Beyond the shock, greed flickered across his face.
If he could kill this brat right here, all those stars on his wrist would transfer to him. Even splitting them evenly with Grey Bone afterward, the haul would be immense.
Yin-Yang Heaven had already made its proclamation—anyone who performed well in this Grand Discussion Assembly would be granted their freedom. As one of the Thirty-Six Cave Heavens, Yin-Yang Heaven's promise carried considerable weight.
He didn't know exactly how many stars one needed to reclaim freedom, but it certainly wouldn't be many.
In other words, kill this Sixth-Order in front of him, and both he and Grey Bone could walk free.
"Attack!" Wunian bellowed. He swept his longsword forward and lunged toward Yang Kai, while the numerous Open Heaven cultivators encircling them all unleashed their respective secret techniques in unison.
Booms erupted in rapid succession. The space around Yang Kai grew chaotic with surging energy, world force crashing in all directions. His figure swayed like a lone skiff caught in a tempest, and in the blink of an eye, blood covered his body.
After struggling to endure a few blows, Yang Kai turned tail and fled.
"Nowhere to run!" Wunian roared. A golden opportunity lay before him—if he couldn't seize it now, he'd be trapped on the Sin Star for the rest of his life.
As the words left his mouth, he thrust his sword at Yang Kai's back, eyes blazing with excitement.
Then, without warning, a searing pain erupted from behind. Wunian felt as though he'd been struck by an entire world. His small universe trembled violently, golden sparks dancing across his vision, and he spat out a mist of blood.
He whipped his head around in a panic. There, Grey Bone Heavenly Lord stood behind him, calmly withdrawing his palm, expression utterly cold.
"You—" Wunian's eyes widened in disbelief. He could never have imagined Grey Bone would strike him from behind. Why? Was he trying to hog all the points on that boy's body? But could he really kill the target alone?
Besides, the target had accumulated so many points that splitting them between the two would still be more than generous. Why bother taking it all for himself?
Before the thought could finish, Yang Kai—who had appeared to be fleeing forward—suddenly spun around and charged back with his spear, the panic and helplessness that had been on his face moments ago replaced entirely by a savage grin.
A horrifying possibility struck Wunian. His face contorted with horror as he bellowed, "Grey Bone—you dare collude with an outsider?!"
Yang Kai burst into laughter. "What collusion? Grey Bone has been my man all along!"
Wunian's face turned ashen.
In the next instant, he found himself caught in a pincer attack from Grey Bone and Yang Kai front and back. He'd already been seriously wounded by Grey Bone's sneak attack from behind, and now fighting two opponents at once—how could he possibly hold out?
In just a few breaths, he was battered to the brink of death, blood spurting from open wounds that grew worse by the second.
The Open Heaven cultivators who had been surrounding Yang Kai were dumbstruck. The Sin Alliance had been luring the snake from its hole, everything going according to plan—so how had the situation flipped so suddenly, leaving them utterly bewildered?
Yang Kai's words only made their faces drain of color.
Seeing Wunian Heavenly Lord on the verge of death with his life in imminent danger, none of them dared stay any longer. They scattered in every direction, fleeing for their lives.
"Don't any of you damn well move! Whoever runs dies!" Yang Kai roared, his voice amplified by the laws of space, even as he hammered Wunian with relentless spear strikes.
No one listened. Staying meant certain death. But the space around them had grown viscous, giving everyone the sensation of wading through a swamp—every step was a struggle.
"You go!" Yang Kai ordered Grey Bone.
Grey Bone nodded at once. His figure blurred as he shot toward the fleeing Open Heaven cultivators. He knew full well what Yang Kai was capable of—forget Wunian being wounded, even at full strength he wouldn't be Yang Kai's match. There was nothing to worry about.
Moreover, the fact that he and Yang Kai had been working together from the inside absolutely could not be exposed. Otherwise, pulling a stunt like this again would be impossible.
Grey Bone rounded up the fleeing Open Heaven cultivators one by one, placing restrictions on them and locking them together. By the time he finished, Wunian had already been pierced through more than a dozen times by Yang Kai's spear. Blood and organs spilled across the ground, and the wounds burned with pitch-black Golden Crow True Fire that refused to be extinguished.
Wunian was finished.
Grey Bone understood clearly—even with the powerful life force of an Open Heaven cultivator, injuries this severe left no hope of recovery. In principle, a battle between two Sixth-Order Open Heaven cultivators shouldn't have ended this quickly. Even the weaker party could usually escape if they were determined enough, leaving the other with little recourse.
The situation had turned out this way for two reasons: first, Grey Bone's sneak attack from behind had dealt Wunian devastating damage, and second, Yang Kai's strength far exceeded that of his peers. Wunian hadn't even had the chance to flee.
"Cough, cough, cough—" Wunian coughed violently, dropping to one knee with his sword planted against the ground, using it to prop himself up. He glared at Grey Bone with hatred burning in his eyes. "You traitorous bastard—I'll be waiting for you on the road to the underworld!"
He believed that had Grey Bone not stabbed him in the back, his end would never have been so wretched.
Grey Bone gazed at him in silence, saying nothing.
"This business is settled. You can head back first," Yang Kai said, waving at Grey Bone. Wunian no longer had any strength to resist. His life force was draining away—even left alone, he wouldn't survive long. The remaining Open Heaven cultivators had all been placed under Grey Bone's restrictions and were immobilized in place. It was time to reap the harvest.
"Just going back like this might not sit well," Grey Bone said.