An Dao Yuan realm cultivator making such brazen claims? Telling an Emperor realm powerhouse to his face that he was as good as dead? The man had clearly lost his mind.
Shi Cang and Ye Hen all wore peculiar expressions.
Only Hua Qingsi knew that Yang Kai wasn't joking. Though Yang Kai wasn't an Emperor realm cultivator, he absolutely possessed the strength to fight one head-on. Setting everything else aside, just his Dharma Manifestation alone would be enough to give Qiu Ze a headache. And if she and Yang Kai joined forces, they might well be able to hold their own against Qiu Ze.
That was why Hua Qingsi's heart had settled the moment Yang Kai appeared. Despite being a minor realm below her, Hua Qingsi was fully aware that she was no match for him!
She had never seen a man who shone as brightly as Yang Kai.
No—wait. Hua Qingsi suddenly realized that Yang Kai's cultivation wasn't a minor realm below hers anymore. He was at the same level.
When had he broken through to the third level of the Dao Yuan realm? Her face drained of color. It hadn't been long since his last breakthrough to the second level, had it? To advance again in such a short span—did this fellow cultivate the way ordinary people ate and drank?
Though shock dominated her heart, what followed close behind was elation.
Yang Kai growing stronger meant the situation before them had just tipped further in their favor.
"Heh heh…" Qiu Ze let out a soft chuckle. Yang Kai's words hadn't been particularly loud, but Qiu Ze had heard every syllable with perfect clarity. A faint, amused smile surfaced on his face as he regarded Yang Kai. "The boy doesn't seem to know how high the sky is or how deep the earth runs. You actually want to take this seat's life?"
Luo Jin gritted his teeth and hissed from the side: "Palace Master Qiu—that's the one who injured your son!"
"So you're Yang Kai?" Qiu Ze's expression darkened. Even Mu Zheng of the White Cloud Tower and Ruan Hongbo of the Heavenly Extremity Hall turned murderous gazes toward Yang Kai. Mu Guan of the White Cloud Tower and Ke Tian of the Heavenly Extremity Hall had both been killed by Yang Kai's hand—these two had come to Thousand Leaf Sect to stir up trouble precisely because of Yang Kai. With their enemy standing right before them, their eyes burned red with hatred.
"That's right—it's him!" Luo Jin spat through clenched teeth.
The humiliation he had suffered at the City Lord's Manor that day was the defining disgrace of his life, something he would never forget to his dying breath. Though Yang Kai had ultimately spared him, holding back from dealing a killing blow, the grudge lodged in his throat like a fishbone, demanding vengeance.
He had dreamed of killing Yang Kai and washing clean that shame.
Once Yang Kai's identity was confirmed, killing intent surged through the powerful figures of every sect like a rising tide. They stared at him the way one would stare at a dead man walking—but with Qiu Ze unmoving, none dared act on their own.
"You really are Yang Kai?" Qiu Ze seemed to want to confirm, calling out from where he stood.
Yang Kai wore an expression of pure contempt and sneered: "Who do you think you are, to be worthy of asking this young master's name?"
His demeanor was outrageously arrogant, as though Qiu Ze simply didn't exist in his eyes. Yet Qiu Ze remained perfectly calm, his expression undisturbed by the provocation. He gave a slight nod. "Good. I hear that in the Four Seasons Land, you refined a batch of Supreme Marvel Pills?"
Yang Kai raised an eyebrow, then said thoughtfully: "Ah, so that's what this is about. You're after the Supreme Marvel Pills? Sorry—they're already gone."
"No matter," Qiu Ze replied. "I never expected to obtain them from you directly. But I've heard you consumed one yourself. If I take you back and boil you down, there should still be a trace of the Supreme Marvel Pill's medicinal essence."
The moment these words left his mouth, even Ruan Hongbo—who stood on the same side as Qiu Ze—went pale. Every eye turned toward Qiu Ze in disbelief. They simply couldn't fathom that he would say something like this.
Boil a person who had consumed a Supreme Marvel Pill in order to extract a trace of its medicinal effects—the thought had never even crossed their minds. Only Qiu Ze could have come up with such a scheme. But after a moment's consideration, they had to admit there was a certain twisted logic to it.
The Supreme Marvel Pill's effects were extraordinary. After consumption, the majority of its medicinal power would settle deep into the flesh and meridians, gradually absorbed by the cultivator over time. This was why taking a Supreme Marvel Pill as early as possible was so advantageous.
That woman from the Eight Directions Gate had consumed a Supreme Marvel Pill when she was only at the first level of the Dao Yuan realm. Though Luo Yuan had forced it upon her, it had allowed her to extract the pill's effects with perfect efficiency. As long as her aptitude wasn't too poor and she cultivated diligently afterward, her hopes of ascending to the Emperor realm would far surpass anyone else's.
Qiu Ze was already an Emperor realm cultivator—clearly, the pill held no use for him. He was most likely doing this for Qiu Yu.
But the thought of needing to drink a pot of human stew just to obtain the Supreme Marvel Pill's medicinal essence left Ruan Hongbo and the others with ashen faces and churning stomachs. A faint, reluctant sympathy for Qiu Yu stirred in their hearts. They couldn't help but wonder how Qiu Yu would react if he ever learned the truth.
"Boil me?" Yang Kai let out an incredulous laugh and shot back: "You don't know how high the sky is either."
"The boy has guts," Qiu Ze said, a cold glint flashing in his eyes. He snorted. "But guts without the strength to back them up are nothing more than childish comedy."
As he spoke, he suddenly extended one hand and struck toward Yang Kai with a massive palm.
Instantly, wind and clouds churned across the sky. A colossal energy-formed hand crashed downward, covering an enormous area.
Qiu Ze's strike showed no regard for bystanders' lives—and showed no concern for whether Yang Kai lived or died. To him, Yang Kai's survival was entirely irrelevant. All that mattered was bringing him back alive enough to boil.
The devastating technique materialized without warning, plunging the sky into darkness in the blink of an eye.
Ye Hen and Du Xian's eyes threatened to split from their sockets. Their entire bodies trembled with helpless fury, yet they could only watch, powerless to intervene.
A burst of crimson radiance suddenly exploded outward. Scorching heat flooded the air in an instant, and a small, delicate figure shot into the sky, charging straight toward the energy palm.
The two collided in a heartbeat. Liu Yan let out a soft cry as she was driven back down, but the energy palm shattered and dissipated under the impact of her charge. The darkened sky cleared in an instant.
*Whoosh whoosh…*