The shockwaves from that burst of power were unmistakable even to Yang Kai and the others who had already fled a considerable distance. Their faces were frozen in stunned disbelief. Fan Xin and several other Bing Xin Pavilion disciples were particularly anxious about their master's safety.
They didn't know that Bing Yun had already recovered her peak strength. All they knew was that their master had always been deeply wary of Chi Ri. Now that the two had clashed head-on, they had no idea who would come out on top.
"Someone's coming after us!" Liu Xianyun suddenly pointed behind them and called out sharply.
Yang Kai squinted in that direction, and his brow furrowed. "How did he get through?"
He had assumed that in Bing Yun's current condition, she would absolutely be able to kill Pang Guang right under Chi Ri's nose. After all, Pang Guang was only an Emperor Realm First Stage cultivator, and he was already gravely wounded — how could he possibly withstand a single strike from Bing Yun?
Yet the reality was that Pang Guang was perfectly intact and was now chasing after them.
Yang Kai had no idea what had gone wrong on Bing Yun's end to let Pang Guang slip through, but from the look of things, they wouldn't be able to leave easily either. If they wanted to escape, they would have to kill Pang Guang first.
"That's the Emperor Realm cultivator!" Ling Yinqin recognized Pang Guang's face and couldn't help but blanch. She didn't know his name, but the man had arrived with Chi Ri earlier, which meant he was certainly no friend.
The gap between the Emperor Realm and the Daoyuan Realm was vast. Any single Emperor Realm cultivator possessed the power to effortlessly wipe out everyone on this ship.
Seeing Pang Guang in pursuit, everyone turned nervously to Yang Kai, wondering what he planned to do.
When they looked, Ling Yinqin and the others were momentarily stunned. Yang Kai showed not the slightest trace of nervousness. He stood there with a perfectly serene expression — and if that wasn't enough, a faint mocking smile even played across his lips, as though the approaching figure wasn't an Emperor Realm powerhouse, but rather some suicidal fool.
"You all go ahead first. I'll catch up in a moment," Yang Kai instructed Ling Yinqin and the others, then spun around and leaped out.
"Senior Brother!" Liu Xianyun's face was etched with worry. She looked as though she wanted to stay and fight alongside Yang Kai, but her cultivation was far too low. She feared she would only become a burden, and her expression twisted with conflict.
"Senior Brother Yang, let me help you!" Ling Yinqin said, already preparing to launch herself into the air. She was at the Daoyuan Realm Third Stage, and if she was willing to risk everything, she might be able to exchange a few blows with an Emperor Realm First Stage cultivator. What the outcome would be, however, was anyone's guess. But in this situation, aside from her, none of the others could offer Yang Kai any meaningful assistance.
"Nobody come. I'll handle him myself. A mere Emperor Realm First Stage isn't worth my attention," Yang Kai said, turning back to flash the group a brilliant smile.
Ling Yinqin and the others stared at him blankly.
An Emperor Realm powerhouse had just been reduced to "a mere" in Yang Kai's mouth. No one could fathom where he got such confidence.
"Don't worry, I'll catch up soon," Yang Kai said with a grin, noticing that Ling Yinqin and the others showed no intention of leaving.
With that, he was already moving away from the ship under his own power, flying straight toward Pang Guang.
Ling Yinqin stood on the deck, hesitating for a long moment before finally clenching her teeth. "Let's go!"
"But what about Senior Brother—" Liu Xianyun was so anxious that beads of sweat formed on her forehead.
Ling Yinqin kept her expression stern. "If we stay here, we'll only distract him. Your senior brother is far stronger than an ordinary Daoyuan Realm cultivator. If he's this confident, then he'll be perfectly fine."
Hearing this, Liu Xianyun suddenly recalled the time they had been pursued by a third-stage Emperor Realm cultivator outside Gao City, and Yang Kai had carried her the entire way as they escaped with their lives.
Even a third-stage Emperor Realm cultivator had been unable to do anything to him — how could Pang Guang, a mere first-stage, pose any real threat?
With that thought, Liu Xianyun finally relaxed. She cast one last glance toward where Yang Kai had gone, silently praying that nothing would happen to him. Then she joined forces with Ling Yinqin and the others to drive the ship forward across the distant sea.
On the open water, Pang Guang suddenly halted his pursuit, stopping about a dozen zhang from Yang Kai. His face was contorted with fury as he glared at the young man. But seeing Yang Kai standing there with effortless grace, as poised and striking as a jade tree in the wind, his eyes bright as twin stars — looking for all the world like an immortal descended to earth — only made Pang Guang angrier. The rage inside him surged like flames, and he bellowed, "You little brat, you've got some nerve stopping here to wait for me!"
Yang Kai flashed a grin. "City Lord Pang is so eager for death — naturally, this young lord is happy to oblige."
Pang Guang burst into laughter at that. "Boy, have you gone mad from eating too much lard? I am an Emperor Realm cultivator. Killing you would take no more than a breath."
"So what if you're Emperor Realm?" Yang Kai said with a dismissive flick of his lip. "It's not like I haven't killed one before. The head still hits the ground all the same!"
Pang Guang froze, looking Yang Kai up and down as though seeing him for the first time. After a long pause, he nodded. "I have to admit — your courage is every bit as big as your mouth."
"Enough talk!" Yang Kai wore an expression of open impatience. "This young lord is in a hurry!" As he spoke, his wrist flickered, and the Million Sword materialized in the air. He raised the massive blade and pointed it squarely at Pang Guang. His voice turned cold. "Will you come here and die, or shall I go over there and cut you down? Choose."
"GRAAAAH!" Pang Guang screamed in rage. In all his years, he had never encountered a Daoyuan Realm cultivator this arrogant. In the past, every Daoyuan Realm disciple who crossed his path had been bowing and scraping, barely daring to breathe. It had always been him looking down on them. And now he was being looked down upon by a Daoyuan Realm brat? Smoke practically poured from Pang Guang's seven orifices. He roared, "Today, I will flay the skin from your body — so help me, I swear it on my very existence!"
With that shout, his entire body shot forward like a cannonball hurtling toward Yang Kai. The momentum was staggering — the sheer force of his charge sent shockwaves rippling outward, tearing apart the very space around him.
Still hurtling through the air, he threw a fist directly at Yang Kai. In an instant, a sky full of fist shadows filled the air, engulfing Yang Kai's position in a nearly airtight barrage.