A chaotic exchange of blows erupted, divine abilities blooming in violent bursts. Yang Kai's face went slightly pale as he retreated a hundred kilometers, forcibly suppressing the churning blood and energy within him.
Huang Quan and the others shielded the Sixth-Order female disciple while maintaining a distant standoff against Yang Kai, all of them drenched in cold sweat.
If they hadn't intervened at that critical moment, Zuo Quanhui's female disciple would have been killed or gravely injured. Inwardly they cursed—women really were nothing but trouble—but they didn't dare let their guard down in the slightest.
Just then, from deep within the Feiyan Domain, a horrifying aura suddenly erupted, clearly originating from an immensely distant location yet perceptible to every single one of them.
"The Heavenly Lord has arrived!" Huang Quan and the others were overjoyed, knowing that Zuo Quanhui, who had been recovering in seclusion, must have sensed the disturbance from this battle and was rushing to provide support.
Yang Kai's expression darkened. He raised his head and gazed toward the source of that aura, where he could vaguely make out a colossal phantom hurtling toward them at incredible speed—the phantom was none other than an enraged face massive enough to blot out half the void.
He sighed inwardly. He had been prepared to suffer injury in order to cut down another of Zuo Quanhui's generals, but it seemed that was no longer possible. With Zuo Quanhui approaching, he would have to flee.
Coldly regarding Huang Quan and the others with a final glare, Yang Kai turned and took off.
"Stop him!" Huang Quan shouted, already charging after Yang Kai. As long as they could pin him down here, once Zuo Quanhui arrived, Yang Kai's death would be certain.
"Anyone who stands in my way dies!" Yang Kai leveled his spear and thrust forward. The spear's radiance blazed to life, and the surrounding Open Heaven cultivators let out a chorus of agonized screams.
All those who had been encircling the perimeter were below the Sixth-Order—how could they possibly hope to block Yang Kai's path?
A gap blasted open in the encirclement, leaving over a dozen corpses strewn across the void. The survivors fled in every direction, their faces pale with terror.
By the time Huang Quan and the others caught up, Yang Kai had already plunged through a Domain Gate and vanished, leaving them with nothing but expressions of utter helplessness.
There was absolutely no way they would dare pursue him into the Void Domain. Who knew whether Yang Kai might double back on the other side of the gate and launch a counterattack? Charging in blindly under these circumstances could very well lead them straight to the gates of death.
They stood in place for a full half-hour before Zuo Quanhui finally arrived, sweeping a glance over the devastated surroundings before letting out a faint, cold snort.
Heavenly Lord Huang Quan and the others hung their heads, not daring to speak.
"Where did this Yang Kai come from?" Zuo Quanhui asked.
The crowd exchanged glances, all shaking their heads in ignorance. They hadn't anticipated Yang Kai showing up in the Feiyan Domain. If they had known, they would have reinforced their defenses far more rigorously.
"A bunch of useless trash!" Zuo Quanhui cursed in fury.
The assembled Open Heaven cultivators couldn't even lift their faces under his rebuke, all of them feeling miserable. But given that Zuo Quanhui had been in foul spirits for some time now, not a single one dared to talk back.
Zuo Quanhui fumed for a while longer before finally sweeping his sleeves and departing.
Seeing that he had no intention of forcing his way into the Void Domain, Huang Quan and the others finally breathed a sigh of relief. Secretly, they regretted ever aligning themselves with Zuo Quanhui—they had only just escaped from the Sin Star, and already they had to endure this kind of treatment. It really hadn't been worth it.
Void Domain, outside the Star Market. Yang Kai came to a halt and surveyed the scene.
The ferry was bustling and noisy as always.
But in the past, that bustle had been people queuing up to enter the Star Market. This time, it was people queuing to leave.
Of course, there were still some trying to enter, but their numbers were negligible—a far cry from how things had been before.
Yang Kai had anticipated this situation, though he hadn't expected things to develop so quickly. It seemed the combined reputation of the Thousand Crane Blessed Land and Zuo Quanhui was not something ordinary forces could afford to provoke.
He flashed to the ferry, where Yuan Lang, who had been stationed here, immediately came out to meet him, a look of worry on his face. He cupped his fists. "Sect Master!"
Yang Kai gave a slight nod. "Find somewhere quiet to talk."
"This way, Sect Master." Yuan Lang gestured and led Yang Kai into an adjacent quiet room.
Before Yang Kai could speak, Yuan Lang hurriedly said, "Sect Master, Zuo Quanhui has put out word that he is irreconcilably hostile to our Void Land and swears to raze it to the ground. The merchants in the Star Market got wind of it, and many of them are now trying to leave."
"I've seen that," Yang Kai nodded. "How long has this news been circulating? How many have left?"
Yuan Lang considered for a moment. "The news should have come out over a month ago. So far, about ten percent of the merchants have departed the Void Star Market, and that number will likely keep growing. Grand Marshal has sent word that many merchants in the market are preparing to leave."
"We haven't given any trouble to those merchants who want to go, have we?" Yang Kai asked.
Yuan Lang shook his head. "The Second Steward said that if people want to leave, forcing them to stay accomplishes nothing. Let all who wish to depart go freely. So at the ferry, I've only been conducting routine inspections—anyone with no issues is allowed to pass."
"The Second Steward did well," Yang Kai said approvingly.