Yang Kai had never seen this ring before, and he was certain Yang Yan hadn't possessed such an artifact previously. The artifact seemed to have appeared out of thin air, and its grade was something Yang Kai couldn't even determine at a glance—which astonished him greatly.
After all, even a Void Grade Superior artifact was something he could identify with his discerning eye. Could this ring possibly be a Void King Grade artifact?
The moment this thought crossed his mind, Yang Kai was startled.
After a few more moments, everything suddenly returned to calm, and the anomalies between heaven and earth vanished without a trace in that very instant.
But the first heat flame zone of the Flowing Flame Desert—which had struck terror into every martial artist on the Dark Star—no longer existed. All that remained in its place was dry, dark-red earth, a sight that was deeply unsettling.
Yang Yan slowly opened her eyes. Yang Kai was about to call out to her when he suddenly noticed an unfamiliar glint flickering in her beautiful eyes. He froze on the spot, narrowing his eyes as he studied her.
Yang Yan toyed with the ring in her hand, a smile curling at her lips, as though she had recovered something precious she had lost. She was elated.
Then she extended a slender arm and slipped the ring onto her wrist. With a flash of light, the ring rapidly shrank, fitting perfectly around her pale wrist. Yang Yan shook it delightedly, a look of satisfaction spreading across her face.
"Yang Kai!" she called out suddenly from midair, raising her head.
Yang Kai did not respond. Instead, he studied her more intently, because the Yang Yan before him, though unchanged in appearance, gave him a completely foreign feeling—as though she had become an entirely different person. It made him uneasy.
Though he didn't know the cause of this transformation in Yang Yan, it was undoubtedly related to what had just happened. More than wanting to know why the first heat flame zone of the Flowing Flame Desert had vanished, he wanted to know what had truly happened to Yang Yan.
She paid no attention to his silence. Brushing the hair from her ear, she said in a delicate voice, "I know who I am now."
"Who are you?" Yang Kai asked aloud.
"I am the Starry Sky Great Emperor!" A flicker of pride crossed Yang Yan's face. She lifted her graceful neck slightly, and an aura of noble elegance radiated outward. Such an air should never have appeared on a timid, fearful woman, yet now that it had, it felt utterly natural—as though Yang Yan had been born with it. It commanded instant reverence and made one feel insignificant.
Even a Void King Realm powerhouse might not possess such an aura.
Yang Kai's eyelids narrowed. He nodded slightly, the corner of his mouth twitching. Suddenly, his figure blurred and he vanished from where he stood. When he reappeared, he was right in front of Yang Yan.
Under her dumbfounded gaze, Yang Kai bent a finger and flicked it hard against her forehead.
*Dong*—a soft sound rang out. Yang Yan cried out, clutching her forehead with both hands. Her beautiful eyes glistened with a layer of mist as she looked at Yang Kai with an aggrieved expression. That air of noble elegance seemed to shatter instantly under that single flick, vanishing without a trace.
"So you're the Starry Sky Great Emperor, huh?" Yang Kai said through gritted teeth, reaching out and pinching one of Yang Yan's cheeks, pulling it hard to the side.
"What are you doing?" Yang Yan seemed dazed. Her mouth was pulled into a distorted shape, making it hard to speak clearly.
"What do you think I'm doing?" Yang Kai grinned menacingly, pulling harder.
"Let go of me!" Yang Yan cried out ceaselessly, glaring at Yang Kai with her beautiful eyes. "Let go right now! Don't think I wouldn't dare lay a hand on you. Just wait until my main body awakens—you'll be sorry!"
"Oh, just wait until your main body awakens, is that it?" Yang Kai brought out his other hand and pinched her other cheek. In an instant, Yang Yan's expression twisted, her face caught somewhere between fury and laughter. She flailed and swatted at Yang Kai in a wild, unruly manner. Yang Kai paid her no mind and continued his ruthless torment.
Tears were streaming from Yang Yan's eyes.
Suddenly, Yang Kai's expression shifted. He turned his head toward the distance. At the same moment, Yang Yan's movements also stopped. The two locked eyes, and in the same instant, both figures blurred and vanished.
Through their divine sense, they detected countless figures converging on their location from every direction—attracted, no doubt, by the heavenly anomalies that had just occurred.
Roughly half a cup of tea's time after Yang Kai and Yang Yan had disappeared, over a dozen streaks of multicolored light flew in from various directions. When they reached the outskirts of the Flowing Flame Desert and beheld the scene before them, every single one was struck dumb with disbelief.
The heat flame zone that had existed on the Dark Star for tens of thousands of years had simply ceased to exist. The martial artists involuntarily rubbed their eyes, trying to confirm whether they were seeing things.
But what truly shocked them was that the first heat flame zone had indeed vanished—just like that, inexplicably.
A wave of dread swept through the crowd. They hastily pulled out their Communication Compasses and began sending out messages in every direction. As time passed, more and more martial artists arrived at the scene, all gazing around in bewilderment.
Once over a hundred martial artists had gathered, they held a brief discussion and decided to venture inward. After all, with the first heat flame zone gone, that meant the second zone—the Heavenly Treasures Zone—was now wide open. Entering it might yield significant rewards.
But they were sorely disappointed. After days of searching and running about, not a single person found anything of value in what had once been the Heavenly Treasures Zone. All the spiritual herbs and wondrous medicines that should have been there had vanished along with the heat flame zone, disappearing without a trace—no one knew where.
While these people were pushing into the second zone, Yang Kai and Yang Yan had already ventured deep into the fourth zone, arriving before a towering, continuous mountain range.
Their ability to reach this depth wasn't due to Yang Kai using his Star Emperor Token, but rather thanks to Yang Yan clearing the path ahead.
It was truly miraculous. The third heat flame zone was far more powerful than the first, yet whenever Yang Yan passed through, the scorching waves and flames parted of their own accord, as though possessing a will of their own—daring not obstruct her in the slightest.