After being slapped by Yang Kai, the Sect Master of the Yellow Springs Sect immediately became well-behaved. The scenery in his field of vision raced past at breakneck speed. Massive stars swept by his shoulders, only to be left behind, shrinking to mere points of light.
In the blink of an eye, the two had traveled untold millions of miles.
Their figures suddenly came to a halt, and the old man was set down by Yang Kai. He hastily steadied himself and looked around. His eyes narrowed: "This is..."
Before him stretched an enormous black hole of incomprehensible size, roiling and writhing like the gaping maw of some colossal beast, gnawing at this world, threatening to swallow it whole.
"Over there — that's your Great Desolation Star Domain!" Yang Kai pointed toward the densest point of the darkness.
The old man's eyes lit up.
"Want to go back?"
The old man nodded vigorously.
"Fine. I'll let you go, but you have to carry a message for me."
The old man asked cautiously, "What message?"
"Tell that guy for me — wash his neck and wait for me to come and take his head!"
"This..."
"Scram!" Yang Kai seized his collar again and, without a word of explanation, hurled him into the darkness. The old man screamed in terror, wanting to resist but unable to gather even a shred of Saint Yuan, and could only plunge headlong into the void, vanishing in the blink of an eye.
Yang Kai shaded his eyes with a hand and peered after him, then let out a soft whistle.
On the other side of the darkness, three figures stood. Besides the sallow-faced man, there were two of Yang Kai's acquaintances.
Li Jiao and Lu Sanniang!
Both of them were unharmed, having suffered no torture or injury. Yet neither had even the slightest thought of escape, for in this world, neither Li Jiao nor Lu Sanniang could exert their full strength — but the middle-aged man before them could.
Controlling them was as easy as pinching snails between his fingers. Neither Li Jiao nor Lu Sanniang could put up even the slightest resistance.
"No matter who you are, you will pay for this!" Li Jiao stared at the middle-aged man with cold menace, his face twisted with vicious intent. Lü Yuqin had been thrown into the darkness right before his eyes, fate unknown. Li Jiao was naturally furious — cursing his own misfortune at being a tiger stranded on the plains. If they were in the Star Boundary, he would have fought the man to the death long ago. Even if he couldn't win, that would still be better than swallowing this humiliation.
The middle-aged man ignored him entirely, merely remarking in a flat tone, "What gives you such confidence?"
Li Jiao let out a cold laugh. "Because you have no idea who you've provoked."
The middle-aged man finally turned his head and looked him up and down. "I doubt you have the means to back that up."
Li Jiao said, "If I had the means, I would have wrung your head off long ago."
"Are you pinning your hopes on that fellow called Yang Kai?" The middle-aged man raised an eyebrow, secretly amused.
He had never even heard of Yang Kai, so how powerful could the man be? Even if he had been lucky enough to become the master of a star domain, he probably couldn't hold the position for long. It was only after chatting with Li Jiao for a while that he had learned of Yang Kai's existence. It wasn't that Li Jiao had been willing to betray Yang Kai — it was simply that with both Lü Yuqin and Lu Sanniang present, he had been compelled to answer certain questions.
"Just wait. You'll regret this." Li Jiao scoffed coldly and said nothing more.
No matter where this fellow came from or what his cultivation level was — as long as he wasn't a Great Emperor, Li Jiao was confident Yang Kai could deal with him. After all, the man had even stormed Dragon Island. What in this world could possibly stump him?
"I hope he truly lives up to what you say. Otherwise, it would be dreadfully boring!" The middle-aged man smiled faintly, then suddenly seemed to sense something and turned to gaze into the darkness.
A ripple spread across the surface of the darkness, and the next instant, a figure shot out from within, flailing wildly, his face still contorted with intense terror.
The middle-aged man reached out and seized the figure in his grip.
The old man was still screaming in panic. The middle-aged man barked a sharp rebuke, and only then did the old man quiet down.
"Lord... my Lord!" The old man cried out in alarm upon recognizing the face before him. Relief at surviving a near-death ordeal surfaced in his eyes. The moment Yang Kai had thrown him into the darkness, he had been certain he was finished.
Who would have thought that Yang Kai would actually keep his word and spare his life — and not only that, but send him back to the Great Desolation Star Domain as well?
"How did you come from over there?" The middle-aged man gazed at the old man with mild curiosity, slowly releasing his grip.
The old man hastily replied, "This humble one endured humiliation and clung to life merely to survive. I came back specifically to alert my Lord."
"That man let you come back?" The middle-aged man frowned slightly, cutting straight to the truth.
The Sect Master of the Yellow Springs Sect flushed with embarrassment but could only nod. "Yes. He told me to come deliver a message to my Lord."
"What message?"
"That ignorant brat declared that sooner or later he would come and test his skills against my Lord." The old man chose his words carefully, naturally not daring to relay Yang Kai's actual words.