"This was something I obtained by chance, Senior. It has nothing to do with my Senior Brother," Liu Xianyun interjected suddenly.
Her intention was obvious — she didn't want her trouble to drag Yang Kai into it.
"You obtained it yourself?" Yao Changjun's gaze swept past Yang Kai, ignoring him entirely as he stared intently at Liu Xianyun instead.
Liu Xianyun was somewhat unnerved by his piercing stare and nodded uneasily. "Yes."
"Where?" Yao Changjun pressed urgently.
Liu Xianyun paused, looking at Yang Kai in confusion. He had asked the same question just moments ago, but before she could answer, Pang Guang had cut her off. Now Yao Changjun was asking again — could it be that the place where this treasure appeared held other valuable items as well? Why else would they both ask about the location?
Though suspicion churned in her mind, she didn't dare delay. "It was deep within the Silent Void Ridge — a place in its depths."
"So it really is the Silent Void Ridge!" Yao Changjun clenched his teeth and hissed, as though he had expected as much. His expression shifted several times before he said in a heavy voice: "If I sent you back there once more, could you find the spot?"
Liu Xianyun shook her head. "I don't remember the path very well."
"Worthless!" Yao Changjun's temper erupted. Surging Emperor Might, solid as a physical force, slammed toward Liu Xianyun. Her face flushed red, her mind shook violently, and she coughed up a mouthful of blood.
At that moment, Yang Kai struck.
This old monster Yao Changjun was no easy opponent to deal with. Worse, his temperament was wildly unpredictable — he was clearly a cruel and ruthless man who valued no one's life but his own, relying on his vast cultivation to do as he pleased. If he merely wanted Liu Xianyun to lead him to the origin of the Divine Beauty Heaven-Mending Lotus, that would be fine — Yang Kai could simply take him there. The real danger was that once the old man got what he wanted, he would kill them both to silence them.
Yang Kai estimated there was a very high chance that was exactly what he would do.
So in the instant Yao Changjun's fury peaked, Yang Kai knew the moment had arrived.
The Laws of Space rippled, and the surrounding space froze solid. In the time it took to flick a finger, several massive Moon Blades lashed out toward Yao Changjun.
Yao Changjun was consumed by rage — how could he have anticipated that Yang Kai would dare to attack him? In his mind, the fact that a mere third-level Dao Source Realm brat could remain calm in his presence was already impressive enough. To actually strike at him?
The attack caught him completely off guard.
The pitch-black Moon Blades hurtled toward Yao Changjun's face, poised to cleave him into pieces.
Yet Yao Changjun's expression didn't change. A cold sneer crossed his lips. "You're courting death, boy!"
As the words left his mouth, he reached out and seized the Moon Blades with his bare hand.
The blades, which had never failed to strike their target, were caught in his grip. He crushed them with a violent squeeze, and they shattered into nothing — along with Yang Kai's spatial Laws, which were completely smoothed away by the overwhelming Emperor Might.
"Space Powers?" A flicker of surprise crossed Yao Changjun's face. He regarded Yang Kai with a sharp, appraising gaze. "This boy's interesting. What is Li Wuyi to you?"
"He's your grandfather!" Yang Kai roared. Even as the words left his mouth, the Demon Eye of Annihilation blazed open. Within that golden vertical pupil, the Lotus Birthing Art unfolded smoothly as his Divine Sense poured forth in a devastating torrent, crashing directly into Yao Changjun's mind.
Yao Changjun had never imagined that Yang Kai would dare use a Soul Art against him. Given the vast gap in their cultivations, it was common sense that the weaker party could never use a Soul Art to attack the stronger one — doing so would almost certainly result in a devastating backlash that would destroy one's own soul.
But Yang Kai had done exactly that.
What made Yao Changjun's heart seize with dread was that this happened to be his greatest weakness at the moment.
Yang Kai had apparently known this all along, because he showed no hesitation whatsoever, unleashing an extraordinarily powerful Soul Art without a shred of restraint.
Yao Changjun was struck instantly. His sea of consciousness defenses were torn apart. Searing agony lanced through his skull, and he clutched his head with a cry of pain. The source power within his body spiraled out of his control, rampaging wildly in every direction.
"Go!" Yang Kai barked in a low voice. He had already reached out toward the jade box in Yao Changjun's hand and snatched back the stolen Divine Beauty Heaven-Mending Lotus. Without the slightest delay, he seized the stunned Liu Xianyun, let spatial energy swirl around them, and teleported away.
Boom…
The very instant the two of them vanished, the Yue Ting Tea House collapsed with a thunderous crash.