"You bastard, I'll kill you!" Mu Wu roared, his face contorted with rage. Holy Energy erupted from his body as his Void King Realm domain surged outward, engulfing Yang Kai. At the same time, he transformed into a streak of light and materialized directly above Yang Kai's head.
He knew perfectly well what cultivation levels the people of the Heavenly Screen Palace possessed. His son could never have been killed by them—the only possibility was that this brat had suppressed him, leaving him vulnerable to a fatal blow.
The hatred of killing one's son could never be forgiven under heaven! Even though Mu Wu dreaded Yang Kai's strength, how could he endure this?
He clapped his palms together and thrust them forward. A torrent of surging power coalesced into a visible cross-shaped slash that bore down on Yang Kai like a collapsing mountain or a raging tidal wave, as if it intended to cleave him in two.
"That's all you've got?" Yang Kai curled his lip, a trace of disdain surfacing on his face.
The moment Mu Wu made his move, Yang Kai had already seen through him. Although Mu Wu was also a first-level Void King Realm cultivator, his actual combat strength was inferior to any Void King Yang Kai had encountered.
The difference lay primarily in the refinement of his Holy Energy and the power of his domain field. It wasn't surprising when he thought about it—the Spirit Devouring Sect's warriors relied on refining and devouring Spirit Devouring Crystals to boost their strength, which was a shortcut. But in the Martial Dao, there were no shortcuts. The price of rapidly advancing one's cultivation was an unstable foundation.
Spirit Devouring Sect warriors might use Spirit Devouring Crystals to reach the second or even third level of the Void King Realm. But their true combat strength would be far below that of cultivators at the same level.
Mu Wu was exactly like this. His Holy Energy was somewhat impure, and his domain field was far from perfect.
That cross-shaped energy slash may have looked imposing, but in Yang Kai's eyes, it was riddled with flaws.
He simply dropped into a horse stance, drawing his fist back, and met it head-on.
The force of his punch roared forward and struck the exact center of the cross-shaped energy slash.
Crack, crack, crack… Fine, sharp sounds rang out. Mu Wu's heart shook violently, his eyes nearly bulging from their sockets, his face a mask of utter horror.
He felt as though his domain field had been shattered to pieces by a single punch from his opponent, unable to maintain any coherence, while the cross-shaped energy slash had become incredibly fragile and was blasted apart entirely.
So strong! Mu Wu immediately realized that Yang Kai was someone he simply could not contend with.
Before this thought could even fully form, the remaining force of the punch broke through all his defenses and slammed directly into his chest.
Pfft… Mu Wu was sent flying backward, spewing a mouthful of blood.
"What?"
"The Sect Master actually…?"
"That's impossible—I must be seeing things!"
Those few Spirit Devouring Sect Return Void Realm cultivators cried out in disbelief, their faces drained of color. They rubbed their eyes, desperately hoping it was some kind of hallucination.
A Void King Realm powerhouse had always been synonymous with the pinnacle of strength in the Star Field. But their Sect Master, a Void King, had been sent flying in the very first exchange with this young man—this reality was simply too hard for them to accept.
Mu Wu himself was trembling inside. After that single exchange, the surge of hot blood in his mind rapidly faded. Knowing full well he was no match for Yang Kai, he had already begun considering how to escape.
But then—his vision blurred. A face that filled him with terror and dread materialized right in front of him, close enough to touch his nose.
"Demonic Eye!" Yang Kai uttered two soft words. In the next instant, the pupil of his left eye suddenly contracted, transforming into a narrow vertical slit. From within that eye, a dazzling golden light burst forth, filled with boundless majesty.
Mu Wu was struck blind in an instant. In his consciousness, he could only sense a terrifying eye in the sky, gazing down at him coldly. Under that eye's scrutiny, he didn't dare make the slightest move—even his soul trembled with unrest.
In the brief moment his mind was unmoored, Yang Kai struck again.
He threw a vicious punch that slammed into Mu Wu's dantian. Surging Holy Energy flooded into Mu Wu's body, threading through his meridians and flesh like ten thousand sharp blades, annihilating his meridians in the blink of an eye.
The aura of the Void King Realm about Mu Wu's body withered instantly.
In a mere three breaths, the Sect Master of the Spirit Devouring Sect had been completely crippled by Yang Kai.
Slap… He plummeted from the sky like a dead fish and crashed to the ground, motionless.
Gulp… Deep within the planet's core, the only sound that remained was the swallowing of those few Spirit Devouring Sect Return Void Realm warriors. The battle had unfolded far too quickly—so fast that before they could even react, their Sect Master had already been crippled.
Now that they understood their situation, every one of them wore a ghastly expression. Staring at Yang Kai standing over Mu Wu, they looked upon him as though he were a demon from the abyss, their faces filled with shock and terror.
This young man had been able to cripple their Sect Master in three breaths—killing them would likely require nothing more than a flick of his finger.
The World-Cleansing Demonic Eye in Yang Kai's left eye had not yet faded. He bent down and hoisted Mu Wu up, staring straight into his eyes. His spiritual sense surged as he spoke in a deep voice: "How is the Spirit Devouring Formation set up? Tell me, and I'll spare your life!"