In the camp of the Eight Great Families, two Transcendent Realm powerhouses stared with bloodshot eyes, their gazes filled with hatred and wariness, fixed firmly on the members of Yang Kai's Mansion.
They were Huang Xiao and Jiang Zhe.
Ten-odd days ago, the two had fled in panic to Zhongdu and reported their experiences to the Eight Great Families. But to their disappointment, the people of the Eight Great Families didn't believe a word they said.
Everyone in the Eight Great Families knew exactly how many expert martial artists were in Yang Kai's Mansion and what their respective levels of strength were. Even though this intelligence was only half a year old, it was impossible that, as Huang Xiao and Jiang Zhe claimed, nine Transcendent Realm Blood Guards had suddenly appeared.
It was far too unrealistic.
Although Huang Xiao and Jiang Zhe swore solemnly, vowing that everything they said was true, the Eight Great Families still refused to believe their words, dismissing them as mere excuses to prevent elite reinforcements from their own clans from being dispatched.
Because of this, Huang Xiao and Jiang Zhe had been subjected to immense suspicion. Not only were they not employed by the Eight Great Families, but they were also ostracized by the other first-rate forces that had come to aid Zhongdu.
This debt was now placed squarely on Yang Kai's head.
If Yang Kai hadn't been so ruthless in ordering the slaughter of the elites from their two families, how could they have ended up in such a wretched state today?
Though seething with anger, they were at least still clear-headed enough to realize that with their own strength, they were powerless against Yang Kai's Mansion.
They exchanged a glance and began to laugh sinisterly, then quietly drifted sideways to approach two other Transcendent Realm experts.
Like Huang Xiao and Jiang Zhe, these two Transcendent powerhouses were also staring at Yang Kai with intense hatred, their eyes brimming with killing intent, as if they shared an irreconcilable feud with him.
"Brother Xiang, Brother Nan, that brat is the murderer of your two families' heirs. Now that you've met your enemy face-to-face, do you two have any thoughts?" Huang Xiao said acidly.
Xiang Ning heard the manipulative tone in his words and couldn't help but snort coldly: "My Xiang and Nan families have an irreconcilable enmity with Yang Kai. Given the chance, we will naturally take his life. There's no need for Brother Huang to concern himself."
The Xiang and Nan families were first-rate clans, and they had also answered the Eight Great Families' call to arms, coming to Zhongdu to provide aid. They were among the few major forces that had already arrived.
After several days of battle, both families had suffered considerable losses. Xiang Ning, the patriarch of the Xiang family, and Nan Xilou, the patriarch of the Nan family, were both in foul moods, wanting to withdraw from Zhongdu but lacking the courage to do so. Now, seeing the murderer of Xiang Chu and Nan Sheng with their own eyes, both patriarchs were seeing red.
Nan Xilou turned his head to look over at the Eight Great Families' side, his expression dark. "I wonder what attitude they hold towards Yang Kai."
Huang Xiao sneered: "It's public knowledge that Yang Kai and the Eight Great Families have long since fallen out. What are you two worried about?"
Jiang Zhe also sneered: "Your enemy is right before you. Are you two really going to swallow your anger?"
Xiang Ning and Nan Xilou both snorted coldly. Although they desperately wanted to kill Yang Kai themselves and avenge the deaths of Xiang Chu and Nan Sheng, they weren't fools. They could naturally see that the Celestial Mansion enveloping Yang Kai's estate was no ordinary thing.
That barrier-like curtain of light—most likely, their strength alone couldn't break it.
If they couldn't break the barrier, they naturally couldn't exact their revenge.
Just as they hesitated, Yang Kai's side suddenly made a move.
He simply strode out of the barrier with utter nonchalance, without a shred of restraint, followed closely behind by thirteen Blood Guards, Earth Demon, Li Yuanchun, Lu Si, and others, with countless Shenyou Realm cultivators also advancing in step.
This move left everyone stunned on the spot.
It seemed no one had expected Yang Kai to be so bold as to walk right into the chaotic battlefield.
He glanced around, surveying the scene, then gave the order: "Kill!"
At his command, the Shenyou Realm experts charged in unison at the dazed Cangyun Evil Land cultivators. In the blink of an eye, the stalemate was shattered.
On Yang Kai's side, there were a full four to five hundred Shenyou Realm experts, descending like tigers down the mountain. Their momentum was overwhelming, and those physically and mentally exhausted Cangyun Evil Land cultivators had no strength to resist. After a single clash, they crumbled like a landslide, retreating step by step.
Screams rang out and fresh blood sprayed through the air.
Yang Kai felt the golden single eye within his consciousness sea once again emit an inexplicable attractive force. It drew in the collapsed Divine Sense energy from the slain Shenyou Realm experts, absorbing it into his own consciousness sea.
His entire body thrumming with excitement, Yang Kai's face was alight with joy as he stood perfectly still, savoring the absorption process.
The Blood Guards remained where they were, simply standing guard around Yang Kai in case any of the Cangyun Evil Land's Transcendent Realm experts tried to move against him.
When the heads of the Eight Great Families witnessed this scene, their expressions all turned peculiar. They hadn't expected Yang Kai to take the initiative and strike directly at the Cangyun Evil Land with lethal force!
"Attack!" Yang Yinghao's spirits soared, and he shouted loudly, "Coordinate with Yang Kai and wipe out these demonic devils!"
Hearing his command, the Shenyou Realm experts of the Eight Great Families and the various forces that had come to reinforce them also sprang into action. While Yang Kai's forces wreaked havoc, they surged forward with unstoppable momentum.
"The opportunity has come, Brother Xiang, Brother Nan — it all depends on whether you can seize it properly." Huang Xiao chuckled darkly, his words laced with hidden meaning.
Xiang Ning and Nan Xilou exchanged a glance. Though their eyes held some wariness and lingering concern, the burning vengeance for their murdered sons raged just as fiercely, threatening to consume what remained of their reason.
After a long moment, their expressions finally hardened with resolve. Their figures flickered, and they vanished without a trace.