In that instant, her heart nearly stopped.
If Yang Kai died here, the loss to the human race would be catastrophic. But even as she wanted to intervene, Yang Kai and that female Lord were so entangled together, tumbling and grappling, that she didn't dare strike rashly. All she could do was rush closer at full speed.
A piercing dragon roar suddenly split the heavens and earth. In Feng Ying's field of vision, Yang Kai — whose neck had been clamped in the female Lord's jaws — erupted with the power of the Dragon Vein. His head shook and swayed before abruptly transforming into a massive dragon's head, a pair of dragon horns sprouting from his forehead while dragon whiskers fluttered beneath his jaw.
His head had become a dragon's, yet his body remained entirely human. The sight was extraordinarily bizarre.
The dragon head swung around and clamped its gaping maw down hard on the female Lord's slender neck.
A taste of her own medicine!
Feng Ying, hurtling toward them, felt her eyelids twitch uncontrollably. The scene looked absurd no matter how one viewed it — Yang Kai and the female Lord appeared locked in an intimate embrace, necks entwined, as though caught in a lover's tryst. In truth, killing intent surged between them, each desperate to devour the other whole.
Dragon roars rang out in succession. Screams of agony followed without pause. Blood sprayed into the air.
The stalemate lasted only a brief moment before the massive dragon head suddenly wrenched backward. Between its jaws, a head was torn free from its body. That bewitchingly beautiful face was frozen in shock and disbelief. The eyes blinked once, and life drained away in an instant.
From the headless body, dark blood erupted like a gushing spring.
With a sickening crunch, the head between the dragon's jaws was crushed outright. At the same time, the body that Yang Kai had been death-gripping in his arms was obliterated by the violent force.
Yang Kai spat out the filth from his mouth and let loose a heaven-shaking dragon roar. On the chaotic battlefield, that figure standing tall in the void struck terror into countless Ink Clan members — not one dared approach.
The battle against the female Lord had indeed been perilous, but she had initially underestimated him, giving Yang Kai an opening. After that, she was cowed by his imposing aura. Though she fought back with desperate fury at the last moment, they had been locked so tightly together that her resistance was severely limited. In the end, she perished, her Dao extinguished.
Someone else was bearing down on him at high speed. In a flash, Yang Kai spun around and threw a punch.
Feng Ying paled. She quickly unfurled a curtain of sword light to block the violent strike, crying out, "Yang Kai!"
Yang Kai retracted his fist and stared steadily at the newcomer behind him. The crimson madness in his eyes flickered and gradually subsided into calm. He gave Feng Ying a nod, and the massive dragon head reverted to its original human form.
Feng Ying glanced at his neck and drew in a sharp breath. The bite wound was clearly visible — it had nearly severed his entire neck, testament to just how much force the female Lord had exerted at the last moment. A wave of lingering fear washed over her. If Yang Kai had reacted a fraction slower, she would have arrived only to collect his corpse.
But the outcome had been fortunate enough. Though Yang Kai appeared seriously hurt, the injuries were ultimately only flesh wounds. With his Sixth-Order Open Heaven cultivation, they posed no real danger.
"You've come back to your senses?" Feng Ying asked.
As a Sixth-Order cultivator, slaying an Ink Clan Lord single-handedly was an accomplishment to be proud of. But Feng Ying could also sense that during that life-and-death struggle, Yang Kai had fought himself into a frenzy — otherwise, he wouldn't have thrown a punch at her when she approached.
Yang Kai nodded, offering a hint of apology.
Only then did Feng Ying deliver her message: "The Supreme Commander orders you to return to the Pass immediately. No delays!"
Yang Kai's eyes flickered. "I am a human." The implication was clear — on this battlefield between the two races, he intended to do his part.
Feng Ying gritted her teeth, her expression grave. "On the battlefield, orders are absolute. Disobedience is punishable by death. Yang Kai, don't make this difficult for me!"
She had come specifically to bring him back. Though she understood exactly why Yang Kai had come to the battlefield, advancing to the Seventh Order wasn't urgent. What mattered most was Yang Kai's safety. If he refused to return, she truly didn't know what to do. She could say "punishable by death" all she liked — would she really dare raise a hand against Yang Kai?
Yang Kai grinned. "Martial Aunt need not worry. I'm not officially part of Biluo Pass just yet, so the Supreme Commander's orders don't apply to me."
Feng Ying froze. Come to think of it, Yang Kai really wasn't technically a member of Biluo Pass. Though he had been there for a stretch, the Pass had been embroiled in battle since his arrival. They had never had the chance to officially register him or assign him any posting.
If he insisted on that argument, she had no rebuttal.
While she was caught off guard, Yang Kai had already flickered away, making straight for the battlefield where the Seventh-Order Open Heaven cultivators clashed with the Ink Clan Lords.
Feng Ying panicked and gave chase, pulling up alongside him. She pleaded earnestly, "Yang Kai, the greater good must come first."
Yang Kai replied evenly, "I'm merely a Sixth-Order. I don't know anything about the greater good. All I know is that I have the power to slaughter Ink, and hiding safely in the rear would eat at my conscience."
Even as the words left his mouth, he was already engaging an Ink Clan Lord.
That Lord had been besieging the half-aged elder alongside a companion. The moment Yang Kai drew him away, the elder's pressure eased considerably, and gratitude swelled in his heart.