"You tell me if these two are enough," Yang Kai's voice rang out.
Cold sweat slid down the foreheads of the Lei Guang cultivators. Over a hundred of them stood on guard as though facing a mortal enemy. Bie Jian's face was ashen with disbelief, the corners of his eyes twitching violently.
Even Yue He instinctively raised a hand to cover her red lips, and Meng Hong's jaw hung open as he stared blankly at the dozens-of-zhang-long, imposing Fire-Taming Crimson Flood Dragon.
Though they had witnessed the earth dragon's instant submission to Yang Kai with their own eyes, none of them could fathom why this crimson flood dragon was suddenly so obedient as well. A moment ago it had been fighting the earth dragon to the death; the next, it was at Yang Kai's complete command.
What's more, since arriving here, Yang Kai hadn't done a single thing to it. Could the crimson flood dragon have known him beforehand? But this was the Taixu Realm—such a thing made no sense whatsoever.
A bellyful of confusion with no answers.
Bie Jian looked from the earth dragon to the crimson flood dragon and felt a dull ache in his teeth. Before, the crimson flood dragon alone had put all hundred-plus Lei Guang cultivators through hell. Now, with an earth dragon equally powerful joining it, if a real fight broke out, it would be a miracle if even half the Lei Guang group survived.
How had the situation turned so drastically? What right did that kid have to command two such extraordinary beasts?
Though the situation was dire, Bie Jian was still a Fourth-Order Open Heaven cultivator with his own dignity. He would never simply bow his head. His face dark, he looked at Yang Kai and said, "Young Brother's beast-taming art is truly extraordinary—I can only admire it!"
He assumed Yang Kai must be some master of beast-controlling techniques; otherwise, there was simply no way to explain what they were seeing. Jealousy and envy churned inside him. The Taixu Realm was filled with ancient relic species. If someone could tame even an earth dragon and a crimson flood dragon, let alone any other beast, then with such a skill, what was there to fear? One could just assemble an army of extraordinary beasts and do whatever one pleased.
"This time, Lei Guang admits defeat." Bie Jian cupped his fists. "We'll leave half the haul here. What does Young Brother think?"
Yang Kai replied with casual bluntness, "Save the chatter. Everything on this mountain is mine. You won't take so much as a single blade of grass."
If it had been any other kind of rare treasure, he might have let it go. But everything on this mountain was connected to the Dragon Clan—how could he possibly let it go? Especially those dragon blood flowers; they were enormously useful to him.
Bie Jian's face sank. "Young Brother, leave yourself some room to maneuver. The world is small—we may meet again. Why must you push things to the absolute extreme?"
Yang Kai cast him a sideways glance. "Keep blabbering and I'll make you leave your spatial rings behind as well."
The Lei Guang cultivators were struck with humiliation, many of their faces turning pitch black. Bie Jian's expression was furious—he itched to rush forward and fight Yang Kai to the death for the sake of his dignity. But one glance at the earth dragon and crimson flood Dragon circling them, blocking every possible escape route, and he was forced to swallow his rage.
In a place like this, a conflict would only end badly for Lei Guang.
Their eyes met. Yang Kai's gaze was filled with impatience. After a long moment, Bie Jian let out a heavy sigh through gritted teeth and barked, "Leave the goods. We're leaving!"
Yang Kai replied with serene indifference, "Don't even think about hiding anything. When you were out there collecting everything, I saw exactly how much each of you gathered. The consequences of trying to pocket something will be more than you can bear."
Bie Jian was so furious he actually laughed. "Young Brother, mountains and rivers have their ways of bringing people together. Perhaps fate will grant us another meeting!"
Lei Guang was a major power in that star market—far more than just these hundred or so cultivators. They had simply happened to gather together this time. So while they had suffered a loss today, once he had rallied every Lei Guang member to his side, he wouldn't necessarily have to fear Yang Kai.
Yang Kai nodded repeatedly. "I hope our next meeting will be just as pleasant."
Bie Jian's smile didn't reach his eyes. "Without a doubt."
He gave Yang Kai one last hard stare, then turned and walked away. One by one, the Lei Guang cultivators set down the treasures and herbs they had harvested from Wolong Mountain before departing in swift succession.
In less than the time it took to draw a few dozen breaths, all hundred-plus Lei Guang cultivators had vanished completely.
Only then did Yang Kai step forward to collect the dragon blood flowers and the other treasures and herbs. Throughout the process, the earth dragon's writhing mouthparts dripped ceaselessly, its appetite palpable—it made Chen Yue and Yue He's scalps tingle with fear, as though they expected the mindless brute to lose control and swallow Yang Kai whole.
The Fire-Taming Crimson Flood Dragon, on the other hand, had a distinctly human look of heartache in its crimson eyes.
Judging by this alone, the crimson flood dragon's intelligence was far superior to the earth dragon's.
"Don't look so heartbroken. I'll give you something even better later." Yang Kai reached up and patted the crimson flood dragon's massive head. The beast lowered its head to the ground with a dejected air.
"What just happened?" Yue He stepped forward and asked with a frown.
"What do you mean, what happened?" Yang Kai didn't even look up.
"Stop playing dumb." Yue He shot him a glare. "What's the deal with this crimson flood dragon?"
Yang Kai replied offhandedly, "It must have been conquered by my irresistible personal charm once again."
Yue He's silver teeth clenched with an audible crunch. "Do you have any idea how much I want to beat you up sometimes?"
Yang Kai ignored her. "I'm heading into the mountain. All of you stay here and don't wander off. Three to five days at the shortest, half a month at the longest, and I'll be back. Xiao Hong and Xiao Hei will keep you safe."
"Xiao Hong? Xiao Hei?" It took Yue He a moment of stunned silence before she realized Yang Kai was referring to the earth dragon and the crimson flood dragon. She was speechless.
That such majestic, awe-inspiring extraordinary beasts had been given such offhand names…
Yang Kai was nothing if not decisive. With his instructions given, he shot toward the depths of the mountain and vanished in the blink of an eye, leaving Yue He standing in place, glaring furiously in the direction he had disappeared.