Yuchi Chengzhou sighed heavily. "As the Altar Master of the Sen Luo Tan, my failure to revitalize the Sect is already a dereliction of duty. But our ancestors' tens-of-thousands-year legacy absolutely cannot be destroyed in my hands. If Sect Master Yang insists on pressing the matter, then our Sen Luo Tan has no choice but to offend!"
"You're courting death!" A cold light gleamed in Yang Kai's eyes. "You should know that your Sen Luo Tan cannot stop me!"
Behind him, Hua Yong was itching to join the fight. Having only just joined Void Land, this was the perfect time to prove himself. If battle broke out, he would be the first to charge forward.
Yuchi Chengzhou said hoarsely, "Since when has anyone in this world not died? The only difference is dying early or dying late. The Grand Elder committed a grave error, and Sect Master Yang has come to demand answers — our Sen Luo Tan has nothing to say against that. But our disciples are not cowards who fear death! Today, we will live and die with the Sen Luo Tan!"
Behind him, the crowd of Open Heaven cultivators were instantly filled with righteous fury, crying out in unison: "We swear to live and die with the Sen Luo Tan!"
Swoosh, swoosh, swoosh — wave after wave of Open Heaven auras surged forth, and the Power of the World rumbled and fluctuated.
Yang Kai was slightly moved. His gaze swept across each of the warriors, and he silently marveled: was this the foundation accumulated over tens of thousands of years by a Sect with such a long lineage? Their strength was certainly not formidable, but this sense of identity and belonging was something no newly established power could replicate. Even knowing that this battle meant certain death, not one of them flinched.
On those faces, there were traces of terror and fear, but no one was willing to take even a single step back.
Yang Kai nodded gently. "Since Altar Master Yuchi has made his decision, I won't try to persuade you any further. On the road to the Yellow Springs, I'm sure you won't be too lonely!"
The Sen Luo Tan had to be destroyed. This concerned the Madam's Heart Demon Oath — there was simply no room for compromise. Even though the people of the Sen Luo Tan had earned a measure of his respect, it could not deter his resolve to level the Altar to the ground.
Anyone who dared to stand in his way would die!
He raised one hand slightly, about to order the forces behind him to attack.
But before his hand could fall, Yang Kai suddenly looked up, his gaze piercing deep into the heart of the Sen Luo Tan. A sound of surprise escaped his lips.
At the same time, Mao Zhe and the others sensed it too, and all looked in that direction.
From that location, a vast and mighty aura seemed to stir from a deep slumber. Though only a faint trace leaked out, it was enough to reveal its extraordinary nature.
There was actually a Sixth Order Open Heaven cultivator stationed in the Sen Luo Tan!
This was something Yang Kai had not anticipated. He had previously judged Yuchi Chengzhou to be merely Fifth Order and assumed the Sen Luo Tan was nothing special. Only now did he realize he had somewhat underestimated the foundation of these Sects with tens of thousands of years of heritage.
It wasn't that they didn't have Sixth Order cultivators — they had simply been hidden all along. Presumably, had they not sensed that Yang Kai's side was about to strike, this person would never have revealed themselves.
The aura rolled forth in magnificent waves, a testament to that person's profound cultivation.
Yuchi Chengzhou and the others felt the aura as well. They all looked up in that direction, crying out: "Patriarch!"
From that direction came an aged voice, as though it had not been used in a very long time, the words rough and hoarse: "Young friend, please hold your hand and hear this old man's words!"
Yang Kai looked up, a faint glimmer of light passing through his eyes as though he could pierce through layers of obstruction to see the person's hiding place. He said evenly, "What guidance does the old gentleman have to offer?"
The person replied, "I wouldn't dare offer guidance. I only ask that you come inside for a discussion!"
Yang Kai considered briefly, then nodded. "Very well." He turned and instructed, "Wait here for me."
Hua Yong said worriedly, "Sect Master, perhaps this subordinate should accompany you. At the very least, I could provide some support."
"No need." Yang Kai waved his hand and took a single step forward, descending from the warship. His figure rapidly faded, vanishing in the blink of an eye.
Everyone looked in the direction from which the aged voice had come. On the faces of Yuchi Chengzhou and his people, eager and hopeful expressions appeared, as though they were counting on their Patriarch to resolve the matter perfectly.
Mao Zhe, who had been silent until now, spoke up: "That old gentleman of yours — he's about to advance to Seventh Order, isn't he?"
He himself was at the peak of the Sixth Order, just one step away from the Seventh Order, so he was especially sensitive to that person's aura. However, having suffered losses within the Shadowless Cave Heaven previously, even now that he had returned to the Three Thousand Worlds, he would likely need a long time to recover.
Yuchi Chengzhou said, "The Patriarch has been in seclusion for eight hundred years. I'm not certain of his exact level of cultivation."
Mao Zhe chuckled softly. "You're hoping this Patriarch of yours can drive him off?"
Yuchi Chengzhou turned to look at him. Mao Zhe snorted. "Naive!"
Having said that, he said nothing more. Unless you had fought Yang Kai head-on, there was simply no way to comprehend how terrifying this man truly was. Before encountering Yang Kai, Mao Zhe had believed that no one beneath the High-Order Open Heaven realm could be his match — at best, there might be others on his level, after all, he had cultivated to the very peak of the Sixth Order.
But after encountering Yang Kai, he finally understood what it meant for there to be a sky beyond the sky, and someone above everyone else.
This fellow was an absolute monster. Having condensed the power of a High-Order cultivator, even though he was technically only Sixth Order, Mao Zhe suspected his true strength rivaled that of a Seventh Order Open Heaven cultivator.
He didn't know exactly how powerful the Sen Luo Tan's Patriarch was, but he was absolutely certain that this person could not possibly be Yang Kai's match.