In the span of a single exchange, an Elder of the Wenqing Sect at the Emperor Realm had his head smashed to pulp, dying on the spot. This brutal scene drew collective gasps from the warriors gathered nearby, their faces etched with disbelief.
That was the Emperor Realm — how could he have been killed by a single palm strike? How could this fellow called Xiao Baiyi possibly be so powerful?
Having scored a hit, Yang Kai immediately launched another Moon Blade toward a first-stage Emperor Realm cultivator, while simultaneously reaching out to grab Nanmen Dajun without any regard for his own defense.
"So it's you, you little beast!"
That first-stage Emperor Realm cultivator, upon witnessing his companion's death, showed no fear. Instead, a sharp glint flashed in his eyes, as though he had uncovered some tremendous secret. With a single hand, he seized toward Yang Kai, his cultivation surging tier by tier, rapidly breaking past his limits and climbing to a height that bordered on despair.
"Third-stage Emperor Realm?" Yang Kai's eyes bulged. Upon sensing the man's true cultivation, he blurted out in shock: "Feng Xuan! You've been hiding here!"
He had received intelligence before that Feng Xuan was stationed in Ice Wheel City, but now he realized that Feng Xuan had never been in Ice Wheel City at all. Instead, he had been guarding Nanmen Dajun's side the entire time — even disguising his appearance and suppressing his cultivation fluctuations to pose as an ordinary first-stage Emperor Realm cultivator.
As the Sect Master of the Wenqing Sect, he naturally possessed the secret arts required to accomplish such a feat.
He had done this, presumably, to guard against Bing Yun — only for Bing Yun to never show up, and Yang Kai to walk right into the trap instead. A case of stumbling upon something while searching for something else entirely.
Several years ago, Feng Xuan had descended his soul into the Shattered Star Sea and fought Yang Kai through the body of his own son, Feng Xi. Though he had ultimately lost that battle — his son killed in the process — he had committed every one of Yang Kai's techniques and abilities to memory.
Now, the moment the Moon Blade appeared, Feng Xuan recognized Yang Kai's identity.
"Knowing now won't save you. I knew all along that you little beast had close ties to Ice Heart Valley. I never expected you'd walk right into the net. Truly, one searches everywhere without finding it, only to have it fall into one's lap. Die, you little beast!" Feng Xuan sneered. As he drove his Emperor Qi, the Grand Daos manifested around him, forming chains of Emperor Qi law that lashed out to bind Yang Kai.
Yang Kai's expression shifted. He had no choice but to withdraw the massive hand reaching for Nanmen Dajun. His face turned solemn as his hands rapidly formed seals, and he chanted in a low voice: "The waxing and waning of time — like a shuttle, like a dream!"
Seal completed. It crashed down toward Feng Xuan from above.
"Time Shuttle Seal!" Feng Xuan's heart lurched. Sensing the colossal power contained within this technique, even a third-stage Emperor Realm powerhouse like himself couldn't help but feel a chill. Moreover, before that technique, a strange sensation suddenly arose within him.
Everything around him seemed to grind to a halt.
"The Time Laws!" Feng Xuan's face darkened like a pool of still water.
Back in the Shattered Star Sea, Yang Kai had used the Time Shuttle Seal — it was precisely this technique that had led to the defeat of his soul-descended avatar and the death of his son. So for the past several years, Feng Xuan had been investigating the origins and mysteries of this technique.
Hard work paid off. In the end, he had uncovered the truth.
The Time Shuttle Seal was the exclusive divine ability of the Time Emperor. A single seal unleashed could not only bring about the waxing and waning of the ages but also invoked the Time Laws — a formidable secret art that any Emperor Realm cultivator would covet and envy.
Now that Yang Kai was employing the Time Shuttle Seal once more, he wielded it with far greater mastery than a few years ago.
Feng Xuan, engulfed by the Time Laws, froze in place for a fleeting instant.
And in that single instant, Yang Kai had already flickered past him like a bolt of lightning, pouncing before Nanmen Dajun like a tiger descending the mountain.
Nanmen Dajun stumbled back in terror, his Emperor Qi surging as he attempted to resist.
But he was merely at the first-stage Emperor Realm, the same level as Yang Kai. How could he hope to resist? Before he could even summon his Emperor Treasure, Yang Kai's hand had already clamped around his neck. The next moment, a violent force — fierce as a tidal wave — surged into his body, rampaging through his meridians, flesh, and blood. Nanmen Dajun let out a muffled groan, his face turning deathly pale in an instant, cold sweat pouring down his forehead.
"Don't push me to kill you. You're an Array Grandmaster, after all — reaching this level of mastery wasn't easy," Yang Kai coldly snorted upon seeing Nanmen Dajun still struggling to resist.
Nanmen Dajun let out a despondent sigh. He released all his Emperor Qi and allowed Yang Kai to lift him into the air.
Just then, a soft crackling sound echoed out.
Yang Kai turned to look, only to see that Feng Xuan, who had been affected by the Time Laws, had already broken free. The power of the Time Shuttle Seal had not even had time to fully manifest before Feng Xuan expelled it from his body.
"Truly worthy of a Sect Master — impressive indeed!" Yang Kai couldn't help but offer a word of admiration.
The Time Shuttle Seal was no ordinary technique, but the gap between his cultivation and Feng Xuan's was simply too vast. Trapping him for even a brief moment had been nothing short of lucky.
Whoosh whoosh whoosh whoosh…
From all directions, figures shot into the sky one after another, waves of Emperor Qi radiating outward. The Emperor Realm cultivators of the Wenqing Sect — along with those who had recently pledged allegiance to it — had sensed the disturbance and were rushing to reinforce their own.
Judging by the numbers, there were at least thirty or more. Thirty Emperor Realm cultivators — that was a terrifying fighting force.
It might not compare to the thirty-two Demon Kings and Eight Holy Envoys of the Primordial Ancient Lands, but for a single sect to amass so many Emperor Realm experts was a staggering feat.
"Yao'er, we've got what we came for. Fall back now!" Yang Kai barked, calling out to Ji Yao, who was still locked in combat with that second-stage Emperor Realm cultivator.
He had no desire to linger. Having captured Nanmen Dajun, the wisest course was to withdraw immediately.
Ji Yao gave a slight nod. Her Frosty Pear Blossom Sword danced outward, blooming with pear blossom after pear blossom, throwing the Wenqing Sect's second-stage Emperor Realm cultivator into a flurry of desperate defense. Seizing the opening, she disengaged and flew toward Yang Kai.
"Think you can leave? Since you've come, don't even think about going!" Feng Xuan erupted like a volcano, a towering fury blazing within him. The Supreme Wenqing Art surged to its absolute limit, and in the blink of an eye, a wondrous aura of intent blanketed the heavens and earth.