Looking at this hall full of Sixth-Order Open Heaven cultivators — especially those seven who had advanced directly to the Sixth Order — Qing Kui felt as though he were witnessing the rise of yet another Cave Heaven or Blessed Land, thousands or even tens of thousands of years hence.
"Junior Brother Qing and Senior Sister Su coming today has been a tremendous help to my Void Land. Otherwise, when the time came to face Zuo Quanhui, we wouldn't have been able to catch him off guard."
Qing Kui's eyes flickered as understanding dawned. "So that was your plan all along."
He and Su Yingxue had no idea that Void Land had suddenly produced so many Sixth-Order cultivators, and Zuo Quanhui almost certainly didn't know either. One only needed to look at how Zuo Quanhui had deployed his forces today to see the truth of it.
According to the earlier intelligence, Void Land had eight Sixth-Order cultivators besides Yang Kai, while the Heavenly Sword Alliance had a full ten. Zuo Quanhui had sent eight to match Void Land's eight, then dispatched the final two to apply pressure. In that way, Yang Kai would have no choice but to show himself to stabilize the situation.
Once Yang Kai appeared, Zuo Quanhui would have his opening to strike. That had surely been Zuo Quanhui's plan from the start.
This clash between the two sides was not merely a life-or-death struggle between the many Open Heaven cultivators beneath them — it was also a battle of wits and psychological maneuvering.
Unfortunately for Zuo Quanhui, his luck had run out. The unexpected arrival of Qing Kui and Su Yingxue had ruined everything. Who knew how he was stomping and cursing inside the Heavenly Sword Palace at this very moment.
"Junior Brother Qing, I have only one question now." Yang Kai leaned slightly forward, wearing an expression of earnest inquiry.
Qing Kui gestured with an open hand. "Ask away, Junior Brother. If I know the answer, I'll hold nothing back."
Yang Kai narrowed his eyes slightly, his voice dropping low. "That Zuo Quanhui — can he be killed, or can he not?"
At those words, Qing Kui's pupils contracted. He was secretly shocked by Yang Kai's audacity and sheer appetite. For a moment, he didn't know how to respond.
He and Su Yingxue had indeed come under their master's orders to lend support, but they had never entertained any delusion of slaying a Superior-Order Open Heaven cultivator. Their original plan, in the worst-case scenario, was to protect Yang Kai's safety and withdraw back to Void Land.
After all, they were from Yin Yang Heaven. Zuo Quanhui would show at least some measure of restraint toward them and wouldn't dare strike to kill. As long as they could retreat to Void Land and rely on Bixi's protection, Zuo Quanhui would be powerless against Yang Kai.
After a moment's thought, Qing Kui said in a solemn voice, "Junior Brother Yang, are you concerned about Thousand Crane Blessed Land?"
Yang Kai replied evenly, "I killed Zhao Xing, and Zuo Quanhui popped up. If I kill Zuo Quanhui, who's to say whether Thousand Crane Blessed Land won't pop up next?"
Qing Kui felt a tingling in his scalp. He had no idea how he'd ended up discussing the topic of killing a Superior-Order Open Heaven cultivator with Yang Kai. It all felt rather like a madman's pipe dream — Superior-Order Open Heaven cultivators weren't so easy to kill. Never mind that Void Land now had a formidable number of Sixth-Order cultivators; even so, if they actually faced a veteran Seventh-Order, they would be hard-pressed to come out ahead.
He gave a slight nod. "That's a fair point. But Zuo Quanhui's situation is different from Zhao Xing's."
Yang Kai said earnestly, "Please enlighten me, Senior Brother Qing."
Qing Kui waved his hand and smiled ruefully. "Just my thoughts — hardly enlightenment. Zhao Xing was a Core Disciple of Thousand Crane Blessed Land who had advanced directly to the Sixth Order, with the potential to reach the Eighth Order someday. He was killed on a Sin Star. Thousand Crane Blessed Land had to save face, whether out of principle or self-interest, or else the whole world would have laughed at them. But with Yin Yang Heaven pressuring them, they couldn't act openly. So Zuo Quanhui, as Zhao Xing's master, had no choice but to find another way."
"Thousand Crane Blessed Land's official stance is that Zuo Quanhui's faction defected from the Sect. Since they defected, they're traitors — no longer connected to Thousand Crane Blessed Land. That's different from the two of us. We were expelled from our master's tutelage." Qing Kui smiled. "Put it this way: once this matter is settled, our master can always take us back under his wing. But Zuo Quanhui can never return to Thousand Crane Blessed Land under any circumstances — if he did, they would lose all face. That's the price he has to pay."
Yang Kai raised an eyebrow. "In that case, if I manage to kill Zuo Quanhui, it would essentially be helping Thousand Crane Blessed Land purge a traitor. They ought to thank me."
Qing Kui opened his mouth, then laughed helplessly. "In theory, yes, that's exactly how it would work!"
But in reality, everyone knew the real story behind Zuo Quanhui's defection. If Void Land actually killed him, Thousand Crane Blessed Land certainly wouldn't be offering any gratitude. Still, they would have no grounds for revenge either.
Yang Kai nodded. "Then I understand!"
In that moment, he felt light and clear-headed. The worry that had lingered over his heart for days was swept away in an instant. Ever since Zuo Quanhui had begun targeting Void Land, Yang Kai had been anxious about the Thousand Crane Blessed Land standing behind him. If he had been alone, he wouldn't have needed to think so much. Years of bitter cultivation were pursued for the sake of settling debts freely — either kill Zuo Quanhui and remove the obstacle, or be outmatched and die at his hand, ending the matter once and for all.
But as the master of Void Land, he had to consider the hundreds of thousands of disciples who depended on him.
Now, after hearing Qing Kui's words, his various concerns were no longer sources of worry.
Zuo Quanhui could be killed.
He ordered someone to arrange quarters for Qing Kui and Su Yingxue and see them to their rest, and only then did Yang Kai finally have time to assess the casualties.
In this battle, there had been no major results at the Sixth-Order level, but among those below the Sixth Order, nearly a hundred enemies had been slain. The number wasn't large, but it had to be remembered that every participant in this clash was an Open Heaven cultivator — every one who died was a powerhouse of the Open Heaven Realm.
Yang Kai didn't know how many Open Heaven cultivators the Heavenly Sword Alliance possessed, but today's battle alone was enough to make their leadership bleed.
Void Land had taken casualties too, though the number killed was small — fewer than twenty. A minor victory.