It seemed he had realized something, and Nan Sheng immediately grew panicked, shouting aloud, "Save me! Save me!"
He was crying out to Yang Zhao for help.
Yang Zhao heard him, but unfortunately, he did not move a muscle.
Facing the incomparably powerful Yang Kai, he had already used every means at his disposal, yet he had barely managed to scratch through some of the black flood dragon's defenses. He couldn't even touch Yang Kai's body, so how could he possibly spare any effort to lend a hand to Nan Sheng?
Even if he had the strength to spare, he wouldn't have had time to react.
In the next instant, Nan Sheng's throat seemed clamped shut by an invisible hand. His heart-rending scream abruptly cut off.
Xiang Chu, standing not far away, stared at him in astonishment, his eyes trembling violently.
He realized that his Big Brother Nan's eyes were vacant, his life force dissipating rapidly.
Whoosh... A streak of brilliant light shot out from Nan Sheng's head, flew back to Yang Kai's hand, and transformed once again into the small sword.
Nan Sheng toppled backward, his eyes wide open, looking like someone who died with unfinished business, the light fading from his gaze.
Every person present changed color.
In the arena, aside from a few powerful Shenyou Realm experts with profound strength, no one had clearly seen when this small sword had launched its attack.
Even those few experts who had glimpsed a sliver of the mystery wore furrowed brows, secretly shocked. They wondered if Yang Kai used this soul artifact against them, whether they could block it.
A soul artifact was different from ordinary artifacts. It was an artifact powered by Divine Sense, injuring only the soul and the sea of consciousness.
The power it could unleash was directly tied to the strength of a martial artist's Divine Sense. The stronger the Divine Sense, the greater the effect it could produce, and vice versa.
Although this small sword was a heaven-grade, upper-tier item, not low in rank, without a massive amount of Divine Sense to drive it, it couldn't display its full potential.
Witnessing such a strike, the two Blood Servants still locked in fierce combat with Tang Yuxian no longer dared to hesitate. They retreated one after another, positioning themselves to guard Yang Zhao.
They feared Yang Kai might be seized by a killing frenzy. If he used this technique against the Second Young Master, things would truly escalate.
Tang Yuxian did not pursue, merely catching her breath softly as she stood alone before Yang Kai.
The black flood dragon coiled around him. It reared its body, a dozen zhang long, its enormous triangular head and narrow eyes fixed intently on Xiang Chu in the crowd, gleaming with a cold, sinister light.
Nan Sheng's sudden death had terrified Xiang Chu out of his wits. Only then did he understand that Yang Kai truly had the ability to kill him right under Yang Zhao's protection.
Fear gripped his heart. Trembling, he looked at Yang Kai, unsure if his own moment of death would arrive in the next heartbeat.
He wanted to seek out someone who could shield him, but looking left and right, everyone had moved far away from him, their faces filled with wariness.
Many of these people had once called Xiang Chu and Nan Sheng brothers, drinking and making merry with them, talking freely about the future. But now, they avoided Xiang Chu like he were a venomous snake or scorpion, afraid of being implicated and drawing Yang Kai's lethal attention upon themselves.
The ways of human relationships were like water—one knew only its warmth or cold by drinking it.
A sense of disillusionment and cynicism suddenly washed over Xiang Chu. His expression twisted into a ferocious grimace, and he let out a cold, sneering laugh at those who had distanced themselves.
Yang Kai slowly opened his eyes, gripping the small sword in his hand, his brow tightly furrowed. The true essence within his body surged unpredictably, his aura churning wildly.
Rumble...
The sound of muffled thunder rolled across the sky, like mighty war drums beaten from deep within the earth, making everyone's eardrums tremble and their hearts pound.
Wind rose and clouds churned. The dark clouds blanketing the entire Battle City grew denser and thicker. Gradually, the city plunged into complete darkness, devoid of a single glimmer of light.
In the pitch-black night, where one could not even see their own fingers, no one knew exactly what was happening. All the onlooking martial artists murmured among themselves, gazing at the gathering, unmoving dark clouds in the sky, their hearts filled with restless anxiety and fear.
In one particular spot, Meng Wuya, who had been standing with his hands clasped behind his back observing the situation's development, suddenly lit up. His eyes burned intensely as he stared at Yang Kai, who stood motionless where he was. A look of anticipation actually surfaced on his face.
"Master, Master!" Xia Ningshang, panting heavily, had somehow also run out from the estate.
Meng Wuya glanced at her and raised a finger to his lips, shushing her.
Xia Ningshang couldn't help but shrink back slightly. She whispered, "Master, what's wrong with Junior Brother?"
"Don't know. Looks like a Qi Deviation, but his mind seems clear. This rascal—who knows what change he's undergoing—it's truly worrying." Meng Wuya looked exasperated. Since coming to Battle City, he had cleaned up Yang Kai's messes more than once. Although he had repeatedly told Yang Kai he wouldn't interfere in the battle for succession, when Yang Kai faced certain difficulties, he still had no choice but to step in and help.
"Is he alright now?" Xia Ningshang asked urgently, her beautiful eyes filled with worry.
"He should be fine." Meng Wuya slowly shook his head, his expression strange. "Not only fine, but judging by the look of it, he seems to be on the verge of a breakthrough."
"A breakthrough!" Xia Ningshang gasped, covering her mouth. She looked up at the thick, dark clouds in the sky, sensing the destructive power contained within them, her beautiful face losing some of its color as she suddenly understood. "Master, you mean this phenomenon is caused by Junior Brother's breakthrough?"
"Most likely." Even Meng Wuya was stunned by this.