Lu Xue's strength was formidable—after all, she had once been one of the top swordsmen of the Sword Pavilion, cultivating primarily in the Dao of the Sword and excelling above all in killing arts. Back in the Realm of Great Ruins, the Scarlet Flooddragon had nearly been killed by a single strike of her brow-sword, which spoke volumes about the woman's combat prowess.
In contrast, Ouyang Bing's strength among Fourth-Order Open Heaven cultivators was merely mid-to-low. He could only execute their combined technique together with his elder brother. Now that Ouyang Lie had died a brutal death on the spot, with his mind thrown into turmoil, how could he possibly be a match for Lu Xue?
Not to mention that Yue He, having freed herself from her opponent, had already lunged toward him.
He had already been reduced to nothing but defending himself with no ability to fight back, and now the situation had become even more perilous—teetering on the brink of disaster. In that moment, his heart sank into utter despair!
On the other side, the Scarlet Flooddragon and Earth Dragon were also unleashing their power in succession. Yang Kai had initially worried that these two exotic beasts might not be of much use once they were outside the boundaries of the universe, but from the looks of it, they could go head-to-head against lower-order Open Heaven cultivators without falling behind. The Scarlet Flooddragon spewed raging flames from its maw, and from time to time, Red Star Disciples were set ablaze into screaming balls of fire. The Earth Dragon's mandibles expanded and writhed, swallowing a Red Star Disciple in a single gulp—devoured whole into its belly. The sight turned the faces of numerous Red Star Disciples pale as they scrambled to dodge.
Yang Kai was far from idle either. After a single spear thrust had obliterated Ouyang Lie's skull, he immediately summoned the Protonic Spirit Gourd. The gourd's mouth opened, and a majestic radiance of prismatic light erupted from within, sweeping across the surroundings.
On his own, he was merely an Emperor Realm cultivator who had condensed four types of power. Without resorting to external aids or divine abilities and Manifestations, any Open Heaven cultivator would have been his superior.
But with the Protonic Divine Light, things were entirely different. This was the power of the Sixth-Order Metal Element—an ordinary cultivator had no way of resisting it at all.
Under the onslaught of the Protonic Divine Light, the bodies of numerous Red Star Disciples who had yet to reach the Open Heaven Realm were riddled with holes, dying on the spot in the blink of an eye.
Only a handful of lower-order Open Heaven cultivators, their eyes splitting with fury, drove the power of their Small Universes to desperately resist.
Strictly speaking, only Sixth-Order power could counter the Sixth-Order Protonic Divine Light. But this was merely a comparison of a single type of power. Open Heaven cultivators condensed the forces of Yin, Yang, and the Five Elements within themselves—the forces that restrained and complemented one another in an endless cycle, forming a Small Universe within their bodies from which they could channel the might of a world. And so, even these few lower-order Open Heaven cultivators were able to withstand the might of the Protonic Divine Light.
However, a prolonged defense was bound to fail. The power of the Sixth-Order was formidable in its own right, and lower-order Open Heaven cultivators could not hold out for long.
They did not need to hold out for long. With a shrill scream, Ouyang Bing's life force rapidly dissipated, and he perished on the spot.
He had never been a match for either Yue He or Lu Xue alone, let alone the two of them together. In barely a dozen breaths, Ouyang Bing was cut down by a single sword stroke from Lu Xue, his eyes wide open in death—unable to rest in peace.
He probably could never have figured out how he had encountered Yue He and Lu Xue of all people here in the Qiaoqiao Grounds.
With two Fourth-Order Open Heaven cultivators slain, what resistance could the remaining Red Star Disciples possibly mount? Yue He and Lu Xue flickered into the battlefield, and in the blink of an eye, they had slaughtered every last Red Star Disciple.
The battle had erupted in an instant and ended just as quickly—it had taken no more than a few dozen breaths.
Dozens of Red Star Disciples, along with their two leaders, none had escaped. They had been utterly annihilated. This ambush could be called a complete and overwhelming victory for Yang Kai's side.
He collected all the corpses into his Small Mysterious World and swept the battlefield clean to ensure no traces were left behind. Then he placed Yue He, Lu Xue, and the Scarlet Flooddragon and Earth Dragon into his Ruyi Bag and headed straight for the Water Spirit Land.
Based on the intelligence Yue He had gathered earlier, the Earth Spirit Land had been occupied by the Ouyang brothers, the Water Spirit Land by a single Red Star leader whose identity was unknown, and the Fire Spirit Land by two leaders. Naturally, Yang Kai intended to pick the softest target first.
Half an hour later, another fierce battle had subsided.
Yang Kai let out a soft breath and collected the corpses from the ground.
The leader at the Water Spirit Land was none other than Madam Qin. She had been accompanied by several lower-order Open Heaven cultivators and over a hundred Red Star Disciples. Yang Kai employed the same trick as before—concealing his identity, he drew close before unleashing Yue He and the others to catch Madam Qin completely off guard.
Just like the Ouyang brothers, Madam Qin had only just claimed a new territory and was eagerly leading her subordinates on an inspection, dreaming of the bright future ahead. How could she have imagined that danger had already crept up right beside her?
Caught off guard, she was immediately struck and critically wounded by Yue He. What followed was entirely predictable.
In barely an hour's time, three of Red Star's leaders had perished miserably, and over a dozen lower-order Open Heaven cultivators had been killed. It could be said that Red Star had suffered damage to its very bones and tendons.
Such a result came about for two reasons. First, Red Star had let their guard down almost entirely. Second, Yang Kai's methods were nothing short of extraordinary. With the Six Harmonies Ruyi Bag to conceal Yue He and the others, and with the Seven Masks to alter his own appearance and aura, he had attacked the unsuspecting with the full knowledge of the prepared. A victory of this magnitude was hardly surprising.
But it was not over yet. Zhao Baichuan, Chen Tianfei, and Bei Yushan still remained on Red Star's side. Only by killing them all would the Qiaoqiao Grounds truly belong to Yang Kai.
Though both battles had been won with overwhelming advantage and no real casualties, everyone had expended considerable energy. After a brief period of recovery, Yang Kai headed straight for the Fire Spirit Land.
The two leaders at the Fire Spirit Land were undoubtedly Chen Tianfei and Bei Yushan. The latter, though not lacking in strength, was simple-minded and not worth worrying about. It was Chen Tianfei who was full of schemes and cunning—dealing with him would be far more difficult. Yang Kai was not sure whether approaching him like this would give away any telltale signs.
In the Fire Spirit Land, within the Fire Spirit Fruit orchard, Chen Tianfei and Bei Yushan were leading a large group of Red Star Disciples on an inspection tour. The fruit trees were laden with bright crimson fruits, and the sight had Chen Tianfei and his companions grinning from ear to ear.
The Qiaoqiao Grounds contained seven Great Spirit Lands, each planted with different types of fruit trees corresponding to the Yin, Yang, and Five Elements. The spirit fruits they produced could be refined into Open Heaven Pills—this was the Qiaoqiao Grounds' greatest source of revenue. And from today onward, it would all belong to Red Star.