The final exchange between these two Dao Source Realm second-level cultivators had left Han Leng with no minor injuries. After steadying his body, he opened his mouth and spat out a mouthful of blood that was purple tinged with black. His aura, once at the absolute peak of sharpness, suddenly withered considerably.
As for Liu Yizhi, he had vanished entirely. Not even the faintest trace of his aura remained within a hundred-zhang radius. Only the shield artifact he had previously summoned now tumbled from the sky in a battered, tattered state—its surface dull and lifeless, all spiritual essence spent.
This shield-type defensive Artifact had been utterly destroyed.
For even such an Artifact to be destroyed, Liu Yizhi's fate could easily be imagined.
"Damn it!" Han Leng snarled through gritted teeth, his expression dark as a storm. Another mouthful of blood sprayed from his lips, and his breathing finally steadied somewhat.
Only at this point did Ning Yuancheng—who had been hiding inside the tower ship watching the battle—finally react. Panic-stricken, he scrambled to his feet and, with trembling hands, formed a spirit seal. The elegant tower ship hummed, pivoted in a new direction, and prepared to flee the area at full speed.
With Liu Yizhi dead at Han Leng's hands, how could Ning Yuancheng possibly have the nerve to stay? His only thought now was to put as much distance between himself and this place as possible.
But how could Han Leng allow him to do that? The moment the tower ship showed any sign of movement, Han Leng let out a cold snort. Forcing himself upright, his figure blurred and he vanished from where he stood once more.
Immediately after, the myriad Silver Moons that had dimmed suddenly flared bright for a heartbeat. The great formation hummed and once again condensed a terrifying beam of moonlight that hurtled straight toward the tower ship.
Han Leng was clearly intent on wiping out every last witness—otherwise, word of today's events would spread, and the Flying Saint Palace would never let him go.
The moonlight beam shot forth like lightning, slamming into the tower ship's protective barrier in an instant. The tremendous force sent the sizable vessel careening wildly. Ning Yuancheng, standing on the deck, was caught off guard and went tumbling to the ground with a thud.
Szzzzzz...
A piercing, grating sound filled the air as the fearsome corrosive power contained within the moonlight beam steadily gnawed away at the tower ship's protective barrier. At the same time, Han Leng's form became faintly visible within the beam itself—he had actually concealed himself within it. The long sword in his hand blazed with dazzling radiance, combining with the formation's power to shatter the tower ship's defenses in a single devastating blow.
"Se—Senior Han, why must you be so ruthless? Just let me go—please let me go, and I'll pretend today never happened!" Ning Yuancheng held the cultivation of a Void King Realm third-level cultivator, but faced with Han Leng bearing down on him like a tiger descending the mountain, he lost all composure entirely. He cried out for mercy without even thinking to mount a desperate defense.
Han Leng said nothing. His gaze only grew colder, more merciless.
Ning Yuancheng's soul nearly fled his body in terror, and he begged all the more desperately.
Crack...
A crisp sound, like the toll of death's own bell, reached Ning Yuancheng's ears. His face drained of all color in an instant. His eyes focused, and he immediately saw a sight that made his soul scatter—a fissure had appeared in the tower ship's protective barrier, and it was on the verge of collapse.
Crack-crack-crack...
The crack widened, and more fissures appeared around it. Soon, they spread across the barrier like a spider's web, intersecting in every direction—clearly on the verge of failing.
Finally, with a thunderous shout from Han Leng, the tower ship's protective barrier shattered completely. And at the same time, the myriad Silver Moons that had shrouded this small pocket of the sky vanished without a trace.
The Myriad Moon Celestial Formation, having exhausted the last of its energy, had dispelled itself.
The moonlight beam dissipated. Han Leng, wreathed in sword light, shot toward Ning Yuancheng with overwhelming killing intent. The long sword in his hand only tapped once, then retracted—and he appeared a short distance behind Ning Yuancheng.
In the face of mortal peril, Ning Yuancheng's body instinctively assumed a defensive posture. But that was all he managed...
A moment later, a small crimson dot appeared on Ning Yuancheng's forehead. The entire man toppled backward, slamming into the deck of the tower ship with a dull thud.
Now unattended, the Flying Saint Palace's tower ship Artifact began spinning and spiraling out of the sky, finally crashing to the ground and kicking up a cloud of dust.
Not far away, Yang Kai—who had concealed his presence and watched the entire battle from start to finish—wore an expression of detached calm. His eyes narrowed as he searched for Han Leng's figure.
This man had single-handedly annihilated so many Flying Saint Palace cultivators. Though he had relied on the power of a formation, his own strength was absolutely nothing to scoff at. After such an intense battle, however, he had to be exhausted—perhaps unable to even muster half his usual combat power.
Yang Kai felt that if he struck now, there was roughly a ninety percent chance of success. This was the classic scenario of the fisherman reaping the benefits when the snipe and the clam fought.
However, the one thing Yang Kai was somewhat wary of was that Han Leng might be hiding some trump card, or perhaps following Liu Yizhi's lead by detonating his own Artifact in a self-destructive blast. If that happened, even if Yang Kai didn't die, he would lose a layer of skin at the very least.
As Yang Kai's thoughts raced, Han Leng emerged from the tower ship ahead. It seemed he had already searched Ning Yuancheng's body—a space ring clutched in his hand. After a brief moment, a flash of light on his palm revealed a round, bowl-shaped object.
He hefted it gently, a satisfied smile crossing his face, then placed the bowl back into the space ring.
Upon seeing this, Yang Kai immediately understood that Han Leng's goal had been the same as his own—both had come for the Flowing Flame, and the Flowing Flame was precisely what was sealed within that round bowl.
After completing all of this, Han Leng did not leave immediately. Instead, he suddenly raised his gaze, his sharp eyes cutting in the direction where Yang Kai was hidden, and spoke in a cold voice: "Boy, you've been watching for quite some time now. Enjoyed the show?"
Yang Kai's brow furrowed. He did not immediately reveal himself.