"Who snatched yours? It's clear that you saw a pretty face and got ideas, tried to tempt her with the origin essence here, and when she rejected you, you flew into a rage and tried to force yourself on her. Fortunately, I was on my guard — otherwise you'd have gotten your way!" Yu Ying cried out with an aggrieved look, tugging at her clothes as she spoke, as though Guan Qi had actually done something to her.
Gan Qi stared at her wide-eyed. "Have you no shame at all?"
Yu Ying's beautiful face darkened, turning sinister in an instant. "You dare say I have no shame?" she snapped.
Guan Qi fumed. "I discovered the origin essence here first. If you want to snatch it, that's one thing — but why twist the truth and blame me?"
The two of them suddenly broke into a heated argument, each claiming to have discovered the origin essence first and accusing the other of trying to steal it. Neither had any proof, so neither could substantiate their claims.
Yang Kai stood off to the side with an expression of utter indifference, sneering inwardly.
If his guess was correct, Guan Qi had been the one to find the origin essence first, and Yu Ying had come to steal it.
The reason was simple: since Guan Qi could enter the Shattered Star Sea, his aptitude within the Wenqing Sect must have been considered excellent — an elite Disciple. And being an elite, he would certainly have cultivated the Wenqing Supreme Art.
The Wenqing Sect's technique used emotion as the path to Dao. While it made those elite Disciples rather promiscuous — each with countless wives and concubines — it was precisely because of the nature of the Wenqing Supreme Art that they would never force themselves upon a woman. When they desired a particular woman, they would necessarily stir their own feelings first, and evoke feelings in the other party as well.
Yu Ying's claim that Guan Qi had seen her beauty and gotten ideas was nothing but nonsense.
Had Yang Kai not previously crossed paths with the Wenqing Sect in the Northern Territory, he would never have known any of this.
But then again, neither of these two was any good — just dogs biting each other, leaving nothing but fur in their mouths.
The two continued arguing for a while longer before Yu Ying suddenly seized Yang Kai's arm and whined in a sugary voice, "Senior Brother Feng, he's bullying me! You have to stand up for me!"
From the way she acted, she clearly intended to use Yang Kai's strength to bully someone by borrowing his authority.
Yang Kai figured he could no longer keep playing spectator. He let out a cold snort and fixed his gaze on Guan Qi. "Kid, you've offended Junior Sister Yu. This matter can't just end here."
Guan Qi clenched his teeth and glared at Yang Kai. "What do you want? I have no grudge against you — neither old nor new. Don't go too far, friend."
His manner was neither servile nor arrogant, which caught Yang Kai slightly off guard. After a brief pause, Yang Kai sneered, "Fortunately, Junior Sister Yu doesn't appear to be hurt. Otherwise, this Feng would take your life!"
Hearing this, Guan Qi felt a wave of relief. It sounded as though Yang Kai didn't intend to make things too difficult for him, which left him thoroughly bewildered — he had no idea what Yang Kai was playing at.
In this godforsaken place, if a Dao Source Third Stage cultivator truly wanted to kill him, he would have no power to resist. Dying here would be dying for nothing.
"Who says I'm not hurt? My heart aches to death! If you don't believe me, Senior Brother, touch and see," Yu Ying cooed from the side, pressing her chest toward Yang Kai as she spoke, striking a pose that invited him to do as he pleased.
A dark expression crossed Yang Kai's face. "There's still an outsider here…"
Yu Ying giggled. "Senior Brother Feng, you really are amusing."
She assumed Yang Kai was simply too shy to get too close to her in front of another person.
Yang Kai immediately changed the subject, turning to Guan Qi and barking, "How about this — leave something behind, and I'll let you go!"
"What?!" Guan Qi's face changed, and his voice rose in alarm. If Yang Kai's demands weren't unreasonable, he might have agreed. But if they went too far, he would sooner fight to the death than let Yang Kai have his way.
"Just leave your ring. Consider it compensation for Junior Sister Yu here," Yang Kai said coldly.
Yu Ying had been somewhat displeased when Yang Kai suggested letting Guan Qi go, but the moment she heard this, her eyes lit up with delight, and she gazed at Yang Kai with gratitude.
Guan Qi was silent for a moment. He seemed to understand that he was now the fish on the cutting board with no way to resist. With great reluctance, he removed the spatial ring from his finger and tossed it toward Yang Kai.
Yang Kai caught it casually, swept his Divine Sense through it, and confirmed there was nothing of particular interest inside before handing it over to Yu Ying.
"Can Guan leave now?" Guan Qi asked uneasily.
"Scram!" Yang Kai barked.
Guan Qi shot a venomous glare at Yang Kai and Yu Ying, as if searing their faces deep into his memory. Then he suddenly activated a secret technique and fled into the distance at tremendous speed.
"Senior Brother Feng, strike now — you can definitely catch him off guard and keep him here!" Yu Ying whispered into Yang Kai's ear, secretly channeling her Source Power as if ready to spring into action at any moment.
This woman is truly vicious! Yang Kai thought with a shock. Even now, she had no intention of letting Guan Qi go — she was determined to take his life. If not for the fact that she didn't have the confidence to do it herself, she would have struck long ago.