"A great battle?" Yang Kai's mind stirred. "Tell me more."
"Yes."
Through the Earth Demon's account, Yang Kai gradually pieced together what had happened.
The Earth Demon didn't remember much — only scattered fragments of memory. But piecing them together, it seemed that he had somehow been caught up in a massive battle long ago. Countless people had besieged two enemies, a man and a woman. By the end, virtually the entire army had been annihilated, and the man and woman had both fallen on the battlefield.
"The old servant fled while gravely wounded and eventually died here. I remember..." The Earth Demon's voice grew hesitant, tinged with fear.
"Remember what?"
"There were dragons, and phoenixes. The dragon and phoenix merged into one, destroying heaven and earth... The old servant was gravely wounded by that single strike."
Yang Kai's eyes lit up. He recalled the dragon-shaped seal and phoenix imprint that had spiraled through the sky when the Inheritance Grotto-heaven had opened the other day.
After relaying all this, the Earth Demon seemed deeply shaken and could recall nothing more.
"If what you say is true, then this isn't your inheritance after all?" Yang Kai asked.
"Do not be angered, young master. The old servant was merely speculating before. But there is an inheritance here, and if the young master desires it, the old servant will surely pass on everything he knows."
"No need. I have no interest in your skills." Yang Kai shook his head immediately.
The Earth Demon was deeply stung. Though he couldn't recall exactly who he had been, he was certain he had been an expert in life — countless people would have fought tooth and nail to become his disciple. Yet here was Yang Kai, turning his nose up at the offer.
Alas, a fallen phoenix truly was worth less than a chicken. The Earth Demon sighed bitterly.
The bead was useless now. The Earth Demon had been residing inside it, so it had been fine as long as no one touched it, but the moment it was handled, it crumbled to dust.
After circling around and finding nothing else, Yang Kai let out a long sigh and decided to leave.
He had been here for quite some time, and he had no idea what the situation was like outside. Since this place was an Inheritance Grotto-heaven, he might as well try his luck.
He walked to the stone door that sealed this chamber. Following the method the Earth Demon had taught him, he opened it. Before Yang Kai could step outside, a streak of red-and-white light suddenly surged toward him.
Yang Kai's expression changed — he thought someone was ambushing him. In a panic, he threw out a punch.
But the light seemed to possess a mind of its own. It dodged his strike, curved around his arm, and flew past him.
Yang Kai retreated sharply, his other hand shooting out to seize the light.
He caught it solidly, and his expression turned peculiar.
He realized it wasn't an attack at all. What he held was a solid object, and he could feel it struggling against his grip.
Bewildered, he looked down and found that what he had grabbed was a ginseng root that had taken on the shape of a human. The ginseng was bizarre — one half was bright red, the other pure white, each color occupying exactly half. Yang Kai could feel two completely different energies contained within it.
The red half held searing heat, while the white half exuded bone-chilling cold. These opposing attributes had fused perfectly within the ginseng, creating this extraordinary natural treasure.
At this moment, clutched in Yang Kai's hand, its newly formed features twisted in distress. Yet it couldn't break free from his hold at all.
"Yin-Yang Demon Ginseng!" the Earth Demon cried out in shock.
"You recognize it?" Yang Kai asked.
"A supreme treasure! It's ranked as a top-grade mysterious-grade treasure!" The Earth Demon sounded as though he had stumbled upon something incredible, his voice rising and falling with alarm.
Before Yang Kai could ask further, footsteps suddenly echoed from the other end of the cave.
"Someone's coming!" Yang Kai's expression sharpened. He quickly stuffed the Yin-Yang Demon Ginseng into his robe.
Strangely enough, once tucked inside, the ginseng stopped struggling altogether and lay quietly without moving.
Just as Yang Kai stood on guard, wondering who might be approaching, a familiar voice drifted over: "Sister, did it really run this way?"
Another voice replied, "Yes. It slipped right in here. This cave is quite well hidden. If we hadn't chased it inside, we probably never would have found this place."
The two voices were strikingly similar, both carrying a delicate, feminine quality. They were pleasant to the ear, like a spring breeze brushing across the face.
Yang Kai's brow furrowed. He recognized who these two were, but he had never expected to run into them here.
"Look at all these rare flowers and herbs!"
"Truly! What an unexpected find. Let's not pick them just yet — let's go inside and have a look first."
As they spoke, their footsteps drew steadily closer. Yang Kai didn't bother hiding — partly because he knew who they were, and partly because there was nowhere to hide.
Before long, the two of them had closed to within a dozen zhang. One of them caught sight of someone blocking the way and stopped in her tracks, calling out sharply, "Who's there?"
Yang Kai cleared his throat and said with a light laugh, "Ladies, we meet again."
Hearing his voice, one of them let out a soft "Oh," while the other darted forward from behind, her eyes widening as she stared for a moment before breaking into a delighted smile: "Yang Kai?"
"Miss Meier!" Yang Kai nodded slightly to her, then turned to the other: "Miss Jiao'er, it's been a while."
These two were none other than the famous twin beauties of the Blood Battle Gang — Hu Jiao'er and Hu Meier.
When Yang Kai identified who was who at a single glance, Hu Jiao'er's willowy brows arched up and she snapped, "It's you, you brat!"