Ever since that day when Li Rong had glimpsed that golden-pupiled eye in Yang Kai's mind and been bathed in the golden light it emitted, she had grown suspicious.
She had discovered that the golden-pupiled eye gave her a feeling strikingly similar to certain records found in her ancestors' texts.
So after departing from Yang Kai, she had immediately pored over those texts and confirmed her suspicion—the golden-pupiled eye was indeed of extraordinary origin.
She had dispatched Duan Ya, a Body Tempering Stage Three expert, to protect Yang Kai's safety. This time, she had even gone so far as to order Han Fei to personally escort him to the volcano—all for the sake of keeping him safe.
Until the truth was fully revealed, she did not want to see any harm come to this human. And she had not shared her suspicions with anyone, including Han Fei and Hua Mo, two of the four great commanders.
She still couldn't be certain. She needed time to observe Yang Kai and verify whether her guess was correct.
But Chu Jian's attack had shattered her hope and sent her into a towering rage.
Now, upon learning that Han Fei and Yang Kai were actually unharmed, Li Rong was overjoyed. She rushed toward them at full speed, using her formidable cultivation to carve a path through the lethal zone at the volcano's crater, all so she could arrive one moment sooner and lend her aid.
Hua Mo followed close behind her, his heart pounding with terror.
He realized that Lady Li's behavior this time was somewhat uncharacteristic—she was disregarding her own safety entirely for the sake of a human.
On the other side of the crater, Yang Kai plummeted from a great height and slammed into the ground, rolling several times before coming to a stop. With considerable effort, he pushed himself upright and wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, his gaze wary and grave.
The Ancient Demon Clan members who had pursued him looked at him with astonishment. One of them nodded and remarked, "This outsider's body is no weaker than a clansman's. Falling from that height without breaking a single bone."
"I heard that in the Demon God Fortress, he beat Pan Lang and several of his men half to death."
"Really?"
"Well, now that's interesting."
They chattered among themselves, showing no urgency to strike at Yang Kai. Instead, they wore expressions of open fascination.
A figure materialized eerily in midair, gazing down at Yang Kai from above. A powerful and suffocating aura radiated from his body.
Chu Jian!
Yang Kai's expression darkened as he turned to look not far away. He caught sight of Han Fei—the one who had been engaging him earlier to buy time—lying in a pool of blood. Her beautiful eyes were slowly opening and closing, her face deathly pale, her lips murmuring faintly.
She was too far away for Yang Kai to hear what she was saying, but he could read from the shape of her lips that she was telling him to run.
"My lord!" The Ancient Demon Clan members all bowed in greeting.
Chu Jian gave a slight nod, then fixed Yang Kai with a savage grin. "You humans have a saying: 'A wise man submits to circumstances.' I hope you won't resist. Han Fei cannot protect you. And Li Rong won't be able to either!"
"Heh heh…" Cornered, Yang Kai actually laughed.
"What are you smirking about?" Chu Jian snorted coldly, his expression displeased.
Yang Kai slowly extended one hand and pointed behind Chu Jian. "Li Rong seems to have arrived. Why don't you tell her that yourself?"
Chu Jian's expression shifted. He turned to look and indeed saw a slender figure rapidly approaching from the distance. Li Rong's face was taut with anxiety. Before she had even arrived, her voice boomed across the distance: "Chu Jian! Do not lay a hand on that human. If you heed me this once, all your past offenses will be forgiven. But if a single hair on his head is harmed, I will absolutely not let you off!"
"Lady Li!" Chu Jian snorted and raised his voice. "I, Chu Jian, have already crossed the point of no return. Today, one of us dies!"
With that, he stopped paying attention to the approaching Li Rong and turned back, fixing Yang Kai with a chilling stare.
Li Rong's words had only further convinced Chu Jian that this human held an extraordinary position in her heart.
He didn't even need to fight Li Rong—as long as he seized this human, victory was his!
Chu Jian could already picture Li Rong kneeling before him in submission, himself controlling the Demon God Fortress and ruling over the Minor Mystic Realm.
The beautiful vision filled him with excitement and exhilaration. Once he unified the Minor Mystic Realm, he could restore all his clansmen to their true nature. And when the time came to leave this place, the world itself would tremble.
A dreamlike whisper suddenly drifted through heaven and earth.
"Demonic Frenzy!"
Yang Kai's voice was low and deep. The middle finger of his right hand pressed against his own forehead, and his voice was as cold as the winds howling through the deepest abyss, sending chills down every spine.
Heaven and earth shuddered. Every soul present felt a fleeting sensation of their mind wavering.
In the chaotic sky, a massive vortex abruptly materialized. Within it churned an aura of annihilation.
Winds surged and clouds churned. A terror more dreadful than a volcanic eruption descended without warning.
Across Yang Kai's bare torso, intricate black patterns erupted to the surface. They writhed like spirit serpents, crawling over his body and seeping into his skin.
In a single instant, Yang Kai's entire aura transformed—becoming savage, violent, bloodthirsty, and evil.
He had no choice but to unleash his final trump card. He needed just a sliver of time to escape before Li Rong arrived.