In a cliffside cave, two figures sat cross-legged more than ten zhang apart. The cave wasn't large, but it was clean, and its chief advantage lay in its concealment.
After departing from Sword Pavilion's Star Market, Lu Xue had brought Yang Kai here. The location was several hundred li from the Sword Pavilion—not too far—and she had spotted this cave on a previous occasion, so the journey back had been second nature.
Both sat in silence, tending to their wounds. Time slipped by, quiet and still.
Strictly speaking, the two had supported each other all the way from the Star Market without so much as a real conversation. Yang Kai hadn't asked Lu Xue why she'd done what she did—why she hadn't seized the chance to strike him down, why she showed no intent of seeking revenge.
A woman's mind was the hardest thing in the world to fathom. Trying to puzzle it out would only give him a headache, so why invite the trouble?
After just three days, Yang Kai opened his eyes. His aura had fully recovered, and the penetrating wound through his chest and abdomen had largely healed.
He possessed a half-dragon body, granting him extraordinary recovery ability. On top of that, the Wood Element power of the Ageless Tree had now condensed within his Dao Imprint, further bolstering his restorative capabilities. In truth, as long as a wound wasn't fatal, all he needed was a little time and he could recover from anything.
He rose slowly. A cascade of crackling sounds—like beans being stir-fried—popped through his body. He stretched his limbs and found his spirit in a state better than it had ever been.
The battle with that mantis-headed creature had been grueling, but it had made him aware of certain shortcomings in himself. All in all, it had been a worthwhile experience.
He glanced to the side. Lu Xue was still healing, her aura remaining unsteady. Her injuries wouldn't mend so easily—the aftereffects of the Golden Crow's True Fire couldn't be smoothed over in any short span of time.
He shook his head slowly. Toward this woman, his killing intent was gone.
Half a day later, Yang Kai walked out of the cave, briefly got his bearings, and shot into the sky.
Three days later, Lu Xue opened her eyes mid-recovery. When she focused her gaze, she found herself alone—Yang Kai had vanished without a trace.
Though he had left, she could sense that some simple formations had been laid inside the cave—arrays designed to conceal aura and hide one's tracks. These rudimentary formations had undoubtedly been left for her by Yang Kai before his departure.
She stared blankly for a moment, then closed her eyes again and resumed her breathing exercises.
Outside the Scarlet Star Market, a streak of light split the heavens and dove downward. The disciples responsible for monitoring all directions and guarding the Star Market's protective formation were startled by the sight. Just as they moved to activate the guardian array, they realized with a jolt that the figure hurtling toward them was none other than Yang Kai. Their blood ran cold, and they froze on the spot.
That killer star… had returned!
When Yang Kai had stood alone outside the Star Market and single-handedly shattered the Sword Pavilion's sword formation while annihilating Lightning Radiance, tens of thousands within the Star Market had witnessed it firsthand. How could they fail to recognize his silhouette?
The several bosses of Scarlet Star, blinded by greed, had abandoned Yang Kai in his hour of need and cast him out—they had thoroughly offended him. In the aftermath, countless Scarlet Star disciples had been living in a state of constant dread. Who knew how many had quietly slipped away to flee for their lives, terrified that Yang Kai would eventually settle the score.
Had Chen Tianfei not ordered the protective formation activated—requiring identity verification before anyone could leave—it was hard to say how many people Scarlet Star would still have today.
Even so, the remaining Scarlet Star disciples were still on edge.
Yang Kai had previously captured Lu Xue and taken her to the Sword Pavilion headquarters. Now he had returned in triumphant glory. What had happened at the Sword Pavilion wasn't hard to guess—they were surely beyond saving.
Now that this killer star had returned, what would become of Scarlet Star?
But Yang Kai didn't charge straight into the Star Market. As he drew near, he suddenly turned his gaze to the side, let out a soft "hmm?" and broke into a slight smile. Without hesitation, he changed course and descended.
Before long he arrived at a mountain hollow and landed atop an enormous head.
The commotion of his descent roused the head's owner, which jerked upright and was about to roar in fury—until Yang Kai stamped a foot on it, and it immediately settled down.
This colossal creature was none other than Scarlet, the Scarlet Flood Dragon.
Yang Kai then looked toward a nearby burrow in the earth and called out: "Get out of there."
A rumbling boom rolled up from underground like muffled thunder. Moments later, the Earth Wyrm burst from the burrow, its massive mouthparts squirming ceaselessly while slime flung in every direction. Hissing sounds of corrosion crackled from the ground all around.
Scarlet the Flood Dragon visibly recoiled in disgust and let out a disdainful snort.
"What are you two doing here?" Yang Kai regarded the enormous creatures with an amused smile. "Don't tell me someone… drove you out?"
When he had departed, the Earth Wyrm's whereabouts had been unknown. According to Guo Ziyan, during the earlier battle at the Elemental Magnetic Mountain, the Earth Wyrm had sensed the tide turning and fled underground. Neither Lightning Radiance nor the Sword Pavilion had been able to do anything about it, so they'd let it go. Scarlet the Flood Dragon, on the other hand, had been captured—though it had later returned to the Star Market on its own.
The moment Yang Kai finished speaking, two streams of divine sense reached him directly.