Feng Xi's face turned pale in an instant, a lump forming in his throat. The last time Yang Kai had said something like this, both his and Yao Zhuo's spatial rings had been lost. Now that he was saying it again, Feng Xi had no idea what kind of outrageous demands he was about to make. Suddenly, he understood the source of that unease he'd been feeling.
Feng Xuan also regarded Yang Kai with a strange expression, remarking flatly, "You're negotiating conditions with me?"
Yang Kai glanced at him nonchalantly and said, "Since the Vice Sect Master wants this Azure Blood Qilin back, naturally you'll have to pay a price. You're no young man yourself — surely you know there's no such thing as a free lunch in this world?"
Feng Xuan suppressed the rage building inside him, his expression grim. He snorted, "How much?"
Yang Kai burst into laughter. "The Vice Sect Master speaks his mind — much better than your son. For the sake of your straightforward personality, I won't ask for too much. Just this number will do."
He extended a single finger and waggled it lightly before Feng Xuan's eyes.
Feng Xuan nodded slightly. "Ten million? That's not unreasonable."
Yang Kai's expression blanked, and he let out an incredulous laugh. "Ten million? Vice Sect Master, you must be joking. This Azure Blood Qilin has been passed down through your sect's ancestors for generations. It may not be some great treasure, but it carries tremendous symbolic significance. In the Vice Sect Master's eyes, it's worth only ten million?"
"You want a hundred million?" Feng Xuan's eyes shot out cold light as he roared, "You're too young and too greedy — be careful you don't burst your stomach!"
"A hundred million?" Yang Kai sneered without pause. "The Wenqing Sect is a massive and wealthy organization. A hundred million — are you really going to embarrass yourself by offering that? Even if you're willing to hand it over, I'd be too ashamed to accept. Wouldn't that just lose face for your Wenqing Sect?"
"Don't tell me... you want a billion?" Feng Xuan's head buzzed, nearly spitting blood from sheer fury.
"A billion Mid-grade Source Crystals — that can't be much for the Wenqing Sect, can it?" Yang Kai grinned broadly.
"Mid-grade Source Crystals?" Feng Xuan's lips twitched. He'd assumed Yang Kai meant a billion Low-grade Source Crystals, but it turned out to be Mid-grade. The difference between the two was a factor of a hundred! Even converted to High-grade Source Crystals, that was still ten million. His rage boiling over, he snarled, "You little bastard — so you've been toying with me this entire time, with no sincere intention of returning it at all! Today I'll teach you a lesson on behalf of your master and show you what kind of people in this world you must never cross!"
Previously, he hadn't wanted to personally take action against Yang Kai. After all, this was a public setting with so many onlookers — an Emperor Realm third-level master attacking a Dao Source Realm cultivator would be beneath his dignity.
But after Yang Kai's shameless string of provocations, Feng Xuan had been driven to the brink of madness. What did he care about appearances now? Even if he killed Yang Kai right here and now, no one would likely criticize him for bullying the young. This youth's behavior had been absolutely loathsome beyond measure.
As he spoke, he raised his palm and struck toward Yang Kai from a distance. In an instant, heaven and earth shifted in color, and the laws of the world surged violently.
The entirety of Ice Wheel City seemed enveloped by the power of that single palm. Every person within felt their breathing constrict, a suffocating weight pressing down on their hearts.
Hu Yuan and the others all blanched and retreated in unison, secretly lamenting for Yang Kai in their hearts. This brat truly had no sense of boundaries. To repeatedly provoke an Emperor Realm third-level powerhouse — he was practically begging for death.
Everyone could already envision his corpse lying on the ground moments from now.
Feng Xuan's strike had come without the slightest warning. By the time the women of Ice Heart Yang realized what was happening and moved to intervene, it was already too late.
Yang Kai was pinned in place by the overwhelming Emperor's might, unable to move even a finger. His face was pale, yet there was no trace of fear on it whatsoever. Instead, he regarded Feng Xuan with an expression of calm composure, his eyes filled with mockery.
Hsssh—
A soft sound cut through the air as a streak of snow-white sword light suddenly shot out from somewhere within the inn, heading straight to meet Feng Xuan's descending palm. Its momentum was magnificent, like a rainbow piercing the sky.
An explosive boom rang out as a massive shockwave rippled outward in all directions, sending buildings trembling within a radius of a thousand zhang.
The palm imprint vanished in an instant. The towering sword qi soared straight into the clouds and disappeared in the blink of an eye.
When everyone finally recovered their wits, they found that a young girl had appeared beside Yang Kai. She looked quite young, perhaps seventeen or eighteen, yet her aura was extraordinarily pure — untainted by even a speck of worldly dust.
Feng Xuan's pupils contracted, his gaze locking onto the girl in an instant.
An Ruoyun and the others all widened their beautiful eyes, staring at her with surprise and excitement, their voices trembling: "Master!"
Master?
Hu Yuan and his group, watching from nearby, needed no further explanation to understand who this girl was. This was unmistakably the Founding Ancestor of Ice Heart Valley — the Emperor Realm third-level powerhouse who had vanished three thousand years ago: Bing Yun!
"Disciple greets Master!" An Ruoyun and the others all dropped to their knees in unison.
Bing Yun gave them a light glance, seemingly lost in thought, and showed no intention of acknowledging them. Instead, she turned her beautiful eyes toward Yang Kai, let out a soft humph, and said quietly, "You really are far too bold."