Yang Kai turned his head, gazing intently toward the spot where the beggar had vanished, and let out a soft, cold laugh before disappearing from where he stood like a bolt of lightning.
Above Piaoxiang City, the beggar hurtled through the sky, anxiously glancing back toward the palace, but he couldn't spot a trace of the young man. Suspicious now, he searched frantically — only for the space before his eyes to blur. That person had already caught up and was flying right alongside him, wearing an expression so relaxed it was almost absurd.
"You—" The beggar's eyes went wide, wearing the look of a man who had just seen a ghost, utterly unable to believe that someone had surpassed him in speed.
Speed was his greatest forte. He had always believed no one under heaven could match him — even the brilliant Evil Lord Yang Bo had once praised his speed, admitting he was inferior. Yet this young man had caught up from behind, and judging by his demeanor, hadn't even used his full power.
How could he not be shocked?
"Stop wasting your energy, Shadow King. You can't escape!" Yang Kai snorted coldly. A scorching force erupted from within him like an invisible heavy fist, slamming into the beggar before he could react. The beggar's posture immediately crumbled as though he had taken a devastating blow, and he tumbled head over heels through the air.
It took him some time to stabilize, hovering in the void, his expression shifting constantly as he stared warily at Yang Kai, thick unwillingness and dread welling up between his brows.
He hadn't expected that the young man would surpass him not only in speed but in strength as well. That single exchange had made him realize the chasm between them, and any thought of resistance or escape had already withered.
The young man was right — before absolute power, any resistance was a futile struggle.
The burst of energy in midair disturbed the warriors of Piaoxiang City, who all looked up.
When they made out the two figures in the sky, many cried out in alarm.
"Huh? Isn't that the beggar who hangs around in front of the Queen's palace?"
"Yeah, he's there every single day. I don't know how the Queen puts up with him."
"If it were me, I'd have chased him off long ago."
"But look at him now — he doesn't seem to be just some beggar... This man's strength is incredible. How did he end up like this?"
"And who's that young man? He looks even stronger!"
"..."
Exclamations continued as the warriors of Piaoxiang City crowded closer, eager for a better look. In no time, the streets and rooftops below were packed with people, and quite a few bold warriors had taken to the air, gathering in a ring around the scene with eager expressions, ready to watch the show.
Yang Kai paid them no mind. The strength of these Piaoxiang City warriors was truly beneath his notice.
"Yang boy, do you really intend to drive me to my death?" the beggar cried, his face twisted with anguish and indignation.
"It's not me who's driving you to your death," Yang Kai replied, slowly shaking his head. "I'm simply curious — the great Flash Lightning Shadow King, one of the Six Evil Kings, disguised as a beggar and hiding here in Piaoxiang City. What for?"
"Flash Lightning Shadow King?!" A wave of shocked cries erupted below, and everyone froze in disbelief.
"No way..."
"That beggar is the Flash Lightning Shadow King?"
"He does look a bit like him..."
"So it really is the Flash Lightning Shadow King who disappeared over ten years ago. We all thought he was dead — turns out he's still alive, and right here in Piaoxiang City."
"Holy hell — I spat on him when I walked past just a few days ago. I'm dead!" The speaker's face went pale, his body trembling with fear.
"I kicked him too... The Shadow King won't come after me, will he?" another said mournfully.
The surrounding warriors cast sympathetic glances, their faces clearly saying you're dead, which only deepened the speakers' panic.
"Thank goodness, thank goodness — last time I passed by him, I actually tossed him some coins. Lucky I've got a kind heart, ha ha ha!" Some despaired, others rejoiced. With the beggar's true identity revealed, reactions ran the gamut.
The Flash Lightning Shadow King was one of the Six Evil Kings, who together with the Thunder Beast King, the Extinction Poison King, the Yin Ghost King, the Dominating Heaven Strength King, and the Enchantress Queen, were known as the Six Evil Kings.
Before the Evil Lord rose to power, the entire Cangyun Evil Domain had been governed by these six, standing in opposition to the Eight Great Families of Zhongdu.
When the calamity at Zhongdu struck, the Six Evil Kings had mobilized under the Evil Lord Yang Bo's command, launching a full-scale assault.
But in the end, Yang Bo fell in battle, and the Six Evil Kings suffered devastating losses. All but the Enchantress Queen, who emerged unscathed — of the remaining five, four perished. Only the Flash Lightning Shadow King had relied on his speed to escape from Zhongdu.
After that, there had been no word of him.
Some said he was dead; others claimed he had taken on a new identity and retired to seclusion in the mountains.
After all, Zhongdu was teeming with experts. If he dared show his face, he would likely be targeted.
No one had imagined that he would disguise himself as a beggar, hiding in Piaoxiang City, enduring humiliation just to cling to life.
Had Yang Kai not come to Piaoxiang City today to find Shan Qingluo, his identity might never have been exposed.
He could fool everyone else, but he couldn't escape Yang Kai's perception.
A cultivator at the Transcendent Realm, Second Stage — in this world, that was the absolute pinnacle of existence. There was no way Yang Kai could have failed to notice him.
"Yang boy, I am no longer the Flash Lightning Shadow King, and I have no intention of fighting the Eight Great Families of Zhongdu ever again. All these years, I've simply been scraping by here. Why must you be so relentless?" the Shadow King barked.