Back on the small island in the center of Freedom Lake, Qin Fen had already learned his lesson and understood that there was a gap in strength between himself and Yang Kai. What truly horrified him, however, was just how enormous that gap truly was.
Their previous encounter, where he had been knocked back, could be attributed to carelessness. But now, in a life-and-death struggle, he still couldn't withstand a single strike!
Qin Fen couldn't help but feel his scalp go numb.
A Sixth-Order cultivator like this — unheard of, unseen. The Palace Master was away on business, and even the Linglang Palace's grand defensive formation couldn't slow this man's advance. Here and now, who among them could possibly be his match?
He didn't hate Yang Kai for striking ruthlessly. He only hated himself for failing to complete the task the Palace Master had entrusted to him.
As blood sprayed into the air, Yang Kai flicked Qin Fen off his spear and simultaneously activated the Bull-Beating Secret Art. Qin Fen's vision blurred and his head spun, his Small Universe trembling violently. It took quite a few moments before he could collect himself.
From within Linglang Palace, several more figures flew out. Among them was the person who had been delivering cultivation resources to Yang Kai over the years, along with several Fifth and Sixth-Order cultivators Yang Kai had never seen before.
They had all rushed over the moment they sensed the tremors rocking Linglang Palace, but they were still a step too late. The sight of Qin Fen slumped on the ground with blood gushing from his shoulder left them all stunned.
When they turned their gaze to Yang Kai, the perpetrator, their expressions naturally turned cold with fury, killing intent rising from every one of them.
"You're no match for him — don't bring this shame upon yourselves!" Qin Fen forced out with a struggle. Within Linglang Palace, aside from Xia Linlang herself, he was the strongest. If even he had been defeated by a single spear thrust from Yang Kai — and only survived because Yang Kai hadn't intended to kill — he would already be a corpse.
Though among his companions there was no shortage of Sixth-Order Open Heaven cultivators, even working together they would likely be no match for Yang Kai.
Qin Fen's words carried weight. Though the others who had charged out were burning with fury and some were even eager to try their luck, they ultimately restrained themselves and made no move to attack. One woman in particular quickly circled around Yang Kai, hurried to Qin Fen's side, and helped him to his feet, her eyes filled with concern.
Qin Fen waved his hand, indicating he was fine — though in truth, the trembling of his Small Universe showed no sign of subsiding. An invisible force was coursing through the domains of his Small Universe, setting the earth shaking and the mountains quaking.
He raised his hand and wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, then fixed Yang Kai with a cold stare. "So what if we're no match for you? Within these walls of Linglang Palace, without the Palace Master's permission, there's no way you can escape. I advise you to withdraw quietly. Otherwise, when the Palace Master returns, you won't be able to avoid death!"
Yang Kai let out a snort of derision. "Escape? Why would I want to escape?"
Though Linglang Palace was a Grotto-Heaven left behind by a High-Rank Open Heaven cultivator with its gates sealed shut, if Yang Kai truly wanted to flee, it wasn't impossible. As a master of the Laws of Space, as long as he could reach the location of the main gate, he could force it open. Once beyond, mountains and rivers would stretch far and wide, heaven and earth would be boundless, and even if Xia Linlang was Seventh-Order, she wouldn't necessarily be able to catch him.
But from the very beginning, he had never intended to run. He had waited ten years for this opportunity to arise, and naturally he intended to play a big hand.
Suddenly, Qin Fen's expression changed. He glared at Yang Kai's right hand. "What are you doing?"
At that very moment, Yang Kai held a jade token in his right hand, his fingers rolling it gently, stroking its surface.
That jade token was precisely the item Xia Linlang had handed to Qin Fen before her departure — the central control token that governed Linglang Palace itself.
He hadn't even noticed when Yang Kai had snatched it. It must have happened during the trembling of his Small Universe, when his mind was in disarray.
Realizing Yang Kai's intentions, Qin Fen broke into a cold sweat. Having already failed the Palace Master's trust by allowing Yang Kai to charge straight into Linglang Palace — if he were to refine and claim the palace as his own, then not even ten thousand deaths would be enough to atone.
"Pretty easy to refine, isn't it?" Yang Kai said with a sudden smile. With a casual wave of his large hand, Linglang Palace shuddered slightly, and an invisible force rippled outward. Qin Fen and the other Open Heaven cultivators were sent tumbling backward against their will. By the time they landed, they were standing outside Linglang Palace entirely.
The protective barrier of the grand formation that Yang Kai had shattered reappeared, sealing them all out.
The central control token of a Mobile Palace Artifact should never have been so easily refined. In truth, Yang Kai had only refined a tiny fraction of it — far from the complete process.
Since Xia Linlang had entrusted this token to Qin Fen to guard Linglang Palace, she had naturally removed her own imprint from it beforehand.
This meant that only traces of Qin Fen's aura remained within the token, which Yang Kai could expel with ease. Had Xia Linlang's aura still been present inside, the task would have been far more complicated.
In fact, Xia Linlang's arrangements were not unreasonable. Qin Fen and Yang Kai were both Sixth-Order cultivators. Though Qin Fen had demonstrated inferior strength during their previous clash on the island, with Linglang Palace at his side, handling a fellow Sixth-Order opponent should have been no problem at all — let alone the fact that Qin Fen wasn't the only Sixth-Order within the palace.
Xia Linlang had believed that under these circumstances, even in her absence, Yang Kai wouldn't be able to carry out whatever schemes he had in mind.
But she had vastly underestimated Yang Kai's strength!
Qin Fen was only temporarily wielding Linglang Palace and couldn't unleash its full might, and Yang Kai's actions had been ruthlessly decisive, devoid of any hesitation. After shattering the grand defensive formation, he had seized the jade token directly.
This was precisely why Yang Kai had said that Xia Linlang treating him as an ordinary Sixth-Order cultivator was a grave mistake. It wasn't carelessness on Xia Linlang's part — it was simply that a Sixth-Order cultivator like Yang Kai was one of a kind, utterly without equal. When encountering a freak of nature like him, nothing could be measured by ordinary standards.
The group of cultivators had been shoved outside Linglang Palace. One of the Sixth-Order cultivators, rage burning in his chest, was about to strike, but Qin Fen raised his hand to stop him. "Don't waste your energy. The Linglang Palace formation has already reactivated — you won't be able to break through."