Back then, he had mustered the last of his strength to bring Qu Huashang out of the Small Netherworld, fearing that while he lay unconscious, some enemy or demon beast might ambush him—having Qu Huashang watch over him would at least offer some measure of safety.
He had no idea why the woman was now carrying him on her back, sprinting at full speed.
As her body rose and fell with each stride, wounds across his frame sent jolts of pain lancing through him. Yang Kai drew a sharp breath and patted Qu Huashang's shoulder, saying weakly, "Senior Sister, put me down."
"Can't do that, Junior Brother." Qu Huashang shook her head, strands of hair brushing across Yang Kai's cheek.
Yang Kai was about to ask why when he suddenly felt a barrage of violent attacks surging in from behind, striking the void with deafening booms. Qu Huashang twisted and shifted repeatedly, narrowly dodging each one.
Yang Kai's heart lurched. "That old bastard is still chasing us?"
He had no idea how long he had been unconscious, but judging by how much his injuries had recovered, it had to have been two or three days. For ordinary wounds, his own regenerative power would have healed them by now. But this time was different—these were injuries sustained in battle against Black Crow Divine Lord, making recovery exceptionally difficult. Yang Kai was still desperately weak, having barely regained any of his strength, and within the wounds themselves lingered an insidious, corrosive force that gnawed at his flesh and refused to let them close.
Could Black Crow Divine Lord really still be in pursuit after all this time? Yang Kai couldn't fathom how Qu Huashang had managed to hold on this long.
"It's not Black Crow Divine Lord," Qu Huashang said, shaking her head again. Mid-sentence, she stumbled, nearly losing her footing.
She was still injured herself and desperately needed rest. Being chased like this hadn't quite pushed her to the point of total collapse, but she wasn't far from it.
"Then who is it?" Yang Kai asked in alarm.
Just then, a voice drifted over from far behind: "Junior Sister Qu, I have no desire to make things difficult for you. Hand over that Yang Kai, and you're free to go. Why put yourself through this grueling escape?"
The voice sounded vaguely familiar to Yang Kai. He was almost certain he had heard it before.
After a moment's thought, fury surged through him. Wasn't this Yin Xinzhao from Xuanyuan Heavenly Cave? Before the Blood Demon Heavenly Cave had opened, the Xuanyuan Heavenly Cave people had come to seize territory, only for Yang Kai to use his Space Laws to snatch entrance after entrance right out from under them. Yin Xinzhao in particular had been personally targeted by Yang Kai, losing an entrance that had been right near him.
He had assumed the man would never get the chance to set foot inside the Blood Demon Heavenly Cave, yet here he was—running into him by sheer coincidence, and chasing him no less.
The guy's luck was truly something. After all that, he had still managed to get in?
Yang Kai craned his neck to look back and sure enough saw Yin Xinzhao in hot pursuit of Qu Huashang. He wasn't alone—he had two companions, both of whom should have been Xuanyuan Heavenly Cave disciples.
In terms of strength, Qu Huashang and Yin Xinzhao were roughly evenly matched. Neither would lose to the other in a one-on-one fight. But Qu Huashang was still wounded, and Yin Xinzhao had two helpers to boot. How could she possibly hold her own? Being chased like this was hardly surprising.
"How did we end up running into this guy?" Yang Kai seethed with frustration. Under normal circumstances, encountering Yin Xinzhao wouldn't frighten him in the least, but after just having fought a titanic battle against Black Crow Divine Lord with his strength far from restored, running into him now was genuinely troublesome.
"Our luck hasn't been great," Qu Huashang said with a bitter laugh, then briefly explained what had happened.
After being released from the Small Netherworld by Yang Kai, she had immediately carried him away from the battlefield, hoping to find a secluded spot where they could tend to their injuries together. Before she could find one, however, she had run into Yin Xinzhao and his group on the road—they had been coming to investigate the disturbance.
The battle between Yang Kai and Black Crow Divine Lord had caused quite a commotion. Yin Xinzhao and his two martial brothers had been nearby and had naturally noticed.
Upon seeing it was Yang Kai, Yin Xinzhao was overjoyed and immediately demanded that Qu Huashang hand him over. Qu Huashang refused, of course, and tried to stall while fleeing. That chase had lasted two full days.
Fortunately, Yin Xinzhao still harbored some wariness toward Yin Yang Heavenly Cave and didn't dare go for a killing blow. Otherwise, whether Qu Huashang could have protected Yang Kai at all would have been questionable. But as time wore on, Yin Xinzhao was losing patience, striking harder and harder, clearly intent on finishing Yang Kai off for good.
"That bastard!" Yang Kai gritted his teeth and patted Qu Huashang's shoulder. "Senior Sister Qu, put me down."
Clinging to her back certainly felt pleasant, but how could he expect a woman to keep risking her life for him at a time like this?
He couldn't help but curse under his breath. This Blood Demon Heavenly Cave was truly no place for humans. He had barely escaped Black Crow Divine Lord, only to be targeted by Yin Xinzhao next. Was he destined to be chased down forever?
"It's fine, Junior Brother. Keep recovering, and we can talk once you have some strength back." Qu Huashang could sense how dire Yang Kai's condition was and wasn't about to agree easily.
"Junior Sister Qu, you refuse to see reason. Then don't blame me for showing no mercy!" Yin Xinzhao's furious shout echoed from behind. The moment the words left his mouth, a blade of sword light shot forward like a bolt of silk, closing the distance in the blink of an eye.
The golden light radiated tremendous power. It was clear Yin Xinzhao had worked himself into a genuine rage—even his wariness of Yin Yang Heavenly Cave could no longer hold back his determination to kill Yang Kai.
By the time Qu Huashang sensed it and tried to dodge, it was already too late. With no other choice, she twisted her body slightly, and together with Yang Kai, both of them unleashed a palm strike toward the source of the attack.
BOOM—! A wave of violent force exploded outward. Yin Xinzhao's strike was blocked by their combined effort, but the backlash sent them both tumbling through the air in a heap.
"Pfft—" Qu Huashang spat out a mouthful of blood, her face pale as paper.