Compared to the myriad treasures and benefits to be found in the Imperial Garden, one's own strength was the true foundation. Everything else was merely an outside force.
Yang Kai naturally understood which mattered more and which less.
That was why he didn't mind entering the Imperial Garden a little late. As long as this plan succeeded, the benefits he stood to gain would far exceed anything he could find in the Imperial Garden.
It was precisely because of these considerations that Yang Kai was so eager to give it a try.
Yang Yan showed no intention of stopping him. After a moment's thought, she said, "Then proceed according to your ability. Whatever you do, don't be reckless. The Grand Elder is guarding me, so you don't need to worry about anything."
"Mm." Yang Kai gave a slight nod, then turned to Ye Xiyun and clasped his fists. "Senior Ye, I'll be leaving Yang Yan in your care."
"Rest assured. As long as I still draw breath, no one will be able to harm Her Ladyship!" Ye Xiyun declared with pride.
Yang Kai flashed a grin and waved his hand. "Let's go. If it's possible, I'll find you inside the Imperial Garden and meet up with you!"
Yang Yan looked at him and offered a few more words of caution before continuing her ascent. After a short while, she paused mid-flight and called back, "Yang Kai!"
"What is it?" Yang Kai looked at her in puzzlement.
"These past days... thank you." Yang Yan smiled radiantly, and having delivered that cryptic remark, she set off again, quickly vanishing into the distance.
Yang Kai stared after her with a bewildered expression, brow furrowed, unable to fathom what the woman had meant or why she had suddenly become so sentimental. He shook his head and put the matter aside. Right now, the most important thing was to use the Imperial Might to refine his own Domain.
With that thought, Yang Kai resumed his unhurried ascent through the sky.
Every martial artist, upon breaking through to the Return Void Realm, would begin refining their own Domain. There were no exceptions.
Domain was something that defied easy explanation, entirely different from a martial artist's natural aura. It was the product of fusing one's Essence, Qi, and Spirit into a unified whole. Once cultivated successfully, it proved immensely beneficial in combat.
A martial artist could even integrate various secret techniques and divine skills into their Domain, allowing it to produce effects beyond imagination.
However, cultivating a Domain was extraordinarily difficult. It required years upon years of comprehension and fusion. Only once a Domain had reached the stage of Great Completion could a martial artist advance to the Void King Realm.
This was one of the necessary conditions for promotion.
Throughout the entire Dark Star, Return Void Realm martial artists were too numerous to count. The number of those at the third level of Return Void was also quite substantial. Yet of all of them, only around one percent — or even fewer — had cultivated their Domain to the stage of Great Completion.
Ye Xiyun was undoubtedly one such individual.
It was hard to say for Qian Tong and Fei Zhitu — they might have reached Great Completion, or they might not have. As for powerhouses like Jin Shifeng and Old Woman Feng, they most likely had not achieved this level. This was why, even when martial artists shared the same cultivation realm — all at the third level of Return Void — the strength they could bring to bear varied from person to person. The reason, at its root, was the Domain.
If a Return Void Realm martial artist managed to crystallize their Domain, their combat power would skyrocket. At the very least, it could increase by thirty to forty percent.
Thirty peak Sacred King Realm experts might be able to defeat a single first-level Sacred Lord. But thirty peak Sacred Lords would stand absolutely no chance against a first-level Return Void Realm martial artist who possessed a Domain. The difference was stark, because once one fell into an opponent's Domain, both the circulation of Saint Power and the potency of secret techniques would be severely diminished — unless one had cultivated a specialized technique to counter Domains, such as the Blood Devil Thread of the Blood Devil Sect.
Yang Kai already had a plan for how to refine his own Domain.
Though he had only broken through to the Return Void Realm a few days ago, he had not devoured the souls of so many Return Void Realm powerhouses for nothing. On top of that, the firsthand experiences shared verbally by Qian Tong, Fei Zhitu, Wei Guchang, and Dong Xuan'er had all proven of tremendous help.
He had been preparing for this moment for a long time, and now it was finally about to pay off.
High above, Yang Kai's body was straight as a sword. His Sacred Power coiled tight within him, roaring as it surged through his meridians.
Above him, there seemed to be invisible stairs, allowing him to climb upward step by step with an air of leisure, strolling as if through a garden, showing no sign of strain.
At this altitude, the Imperial Might was not yet overpowering — it could only slightly impede the circulation of his Sacred Power. But Yang Kai was using this very suppression to quietly contemplate and feel his way toward fusing his Essence, Qi, and Spirit into one.
As he continued to rise, the Imperial Might enveloping his body gradually intensified, eventually reaching a point where even moving was a struggle.
Every single step seemed to cost an enormous amount of force. Inside his body, a continuous series of crackling and popping sounds erupted, as dense and terrifying as the snapping of fried beans. The shroud of Imperial Might not only slowed his movement to a crawl but also drastically reduced the speed at which his Sacred Power circulated.
It was as though he were wading through a swamp, the very space around him turned thick and viscous.
Yang Kai's expression was twisted in a grimace, the veins on his neck bulging, his eyes blazing red. He looked like a maddened beast.
Yet despite his wretched appearance, the joy deep within those crimson eyes was unmistakable.
Using the Imperial Might to refine his own Domain was proving remarkably effective! The overwhelming pressure that blanketed every inch of his flesh, every single cell, was serving as a wondrous catalyst, bringing his Essence, Qi, and Spirit into a degree of harmony he had never before achieved.
He was beginning to glimpse an understanding of what Domain truly was — and how one went about refining it.