Yuan Wu lay unconscious, and Madam Hua's face was ashen.
The beach was deathly silent.
After a long while, Madam Hua finally exploded at Yuan Wu: "Stop playing dead and get up this instant!"
A Dragon Clan descendant at the second level of the Emperor Realm — how could he possibly be knocked unconscious by a human at the first level? She was certain Yuan Wu was faking it. She didn't know the reason behind this charade, but right now Yuan Wu was the only one she could order around, so she had no choice but to keep barking orders at him.
Yuan Wu didn't move. He appeared to be truly unconscious.
Madam Hua strode up to him and kicked him hard, but Yuan Wu still showed no reaction.
"You've got some nerve!" Madam Hua seethed with fury and was about to berate him further when the light before her suddenly dimmed. She looked up, and her beautiful eyes contracted sharply.
Yang Kai was already standing in front of her, staring at her coldly.
Madam Hua's heart clenched, and she involuntarily took several steps back, crying out in alarm: "What are you trying to do?"
Even as the words left her mouth, Emperor Yuan surged within her. She raised her hand and slapped a palm strike toward Yang Kai's chest — a blow that seemed to have been premeditated, launched without the slightest warning. Combined with her earlier expression and actions, no one could have guessed she would suddenly lash out.
The moment the palm flew, a smile of triumphant scheming appeared on Madam Hua's face.
She was certain Yang Kai would have no guard against her. With their cultivation at the same level, she was confident she could cripple him with a single strike.
"Devious enough. Consider me schooled!" Yang Kai snorted coldly and threw out a palm strike of his own. His strike was slower to launch but arrived first, slamming squarely into Madam Hua's shoulder.
"Ack!" Madam Hua cried out as she went flying backward. A bloody taste surged up her throat, instantly flooding her mouth. At the same time, a searing pain erupted from her shoulder — it felt as though the bone had been shattered. A violent wave of force poured into her meridians, spreading through her organs and leaving her Emperor Yuan in complete turmoil.
How could he be this strong? Madam Hua's eyes went wide.
They were both at the first level of the Emperor Realm, yet she discovered that Yang Kai's strength was simply incomparable to her own. A single exchange had made her acutely aware of the enormous gulf between them.
Her shapely body crashed to the ground. Before she could even push herself up, the light before her was blocked by a figure. She glared upward to find Yang Kai looking down at her from above, his face twisted in a mocking sneer.
"You… dare hit me?" Her mind reeling, Madam Hua forgot all about the pain in her shoulder and stared at Yang Kai in disbelief.
"Tell me — what reason do I have not to?" Yang Kai raised one foot slightly and pressed it against her chest, the firm flesh immediately deforming under his heel.
Madam Hua gasped in pain, her delicate brows knitting together. Yang Kai's retort left her somewhat dazed.
What reason do you have not to hit me? I am one of the most favored women of Fuchi! On this Spirit Island, who dares lay a hand on me?
"You're courting death!" Madam Hua flew into a complete rage, frantically gathering her Emperor Yuan to fight back. But pinned under Yang Kai's foot, she could barely even rise, let alone resist. She flailed about wildly, her hair coming undone and her hairpins scattering in moments — she looked like a shrew who'd been wronged, all trace of elegance gone, her eyes filled with venomous hatred, her features twisted beyond recognition.
"You're on your way out and you still run your mouth." Yang Kai snorted coldly and applied a fraction more pressure with his foot. Madam Hua let out a sharp cry, her face going deathly pale.
Lü Sanniang finally snapped out of her daze.
Ever since Yang Kai had crushed the Golden-Backed Red Carp, the chain of events had unfolded so rapidly that she had been left completely stunned, rooted to the spot. It wasn't until she sensed Yang Kai's killing intent that she jolted awake, rushing forward to grab his arm and crying out in a low voice: "Brother Yang, no! You can't kill her!"
"There is no one in this world who cannot be killed." Yang Kai turned his head and glared at her, looking somewhat ferocious.
It was the first time Lü Sanniang had seen Yang Kai like this. On their previous encounters, he had always been warm and approachable. The sudden shift in his demeanor startled her, and she instinctively felt a twinge of fear.
But today's trouble had started because of her and her daughter. If Yang Kai actually killed Madam Hua, they would surely never leave this island alive. Even the current situation was already difficult to handle. Lü Sanniang knew Madam Hua's temperament well — after suffering such a humiliating indignity today, it was virtually impossible that she would let it go. Some price would have to be paid to calm her fury.
"You can't kill her, Brother Yang — please, let go of her first!" Lü Sanniang pleaded over and over. She knew Yang Kai was standing up for her and her daughter, and she was endlessly grateful. But with things having escalated to this point, she was at her wit's end.
No matter what, Madam Hua could not be killed. As for the rest, they would have to figure it out later.
Her show of submission gave Madam Hua a glimmer of hope, and her arrogance surged back with a vengeance. She snarled viciously: "Slut! I will report today's events to the Master in full. You and your daughter can just wait to die!"
Lü Sanniang's face went white, and she begged: "Sister, this was Sanniang's fault. Qin'er had nothing to do with it. Please, I beg you — spare her and don't mention Qin'er to the Master."
Madam Hua grinned savagely: "Now you know to beg for mercy? It's already too late. Today, all of you are going to die!"