In the blink of an eye, the once-arrogant Dark-Eyed Ink Octopus lay dead on the spot, its massive body sliced into countless pieces, its death utterly wretched.
Having barely escaped with her life, the woman — whose affiliation was unknown to the others — knew full well that she had just experienced a stroke of incredible fortune, pulled back from the very brink of death by a powerful expert. She steadied her nerves and called out in a sweet voice, "May I ask which senior has graced us with their presence? Xiao Luo of the Heavenly Profound Sect offers her deepest gratitude for saving our lives!"
The other four also snapped back to their senses. With respectful thanks on their lips, they scanned their surroundings, searching for any trace of the newcomer.
A fierce gust of wind swept in, scattering the dark green mist that had blanketed the sea sponge. Not far away, a tall and imposing young man stood there, his expression peculiar, a faint glint of something like nostalgia flickering in his eyes.
So young? All of them were startled. They had assumed that anyone capable of effortlessly slaying a peak Sixth-Order sea beast must be quite advanced in age, yet the man before them looked roughly their own age.
But this was clearly not his true age. The more powerful a martial artist became, the slower their vitality faded — which was why many supremely powerful experts looked remarkably youthful.
At that thought, the five of them grew even more respectful. Led by a burly man, they flew over to Yang Kai and bowed once more in gratitude.
"A trifle — nothing worth mentioning," Yang Kai said lightly. His gaze drifted over their disheveled appearances and the remains of the Seventh-Order sea beast below, and he recalled that he too had once been weak. But as his strength had grown, even a peak Seventh-Order sea beast couldn't withstand a single breath under his hand.
How quickly time passed. And now... he had become a "senior."
Yang Kai suddenly felt the urge to laugh.
Seeing the five of them standing there looking stiff and uneasy, he realized they were still wary of him. He dispensed with the small talk and asked directly, "Is this the Carefree Sea?"
The five exchanged glances. The leading man nodded and replied, "To answer the senior — yes, this is indeed the Carefree Sea."
"As I suspected..." Yang Kai's expression darkened. He had already suspected as much, but confirming that he had truly been transported to the Carefree Sea after leaving the Imperial Garden was another matter entirely.
"Did the senior come from the mainland?" the woman named Xiao Luo suddenly asked.
"Luo'er!" The leading man's face changed drastically. He couldn't help but snap at her. He didn't know what level Yang Kai's cultivation had reached, but judging from the way he had dispatched the Dark-Eyed Ink Octopus, wiping out all of them would have been as easy as breathing.
Gratitude for saving their lives was one thing. Being on guard was another. Before they understood this person's temperament and disposition, prying for information so rashly could very well provoke him.
Moreover, there were two beautiful junior sisters among them. If this man turned out to be the lecherous type, it could invite disaster. At that thought, the man's expression grew tense. He stole a glance at Yang Kai and was relieved to find that the man didn't look angered — in fact, he seemed to be studying his junior sister with a certain degree of interest.
"What makes you think I came from the mainland?"
"Because people who live on the Carefree Sea year-round all have darker complexions, and there's a unique moisture about them that the senior doesn't have," the girl named Xiao Luo answered straightforwardly.
"So that's how it is." Yang Kai smiled faintly. Taking a closer look, he found that she was right — all five of them carried a subtle aquatic aura about them, so faint it would go unnoticed without careful observation, and their complexions were indeed slightly darker than those of people from the mainland. Being called out didn't bother him in the slightest, and he nodded readily. "That's right, I came from the mainland. But I've gotten lost here. Do any of you know which direction I should head to reach the mainland? And how long it would take?"
...
Half a cup of tea later, Yang Kai produced a Star Shuttle and shot off in a particular direction.
After questioning the five Heavenly Profound Sect disciples, Yang Kai discovered that his luck wasn't quite as catastrophic as he'd feared. This was still the outer waters of the Carefree Sea — the inner sea was farther out — so the distance to the mainland wasn't terribly far. At his speed, he could reach it in three to five days.
However, flying all the way back to the Quick Sand Region was out of the question. The distance was simply too great; even with flight alone, it would take at least half a year.
Yang Kai had no interest in burning that much time on travel.
So he planned to find a city and use a Spatial Formation.
Fortunately, not far from the edge of the Carefree Sea, there was a city called Linhai — a major junction point between the mainland and the sea. Martial artists flowed in and out in great numbers, and the city's Spatial Formation was open to the public, though the cost in Saint Crystals was considerable.
Each use, depending on distance, came with a different fee — a minimum of ten thousand Saint Crystals, and a maximum of three hundred thousand.
Such prices would be daunting for an ordinary martial artist, but for Yang Kai, they were nothing.
Five days later, Yang Kai arrived at Linhai City. The city was truly enormous — more than twice the size of Tianyun City — and the martial artists streaming through its streets were as numerous as fish crossing a river, their shoulders and heels practically touching.
The truth was, while both the mainland and the overseas territories were parts of the Dark Star, the regional differences meant each had its own unique products. Many Cultivation resources that couldn't be found on the mainland were readily available overseas, and likewise, plenty of resources that were common overseas were hard to come by inland.