In the days that followed, the Earth Demon was "in closed-door cultivation," while Yang Kai refined the medicinal essence of that half-basket of rare treasures.
None of them were toxic anyway, and his Proud Bone Golden Body was like a vast ocean accepting all rivers—he absorbed every kind of energy without worrying about any conflicts arising from different sources merging within him.
After a full dozen or so days, rare treasures worth over a million silver taels had been completely consumed by Yang Kai.
With effort came reward. His own strength advanced smoothly from Qi Movement Stage Three to Qi Movement Stage Four.
He had only been on Cloud Mist Island for about two months, yet he had already leveled up several times in succession. This trip had truly not been in vain.
The rare treasures on the Right Peninsula had been almost entirely depleted, and the source of the demonic energy here had been devoured by the Earth Demon. Yang Kai figured that after a few more days, the Right Peninsula would no longer be the forbidden zone it had once been for the Cloud Mist martial artists.
It was time to leave!
Yang Kai descended from the hilltop and made his way toward the coast.
The only way off Cloud Mist Island was by boat, and that was precisely the problem that gave Yang Kai a headache. Building a boat himself was clearly out of the question. The only solution he could think of was to seize a vessel from the Cloud Mist Sect.
But how to pull off the seizure, and how to escape afterward—that was the real challenge.
While turning the details over in his mind, Yang Kai suddenly heard some rustling sounds coming from not far away. Tilting his ear to listen, he could also make out heavy, labored breathing from a man, mixed with the cries of a woman struggling and begging for mercy.
Yang Kai's expression darkened, and he hurried toward the source.
When he arrived, it was exactly as he had suspected—the Cloud Mist Sect had once again sent captured common folk to the Right Peninsula to harvest Dark Mystic Fruit.
But not far in front of him, a burly man was straddling a woman, his hands tearing at her clothes, panting like a bull while letting out lewd, grunting laughter.
The woman was pinned beneath him, struggling ceaselessly but unable to break free. She begged and pleaded through her sobs without end.
Yang Kai could feel a trace of demonic energy emanating from the big man!
His figure blurred as he dashed forward and drove a kick into the man's side, sending him flying. The woman, freed from the man's grasp, scrambled to her feet in a panic, clutching her tattered clothes, and shrank behind Yang Kai, trembling.
The burly man was still midair when he let out a miserable cry. After hitting the ground, he quickly scrambled to his feet, his eyes filled with ferocity as he glared at Yang Kai.
His eyes were bloodshot, and his face was twisted with malice. The demonic energy invading his body was clearly on the verge of consuming his mind. He stared viciously at Yang Kai, hot breath pouring from his nostrils.
"Sigh!" Yang Kai sighed. This man should have been an ordinary poor soul, but after repeatedly venturing into the Right Peninsula of Cloud Mist, he had now lost his original nature. That was precisely why Yang Kai hadn't delivered a killing blow just now—only kicked him away.
"Get lost, you little brat!" The man's brow was furrowed with what seemed like traces of pain, but Yang Kai had ruined his fun, and there was no way he would let it go.
Yang Kai regarded him with an indifferent expression. After a long pause, the man let out a furious roar and charged at Yang Kai like a maddened bull, his face a mask of savagery.
"Better to put you out of your misery sooner." Yang Kai stood his ground, and just as the man reached him, he extended a single finger and pressed it against the man's chest.
True Yang Energy surged in, instantly stopping his heart. Without feeling a shred of pain, the man collapsed to the ground, his life extinguished.
From behind came the soft, whimpering sobs of the woman. Yang Kai felt a knot tighten in his chest. He turned around, about to offer a word of comfort, but when his eyes swept across the woman's face, he froze on the spot, his eyeballs trembling, his expression one of utter disbelief.
The woman appeared to be around thirty years old. She should have been dignified and beautiful—this much could be inferred from her fair, smooth skin—but at this moment, her face was crisscrossed with horrifying, gruesome scars. Each scar was about a finger's length long, and each one stretched from the left side of her face to the right. The pale red flesh was curled outward; though the wounds had healed, the scars remained permanently etched upon that once-beautiful visage, utterly destroying it.
The woman was well aware that her appearance was now terrifying. With one hand she clutched her torn collar, and with the other she covered her face, her whole body trembling as she thanked him through her tears.
Even as she expressed her gratitude, she timidly backed away, as if afraid of frightening Yang Kai.
A cold chill washed over Yang Kai, his expression hardening. He reached out and seized the woman's wrist.
"No… don't…" The woman struggled. She thought she had just escaped the tiger's jaws only to fall into the wolf's den. Her head hung low, her disheveled black hair hiding her face, tears dripping down one by one as she pleaded.
Yang Kai was unmoved. He reached out with his other hand, slowly extending it toward the woman's chin, and lifted her head.