"Who do you think you are, talking trash about my grandfather!" Zuo Ling suddenly snapped, raising her hand as a fire-dragon-like attack erupted from her palm and shot straight at Yang Kai.
Ever since her romantic setback, she had already been in a foul mood, and now hearing Yang Kai openly criticize Zuo De like that, she could no longer hold back. She wanted to use Yang Kai as a punching bag to vent her frustration.
So she attacked without a shred of hesitation.
As Zuo De's direct granddaughter, Zuo Ling herself possessed decent aptitude. Coupled with the generous supply of spirit pills Zuo De provided, she had already reached the 2nd Stage of the Return of Void realm despite her young age.
Though this strike was thrown casually, its power was quite formidable. The fire dragon roared as the surrounding air grew scorching hot, its gaping maw lunging straight down at Yang Kai.
"Ling'er, stop!" Zuo De cried out in alarm. Zuo Ling was young and impulsive, unaware of Yang Kai's true strength, but he had learned from Zhan Yuan that Yang Kai was a 2nd Stage Void King powerhouse. There was no way Zuo Ling could be his match.
If Yang Kai grew angry and hurt her, that would be an enormous loss.
But his shout came too late. By the time his words fell, the fire dragon had already roared to a stop right in front of Yang Kai.
Yang Kai's expression didn't change. He didn't even shift his body. He simply extended one hand at an unhurried pace, spread his five fingers, and grabbed straight at the fire dragon.
A bizarre scene unfolded. The fire dragon composed of energy was seized directly in Yang Kai's palm. It squirmed and struggled like a living creature, yet could never break free of his grip. Yang Kai then crushed it in his fist.
Fire-element energy splattered across the void, and the scorching air returned to normal.
Zuo Ling froze for a moment, clearly never having expected her strike to be neutralized so effortlessly. She also realized that Yang Kai's strength far surpassed her own.
But rather than becoming afraid, she gritted her teeth and shouted, "Grandpa, he's bullying me! You have to teach him a lesson for me!"
As she spoke, she tugged on Zuo De's arm repeatedly. Zuo De's frail-looking old body swayed back and forth like a lone skiff caught in a storm.
She believed Zuo De was omnipotent—after all, even those Void King realm experts were deferential before him. So whenever she suffered the slightest disadvantage, she expected Zuo De to stand up for her.
But Zuo De had no such ability. The respect he received from Void King realm experts was due to his alchemy skills, not his personal cultivation. He was merely a 3rd Stage Return of Void martial artist. Picking a fight with Yang Kai through brute force would be suicidal.
Yang Kai couldn't help but scoff.
He was, after all, a 2nd Stage Void King powerhouse now. Zuo Ling had attacked him without provocation, and he would have been perfectly justified in teaching her a lesson. But squabbling with a little girl like this would make him seem petty.
So he couldn't be bothered to engage.
Unexpectedly, seeing that Zuo De had not responded, Zuo Ling turned and shouted at Ai Ou instead: "Uncle Ai Ou, kill him! Kill him, and I'll have Grandpa refine that Primordial… whatever pill for you!"
At these words, Yang Kai's expression darkened.
Ai Ou's face also took on a strange look.
It was one thing for a pampered little girl to be willful and difficult—that was understandable. But casually demanding someone's life simply because she was in a bad mood was going too far. Besides, she had started this whole thing herself; the fault lay entirely with Yang Kai not at all. Anyone with a shred of common sense would never agree to her demand, let alone offend a 2nd Stage Void King powerhouse over it.
"Uncle Ai Ou, didn't you invite Grandpa here precisely to refine that pill? You're so powerful—surely he's no match for you. Just kill him!" Zuo Ling demanded shrilly, pointing at Yang Kai and ordering Ai Ou along as though addressing a subordinate. Her arrogance was suffocating.
"Uh…" Ai Ou forced a dry laugh and said, "Ling'er, uncle might not necessarily be his match."
"How could that be? You're the president of the Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce—one of the most powerful people in the world! How could you not be his match? Oh, I see. You just don't want that spirit pill anymore."
"Ling'er, stop this nonsense!" Even Zuo De couldn't watch any longer. He couldn't help but bark in a stern voice.
Zuo Ling pouted. Seeing that her grandfather was genuinely growing angry, she showed enough sense to stop making a scene. But the way she glared at Yang Kai was filled with sheer hatred, her silver teeth grinding so hard they crackled—as though she wanted to rush over and tear a chunk of flesh from him.
"Xue Yue, you were right not to agree to this marriage." Yang Kai chuckled softly. "Bringing a woman like that home—how would anyone ever live a peaceful day again?"
Xue Yue shot Yang Kai a glare and said nothing.
"You have provoked this old man again and again. What exactly are you after?" Zuo De regarded Yang Kai with a dark expression, barely restraining his anger.
"Heh. Same answer as before—I'm just telling the truth," Yang Kai replied with a mild smile.
"Ling'er has indeed been spoiled by me into being a bit willful, but her nature is fundamentally good. I won't allow you to judge her like that!"
"Calling for someone's life on a whim—that's what you call a fundamentally good nature? If I weren't a 2nd Stage Void King but instead a mere Holy King, I'd probably be a corpse by now!" Yang Kai sneered without pause.
"If you were only a Holy King, you wouldn't even be qualified to speak to this old man!"
"Pity I'm not!"
"Enough!" Unable to bear watching Yang Kai match wits with Zuo De like this, Zhan Yuan jumped into the fray. "You show such disrespect to your benefactor! Have you forgotten that the spirit pills you've used in your Cultivation all these years were refined by whom? Any martial artist with a shred of gratitude should never treat a revered alchemy grandmaster the way you do!"
"Remember the source when drinking water, repay kindness when it is received!" Yang Kai nodded slightly. "That's what you're trying to say, isn't it? Sorry to disappoint, but I told you before—I'm an alchemy master myself. Every spirit pill I've consumed over the years, I refined on my own. They say fellow craftsmen are rivals, so there's no reason for me to feel grateful toward any particular alchemy master."
"You're also an alchemy master?" A sharp gleam shot from Zuo De's eyes, his expression one of barely concealed disbelief.