Seeing this, Yang Kai was greatly satisfied. Qian Tong certainly knew how to handle people—his risky venture to rescue the man had finally paid off. Never mind the grudge with the Xie Family; just from the ten-percent discount on materials alone, the Shadow Moon Hall had conceded a great deal. Given the speed and sheer volume of Dragon Cave Mountain's procurement, the savings on Holy Crystals over the course of a year would be substantial.
The second matter concerned the Emperor Garden.
That day, Qian Tong and Fei Zhitu had teamed up to investigate the Emperor Garden's true situation. Though they were forced to retreat by the Emperor's Might long before they could get close, one thing had been confirmed.
The Emperor Garden had truly manifested. Unlike its past fleeting appearances followed by disappearance, this time it had emerged in a truly jaw-dropping fashion, placing itself squarely within the sight of every cultivator on the Dark Star.
Moreover, over the past many days, numerous Return Void Realm experts had gone to investigate, yet not a single one had managed to approach the Emperor Garden. How to enter it remained a mystery. As the local host, the Shadow Moon Hall had already sent out widespread invitations, summoning the leaders of various factions on the Dark Star to their headquarters to discuss matters regarding entry into the Emperor Garden.
Qian Tong told Yang Kai that in the coming period, many experts from all directions would be converging on Tianyun City, and among them would be quite a few Return Void Stage Three powerhouses.
Though it was merely a message, Qian Tong's meaning was already quite clear: Yang Kai should keep a low profile during this time and avoid stirring up trouble. The unspoken implication was that even the feud with the Xie Family should be put on hold for now, lest he accidentally offend the wrong person.
Seeing this, Yang Kai raised an eyebrow, a half-smile playing on his lips.
In truth, even without Qian Tong's reminder, he would have kept himself in check. This was indeed not the time for any action, and Yang Kai had plenty of his own matters to attend to. He could take this opportunity to completely seal off Dragon Cave Mountain and focus on some proper cultivation for a while.
Once the situation with the Emperor Garden became clearer, there would be time to make other plans. And if the various powerhouses found a way in, he would naturally be there to claim his share. Setting everything else aside, that Life Nectar—whose hiding place remained unknown—was something Yang Kai was determined to obtain. There was also that Ice-attribute Heaven and Earth Spirit. If the Phoenix Empress Inheritance could devour it, the Ice Phoenix remnant soul would surely grow stronger. And when he eventually found Su Yan, he could pass this inheritance on to her, allowing her to reap even greater benefits.
Having made up his mind, Yang Kai let Demonic Flame roll across his hands, incinerating Qian Tong's letter to ashes. He then gave Wu Yi and Qian Yue some instructions, telling them to take good care of Yang Yan. He also handed his damaged purple shield to the two women, asking them to have Yang Yan repair it, before returning alone to the Stone Dwelling.
Yang Kai first went to check on the Red Candle Fruit that had been continuously cultivated inside the Stone Dwelling. He found that after all these years, nurtured by the Red Candle Stand and bathed in rich spiritual energy, that single petal of Red Candle Fruit showed no signs of withering, nor any loss of medicinal potency. He couldn't help but be greatly satisfied.
Back when he was in the Scorching Flame Sand Zone, choosing to snatch that Red Candle Stand had truly been the right call. Yang Kai didn't know how the other factions had preserved their Red Candle Fruit flesh, but even with proper methods, its medicinal potency would likely have degraded somewhat by now—unlike his, which remained perfectly intact.
This was a rare treasure. Refined into pills, it could help cultivators break through the bottleneck of Return Void Stage Three and advance to the Void King Realm! Though Yang Kai had no use for it at present, the day would come when he did.
The Ten-Thousand-Year Incense drifting through the Stone Dwelling was exceedingly faint, yet it possessed the miraculous effect of clearing the mind and calming the spirit. And the Nine-Bend Crystal Jade Tree emitted waves of indescribable mystical resonance at all times, aiding in cultivation and the comprehension of techniques and secret arts.
The humble Stone Dwelling contained countless treasures that would make anyone green with envy.
After examining these rare treasures, Yang Kai returned to his usual meditation spot and sat cross-legged, organizing his thoughts.
Regardless, the most important thing right now was to increase his own strength. If those powerhouses truly figured out how to enter the Emperor Garden, he would need formidable strength as his backing to enter and compete with the various powers of the Dark Star.
Breaking through to the Return Void Realm in the short term was out of the question, but increasing one's strength didn't rely solely on realm advancement—there were many other ways.
With this thought, Yang Kai's expression turned resolute. He waved his hand, bringing out the spoils from his recent expedition.
The haul this time wasn't enormous in quantity, but every item was invaluable. Setting aside the long-extinct Life Nectar, just the formation plate of the Light-Splitting Cloud Sea Array was a devastating weapon. Of the two artifacts Yang Kai had possessed going into this operation, one had self-destructed and the other been damaged, leaving him in dire need of replacements. The appearance of this formation plate couldn't have been more timely.
As long as he refined it—and that wouldn't take much time—his combat strength would increase dramatically.
Then there was that impossibly heavy pitch-black rod. Yang Kai still hadn't been able to determine what material it was forged from, but its weight was simply beyond imagination. It didn't need any special powers—sheer, inconceivable weight alone meant that whoever could wield it would be unstoppable when swinging it.
Overwhelming force rendered all techniques meaningless. That was the principle.
But Yang Kai discovered with some frustration that even with his own considerable strength, he still couldn't use this rod as a weapon. He couldn't help but sigh in regret.
Three items—not many, not few.
But what Yang Kai needed to deal with went far beyond just these three.
After thinking for a moment, Yang Kai extended a finger, and the Void King Grade Artifact Refining Furnace materialized before him with an ethereal shimmer. Immediately after, the furnace spirit's bird call rang out, and the Stone Dwelling suddenly gained a three-zhang-tall strange bird.