In the great hall, Yang Kai gazed at the old man with a faint smile, while the expressions of the others wavered between suspicion and alarm.
The old man asked, "Honored Lords… who are you?"
"Playing dumb, are we?"
"This old man doesn't understand what you're talking about."
Yang Kai looked him up and down, then grinned. "Judging by the heavy stench of death on you, you should be well-versed in corpse-refining techniques. Which one from the Yellow Springs Sect are you?"
"Yellow Springs Sect!" Ye Xiyun and the others' faces changed, and they all turned to glare at the old man. Though none of them could perceive anything unusual about him, if Yang Kai said so, it had to be true.
Every martial artist in the entire Star Domain loathed the name Yellow Springs Sect. They had believed that after sweeping the land three years ago, everything had been settled once and for all. Never had they imagined there were still fish that slipped through the net — and right under their noses, no less.
"You must be mistaken, young brother. This old man is not from any Yellow Springs—"
"What did you come to my Dark Star to do? What are you looking for?"
The old man shook his head. "This old man doesn't understand your meaning."
Yang Kai raised his hand, and a chilling killing intent enveloped the old man. In an instant, the old man's hunched posture straightened abruptly, and a formidable aura exploded outward.
Ye Xiyun and the others stared, dumbfounded. Only then did they realize the old man before them was no mere Return Void Realm cultivator — he was clearly a peak Void King Realm expert, his aura even more powerful than any Void King they had previously encountered. It felt as though he could break through the shackles of the Void King Realm at any moment.
No one could tell what secret technique he had employed to conceal his entire cultivation so flawlessly. Had it not been for Yang Kai's piercing insight, no one present would have noticed the slightest flaw.
The anticipated killing blow never came. Yang Kai lowered his raised hand, and the old man, realizing he had been toyed with, dropped his pretense and let out a cold snort. "You forced my hand."
He had indeed been hiding on the Dark Star searching for something, and he hadn't wanted to clash with Lingxiao Sect so soon. But fate had not been kind, and now that things had reached this point, he had no choice but to slaughter his way out.
As he spoke, he produced a massive banner. The banner unfurled, and a surge of bloody energy roiled forth, dyeing the entire hall a deep crimson.
Everyone from Lingxiao Sect instantly felt as though they had plunged into a torrential river of blood. The corrosive aura radiating from the crimson mist made breathing difficult and their Saint Qi falter.
Faces changed all around.
They knew this Blood Sea Banner well. Over the years of fighting Yellow Springs Sect martial artists, every one of them had experienced its power. But never had any Blood Sea Banner been this terrifying!
It seemed that the moment this Blood Sea Banner was deployed, even a third-stage Void King Realm martial artist would have no power to resist.
"There is a road in Heaven, yet you refuse to walk it. There is no gate in Hell, yet you barge in anyway. Today, I shall turn you all into—"
The old man's words cut off abruptly as he bit down on his own tongue. Within the sea of blood, a tiny figure had walked calmly right up to him, raising her head to gaze at him with an expression of innocent curiosity.
The figure emanated not the slightest ripple of power, yet was somehow completely unaffected by his Blood Sea Banner. That diminutive figure suddenly seemed as towering and immovable as a mountain, giving him the inexplicable sensation of needing to look up.
"Impossible!" The old man's face drained of color.
This Artifact had long since surpassed the limits of what the Star Domain could produce — it was a treasure bestowed upon him by a certain honored lord. Relying on its power, he had felt no fear even after his identity was exposed.
In this Star Domain, no one could possibly escape the trapping and corrosive effects of his Blood Sea Banner. Anyone caught within was dead for certain.
And yet, this seven- or eight-year-old girl had simply ignored it.
The little girl before him blinked her eyes, then raised one small hand and grasped. The old man shuddered as though struck by lightning, stumbling back several steps, his face turning slightly pale, shock deepening in his eyes.
His connection to the Blood Sea Banner… had been severed!
He looked up again. The blood-red haze engulfing the hall had vanished without a trace. The Blood Sea Banner now sat in the little girl's hand. She tucked it casually into her spatial ring, then turned and walked back without so much as a glance in his direction.
The old man felt his throat go dry, and he swallowed hard.
His greatest trump card had been stripped away so effortlessly, and the spiritual backlash had further shaken him. The once arrogant and domineering old man now resembled a fanged serpent with its fangs plucked — his aura withered, and all trace of his earlier contempt was gone.
The shock to his spirit was far greater than the wound dealt by the loss of his Artifact.
The feeling that little girl gave him… was not one bit weaker than that of that honored lord.
How could such a powerful person exist in this Star Domain? No wonder the Great Desolation Star Domain had been driven to extinction over these years. With someone like her standing guard, how could any invasion ever succeed?
"That Artifact — did that person help you enhance it?" From the high seat in the hall, Yang Kai sat with legs spread wide, one cheek propped on his hand, regarding the old man with leisurely composure.
The old man trembled and bowed deeply, speaking with utmost respect. "If there is anything the honored lord wishes to know, this old man will hold nothing back. I humbly beg the honored lord to spare my life." Outmatched, he had become remarkably docile.
"You don't seem to be in any position to negotiate terms with me."
The old man kept his head low. "I beg the honored lord to spare my life. I have never done anything to harm this Star Domain."
Yang Kai considered this for a moment, then nodded. "Very well. I won't kill you."
"Can the honored lord's word be trusted?"
Yang Kai smiled faintly. "Usually, when I say something like that, I'm mostly bluffing."