Since Bie Jian was here, there was no need to wonder what force the people gathered around him belonged to — it was undoubtedly Thunderlight.
A few months ago, inside Wollong Mountain, Bie Jian had led a group of Thunderlight members to collect a considerable number of Dragon Blood Flowers. However, Yang Kai had arrived wielding the might of both an Earth Dragon and a Scarlet Floodwyrm, leaving Bie Jian no choice but to leave everything behind and slink off in disgrace.
At the time, Bie Jian had few capable subordinates. Just dealing with the Scarlet Floodwyrm alone had left them battered and bruised, and with the added threat of an Earth Dragon, he had calculated the situation and been forced to swallow his pride. In the months since, every time he thought back on it, the resentment only grew stronger, and he swore silently that the next time he met Yang Kai, he would have his revenge.
But the Void Kingdom was simply too vast. He had no idea where Yang Kai actually was, so the matter of revenge was essentially moot. Yet who would have thought they would run into each other here, in the Celestial Magnetic Mountain? When enemies cross paths, their eyes naturally turn red.
After recognizing Yang Kai, Bie Jian sneered without pause: "So the brat finally gets his comeuppance. I told you back then — leave yourself a way out, or you'll have nowhere to turn. But you just had to push it to the limit. Let's see if you die today!"
Back in Wollong Mountain, Bie Jian had acknowledged that he was outmatched and proposed leaving half the harvested Dragon Blood Flowers behind as a compromise. But Yang Kai had refused, and Bie Jian had ultimately been forced to surrender everything just to retreat with his life.
Now, encountering Yang Kai here in the Celestial Magnetic Mountain, he naturally intended to vent every ounce of hatred in his heart and repay the humiliation of that day.
Yang Kai chuckled: "Whether I die or not depends on whether you've got the ability."
"You know him?" a half-aged elder at Bie Jian's side asked in a low voice. He had already noticed that Bie Jian and Yang Kai seemed to share some grudge.
Bie Jian smiled coldly: "Brother Zhu, do you remember the Wollong Mountain I told you about before?"
The elder surnamed Zhu raised an eyebrow at those words: "Him?"
"That's him!" Bie Jian said through gritted teeth. "Back then he commanded two powerful exotic beasts, and I had no choice but to yield. I've been searching for his trail these past few months, but couldn't track him down. Never thought I'd run into the bastard here."
The elder surnamed Zhu gave a slight nod: "In that case, there's no need for pleasantries." He raised his eyes toward Yang Kai. "Boy, I hear you came away with quite a few Dragon Blood Flowers from that Wollong Mountain. Hand over those Dragon Blood Flowers and the Fifth-Order Divine Stone you just obtained, and you might still walk out alive. Otherwise, this day next year will be your death anniversary!"
Dragon Blood Flowers could enhance one's physical constitution — what Open Heaven realm cultivator wouldn't covet them? Once one reached the Open Heaven realm, aside from slowly advancing one's grade, the primary focus of any powerhouse was physical body cultivation. Dragon Blood Flowers were treasures for exactly that purpose. If he could seize those flowers, the elder surnamed Zhu was confident he could elevate his physical quality by several tiers. Even without raising his grade, his combat strength would increase dramatically.
As for the Fifth-Order Divine Stone from earlier, that was certainly not to be left behind either — a Fifth-Order Divine Stone was worth at least one and a half million Open Heaven Pills.
"Lord Zhu, Young Master Yang is the sixth leader of Red Star. Are you going to push this far and force a war between our two powers?" Guo Ziyan stepped forward and declared in a firm voice.
These words gave both Bie Jian and the elder surnamed Zhu a moment's pause.
The elder surnamed Zhu looked Guo Ziyan up and down, then said with sudden recognition: "You're from Red Star?" Both Thunderlight and Red Star had dominated the star market for hundreds or even thousands of years, and there had been plenty of dealings between them. As one of Red Star's grand commanders, Guo Ziyan was no unknown figure — the elder surnamed Zhu had seen him a few times before, though he hadn't paid much attention.
Hearing this now, things began to click into place.
Guo Ziyan spoke in a deep voice: "That's right!"
Bie Jian was even more astonished: "Wasn't the sixth leader of Red Star Poison Madam? When did it become this brat?"
Guo Ziyan replied: "Poison Madam has fallen. This is the new sixth leader of Red Star!"
Bie Jian and the elder surnamed Zhu exchanged glances, neither quite able to believe that Poison Madam was actually dead. That woman had been a master of poisons — even the two of them hadn't dared cross her lightly. They had no idea how she had died or who had killed her.
But Guo Ziyan was a grand commander-level figure of Red Star, so if he said it, it had to be true.
Bie Jian let out a derisive snort: "Red Star really has been going downhill. Appointing an Emperor Realm cultivator as your sixth leader? Has Red Star run out of people?"
The elder surnamed Zhu also gave a cold hmph: "So what if it's Red Star? Has Thunderlight never gone to war with you before? Who's afraid of whom?"
Guo Ziyan's face darkened like a storm cloud: "So the two of you won't be giving face?"
The elder surnamed Zhu roared in anger: "What face do you have to give? Enough talk — hand everything over if you don't want to die!"
Bie Jian raised a hand, looking calm and composed: "Guo Ziyan, let me point you toward a clear path. Whether you listen or not is up to you."
Guo Ziyan frowned: "Lord Bie Jian, speak plainly."
Bie Jian flashed Yang Kai a wide grin and pointed a finger straight at him: "He's dead today — no one will save him! As for the rest of you, if you don't want to die, surrender quietly and join Thunderlight, and you may yet live!"
Yang Kai had barely thirty-odd people with him, while Thunderlight had dispatched three hundred this time. A ten-to-one numerical advantage meant an overwhelmingly crushing situation here in the Void Kingdom — even if Yang Kai had extraordinary abilities, escape was out of the question!
Though before killing him, watching the despair settle on his face would be quite satisfying. Bie Jian wasn't worried about how the Red Star people would choose. If they surrendered, that suited him just fine. If they remained stubborn, he would simply kill them all.