Four days ago? Yang Kai raised an eyebrow. Four days ago was exactly when the anomaly had occurred at Emperor's Fall Mountain and the Emperor's Garden had appeared — so why had Yang Yan collapsed at precisely that moment?
Was there some connection between the two? After thinking about it, Yang Kai shook his head with a wry smile, feeling that this line of thought was too far-fetched.
Emperor's Fall Mountain and the Emperor's Garden were both existences tied to the Grand Emperor of the Stars — entities that couldn't be more distant from Yang Yan. How could they possibly be connected?
"Yang Kai, what's wrong with her?" Wu Yi asked anxiously, her delicate face filled with concern.
"I don't know." Yang Kai looked up at her. "Have Venerable Chang and Venerable Hao come to examine her?"
"Yes, but both of them were helpless as well. Should we send her to the Yaodan Gate and have their people take a look?" Wu Yi bit her lower lip lightly and offered the suggestion. Although the Yaodan Gate was famous throughout the Dark Star for its pill-refining techniques, their knowledge of medicinal theory was no less impressive. Sending Yang Yan there might yield some clues.
She had thought of this before, but Yang Kai hadn't returned yet, and she hadn't been able to make the decision on her own.
"No need." Yang Kai shook his head. "Setting aside the time it would take, even if we sent her there, we might not be able to get anyone at the elder level to take action."
"Then what should we do?" Wu Yi was as anxious as an ant on a hot skillet. In all of Dragon Cave Mountain, Yang Kai was as elusive as a dragon — showing his head but never his tail, constantly either in closed-door cultivation or venturing out on adventures. She was the one who got along best with Yang Yan, and now seeing her friend in such dire straits while being completely powerless to help, her anxiety was naturally overwhelming.
"Don't worry. I'll try to find the cause," Yang Kai reassured her, then explained casually, "I just did a preliminary check. Her bodily functions are fine, but since she's unconscious, it's likely something has happened in her sea of consciousness. I just need to break into her sea of consciousness and take a look, and I'll know."
"Then be careful — don't hurt her."
"I know. You all leave first." Yang Kai waved his hand.
Wu Yi and Qian Yue exchanged a glance and walked out, their faces full of worry.
In the blink of an eye, only Yang Kai and Yang Yan remained in the room. He looked at Yang Yan lying on the bed, her face deathly pale, and let out a soft sigh. He helped her sit up, positioning her so they were sitting cross-legged face to face, then slowly extended a finger to touch her smooth forehead.
Immediately after, Yang Kai closed his eyes. His divine sense surged forth gradually, flowing toward Yang Yan.
At this moment, Yang Yan was in a state of unconsciousness. Her sea of consciousness would be self-sealing, and to break into it, he would have to breach its defenses. Doing so might cause some harm to Yang Yan, but Yang Kai was confident in his abilities and wasn't particularly worried.
After all, under the nourishment of the Warm Spirit Lotus over so many years, his own divine sense cultivation far exceeded his actual cultivation realm.
In the next instant, Yang Kai's soul form detached from his body and appeared directly before a barrier — this was Yang Yan's sea of consciousness defense. One look and Yang Kai was visibly moved. He hadn't expected that even in unconsciousness, Yang Yan's defenses would appear so formidable. It was like the massive wall of an impregnable fortress, standing before him and preventing him from crossing a single step.
Moreover, runes flowed across the wall's surface, giving it an extremely dangerous appearance.
Yang Kai frowned slightly. He realized he had underestimated Yang Yan's abilities. From the time he'd met this woman until now, he had never been able to discern her true cultivation level, nor had he ever asked directly. He had previously assumed she carried some kind of special artifact that blocked others' probing, but now it seemed her cultivation realm was far higher than he had anticipated.
Truly a woman of mystery! Rather than being alarmed, Yang Kai grew excited. Gazing at the massive barrier, a smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. In the next moment, his divine sense erupted, forming a powerful soul attack that struck against the barrier.
The runes on the wall flickered once, and Yang Kai's attack vanished like a stone cast into the sea — leaving no trace.
Seeing this, Yang Kai's expression turned grave. He intensified his assault, bombarding the barrier relentlessly. Throughout the entire process, Yang Kai was meticulous — he had to ensure the effectiveness of his attacks while maintaining precise control, so that after breaking through the barrier, he wouldn't cause any harm to Yang Yan.
The difficulty of the process was beyond words.
The runes on the wall kept flashing with light. One bizarre rune after another flew from the wall's surface to meet Yang Kai's divine sense attacks, neutralizing them.
But Yang Yan was unconscious after all, and this self-generated sea of consciousness defense, however strong, couldn't withstand Yang Kai's sustained assault. After a full two hours, Yang Kai finally tore an opening in the wall-like barrier.
Seeing this, Yang Kai's face lit up with joy. He was just about to rush into Yang Yan's sea of consciousness when, suddenly, three beams of light shot out from within the opening.
One shimmered with purple radiance, one was purest white, and one was blue as the sky.
Yang Kai's pupils contracted. His instincts screamed that an enormous danger was descending — if he didn't withdraw his soul form immediately, he would face catastrophe in the next instant. In a hurry, he retreated swiftly.
When he looked again, Yang Kai was left somewhat dumbstruck.
The three beams of light were actually three different artifacts.
The purple one was a dagger-like artifact that twisted and transformed into the shape of a fanged serpent, constantly flicking its tongue at Yang Kai with a hideous appearance.
The white one was a ring that appeared to be forged from white jade, shifting between large and small, emanating a terrifying binding force from within.