Since Li Yuanwang wanted to muddy the waters, Yang Kai would happily oblige!
But he couldn't let himself be used for nothing. If Li Yuanwang was willing to play the first move, then Yang Kai saw no reason not to follow up with the fifteenth!
Snatching the spatial rings of Langya Open Heaven's disciples was indeed a bit much — even Yang Kai couldn't bring himself to actually do it. What he'd said earlier was simply a tactical retreat to frightend Senior Brother Zhao and the others.
And so, within moments, Yang Kai reached an agreement with the three.
Senior Brother Zhao stared at him with a face full of grief and indignation. "You're absolutely unhinged!"
Yang Kai urged impatiently, "Cut the chatter. Each of you hands over a set of Sixth-Order cultivation resources, or materials of equivalent value. If you dare refuse, I'll hang you all from this pole right now as a sacrifice to the heavens and send you to that spirit continent over there!"
As he spoke, Yang Kai produced a bare tree trunk from somewhere, planting it upright before him like a flagpole. The spirit continent he referred to was none other than the place where Langya's lowest-ranking disciples resided.
Senior Brother Zhao and the others felt bitterness flooding their mouths — worse than chewing on huanglian root. Facing an enemy they simply couldn't beat, they were utterly helpless.
If Yang Kai really did hang them from this tree trunk and send them over to that spirit continent, paraded before the eyes of countless bottom-rank disciples, how could they ever show their faces again?
A set of Sixth-Order resources was certainly valuable — converting it to Open Heaven Pills, it would be worth at least a hundred million — but for Sixth-Order cultivators from Langya, it was something they could afford.
Between face and wealth, the former naturally held greater importance.
Moreover, Yang Kai had already threatened to rob their spatial rings outright. If he actually went through with that, the losses would be far worse.
So while Yang Kai's asking price was steep, in the three's eyes, it was still acceptable.
Exchanging glances, each of them produced some materials and handed them over to Yang Kai.
Yang Kai beamed with delight. "Senior Brothers are too kind — your Junior Brother is truly flattered!"
All three sat with grim faces, silent, each cross-legged as they tended to their injuries.
Yang Kai took a few steps forward, then seemed to recall something. He rummaged through his spatial ring for a moment and tossed a pill to each of the three. "These are healing pills refined by my Void Terminus Sect. They work quite well — you should give them a try!"
"That's not going to cost extra, is it?" one of the Sixth-Order Open Heaven cultivators asked warily.
Yang Kai paused thoughtfully. "It could cost extra!"
The Sixth-Order cultivator's face darkened, wishing he could slap himself.
Yang Kai burst out laughing. "Just kidding. Rest easy, Senior Brothers — I, Yang, am a reasonable man. Now that I've taken your materials, I won't trouble you any further."
With that, he activated his Space Laws and vanished without a trace.
Only after confirming he was truly gone did Senior Brother Zhao and the other two simultaneously let out a breath of relief. All three were struggling to understand how things had ended up this way. The Sect Master had issued orders to treat Yang Kai as a training exercise for them — and instead, not only had they been thoroughly defeated in battle, but they'd also been effectively robbed of materials worth an entire set of Sixth-Order resources.
It stung!
Each of them gazed at the healing pill in his hand with the expression of someone staring at a chicken rib — of little value but too wasteful to discard. Langya Abode had its own alchemists, and the pills they refined were naturally of high quality. They had no interest in others' products. But ultimately, this pill had cost them dearly, and tossing it away felt like a shame.
Senior Brother Zhao hesitated for a moment before gritting his teeth and popping the pill into his mouth. After a brief pause, he let out a quiet exclamation. "This pill... is actually quite good!"
His two Junior Brothers heard this with some surprise and each swallowed their pills as well, only to discover that Senior Brother Zhao was right — even compared to the pills produced by Langya Abode, these were no less effective.
Senior Brother Zhao looked thoughtful. "It seems the Void Terminus Sect has some remarkably skilled alchemists."
What he didn't know was that after both Emperor Miao Dan and Xia Ningshang had advanced to the Sixth Order, their alchemical arts had once again surged to new heights. Both had originally condensed their Dao Seals through the Dao of Alchemy, giving them an innate advantage in pill refinement.
Before the bamboo building, Yang Kai appeared without warning.
He hadn't come here with any particular agenda — mainly he wanted to let Gu Pan know he was safe. A few days ago, she had been taken by those twin siblings, and he still hadn't been able to contact her.
Even the messages sent through the transmission beads had been forged by someone impersonating her.
Inside the bamboo building, Gongsun Rihua sat with a swollen, bruised face while Gongsun Yuehua applied medicine to his injuries. Every touch made Gongsun Rihua howl in pain.
Between his cries, he cursed. "Those bastards are the worst! I sent them a message out of the kindness of my heart — why did they come over and beat me up?"
A whole group had shown up, said nothing, asked nothing, beaten him, and left. Gongsun Rihua had suffered this injustice for no reason at all, and he was fuming.
Gongsun Yuehua was equally annoyed. "I'll deal with every last one of them later!"
Gu Pan sat obediently to the side, a vague understanding of what had happened stirring in her mind, though she didn't feel it was her place to say much.
Just then, a familiar aura appeared outside the bamboo building. Gu Pan immediately rose to her feet, pushed open the door, and stepped out, worry clear in her voice. "Senior Brother Yang, are you alright?"
Yang Kai shook his head. "I'm fine. You don't need to worry, Junior Sister."
Hearing his voice, Gongsun Rihua rushed out from behind Gu Pan and glared at Yang Kai. "You actually dare show your face?!"