"You really are courting death!" Yao Zhuo was fuming with rage, blood and qi churning in his chest. He was indeed gravely wounded, but he was still an Emperor Realm second-stage cultivator. For Yang Kai, a mere Dao Source Realm third-stage, to so brazenly extort him — how could he tolerate that? His fury boiled over, and he wanted nothing more than to stride forward and slap Yang Kai to death on the spot.
He didn't believe for a moment that Yang Kai had another Emperor's Ultimate Pill. Such pills were exceedingly rare — for an ordinary person to produce one was already remarkable, let alone a second.
"You still dare to threaten me? Believe it or not, I'll have you all killed right here!" Yang Kai's expression turned vicious.
"You? What can you do?" Yao Zhuo sneered repeatedly, his face dripping with mockery and derision.
Yang Kai turned to look at Sun Yunxiu and extended his hand. "Give me back the token!"
Sun Yunxiu didn't know what he intended, but the token had indeed been brought by Yang Kai, and he had earlier produced Bing Yun's Emperor's Ultimate Pill — a clear sign that he had a deep connection with her master. So Sun Yunxiu didn't hesitate. She hurriedly clasped the Ancestral Master's Token in both hands and returned it to Yang Kai.
Yang Kai raised the token high, swept his gaze around the surroundings, and called out in a booming voice: "The Sect Rules of Ice Heart Valley state — upon seeing the Ancestral Master's Token, it is as if seeing the Ancestral Master herself!"
An Ruoyun, Sun Yunxiu, and the others all froze upon hearing this, but they quickly recalled that the valley did indeed have such a rule. They hurriedly dropped to their knees and said in unison: "Disciples greet the Ancestral Master!"
Yang Kai fixed a cold stare on Yao Zhuo and Feng Xi and shouted sharply: "In the name of Senior Bing Yun, I command you — kill these two!"
Hiss...
Yao Zhuo and Feng Xi's faces changed dramatically. Horror filled their eyes as they both retreated several steps, their guards raised to the extreme.
Yang Kai alone was certainly no threat they took seriously, but the Emperor Realm cultivators of Ice Heart Valley were another matter entirely. There were more than a dozen of them here, including two at the second stage. In Yao Zhuo's current state of severe injury, he was no match for them whatsoever.
If these women obeyed the command, then today would truly be his death anniversary.
The women of Ice Heart Valley were also stunned by the order, but Sun Yunxiu was the first to react — she shot forward and darted behind Yao Zhuo and Feng Xi, blocking their path of retreat.
The other women, though feeling it was somewhat overstepping, still spread out to surround the two Wenqing Sect members. Each produced her own artifact, the group assuming battle stances, ready to strike at any moment.
Yao Zhuo's face went deathly pale in an instant, and Feng Xi trembled all over, nervously swallowing again and again. As the Young Sect Master of Wenqing Sect, he had been pampered and privileged since childhood — he had never encountered anything like this before. Only now, caught between life and death, did he understand what true fear was.
Yang Kai stood off to the side with a sinister cackle, casually tossing the Ancestral Master's Token up and down, wearing the smug expression of a petty villain reveling in his triumph.
"Young Master Yang..." An Ruoyun looked at him and said softly, "Are you really going to have them killed?"
Inwardly, she did not wish to kill Yao Zhuo and Feng Xi here. After all, their identities and status were extraordinary — if they truly died at Ice Heart Valley's hands, the Wenqing Sect would certainly not let the matter rest. When war broke out between the two great sects, the entire Northern Region would be plunged into suffering. Even if her master returned, the sect would likely still suffer devastating casualties.
As Acting Valley Master, she could not afford to ignore these considerations. She feared Yang Kai truly intended to order them to kill out of nothing more than spite.
If that were truly the case, she would rather defy the Ancestral Master's Token than carry out such an order. She believed that even if her master found out, she would not blame her.
Yang Kai let out a low, dark chuckle. "That all depends on whether these two gentlemen are sensible enough."
An Ruoyun's heart eased at those words. She thought to herself that this young man was not as simple-minded as he seemed — by issuing such an order, he clearly still intended to extract some benefit from Yao Zhuo. Otherwise, he would have pressed them to act already and wouldn't have said such things.
As long as no one died, everything could be negotiated. With that thought, An Ruoyun asked no further questions. Instead, she grew curious about just how far Yang Kai would push this.
"Acting Valley Master, Elder Sun — you are both Emperor Realm powerhouses. Are you truly willing to be ordered around at random by some nameless brat? You are people of high standing — won't it be embarrassing if word gets out?" Yao Zhuo couldn't reason with Yang Kai, so he turned his efforts toward An Ruoyun and Sun Yunxiu, hoping they would consider their own dignity and stop acting so recklessly.
Sun Yunxiu said coolly: "The Ancestral Master's Token is here — we have no choice in the matter. If the Vice Sect Master has objections, he can take it up with my master!"
Yao Zhuo was immediately silenced. Bing Yun's single Emperor's Ultimate Pill had nearly cost him his life — how would he dare argue with her in person?
He ground his teeth until they creaked, his emotions in turmoil. From the beginning of his cultivation until now, he had never suffered such a humiliating indignity — to be threatened by a young man whose cultivation was far beneath his own.
But when you're under someone else's roof, you have no choice but to bow your head.