Blood Princess departed, transforming into a constantly writhing mass of blood mist that shot away into the distance, accompanied by heart-rending screams.
Zuo Wuyou watched the scene unfold. Though he didn't know the specifics, he could roughly guess what had happened—Yang Kai's blood seemed to contain an incredibly terrifying power, one that even an expert like Blood Princess, who was highly skilled in blood-path secret arts, found difficult to endure.
That was why she had such a peculiar reaction after absorbing Yang Kai's blood.
"Is it really okay to let her go like that?" Zuo Wuyou looked at Yang Kai. "Everyone in the Dark Cult is cunning and treacherous. Brother Yang, don't let her deceive you."
"It's fine. She can't fool anyone."
If Blood Princess could even break the divine soul restriction that Fang Tianci had personally planted, then she wouldn't be merely at the Shenyou Realm. Moreover, this woman was desperate for his dragon vein power, so no matter what, she could never betray him.
Seeing Yang Kai so composed, Fang Tianci said nothing more and lowered his gaze to the desiccated corpse on the ground.
After being attacked by Blood Princess, Chu Anhe had been left clinging to his last breath. With no one attending to him for so long, he was naturally well and truly dead.
Zuo Wuyou's expression was somewhat desolate, his tone tinged with bewilderment: "What on earth has happened to this world?"
Chu Anhe had set up a grand array in this small town in advance, luring him and Yang Kai inside before revealing his murderous intent. Though he kept accusing Yang Kai of being a Dark Cult spy, Zuo Wuyou was no fool—he could sense that something else was going on.
Whether or not Yang Kai was a Dark Cult spy, Chu Anhe had clearly intended to kill them both right here.
But... why?
If Chu Anhe was a member of the Dark Cult, that didn't add up either—after all, Blood Princess had killed him.
"Brother Yang, I suspect that the message I sent earlier was intercepted by someone with ulterior motives," Zuo Wuyou suddenly said.
"What makes you say that?" Yang Kai asked with interest.
"The message I sent back clearly stated that the Holy Son had emerged, and that I was escorting him to Dawn City with Dark Cult experts in pursuit. I requested that the cult send experts to meet us along the way. If this message had truly gotten through, the Divine Cult would have taken it seriously no matter what—they should have sent someone long ago, and certainly not someone of Chu Anhe's level. There would have been a Banner Lord at the very least."
Yang Kai said: "But according to what Chu Anhe said, your Holy Son actually emerged ten years ago—only it was kept secret for certain reasons. So perhaps the message you sent wasn't given much weight?"
"Even so, they shouldn't have tried to kill us here. They should have brought us back to the Divine Cult for questioning and verification!" Zuo Wuyou lowered his head as his thoughts gradually became clearer. "But in reality, Chu Anhe had already set up a deadly array here, just waiting for us to walk into the trap. If Blood Princess hadn't suddenly appeared and dealt with them, breaking the array, the two of us would probably be dead by now."
Yang Kai smiled faintly: "I wouldn't go that far."
An array of this caliber was certainly enough to deal with ordinary martial artists, but not him. When he activated the World-Destroying Demonic Eye, he had already seen through the array's flaws. The only reason he hadn't broken it was because he'd spotted Blood Princess's figure and wanted to see how things played out.
Who would have thought that Blood Princess would scatter Chu Anhe and his men so thoroughly, saving him the trouble.
Zuo Wuyou continued: "Though Chu Anhe is a high-ranking member of the cult, his status isn't high enough for him to act so boldly on his own. Someone above him must have been pulling the strings."
Yang Kai said: "Chu Anhe is at the Shenyou Realm—that's already a fairly elevated position in your Divine Cult. There shouldn't be many people who could order him around."
Sweat slid down Zuo Wuyou's forehead as he said with difficulty: "He belongs to the Kun Banner, under the command of the Kun Banner Lord."
Yang Kai nodded slightly in acknowledgment.
"Chu Anhe said the Divine Cult's Holy Son emerged in secret ten years ago. If that's true, then you, Brother Yang, are definitely not the Holy Son."
"I never said I was your Holy Son..." He had no interest in this Holy Son identity at all—he simply wanted to meet the Holy Maiden of the Divine Cult.
"If Brother Yang truly isn't the Holy Son, then why would they try to kill you to the last?"
"What are you getting at?"
Zuo Wuyou clenched his fists: "Though Chu Anhe had ulterior motives, he wouldn't lie about the Holy Son. So the Divine Cult's Holy Son really was found ten years ago and has been kept secret ever since. But... I only believe what I see with my own eyes. I saw you descend from the sky without warning, fulfilling a prophecy that the Divine Cult has passed down for years. I watched you defeat the strong with the weak all along the way, slaying numerous Dark Cult followers—even Shenyou Realm experts were no match for you. I don't know what the Holy Son in the Divine Cult is like, but I believe that the Holy Son who can lead the Divine Cult to victory over the Dark Cult must be someone like you!"
As he spoke, he bowed solemnly to Yang Kai: "So Brother Yang, please forgive my boldness—I want to ask you to come with me to Dawn City!"
Yang Kai smiled: "I was planning to go there anyway."
Zuo Wuyou's eyes lit up in realization: "Of course—you want to see the Holy Maiden. But Brother Yang, I must warn you: the road ahead will definitely not be smooth."
Yang Kai said: "When has our journey ever been peaceful?"
Zuo Wuyou took a deep breath: "I also need to ask you, Brother Yang, to confront that Holy Son who emerged in secret—face to face!"
Yang Kai said: "That won't be easy. If someone really is working against us in the shadows, they won't just stand by and watch. Do you have a plan?"
Zuo Wuyou froze, then slowly shook his head.
In the end, he was just driven by a surge of passion, wanting only to uncover the truth. He had no concrete plan at all.
Yang Kai turned to gaze in the direction of Dawn City: "It's a little over a day's journey from here to Dawn City. What happened here won't get back any time soon. If we ride hard, we might be able to enter the city before the person pulling the strings has time to react."