The thought had barely formed when Yang Kai, hidden in the shadows, suddenly caught sight of a streak of light hurtling through the sky above. The figure within radiated the aura of a Sixth-Order Open Heaven cultivator.
Yang Kai's eyes lit up. Wasn't this just another set of Sixth-Order resources flying right at him?
His figure flickered, and he instantly blocked the person's path.
The man was startled and hastily halted. When he made out Yang Kai's face, his expression turned to one of pure shock. "Senior Brother… Senior Brother Yang!"
Before the words had even left his mouth, a fist was already rapidly expanding in his field of vision.
In his panic, the man tried to channel his World Force to resist, but how could he possibly be fast enough? Both were Sixth-Order, but a lone Sixth-Order meeting Yang Kai was nothing more than a fish on a cutting board.
In barely three breaths, the man was sent crashing to the ground, slamming hard into a stretch of woodland.
Yang Kai followed close behind, gazing down at him with a smile. "This junior brother of mine, you've got quite the nerve!"
He had originally assumed this person was acting alone as bait set by Langya to lure him out. But having spotted no other Langya Sixth-Order cultivators in the vicinity, he could now confirm that the man was indeed on his own.
Even Yang Kai had to give him a bit of credit—in the current situation, every Sixth-Order from Langya was on edge, all traveling in groups for safety. Yet here was this fellow, bold and confident in his own abilities.
Then Yang Kai suddenly furrowed his brow. "This junior brother, you look awfully familiar. And that wound of yours…"
The Sixth-Order cultivator was on the verge of tears. "Senior Brother Yang, we literally met three days ago! You're the one who gave me this wound!"
"Oh?" Yang Kai's expression turned odd. "In other words… you've already been eliminated?"
"Yes!" The man nodded resentfully. Who had he offended to deserve this? He had been eliminated three days ago. He was merely traveling to another Spirit Continent on business—he wasn't even participating in this trial anymore—and yet Yang Kai had caught him and beaten him up all over again.
Where was the justice in that?
Yang Kai was rendered somewhat speechless as well.
The Sixth-Order ventured cautiously, "Senior Brother Yang, if there's nothing else, I'll be on my way."
"Wait!" Yang Kai suddenly raised a hand to stop him.
The man's heart skipped a beat, and a sense of dread crept over him. "Does Senior Brother Yang have some instruction?"
Yang Kai regarded him earnestly. "I'm sorry, junior brother. I'm afraid my hand was a bit heavy just now. The thing is, I'm on my own—outnumbered and alone—so I had to act decisively to preserve my combat strength."
"It's nothing, it's nothing! Just some superficial wounds, nothing serious. A few days of rest and I'll be fine."
"Mm!" Yang Kai nodded, then changed his tone to one of concern. "How about a healing pill?"
The Sixth-Order cultivator clutched his space ring. "Senior Brother Yang, I already bought one from you before…"
Yang Kai considered for a moment, then asked politely, "Second one at half price?"
The Langya Sixth-Order: "…"
A moment later, Yang Kai patted the man's shoulder and spoke with solemn sincerity. "It's not safe out there recently. If you've got no business, don't go wandering around. Go home and rest properly in your own cave dwelling."
The Sixth-Order wore an expression of utter defeat. In a feeble voice, he said, "Thank you for your concern, Senior Brother Yang. I'll head back now!"
Years of painstakingly accumulated wealth, all depleted in the span of mere days after encountering Yang Kai. The man swore that before this trial was over, he would not show his face again! If he ran into Yang Kai one more time, he wouldn't even be able to afford a half-price healing pill.
He bid Yang Kai farewell, then shot skyward, tears scattering across the heavens as he went.
---
An hour later, above the Disha Spirit Continent, six figures flew in rapid formation, arrayed like the horns of a beast. All six were Sixth-Order Open Heaven cultivators, and the one leading them was none other than Gu Ling'er, immensely popular among the lower-ranked Disciples.
Her team had originally consisted of only three Sixth-Orders, but after Senior Brother Le Mang had issued his orders, they had merged with another nearby squad, bringing the total to six.
The six were tasked with searching the area encompassed by the Disha Spirit Continent and the surrounding void. They flew without pause, their powerful divine senses flooding into every corner of the continent like a tide. The slightest disturbance would not escape their perception.
Then, without warning, all six turned their heads in the same direction.
Space in that area rippled, as though a stone had been dropped into a still lake. A moment later, a figure materialized as if by ghostly magic.
One of the six cried out, "It's Yang Kai! Yang Kai has appeared!"
"Send word immediately!"
"Yang Kai's location confirmed over Disha Spirit Continent! Nearby senior and junior brothers, reinforce us at once!"
In the blink of an eye, the message had been sent, and the six charged toward Yang Kai under Gu Ling'er's lead, their World Forces surging wildly. They would not give him the slightest chance to escape!
Everyone had assumed Yang Kai would flee, but to their bewilderment, he merely looked stunned for a moment before approaching with a look of delight, as though reuniting with an old friend he hadn't seen in ages.
The group was completely thrown off!
When the distance between them had closed to a mere three li, the others had their secret techniques and divine abilities primed and ready to fire.
If Yang Kai dared come any closer, they would show him what it meant to walk into a dead end!
Yang Kai suddenly raised one hand, and a deep voice rang out: "So close… yet so far!"