Amidst the sharp whistles of piercing air, a brief and shrill scream rang out. Tang Sheng and Qian Xiuying's eyes went wide, staring as though they had seen a ghost, their horrified gazes fixed on the battlefield not far away.
Lan He was stunned for a moment and hurriedly opened her eyes.
Moments ago, she had been certain Yang Kai was dead for sure, so she hadn't dared to look — but the scream that reached her ears had been nothing like Yang Kai's voice. Now, as her eyes swept across the scene, she witnessed a sight she would never forget for the rest of her life.
Yang Kai was no longer where he had been. Instead, he had appeared directly above the spear-wielding warrior, his expression cold, his killing intent surging like a tide. His large palm pressed down upon the spear-wielder's forehead, and as his Emperor Yuan surged, his robes snapped violently in the wind, his black hair whipping about.
Lan He clearly saw the spear-wielder's skull cave in on one side. Both eyeballs burst from their sockets, and white brain matter splattered in every direction. The man's vitality drained away in the span of a single heartbeat, and his body swayed before plummeting downward.
How was this possible? A question erupted in Lan He's mind. She had her eyes closed just a moment ago and had no idea how Yang Kai had broken free from that five-man killing formation, much less how he had taken an enemy's life in the blink of an eye. But she knew one thing — this was not something an ordinary person could accomplish. Even her own master and mistress would not have been capable of it. Facing such a seamless and airtight encirclement, any Emperor Realm cultivator of the second level would have had no choice but to submit and offer their neck to the blade.
Yet Yang Kai had turned the tables from the jaws of death. Not only was he completely unscathed — he had even killed one in return. Judging by his demeanor, there was not the slightest trace of distress or tension. He looked relaxed, at ease, as though he were slaughtering chickens and dogs.
That had been an Emperor Realm cultivator of the first level! Killed just like that? An unreal sensation surged through Lan He's heart. She was at that same level of cultivation herself, and she understood full well what kind of power an Emperor Realm master was supposed to command. Yet a powerhouse like that — one admired by billions of martial artists across the world — had died at Yang Kai's hands in a single exchange.
An involuntary shudder ran through her, and a chill rose from every pore on her skin. At the same time, an unusual light flickered in her beautiful eyes, and she sensed, with a growing certainty, that Yang Kai might not be so easy to kill this time.
The spear-wielding warrior's death in a single blow had startled the other four as well. Thick terror and wariness surfaced in their eyes, but after only the briefest moment of hesitation, they launched themselves at Yang Kai once more.
Yang Kai let out a hearty laugh. "Since you're in such a hurry to die, I shall grant your wish!" He reached out with one hand, and the Emperor-grade spear was suddenly gripped in his palm. There was no particular technique to it — he simply seized the shaft with both hands and, with a single retraction and thrust, drove the spear forward with a momentum like a rainbow.
That direction had appeared entirely empty at first glance, as though Yang Kai had missed his mark entirely. But the instant the spear tip, wreathed in Emperor Yuan, pierced through the void, a figure appeared there with impossible timing.
The man was an Elder of the Huangquan Sect, who had been intending to attack from the flank. He had barely arrived at his position and had not yet recovered when he felt a deathly aura thrusting straight at his face. In shock, he shook the red banner in his hand, which exploded into a cloud of blood mist — his natal Artifact, the Blood Sea Banner — while he himself retreated under its cover.
But he had pulled back barely half a step before a sudden pain lanced through his chest. His body lurched violently, all the strength in his limbs surging toward the wound, pouring outward in a torrent.
A horrifying thought flashed through his mind, and he looked down in panic. There, in his chest, a fist-sized hole had appeared from seemingly nowhere — punched clean through from front to back, a piercing wound through and through. Peering through the gap, he could even see his own mangled heart contracting rapidly, blood gushing forth like a fountain.
"No!" he screamed toward the sky, as though he could not believe what had befallen him. How could Yang Kai possibly have broken through the protection and defense of his Blood Sea Banner with a single thrust and struck straight at his heart?
The thought had not even finished forming before his body swayed and tumbled headlong from the sky. He was already dead before he hit the ground.
Meanwhile, Yang Kai did not pause for a single breath. As he retracted the spear, he pivoted the shaft and thrust it diagonally upward from beneath his ribs — the entire sequence flowing like water, so dazzling and swift that the onlookers' eyes could hardly keep up.
A soft hiss of air, and the third man, who had been stealthily creeping up behind Yang Kai, took the spear tip squarely on the top of his head. Violent force erupted outward and blew the man's skull apart in an instant.
In Yang Kai's hands, this Emperor-grade Artifact seemed to have been reborn, imbued with a life of its own. Every thrust claimed a soul; every strike drew blood. And this — this was merely him wielding the Artifact as a common weapon, without having even refined it.
But it was not over. Gripping the butt of the spear, Yang Kai suddenly swung it in a powerful horizontal sweep directly in front of him.
The fourth attacker had already launched his killing technique and was charging forward, his momentum fierce and not to be underestimated.
But all five had been acting in concert, and in the space of a single blink, Yang Kai had already annihilated three. Now, with a spear sweeping toward him, the fourth man's heart clenched with terror. His attack had already weakened by a third before it even landed. Without a second thought, he activated his protective Emperor Yuan while simultaneously opening his right hand, summoning a round shield-like Artifact that appeared and blocked his side, seemingly seeking some measure of comfort behind this defensive treasure.
BOOM—
The spear collided with the round shield Artifact, and a thunderous shockwave erupted, resonating with the force of two planets colliding.