As his thoughts raced, the old man's expression didn't change. He smiled faintly. "Young Master, please don't be angry. I can't kill him, but... I can beat him up a bit and vent your frustration. How about that?"
Yang Kai waved his hand broadly. "Go ahead and try. If the beating satisfies me, I'll let it go. If it doesn't... hmph hmph."
He was partly testing the waters. Although he could sense the flamboyant old man's tremendous power, whether he could actually defeat Cang Mo was still unknown. Cang Mo had burned through enormous reserves in their earlier battle and wasn't at his peak, but he was still a Pseudo Emperor — a heavyweight whose foundation ran deep. It wasn't the kind of opponent just anyone could beat up.
The old man bared his teeth in a savage grin. "I'll make sure the Young Master is satisfied!"
Yang Kai said flatly, "Then I'll be watching." After speaking, he shot a meaningful glance at his dharma body. The two understood each other implicitly — if this old fellow really could beat Cang Mo half to death, they would both rush in together. A swift blade to cut through the mess, a beating for a drowning dog. Best if they could kill Cang Mo on the spot and settle things for good.
Yang Kai didn't care whether the man was from the Star Court, whether he was a subordinate of the Iron Blood Great Emperor. Yang Kai had his own backing, and besides, he himself was the Lord of the Star Region — technically part of the Star Court's structure. The conflict with Cang Mo was an internal dispute. Others might fear the Iron Blood Great Emperor, but Yang Kai had no reason to hold back.
"And who might you be?" Compared to Yang Kai's composure, Cang Mo was clearly frustrated. Today's battle had defied expectations at every turn, his carefully laid plans had completely collapsed, and now some old man had suddenly appeared, declaring he was going to beat him up.
Cang Mo could tell the old fellow was not to be trifled with. He even had a faint sense that... he should recognize this person. But no matter how hard he thought, he couldn't recall ever seeing this man before. With such a flamboyant style and such distinctive features, if Cang Mo had encountered him, there was no way he wouldn't remember.
Hearing the question, the flamboyant old man burst into laughter. "There's no need to ask my name. You heard what I said just now — I don't want to kill you. Be good and let me beat you up so my Young Master can vent his anger, and we'll call it even. But if you dare resist..." His eyes narrowed, and a murderous aura surged skyward. "Fists and feet have no eyes. If I accidentally beat you to death, I'll feel terrible about it!"
"You certainly talk big." Cang Mo was a dignified Pseudo Emperor, practically standing at the absolute peak of this world. Apart from the ten Great Emperors, no one dared speak to him like this. The old man's words infuriated him to the point where his nose nearly went crooked from rage.
The flamboyant old man slowly shook his head. "Most people are foolish, and Pseudo Emperors are no exception. If you were at your peak, you might be able to take three punches and two kicks from me. But in your current state, heh heh..."
As soon as the laughter rang out, his entire figure transformed into a streak of red light and vanished in a flash.
Cang Mo's expression changed. The thunder mallet in his hand trembled, and a bolt of white lightning shot forward with devastating force.
When the red light flickered, the flamboyant old man's form reappeared — directly in the path of the white lightning. It looked like he was about to be struck head-on, but he let out a savage grin, opened his mouth wide, and drew in a sharp breath. From that gaping maw came a terrifying devouring force. In the next instant, the white lightning was swallowed into his stomach.
This sight stunned Yang Kai.
He knew exactly how powerful the white lightning from Cang Mo's thunder mallet could be. His own thirty-zhang dragon body had barely been able to withstand it, with scales flying off in droves. The old man had swallowed the lightning straight into his stomach — how could that end well? The insides were always a weak point.
Yet in reality, after swallowing the lightning, the old man showed not the slightest discomfort. Instead, he cackled eerily, as if he'd just consumed a delicious meal. Then he opened his mouth and spat, and the white lightning actually returned, hurtling straight back toward Cang Mo.
What kind of divine ability was this?! Yang Kai's eyes nearly popped out of his head. At first glance it bore some resemblance to Guixu's power — Guixu could also devour an opponent's energy attacks and return them in full. But on closer inspection, there was a key difference. Guixu's reflection sent the energy back completely unchanged, while the old man's "fighting fire with fire" had injected his own energy. The white lightning now contained a thread of crimson glow.
The whole sequence happened too fast, and the two were too close. Cang Mo, caught off guard, failed to block it. The lightning flashed past, and he was staggered back several steps by his own attack before regaining his footing. By then, the flamboyant old man had already closed in, the overwhelming murderous aura surging around him like an ocean, engulfing everything.
"You are...!" Cang Mo's eyes trembled, and he finally recognized the old man's identity. No wonder he'd felt like he'd seen him before but couldn't match the face — so that was why.
"A Sacred Spirit!" Yang Kai also narrowed his eyes and murmured.
Before the old man had used his power, Yang Kai couldn't sense anything specific. But now that the old man had unleashed his true strength, that ancient, primordial aura had completely transformed — unmistakably the presence of a Sacred Spirit. And judging from the sheer intensity of that aura, he was almost certainly stronger than every Sacred Spirit Yang Kai had ever encountered, aside from the Dragon and Phoenix. The Sacred Venerables of the Primordial Wilds would be absolutely nothing in front of him.
What Sacred Spirit had this old fellow taken the form of? If he was a Sacred Spirit, why did he address Yang Kai as "Young Master"?
Could it be for Zhang Ruoxi's sake again? But that didn't quite add up. Looking at how Luan Feng and Fan Wu and the others in the ancient realm treated him, it was clear that while Sacred Spirits might be wary of Yang Kai, they wouldn't abandon their pride to flatter him. Yang Kai was genuinely puzzled.
While his thoughts were still turning, the old man had already slapped his palm downward. Cang Mo raised all his strength to resist, but it was utterly useless. Just as the old man had said — if Cang Mo were at his peak, even if he couldn't defeat the old man, he could at least fight him for a while. But the earlier battle had gravely drained Cang Mo's vitality, and now he could barely unleash sixty or seventy percent of his full power. How could he possibly withstand the old man's attack?
His Emperor Yuan shield shattered on impact. The palm slammed into his chest, and blood sprayed from his mouth. Cang Mo roared in fury as his body hurtled backward.