"Move!" Lin Feng shoved aside the dazed young man blocking his path and flickered to Zhao Xing's side in an instant. He helped him up, pressed a hand to the man's aura, and his expression changed dramatically.
Ning Daoran appeared beside him a heartbeat later, asking urgently, "How is he?"
Lin Feng's face was grim. He hurriedly fished a vial of pills from his robes, uncorked it, pried open Zhao Xing's mouth, and tried to force the spirit pill down his throat.
But blood kept surging from Zhao Xing's lips, and the pill simply wouldn't go down. Lin Feng tried again and again without success.
Then, abruptly, a frightening light blazed to life in Zhao Xing's dull eyes. He seized Lin Feng's arm and screamed, "Revenge…!"
The words had barely left his mouth when something seemed to rush out of his body at breakneck speed. In the space of a few breaths, all the vitality and spirit draining from Zhao Xing left him completely hollow. His frame hadn't changed much in size, but the sight was like a balloon that had been punctured.
Dense World Force erupted and swept outward in all directions.
The many Sixth-Order Open Heaven cultivators from the various Blessed Lands and Profound Heavens turned pale.
"His Small Universe is collapsing…" Nearby, Huang Anyi murmured the words under his breath.
None of them had ever witnessed this before, but that didn't stop them from recognizing what it was. Zhao Xing's Small Universe had collapsed, which was why such tremendous World Force was spilling out.
The foundation of any Open Heaven cultivator was their own Small Universe. The sole outcome of a Small Universe's collapse was… death, the extinction of one's Dao!
The surging World Force gradually subsided. When they looked again, Zhao Xing had lost all traces of life. His eyes remained wide open, the whites still holding faint embers of undying hatred.
Dead!
Zhao Xing, Core Disciple of the Thousand Crane Blessed Land, was dead. In a head-on clash with Yang Kai, lasting no more than a dozen breaths, his Small Universe had crumbled and killed him!
Lin Feng and Ning Daoran exchanged a glance, and each saw deep worry reflected in the other's eyes.
Yang Kai was also somewhat taken aback. He hadn't expected this fellow to be so weak that he couldn't withstand even three or four strikes. He hadn't intended to kill the man either—he had simply used a bit too much force…
Come to think of it, ever since his own advancement to the Open Heaven Realm, he had fought quite a few Sixth-Order cultivators. But those opponents had all been veterans like Mao Zhe or Ju Xian—seasoned Sixth-Orders with deep, well-fortified Small Universes. Even though they weren't his match, they could still exchange several moves with him.
Were newly advanced Sixth-Orders really this fragile?
On reflection, a newly advanced Open Heaven cultivator's Small Universe was inherently unstable. Under his relentless bombardment, it did seem rather easy to collapse.
This was entirely an accident!
But what was done was done… Yang Kai's eyes hardened, and he shot Grey Bone a meaningful look. Grey Bone's heart jolted as he immediately grasped Yang Kai's intent—silence the witnesses!
The moment killing intent stirred, Lin Feng sensed it. His head snapped up toward Yang Kai, his face contorting as he barked, "Why haven't you left yet?!"
Ning Daoran understood too. Alarmed, he flickered in front of Yang Kai, blocking his line of sight. "Brother Yang, stay calm!"
"Move!" Yang Kai stared down Ning Daoran, his gaze sharp and piercing.
Fine beads of sweat broke out across Ning Daoran's forehead, but he held his ground. "Brother Yang, don't be rash. If you actually go through with this, it's over—truly over!"
The newly advanced Sixth-Orders around them were still reeling from Zhao Xing's death and hadn't reacted yet.
Lin Feng, frantic with anger, snapped, "Do you all have a death wish? What are you still doing here?!"
As he spoke, he tossed Zhao Xing's corpse to Huang Anyi. "Get the hell out! All of you!"
Huang Anyi hurriedly caught the body and finally understood—it was Yang Kai's killing intent that had locked onto them all. It was impossible to miss.
Huang Anyi's face changed. Clutching Zhao Xing's corpse, he fled in a particular direction at full speed. The other newly advanced Sixth-Orders snapped back to their senses as well, each transforming into streaks of light and shooting away.
Lin Feng rose and walked step by step toward Yang Kai. He stopped beside Ning Daoran, met his eyes, and said firmly, "If Brother Yang truly intends to silence everyone, then you'll have to start with Senior Brother Ning and me. Don't worry—we won't fight back. After all, our lives were already saved by you in the Grand Desolation. Consider them returned."
Yang Kai regarded him coldly. Lin Feng returned the stare without flinching.
A long moment passed before Yang Kai finally closed his eyes. When he opened them again, the razor edge had vanished, replaced by a warm, gentle look. He smiled. "What are the two of you doing?"
Lin Feng let out a soft breath. "I'm glad you've come around." His back was drenched in cold sweat. Based on how Yang Kai had just killed Zhao Xing, even if he and Ning Daoran joined forces, they might not be able to stop him.
He sighed lightly and spoke with earnest gravity. "Don't blame us. We're doing this for your own good. Killing one Zhao Xing is a serious matter, but there may still be room to negotiate. If you kill anyone else, though, there will truly be no way to smooth things over."
"I know." Yang Kai gave a slight nod. Though Elder Xu Ling had indeed stated that life and death would be accepted as part of the Dao Discussion Assembly—no grudges held regardless of whose disciple fell—that was easier said than done. If a disciple of the Blessed Lands and Profound Heavens truly died, would their backing powers really let it go?
Zhao Xing had been a Core Disciple of the Thousand Crane Blessed Land, a genius who had advanced directly to the Sixth-Order. Given time, he would have become a pillar of the Thousand Crane's strength. Now he was dead at Yang Kai's hands. This enmity ran deep.
It had been an accident. Yang Kai had never intended to kill Zhao Xing—he had simply put a bit too much force behind his strikes.