Qin Chaoyang's eyes went blank as he stared at the figure blocking the doorway. He never expected Yang Kai to appear at this critical moment, and that a single finger strike had wounded Luo Ping! His expression changed, and Qin Chaoyang panicked. While Yang Kai didn't know Luo Ping's identity, he did. This was not someone you could provoke at will. If not for that, Luo Ping wouldn't have the qualifications to oversee the Qin family.
"Family Head Qin, it's been a while!" Yang Kai said with a faint smile.
Only then did the round-hatted servant boy step out from behind him, his face twisted in a bitter grimace. "Family Head, this gentleman insisted on seeing you. This servant came to report, but hearing the commotion inside, I didn't dare intrude, and didn't expect..."
Qin Chaoyang waved a hand. "You may leave."
The servant boy, as if granted a great reprieve, hurriedly ran out.
"Who are you, and why such a vicious attack?" Luo Ping gritted out through clenched teeth. The earlier strike from Yang Kai's finger had pierced through his palm, leaving a hole that now bled profusely.
"Vicious?" Yang Kai grinned. "Compared to what you intend to do, this is nothing." He turned his head to look at Qin Chaoyang. "Who is this fellow?"
Having listened for a while, he still didn't know this man's exact identity, but Qin Chaoyang seemed quite fearful of him.
Qin Chaoyang's face was bitter, but before he could speak, Luo Ping shouted harshly, "This young master is a disciple of the Star God Palace! You dare wound me? You are dead!"
"Star God Palace?" Yang Kai frowned.
Luo Ping grinned ferociously. "What? Scared? If you're scared, then kneel down and kowtow a few times to this young master. Maybe I'll spare your life!"
"Is he truly a Star God Palace disciple?" Yang Kai asked solemnly, looking at Qin Chaoyang.
Qin Chaoyang smiled bitterly. "Without a doubt."
Yang Kai nodded. Star God Palace disciples weren't something you could casually impersonate. In the Southern Domain, impersonating a disciple from one of the other three great sects might not necessarily bring immediate consequences, as long as you weren't caught in the act. But if someone impersonated a Star God Palace disciple, it would invite utter destruction.
This person before him had a Dao Source Third Stage cultivation, which was respectable, and his aura was steady. He was young, likely from a major sect. Given that Qin Chaoyang had said so, he must have verified the man's identity. In other words, this Luo Ping was genuinely a disciple of the Star God Palace.
No wonder his tone was so arrogant, and he felt no fear facing an Emperor Realm master like himself. It was all due to his identity as a Star God Palace disciple.
"Kneel!" Luo Ping clutched his bleeding hand and snarled at Yang Kai.
Yang Kai slowly raised a palm, with Profound Qi surging within. He spoke flatly, "I'll give you three breaths to get out of here. If you're still here after three breaths, I will clean house on behalf of the Star God Palace!"
Luo Ping froze, momentarily stunned.
He had assumed that once he revealed his identity, this man would panic. Instead, the other party didn't take him seriously at all, and was even arrogantly claiming he would "clean house" for the Star God Palace. Was he serious? Was this man's mind addled? He was a Star God Palace disciple!
"Yang Kai, don't be rash!" Qin Chaoyang cried out in alarm, his face turning pale. If Luo Ping actually died at the Qin family residence, then the Qin family would be finished.
"Yang Kai?" Upon hearing Qin Chaoyang's shout, Luo Ping's eyes widened in shock. He scrutinized Yang Kai intently, and then his pupils contracted sharply, revealing a look of fear.
He suddenly recalled a communication transmission he had received from the sect not long ago. The name and description of the person in that transmission matched the man before him almost perfectly.
This man was that Yang Kai? If it truly was that person, then his own identity as a Star God Palace disciple wouldn't be enough to intimidate him. Seeing the power in Yang Kai's palm growing more and more turbulent, he no longer dared to stay. His figure swayed, and he immediately dashed outward, fleeing the Qin residence at great speed, not even daring to leave behind a single threatening word.
Qin Chaoyang stared in astonishment at the direction Luo Ping had vanished, his mind reeling.
What just happened?
An esteemed Star God Palace disciple had fled like a dog that had lost its home. Had he seen things incorrectly? Even if Yang Kai displayed Emperor Realm cultivation, that shouldn't have scared him this badly. Was this really a Star God Palace disciple? Qin Chaoyang even began to doubt whether Luo Ping's identity was real or not.
In a narrow alley in Maple Forest City, Luo Ping came to a stop, his face deathly pale. He released his spiritual sense, and upon sensing no trace of Yang Kai's aura, he finally let out a huge sigh of relief and collapsed unceremoniously onto the ground. All the demeanor of a major sect disciple vanished without a trace.
Only at this moment did he feel a surge of palpitations and lingering fear. His hands trembled uncontrollably.
His identity as a Star God Palace disciple was absolutely genuine, not an impersonation. Moreover, he was an Inner Disciple, holding a position of some standing within the Star God Palace.
A disciple of his caliber roaming the Southern Domain would typically not need to respect most Emperor Realm masters he encountered. But that man called Yang Kai was different—fundamentally different from any other Emperor Realm cultivator.
Some time ago, he had received a sect transmission instructing disciples abroad to be on the lookout for a certain individual, and that individual was Yang Kai. Luo Ping hadn't understood why the sect wanted to track down such a person. Later, he ran into a senior brother in Spirit Lake City and made some inquiries, which finally shed light on the matter.
This Yang Kai was implicated in the deaths of Elder Tan Junhao and Deacon Wu Ming. Moreover, all evidence suggested that Elder Tan and Deacon Wu had been killed by his hand.
This matter had been confirmed by over twenty Emperor Realm powerhouses in the Southern Domain, with not the slightest hint of falsehood.