Every pair of eyes went wide in an instant, barely able to believe the scene before them.
A Fifth-Order Open Heaven had thrown a full-powered spear thrust — and another Fifth-Order had caught it barehanded? Just how much strength did that take?
"Are you from the Heavenly Sword Alliance?" Yang Kai stared at Kong Tianyu, looking him up and down. "Is Kong Feng your father?"
Looking more carefully, he could make out some resemblance — this fellow called Kong Tianyu did share certain features with Kong Feng.
After the initial shock wore off, Kong Tianyu snapped back to his senses. His arm shook, and the long spear hummed as he seized the opportunity to break free from Yang Kai's grip. He drifted lightly back two steps to put some distance between them, his gaze wary and uncertain. "You..."
He was secretly alarmed — this guy was incredibly strong. Just moments ago, he hadn't detected the slightest trace of Yang Kai channeling World Force before the man had grabbed his spear barehanded. In other words, he'd used nothing but raw physical strength.
A Fifth-Order Open Heaven who had cultivated his physical body to such a level — it was simply unheard of. At the very least, in all his years of growth, he had never encountered anyone with such terrifying strength.
What he didn't know was that the power nurtured by Yang Kai's three-hundred-zhang Dragon Form was immense beyond belief. Among cultivators of the same Order, there was virtually no one who could surpass him in raw strength or physical resilience.
"Heavenly Sword Alliance, heh heh heh..." Yang Kai suddenly chuckled. "Not bad, not bad. I wasn't even looking for you lot, and here you come seeking me out. How interesting."
After breaking free from the Shadowless Cave Heaven, he had destroyed Senluo Hall and Golden Rainbow Province — two great powers — to fulfill the Proprietress's Heart Demon Oath. The former Hundred Sects Alliance had been thrown into a panic, with faction after faction rushing to Void Land's Star City, bearing lavish gifts and begging for an audience, terrified their own forces would follow in Senluo Hall's and Golden Rainbow Province's footsteps.
As for those forces that had once participated in the siege of Void Land, Yang Kai hadn't really cared. They'd been compelled to join the Hundred Sects Alliance for various reasons. Void Land was considerable in stature now, and there was no need to entangle itself with those smaller factions, wasting time and energy.
But the Heavenly Sword Alliance — he had no intention of letting them off.
He had originally planned to gather his people and pay the Heavenly Sword Alliance a proper visit, to settle their accounts — vengeance for vengeance, grudge for grudge. But then Yin Yang Heaven had announced the Dao Discussion Assembly, forcing him to come here first.
He never expected to run into Kong Feng's son here!
It seemed Qing Kui had deliberately arranged for him to be placed on Fate Peak.
"Sigh!" Yang Kai heaved a heavy sigh. "What a hassle. I was planning to keep a low profile, but that's clearly not going to happen!"
He was well aware of the current state of the Dao Discussion Assembly — only cultivators up to the Fifth-Order Open Heaven were participating. A Sixth-Order Open Heaven sneaking in among them was like an adult crashing a children's gathering. Winning the championship would be effortless.
If he exposed his strength here today, the entire landscape of the Assembly would shift, and participants would no longer be limited to the Fifth-Order.
A thought struck him... Was this exactly what Xu Linggong and Qing Kui had wanted to see? Yes — it had to be. He finally understood why he and Qu Huachang had been caught in bed together. Everything had been orchestrated by Xu Linggong.
Truly... a cunning old fox.
He knew it was all for Qu Huachang's sake, but Yang Kai still felt somewhat irritated. Being manipulated without cause wasn't exactly something to be happy about.
"What are you saying?" Kong Tianyu glared at him angrily, his shock gradually subsiding. Open Heaven cultivators competed based on the depth of their Small Universes, not physical strength. Having his spear snatched barehanded just now had certainly shaken him, but he had already recovered his composure.
"Whatever you're saying, you're going to die here today!" Kong Tianyu whipped his spear forward again, leveling it at Yang Kai from a distance. As he spoke, the spear shot out in a rapid thrust. Along its shaft, the profound power of a seasoned Fifth-Order Open Heaven surged, World Force billowing outward. Each thrust left dark imprints carved into the void that refused to heal for a long time.
"I was the Young Alliance Master of the Heavenly Sword Alliance — the heir to the Alliance Master position, wreathed in countless glories! And you — because of you, I was pushed aside by those old fossils in the Alliance! But so what? As long as I win the championship at this Dao Discussion Assembly, I'll become Yin Yang Heaven's son-in-law! Then I'll make them kneel before me, prostrate themselves on the ground, weep and beg for mercy! Hahaha — see that? This is the gap between us! You might be Fifth-Order too, but how can you compare to me? I've been immersed in this realm for hundreds of years, while you've only just advanced! Go on, dodge — keep dodging. Let's see you... uh..."
Kong Tianyu's taunting cut off abruptly. His entire body went rigid, and the savage expression on his face slowly twisted into something else. His eyes trembled violently as he stared at his own open palm.
That was where his spear should have been — the Fifth-Order Artifact that Kong Feng had personally commissioned for him when he had advanced to the Fifth-Order Open Heaven.
But right now, there was nothing there. The Fifth-Order Artifact that had accompanied him for centuries had simply vanished!
He looked up, only to find his spear in Yang Kai's hand, the man casually spinning it to produce several elegant spear flowers.
When... did that happen?!
Kong Tianyu's pupils contracted to pinpoints. A bead of cold sweat seeped from his forehead and slid down his cheek. The young man standing before him seemed utterly unremarkable, yet he felt as though the gates of death were slowly swinging open before his eyes.
The onlookers were equally stunned.
They had just watched Kong Tianyu's spear grow more formidable with each thrust. Under that relentless storm of attacks, Yang Kai had seemed to have nothing to do but dodge. They had been certain he was done for.
Who could have guessed that in the span of a single blink, the situation would change so dramatically?
Kong Tianyu's Artifact had been snatched right out from under him!