The moment Yang Kai uttered those words, both Demon Kings' expressions changed.
Shaya blurted out in shock, "My Lord, you want to take him in?"
She had assumed Yang Kai had come here to kill Bao Qi, which was why she had been so eager and diligent. Demons were a vengeful race by nature, and female demons in particular — it was no exaggeration to say they could hold a grudge until the end of time. Bao Qi had only ever humiliated her once, yet she had never forgotten it. When Yang Kai had asked where a Demon King could be found, she had sold him out in a heartbeat.
She had believed that once Bao Qi was dragged into this world by Lord Yang Kai, his death was a foregone conclusion, and she had been secretly gloating about it. But then she suddenly heard that Yang Kai had other plans.
This was not going well at all.
If Bao Qi truly submitted to Lord Yang Kai, wouldn't she have to work alongside him from now on? Just imagining that scene made Shaya's skin crawl.
"You want to subdue me?" Bao Qi regarded Yang Kai with an amused look, his lips curling with derision. He finally could not hold back a burst of hearty laughter, then scoffed, "Arrogant outsider. I don't know what methods you used to make this wretch submit, but if you're planning to do the same to me, I'm afraid you're going to be disappointed. I am nothing like this wretch!"
Shaya's face went cold. "Watch your mouth. Have you gotten yourself a death wish?"
Bao Qi snorted and shot her a glare, but did not bother engaging with her. Instead, he kept his eyes locked warily on Yang Kai.
He had already made up his mind never to bow his head to this outsider, but this world was clearly peculiar, and he had to be cautious — lest he stumble into a trap. His priority now was to figure out exactly where he was and get out before making any further plans.
"Shaya, is his backbone pretty stiff?" Yang Kai suddenly turned his head and asked.
Shaya replied at once, "Extremely stiff. He even dares to talk back to a Demon Saint."
Bao Qi's face was practically radiating pride, as if that were some great accomplishment.
Shaya continued, "So, my Lord, there's no need to waste words on him. Just kill him and be done with it."
She made the suggestion with undisguised ill intent, harboring her own calculations. Setting aside the fact that she simply did not want to work with Bao Qi, if Yang Kai subdued another Demon King, her uniqueness would vanish entirely. Her standing in Yang Kai's eyes would inevitably take a hit as well.
She could not have wished for a faster death for Bao Qi if she tried.
"Then I suppose there's no other way," Yang Kai gave a slight nod, deciding to cut the Gordian knot. As he spoke, he raised one hand and lightly pressed it toward Bao Qi.
Shaya watched with bright, eager eyes, silently uttering curse after curse in her heart. She was hoping to witness the miserable sight of Bao Qi being obliterated.
Bao Qi, in that same instant, erupted with every shred of his demonic power and lunged forward at Yang Kai.
Yang Kai's raised hand clenched slightly, and Bao Qi was seized with utter horror. He suddenly felt an inconceivably vast force clamp down on him, binding him completely. He, a dignified Demon King, was suddenly reduced to something no different from a newborn infant — pinned in place without even a shred of ability to resist.
His pupils trembled violently, a chill spreading through his entire body. The demonic energy he had summoned was suppressed by that invisible force and locked within him, unable to move.
All his life of cultivation, and he had never encountered anything like this. Bao Qi's mind went blank.
Shaya burst into laughter. "In this place, my Lord is the absolute master. Even a Demon Saint would be no match for him, let alone you!"
Three months ago, when Yang Kai had subdued her, he had said something similar. At the time, Shaya had dismissed it as empty boasting. But the truth had proven that in this place, he truly held dominion over all things.
Now, repeating those same words to Bao Qi, she could not help but gloat.
Bao Qi's face flushed crimson. He was clearly straining with all his might, but against the majestic power of this world, a Demon King's resistance was like an ant trying to topple a tree — utterly futile.
Yang Kai's left eye changed color once more, gleaming with a brilliant golden light.
He gazed into Bao Qi's eyes, channeled his divine soul power, and without a moment's hesitation shattered Bao Qi's soul defenses.
Bao Qi let out a wretched cry, his face twisting in agony. Having his soul defenses forcibly torn apart inflicted no small amount of damage upon him.
Watching Bao Qi's pathetic state, Shaya laughed even more viciously, her face brimming with satisfaction.
As Yang Kai's soul ran rampant within Bao Qi's sea of consciousness, Bao Qi's eyes rolled back in his head. His iron-tower-like frame trembled violently, drenched in a cold sweat in an instant.
After a short while, the golden glow in Yang Kai's eyes receded.
Bao Qi crumpled to the ground like a rag doll, his aura faint and weak. Without careful perception, one might have thought he was already dead.
Shaya furrowed her brow, somewhat displeased.
She had noticed that although Bao Qi was in a miserable state, Yang Kai had not actually killed him. He had merely planted a soul imprint in his mind — the same thing he had done to her back then. The difference was that she had willingly opened her sea of consciousness, while Bao Qi had been forced to accept it, so the treatment had been a bit rougher.
Still, regardless of how it happened, the outcome was the same. She really was going to have to work alongside Bao Qi from now on. Shaya could not help but purse her lips in annoyance.
After standing there for quite some time, Bao Qi finally recovered enough strength to slowly rise to his feet. He looked up at Yang Kai, his gaze complex. He, a Demon King, had been subdued by an existence at the Demon Commander level. A brand had been seared into his mind, and Bao Qi could feel it — that imprint held the power to decide life and death over him.