That night, taking advantage of Blood Nether Continent's unpreparedness, Guo Ziyan smuggled Guo Miao out of the compound. On the road, he learned the full story of what had happened. Hearing that his daughter had been bullied so cruelly at Blood Nether Continent, Guo Ziyan was absolutely furious, swearing vengeance and demanding justice on her behalf.
But he also knew his strength was insufficient, so he planned to rush back and find Yang Kai.
Unfortunately, before he could even reach the Star Market, Gu Zhixin caught up with him, bringing armed men.
If it had merely been the seizure of two Fourth Grade resources, the grudge might not have been irreconcilable. Blood Nether Continent could have simply compensated with some wealth and been done with it. Yun Xinghua had already advanced to Fourth Grade, and his demand for cultivation resources was no longer as great. Though Blood Nether Continent was only a third-rate power, they should still have had the funds to pay for two Fourth Grade materials.
But what should never have happened was that Gu Zhixin, to cut off any lingering hope in Guo Miao, forced her to refine a Second Grade resource and condense Second Grade power!
That had completely destroyed any future Guo Miao might have had.
Such a deep enmity could not be resolved so easily.
Blood Nether Continent must have understood this as well, because the moment they discovered that Guo Ziyan had fled with Guo Miao, they immediately sent people in pursuit — to uproot the problem entirely and eliminate any future trouble!
Although Guo Ziyan had advanced to Third Grade Open Heaven after consuming and refining a low-grade World Fruit, the enemy had deployed six Open Heaven Realm cultivators at once. How could he possibly be their match? What's more, he had to protect Guo Miao's safety. After a fierce battle, outnumbered and overwhelmed, he sustained grave injuries.
Knowing that today's odds were grim and that his only chance of escape lay in a desperate gamble — staking his life against theirs — he fought with everything he had and managed to kill two Second Grade Open Heaven cultivators, but ultimately could not escape his pursuers. It was at that critical moment that Yang Kai and the others arrived. As for what happened afterward, there was no need to say more.
"Blood Nether Continent. Wonderful." Yang Kai let out a soft, cold laugh. Back at the inn in the Star Market, when he had heard that Yun Xinghua had been oppressed and forced into settling for a mere Third Grade Open Heaven advancement, he had actually felt some sympathy for the man. Thinking of his own possible future, he had even felt a certain kinship.
But now? The bastard deserved not a shred of sympathy.
Even if Yun Xinghua had been completely unaware when Gu Zhixin seized Guo Miao's two Fourth Grade resources, could he really have been ignorant this time, when Gu Zhixin led a squad to hunt down Guo Ziyan and his daughter?
Yue He turned her head to look at him. "Young Master, what do you intend to do?"
She was not the only one. Lang Qingshan, Scabby Head, and the rest all fixed their gazes on him. They had followed Guo Ziyan for far longer than they had followed Yang Kai. Back when they were at Red Star, these men had been Guo Ziyan's subordinates. Guo Ziyan had looked after them on a daily basis, rescuing them from peril time and again. Now, seeing their commander beaten like this and his daughter bullied so shamelessly, they shared the same fury, their eyes blazing with wrath.
"Anyone who dares touch my people will not get away with it. Change course — set a heading for Blood Nether Continent. I'm going to demand an explanation from Yun Xinghua personally. I'd like to see whether he's grown the guts of a bear and the gall of a tiger, or sprouted three heads and six arms!"
Lang Qingshan and the others' expressions brightened. They immediately carried out the order.
Guo Miao stared blankly for a moment before speaking, equal parts grateful and worried: "Sir, Blood Nether Continent is no weakling. We only have this many people…"
Yang Kai smiled. "The person standing beside you is a Sixth Grade Open Heaven cultivator. What is Blood Nether Continent worth in comparison?"
Guo Miao looked at Yue He and instinctively covered her small mouth in shock. She had already sensed that Yue He was in the Open Heaven Realm and clearly at the mid-grade level — otherwise she wouldn't have been able to dispatch Blood Nether Continent's men so casually earlier — but she hadn't expected her to be as high as Sixth Grade!
The Lotus Fall tore through the void, hurtling at full speed toward Blood Nether Continent.
Meanwhile, within Blood Nether Continent itself, the tolling of bells suddenly erupted, resounding through the sky. Countless Blood Nether Continent disciples were startled, lifting their gazes toward the grand hall at the very center of the compound.
One disciple counted the bell tolls with a grim expression, and when they finally ceased, his face had gone pale. "Nine tolls. That is the death knell — an Elder has passed. Which Elder is it?"
A disciple beside him said, "None of our four Elders were anywhere near the end of their natural lifespan. Could something terrible have happened?"
A third spoke up: "I saw Elder Gu lead a group out not long ago, though I don't know what for. He was practically radiating killing intent. Could it be that Elder Gu has been killed?"
As they spoke, figures soared into the air from across Blood Nether Continent, all converging on the grand hall. They were the Open Heaven Realm warriors of Blood Nether Continent — not many in number, but not few either, more than twenty in total. Among them, aside from three Third Grade Open Heaven cultivators, the rest were all First or Second Grade. They held various positions within Blood Nether Continent, and now, upon hearing the death knell, they all gathered toward the central hall.
Inside the central hall, figures flashed in one after another. Seated in the position of honor was a middle-aged man of imposing bearing. His hair was jet-black, yet both temples had gone white — as though weathered by wind and frost, having endured a lifetime of trials.
This middle-aged man was none other than the leader of Blood Nether Continent: Yun Xinghua.