"Just killed some trash!" Yang Kai held the spear in one arm, cutting an imposing figure like a single warrior holding a pass against ten thousand. His cold gaze swept across the crowd before him. "Who wants to die next?"
No one dared to move. Liao Yibai's fate served as a grim warning—slain in a single exchange, right before their eyes. How would the remaining Opening Heaven cultivators dare act rashly? At the very least, until they understood the true combat power of this spear-wielding youth, no one would provoke him again.
They all felt deeply frustrated. This damnable Great Ruins Realm, this damnable Great Ruins Mist—if not for those, how would a mere Emperor Sovereign Realm cultivator be worth their notice? Wouldn't they be able to crush him as they pleased?
The members of the Orchid Society were both furious and desolate. Their leader had been killed right before their eyes, and called trash at that—yet they lacked even the strength to seek revenge.
Hundreds, even thousands, of people occupied the hilltop, yet at this moment all was silent. The only sound was the ceaseless rustling of the Six Harmonies Wishful Bag.
Within Yang Kai's perception, the Primordial Magnetism Divine Light surging from underground poured ceaselessly into the Wishful Bag, filling the space within. It was now roughly half full.
He wondered whether the bag could hold it all, and looked forward to finding out.
In this eerie silence, a sudden boom rang out. A massive pit opened in the ground, and the Earth Dragon that had burrowed underground earlier suddenly thrust its head above the surface. Its mandibles writhed as it swallowed several inattentive warriors whole, then retreated back underground like lightning.
The creature had been beaten savagely by the group earlier and had hidden underground. Now it reemerged to wreak havoc—clearly holding a grudge.
Everyone was alarmed and scrambled skyward using their movement techniques.
The several Opening Heaven cultivators exchanged looks, their divine senses darting between one another in hurried discussion. Even knowing that Primordial Magnetism Divine Light lay beneath the bag, they were powerless to do anything about it. They could only watch helplessly, their hearts heavy with frustration.
Yang Kai, however, suddenly looked up toward the distant sky.
Sword lights were coming from the west—dense and numerous. The leading sword lights surged with overwhelming momentum, piercing through heaven and earth. From hundreds of li away, their sword intent had already swept across the world.
Feeling this chilling sword intent, everyone couldn't help but look in that direction. When they made out what was coming, Hu Yi and the other Opening Heaven cultivators' eyes lit up.
"The Sword Pavilion is here," Guo Ziyan said, his expression turning serious. He quickly sidled up to Yang Kai and whispered.
Yang Kai understood and nodded slightly.
In that Star Market, there had originally been three major powers. The first was Thunderlight, the second was Red Star, and the third was the Sword Pavilion.
In terms of numbers, the Sword Pavilion had the fewest members, with Thunderlight and Red Star roughly equal and little difference between them. But in terms of strength, the Sword Pavilion—despite having the fewest people—was the strongest. In that Star Market, the Sword Pavilion had controlled nearly half the shops, with the other half split between Red Star and Thunderlight. Such was the Sword Pavilion's dominance.
The three great powers of the Star Market had been clashing for years, with constant turmoil. So the moment Guo Ziyan saw that overwhelming flood of sword light, he recognized their identity.
The Sword Pavilion's people all cultivated the sword. Their killing intent was intense, their combat arts peerless, and they were renowned throughout the Star Market. Unless absolutely necessary, no one wished to clash with the Sword Pavilion.
Yang Kai had forcibly taken control of Red Star and had previously fought the Thunderlight group, but he had never had any conflict or dealings with the Sword Pavilion.
However, news from Primordial Magnetism Mountain had spread far. It was only natural that the Sword Pavilion had come to investigate—after all, both Red Star and Thunderlight had already sent people.
Hu Yi and the other Opening Heaven cultivators, after some unknown discussion, all headed together toward the arriving Sword Pavilion.
As the sword lights flashed past, one figure after another appeared before the crowd.
Leading them was a wild-haired, bare-chested giant with crimson hair and beard, his expression commanding. Behind him stood a woman in palace-style robes and a young man.
All three radiated the aura of Opening Heaven cultivators—clearly, they were Opening Heaven powerhouses. Each carried piercing sword intent, but the crimson-haired leader was the most striking. Standing there, he resembled a peerless divine sword freshly unsheathed, its edge overwhelming all.
The woman in palace robes was rather unremarkable, though her appearance was quite striking: buxom, fair-skinned, with bright eyes and pearly teeth, her hair casually pinned up in a matron's bun. The young man, on the other hand, had eyes that blazed like fire whenever they opened and closed. A blue sword was strapped across his back, his long robes billowing, giving him the bearing of a jade tree in the wind.
Worried that Yang Kai didn't know how formidable these three were, Guo Ziyan quickly said, "Sixth Master, those three are the Sword Pavilion's leaders. The red-haired one is Zhong Fan—a Fifth-Order Opening Heaven cultivator. The woman is Lu Xue, Fourth-Order Opening Heaven. And the young man is Luo Qingyun, also Fourth-Order Opening Heaven."
Yang Kai nodded slightly to show he'd heard, though inwardly he was somewhat surprised. Zhong Fan was Fifth-Order Opening Heaven—that was comparable to Red Star's leader. He wondered what rank Zhong Fan held within the Sword Pavilion.
Fifth-Order Opening Heaven was already a formidable power in the Three Thousand Worlds, enough to claim a Spirit Continent and establish a sect. Even among the Grotto-heavens and Blessed Lands, one would certainly hold a seat.
Over there, Hu Yi and the others went to greet the newcomers. After some unknown exchange with Zhong Fan, the crimson-haired man kept glancing toward Yang Kai, his gaze burning with aggression.
After a moment, Zhong Fan nodded slightly, then flickered toward the hilltop. The Sword Pavilion members followed close behind.