Not only were several members of the Yang family left shaken with uncertainty, but even the warriors gathered below to spectate wore expressions of shock. Every last one of them fixed their gaze skyward, holding their breath in silent anticipation.
The actions of the six Yang family members had been the focal point of everyone's attention, and the scene that had just unfolded was naturally seared into their eyes.
High in midair, Yang Wei felt a trace of worry. He had no idea where this ninth brother of his had found such unwavering confidence. While he had his own suspicions — knew that Yang Kai was mysterious and formidable — those were merely guesses. Even his verbal sparring with Liu Qingyao before the scramble for treasures had been nothing more than a covert bet on Yang Kai's capabilities, nothing spelled out plainly.
If this ninth brother of his were given time to grow, he would surely have the standing to contend with Liu Qingyao. But now… it was too early. The moment had not yet come.
After a brief pause, Yang Kang and the others let out soft chuckles, their faces alight with schadenfreude and the eager anticipation of a good show. They might share blood with Yang Kai, but in this moment they were rivals as well — naturally, they would love nothing more than to see him defeated and humiliated by Liu Qingyao, his reputation left in tatters.
Yang Kai had hogged the spotlight for too long. It was high time someone took him down a peg.
"Has this fellow lost his mind?" Voices laced with mockery and disbelief rose from the crowd below. "He actually dares to accept a challenge from the foremost expert of Zhongdu? The Yang family's direct line really is brazen beyond measure!"
"What do you know? In this situation, whether he accepts or refuses, it's the Yang family's face that ends up bruised. Like a duck prodded onto a stage, the Yang family has to put up some kind of show. Letting the youngest one take the challenge is clever — even if he loses, the family has an excuse. It's not that the Yangs are inferior to the Lius; it's simply an age gap, that's all."
Those who fancied themselves clever and perceptive promptly laid bare the hidden logic, drawing nods of sudden understanding from many around them.
Still, a few were quietly studying Yang Kai himself, wondering whether he might possess some earth-shattering technique.
The way Yang Kai carried himself simply did not scream of someone ignorant of his own limits. To dare utter such defiant words before the foremost expert of Zhongdu — either his mind was broken, or he had genuine ability. Yang Kai was clearly not the former.
In an instant, all eyes converged on a single figure, abandoning the six factions locked in fierce combat overhead as they fought over the heaven grade Artifact. No one cared about that anymore.
Under the weight of every gaze, Yang Kai made no extraordinary movement. He simply stood there in midair, casual as a light breeze, regarding Liu Qingyao with an easy calm. He extended one hand in a courteous gesture. "Young Master Liu, please — make your move."
Liu Qingyao's brow furrowed. A look of displeasure crossed his proud face, and he gave a soft humph. "I'd like to see just how you plan to withstand three of my strikes!"
As the words fell, a terrifying wave of Divine Sense erupted with devastating force.
The surge of Divine Sense was laced with an aura of destruction and tyranny, spreading outward in an instant like a spear thrust that pierced the very firmament. It was enough to shred any defense and shatter anyone's will.
The moment this Divine Sense exploded outward, Liu Qingyao was like a slumbering dragon awakened, descending upon the world with ruin in its wake.
The soul-protecting Artifacts carried by the Yang family members flared with violent brilliance. Invisible waves of power rippled off them, absorbing the aftershocks of Liu Qingyao's Divine Sense attack.
Every face drained of color. Yang Wei's expression turned particularly grave. Last time he had clashed with Liu Qingyao, he had lost, but it hadn't been a complete rout. Now, however, it was clear that Liu Qingyao had been holding back his full strength back then.
No wonder he had dared to make such a brazen promise of only three strikes. Even now, having advanced to the second level of the Shenyou Realm, Yang Wei himself might struggle to receive all three.
This fellow was nothing like the ordinary Yang family scions. Every piece he wore was a Mysterious grade Artifact, and with such high-grade Artifacts enhancing him, his cultivation at the third level of the Shenyou Realm had been amplified by several orders of magnitude!
Hummmmm…
A strange, resonant sound thrummed through the void. The moment it reached one's ears, it conjured the sensation of heaven and earth crumbling apart — as if the great sky itself could not endure such an assault of Divine Sense and was on the verge of collapsing.
"Incredible Divine Sense!" From the crowd of spectators, the stronger among them couldn't help but cry out in alarm.
Those with lesser cultivation contorted in visible pain under the violent fluctuations of energy.
They suddenly found that even breathing had become a struggle, as though an immense mountain bore down upon their skulls, producing the illusory urge to drop to their knees in prostration.
"Brother Nine, be careful!" Yang Wei barked, immediately retreating to put distance between himself and the epicenter of the Divine Sense eruption. Yang Zhao and the others fell back just as hastily, withdrawing over a hundred zhang before halting, watching from afar.
"Remarkable!" At the very epicenter of the maelstrom of Divine Sense, Yang Kai's eyes lit up, and he couldn't help but voice a word of praise.
For Liu Qingyao to unleash such a Divine Sense attack — even bolstered by Mysterious grade Artifacts — required a substantial foundation. This man's depths were truly unfathomable.
Yang Kai estimated that Liu Qingyao's Divine Sense was at least on par with an ordinary cultivator at the fifth or sixth level of the Shenyou Realm.
Liu Qingyao's eyes were as sharp as a falcon's, fixed on Yang Kai without blinking. Having opened with a Divine Sense attack, he clearly had no intention of giving Yang Kai three chances.
He only assumed that Yang Kai had stepped forward because being the youngest meant losing wouldn't be too humiliating, so he intended to finish it in a single strike — showing absolutely no mercy.
But in the next instant, Liu Qingyao's eyes began to tremble.
His Divine Sense attack had landed squarely, yet the target showed not the slightest sign of disturbance. Even Yang Wei and the others had been forced to retreat over a hundred zhang to keep their distance, but Yang Kai, standing right at the heart of the detonation, looked as though a spring breeze ruffled his hair — not a trace of discomfort on his face. Instead, his eyes burned with fighting spirit.
Within the span of a breath, the terrifying surge of Divine Sense vanished without a trace, and Yang Kai stood rooted in place, his body utterly still.
He feared Divine Sense attacks the least of all.
"Heavens, how is this possible? How is he completely unharmed? Did I see that correctly?"
"Impossible — absolutely impossible!"