"You two were the ones causing trouble at the Treasure Pavilion earlier?" Pang Guang wasted no time getting to the point, his cold voice ringing out at Yang Kai and Liu Xianyun the moment he arrived. He had clearly learned the troublemakers' appearances through some channel.
Liu Xianyun's fair face went pale, and she didn't dare answer.
She was only at the first level of the Dao Source Realm, and she had only recently advanced — her cultivation hadn't even stabilized yet. Facing an Emperor Realm cultivator was like having a mountain pressing down on her.
Yang Kai, however, remained perfectly composed, unmoved by any of it. He simply regarded Pang Guang with a calm, indifferent glance.
Compared to Qiu Ze, Pang Guang's aura was undoubtedly denser and more formidable — he was clearly stronger than Qiu Ze. But that strength was only marginally so, and with Yang Kai's current capabilities and tricks, there was nothing to fear from him.
Neither of them answered. Pang Guang's expression darkened with fury. "I ask you a question, and you dare not respond?"
Imperial might erupted outward, flooding the entire teahouse. The remaining martial artists still inside all changed color, their faces contending with the pressure. The killing intent, thick enough to seem solid, seeped into flesh and bone, turning their bodies ice-cold. They silently cursed Yang Kai for not knowing the heights of heaven or the depth of earth — acting so brazenly before the City Lord had implicated them all.
Yang Kai gave a gentle wave of his hand, as though a sharp blade had sliced through an overcast sky. The oppressive Emperor Realm power enveloping him and Liu Xianyun dissipated in an instant, carrying the sensation of clouds parting to reveal clear sky.
Pang Guang started in surprise and reexamined Yang Kai more carefully.
He had clearly sensed that Yang Kai possessed only third-level Dao Source Realm cultivation, yet this mere wave of a hand had dispelled his imperial might. How was that possible? Though it was just a single gesture, Pang Guang no longer dared underestimate Yang Kai. He realized that the young man had gone so far as to wreak havoc at the Treasure Pavilion, then casually sat here without a care in the world — he must have some kind of backing.
Could this fellow come from some top-tier sect? Otherwise, how could he possess such depth of skill? He had heard that the elite disciples of those supreme sects possessed the ability to fight across realm levels. If this young man truly hailed from a major sect, then today's matter would be far from easy to resolve.
For a moment, Pang Guang found himself torn with indecision. As a city lord, someone had flipped his businesses upside down and his subordinates were dead or wounded. If he didn't get a satisfactory answer, where would his dignity go? But if the other party's background was truly formidable, he might not be able to afford offending him. Pang Guang might be a local emperor here in Gao City, but in the eyes of those top-tier sects, he was nothing. They could send a single Elder and annihilate him dozens — even hundreds — of times over.
Just as his thoughts raced, weighing how to handle today's affair in a way that neither offended too deeply nor cost him his face, he suddenly sensed something amiss beside him.
He jolted and turned his head. An elderly man of middling age had appeared beside him at some point — grizzled hair, sharp and spirited eyes, dressed in a plain gray linen robe, entirely unremarkable in appearance.
When had this old man gotten here?
Pang Guang was shaken with alarm. Just moments ago he had been preoccupied with the Yang Kai situation and hadn't even noticed the old man approach. Moreover, this elder's face was utterly unfamiliar — he had clearly never seen this person before.
The old man's sudden appearance had startled Yang Kai as well.
Pang Guang, distracted, hadn't caught the elder's arrival clearly, but Yang Kai had seen everything.
Before this half-aged man had materialized, there had been no warning whatsoever. In the span of a single blink, he was simply there.
Yang Kai focused his senses and quietly sent out a thread of Divine Sense to probe the elder's cultivation. What horrified him was that his Divine Sense sank into the man like a stone dropped into the sea — vanishing without a trace.
This person… was an Emperor Realm cultivator even more powerful than Pang Guang. At minimum, he was at the second level of the Emperor Realm, quite possibly the third.
Gao City actually harbored such a powerhouse? His heart shook, though his expression remained unchanged as he glanced at Pang Guang. If the two of them were allies, then this situation had become truly troublesome. He had assumed Gao City contained only Pang Guang, which was why he hadn't felt the slightest fear. But now that a far more formidable old man had appeared, Yang Kai was already calculating how to extricate himself safely.
However, a closer look at Pang Guang actually reassured him somewhat. Pang Guang wore a deeply suspicious expression as well — he clearly didn't recognize this half-aged man either.
As a city lord, not even knowing that hidden dragons and crouching tigers lurked within his own territory — one had to say, Pang Guang's tenure as city lord was quite the failure.
The half-aged man, meanwhile, gazed at Yang Kai with eyes blazing with keen interest, as though he had discovered something fascinating. He offered a slight smile. "This old man is Yao Changjun, owner of this teahouse. And how shall I address you, young brother?"
His expression was amiable, the picture of an approachable senior, but Yang Kai's instincts sensed a thread of danger.
Before Yang Kai could speak, Pang Guang suddenly let out a cold snort. "This City Lord has matters to discuss with this young man. Uninvolved parties should see themselves out."
His tone was imperious, utterly dismissive, as though Yao Changjun weren't even worth acknowledging.
At those words, Yang Kai's expression turned peculiar.
But before long, he understood. He guessed that Pang Guang had no idea how deep Yao Changjun's abilities ran — otherwise he would never have dared speak that way. On top of that, his earlier attempt to assert dominance before Yang Kai had failed, and Yao Changjun's arrival hadn't even earned a proper glance from the man. Pang Guang had likely worked himself into a state of indignant embarrassment.