A cup of tea later, Yue He's expression changed sharply as she cried out, "It's bad—they're really coming after us."
Yang Kai turned to look back and indeed saw dozens of streaks of light hurtling toward them from behind. His heart seethed with bitterness—being weak really was suffocating, bullied at every turn with no way to fight back. He turned to Lu Xue and said, "I'm afraid this matter can't be settled peacefully. If you don't want to be dragged down with us, you'd better split off from me here!"
Lu Xue glanced at Yang Kai with some surprise, not expecting that he would still think of such a thing at a time like this. A trace of warmth stirred in her heart. She shook her head. "Even if we part ways now, I can't wash my hands of this. Staying means I can add a bit more strength."
Yang Kai nodded. There was no time to persuade her otherwise. He immediately produced the Ruyi Bag and cast it over her and Guo Ziyan's heads. The two understood instantly and offered no resistance as Yang Kai stored them inside.
He kept Yue He by his side to watch each other's backs and fled at top speed.
First, Yue He was a Fifth-Order Open Heaven cultivator, so her speed was no slouch. Second, if something unexpected happened, having Yue He nearby would let them put up at least some fight.
Guo Ziyan was only Second-Order Open Heaven and Lu Xue was Fourth-Order—both would slow them down. Bringing them along would only hamper their escape, so it was better to just store them in the Ruyi Bag.
"So there was a bluff after all—this kid is crafty beyond belief!" Behind them, Chen Tianfei's eyes lit up as he let out an excited murmur.
If Yang Kai truly had nothing to fear, he would never have suddenly accelerated the moment he spotted them. The more Yang Kai behaved this way, the more it proved he was all bark and no bite. Chen Tianfei even suspected that Yang Kai had never brought Zhu Jiuyin out at all. The Sacred Spirit aura they had sensed earlier might not have been released by Zhu Jiuyin's true body—that aura was real enough, but there were other means to produce it, such as some secret technique Zhu Jiuyin had planted on Yang Kai beforehand.
"He's running fast enough, I'll give him that," Ouyang Lie snorted coldly.
His brother Ouyang Bing said, "That Yue He is Fifth-Order Open Heaven after all. In terms of sheer speed, only the Boss can match her."
A subtle bit of flattery slipped in.
Qin Furen asked, "Why did those two people just disappear earlier?"
Chen Tianfei replied, "That Yang kid seems to have a type of Artifact that can store living beings. Back then, didn't he suddenly release that Earth Dragon and that Scarlet Flood Dragon?"
Everyone had witnessed Yang Kai's battle against Gan Hong and the Poison Lady. Though years had passed, the scene remained vivid in their memories. After a moment's thought, they realized that Guo Ziyan and Lu Xue—the two with lower cultivation—must have been stored away by Yang Kai.
The Boss, Zhao Baichuan, snorted coldly. With a wave of his hand, brilliant light flashed and an object spun rapidly before him, swiftly expanding into a mountain a hundred zhang tall.
"Everyone, get in!" the Boss barked, and was the first to charge into the mountain.
Everyone's eyes lit up. They knew the Boss was getting serious—he had even brought out his Artifact. Without hesitation, they all dove into the mountain one after another.
Inside the mountain were numerous spirit peaks. Dozens of Open Heaven cultivators took up positions atop them, each channeling their power into the mountain's body. The Boss stood atop the tallest peak, commanding the whole formation and wielding its art.
The hundred-zhang mountain immediately shot forward at staggering speed.
Ahead, Yue He sensed the change and turned to look back. Her face paled. "Zhao Baichuan actually brought out the Hundred Refinements Peak—the shameless old man."
The Hundred Refinements Peak was both a combat Artifact and a defensive Artifact, as well as a flying Artifact—it combined multiple functions in one. Within the realm of mid-tier Open Heaven, it held considerable fame, so it was no surprise Yue He knew of it.
Originally, she had relied on her Fifth-Order Open Heaven cultivation to flee with Yang Kai, and their speed was no worse than the Red Star group's. After all, while Red Star also had a Fifth-Order cultivator, that was only Zhao Baichuan himself. The remaining captains were all Fourth-Order, and the rest were lower ranks—mixed cultivation levels made unified speed impossible.
But now with the Hundred Refinements Peak, everyone could channel their power together. Not only did it unify their movement, it boosted their speed considerably.
As Yue He spoke, she quickly produced her own flying Artifact—a small boat. She pulled Yang Kai onto it, and it transformed into a streak of light shooting forward.
But the grade of Yue He's flying Artifact was clearly no match for Zhao Baichuan's Hundred Refinements Peak. On top of that, dozens of Open Heaven cultivators on the Peak were all lending their strength.
The distance between them was closing rapidly.
Several thousand li of separation quickly shrank to a thousand, then a few hundred…
Zhao Baichuan's voice carried from far behind, projecting directly into Yang Kai and Yue He's minds: "Honored guests, please stop. This Zhao suddenly recalled a matter that requires careful discussion with Manager Yang. I'd appreciate it if Manager Yang would be so accommodating."
Even now in pursuit, he had yet to tear off the pretense entirely. This was due to his habitual caution. In the end, while he was confident his deductions were correct, he still feared that Sacred Spirit aura from before—it never hurt to prepare for the worst.
It was precisely this kind of vigilance that had allowed Zhao Baichuan to build an empire across the vast Thirty Thousand Worlds without any backing or pedigree. Otherwise, he would have died countless times over.
Yang Kai stood at the stern of the boat, watching Zhao Baichuan with cold eyes, and snorted. "What business does the Boss still have to discuss with this Manager?"
Zhao Baichuan replied, "This matter is of grave importance, concerning the very survival of our Red Star. It must be discussed face to face. Manager, please stop!"