His gaze lowered, staring at the sword in his hand, Elder Kang stood motionless.
A cold gale swept through, desolating heaven and earth, as a mournful voice reached every ear present: "Young friend, please — spare my life!"
At those words, every face changed.
Elder Kang... had actually lost? Although the battle just now had shown Yang Kai's ferocity to be overwhelming, hearing the old man's plea for mercy with their own ears still felt unbelievable.
A Third-Order Open Heaven cultivator had been defeated by an Emperor Realm expert. Even here in the Taixu Realm, where the Small Universe World had been sealed, it was simply inconceivable.
Moreover, the fact that Yang Kai could force a Third-Order Open Heaven cultivator to bow his head and beg for mercy meant that Elder Kang had no confidence whatsoever in escaping Yang Kai's clutches. This was far beyond what a mere "slight advantage" could explain — it meant Yang Kai even had the ability to kill Elder Kang outright.
Yue He gazed at Yang Kai with her beautiful eyes trembling slightly, her thoughts drifting to who knew what, her expression a complex tangle of emotions. Chen Yue, whom she was holding, watched with an equally strange light flickering in her own eyes.
Meng Hong let out a long sigh and murmured, "A true man — this is what he should be!" His heart was filled with admiration, though he wondered whether he could ever reach Yang Kai's heights in his lifetime. Probably unlikely. He accidentally caught Chen Yue's expression, and a wave of melancholy washed over him.
"I said I would kill you — did you think I was joking?" Yang Kai leveled his spear and thrust, closing the distance to Elder Kang in an instant.
Elder Kang, horrified, summoned a circular shield Artifact and placed it before his body, while he himself retreated rapidly.
But the shield Artifact didn't even withstand the Azure Dragon Spear for a single breath before it shattered into pieces. Under Elder Kang's stunned gaze, the spear plunged through his chest, pierced clean out his back, and lifted him high into the air.
The canvas of heaven and earth seemed to freeze in that moment, leaving onlookers utterly and completely shaken.
Yang Kai's arm jerked, and a violent burst of power tore through Elder Kang's body, obliterating his internal organs.
"Kgh..." Elder Kang coughed weakly, fragments of his organs spewing from his mouth. His face twisted into a hideous mask as he glared at Yang Kai: "You junior, you dare to use a Dragon Artifact? When the Dragon Clan finds out, they will never spare you! I'll be one step ahead — wait for you on the road to the underworld!"
"Take your time waiting!" Yang Kai withdrew the spear and swept it sideways, and Elder Kang's head exploded.
Blood rained down, flesh scattered across the ground. Yang Kai's heart surged with exhilaration — after a brutal fight, the pent-up emotions he had been bottling up for so long finally found release, and he felt a sense of profound satisfaction. If not for the fact that he was still in this baffling Taixu Realm, he might not have been able to suppress the urge to laugh out loud.
A crowd of onlookers stared at him with wide eyes, each wearing a different expression.
Even more gazes fell upon the Azure Dragon Spear in his hand. Those final words of Elder Kang's had them all paying very close attention.
A Dragon Artifact — that was an Artifact forged from the body parts of the Dragon Clan, its power extraordinary beyond measure. When Yang Kai had used the Azure Dragon Spear to fight Elder Kang earlier, they had recognized the Artifact as extraordinary but hadn't given it too much thought.
But after Elder Kang's dying words, they realized the truth.
A faint dragon aura radiated from that spear — what else could it be but a Dragon Artifact? No wonder the myriad exotic beasts had parted to either side when Yang Kai charged through the beast tide. They had assumed it was Yang Kai's own fearsome reputation, but it seemed the real credit belonged to the Dragon Artifact.
In an instant, a flicker of greed crossed many eyes.
A Dragon Artifact — across the entire Three Thousand Worlds, such a thing was virtually taboo. Just as Elder Kang had said before death, if the Dragon Clan ever learned of this, Yang Kai would have no path left alive.
Then again, how rare was a Dragon Artifact? Here in the Taixu Realm, where ancient remnants appeared in abundance, having a Dragon Artifact in hand could serve as a powerful deterrent in many situations, warding off unnecessary trouble.
Still, Yang Kai had just slain a Third-Order Open Heaven cultivator, and even though some among the crowd were tempted, none dared make a move against him. Having witnessed his battle with Elder Kang firsthand, who could guarantee they could match him? The last thing anyone wanted was to fail at catching the sheep and end up covered in stench.
After a good while, Yang Kai finally steadied his emotions. He stowed the Azure Dragon Spear, walked over to Elder Kang's corpse, searched through it, and pocketed his space ring. Then he called out to Meng Hong and the others: "Let's go."
This was not a place worth lingering. Who knew whether more exotic beasts might descend?
The people of Great Moon Province had no objections whatsoever. Having witnessed Yang Kai's combat prowess firsthand, following him felt infinitely safer.
But after only a few steps, Yang Kai turned his head and said, "Why are you all still tagging along?"
He had invited only the Great Moon Province people — he hadn't expected those dozens of warriors who had charged out alongside him to be trailing along as well.
A stout young man resembling a little chubby fellow stepped forward, a placating smile on his face. He cupped his fists and said, "Senior Brother, we fought shoulder to shoulder, practically lived and died together. Besides, dangers lurk everywhere inside the Taixu Realm, and there's strength in numbers. Having witnessed Senior Brother's divine might, we're all willing to follow your lead and obey your commands — we only ask that you help us leave this realm safely."
The crowd beside him nodded in agreement.
Yang Kai glanced at him and said flatly, "No need. Go wherever you want — just don't follow me."
With that, he paid them no further attention and strode forward.
"Senior Brother — Senior Brother, wait..." the chubby fellow called out, hurrying after him.
Yang Kai spun around, the Azure Dragon Spear materializing in an instant, its tip pressed against the young man's chest. His gaze was ice-cold: "If you run your mouth one more time, don't blame me for showing no mercy."
The chubby fellow froze on the spot, a bead of cold sweat sliding down his temple, the corner of his mouth twitching. He raised his hands and said, "Senior Brother, let's talk this out nicely..."
Yang Kai fixed him with a long, penetrating stare, gave a cold snort, and withdrew the spear before turning away.
Watching Yang Kai and his small group disappear into the distance, the chubby fellow heaved a string of sighs, as though he had missed some heaven-sent opportunity. A few among the crowd seethed with resentment, feeling that Yang Kai was far too arrogant. But if the man didn't want to be followed, they couldn't very well shamelessly chase after him. They exchanged glances, then dispersed in all directions.