In that instant, jealousy turned Fang Tai's eyes red. He'd been at Qiaodi for several months himself, so he knew full well how difficult it was for a menial worker to be promoted to ordinary Disciple. Yet here Yang Kai stood wearing the Seven-Colored Robe, clearly having shed his menial status and become a true Disciple of Qiaodi.
How was that possible?
The last time he'd seen Yang Kai had only been a few days ago. Back then, Fang Tai had enjoyed Zhou Zheng's protection while Yang Kai had earned Zhou Zheng's enmity. He'd thought that by clinging to that mighty tree, he could rest easy. Who could have predicted he'd end up dragged down by it, forced to flee for his life?
"Brother Fang, we do go back after all," Yang Kai said. "I've been ordered to take your life, and I don't want to make things needlessly complicated. Why don't you save yourself the pain and just bare your neck?"
"Take my life?" Fang Tai's face drained of color. "I made an innocent mistake, and they want me dead for it?"
Yang Kai said lightly, "That's what the higher-ups decided. My hands are tied."
Fang Tai glanced left and right, noting that Ma Liu and Jiang Sheng were both eyeing him like prey. He knew there was no chance of escaping two Open Heaven Realm cultivators. Despair washed over him, his face turning deathly pale. He sent a voice transmission: "Brother Yang, we entered Qiaodi together. We even had an alliance agreement. Now that I'm destitute, I'm begging you — spare me. I'll remember this kindness and repay you someday."
Yang Kai fixed him with a steady gaze. "Brother Fang, did you ever truly honor that alliance?"
Fang Tai's expression twisted with bitterness. He knew he'd been in the wrong. When he'd seen that Zhou Zheng despised Yang Kai, he'd deliberately distanced himself. Now, in barely two months, the tables had turned completely, and he was the one begging for mercy. "Brother Yang, I was wrong before. You're a bigger man than me — please don't hold it against me. I was foolish and blind..."
Yang Kai raised a hand to cut him off. "Saying all this now is meaningless. Senior Brother Du sent these two brothers along with me, and they're certainly not here just to show me the way. Even if I were willing to let you go, they wouldn't. And besides..." His eyes hardened. "Why should I let you go?"
If it had only been the petty stuff from before, Yang Kai wouldn't have bothered holding a grudge. Everyone had an instinct for self-preservation. He'd offended Zhou Zheng, and Fang Tai had latched onto Zhou Zheng's coattails — drawing a clear line to protect himself was perfectly rational. They simply walked different paths.
But conspiring with Zhou Zheng and Xiang Yong to frame him? That was unforgivable. Even if Fang Tai claimed ignorance, if that scheme had succeeded, Yang Kai would be dead by now.
An innocent mistake, perhaps. But it was still a matter of life and death.
Besides, as he'd said, Senior Brother Du had sent Ma Liu and Jiang Sheng along for a reason. Even if Yang Kai didn't lift a finger, they would never let Fang Tai walk away. Let alone the fact that he had every intention of doing it himself.
His hand closed around empty air. A dragon's roar rang out as the Azure Dragon Spear materialized in his grip. Yang Kai's voice rang cold and sharp: "Fang Tai, your life is forfeit!"
As the last word left his lips, his aura surged to its peak. He was already in front of Fang Tai, the spear thrusting forward with devastating force.
Fang Tai's face contorted in shock. He'd never expected Yang Kai to strike so decisively, giving him absolutely no time to react. Despite maintaining his guard, he only managed to raise a round shield Artifact at the last instant as the spear's killing intent bore down on him.
A crisp crack split the air. The moment the shield appeared, fracture lines raced across its surface, and the flowing light upon it dimmed rapidly.
In barely a single breath, the shield exploded into fragments, revealing Fang Tai's terrified face behind it.
Not far away, Ma Liu and Jiang Sheng exchanged glances, each seeing a flicker of shock in the other's eyes. A strike of this caliber — they could produce it effortlessly at their current strength, but for someone of Yang Kai's cultivation level, it was extraordinary. In other words, among Emperor Realm cultivators, Yang Kai's foundation was far more profound than theirs. Even if they all advanced to the Open Heaven Realm at the same tier, they might not be his match.
With the shield shattered, the Azure Dragon Spear pressed forward without hesitation, piercing Fang Tai's shoulder. Blood sprayed into the air, and Fang Tai's face went white as paper.
Yang Kai's expression remained blank. He retracted the spear and lashed out with a kick that connected squarely with Fang Tai's midsection. An irresistible force sent Fang Tai hurtling backward like a ragdoll. He slammed into the barrier Jiang Sheng had deployed and coughed up a mouthful of blood.
Fang Tai's face was a mask of horror. Yang Kai looked faintly surprised.
Come to think of it, this was his very first real fight since breaking free from the constraints of his world and entering the Thirty Thousand Worlds. His opponent wasn't exactly an Open Heaven Realm cultivator, but somehow Fang Tai didn't feel nearly as strong as Yang Kai had imagined.
Then again, that probably had something to do with his injuries and the fact that he'd been on the run for days. Yang Kai didn't know where Fang Tai had gotten his wounds, but it was likely from fighting someone during his escape from Qiaodi.
Well, that made things simple enough. Yang Kai's figure blurred as he charged forward, the Azure Dragon Spear dissolving into a torrent of spear shadows that engulfed Fang Tai.
Fang Tai's strength was respectable, and his arsenal of Artifacts seemed inexhaustible — especially his defensive treasures, which kept popping out one after another. Who knew where he'd gotten them all. The man clearly had trust issues.
Yet under Yang Kai's relentless onslaught, Fang Tai could barely keep his guard up, let alone mount any counterattack. His expression gradually shifted from defiance to disbelief, as if he couldn't fathom how completely outclassed he was against someone at the same level.
When his final defensive Artifact shattered, Fang Tai clutched his chest, his face twisted with grief and rage.