"Keep that sort of thing for yourself—kill him!" In a sudden burst of fury, a roar rang out as two figures simultaneously burst from the left and right, as though they had coordinated in advance. Spiritual energy surged through both of them—one wielded a saber, the other fought barehanded—as they closed in on Yang Kai from both sides.
Shu Wancheng had managed the Heavenly Net Palace for so many years that he naturally had some loyal and courageous subordinates. These two elders who sprang forward were exactly that. When Shu Wancheng had been killed moments ago, they hadn't reacted in time—there had been no chance to save him. But now that Yang Kai wanted them to swallow this poison pill as well, their patience snapped entirely, and they launched themselves into action.
The saber blazed with sharp saber qi, its blade flickering with dazzling light—it was clearly a formidable earth-grade weapon. The other man's fists, swinging outward in a crushing barrage, glowed a deep, searing red like white-hot iron, oppressive and scorching. He had clearly pushed his spiritual energy to its absolute limit.
Yang Kai, seated calmly above, let a flicker of mockery cross his eyes. With a sharp *clang*, his long sword left its sheath. As sword light flowed and swirled, he slashed toward the saber-wielder with one stroke while simultaneously thrusting his other hand forward in a clenched fist aimed at the second attacker.
*Ding...*
A crisp ring sounded, and blood sprayed through the air. In the time it took lightning to flash, the contest was decided.
The saber-wielding elder knelt on one knee, staring blankly at the now-broken saber in his hands. His eyes went wide as he sputtered, "How... is this possible?"
That saber had cost him no small amount of resources to have forged—an earth-grade weapon. Though not quite on the level of a heaven-grade weapon, it wasn't far off. Yet in a single exchange, it had been sliced clean through, the cut so neat and smooth it looked like a knife through tofu.
He raised his eyes. The sword, its blade still shimmering with flowing sword light, was angled before him—and from its tip, a single drop of blood rolled free. An intense spiritual resonance emanated from the blade.
"A spirit weapon!" The saber-wielder's eyes bulged even wider. No wonder his earth-grade weapon had been utterly powerless—the young man before him was wielding a spirit weapon!
Darkness descended. The elder collapsed face-first to the ground, blood pooling from the wound in his chest as his life faded away.
Meanwhile, the other elder who had charged alongside him was now being held aloft by Yang Kai, one hand clamped firmly around his throat. His once-crimson fists were now a bloody mess of torn flesh, and even his arms hung limp and powerless at his sides.
Yang Kai remained seated in his chair above, as though he had never moved at all. His hand tightened slowly. "I do love stubborn ones like you—the cracking sound is so satisfying."
The elder gripped by the throat struggled with all his might, but he couldn't break free from Yang Kai's hold. Hoarse, guttural sounds escaped his constricted throat.
*Crack.* His neck twisted to the side, and the elder's life ended in an instant.
Yang Kai tossed the corpse downward and cast his cold gaze over the assembly below. "You can all come at me at once. If any of you manage to kill me, I'll admit you've got skill!"
The crowd of elders, who had been on the verge of making their own moves, broke into cold sweat. Staring at the young man above them, they felt as though they were looking upon a specter.
When Shu Wancheng had been killed, they hadn't seen clearly what had happened. Many had suspected the Palace Master's death involved some element of ambush, and they hadn't yet formed a precise understanding of Yang Kai's true strength.
Now, with two elders who had attacked together also dead in an instant, the truth finally became clear. The long sword Yang Kai had been carrying all along was a spirit weapon!
If they weren't mistaken, this had to be the legendary Clear Void Sword left behind by the Clear Void Sword Master of old!
A spirit weapon alone, however, wouldn't have been enough to shock them this deeply. Spirit weapons were ultimately just external tools—they didn't represent a wielder's true power. The Fourth Elder's death could be attributed to inferior equipment; it was almost an unfair loss.
But the Fifth Elder's death was a direct reflection of the young man's real strength!
The Fifth Elder had been at the sixth level of Earth Grade! Yet he hadn't even managed to make the young man shift from his seat. Could this person possibly be at the Heaven Grade?
At that thought, the elders' hearts turned to ash. Whatever private schemes they had harbored moments ago vanished entirely. Before a Heaven-grade powerhouse, they were nothing but ants.
Grand Elder Li Zhengqing was the first to recover his wits. He shoved the poison pill into his mouth and swallowed it in one gulp, then clasped his fists and declared, "From this day forward, all of the Heavenly Net Palace will follow your lead without question, my lord. Whatever command you give, the Heavenly Net Palace will wade through fire and water—we would not dare refuse!"
Only then did the others react. Each swallowed their poison pill with lightning speed as a show of submission.
Yang Kai's smile was radiant. "Those who recognize the situation are wise men. None of you will regret the choice you made today."
What followed was simple. The Heavenly Net Palace Master and two elders had both died at Yang Kai's hands. Added to the earlier death of Zhan Boxiong, the Heavenly Net Palace's original nine elders were reduced to just six. Grand Elder Li Zhengqing assumed the position of Palace Master, and the Heavenly Net Palace became a branch of the Void Spirit Sword Sect.
The upheaval among the upper ranks had little impact on the rank-and-file disciples. Li Zhengqing publicly announced that the Palace Master and the Fourth and Fifth Elders had suffered Qi Deviations during cultivation and died suddenly. Though the disciples harbored suspicions, they had no choice but to accept it.
Several hundred disciples, led by the elders, set off in grand procession toward the Void Spirit Sword Sect, ready to put them to work in the mines for Yang Kai.
Li Zhengqing, meanwhile, gave Yang Kai a tour of the Heavenly Net Palace's treasury and reported on the properties and affairs under the Palace's name.
Yang Kai had little interest in such matters—he was far more eager to explore the treasury's stockpile of resources. After refining the Clear Void Sword's sword qi, his cultivation had leapt from the seventh level of Human Grade straight to the first level of Earth Grade, and he was badly in need of cultivation materials. He had come here in the first place precisely because he needed people to work the mines.
Still, the black jade mine wouldn't yield results overnight. The resources stored in the Heavenly Net Palace's treasury, however, solved his most pressing needs.