Ling Yinqin froze on the spot. Many years ago, a man had once said the same thing to her. Even after all this time, she had never forgotten that man's smile or his manner. And now, in this very moment, that figure was gradually merging with the man before her named Yang Kai, leaving her momentarily dazed.
"Well said, but it's utterly meaningless." Yang Leshui let out a cold sneer. "I'd very much like to see how you plan to forge ahead and charge straight on — right in front of me!"
"You're the one who hit my junior sister?" Yang Kai turned a cold gaze toward him.
"That's right." Yang Leshui looked at Yang Kai with contempt. "Daring to act insolently before me — a slap was letting her off easy. If you two—"
He was still spitting threats, but before he'd even finished the sentence, Yang Kai vanished from sight.
The next instant, before his eyes could even adjust, Yang Kai had materialized like a phantom less than half a foot in front of him. His hand came up, and a palm swung straight toward his face.
Yang Leshui flinched instinctively, twisting his body to dodge the blow. But Yang Kai's speed was beyond anything he could have imagined — before he could even move, the slap had already connected squarely with his face.
Slap...
Yang Leshui's entire body went flying, tumbling through the air as he spat out several teeth and a mouthful of blood before crashing heavily to the deck.
Silence. A deathly silence fell over the entire deck.
Jiao Yi and the others stood gaping at the scene in utter disbelief, their feet practically cramping from shock. Ling Yinqin was equally startled, her heart pounding with alarm. Though she hadn't had much interaction with Yang Kai, her impression had been that he wasn't the hot-tempered type — in fact, he seemed rather well-mannered. She never could have imagined that Yang Kai would strike Yang Leshui outright, and do it with such a devastating slap to the face!
What were they going to do now?
She had been hoping to simply part with her money to avert disaster, but now it was clear that had been nothing more than wishful thinking.
Wait — Yang Kai had failed his breakthrough and even severed his own cultivation. His aura should have been weakened, his strength drastically reduced. Yang Leshui was a third-level Dao Source Realm cultivator — even if caught off guard, how could he have failed to dodge that strike?
But when she had watched Yang Kai make his move, there hadn't been the slightest sign of a weakened aura or diminished strength. The Source Force ripple from that palm was clearly the power of a third-level Dao Source Realm cultivator.
What on earth was going on with him? Ling Yinqin was thoroughly bewildered.
The Xuan Yun Pavilion group had frozen in shock as well. Here in the Desolate Void Sea — even on Tong Tian Island — they had always been the ones strutting around untouchable and invincible. Never in their wildest dreams had they imagined someone would slap them in the face like this. And the one who'd been slapped was their own Vice Pavilion Master! Their minds went blank, nearly driving them to stupidity.
"You... you dare hit me?" Yang Leshui pulled himself up from the ground, his face completely twisted into a grotesque mask of rage. He spat out a mouthful of blood, then fixed Yang Kai with a vicious glare and roared: "Do you have any idea who I am? You dare hit me?!"
Yang Kai let out a cold snort. "Daring to act insolently before me — a slap was letting you off easy. Keep yapping and I'll take your wretched life!"
Yang Leshui froze for a moment, then flew into a rage so extreme it twisted into hysterical laughter. "Kill! Kill them all! I want every man on this ship dead! I want every woman on this ship to wish they were dead!"
He had been truly provoked by Yang Kai. He had completely lost control, his expression twisted with venomous hatred.
Hearing this, Ling Yinqin's face changed drastically. "Vice Pavilion Master Yang, please show mercy!" she cried out in alarm.
She had only a dozen or so crew members on her ship, and only half of them were in the Dao Source Realm, with the remaining half merely at the Void King Realm. But the Xuan Yun Pavilion group numbered at least thirty, with over twenty in the Dao Source Realm alone. Such a massive force was more than they could handle no matter how you looked at it. If a real fight broke out, her people would die without even graves to be buried in.
As their leader, she naturally had to consider the well-being of her crew.
Yang Leshui snarled menacingly: "It's too late for talk! Ling Yinqin, I'll deal with you personally — strip you naked and hang you on the gates of Tong Tian City for all to see!"
His fury at Yang Kai had spilled over onto Ling Yinqin as well. For a female martial artist to be stripped naked and hung on the city gates for the public to gawk at — that was the ultimate humiliation. Hearing this, Ling Yinqin felt her heart plummet to the depths of her chest.
Boom... boom... boom...
The Xuan Yun Pavilion warriors were already swarming toward them in a massive wave, every last one wearing a terrifying, savage expression. It was clear they intended to leave Ling Yinqin and her crew no chance of survival.
Seeing this, Ling Yinqin knew there was no turning back. She gritted her teeth and shouted: "Prepare for battle!"
Jiao Yi and the others tensed, each one channeling their Source Force and summoning their Artifacts.
A figure flickered, and Yang Kai suddenly reappeared before Jiao Yi and the others, standing face to face with the oncoming storm.
"Senior Brother, be careful!" Liu Xianyun had also drawn her Artifact. Seeing Yang Kai step forward, she called out in a low voice.
"Take care of yourselves." As he spoke, Yang Kai flicked his wrist, and a broad, heavy sword materialized in his palm, which he gripped firmly.
"Cut off his limbs! Cripple his cultivation! I want him to know what happens to those who offend me!" Yang Leshui's bloodshot eyes burned with hatred as he fixed his gaze on Yang Kai, screaming the order at his subordinates.