All the powerful experts surrounded them, and Shirley herself was presiding over the area, confident that Yang Kai wouldn't be able to escape even with wings, so she had no rush to make her move. She wore the look of someone enjoying a show, watching the human race's strong cultivators clash with each other with visible amusement.
Yu Mo stood beside her as well, appearing lazy and indifferent on the surface, but in reality his divine sense was locked onto Yang Kai. The moment he detected any attempt to flee, he would strike without hesitation.
This deliberate targeting made Wu Jie, who stood next to Yang Kai, deeply uncomfortable. A feeling crept over him as if a blade were pressed against his throat.
"Lord Saint Master, I'm afraid I can't help you this time," Wu Jie said quietly. "I won't serve that woman, but if I stay here any longer, I may well die. You'll have to look out for yourself. If things truly become desperate, I'll leave immediately."
"Fine. Don't worry about me," Yang Kai replied with a slight nod. His opinion of Wu Jie had improved somewhat. He didn't expect Wu Jie to fight for him—as long as he didn't side with people like Zhang Ao, that would be enough.
As for his own escape, he would most likely need to tear through space to slip away from under the nose of a powerhouse like Shirley.
The question was whether he could pull it off.
With Wu Jie's current strength, a single spatial tear would drain him completely, and it came with enormous risk. If it failed, he would die without even a proper burial.
Yang Kai, on the other hand, had already comprehended the true essence of spatial tearing, so his situation was far better than Wu Jie's.
"My Lord, shall we make our move now?" Yu Mo seemed to have grown impatient. He leaned close to Shirley and asked in a low voice.
"No rush! I want to have a nice chat with him first," Shirley said with a light laugh, then raised her voice and called out to Yang Kai: "Boy, if you know what's good for you, don't resist. Come with me back to Sand City quietly, and I won't harm a hair on your head." Her expression then turned cold and sinister: "But if you dare resist, you'll suffer for it. Breaking your arms and legs would be the lightest punishment—I might even cripple your cultivation!"
"My Lord, stop wasting words on him. This kid is slippery as an eel. Once he finds an opening, he'll be impossible to catch again!" Zhang Ao eagerly shouted from the sidelines.
"That's right, my Lord. Last time, several of us chased him for months without catching him. This boy is the new Saint Master of the Nine Heavens Holy Land, and he's mastered the most exquisite Nine Heavens Divine Arts. Catch him and force out the cultivation method and their heritage!" Cao Guan urged just as fervently, afraid that any delay might bring trouble.
The last assault on the Nine Heavens Holy Land had failed precisely because they hadn't seized the opportunity, and Yang Kai had slipped away. A lesson from the past to guide the future—they had learned at least a little caution.
"Shut your mouth! When the Lord acts, who are you to speak?" Yu Mo shot Zhang Ao a frigid glare and snapped.
Zhang Ao fell silent, swallowing his grievances. His cultivation was a full tier above Yu Mo's, yet he had no choice but to swallow his pride, and naturally he was seething inside.
"You think I came for some so-called Nine Heavens Divine Arts and heritage?" Shirley cast them a mocking glance. "What are those worth?"
Zhang Ao and Cao Guan stared in stunned silence.
If not for those things, then why had this woman traveled tens of thousands of miles from the Demon Territory to this place?
Yang Kai's brow furrowed as well. He spoke up clearly: "Lord Shirley, I don't believe I've done anything to offend you. Our time in Sand City may not have been the most pleasant, but I did help you generate quite a bit of profit. Why are you pursuing me so relentlessly?"
This was the thing that baffled him the most. Without sufficient incentive, someone like Shirley would never have left the Demon Territory so casually. What was there about him that could attract her attention?
"You want to know the reason?" Shirley said with a soft laugh.
Yang Kai's expression grew solemn, and he nodded slightly.
"Fine, I've already found you anyway, and I'll need your help shortly. There's no harm in letting you know!" Shirley suddenly became agreeable. From the sound of it, she intended to clear up Yang Kai's confusion, and everyone perked up their ears, eager to listen.
But Shirley waved her slender hand, and a surge of true yuan erupted forth, isolating the others instantly. Only she, Yang Kai, and Yu Mo remained.
Yang Kai's expression shifted. He turned his head to look around, but could see nothing at all—only a dark cyan barrier of light blanketing the area above him. Even Wu Jie, who had been standing right beside him, had vanished.
This woman… her methods were truly unfathomable! A look of wariness settled on Yang Kai's face.
Shirley's beautiful eyes, however, blazed with excitement and fervor. She flicked a slender finger, and a thread of brilliant light shot toward Yang Kai, carrying not a shred of killing intent.
Yang Kai frowned but didn't dodge. The beam of light cut past him with imposing momentum, grazing his arm as it flew by.
A soft hissing sound.
A sharp sting spread across Yang Kai's arm as blood—crimson laced with flecks of gold—welled up. But the flesh at the wound writhed and squirmed, and in the span of a single breath, the wound had already healed.
"Just as I expected!" Shirley's eyes erupted with fanatical light as she stared at the spot where the wound had been, murmuring to herself.
Yu Mo stood beside her, brow furrowed, looking thoroughly confused.
"You must be wondering why, as a Demon General, I'm targeting you so specifically?" Shirley asked.
Yang Kai nodded.
"Hehe…" Shirley giggled, her body swaying gracefully with laughter. "That's because the same power flows through both our blood!"