At this moment, Yang Kai felt incredibly grateful that he hadn't held anything back and had immediately activated the Divine Ability Bead that the Landlady had granted him. Otherwise, he likely wouldn't have been the Golden Wolf King's match at all. Thanks to the Gentle Finger stored within that bead, the Golden Wolf King's strength had been drastically reduced. One could only imagine how terrifying it would have been if he hadn't dealt it a heavy blow in advance.
After fighting for a while, Yang Kai had covered the Golden Wolf King in wounds, but killing it would still require considerable effort—at least half an hour of bitter combat. In this situation, the longer time dragged on, the more it favored Yang Kai. As time passed, the Golden Wolf King's injuries would deepen and the strength it could bring to bear would continue to diminish. Eventually, Yang Kai would be able to cut it down with ease.
But Yang Kai couldn't afford to stall. He had to end this quickly.
This was the Blood Demon Domain, a place teeming with Open Heaven realm powerhouses, including no shortage of Mid-Order cultivators. If someone detected the commotion here, it would inevitably draw attention. A Seventh-Order demon beast's inner core was priceless beyond measure—killings born of greed were practically guaranteed.
Yang Kai took a deep breath, leveled his spear, and poured the power from his Dao Seal into it. The True Fire of the Golden Crow surged forth, warping the void around him.
A blazing sun suddenly rose behind him, accompanied by the cry of a Golden Crow. Within that sun, a three-legged Golden Crow frolicked and danced. The moment his Divine Ability manifestation appeared, Yang Kai's aura skyrocketed.
A flash of human-like terror crossed the Golden Wolf King's eyes. After a moment's hesitation, it turned and fled.
How could Yang Kai allow it to escape again? His expression remained calm as he activated the Laws of Space, sealing a section of the void. In an instant, the Golden Wolf King's movements slowed.
Yang Kai flipped his spear upward, lifting the blazing sun onto its tip, and thrust with all his might.
At the precipice of life and death, the Golden Wolf King turned in fury and spat out a golden beam of light to meet the radiant sun.
A violent collision erupted. Rings of light expanded wildly in every direction as raging energy wreaked havoc. The golden light was obliterated as the blazing sun engulfed the Golden Wolf King completely.
A long while passed before the blinding radiance finally dissipated. Yang Kai's face was slightly pale as he slung his spear across his back and drew a deep breath.
Beside him, not far away, the Golden Wolf King's entire head had been blasted apart. Its headless body twitched faintly as its life force drained away rapidly.
This battle had begun abruptly and ended swiftly, but being able to slay a Seventh-Order demon beast like this meant Yang Kai had gained an enormous advantage. Had the Golden Wolf King not already been gravely wounded, had he not possessed the Landlady's Divine Ability Bead, then with his current strength, encountering a Seventh-Order demon beast would have meant nothing but flight. It was the convergence of countless factors that had led to this creature's death.
Suppressing the thrill in his heart, Yang Kai flickered to the Golden Wolf King's corpse and swept it with his divine sense. He quickly located something in its chest, reached his hand in, and when he withdrew it, he held a fist-sized inner core—blood-soaked and radiating golden light.
Seventh-Order! It truly was a Seventh-Order Metal-attribute inner core!
Yang Kai nearly threw his head back and howled with laughter. He had thought his trip to the Blood Demon Cave Heaven would end without fulfilling his wish, yet after the cave heaven's complete collapse, he had somehow obtained a Seventh-Order Metal-attribute inner core. Heaven had truly shown him favor.
Great expenditures did bring rewards. The Landlady's Divine Ability Bead had been well spent.
But before Yang Kai could stow the inner core, a figure suddenly flickered into view, landing not far from his side.
His heart sank. He had known that failing to end the fight quickly would attract attention, but he had still been a bit too slow. After all, both the Landlady's Divine Ability Bead and his own Divine Ability manifestation had been enormously conspicuous—if anyone had been nearby, it would have been impossible not to notice.
The newcomer was a half-elderly man. Yang Kai took one look and was startled to find that he recognized him. Yang Kai didn't know this man's real name—people called him Elder Hong. If he remembered correctly, he hailed from a force called Tianya.
Back when Yang Kai had seized the Great Golden Crow's corpse inside the Golden Crow Divine Palace, this Elder Hong had been among several Open Heaven cultivators who gave him relentless chase. That was when Yang Kai had first crossed paths with him. Later, Yang Kai had fled into the First Inn, the Golden Crow Divine Palace affair had blown up, and Elder Hong—with his mere Fourth-Order Open Heaven cultivation—had been entirely unable to participate, so he had bowed out early.
Upon arriving, Elder Hong cast a dark, shifting gaze at the Golden Wolf King's corpse. His eyelids twitched. "A Seventh-Order demon beast!"
Though the Golden Wolf King was dead, the aura of a Seventh-Order demon beast still lingered about its body. Elder Hong was experienced enough to recognize it at a glance.
He turned to look at Yang Kai, and his eyes immediately narrowed. "It's you, kid?"
He had clearly recognized Yang Kai as well. This was one encounter Elder Hong would never forget—after all, he had never seen anyone escape the pursuit of several Mid-Order Open Heaven cultivators before.
Yang Kai ignored him, silently producing a handful of spirit pills and swallowing them. With a wave of his hand, he swept the Golden Wolf King's corpse into his spatial ring.
"Kid, hand over that demon beast's inner core, and I'll spare your life!" Elder Hong's face was a mask of naked greed and excitement. A Seventh-Order demon beast's inner core—something he had never laid eyes on in his entire life. He might be a Fourth-Order Open Heaven, vastly superior to Yang Kai in status, standing, and strength, but when it came to wealth, he probably didn't have a hundredth of what Yang Kai possessed.