Yang Kai showed no fear at all. Instead, he grinned and said, "If you kill me, I'm afraid you won't be able to report back!"
"A mere prisoner has no right to bargain with me! No one will care if I kill you!"
"Is that so?" Yang Kai spat out a mouthful of blood. "Well, Senior Brother Kou said he was going to report to Protector Bian and ask how we should be dealt with. Tell me—if Protector Bian found out you killed me, what do you think would happen to you?"
Upon hearing the name Protector Bian, a look of deep wariness flashed through Yan Xiuran's eyes, and his rage seemed doused with a bucket of ice water, abruptly cooling.
He'd guessed right!
Seeing that expression, Yang Kai's heart settled.
From what he'd observed of these Jade Feather Sect Disciples' conduct, this Sect didn't seem like a good place. The cultivators inside were no saints either. The rules were probably ironclad—anyone who broke them would face severe punishment!
That was why Yang Kai had latched onto the name of the Protector Bian he'd never even met as his shield.
Yan Xiuran was indeed intimidated.
Just as Yang Kai had said, if he killed Yang Kai before Protector Bian issued his orders, it would be overstepping his authority. If Protector Bian found out, he'd be lucky to escape with his skin intact.
So he didn't dare strike to kill again.
But the Treasure-Stealing Serpent had been bitten to death by Yang Kai, and simply letting the matter go wasn't really an option. After only a brief hesitation, Yan Xiuran once again advanced on Yang Kai with a ferocious grin, saying, "Fine, you've got a silver tongue. Don't worry—if Protector Bian wants you dead, I'll personally send you on your way. For now, I'll let you cling to life a few more days!"
Yang Kai curled his lip at that.
"But for now... your death sentence may be spared, but you can't escape punishment. Your physical constitution seems rather extraordinary—let's see if you can take this!"
Before the words had even faded, Yan Xiuran was already upon Yang Kai, his fist wreathed in burning fury and violent Source Power, slamming it down toward Yang Kai's abdomen.
BOOM...
Yang Kai's body convulsed as though struck by lightning, curling into a shrimp-like shape as he trembled in agony. But before that, he had already spat out a mouthful of blood, spraying it at Yan Xiuran like a violent storm.
The latter was caught off guard and ended up with blood spattered all over his face.
Provoked time and again, he could no longer contain himself. Almost on instinct, he raised his leg and swept it fiercely across Yang Kai's neck.
In the next moment, Yang Kai was sent flying, crashing to the ground where he lay completely still.
He appeared to have lost consciousness.
"You got off easy!" Yan Xiuran snorted coldly. He turned and fixed Liu Xianyun with a vicious glare, growling, "Drag him over and follow me!"
Now that the Treasure-Stealing Serpent was dead, even if Yan Xiuran wanted to seize Liu Xianyun's Artifact, it was no longer feasible. He could only lock them both in the Bone Prison first and figure out how to torment them later.
Liu Xianyun hurried over to Yang Kai upon hearing this, reaching out to check his pulse. Once she confirmed he was still alive, she let out a quiet breath of relief.
After a moment's thought, she reached down, picked Yang Kai up, and hoisted him onto her back.
She followed close behind Yan Xiuran into a cave at the base of the mountain ahead. The moment they entered, a chill crept over her entire body, making her instinctively shrink her neck.
From deep within the mountain came faint echoes of blood-curdling screams—each one more harrowing than the last, sending chills down her spine.
Yan Xiuran led the way, sneering as he walked. "Very few people who enter the Bone Prison ever walk out alive. If you don't want to endure inhuman treatment, you'd better hand over your Artifact now. I can make sure they give you a clean death. Otherwise... you'll learn what it means to wish you were dead."
Liu Xianyun's pretty face had gone pale. Her slender body trembled slightly as she bit her colorless lips, saying nothing.
The deeper they went, the darker and damper the environment became. Foul, reeking odors filled the air, making Liu Xianyun furrow her brows.
They descended what seemed like a thousand zhang before reaching a place that resembled an underground dungeon.
The cells were partitioned one after another, their bars seemingly fashioned from the bones of some demon beast, appearing extraordinarily sturdy.
Within the dim cells, pairs of crimson eyes stared out like those of wild beasts, fixed on Yan Xiuran and his group, making Liu Xianyun's hair stand on end.
"Kill me! Kill me! Please, just kill me!" The agonized wail came from somewhere nearby—a desperate yearning for death. Liu Xianyun could not even imagine what kind of torture could make a person beg for nothing but oblivion.
But here, death was evidently a luxury. The voice soon dissolved into an even more piercing shriek of agony.
Liu Xianyun's cheeks were now drained of all color. The thought that this might be her own fate in the near future filled her with an overwhelming sense of despair.
"Get in!" Yan Xiuran suddenly stopped before a cell, threw open the door, and gestured at Liu Xianyun.