Even with Chu Jian, a Saint Realm Second Stage powerhouse, hot on his heels, Yang Kai showed no trace of panic. On the contrary, his mind remained clear as he haggled with Han Fei, trying to leverage the fact that he had just saved her life to make her change her hostile attitude toward him.
Below them, magma churned as Chu Jian led the chase. The formidable power erupting from his robust frame parted the scorching molten rock, and despite his swift descent, he still couldn't spot Yang Kai and Han Fei. He could only track their positions with his Divine Sense.
"Human, you can't escape! Surrender now and suffer less! Otherwise, when I catch you, I'll flay the skin right off your bones!" Chu Jian roared as he pursued.
Yang Kai ignored him, focused on plunging deeper. Stopping now would truly be the end.
No matter what, he refused to fall into the hands of someone like Chu Jian.
Soon, he and Han Fei had reached the depth where they had been meditating and cultivating for the past month.
Upon arriving at this point, Han Fei's condition visibly deteriorated. Even though she was enveloped in Yang Kai's True Yuan energy, her demonic aura fluctuated and instinctively repelled the surrounding Yang energy. Panic even flickered across her delicate face.
She had said earlier that this was essentially her limit for diving. Any deeper, and she wouldn't be able to continue.
In other words, at this depth, her life and death were entirely in Yang Kai's hands. If he wanted to kill her, he could simply abandon her here. Whether it was the approaching Chu Jian or the ambient Yang energy—either would be enough to finish off the severely weakened Han Fei.
How could she not be anxious?
Yang Kai glanced at her, flashed a grin, and increased his output of True Yuan, wrapping her securely without any intention of letting her go.
Relieved, Han Fei let out a breath she didn't realize she'd been holding. She gave him a cold, complex look, her emotions muddled.
"Human, you've succeeded in enraging me. I've decided—I'll make you wish you were dead!" Chu Jian's furious shout echoed from above. Seeing that Yang Kai showed no signs of yielding, he felt his pride take a hit. He abandoned all restraint, his sole focus now on capturing Yang Kai and torturing him thoroughly to vent his wrath.
As he spoke, his speed surged again, relentless in his pursuit.
Yang Kai's expression tightened, and he dove faster, but his cultivation was no match for Chu Jian's. The gap between them was steadily narrowing.
Moreover, the release of Chu Jian's formidable aura seemed to destabilize the volcano, causing the magma below to surge upward rapidly, further hindering Yang Kai's descent.
Twenty zhang. Thirty. Fifty.
As they went deeper, the surrounding Yang energy and heat intensified. The scorching temperature left Yang Kai drenched in sweat, and Han Fei, clamped under his arm, was similarly soaked—beads of sweat tracing down her forehead, over her long, pale neck, and pooling in her chest.
"Are you reaching your limit?" Han Fei asked abruptly. With her keen eyes, she could clearly see the strain Yang Kai was under.
Yang Kai remained silent.
"What terrible luck—having to die with a human like you!" Han Fei sighed softly, looking as though her life had been filled with nothing but regrets.
"Shut up!" Yang Kai snapped. He hadn't expected that even now, this woman would still look down on him.
Back at the Demon God Fortress, he had sensed it—many of the Ancient Demon Clan looked down on humans. Wan'er's attitude toward him had become friendly now, but initially, she had despised him too.
It seemed that in the eyes of the Ancient Demon Clan, humans were nothing but an inferior race. Only they possessed noble bloodlines. Every gaze directed at him carried an unmistakable arrogance and contempt.
Such looks made Yang Kai deeply uncomfortable.
With Han Fei, it was even more obvious. From the moment she first laid eyes on him until now, she had always spoken to him from a position of superiority.
Yang Kai didn't know what she had to be so smug about.
As they spoke, a sharp tearing sound rang out, and a pair of wings suddenly unfurled from Yang Kai's back.
With the wings spread, Yang Kai's speed increased once more, and under his control, the broad, magnificent wings folded inward, wrapping both Yang Kai and Han Fei completely within their embrace.
The oppressive heat immediately eased.
"Heavenly Dao Laws?" Han Fei's beautiful eyes trembled violently, and she stared at the blazing Yang Flame Wings enveloping them, crying out in shock.
From these magnificent wings, she sensed a profound and unfathomable mystery and power.
Such mystery, such power—these were not things Yang Kai could cultivate on his own. They were Laws of the Heavenly Dao obtained through extraordinary fortune.
"You actually..." Han Fei couldn't help but cover her mouth, struck speechless by shock.
"You've got a decent eye," Yang Kai quipped. "That's right—this power truly comes from the Heavenly Dao."
"Your fortune is enough to make anyone jealous," Han Fei murmured, reaching out a small hand to touch the wings. The moment her fingers made contact, a sharp sizzling sound rang out.
The Yang Yuan Qi contained within the wings clashed with her demonic energy just the same. Though it wouldn't harm her, it would purify her demonic aura.