Last time he had brought Feng Xi to Ice Heart Valley for the marriage proposal, only to suffer a devastating setback at Yang Kai's hands. Not only had Yang Kai used an Emperor Extinguishing Pill to beat him bloody, he had even stolen the space ring containing the betrothal gifts.
Back then, Yang Kai had been merely at the third level of the Dao Source Realm.
The humiliation had been absolute. Now, facing his nemesis once more, his eyes burned with killing intent.
Yao Zhuo's strength had never been mediocre to begin with, and now that he had advanced to the third level of the Emperor Realm, his attacks carried an overwhelming momentum that seemed capable of tearing heaven and earth apart. An ordinary first-level Emperor Realm cultivator would stand no chance against him—anyone who tried to block his blade head-on would likely die on the spot.
"Yang Kai, be careful!"
"Brother Yang, watch out!"
Bing Yun, Ji Yao, and the others all cried out in alarm, their faces tight with worry.
Yang Kai, on the other hand, stood utterly motionless—perfectly still, as if he hadn't even reacted, with no intention of dodging whatsoever. This sight only made Bing Yun and the rest even more anxious.
Yao Zhuo was elated. He poured even more power into his strike, and the dazzling arc of blade light plummeted like a falling star, blazing across everyone's vision.
In that very instant, the crowd's eyes blurred. An unfathomable figure seemed to brush past Yao Zhuo's side, transforming into a wisp of green smoke before appearing directly behind him.
At the same time, Yao Zhuo—who had been charging at Yang Kai with murderous fury—froze in place as though struck by a paralysis spell. The brilliant light of the Emperor Treasure sword in his hand shattered with a deafening crack, and the aura of his third-level Emperor Realm cultivation deflated like a pierced balloon, plummeting at terrifying speed.
"Pfft—" Without any warning, Yao Zhuo sprayed a mist of blood from his mouth, his face going white as paper. His body swayed, on the verge of collapse.
"What?!" The Questioning Heart Sect cultivators were stunned, their eyes filled with horror as they stared at the wisp of green smoke behind Yao Zhuo.
The smoke slowly unfurled, and a figure gradually took shape. This mysterious person—who had appeared from who-knows-where—now stood behind Yao Zhuo with an air of effortless composure, something clutched in his hand.
Thump-thump… thump-thump…
The rhythmic beating echoed from the object in his grip, and every heartbeat made the crowd's scalps tingle with dread.
They could see it clearly now. What the man held was nothing other than a still-beating heart, still warm, roughly the size of a fist. Thick blood vessels were clearly visible on its surface, and with every pulsation, fresh crimson blood seeped from within.
Gulp…
Swallow after swallow, the sound of throats bobbing filled the air. Every gaze drifted involuntarily toward Yao Zhuo's back, and a single look turned them ashen and trembling.
There, at the center of Yao Zhuo's back, a hole had appeared at some unknown moment—a hole that punched clean through his entire body. From behind, one could see the scenery in front of him through his chest. And inside that chest cavity, where the heart should have been, there was nothing at all!
The situation was painfully obvious. Yao Zhuo's heart had been ripped out by this green-robed middle-aged man with a single grab. What kind of terrifying ability was that? Yao Zhuo was a third-level Emperor Realm cultivator, for heaven's sake!
"Who is that man?"
"Does the Northern Domain have someone like this?"
Question after question erupted in everyone's minds, but not a single one found an answer.
"Demon King!" Feng Xuan suddenly barked, as though he had recognized something.
At the same time, Yao Zhuo painfully lowered his gaze to the hole in his chest. His face went utterly colorless, and he turned around with a trembling voice: "Sect Master, save me…"
Fortunately, his cultivation was strong enough. If a normal person had their heart torn out, they would have died instantly. If Feng Xuan could retrieve his heart and supplement it with some supreme healing medicines, there might still be a chance of revival. So Yao Zhuo had used every last shred of his power to seal off his blood flow and was now desperately crying for help.
"Your Sect Master is a drowning man who can barely save himself—where would he find the time to save you?" Yang Kai sneered. He flicked his finger, and a crescent Moon Blade shot toward Yao Zhuo.
Under normal circumstances, even if Yao Zhuo couldn't dodge this kind of attack, he would certainly have had ways to deflect it. But now, with the bulk of his cultivation devoted to suppressing his injuries, he had no strength left to evade or counter.
With a sharp hiss, the Moon Blade sliced through him, cleaving Yao Zhuo cleanly in two. His severed body plummeted from the sky and hit the ground with a wet splat, reduced to a heap of flesh.
A third-level Emperor Realm cultivator—killed just like that, as easily as crushing an insect.
Every last member of the Questioning Heart Sect was struck dumb with terror, their eyes wide with horror.
Pfft…
Ying Fei casually crushed the heart in his hand, then swept the Questioning Heart Sect cultivators with a gaze as sharp as a hawk's. "Young Master Yang, it's these people?"
Yang Kai nodded. "Mm."
The corner of Ying Fei's mouth curved upward. "How do you want them handled, Young Master Yang? Just say the word."
Yang Kai snorted. "How else? Wipe them all out!"
Ying Fei nodded. The very next instant, his figure dissolved into a streak of green light and plunged straight into the ranks of the Questioning Heart Sect's twenty-odd Emperor Realm cultivators. He wove among them like a phantom passing through an invisible army, his aura surging and sweeping in every direction.
Chaos erupted. Everyone scrambled to deploy their techniques, dodging and blocking for their lives.
Feng Xuan flew into a towering rage. His Wind Thunder Divine Spear erupted with storm and lightning, blasting toward Ying Fei.