Yang Kai's face was grim and dark. After a moment of silence, he said, "Since the Elder has spoken, this junior naturally must give the Elder face."
The turtle-backed elder beamed with delight, "A teachable lad..."
Kong Feng also let out a heavy sigh of relief. When he had been captured earlier, he had been consumed by utter despair, nearly certain that he would die here in the Void Land. He never expected the situation to take such a turn. Feeling gratitude toward the Sword Wielder, he nevertheless shot Yang Kai a vicious glare, his eyes brimming with venomous hatred.
This time, the Hundred Families Alliance had suffered devastating losses, and the reinforcements from the Heavenly Sword Alliance had been beaten down until he was virtually the last man standing. One could say the operation had been a complete failure — but it hadn't been without gains. At the very least, he had probed the Void Land's true strength, giving those above a direct understanding of what this place was truly capable of.
This assault had failed, but once they prepared properly for the next one, the Void Land would certainly be unable to resist.
A gentleman's revenge is never too late. As long as one still had life, there would always be a chance to rise again.
The High-grade Open Heaven cultivator from Myriad Demons Heaven snorted coldly, "Kid, at least you know what's good for you."
The Sword Wielder also nodded, "Release him already?"
Yang Kai nodded, "I'll release him right now..."
As he spoke, he snatched the cold-water longsword from Lu Xue's hand and brought it down in a single slash. The brilliance of that lone strike filled the space between heaven and earth.
The turtle-backed elder's smile froze on his face. Zhu Jiuyin's eyes glazed over momentarily. The two High-grade Open Heaven cultivators were stunned...
Kong Feng stared at Yang Kai with utter disbelief, his eyes bulging wider than eggs!
Yang Kai kicked Kong Feng square in the body, sending him hurtling toward the two High-grade Open Heaven cultivators. With his cultivation sealed, Kong Feng had no way to resist the blow. His body drifted helplessly in that direction as he screamed in fury, "Yang Kai, you little bastard — I won't let you go even as a ghost!"
The instant those words left his lips, a thin crimson line appeared at his neck. In the next heartbeat, a perfectly good head soared into the sky, and blood gushed from the severed neck like a fountain!
Yang Kai's single strike had cleanly taken his head. But because the blow had landed so fast, head and body were still closely connected. Kong Feng, a Sixth-Rank Open Heaven cultivator, possessed formidable life force, allowing him to let out one final earth-shaking roar of rage before death.
However, once the head was severed, no amount of life force could make a difference. The moment the roar ended, his vitality rapidly drained away.
Mist churned violently around the Sword Wielder, betraying the turbulent fluctuations of his emotional state. Gritting his teeth, he spat, "You've got some nerve, kid!"
The Myriad Demons Heaven High-grade Open Heaven cultivator, on the other hand, studied Yang Kai with evident interest, a trace of unmistakable appreciation in his gaze. The people of Myriad Demons Heaven were all ruthless and merciless by nature, and Yang Kai's actions undoubtedly suited his taste. Had they not been on opposing sides, he might well have cheered.
Nobody had expected Yang Kai to act so decisively. One moment he had agreed to release the hostage, and the next he had taken Kong Feng's life — the reversal in attitude was as dramatic as the difference between heaven and earth.
Kong Feng had met an especially wretched end. A dignified Sixth-Rank Open Heaven cultivator, killed at the hands of someone in the Emperor Realm — even if it couldn't be said that no one after him would follow, it was certainly without precedent.
Yang Kai cast a cold glance toward the Sword Wielder and flicked the longsword in his hand. "This kid's courage has never been particularly great. But if someone comes bullying their way to my door, I won't just sit and wait for death. Whoever dares trespass against my Void Land — the Void Land will show no mercy!"
Now that the enemy had already come knocking at his door, how could Yang Kai back down? Even if he released Kong Feng this time, would Kong Feng and the forces behind him feel the slightest gratitude? This enmity had already been forged, with no possibility whatsoever of reconciliation. Rather than releasing the tiger back to the mountain, it was better to pull up the roots entirely. Otherwise, if he let Kong Feng go today, what would happen when some Liu Feng or Zhao Feng showed up tomorrow?
The Open Heaven cultivators killed earlier, though numerous, hadn't been of sufficient rank. Kong Feng was different — the very leader of the Heavenly Sword Alliance, and even he had fallen in the Void Land. After this battle, the Void Land's name would resound throughout the entire world, and it would teach those who harbored designs on the Void Land just how dangerous it was to provoke them.
After this battle, any random cat or dog who wanted to make trouble for the Void Land would have to consider first whether their necks were hard enough to pay the price.
“You’re impressive!” The sword-wielder quickly suppressed the fury in his heart. His earlier anger had been solely because Yang Kai had killed Kong Feng right before his eyes. He had already spoken to spare Kong Feng’s life, yet Yang Kai had spared no face, essentially slapping him in front of everyone, making his cheeks sting.
However, now that Kong Feng was already dead, no amount of anger on his part would change anything—unless he had the ability to deal with Zhu Jiuyin and that turtle-backed elder.
The mental fortitude of a High-Rank Open Heaven cultivator was extraordinary. Kong Feng’s death had certainly cost him face, but it was insignificant in the grand scheme of things.
Deep within the mist, it seemed a pair of eyes gave Yang Kai a long, hard stare. The sword-wielder turned and fled, transforming into a streak of light that shot straight beyond the heavens.
The High-Rank Open Heaven from the Myriad Demons Heaven looked Yang Kai up and down and gave a chuckle: “How interesting…”
After speaking, he too vanished from the spot. With two Great Sacred Beings of the Void Land presiding, and the sword-wielder already gone, what could he accomplish alone? Naturally, he had to withdraw promptly as well.