If anyone had harbored even the slightest doubt about the authenticity of the Silver Blood Golden Feather Eagle before, that doubt vanished entirely the moment two Blood Guards of the Yang Family appeared before them.
It was indeed the Yang Family's unique Silver Blood Golden Feather Eagle, and Yang Kai was truly a direct-line heir of the Yang Family.
"Where is the Young Master?" The middle-aged man's hawk-like gaze swept across the crowd, his expression betraying no change despite the presence of people from the Xiang and Nan families. He simply raised his voice and asked.
As he spoke, the woman beside him also cast her beautiful, luminous eyes over the crowd, searching for their young master among the assembled figures.
Swish, swish, swish...
Almost every gaze in the crowd locked onto Yang Kai.
In the next moment, the two Blood Guards also turned their eyes toward him. Once they clearly saw Yang Kai's face and assessed his age and cultivation, their expressions shifted to one of shock and suspicion.
As Blood Guards, they had naturally seen the Yang Family's direct-line young masters before. Even if they hadn't interacted with them personally, they had at least crossed paths on several occasions.
Before coming here, the two had already formed a theory: using the Silver Blood Golden Feather Eagle, they could easily track down their young master's whereabouts. If the person looked familiar, they could confirm his identity.
But upon seeing Yang Yang Kai, both of them felt a sharp sense of unfamiliarity!
Were any of the Yang Family's young masters training outside this young? And this face—they had never seen it before, had they?
No wonder they were suspicious. When Yang Kai had left the family, he had been only twelve or thirteen years old and still a mere mortal incapable of Cultivation. After more than five years, Yang Kai had naturally changed a great deal.
It was the woman who looked more carefully. After a long moment, she suddenly cried out in surprise, "The Young Little Master?"
The middle-aged man's eyes narrowed as he fixed his gaze on Yang Kai, a storm of shock raging within his heart.
The Young Little Master! The youngest of the young masters who had been dispersed back then—the one under Fourth Lord Yang's household. But... hadn't they heard that the Young Little Master was born deficient and utterly incapable of Cultivation?
Before leaving the Yang Family this time, the Blood Guards had discussed among themselves that if they encountered the Young Little Master, they needed to provide extra protection, since it was highly likely he was still just an ordinary person.
The Yang Family had enemies everywhere. Someone might very well take this opportunity to assassinate the scattered direct-line heirs.
But looking at the person before them now—how was this any ordinary person? This was clearly a warrior at the sixth layer of the Zhenyuan Realm! Such a level, while not exactly top-tier, was far from weak.
The middle-aged man and the woman exchanged a glance. Their figures flickered, and in the next instant they stood less than a zhang in front of Yang Kai. An invisible wave of force radiated outward, pushing everyone near Yang Kai more than ten zhang away.
The arrogance and overbearing nature of the Yang Family was plain for all to see!
The Hu sisters stumbled back repeatedly, pouting in irritation.
"They're all my friends. Ease up," Yang Kai said, regarding the two with a calm, indifferent look.
The middle-aged man and the woman maintained flat expressions, as if they barely registered him at all.
Until Yang Kai's true identity was confirmed, the Blood Guards would show courtesy to no one.
"Are you truly the Young Little Master?" The middle-aged man frowned as he studied Yang Kai, asking with uncertainty.
Yang Kai gave a slight nod, then flicked his fingertip to draw a small cut. He raised his finger, and several drops of blood immediately fell.
The woman moved with swift eyes and quick hands, producing a jade pendant and holding it out reverently with both hands, catching the drops of blood.
The blood fell into the jade pendant and was absorbed as if devoured, vanishing in an instant. The previously unremarkable pendant suddenly erupted with a brilliant, radiant glow upon absorbing the blood.
Only the direct bloodline of the Yang Family could activate the mysterious light within this jade pendant.
Identity confirmed!
The middle-aged man and the woman exchanged another glance, then quickly dropped to one knee. "Blood Guard Tu Feng!"
"Blood Guard Tang Yuxian... We have come to respectfully welcome the Young Little Master back to the family!"
"Rise."
Tu Feng and Tang Yuxian hurriedly stood up. When they looked at Yang Kai again, their gazes carried far more respect and gravity than before, the earlier casualness completely gone.
If it were any other young master, being at the sixth layer of the Zhenyuan Realm at this age would not have warranted such a dramatic shift in their demeanor.
But the Young Little Master was different.
Because Fourth Lord Yang had sustained injuries that never fully healed, the Young Little Master had been born deficient. During his more than ten years in the Yang Family, he had always been a frail ordinary person unable to even bind a chicken. Yet now he had grown to this level.
All told, in just five years, he had Cultivated to the sixth layer of the Zhenyuan Realm!
Even Tu Feng and Tang Yuxian had to admit they couldn't match such speed. How could they possibly look down on him any further?
Moreover, the Young Little Master's current position was extremely dangerous. This was the front line of the great battle against the Cangyun Evil Lands. As a scion of the Yang Family, he had actually dared to venture here. Such resolve and courage were clearly beyond what an ordinary person could muster.
Tu Feng and Tang Yuxian had originally thought they'd drawn a dull assignment this time. They hadn't expected to arrive and be thoroughly stunned by the Young Little Master first.
The direct line of the Yang Family really was full of madmen—you couldn't judge them by normal standards.
In that moment, both of them felt a degree of admiration.
After studying Yang Kai for a moment, Tu Feng withdrew his gaze, raised his eyes, and asked in a deep voice, "Who is in charge here?"
Xiang Chu's scalp tingled. He hurriedly stepped forward several paces, managing a strained smile as he cupped his fists. "Reporting to the Senior, this place is under the management of my Xiang Family!"
"The Xiang Family..." Tu Feng frowned slightly, gave a small nod, and said, "The decisive battle ended two days ago. There's nothing left to do here, correct? If there's nothing else, we'll be taking the Young Little Master away. If something comes up, just give the order, and we'll lend the Young Little Master a hand to help you out."
"Absolutely not—we wouldn't dare!" Xiang Chu wanted nothing more than to send these Yang Family people as far away as possible. How could he dare say anything more? He quickly added, "There is nothing left to do here, and we were just about to return as well. Please feel free to depart, Senior!"
"Mm." Tu Feng gave him a look that said "at least you know your place," appearing quite satisfied. He was about to lead Yang Kai away when his gaze suddenly froze. A surge of killing intent erupted from his body, radiating in all directions.
Tang Yuxian's beautiful face also turned cold as she cast a frigid look toward the ground.
The members of the Xiang and Nan families had no idea what had just happened. Every one of them felt their souls flee in terror, trembling with fear.
"Heh heh..." Tu Feng suddenly let out a pair of cold laughs, the scars on his face growing ever more grotesque and menacing. His voice turned ice-cold as he spoke. "No wonder Eagle was so startled, circling in the sky and refusing to land. So this is why!"
The Xiang and Nan families were struck with horror.
Xiang Chu's head snapped up, and he stared at Yang Kai with extreme terror. Only at this moment did he finally understand why Yang Kai had plucked two feathers from the Silver Blood Golden Feather Eagle and thrown them on the ground.
This was clearly an attempt to frame them!
"Who dared to strike my Yang Family's Eagle?" Tang Yuxian's face was cold as frost, her beautiful eyes blazing with killing intent as her sharp gaze swept over the members of the Nan and Xiang families. "Step forward on your own!"
Tu Feng also sneered repeatedly. "The Yang Family's Silver Blood Golden Feather Eagle—every single one is invaluable, rarely seen in the world. And yet someone actually dared to lay a hand on it. Interesting, very interesting!"
"Senior!" Cold sweat poured down Xiang Chu's forehead. It seemed as though only now did he truly grasp how sinister and ruthless Yang Kai could be. He stammered, "We were blind and failed to recognize the Silver Blood Golden Feather Eagle in time. It was indeed a rash act on our part, but we did not actually injure it."