This squad of Sixth-Order Open Heaven cultivators originally had seven members, but Yang Kai had captured two of them earlier, leaving only five.
The leader was a Sixth-Order Open Heaven named Deng Chi, whose cultivation was considerable and whose Small Worlds were rich with power.
When the five of them unleashed their techniques and secret arts, they retreated rapidly, hoping to shake off Yang Kai's pursuit. Yet Yang Kai's figure darted left and right, quickly breaking free from the barrage of techniques.
His form flickered as he pressed directly toward the five of them.
The five were stunned with fear.
Deng Chi gritted his teeth and roared, "Junior Brothers, run! I'll hold him off!"
With that, he charged straight at Yang Kai without a moment's hesitation. He knew perfectly well that he couldn't stop Yang Kai—so many Senior Brothers and Sisters with higher cultivation than his had already fallen to Yang Kai's hands. How could he be any different?
But he wasn't expecting to actually stop Yang Kai or defeat him. He only wanted to buy his four companions some time.
That way they'd have a chance of escape, rather than being completely wiped out.
His resolve and decisiveness moved the other four. One of them shouted in grief and fury, "Senior Brother Deng!"
"Go!" Deng Chi barked. "Don't let my sacrifice be for nothing!"
The one who had shouted was about to turn back and help Deng Chi, but hearing those words, he could only turn away and flee with the other three.
Deng Chi stood proudly in midair. He reached out and grasped the void, and a long spear materialized in his hand. He watched Yang Kai bearing down on him with a grave expression, then bared his teeth in a savage grin: "I opened this mountain, I planted this tree. If you wish to pass through here—wait, I haven't finished—I'll fight you to the death!"
Boom, boom, boom...
Every time their world powers collided, Deng Chi felt his blood and qi churning wildly, his Small Worlds trembling unstably.
At the Sixth-Order level, he had immersed himself for many years. His Small Worlds were rich and powerful—in all of Langya, there weren't many fellow Sixth-Order cultivators who could surpass him.
Before this, he had listened to the messages coming through his identity tokens, hearing one Senior Brother after another captured, defeated, and eliminated by Yang Kai. Facing this fellow called Yang Kai, the sect's Sixth-Order cultivators were like lambs awaiting slaughter, without the slightest power to resist.
He had always been skeptical—was this Yang Kai truly that powerful? They were both Sixth-Order. No matter how strong, there had to be a limit, right?
He had also considered what he would do if he encountered Yang Kai. Running was definitely out of the question—the other fellow had mastered the spatial laws and could ignore spatial barriers entirely. How could anyone outrun him? Hundreds of eliminated Senior Brothers and Sisters had already proven that with their own bloody defeats.
Since he couldn't run, then he could only fight! Perhaps he wasn't Yang Kai's match, but at least by giving it everything he had, he could cause the man some trouble.
That was what he had thought...
But when he actually faced Yang Kai in this moment, he realized he had been far too naive.
That terrifying power gave him the illusion of facing a Seventh-Order cultivator. But the power fluctuations emanating from Yang Kai were unmistakably Sixth-Order!
A Sixth-Order Open Heaven could be this powerful?
Even after being beaten to the ground by Yang Kai, Deng Chi still couldn't figure it out. He couldn't help but wonder if something had gone wrong with his years of bitter cultivation.
No wonder so many Senior Brothers and Sisters stronger than him had also fallen to Yang Kai. No wonder even Senior Brother Le Mang hadn't been his match.
With such power, who among the Sixth-Order could stand against him?
"Senior Brother..." Yang Kai crouched in front of him. "Could I ask you something?"
Deng Chi looked at Yang Kai while still coughing up blood: "What is it?"
The two of them had been fighting each other with blazing intensity just moments ago, yet now they could sit across from each other and talk calmly. The sight of Deng Chi still spitting mouthfuls of blood made the scene look utterly bizarre.
It had to be said—the Langya Open Heaven cultivators were truly remarkable. Even though they had been defeated and wounded by Yang Kai, they held no real grudge. Most of them simply admired his overwhelming strength.
They were inferior in power, and there was nothing to complain about. Though their growth had taken some wrong turns along the way, their mental fortitude was extraordinary. This defeat would only fuel their determination to train harder, and sooner or later they would reclaim their honor.
"I noticed many Senior Brothers heading in the same direction. What's going on?" Yang Kai asked, reaching into his robes to produce a healing pill, which he handed over.
Deng Chi glanced at it, stuffed it into his mouth, crunched it down with a snap, and shook his head: "Can't tell you, can't tell you!"
Though he had been defeated by Yang Kai and was officially eliminated, he wasn't about to reveal Senior Brother Le Mang's plan.
He wanted to see Yang Kai surrounded and captured by their Senior Brothers and Sisters, with no way to heaven and no path to earth! Only then would his vengeance be satisfied.
As he spoke, he pulled out a pile of resources worth Sixth-Order materials and handed them to Yang Kai.