All of Purple Star City was shaken with unease. Countless martial artists raised their heads to gaze toward the spot where the great battle raged, every one of them stricken with fear, their hearts in their throats.
Ninety-nine percent of the people had no idea what was actually happening over there, but they all knew that powerful cultivators had to be locked in a life-or-death struggle. When the city gate caught fire, the fish in the moat suffered for it — none of them wanted to get dragged into the crossfire.
In an instant, countless people scrambled over one another, rushing toward the city gates in a desperate bid to flee Purple Star City and lay low for a while.
There were also the bolder martial artists who charged in the opposite direction, straight toward the sounds of battle, hoping to fish in troubled waters.
The greater the danger, the greater the opportunity — this was an ageless truth that had never changed.
Purple Star Palace. Somewhere below, Zi Wuji was grinning like a fool, a look of wild elation plastered across his face.
He had never imagined that Yang Kai could be so terrifyingly powerful.
When Li Maoming had been bound by personal obligations and agreed to join Gongsun Liang in attacking Yang Kai, Zi Wuji had thought all was lost. He had already steeled himself to accept defeat, his entire being sinking into despair.
But now his spirits soared anew, because in the clash between those three Void King Realm second-stage powerhouses, it was actually Yang Kai who held the slight upper hand. Gongsun Liang and Li Maoming, fighting together, were still at a disadvantage.
This Lord Yang was truly that formidable? His abilities might even surpass his own father, Zi Long! Zi Wuji could scarcely believe it, and beyond the disbelief, all that remained was jubilation.
Yang Kai was on his side — at least, that was what he believed. As long as Yang Kai won, he could reclaim the initiative, become the master of Purple Star, and from then on reign supreme over the land!
A vision of a glorious future unfurled before his eyes. Zi Wuji was so excited he could barely contain himself, urging Yang Kai on in his heart, praying that he would cut Gongsun Liang down with his sword.
In the sky, Yang Kai wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and loosened his body, his eyes gleaming as he fixed his gaze on the figures not far ahead.
Several li away, both Gongsun Liang and Li Maoming wore ashen faces, staring back at him with undisguised horror.
In that head-on collision moments ago, none of the three had come away unscathed. Yang Kai had taken some injuries, true enough, but Li Maoming and Gongsun Liang had fared no better. It was a three-way loss.
This outcome was something Gongsun Liang and Li Maoming simply could not accept!
Working together, their combined power was nearly equivalent to the full force of a Void King Realm third-stage expert. Yet Yang Kai had managed to withstand it! Did that not mean he was qualified to go head-to-head with a third-stage powerhouse?
This realization shattered everything Li Maoming and Gongsun Liang had ever believed.
Second stage, third stage — a difference of merely one sub-realm, yet the gap between them was as vast as heaven and earth. Each sub-realm advancement within the Void King Realm brought an exponential leap in power.
For a second-stage cultivator to kill a first-stage one was no great feat. By the same logic, a third-stage expert shouldn't need to expend much effort to dispatch a second-stage opponent. But Yang Kai's performance had left both men reeling, struck speechless for a long while.
And the eyes staring back at them from across the void showed not the slightest hint of retreat. If anything, they blazed with a soaring battle spirit that made the hair on Li Maoming's and Gongsun Liang's scalps tingle…
What kind of monster was this?! The two of them found that the more they fought Yang Kai, the less they could see through him.
Clang…
A crisp, ringing sound echoed through the sky. It was the sound of the two Void King-grade Artifacts clashing against each other. The emerald dragon reformed into the Dragon Bone Sword, and the creature shaped like a ribbon fish reverted to its original form. Both sword-type Artifacts flew back toward their respective owners.
The Dragon Bone Sword was unscathed, its entire body a radiant jade-green with flowing halos of light.
In contrast, the short sword in Gongsun Liang's hand had dimmed considerably, its spiritual energy clearly depleted.
Staring at that short sword, Gongsun Liang was so enraged that his injuries flared. A mouthful of blood sprayed from his lips, and his aura withered noticeably.
"Brother Yang, please stop!" Li Maoming's expression shifted as he turned a grave gaze toward Yang Kai. He spoke in a low, earnest voice — he truly did not want to keep fighting. He had only come out of seclusion this time at someone's request, charged with protecting Zi Wuji's safety. Being dragged into a confrontation with a cultivator of equal standing had never been part of the plan, let alone one who turned out to be a freak like Yang Kai.
"You started this fight when you felt like it, and now you want to stop when you feel like it? What happened to my face?" Yang Kai snarled with a savage grin.
"Then what do you want? Name your terms — we're not strangers here, everything can be discussed!" Li Maoming still regarded Yang Kai as one of their own, it seemed. The credibility of that Lord's Token apparently ran quite deep.
"Simple!" Yang Kai bared his teeth in a grin and took a step forward. "We fight. Life or death, no holds barred! Once it's over, I'll walk away — I don't care if you come at me one at a time or all at once!"
"You…" Li Maoming fumed, staring at Yang Kai in bewilderment. "Why would you insist on this?"
He simply could not fathom why Yang Kai would make such an absurd demand. Cultivators who had reached the Void King Realm generally went out of their way to avoid direct confrontations, because every Void King Realm expert was dangerous. Everyone had their trump cards hidden away, and pushing someone to the brink never ended well for anyone. Li Maoming had truly never encountered anyone like Yang Kai — someone who would force another to fight.
"I only recently advanced to the Void King Realm's second stage, and it's not often I run into opponents at the same level as me. I'd very much like to test where my limits are!" Yang Kai smiled faintly. "You two are worthy opponents."
"Bullshit!" Li Maoming hadn't even spoken before Gongsun Liang blurted out, glaring at Yang Kai with a hatred carved deep into his bones. "Old monsters trying to pass themselves off as young — have you no shame?"
He had initially assumed Yang Kai wasn't that old, since the man looked quite young. But after exchanging blows, he had immediately concluded that Yang Kai was absolutely a cultivator who had lived for over a thousand years. Otherwise, he could never have possessed such terrifying strength.
If someone who had truly just advanced to the second stage could take on two opponents at once and suppress both him and Li Maoming, then Gongsun Liang might as well go ahead and bash his own head against a wall.
"Believe it or not, that's up to you. Either way, this matter isn't settled." Yang Kai let out a cold snort.
Seeing his relentless aggression, a flash of fury passed through Gongsun Liang's eyes. His mouth twitched, but in the end, he could not bring himself to say anything.