Chapter 2597

Translator: Silavin & Ashish

Translation Checker: PewPewLazerGun

Editor and Proofreader: Leo of Zion Mountain & Dhael Ligerkeys

Zhang Ruo Xi could even sacrifice her life for Yang Kai, so it was nothing for her to slap herself.

"What are you doing?" Luan Feng frowned and reached out her free hand to bind Zhang Ruo Xi on the spot. Her cultivation far exceeded Third-Order Emperor Realm Human, so it was easy for her to restrict Zhang Ruo Xi's movements.

Having been completely suppressed, Zhang Ruo Xi couldn't even move a muscle, let alone utter a word. Her hand was still up in the air, and her tears had stopped streaming down her face.

"Hey you, can you be considered a man at all? A young girl has to beg and slap herself for your sake! You're indeed just an ant, how laughable!" Shi Huo snorted as he stepped harder on Yang Kai, as though he was enjoying a marvellous show.

*Kacha…*

The sound of bones breaking could be heard again as Yang Kai grit his teeth and suppressed the excruciating pain. Upon choking down the blood in his mouth, he glared at the stone giant before his eyes and bellowed, "Shi Huo, if you want my life, you take it, but you must let Ruo Xi and the other Stone Spirit Clan members leave first. After that, you can do whatever you want to me!"

"Does an ant have the right to negotiate with me?" Shi Huo snorted and landed a kick on Yang Kai's ribs, sending him flying.

*Pa…*

With his figure battered all over, Yang Kai fell to the ground with a thud.

Having been bound to the spot, Zhang Ruo Xi tried her hardest to look in Yang Kai's direction with a gaze that was filled with despair and sorrow. With her tears all drained, her eyes were slowly turning bloodshot. The redness in her eyes seemed to contain a special power that was silently permeating this place.

However, at this moment, everyone's attention was on Yang Kai and Shi Huo, so no one noticed the odd transformation in Zhang Ruo Xi. Even Zhang Ruo Xi herself had failed to notice it as her heart was slowly filled with resentment and the blood in her veins started boiling.

"What?" Shi Huo frowned and extended his hand, upon which Yang Kai, who was rolling on the ground, was sucked towards him. With his head tilted, Shi Huo took a look at Yang Kai and uttered in amazement, "There's something strange about your body…"

A mere First-Order Emperor Human should have lost his life by now after being tortured by Shi Huo in such a way; however, Yang Kai was still alive and kicking. Although his aura had diminished a little, his vitality was still ample.

"Shi Huo, don't force me!" Yang Kai growled like an enraged beast.

Shi Huo arched his brow and laughed, "So, what if I want to force you? Do you think you can kill me?"

As Shi Huo spoke, he brandished his huge fist and punched Yang Kai's body repeatedly.

*Peng, Peng, Peng…*

Each of Shi Huo's punches carried the weight of a mountain, and the sound of Yang Kai's bones cracking could be heard clearly as it swung violently in mid-air. Nevertheless, having been restricted by Shi Huo, Yang Kai couldn't even struggle out of his grip, so he had no choice but to receive this beating passively.

The corners of Yang Kai's eyes had split open and blood started streaming down his head. His handsome face had completely swollen, so it was hard to recognize that he was even human. His hair was in a mess, and his entire body was soaked in blood because of Shi Huo's assault. At that moment, he was battered and in an utterly sorry state, which he had never experienced before since he embarked on his cultivation journey.

*Hong…*

Shi Huo landed another fist on Yang Kai, causing the bones in his legs to break. Yang Kai fell on his knees, but his back remained as straight as a spear.

The other Monster Kings looked at Yang Kai with conflicted expressions. Although there were many present, it was so quiet that one could hear a pin drop. Even though they were from different races, and that Yang Kai had caused them a lot of trouble, these Monster Kings were still moved by Yang Kai's resoluteness in the face of such torture. They thought that he was indeed a real man.

In comparison, Shi Huo appeared petty and arrogant due to his shameless behaviour. He could have killed Yang Kai without much effort, so what was the point of him torturing this young man in such a way?

Nevertheless, Shi Huo was one of the Four Great Divine Venerables. Although the Monster Kings were not pleased with him, they didn't have the guts to express dissent here. Hence, they could only glance at Yang Kai with respect and sympathy. Even though Xie Wu Wei wanted to plead for leniency on Yang Kai's behalf, he knew that he would be dragged into this as well if he dared to step forward.

"Shi Huo, enough!" Fan Wu yelled with a dark expression.

"There is no glory or honour in torturing an opponent who is so much weaker than you are," Fan Wu snorted as he couldn't tolerate Shi Huo's behaviour anymore, "If you want to kill him, just end it quickly, stop doing such pointless things."

Hearing this, Shi Huo scoffed. Although he appeared reluctant, he still grasped Yang Kai's hair and lifted his head.

At this moment, Yang Kai's entire face was swollen and drenched in blood, so it was hard to identify his eyes and nose. There were two slits on the places where his eyes were supposed to be, out of which a faint light could be seen.

Glancing over at Zhang Ruo Xi, Yang Kai somehow managed to put on a grin. At that instant, Zhang Ruo Xi felt her entire body trembling as her blood transformed into tears and streamed down from her eyes. The tears on her cheeks looked like two traces of blood, which was utterly hideous.

She had served Yang Kai for many years, so she knew full well what powers and trump cards he possessed. In fact, he wasn't powerless to resist. He had the sealed power of an Ancient Demon, the power of the Sealed World Bead, as well as his Golden Divine Dragon Source.

She believed that if he utilized all these powers, even if he couldn't defeat Shi Huo, he could still flee from this place; however, while he was being tortured by Shi Huo, he didn't even try to use those powers at all. Even when his life was hanging by a thread, he still didn't bring out his trump cards.

In fact, she knew that it was all because of her. Once Yang Kai fled from this place, the other members of the Monster Race would not let her off. [So, I've dragged Sir into a mess once again. Over the years, I've always been a burden to him. Why can't I help him in any meaningful way?]

The resentment she felt was enough to make the sea boil, and the fury that was rising within her seemed capable of destroying the Heavens and shattering the Earth. A sense of ferocity flushed out of her tender body as she transformed from an obedient girl into someone completely different in that instant.

"Hm?" Sensing this odd transformation in Zhang Ruo Xi's aura, Luan Feng scowled and took a glance at her. Upon seeing her bloodied tears, she couldn't help but heave a sigh. If possible, she wanted to save Yang Kai; however, by doing so, she was bound to offend Shi Huo. After some deliberation, she knew which option was the wiser.

"Release Ruo Xi and the other Stone Spirits. I won't resist!" Despite the fact that Yang Kai's hair was grabbed by Shi Huo, he raised his head as his swollen eyes beamed with a cold glare. He was making the last attempt. As long as Zhang Ruo Xi and the other Stone Spirit people could leave first, he would have nothing to worry about, thus enabling him to fight with Shi Huo with his full strength.

Exasperated, Shi Huo sneered, "Do you still think you can fight back? Don't worry, after I kill you, I'll also send that girl to Hell to keep you company!"

Upon finishing his words, Shi Huo sent his fist to Yang Kai's face. He didn't hold back his power with this strike, as he had intended to end Yang Kai's life. Having tortured Yang Kai for so long, he had managed to see the despair and resentment behind Yang Kai's gaze, so his fury had subsided significantly. Paired with Fan Wu's warning, he realized that it was time to send Yang Kai off, so he wasted no more time.

Yang Kai's heart sank when he was faced with the attack. Just when he was about to use his Dragon Transformation Secret Technique, he heard someone shrieking on the other side.

"No!" The voice was filled with unbearable despair and panic, paired with a sense of unparalleled fury and murderous intent.

"What?" Luan Feng was shocked as she looked down at Zhang Ruo Xi. The young girl was supposed to be under her complete control, not able to speak or even move a finger; however, just now, she somehow managed to shout.

[How is that possible?]

*Kacha…*

An invisible seal suddenly broke apart at that instant. The restriction Luan Feng had placed on Zhang Ruo Xi was destroyed, causing the former's entire body to tremble.

At the same time, Zhang Ruo Xi, who was kneeling on the ground, could feel an indescribable force awakening from her bloodline as her hair flew up into the air despite the fact that it was a windless day. Like the waking of a Dragon that had slumbered for aeons, she opened her eyes slowly and an aura gushed out of her body that sent shockwaves across all Four Great Divine Venerables, causing them to stare at her in astonishment.

"What's going on with her?" Fan Wu exclaimed.

Shi Huo's hand stopped in mid-air as he stared fixedly at Zhang Ruo Xi with his flaming eyes. For some reason, an instinctive fear seemed to be rising within him. It was as though he had come across a natural predator, just like how a mouse would react when it saw a cat.

In the end, he failed in his attempt to strike Yang Kai with his fist.

Yang Kai was also dumbfounded as he tried very hard to widen his swollen eyes to take a glance at Zhang Ruo Xi. He wondered just what was going on with her.

"AAHH!" Zhang Ruo Xi looked up at the sky and shouted. It was as though she couldn't control the turbulent force in her body anymore as her clothes flailed madly.

The expression on Luan Feng's alluring face changed as she hurriedly flew away from the young girl, gripped by a sense of anxiety as she stared fixedly at her.

*Weng…*

The entire world seemed to tremble as a humming sound echoed through the air. Suddenly, two drops of blood streamed out of Zhang Ruo Xi's eyes, but they didn't drop to the ground. Instead, they flew in a particular direction as though they had been guided by some mysterious force.

Everyone was attracted to the two drops of blood as they looked dazedly at them. Right before their eyes, the two drops of blood flew at lightning speed towards a certain spot.

When looking in the direction the two drops flew, Fan Wu narrowed his eyes and exclaimed, "The Blood Gate!"

Unexpectedly, the two drops of blood were flying towards the Blood Gate. No one knew when it began, but the Blood Gate, which had remained still for aeons, was now boiling as bubbles of different sizes were formed on its surface.

"Does this girl have something to do with the Blood Gate?" Cang Guo asked in shock.

Fan Wu shook his head slowly. Despite his experience and knowledge, he couldn't figure out what was going on.

*Xiu…*

The two drops of blood accelerated and shot into the Blood Gate, thus disappearing from everyone's sight.

*Hong…*

All of a sudden, a beam of scarlet light shot out of the Blood Gate and penetrated Zhang Ruo Xi's body, causing her to shudder uncontrollably. At the same time, she stopped growling as her long hair fell back down. Still on her knees, she hung her head low and remained unmoving, as though she was a dead person.

Shocked, Yang Kai hurriedly scanned her body with Divine Sense, only to find that her vitality was raging. However, at this moment, Yang Kai almost couldn't recognize her, as her aura was completely different now, as though she had transformed into an entirely different person.