Wu Shengfeng's eyes nearly bulged out of his skull. "You know the Sect Master of our Sect?!"
The Yu Heling that Yang Yan had mentioned was none other than the Sect Master of the Falling Star Sect. Wu Shengfeng was genuinely panicked now. This inexplicable woman spoke with more authority than the heavens themselves, and her cultivation was unfathomably deep. She was… probably not someone he could afford to provoke.
The sense of superiority he'd felt moments ago evaporated in an instant. Wu Shengfeng's face shifted through a dozen expressions, and cold sweat gradually beaded across his forehead.
"I'll give you three breaths. If you can't satisfy me by then, I'll take matters into my own hands." Yang Yan raised a slender, jade-white finger and began counting aloud. "One!"
The count was uttered in a low voice, and an oppressive atmosphere descended in a heartbeat. Wu Shengfeng blurted out in a panic, "Wait! Let's talk this through!"
"Two…" Yang Yan remained unmoved.
"Don't push me too far! The Falling Star Sect is not to be trifled with! So what if your strength surpasses mine? I've already confirmed that this entire star domain has no Guardian. What exactly are you after, sticking your nose where it doesn't belong?"
"Three!" Yang Yan softly exhaled the final syllable, then flickered forward and materialized directly in front of Wu Shengfeng.
*Crack…* No one even saw what happened. All they heard was a crisp, sharp sound, and the next instant Wu Shengfeng was sent tumbling through the air. Half his face swelled up in the blink of an eye.
"You dare hit me?!" Wu Shengfeng howled, his voice thick with grief and outrage.
*Crack…* Having just steadied himself, he was sent flying again. The right side of his face began to swell as well.
"Bitch! Don't think I'm afraid of you! I was only showing restraint because you're a wo—"
*Crack…*
"Enough!"
*Crack…*
"You don't hit someone in the face…"
*Crack…*
"Miss, leave yourself some room—our paths may cross again someday!"
*Crack…*
"Senior, please have mercy…"
*Crack…*
"Boo hoo… I was wrong! Senior, I was wrong! I admit defeat! Stop—stop hitting me…"
Sha Hu, who was ten thousand li away, Lie Kong in the depths of the seafloor, and all the others watched the scene with jaws hanging open. Even Yang Kai and Lin Yun'er stood gaping at the sky, staring dumbly at the utterly farcical spectacle unfolding above.
This was Wu Shengfeng—who just moments ago had been the very picture of invincible grandeur, a powerhouse so formidable that virtually no one could stand against him. And yet now, before Yang Yan, he was no different from a three-year-old child, utterly powerless to resist. No matter how he tried to dodge, every single time Yang Yan landed a clean, solid slap.
The crisp cracking sounds reached everyone's ears, along with Wu Shengfeng's desperate struggles and pleas for mercy. A mix of elation and unease stirred in the hearts of all who witnessed it.
*Gulp…* Yang Kai swallowed hard, discreetly nudging Lin Yun'er with his elbow. "Hey, kid—has your Master Yan been in a bad mood lately?"
"Mm-hmm." Lin Yun'er bobbed her head up and down like a pecking chick, her expression one of visible fear. "Master has barely spoken a word recently. Her mood really hasn't been great."
"Poor guy," Yang Kai sighed softly.
High in the sky, Wu Shengfeng's face had been slapped into something resembling a pig's head—swollen and inflamed, as though he'd been stung by a thousand poisonous bees. He looked absolutely ridiculous. All the fight had drained out of him. He hung his head meekly, standing docilely before Yang Yan without daring to move, the very picture of a man resigned to his fate.
Yang Yan regarded him coolly and spoke. "Originally, for violating the prohibition of the Star Boundary, I would have taken your life."
Wu Shengfeng's body shuddered at those words. He stared at Yang Yan with abject terror, forcing out a smile more grotesque than tears, and clasped his hands together in a pleading gesture, mumbling through his swollen mouth, "Senior… please be merciful. This was my first time in a Lower Star Domain. Please, take pity on a first offense—I'm begging you, spare my life!"
"Hmph!" Yang Yan snorted coldly. "If not for that, do you think you'd still be alive? However, you may escape death, but the punishment remains. Come with me to the Star Boundary. You will stand guard at the Star Gate for three thousand years—repaying your debt through service!"
"Three… three thousand years?!" Wu Shengfeng's face went pale with dread.
Standing guard at the Star Gate for three thousand years—setting aside the sheer mind-numbing tedium, the restrictive prohibitions near the Star Gate made cultivation impossible. If he truly wasted three thousand years, what kind of future would he have left?
"Do you have an objection?" Yang Yan fixed him with a cold gaze.
"N-no!" Wu Shengfeng shook his head frantically. "Whatever the Senior commands, this junior dares not refuse. It is this junior's honor. Heh, heh heh…"
"Don't think for a moment that I don't know what you're scheming." Yang Yan smiled coldly. "You're thinking that once we return to the Star Boundary, you can just get that old fool Yu Heling to pull strings and have you released, aren't you? If that's what you believe, you're sorely mistaken. And if Yu Heling dares so much as speak up on your behalf, I'll send him to guard the Star Gate for three thousand years as well!"