Gu Ling'er said softly, "Junior Brother, are you serious?" Her expression was pitiful and delicate, enough to stir the heart of any man.
However, this matter concerned a set of Sixth-Order resources, and Yang Kai would not yield an inch.
"Senior Sister, I don't have much time. Someone could come to investigate at any moment. If someone does show up, don't blame me for being ruthless!"
Gu Ling'er glared at him with her beautiful eyes, finding this man utterly unreasonable. She had already said she would buy a single healing pill from him, yet he still insisted on injuring her!
"Fine!" Yang Kai sighed. "It seems Senior Sister is the type who cherishes her feathers. In that case, don't blame Yang for showing no mercy!"
Without further ado, he channeled the Power of the World and sent his palm slapping toward Gu Ling'er. The palm swelled rapidly before her eyes, instantly blotting out heaven and earth. Gu Ling'er instinctively tried to resist, only to discover with horror that before such overwhelming force, her cultivation as a Sixth-Order Open Heaven was laughably weak.
This palm strike carried with it the aura of death, making Gu Ling'er suspect that Yang Kai intended to kill her.
"Junior Brother, one of us!" Gu Ling'er suddenly shouted.
Yang Kai's massive palm halted above her head, his brow furrowed as he stared at her. "What do you mean?"
Gu Ling'er was drenched in fragrant sweat, her face deathly pale. She steadied herself, then looked at Yang Kai and lowered her voice: "The Ink shall be eternal!"
Yang Kai's eyes narrowed slightly as realization dawned. "Senior Brother Zong Yuquan?"
Gu Ling'er nodded. "Senior Brother Zong sent me a transmission beforehand and explained the situation."
"So that's how it is!" Yang Kai understood. He released a burst of force from his palm, which slammed down onto the top of her head.
Her delicate body was sent flying like a paper kite. Gu Ling'er crashed to the ground, blood trickling from the corner of her mouth, staring at Yang Kai in disbelief. "Why?"
She had already told him they were one of us—why did he still hit her?
Yang Kai walked over slowly and said in a low voice, "Don't be offended, Senior Sister. The thing is, everyone else before you was injured by me without exception. If you came away unscathed, it would inevitably raise suspicion! Now then, here is a healing pill. Please, Senior Sister."
Gu Ling'er stared at him speechlessly, wondering if there was something wrong with this man's head. She was a woman—even making an exception once wouldn't matter!
At least Yang Kai's blow hadn't been too severe. She was merely injured and would recover after a few days of rest.
She took the healing pill from Yang Kai's hand, swallowed it without a word, and couldn't even be bothered to say anything to him.
"Senior Sister, you forgot something." Yang Kai extended his hand toward her, the meaning obvious.
Gu Ling'er wished she could run this guy through with her sword…
She was not incapable of producing a set of materials worth Sixth-Order resources. It didn't take long before she had gathered everything and handed it over to Yang Kai.
Yang Kai beamed. "Now no one should suspect anything. Oh, right, Senior Sister—how many of us do we still have here in Langya?"
Gu Ling'er glared at him, her beautiful eyes blazing with fury!
"Hahaha!" Yang Kai laughed awkwardly. "I'll leave you to your healing, Senior Sister!"
With that, he vanished in a flash.
In the void, Yang Kai wore a grave expression.
This trial, with him as its target, had swept through all the Sixth-Order cultivators of Langya and was organized on Li Yuanwang's sudden impulse. Although Yang Kai had never spoken with Li Yuanwang about it, he could more or less guess his intentions.
What Yang Kai hadn't expected was that there would actually be unexpected gains!
He had originally thought that Zong Yuquan's case was an isolated incident. After all, converting a Sixth-Order Open Heaven cultivator wasn't particularly cost-effective for the Ink Clan. The Ink Worms were precious and rare—if given a choice, they would naturally select Seventh-Order cultivators for conversion. The combat strength and utility that someone of Shi Zheng's caliber could bring far exceeded what Zong Yuquan or Gu Ling'er could offer.
Yet the truth was that within Langya, besides Zong Yuquan, there was actually another—Gu Ling'er—and perhaps even more…
Just now, Gu Ling'er had been too angry over what he did to respond to his question, but her refusal to answer was itself an answer. Among Langya's Sixth-Order cultivators, there were absolutely more than just Zong Yuquan and Gu Ling'er who had been ink-converted. There were many more!
Yang Kai silently congratulated himself. Because he had needed to save time and preserve his strength, he had gone all out against the Sixth-Order cultivators participating in this trial. Now his fearsome reputation preceded him. Had it not been for this, Gu Ling'er would never have voluntarily revealed herself. She had assumed that once she disclosed her identity, Yang Kai would show mercy, never realizing that he had a far greater mission in the end—her cleverness had backfired.
He had previously been considering whether to hold back even more against Langya's Sixth-Order cultivators, but now it seemed there was no need for restraint.
Following the total annihilation of the six-person squad led by Gu Ling'er on the Earthly Fiend Spirit Land, every Sixth-Order cultivator in Langya was gripped by fear. Yang Kai's unpredictable appearances left them helpless, and his overwhelming strength left them sighing with despair.
In the past, they had all taken pride in their origins in the Langya Blessed Land, believing that Open Heaven cultivators from the outside world were nothing remarkable. Even the sect masters and clan leaders of those second-rate forces—fellow Sixth-Order powerhouses—they had looked down upon.
But Yang Kai's arrival had taught them just how high the heavens truly were and how deep the earth truly lay.