Zhou Yong believed that as long as he showed a shred of resolve, the Sect Master would surely grant his wish. After all, he had dedicated so many years to the Sect — if not for merit, then at least for toil.
"Grand Elder Zhou, is it?" At that moment, Yang Kai suddenly chuckled lightly, a playful look on his face as he gazed at him. "Why don't you tell Sect Master Fu the real reason your grandson died?"
Fu Bo started, thinking: that's right. Zhou Yong had burst in accusing that Great Emperor of killing his grandson, but how could a Great Emperor possibly strike down a Dao Source First Stage cultivator without cause? In normal times, he probably wouldn't even spare such a person a glance, let alone lay a hand on him.
Zhou Yong snorted coldly. "No matter what Ji'er did wrong, you had no right to kill him!"
Yang Kai was momentarily at a loss for words. After a long pause, he raised a thumb in genuine admiration. "Grand Elder truly is something else!"
Zhou Yong fumed. "Ji'er is this old man's grandson! Minor transgressions are forgivable, yet you struck him down without mercy! Today, I have come here to take your lives and avenge my Ji'er!"
"Minor transgressions!" Yang Kai couldn't help but laugh. He turned to Fu Bo. "Sect Master Fu, this Zhou Ji took one look at Madam Feng here and, without so much as asking a single question, tried to forcibly drag her away to serve him in bed. What do you think about that, Sect Master Fu?"
"Forcibly drag her away! To serve him in bed!" Fu Bo was horrified. Cold sweat drenched his forehead, and the room seemed to spin around him. In that moment, he felt as though the world would never see light again.
In front of this Madam Feng, even he had to behave himself and dare not harbor the slightest improper thought. And yet that Zhou Ji had actually tried to kidnap her? And force her to serve him in bed? That was courting death!
Only now did he finally understand why a Great Emperor would strike down a Dao Source First Stage cultivator.
Moreover, knowing Zhou Ji's character as he did, that spoiled young master was entirely capable of doing exactly that.
Yang Kai smiled at Zhou Yong. "I've witnessed the Grand Elder's magnificence today. Truly worthy of belonging to a great Sect — the way you speak is on a whole different level. It really is an eye-opening experience! As you say, if your grandson were still alive and personally mentored by you, he would surely... amount to great things! After all, a grandson takes after his grandfather."
"Words are useless now!" Zhou Yong stared at Yang Kai coldly, killing intent swirling around him. "Only your deaths can quell the fury in this old man's heart!"
He turned toward Fu Bo and spoke in a heavy tone once more. "I beg the Sect Master to grant me this!"
Fu Bo's face was grim as water, silently cursing the Grand Elder for being so blind today. He was just about to secretly transmit a message to warn him of Luan Feng's true power when Yang Kai suddenly spoke up.
"Sect Master Fu, since this Grand Elder is willing to sever ties with your Sect just to put us to death, why not grant him his wish? If you keep blocking him, I'm afraid nobody will be happy."
Hearing this, Fu Bo understood perfectly what Yang Kai meant. He let out a heavy sigh, closed his eyes, and adopted the posture of someone who had washed his hands of the matter entirely.
"Thank you, Sect Master!" Zhou Yong was overjoyed. He spun around, fiercely circulating the Emperor Qi within his body, and slammed a devastating palm strike toward the spot where Yang Kai and the others stood.
The force of his attack made it seem as though he intended to crush them all flat with a single blow.
"A mote of dust daring to contest with the sun!" Luan Feng let out a cold snort. Without any visible movement, she suddenly appeared in front of Yang Kai and raised her hand, sending a jet of pitch-black flame hurtling toward Zhou Yong.
The moment that black flame appeared, it emanated an aura that spoke of the incineration of all things.
Zhou Yong's palm strike collapsed with a thunderous crack. His entire body shuddered violently, riddled with openings.
"What?!" Zhou Yong's face drained of color, his eyes flooding with horror. The aura of death bore down on him, and he cried out: "Sect Master, save me!"
He finally realized he had kicked an iron plate. This refined and beautiful woman's strength far surpassed his own — she was utterly beyond his ability to contest.
Fu Bo's tightly shut eyes snapped open, but before he could say a word, Yang Kai had already spoken coldly: "Sect Master Fu would do well not to bring fire upon yourself!"
Fu Bo's heart lurched, and the words that had risen to his lips were swallowed back down again.
"Ahhhh!" A scream of agony pierced the air. The wisp of World-Extinguishing Black Flame had transformed into a ball of fire that enveloped Zhou Yong entirely, setting him ablaze.
Just as had happened with Wu Yuanzheng before his death, the more desperately Zhou Yong channeled his Emperor Qi, the more fiercely the flames burned — as though his very Emperor Qi had become fuel for the fire.
"Sect Master..." Zhou Yong continued to shriek in anguish, his cries utterly pitiful, still trying to beg for help.
Though Fu Bo felt a pang of pity, he dared not intervene in the slightest. He could only watch helplessly, his expression somber.
A full ten breaths passed before Zhou Yong was reduced to a pile of fine ash. The wisp of World-Extinguishing Black Flame was called back with a casual flick of Luan Feng's hand.
The current Grand Elder of the Yellow Spring Sect — dead, just like that.
After venting her fury, Luan Feng seemed still not entirely appeased. She glared at Yang Kai and said, "I'm terribly sorry, Mr. Yang. I seem to have forgotten about his Space Ring again."
As if she had truly forgotten — this was clearly deliberate. She knew that even after killing Zhou Yong, the Space Ring would never end up in her hands and would only benefit Yang Kai in the end, so she might as well burn it clean to nothing.
Today's affair bore a great deal of Yang Kai's responsibility. Luan Feng was evidently still vexed over how he had sidestepped earlier, forcing her hand into killing that spoiled young master.
Had Yang Kai not dodged aside like that, none of today's troubles would have come to pass.