Before long, Yang Kai accepted the Register of Loyalty from Luan Baifeng with satisfaction, the three bold crimson characters on the final page none other than Luan Baifeng's name.
Since Chen Tianfei had originally offered up the Register of Loyalty of his own accord, all nine pages had now been filled.
Each page bore a name and a soul imprint inscribed in blood.
Chen Tianfei, Black River, Yun Xinghua, Mao Zhe, Geng Qing, Zhou Ya, Grey Bones, Xin Peng, and Luan Baifeng!
Unless one of them died, no new blank page would appear in the Register. And among these nine, a full five were Sixth-Order Open Heaven cultivators. This artifact had helped Yang Kai out of more than a few tight spots.
Without the Register of Loyalty, he never would have dared bring the three Mountain Masters of Profound Yang Mountain out of the Profound Shade Heaven. Without it, he couldn't have coordinated with Grey Bones from within Sin Star. And subduing Luan Baifeng today would have been utterly out of the question!
The Register of Loyalty had been forged years ago by a Upper-Order Open Heaven cultivator known as the Loyalty Devil, crafted from the hide, flesh, and blood of the Sacred Spirit Xiezhi. It was an extraordinary artifact of immense binding power.
Though the Register was formidable, its effectiveness ultimately depended on who wielded it.
Chen Tianfei had held it once upon a time, but he was merely a Fourth-Order Open Heaven — the Register was practically useless in his hands. In Yang Kai's possession, it was an entirely different story. It had truly shone.
"No wonder Xin Peng had the gall to betray me. So that's how it is!" Luan Baifeng's expression darkened as she glanced at the Register. She had just spotted Xin Peng's name inscribed within it, and her earlier doubts now had their answer. Bound by the Register, Xin Peng would naturally obey Yang Kai's commands.
Yang Kai chuckled. "Don't give me that resentful look. Swearing allegiance to me is better than holeing up in Black Prison for the rest of your days. The outside world is vast — you should get out more and see it."
Luan Baifeng gave a cold snort. "Winner takes all, loser takes the blame. Say whatever you like."
Yang Kai glanced around. "Your underlings don't look particularly loyal to me."
Luan Baifeng's face turned ashen.
She hadn't come alone on this trip — she'd brought a number of subordinates with her. Yet when she had been locked in combat with Yang Kai, not a single one had stepped forward to help. Part of that was because Yang Kai had moved too fast for them to react, but if they had been truly devoted, they would have rushed to their mistress's aid regardless.
In fact, even now, they remained hovering in the void outside the ship at a safe distance, showing no intention of approaching. Some had even assumed postures that suggested they were ready to flee at a moment's notice.
"What are you all gawking at? Get back inside!" Luan Baifeng barked, her fury barely contained.
A dozen or so Open Heaven cultivators of varying ranks shot into the ship and vanished from sight.
Luan Baifeng turned back to Yang Kai. "Satisfied now? My name is in the Register. Whatever you want me to do, just say it."
"No rush. Let's treat your injuries first. Such a beautiful woman, burned like this — it's more than I can bear to see," Yang Kai said, already channeling the Evergreen Grand Technique. Verdant branches descended, and a surge of rich life force enveloped Luan Baifeng.
Under the scorching of the Golden Crow True Fire earlier, Luan Baifeng had put up fierce resistance, but she had still been burned badly — her skin was charred and blistered, a truly ghastly sight.
The sight alone was enough to suggest excruciating pain, yet Luan Baifeng hadn't let out a single sound. Her endurance was truly formidable.
As the Evergreen technique took effect, the life force surged, and the wounds across her body began restoring themselves at a pace visible to the naked eye. Suppressing the intense tingling sensation, Luan Baifeng turned her head. "Don't expect me to thank you for small favors."
Her outward composure held, but inwardly she was stunned. Her injuries had been inflicted by the Golden Crow True Fire — yet the Wood-element divine ability Yang Kai was channeling showed such remarkably potent restorative power. What grade of Wood element had he actually refined when condensing his Open Heaven cultivation?
Yang Kai said, "Now that you've submitted to me, I won't treat you poorly. I don't expect your thanks."
Luan Baifeng furrowed her brow slightly, then closed her eyes and quietly let the rich life force mend her wounds. After a moment, she suddenly spoke. "Xin Peng was acting on your orders to lure me out of the mountain. So how much of what he told me was true, and how much was false?"
"Pretty much all of it," Yang Kai replied evenly.
Luan Baifeng's eyes snapped open. "Zuo Quanhui was really injured?"
"That's right."
Luan Baifeng's delicate brows knitted together. She pondered for a moment, then gave a faint nod. "I suppose it was you who injured him. Your abilities are... rather beyond what I imagined!"
Even after having fought Yang Kai firsthand, she still couldn't understand how a Sixth-Order Open Heaven cultivator could possibly wield such overwhelming strength.
"Zuo Quanhui grew careless and underestimated me — that's the only reason I found an opening. Without that, injuring a Seventh-Order Open Heaven would be next to impossible."