After finishing them off, he dragged his battered body through the battlefield. Most of the Emperor Realm cultivators were already dead, and those who weren't were drawing their last breaths. Yang Kai didn't bother checking — whether they were alive or not, he obliterated them with a single palm strike. Even Fu Bo and Xu Changfeng met the same end.
Fu Bo had been suppressed by Yang Kai using the Mountain and River Bell earlier, then hit with its full might when Yang Kai had channeled its power, rendering him unconscious and gravely injured. Had that been all, things might not have been so dire.
The real problem was that the earth-shaking battle between Yang Kai's Dharma Idol and Cang Mo had affected far too wide an area, and Fu Bo — unconscious and right in the thick of it — had naturally suffered terribly. In particular, Cang Mo's Nine Heavens Falling Thunder had struck him who knew how many times. With no way to defend himself while unconscious, he'd been blasted half to death.
Yang Kai was, in a sense, granting him a mercy.
Xu Changfeng had fared no better — arguably worse. During his solo fight against the Dharma Idol, he'd been pummeled without any chance to fight back, then critically wounded by Yang Kai's surprise Moon Blade strike. After that, the crossfire of the great battle had finished the job, and by the time Yang Kai found him, Xu Changfeng's breath was as faint as a dying ember. Had it not been for the deep foundations of a Third-Order Emperor Realm cultivator, he would have been long dead beyond any hope.
Yang Kai, naturally, gave him a quick end as well.
Watching him bustling about, Li Wuyi sighed. "After today, the balance of power in the Eastern Domain is going to shift."
Over thirty Emperor Realm cultivators — including Fu Bo and Xu Changfeng — were dead. Two of the region's top-tier forces had been all but crippled. For years, the Yellow Springs Sect and Brahma Heaven Holy Land had wielded their prestige as supreme powers, throwing their weight around and making plenty of enemies in the process. Now, with their senior leadership wiped out in a single battle, the news would inevitably spread. Every sect and clan that had been suppressed by those two giants would rise up and strike back.
Setting everything else aside, Ahan Hall alone wouldn't pass up the opportunity. With two of the three great forces gone, aside from Ghost Palace — the undisputed overlord — Ahan Hall would be the clear frontrunner in the entire Eastern Domain.
"This kid is certainly ruthless," Jiu Feng remarked.
To slaughter so many Emperor Realm cultivators in one go without so much as a furrowed brow — that spoke of a killer's instinct. The fact that their own little princess had developed feelings for such a person was something that might be fortune or misfortune down the road.
Li Wuyi offered a faint smile. "On the path of martial arts, who hasn't fought and killed their way forward? It's kill or be killed — no one is exempt."
Jiu Feng cast him a sidelong glance. "Sounds like you speak from experience."
Li Wuyi fell silent, clearly dredging up memories from his younger days. For all his refined and gentle bearing now, there had been a time when his killing intent had been utterly overwhelming. Fortunately, just then Tang Sheng, Qian Xiuying, Chi Gui, and the others flew over.
The illustrious Li Wuyi and Jiu Feng had come in person — as the host, Tang Sheng couldn't very well pretend he hadn't seen them. Regardless, it was only proper to pay his respects.
They flew up and offered respectful greetings. Even someone as wild and untamed as Chi Gui was perfectly courteous before Li Wuyi and Jiu Feng.
Neither of them put on airs. They chatted casually with Tang Sheng and the others, leaving the group feeling both flattered and somewhat overwhelmed.
Before long, Yang Kai approached, covered head to toe in blood.
Lan He and Ling Yinqin hurried forward at once. Their beautiful eyes searched him over as Lan He asked anxiously, "Are your injuries serious? Is everything all right?"
Yang Kai flashed a grin. "I'm fine. Won't be dying today."
Ling Yinqin scolded gently. "Why must you always fight so recklessly?"
Yang Kai shrugged. "When someone has a blade to your throat, all you can do is fight back."
Lan He's expression dimmed. "Brother Yang, I... before, I..."
Yang Kai raised a hand to stop her. "Miss Lan, there's no need to feel troubled. I understand your situation, and in a battle of that magnitude, you couldn't have helped anyway." It wasn't that Yang Kai looked down on her — it was simply that in a clash at that level, a first-order Emperor Realm cultivator truly couldn't make a difference.
"You should come back to my place and rest," Ling Yinqin interjected smoothly. "You're absolutely drenched in blood — you need to clean up properly, or you won't be fit to be seen."
Just then, Tang Sheng spoke up to invite Li Wuyi and Jiu Feng to be guests at Celestial Wolf Valley. After all, having them right at the doorstep, it would be unseemly not to extend an invitation.
Hearing this, Yang Kai looked at Li Wuyi and said, "The reason I came to the Eastern Domain in the first place was to visit Spirit Beast Island and discuss some matters of Cultivation with you, Brother Li. Running into you here was a fortunate coincidence. If you're not in a rush, how about we head over together?"
He genuinely needed some time to recover, but he didn't want to miss the chance to meet with Li Wuyi either, which was why he spoke up.
Upon hearing this, both Lan He and Tang Sheng quietly breathed a sigh of relief. Yang Kai's willingness to say such a thing meant he truly hadn't taken the earlier attitude of Celestial Wolf Valley to heart. Otherwise, he wouldn't have agreed to return there to recuperate.
Li Wuyi considered briefly, then said, "I came here primarily because of him." As he spoke, his gaze drifted toward the flamboyant old man, who had been standing there motionless the entire time — his eyes fixed on Yang Kai as though flowers were blooming from his body.
Hearing Li Wuyi's words, the old man chuckled. "Li Wuyi, if you want me to go back to Spirit Beast Island with you, you'll need to ask whether our Young Master agrees first."
Yang Kai cocked his head and stared at him. "Is there something wrong with your head?" At a time like this, still calling him Young Master — what was the point?
The old man's expression turned solemn. "Young Master, my mind is perfectly clear. How could there be anything wrong?"
Yang Kai laughed despite himself. "You want to acknowledge me as your Young Master? Fine. Then go chase down Cang Mo right now and bring me his head."