The instant the middle-aged man's mind faltered, Yang Kai struck.
Two bestial roars thundered forth as the White Tiger and Divine Bull burst into existence.
A crimson long sword materialized in his hand, and with a single swing he sent a streak of blade energy over ten zhang long hurtling forward. A storm of flower petals erupted from within his body, spinning like razors as they shot toward the middle-aged man.
A purple ghostly light rippled outward once more—his Soul Technique blazed to its fullest brilliance!
In that instant, Yang Kai had employed every conventional means at his disposal.
Sensing the terrifying power bearing down on him, the middle-aged man let out a startled shriek. He finally dared not show the slightest carelessness, desperately dodging the blade energy, only to find himself entangled by the White Tiger and Divine Bull. Before he could disperse the two beast spirits, the Thousand-Petal Blood Begonia—trailing its sweet floral fragrance—had already wrapped entirely around him.
Boom!
The middle-aged man frantically drove his Zhenyuan. A visible shockwave radiated outward from him at its center, and a howling gale surged up, carrying his power within its currents to block the attacks of the Thousand-Petal Blood Begonia and the two beast spirits.
His body shot into the air, twisted mid-flight, and rather than retreating, he charged straight at Yang Kai.
After all, he was a third-layer Shenyou Realm expert. Though he had briefly been thrown off by Yang Kai's words and lost the initiative, his instinctive combat experience led him to choose the most effective fighting approach.
This young man was undoubtedly formidable—possessing combat power far exceeding what a seventh-layer Zhenyuan Realm martial artist should wield. But the middle-aged man keenly perceived that the Soul Technique Yang Kai deployed seemed somewhat ethereal and insubstantial, not as refined as a typical Shenyou Realm practitioner's.
Strictly speaking, it was a tree without roots, a stream without a source.
Though powerful, it was not as terrifying as it could be.
The reason was simple: Yang Kai currently possessed only Divine Sense. Though he could use Soul Techniques, he had yet to form a Sea of Consciousness.
Only once his Sea of Consciousness took shape would the full power of his Soul Techniques be truly unleashed.
The middle-aged man didn't know the specifics, but he made the correct choice regardless.
As long as he could withstand Yang Kai's soul attacks, then at the end of the day, Yang Kai was still just a Zhenyuan Realm martial artist. Even if he wielded excellent Artifacts, even if his martial techniques were wondrous and refined, his realm was still several levels below his own.
There was no reason he couldn't kill him!
In that brief moment of clarity, the middle-aged man had already steadied his footing. His hands formed seals, and a burst of lightning and thunder erupted—it seemed his Zhenyuan could channel the miraculous power of heaven and earth's lightning.
Crack-crack-crack...
Bolts of lightning thicker than a thigh lashed down from the sky, electric serpents crackling through the air as they enveloped Yang Kai layer by layer.
He was the strongest among the four sent to hunt Yang Kai, and his opening moves carried a commanding momentum.
Yang Kai had no chance to dodge. Entangled by those crackling arcs of lightning, he was instantly hampered, his body going numb and tingly.
His expression turned cold and severe. True Yang Energy surged from within his body, forming a seemingly thin defensive barrier that blocked the harassment of the lightning arcs.
The Shura Sword in his hand slashed repeatedly, sending blade energy arcing through the air in fierce strikes. The scattered Thousand-Petal Blood Begonia reformed, seizing every opening to launch vicious attacks at the middle-aged man.
The middle-aged man held nothing back either, quickly producing a small hammer. Lightning crackled across its surface, and once it was in his hand, the power of lightning he wielded intensified further.
The two beast spirits charged at him again and again, only to be intercepted by his lightning bolts each time, unable to advance or retreat.
One hovered in midair, the other stood on the ground, less than ten zhang apart, both unleashing everything they had. For a time, they fought evenly matched.
The middle-aged man's brow furrowed tightly. He sensed things were going badly.
This assassination attempt on the Yang family's young master had been an enormous gamble. In their plan, a single decisive strike would be followed by an immediate retreat. Even if the Yang young master had two Blood Guards by his side, they had feared nothing.
But they never imagined that this young master of the Yang family would prove so formidable—not only had he killed three experts whose realms exceeded his own, he could also hold his own against a third-layer Shenyou Realm fighter with remarkable skill.
The two Artifacts he used were of extraordinary grade—both were heaven-grade, top-tier quality.
His martial techniques were refined, his Zhenyuan pure, and he possessed Soul Techniques!
The middle-aged man made a hasty calculation in the midst of the fray. He would need at least half a shichen to kill him—and that was under ideal conditions, with no interference.
Time was now pressing. How could the opponent give him half a shichen? Moreover, whether this young master of the Yang family still had trump cards left to play, the middle-aged man couldn't say.
This time, they were probably doomed! His heart filled with anxiety.
Just then, from the other battlefield, came a roar that shook heaven and earth.
The cloud-shroud that had enveloped the three Shenyou Realm fighters rapidly dissipated under that single bellow. Tu Feng's figure emerged, his body flickering with a sinister red glow, his expression savage and terrifying, the scars on his face seeming to writhe like living things.
The Tyrant Blood Rage Art!
"Yuxian, leave this to me," Tu Feng said flatly, his chilling gaze making the three Shenyou Realm fighters' scalps tingle.
Tang Yuxian said nothing. She launched herself out of the fray and flew swiftly toward Yang Kai's position.
The middle-aged man locked in combat with Yang Kai caught sight of Tang Yuxian's figure hurtling over. How could he dare linger?
He was merely a third-layer Shenyou Realm fighter. In this operation, his sole responsibility was to kill the Yang family's young master. Fighting a Blood Guard— he wasn't qualified for that.
In a panic, he threw everything he had at Yang Kai, momentarily holding him back, then fled without a backward glance.