Since the Imperial Garden had been opened to the entire Star Domain, Su Yan would have a chance to enter as long as she was somewhere within it. But Yang Kai had no idea what her current cultivation level was—whether she even qualified to enter, let alone whether she could successfully obtain an Imperial Jade.
All these uncertainties meant the chances of them meeting here were astronomically slim. Even so, Yang Kai still clung to a thread of hope.
Because of the Yin Yang Joining Art, the two of them shared an intricate, inseparable bond. If Su Yan really was here, he would be able to sense her presence within a certain range—not hard to find at all.
His thoughts in a tangle, Yang Kai brushed a finger across his ring, and a crystalline bead radiating a frigid chill materialized in his palm.
Su Yan's Ice Soul Pearl! As long as the pearl remained intact, so did she—if it shattered, she would perish.
This pearl had been given to him by Qian Yue. Even after all these years since it had been refined, it still carried the lingering scent of her presence that Yang Kai cherished so deeply. Feeling the coolness emanating from the bead in his palm, his gaze gradually softened, and his turbulent emotions settled swiftly into calm.
He carefully stored the pearl back in his spatial ring, then let out a long, resonant roar like rolling dragon cries piercing straight through the clouds. After venting the last of the frustration weighing on his heart, he shot forward like lightning toward the Imperial Garden.
A full day passed, and Yang Kai was still streaking across the grassland. The scenery around him seemed barely changed—an indication of just how absurdly vast this bizarre place was.
Along the way, he hadn't encountered any real dangers. Though a considerable number of warriors had now entered the Imperial Garden, they were scattered across such an enormous area that the crowd didn't feel particularly dense.
The grassland did, however, play host to a number of peculiar demon beasts. Each one looked like trouble—either brimming with demonic energy and formidable in strength, or possessing such cunning evasion that no one could get anywhere near them.
Yang Kai had no intention of wasting time tangling with these creatures. All he wanted was to find someone and confirm whether his heading was correct.
As he flew, he extended his divine sense outward in a wide sweep.
About an incense stick's time later, Yang Kai's figure suddenly halted. A flash of joy crossed his face—to his left, not far away, the unmistakable presence of living beings pulsed, and quite a few of them at that.
Perfect chance to ask for directions. Yang Kai made his decision and veered toward them.
Within the time it took to drink a cup of tea, he had arrived at their location. One look, and his expression froze—then his eyes lit up with sharp interest as they locked onto a particular spot.
The reason was simple: he had discovered traces of restrictions and formations right here.
At the spot where his gaze fell, a shimmering curtain of energy flickered in and out of visibility. It appeared some imperfections had been torn in it by attacks, and as the curtain wavered, the landscape it concealed underwent subtle shifts.
An Illusion Array!
Yang Kai's eyebrows shot upward as he studied it more carefully.
The terrain here was unusual. Though still part of the grassland, a ring-shaped mountain rose from the earth. To the naked eye, the valley inside the mountain looked unremarkable—lush vegetation, certainly, but no spirit herbs or rare medicines of any kind.
But all of this had to be an illusion. Whenever the energy curtain flickered, the scenery within the valley shifted.
No way—is my luck really this good?
Yang Kai clicked his tongue in amazement. Only a day ago he had heard Min Sha mention that this grassland contained a number of hidden cave mansions, and now he had stumbled upon one already.
That valley was unmistakably a hidden cave mansion. There was no doubt about it. Why else would anyone set up an Illusion Array around its perimeter to deceive the eyes of passersby? But someone had found it and attacked it, which was why it had been exposed.
Two groups had gathered here. Neither was large—one side had four people, the other had three. Each was led by a Return to Void Realm third-layer warrior, with the rest at the first or second layer.
The group closer to the valley's restrictions was the smaller one—exclusively women.
Yang Kai's gaze swept across the three women, and his brow rose in contemplation. All three wore pristine white robes, clearly from the same Sect. Each was strikingly beautiful; even the eldest carried an elegant allure, while the remaining two were different types entirely—one slender and delicate, the other full-figured—each captivating in her own way.
But what caught Yang Kai's attention wasn't their beauty—it was their bearing.
Cold, proud, seemingly aloof and untouchable. The aura emanating from their bodies was utterly frigid.
That temperament felt achingly familiar to Yang Kai, like something close to his heart. Su Yan carried herself in exactly the same way.
The opposing group hailed from a different Sect, all clad in blazing crimson robes like living tongues of flame. Three men and a woman, all eyeing the three women across from them with undisguised ill intent.
Though Yang Kai had only just arrived and taken in the scene with a few glances, he quickly pieced together what was happening.