It was clear that the Pear Blossom Divine Art from Yang Kai's spear had inflicted far less damage on her than she had let on. Yet the woman had acted as though she were gravely wounded — truly, she was as scheming as they came.
"Old Mother, this is hardly decent of you. First you say you'll see me off, then you keep me here. What exactly do you want?"
Xia Linlang blinked at him. "A woman's heart is a needle at the bottom of the sea. Changing her mind is perfectly normal — didn't your mother ever teach you that?"
Yang Kai found himself at a loss for words.
After a moment's silence, he spoke. "If I'm not mistaken, this should be the world within that painting?"
Xia Linlang regarded him with composed ease. "You're about to die, and you still have the presence of mind to ask me questions?"
Yang Kai murmured to himself as though thinking aloud. "The gateway to the Pear Blossom Grotto-Heaven was a painting scroll. When I first saw it, I noticed something unusual about it, but I didn't have the chance to study it closely. Now it seems that scroll is not only a rather formidable Artifact, but it also contains an entire world within it! You pretended to reluctantly let me go, when in reality you were simply playing along, letting me leap from one trap into another." At this, Yang Kai clicked his tongue. "It looks like even if I had managed to break through the gateway of the Pear Blossom Grotto-Heaven before you returned, I would have ended up in this place anyway — trapped."
Xia Linlang gazed at him with an air of innocent mischief. "And what use is figuring that out now? There are no potions of regret sold in this world. If there were, I think I'd buy a few catties' worth, have you swallow them, and then tell me what they taste like."
Yang Kai clutched his chest. "My heart aches!"
Xia Linlang covered her mouth and chuckled softly. "Well, I'm quite delighted."
Yang Kai looked at her with anguished sincerity. "I treated you with honesty, and you took advantage of a gentleman's straightforwardness. I'm quite heartbroken!"
Xia Linlang couldn't help but roll her eyes. "Your skin really is thick!"
"So then, now that you have no more worries, you're preparing to make your move?" Yang Kai said, watching her.
Xia Linlang replied coolly, "Someone as restless as you — I can't feel at ease leaving you alive. The World Spring is precious, but I don't have the patience to wait around for you to advance to the Seventh Order. It all comes down to my luck. If fortune favors me, perhaps after you die the World Spring will still be intact. If not, consider it a burial offering for you. For a mere Sixth Order to receive such an honor — you've not lived in vain."
Yang Kai nodded slightly. "Quite reasonable!"
"Do you have any last words?" Xia Linlang fixed him with her gaze.
"None needed!" Yang Kai shook his head.
Xia Linlang stared at him intently. Her figure flickered, and she suddenly appeared before him, her palm drifting lightly downward as she pressed the strike. Her lips parted softly: "Then die!"
In the flash of an instant, Yang Kai raised his fist to meet the blow.
A tremendous boom rang out. Heaven and earth trembled. The ground beneath Yang Kai's feet cracked, and his legs sank three inches into the earth.
Before he could catch his breath, Xia Linlang struck again with another palm, swift as lightning. Had one not felt it firsthand, it would be hard to believe such a delicate woman could unleash such savage attacks. The last time he had experienced something like this was when he first met Zhu Qing, who hailed from the Dragon Clan.
One palm followed another. After ten strikes, Yang Kai was buried up to his waist in the ground.
"Without the Pear Blossom Grotto-Heaven to draw upon, what makes a Sixth Order like you think you can fight me? No matter how extraordinary the World Spring is, it cannot bridge the gap between us." Xia Linlang sneered as her assault continued without pause. The reason Yang Kai had been able to fight so effectively before was that he had inherited the Pear Blossom Divine Lord's legacy, allowing him to borrow the power of heaven and earth within the Grotto-Heaven. Moreover, the two of them had been clashing inside it, which meant the Grotto-Heaven itself would suffer tremendous damage.
If not for that, why would Xia Linlang have lured Yang Kai into the world within the painting?
That painting scroll outside the Pear Blossom Grotto-Heaven served not only as a gateway in and out, but also as a sturdy shield — and a cage.
Yang Kai was now trapped in that cage. Unless he killed Xia Linlang, there was no escape!
As she spoke, a leg swept out, striking straight toward Yang Kai's head. He raised his arms to block. The savage force slammed into him, and his entire body flew backward like a radish yanked from the ground, a mouthful of blood spraying from his lips mid-flight.
The World Spring stabilized his Small Universe, keeping its foundation firm and immune to tremors. But the attacks of a Seventh Order Open Heaven could not be ignored. After taking so many hits head-on, Yang Kai was already wounded.
He barely managed to steady himself in midair, reaching up to wipe the blood from the corner of his mouth. He looked over at Xia Linlang, who watched him coldly from the side, and flashed a grin. "Ginger really is spicier the older it gets!"
Xia Linlang flew into a rage. "I'll tear that mouth of yours apart!"
The instant her last word fell, Yang Kai was struck as though by heavenly lightning, blasted away once more. Though he had assumed a defensive posture, the gap in their cultivation was simply too vast — Xia Linlang's fury-fueled blow was impossible to withstand.
Heaven and earth shook. Winds and clouds shifted. Within the world of the painting, mountains shattered and the sky tilted while the earth overturned. Xia Linlang showed no mercy in her attacks, and Yang Kai was tossed about like a punching bag, utterly unable to fight back.
If not for having refined the World Spring, his Small Universe would have already been torn to shreds. If not for his half-dragon physique — tough and resilient — he would never have held on this long.
Yet the more Xia Linlang fought, the more uneasy she became. For some reason, she kept sensing that Yang Kai was hatching some scheme. After all, he still had not brought out that spear Artifact and was relying solely on his own powerful physique to withstand her assault.