Grey Bone Heavenly Lord lowered his head. "We were careless."
Yellow Spring Heavenly Lord watched him in silence, her gaze deep and unfathomable, staring so intently that Grey Bone felt a chill crawl through his heart. Could she have seen through something?
If his identity were truly exposed here, it would be all over. Though he was Sixth-Order, he was still inferior to both Yellow Spring Heavenly Lord and Diamond Heavenly Lord beside him. What's more, this was the Sin Alliance headquarters—aside from himself, eight other Sixth-Order cultivators had gathered here. Once his identity was revealed, death would be the only outcome.
"Where were you ambushed? Take me to see."
Just as Grey Bone's mind raced between fear and worry, Yellow Spring spoke up.
Grey Bone knew he couldn't refuse, and could only grit his teeth and agree.
Moments later, three figures soared into the sky, heading in a specific direction.
On the way, leading the Sin Alliance's Alliance Master and a Vice Alliance Master to inspect the battlefield, Grey Bone Heavenly Lord repeatedly tried to send a message to Yang Kai, but every attempt failed.
He didn't know whether Yellow Spring could discern anything from the remnants of the battlefield, only harboring a vague sense that he was in deep trouble. He secretly made up his mind: if things went south, he would find a way to flee immediately. There might still be a sliver of hope.
Half a day later, the three arrived at the site of the earlier battle, landing amidst scattered corpses and severed limbs. Looking around, fresh bloodstains had yet to dry on the ground, and traces of battle between Open Heaven cultivators scarred every surface. The bodies had long lost any spark of life, strewn across the clearing in every direction.
Diamond Heavenly Lord stepped forward to one of the bodies and examined it carefully, his expression grave. "Brother Wunian..."
The person was none other than the deceased Wunian Heavenly Lord—though now his head had been hammered clean into his chest.
Yellow Spring Heavenly Lord said nothing, merely sweeping a glance over the battlefield before gently closing his eyes to sense what he could in silence.
Grey Bone stood behind him, eyes drifting, thinking: if he were to launch a sneak attack on Yellow Spring Heavenly Lord right now, could he kill him on the spot?
If Yellow Spring fell, then with only Diamond Heavenly Lord remaining, though he was no match, he was confident he could escape. Not every Sixth-Order Open Heaven cultivator was as monstrously powerful as Yang Kai.
But if the first strike failed, he would be besieged by two top-tier Sixth-Order cultivators, and in his current condition, it would be a one-in-ten chance of survival!
Just as he wavered, Yellow Spring Heavenly Lord suddenly opened his eyes and said with a frown, "Three Sixth-Order cultivators left their auras here!"
Three?
Grey Bone Heavenly Lord was stunned. Three? At the time, aside from the Sin Alliance, there had only been Yang Kai here. Had two more shown up afterward?
This was a tremendous help! His mood lightened considerably, and he picked up where Yellow Spring left off. "One of them pinned me down while the other two joined forces against Brother Wunian. The result was..."
A cold light flashed in Yellow Spring Heavenly Lord's eyes. "These people from the Cave Heavens and Paradises are truly too brazen—bullying us like this. Do they think the Sin Alliance has no one?"
He turned to Wunian's corpse and said in a low voice, "Rest easy, Brother Wunian. The Alliance will avenge you!"
He instructed Diamond Heavenly Lord to collect Wunian's remains, and the three headed back the way they came.
...
At the hideout, Lu Jing gazed curiously at the four people who had followed Yang Kai inside. Though he didn't know who any of them were, that didn't stop him from sensing their formidable strength.
None were people he could afford to cross. Especially those two whose demonic aura was thick enough to chill the bone—clearly Disciples of Myriad Demons Heaven.
"Find your own places to stay. When there's news, I'll let you know when to move." Yang Kai said, then headed toward his own quarters.
Behind him, Yin Xinzhao spoke in a sinister drawl. "Don't make us wait too long. We're not known for our patience."
Yang Kai let out a cold snort, too lazy to respond.
Yin Xinzhao's low laughter trailed after him, dripping with smugness.
"Mo Sheng, clean up that area," Pei Wenxuan ordered.
"Yes, Senior Brother Pei!" The Fifth-Order Open Heaven cultivator who had been trailing behind Pei Wenxuan responded respectfully and walked to one side of the cave. Demonic energy coiled around his hand, and before long he had carved out a crude cave dwelling in the rock face.
Meanwhile, Yang Kai sat cross-legged, his expression flickering with uncertainty.
The Fifth-Order Open Heaven cultivator always trailing behind Pei Wenxuan was named Mo Sheng? Had he misheard, or were the syllables simply similar?
The Great Demon God had also been named Mo Sheng—but he had been slain through the combined efforts of Yang Kai and the various Great Emperors of the Star Boundary. In the end, that fellow Wu Kuang had used the Heaven Devouring Battle Law to devour Mo Sheng's body, occupying the nest like a cuckoo. Another form of body seizure, in a manner of speaking.
After that, Wu Kuang had left the Star Boundary and vanished without a trace.
Wu Kuang was a man of great ambition and extraordinary talent. If not for that, he could never have single-handedly created a heaven-defying technique like the Heaven Devouring Battle Law. Back in the Star Boundary, he had been universally acknowledged as its foremost cultivator. In the Battle of the Stars of Ruin, the Great Emperors who fell to his hand were beyond counting.
Yang Kai had no favorable impression of Wu Kuang. The man was cruel in temperament and ruthless in his methods—absolutely not a good person. When he had departed the Star Boundary to explore higher realms of martial cultivation in the outer void, Yang Kai had felt nothing but relief.