Hearing Zi Yu's words, Bing Yun nodded but Yang Kai laughed and said, "Junior Sister Yu, I appreciate the sentiment, but if he's nothing more than an embroidered pillow, then I've got even less reason to be afraid of him. Just watch me go over there and beat him so badly his own mother won't recognize him!"
Zi Yu couldn't help but giggle at his words.
Bing Yun said, "Don't let your guard down. I know your abilities to some extent — Feng Xi is no match for you. But I remember that when Feng Xuan broke through to the Emperor Realm's third stage, he condensed an Emperor's Elixir just as I did. If that Emperor's Elixir is in Feng Xi's hands, you must end the fight quickly. Don't give him even the slightest opportunity to use it."
Yang Kai's brows furrowed at this.
He wouldn't fear Feng Xi no matter how great his abilities were, but the Emperor's Elixir was something he had to watch out for. He had used one himself on two occasions, and each time its power had been absolutely devastating. If Feng Xi actually deployed an Emperor's Elixir, Yang Kai knew he would be no match whatsoever.
Thinking this through, Yang Kai nodded. "I'll keep that in mind."
"But don't worry too much. If he truly uses the Emperor's Elixir, I'll step in," Bing Yun added.
Yang Kai grinned. "With Senior Bing Yun watching over me, this junior can rest easy."
"Let's head over first. If we keep them waiting too long, who knows what accusations they'll cook up," Bing Yun said, and led the group toward the center of Ice Wheel City.
The commotion had long since drawn the attention of every martial artist in Ice Wheel City. Though many didn't understand the full details, everyone now knew that the Young Sect Master of the Wenqing Sect, Feng Xi, was going to face off against an unknown young cultivator on the arena stage.
Nearly every martial artist in the city was flooding toward the arena by the time Yang Kai and Bing Yun's group arrived. The stage was already surrounded — front, back, left, right, three layers deep — so tightly packed that not even a drop of water could slip through.
The arena itself was rather impressive. It seemed the City Lord of Ice Wheel City had established it specifically for martial artists to settle their disputes. Dozens of layers of restrictions lined the stage, allowing the fighters inside to go all out without worrying about destroying it.
The arena covered an enormous area — a hundred zhang across, elliptical in shape — with tiered viewing platforms built up all around it for spectators.
At this moment, every seat on those platforms was filled to capacity, and people continued streaming in from all directions.
Feng Xi was already standing at the center of the stage, a faint, cold smirk playing at the corner of his lips. His expression was one of unfathomable arrogance, utterly contemptuous.
The moment he spotted Yang Kai, he raised a hand and beckoned, then slowly drew a finger across his own throat — a clear gesture that he intended to kill Yang Kai and be done with it.
"Be careful!" Bing Yun whispered in Yang Kai's ear one more time.
Yang Kai gave a slight nod, and his figure flickered as he shot directly onto the stage, landing a full ten zhang from Feng Xi. The two faced each other across the open ground.
A wave of murmurs swept through the crowd. Many eyed Yang Kai with curiosity, pointing and whispering among themselves, wondering where this nobody had crawled out from to dare face the Young Sect Master of the Wenqing Sect on this stage.
Some busybodies spread word of what had happened at the inn earlier. When the crowd learned that Yang Kai had robbed the Wenqing Sect Master of a hundred thousand mid-grade Source Crystals, and that the night before he had even snatched the Vice Sect Master and the Young Sect Master's storage rings, the onlookers erupted with excitement.
Most of the martial artists living in Ice Heart City still sympathized with Ice Heart Valley and had little love for the Wenqing Sect. The news that the Wenqing Sect's father-and-son pair had taken such a massive loss at Yang Kai's hands left them buzzing with elation.
The clamor and chatter from all sides surged like a tide, pouring into Feng Xi's ears and turning his expression uglier by the second. His emotions, inevitably, began to waver.
On the viewing platform, Feng Xuan — who had been watching in silence — seemed to sense this. He barked coldly, "Feng Xi! If you cannot grind this brat's bones to dust today, you are no longer my Young Sect Master. But if you can do it, I promise you may take Miss Zi Yu as your bride!"
Feng Xi's spirits surged instantly. His face flushed with excitement, and he declared with pride, "Rest assured, Father. I will not fail your expectations. I will use this brat's blood and soul to wash away our sect's humiliation, and show him the consequences of offending those he should never have crossed."
"Good! Go all out — hold nothing back!" Feng Xuan nodded with satisfaction.
On the stage, a vicious glint flickered across Feng Xi's face as he stared coldly at Yang Kai. "Brat, you heard my father. If you don't want to suffer for nothing, get on your knees right now and kowtow an apology. This Young Master will grant you a quick death. Otherwise—"
Before he could finish, Yang Kai's figure flickered in the distance and he vanished from where he stood.
Feng Xi's face drained of color. He immediately sent his divine sense sweeping outward, searching for any trace of Yang Kai. To his shock, there was nothing — not the faintest hint of Yang Kai's aura anywhere around him. It was as though the man had simply ceased to exist between heaven and earth. He hadn't even seen how Yang Kai disappeared.
Just as his mind raced with unease, a primal surge of danger erupted from his heart. Without a thought, he roared and channeled his Source Power. An elliptical barrier of light bloomed across his body, shrouding him completely like a protective shell.
It was clearly an Artifact of extremely high quality, and its defense was flawless — no gaps, no blind spots whatsoever.
But the moment he activated it, Yang Kai materialized before him like a ghost, a mocking expression on his face, and threw a punch straight at him.
As the fist descended, the wind howled, the clouds churned, and heaven and earth shook.