Back then, Yang Yan had mentioned that the Great Emperor had created a total of ten Star Emperor Tokens, each containing one of the Great Emperor's divine abilities sealed within.
Now she wanted to keep it safe herself — could it be that the Star Emperor Token held some hidden secret?
But whatever was concealed inside, it would likely require all ten tokens to be revealed.
Yet assembling all ten was far easier said than done. Since entering the Star Field, so many years had passed, and through all manner of coincidences and opportunities, he only had four. Where the remaining six had scattered to, heaven only knew.
The only thing Yang Kai knew was that the Hengluo Chamber of Commerce possessed one on the main planet, Shuiyue Star. He had learned this by chance back when he was chatting with Xue Yue.
He didn't dwell on it. After carefully storing away the fourth Star Emperor Token, he had Ye Xiyuan send messages to Qian Tong, Fei Zhitu, and the Qiantian Sect, informing them that the time had come. Then he left the main hall.
Three years ago, Yang Kai had already been planning a long voyage.
Had it not been for recent events, he would likely already be roaming through the Star Field by now.
The provocation from Star Emperor Mountain had forced him to delay. Now that he was free once more, it was time to set out on his journey — to find the way home, to find his beloved, whose whereabouts somewhere in the Star Field remained a mystery.
On the way to the Tianyi Palace, Su Yan's face drifted through Yang Kai's mind, and his gaze softened.
It had been over twenty years since they parted on the Tongxuan Continent…
In those twenty years, through storms and trials, his cultivation had climbed from the Void Return Realm to the Void Refining Realm — more than a hundred times stronger than when he had first charged into the Star Field without a second thought.
But the martial path had no peak. The higher his cultivation climbed, the more acutely Yang Kai sensed his own inadequacy.
He desperately wanted to grow stronger, to scale the summit of martial dao, to stand at the peak and look down upon all living beings beneath him!
Cheers and shouts reached his ears, pulling him from his reverie. He turned his head and saw a crowd gathered together nearby, shouting and hollering about something. It looked quite lively.
These were all disciples of the Haikai family from years past. They had followed Wu Yi out of the clan and had stayed by Yang Kai's side ever since.
Though their cultivation levels had been uneven back then, years of access to abundant cultivation resources and an excellent environment for training had propelled their strength forward dramatically. Most of them had already reached the Saint King Realm!
Yu Feng and Wu Yi were only a step away from breaking through to the Void Refining Realm.
Cultivating at the Lingxiao Sect, as long as one's aptitude wasn't too poor, there was no need to worry about breaking through. All kinds of spirit pills and medicines were available to aid the process. The Ten-Thousand-Year Incense of the Ascending Dragon Hall could cleanse distracting thoughts and inner demons, and the Nine-Bend Crystal Jade Tree helped martial artists comprehend the Heavenly Dao and martial dao.
Every martial artist felt virtually no difficulty when breaking through. Everything flowed naturally to completion.
At this moment, over twenty people were gathered in a circle, watching and shouting toward the center of the clearing.
It appeared two people were sparring, with the continuous sounds of fists and feet colliding.
Disciples improving their strength through sparring and identifying their own shortcomings — that was a good thing. Yang Kai smiled faintly and had no intention of joining the excitement. But when his gaze accidentally fell upon a figure in the midst of the spar, he let out a soft exclamation and quickly walked over.
Everyone's attention was consumed by the battle in the center, so Yang Kai's arrival went unnoticed.
Sure enough, two people were sparring in the middle of the clearing, but contrary to what Yang Kai had imagined, they weren't competing with secret techniques or Artifacts, nor were they clashing with Saint Qi. They were purely testing strength and reaction in close-quarters hand-to-hand combat!
One of them — Yang Kai recognized the face but couldn't put a name to it — was a burly man with a sturdy, muscular build. His bulging muscles made it obvious he was someone of brute strength, and his cultivation wasn't lacking either: first-level Saint King Realm.
What caught Yang Kai's attention was his opponent.
It was actually a little girl!
She looked no older than ten. Despite her tiny frame, she moved with the agility of an ape, darting and flipping around the big man with blinding speed.
The girl's hair had a faint golden tint, tied casually with two ribbons that hung over her shoulders. Her features were delicate, making her look quite adorable. As she tumbled and weaved, her locks flowed behind her just as gracefully as she did.
Young as she was, she already had the makings of a beauty.
While dodging the man's attacks, she would often seize the perfect opening and swing her small fist, landing a strike somewhere on his body.
Each punch looked light and airy, yet contained astonishing force. Someone with a build like the big man's would still shudder violently after taking a hit, baring his teeth in pain for a good long while.
Yang Kai noticed both of the man's eyes were blackened — clearly the result of the little girl's handiwork.
The big man didn't hold back either, throwing punch after punch. The whistling wind they generated was enough to make Yang Kai slightly anxious, fearing the little girl wouldn't be able to take it and would be smashed to pieces.
But his worries were unfounded. Not a single onlooker showed any concern for the girl. They were all cheering and shouting — some teasing the big man for being weak, others encouraging the little girl on. The scene was boisterous beyond measure.
"Lin Yun'er?" Yang Kai suddenly recognized the girl.
She was none other than the little girl he had brought back from Linhai City years ago.
The one Huang Juan had taken in.
When he had first brought her back, she had been only seven or eight years old. Three years had passed since then, which put her right around this age.
Yang Kai had long known that Lin Yun'er's small body could unleash tremendous force, but seeing her today, he realized he had underestimated her potential.
At barely ten years old, she had already surpassed the first-level Saint King Realm big man in a contest of pure strength — and by a noticeable margin at that, otherwise he wouldn't be on the back foot.
What kind of freak of nature was this? Yang Kai clicked his tongue in amazement.
Just as he was studying Lin Yun'er with keen interest, the girl's body blurred. She ducked straight between the big man's legs, then sprang upward and delivered a beautiful uppercut that caught him square on the chin, sending him flying backward.
Thud…
The big man crashed to the ground, his face flushed red. He struggled for a good while before scrambling back to his feet in disarray.