Though Yang Kai's heart was roiling like storm-tossed waves and his thoughts were a tangled mess, outwardly he appeared perfectly calm. He chatted with Yang Yan while probing for information about the Great Emperor. After all, Yang Yan's memories were slowly returning—as a divided soul of the Great Emperor, she had to be feeling some measure of panic herself. If Yang Kai couldn't maintain his composure, he'd only make things worse.
The one thing Yang Kai couldn't figure out was why the Great Emperor had chosen to slumber on Dark Star. The laws of heaven and earth here restricted warriors from advancing to the Void King Realm—did that have something to do with her?
After a lengthy conversation, Yang Kai learned that the Great Emperor was actually slumbering within the Emperor's Court.
This reminded him of something.
Fei Zhitu had once mentioned that within one of the palaces of the Emperor's Court, they had discovered a jade coffin—and inside it lay a figure. From the shape of the body, it was a woman.
It was Fei Zhitu and the others who had triggered the restrictions near the jade coffin, which caused the Emperor's Court to materialize out of nowhere, allowing Yang Kai, Qian Tong, and the rest to escape.
If that was the case, then the woman lying in the jade coffin was the Great Emperor's true body? That such a terrifying powerhouse had been slumbering on this closed-off, backward Dark Star—just thinking about it felt unreal.
Yang Kai pondered as he kept sneaking glances at Yang Yan, unable in the slightest to connect her with the legendary Star Emperor whose name had spread throughout the entire star field.
"Let's go," Yang Yan said after gazing at the ruins of the Grand Mystic Sect shrouded in mist for a long while, her tone tinged with ennui.
"You don't want to go in and take a look?"
"No." Yang Yan slowly shook her head, took a graceful step forward, and began walking.
"Where to now?" Yang Kai asked, puzzled.
"The sixth layer. I need to retrieve something." Yang Yan offered a faint smile but gave no further explanation.
The sixth layer—that was where the pavilion was located. Back then, he had found Ten-Thousand-Year Incense and other treasures inside. It seemed that the incense had once belonged to the Great Emperor—which meant it was Yang Yan's.
Yang Kai sniffed and felt no embarrassment. To him, what was Yang Yan's was essentially his anyway—no need to stand on ceremony.
Their pace was unhurried, but with Yang Yan leading the way, every danger within the Blazing Sandlands gave them a wide berth. They soon arrived at the fifth layer, the Hot Flame Zone. Just as when they had passed through the third layer before, the omnipresent waves of heat parted of their own accord—like living things clearing a path straight to the sixth layer.
A soft cry rang out from within Yang Kai's body. The Fire Bird Artifact Spirit had appeared on its own.
It flapped its wings, circling above Yang Kai's head, and transmitted a hazy message. Yang Kai smiled, understood its intentions, and made no move to stop it. Instead, he waved his hand, letting it go as it pleased.
The Artifact Spirit let out a joyful cry, immediately transformed into a streak of fire, and shot off into the distance, vanishing in the blink of an eye. The direction it headed was unmistakably toward the Earth Lung Fire Vein.
The Earth Lung Fire Vein was where the Artifact Spirit had been born. Although it had dwelled there for tens of thousands of years, its growth had been limited—it couldn't continue drawing more power from the vein. But now things were different. Having been baptized by and merged with several strands of True Solar Fire, the Fire Bird Artifact Spirit had grown far stronger than when Yang Kai had first obtained it.
Now it wanted to return to the Earth Lung Fire Vein, clearly to devour the pure fire energy there and bolster its own strength.
Such a fine opportunity—how could Yang Kai possibly object?
Half a day later, the two had traversed the entire fifth layer of the Hot Flame Zone and arrived directly before the exquisite pavilion hidden within the bamboo grove.
Looking at the modest pavilion, a flicker of reminiscence passed through Yang Yan's beautiful eyes, as if old memories were surging to the surface. Yang Kai didn't disturb her. Instead, he walked to the edge of the bamboo grove and stopped.
These bamboo stalks were incredibly hard. Yang Kai had once spent half a year here managing to cut down only twenty-odd stalks with his Space Blade. The marks from his cutting looked fresh as ever, and all those past memories came flooding back.
"This is Golden Crow Bamboo," Yang Yan's voice came from nearby. "Though it's an excellent material for forging sword-type Artifacts, that pales in comparison to its other use. Best not to cut any of it."
"Another use?" Yang Kai was taken aback. He knew firsthand just how hard this bamboo was—naturally, it wasn't an ordinary forging material.
"Mm. After Golden Crow Bamboo flowers, the Golden Crow Bamboo Rice it produces is the purest source of energy between heaven and earth. Any warrior can consume and absorb it to advance their cultivation realm, with absolutely no hidden risks."
Yang Kai's expression turned serious. "Such a thing exists?"
"Why would I lie to you?" Yang Yan shot him a reproachful glance.
"When does it flower and produce the rice?" Yang Kai asked eagerly.
"Soon—probably no more than ten or twenty years," Yang Yan said with a knowing smile, fully aware of what he was thinking.
"Ten or twenty years..." Yang Kai's face fell considerably. Who knew what would happen in ten or twenty years? He might not even be on Dark Star by then.
Yang Yan let out a soft giggle, paid Yang Kai no further mind, and stepped into the pavilion. Yang Kai sighed in frustration and hurried after her.
Entering the first floor of the pavilion, the first thing that caught his eye was the painting hanging directly ahead. It bore no other imagery—only the back of a woman. When Yang Kai had first arrived here, he had studied this painting as well, but no matter how hard he probed, he couldn't find anything extraordinary about it. It seemed to be nothing more than an ordinary work one might find in any marketplace, without the slightest fluctuation of energy.
At the time, Yang Kai had only felt that the silhouette looked vaguely familiar, as if he had seen it somewhere before.