The unknown powerhouse had likely chosen to descend his soul into Elder Fu's body for several reasons. First, Lin'er was a woman, which would have been somewhat inconvenient. Second, Elder Fu's strength was far greater than hers, so performing the soul descent on him would allow for a wider range of abilities. Moreover, even if Elder Fu's body suffered some damage afterward, it wouldn't matter.
A powerhouse's soul descent placed an enormous burden on the weaker body.
Under Yang Kai's gaze, Elder Fu, who had been lying on the ground, rose rigidly to his feet. His streaked white hair stirred without any wind, and his eyes were deep and fathomless as the sea, inspiring reverence in all who beheld them.
In the blink of an eye, Elder Fu's entire demeanor transformed. His sweeping gaze seemed capable of looking down upon the world, exuding an authority that commanded respect without a single display of anger.
Elder Fu's eyes swept across the scene, lingering on Yang Kai for just an instant before turning toward Lin'er. His expression was placid, revealing nothing of his feelings.
Lin'er seemed to have finally realized what was happening. She reached up and touched the spot on her neck where the pendant had hung, then glanced at Elder Fu. When she met that familiar gaze, she couldn't help but shrink back, already understanding what had occurred.
"Father..." she called softly, her voice barely a whisper. Far from being happy about her father's soul descent, she wore a look of pure fear.
"Hmph!" Elder Fu gave a cold snort and said flatly, "Shouldn't you be confined to your quarters in self-reflection? How did you end up here?"
One question rendered Lin'er speechless. Her gaze shifted evasively, unable to meet his eyes in the slightest.
Yang Kai's mind stirred — so this young lady had snuck out on her own. No wonder she was this terrified even with her own father's soul descended. It seemed all these little girls had a habit of doing this. Mo Xiaoqi was always sneaking off from Spirit Beast Island, and the one before him was no different.
Spoiled rotten, Yang Kai scoffed inwardly.
"What trouble have you caused this time!" Elder Fu demanded.
Lin'er didn't answer. Her eyes darted left and right, clearly searching for an escape route.
"I asked you a question — why don't you answer!" Elder Fu suddenly barked.
Lin'er's delicate body shuddered, and as if by reflex, the words tumbled out: "Your daughter was bullied..."
As she spoke, tears streamed down her cheeks in torrents, sliding one by one over her pale skin, looking as wretched as could be. Gone was her earlier arrogance — she was like an entirely different person.
Even Yang Kai was stunned, thinking that this young lady's acting skills were truly impressive. It looked like she'd had plenty of practice.
The tears came on cue, pouring down freely as though money were no object, her sobs so heartbroken one would think something truly terrible had happened to her. She even pointed a finger at Yang Kai and said, "It was him! He even tried to kill me. Father, you have to stand up for me!"
Elder Fu said without a trace of expression, "Someone dared to bully you? Or was it you throwing your weight around and causing trouble everywhere, only to get taught a lesson?"
He seemed to know his daughter all too well, so he didn't believe a single word. In just a few sentences, he had cut straight to the heart of the matter.
Lin'er's crying stopped abruptly. She stared at Elder Fu with her mouth agape.
"My Lord is truly wise!" Yang Kai quickly clasped his fists and said with a broad grin.
Elder Fu turned his head and regarded Yang Kai coolly. "I am speaking with my own daughter. Since when did I invite your input?"
Yang Kai couldn't help but curl his lip. He felt nothing but irritation.
Elder Fu said, "You don't seem the least bit surprised to see me?"
Yang Kai snorted, "What's there to be surprised about? If not for your indulgence and protection, with your daughter's temperament and her knack for getting into trouble, she'd have been dead long ago — who knows where."
The guy showed him no courtesy whatsoever, so Yang Kai felt no need to be polite either. He'd done nothing wrong in this matter, and he didn't believe this man would really bully a junior over it.
Feng Xi's father, Feng Xuan, might have been willing to shamelessly intervene on his son's behalf, but the man before him absolutely would not. He had to maintain some regard for his own standing. It was precisely because of this that Yang Kai felt no fear at all.
Lin'er stared at Yang Kai in astonishment, never having imagined that he'd have the audacity to speak this way to her own father. Not just anyone could pull that off.
How had she ended up provoking someone like this? Lin'er felt so regretful it was like her guts had turned green.
Elder Fu's eyes sharpened. He spoke in a grave tone, "Boy, are you accusing me of poor discipline?"
Yang Kai merely snorted and didn't bother responding. It was so obvious there was no need to spell it out — asking that was just asking to slap himself in the face.
Elder Fu, seeing Yang Kai's utterly composed demeanor, felt a measure of surprise. He said, "You're not afraid of me?"
Yang Kai glanced at him. "Why would I be afraid of you?"
Had it been before his trip to the Shattered Star Sea, Yang Kai might well have felt fear. But he was no longer lacking in experience — he had already met both the Red Dust Great Emperor and the Devouring Heaven Great Emperor. He was long past being easily intimidated.
"Do you know who I am?" Elder Fu asked.
Yang Kai was silent for a moment, then clasped his fists and said, "Junior Yang Kai greets Lord Nether Soul!"
The bow was not born of dread or fear, but of genuine respect for a powerhouse.
Elder Fu was truly startled this time. There was no other reason — Yang Kai had called out his identity in a single sentence, proving that he was far from ignorant of who he was.