand Elder of Ice Heart Valley, she held great authority. The Law Enforcement Hall was under her command, and only she could mobilize its disciples.
Qingya was nothing more than an innocent pawn. Ran Yunting's ultimate target was Yang Kai alone!
"Grand Elder..." Qingya looked up at Ran Yunting, who towered above, her gaze filled with complicated emotions.
"You ungrateful wretch, you have no right to address me!" Ran Yunting cast a cold glance at Qingya and casually flicked her hand. A bone-piercing gust of frigid wind shot straight toward Qingya.
Qingya stood frozen in place, far too slow to react.
Yang Kai once again placed himself in front of Qingya and threw a punch forward.
Demonic flames erupted. The pitch-black fire met the icy wind, contradicting and merging with each other. Cold and hot collided violently in that instant, making the very space seem to collapse.
Ran Yunting raised her dark eyebrows and finally regarded Yang Kai with a serious look, secretly shocked by his strength.
Although her previous strike hadn't used her full power and appeared to be casually thrown, it still carried thirty to forty percent of her strength. Yet Yang Kai had neutralized the attack with nothing more than a casual punch.
And he clearly still had power to spare!
"I didn't quite believe that someone of your caliber could kill Jiang Xi and Yan Chilei, but now it seems it's actually true. You're quite impressive!" Ran Yunting nodded lightly, not showing much reaction to Yang Kai's display—just a few casual words of acknowledgment.
"But this ends here. On my Ice Extinction Island, you've harmed my Ice Heart Valley disciples and shown no regard for Ice Heart Valley. Today, you will die without question!" Ran Yunting's gaze turned abruptly icy, devoid of any emotion as she looked at Yang Kai. "To die at this Elder's hands is your honor!"
On the icy peak, countless female disciples of Ice Heart Valley trembled, staring at Ran Yunting in shock.
The Grand Elder was going to act personally?
Who exactly was this young man? Why had the sect previously searched for him so painstakingly, only for the Grand Elder to now want him dead? What unknown grudge lay behind this? Everyone was utterly confused, not knowing what was truly involved.
Still... it seemed the Grand Elder hadn't acted in a very long time.
It was said that the last time she had fought someone was ten years ago. Unfortunately, no one had witnessed it firsthand—all they knew was that the person who fought her had become an ice sculpture.
And now, the Grand Elder was going to kill this young man right here on Ice Extinction Island.
In that moment, countless Ice Heart Valley disciples craned their necks in anticipation, wanting to see the Grand Elder unleash her might, wanting to see just what heaven-defying abilities she possessed.
Quite a few also cast sympathetic glances toward Yang Kai, secretly thinking that this fellow had provoked the Grand Elder and would likely meet his end on Ice Extinction Island today.
Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, Yang Kai's face—previously cold and furious—suddenly went calm. This eerie transformation made everyone's heart skip, a vague sense of foreboding spreading among them.
Then, Yang Kai gave a slight bow toward Ran Yunting.
He actually bowed!
Eyeballs were practically falling out of sockets everywhere.
None of the Ice Heart Valley disciples could figure out what Yang Kai was doing. Facing the Grand Elder's murderous intent, he had actually bowed to her.
Was he afraid? Did this man know he was no match for the Grand Elder, and was trying to compromise, clinging to a wretched existence?
Bing Die let out a derisive snort from the side, her gaze full of mockery and ridicule as she looked at Yang Kai. She despised from the bottom of her heart this sort of coward who bullied the weak and feared the strong—a man completely lacking the spirit a man should have.