Kang Feirao could see it now—even without that bizarre stone giant's help, he was no match for Yang Kai whatsoever. The young man hadn't even used his full strength!
How could a Return to Void Realm cultivator possibly be this powerful? Kang Feirao had always believed that he had reached the absolute pinnacle of the Return to Void Realm, but today he realized he had been dead wrong.
"Tell me about that Sun True Essence," Yang Kai's voice drifted over. "Why do you say you owe your current achievements to me? I don't recall ever doing anything for your kind."
Kang Feirao glanced at him but didn't answer immediately. It wasn't until a wave of destructive aura surged from the Corpse Pearl that his expression changed, and he hastily spoke: "You did it without even knowing! Perhaps you were never aware of it."
"Oh?" Yang Kai raised an eyebrow.
"You think the Sun True Essence was just casually placed there? You're wrong. The only reason the Sun True Essence exists in that location is to use the Sun True Fire within it to suppress a Yellow Springs Eye."
"A Yellow Springs Eye?" Yang Kai's expression shifted slightly.
Kang Feirao grinned savagely: "That's right—a passage connected to the underworld. Dense yin-corpse death energy pours out from it. That kind of yin-corpse death energy is useless to any living being, nothing but harm. But for us of the corpse spirit race, it is the greatest nourishment! With that yin-corpse death energy, our strength was able to grow to the peak of the Return to Void Realm… Hmm, perhaps not quite the peak!"
Kang Feirao had believed without question that he stood at the absolute summit of the Return to Void Realm, but after exchanging blows with Yang Kai, he realized he was still far from it.
"So the Valley of Fallen Heroes has something like that underneath it?" Yang Kai frowned slightly.
Kang Feirao laughed aloud: "Then how do you think the Corpse Cavern was formed? The ancestors of our Ancient Sun Sect discovered that Yellow Springs Eye long ago, which is why they used the Sun True Essence to suppress it. And the reason we were able to become the noble corpse spirit race is also thanks to the corpse energy within the Corpse Cavern! Before, we could do nothing about the Yellow Springs Eye, but once you took the Sun True Essence away, everything changed. So tell me—shouldn't this Protector be grateful to you?"
Yang Kai's expression turned ugly, his face darkening as he said: "So you're saying the Dark Star ended up like this because of me?"
"Ha ha ha!" Kang Feirao threw his head back and laughed. "That's right! Naturally, you played a part in this. Tell me… if the people on the Dark Star learned this little secret, wouldn't they hate you to the bone?"
"I've never been one to tolerate threats. If you're trying to use this as leverage to make me let you go, I'm afraid you've miscalculated." Yang Kai sneered.
Kang Feirao's expression flickered several times, and ultimately he didn't say anything further to provoke Yang Kai.
After all, his Corpse Pearl was firmly in Yang Kai's grasp—his life and death were entirely at the young man's mercy. He wasn't stupid enough to push his luck.
"Who is your Cult Master? Is he one of the corpse generals I saw that day?" Yang Kai asked again.
Kang Feirao shook his head: "No!"
"Then who is it?"
"I don't know."
"Utter nonsense!" Yang Kai snorted coldly. He increased the force in his hand, and Kang Feirao's Corpse Pearl immediately emitted cracking sounds, as though it might shatter at any moment.
Kang Feirao's body trembled. Gritting his teeth, he growled: "I truly don't know! The Cult Master—he isn't even one of the corpse spirit race. He simply appeared in the Corpse Cavern one day, taught us certain corpse cultivation techniques, and showed us how to convert our people. Without him, we never could have left the Corpse Cavern. We'd still be in there, fumbling in the dark, because this path we walk—no one has ever walked it before."
As Kang Feirao spoke, Yang Kai had been carefully studying his expression, searching for any hint of deception. He found none. There were only two possible explanations: either Kang Feirao was genuinely telling the truth and truly didn't know the Cult Master's identity and origins, or his acting had reached such a masterful level that no flaw could be detected.
Yang Kai felt the former was far more likely.
"Then how strong is he?" Yang Kai pressed.
Kang Feirao hesitated several times. Then, steeling himself, he said: "If I tell you I don't know his cultivation level either, would you believe me?"
"What do you think?" Yang Kai fixed him with a cold, piercing gaze.
Kang Feirao sighed: "But I truly don't know how strong he is! He has never once shown his hand in combat."
"Then how did he become the Cult Master of the Corpse Spirit Cult? Don't tell me you all submitted to his authority just because he taught you some cultivation techniques and conversion methods."
"As if!" Kang Feirao curled his lip, a flash of irritation crossing his face. "The reason several of us Senior Brothers pledged allegiance to him is because he has—"
Kang Feirao hadn't finished speaking when his expression changed drastically, as though some unspeakable horror had descended upon him. His eyes bulged wide, filled with abject terror, his face twisted in agony.
A bizarre, sinister aura of power began emanating from within his body.
Yang Kai's expression shifted. He immediately released his grip and burst backward.
The next instant, Kang Feirao let out a piercing, blood-curdling scream. Immediately after, his Corpse Pearl erupted with a wave of destructive energy that transformed into a mass of emerald-green flame, engulfing Kang Feirao from the inside out.
Green fire shot from his mouth, nose, eyes, and ears—a sight so ghastly it defied description.
In less than ten breaths, this powerful, peak-level corpse general of the corpse spirit race—who had once fought Ye Xiyun—was utterly consumed by the emerald flames. All that remained in his place was a small pile of black residue.