"This is outrageous!" Meng Wuya gritted his teeth, seething with silent fury as he slapped the armrest of his chair.
He had assumed Yang Kai and Xia Ningshang were caught up in romantic dalliance, lost in each other's company and forgetful of time.
It had been over a month now, and the two still hadn't shown their faces. All the powerhouses of the three races—Human, Monster, and Demon—had been waiting here in vain. Meng Wuya felt ashamed on their behalf.
He had guarded Xia Ningshang all these years, nurturing her with the utmost care. He was her only family.
Yet now, the moment Yang Kai returned, he had snatched his precious disciple right out from under his nose!
Meng Wuya knew that this time, it was a true taking-away. From now on, in Xia Ningshang's heart, his place as her master would surely be relegated to the background. It made him feel sour.
But within that sourness lay a trace of sweetness. His disciple had waited in lonely seclusion for thirty years, and it hadn't been in vain—that bastard Yang Kai had finally come back.
What a peculiar mix of feelings, Meng Wuya thought, shaking his head. A complicated blend of emotions stirred within him, impossible to articulate.
Below the hall, several Great Venerables of the Monster race and the Demon Generals of the Demon race exchanged glances across the divide. The two powerful factions sat on opposite sides, their gazes clashing in midair. The atmosphere was taut, carrying a faint hint of gunpowder.
Though the three races had once joined forces thirty years ago, countless frictions had arisen in the intervening years over cultivation resources. Of these, the conflicts between the Monster race and the Demon race were the most severe.
Fortunately, the Great Venerables and Demon Generals had enough restraint not to act personally; otherwise, the situation would surely have escalated.
It was only the younger generation squabbling among themselves—nothing truly damaging.
But if not seeing each other day to day was tolerable, being stuck together in the Nine Heavens Holy Land for over a month with nothing to do was another matter entirely. With frayed tempers, Meng Wuya could feel himself barely managing to suppress the hostility between the two factions.
If not for himself, Ling Taixu, and Chu Lingxiao—three peak Saint Realm experts of the Human race—holding things together, these wild and untamed characters would probably have come to blows long ago.
A headache, that's what it was. That bastard boy was lost in a sea of tenderness, paying no mind to the suffering of us old folk.
In that moment, Meng Wuya cursed Yang Kai inside his head until there wasn't a shred of dignity left for him.
What one fears most always comes to pass. Some Great Venerable of the Monster race or Demon General of the Demon race had apparently lost his mind. A commotion broke out below—initially just two individuals locking horns, but the situation quickly escalated as each Great Venerable and Demon General jumped in to support their own.
The situation was spiraling into chaos.
Even Thunder Dragon, one of the Great Venerables, and Demon Lord Changyuan were drawn into the fray.
"Thunder Dragon." Changyuan regarded the Great Venerable with a smile, his eyes brimming with aggressive battle intent. "I've recently had some insights during my seclusion, but I haven't found a suitable opportunity to test the results. Why don't we use this fine venue to exchange a few moves today?"
"With pleasure. I've had some minor gains myself these years and have been looking for a worthy opponent. I've long heard that Brother Changyuan's Heavenly Profound Sealing Art is without peer—even Master Meng himself suffered a loss to it back in the day. I'd very much like to experience it firsthand." Thunder Dragon returned the smile calmly, not the least bit intimidated.
"Why drag me into this?!" Meng Wuya's displeasure was immediate.
Being struck by the Heavenly Profound Sealing Art from Demon Lord Changyuan, having most of his cultivation sealed away, and being forced to flee to the Central Capital for refuge—that was the greatest humiliation of his life.
True, Changyuan had needed a formation array to assist him at the time. But Meng Wuya absolutely despised anyone bringing it up.
Below, Thunder Dragon and Changyuan had already clashed. Neither made any grand movements—they simply released their Divine Sense, which collided in utter silence.
Yet the danger of this kind of battle far exceeded that of conventional combat. One careless misstep, and both would suffer grievous harm—or their very souls could be obliterated.
Everyone in the great hall wore grim expressions. The earlier clamor had gradually died down, and no one dared make another sound. All eyes were fixed on the powerhouse of their own race, terrified that something might go wrong.
The force of Divine Sense from two Saint Realm Third Stage cultivators swept across the entire hall. Any expert who sensed that collision felt a chill of horror run through them.
The battle quickly reached a fever pitch. Both Thunder Dragon and Changyuan were fighting at full power, yet neither could gain the upper hand—they were perfectly matched.
But both men's faces were turning pale, fine beads of sweat forming on their foreheads as their spiritual wills intertwined and smashed against each other in deadly peril.
Meng Wuya and the others wore somber expressions, their faces dark.
They could no longer intervene even if they wanted to. All they could do was wait silently for the outcome of the battle between Thunder Dragon and Changyuan. But judging by the current situation, the best possible result was mutual destruction.
If that happened, the conflict would undoubtedly escalate—something none of the Human race's powerhouses wished to see.
"Where did Yang Kai go?" Ling Taixu asked urgently.
Meng Wuya shook his head to indicate he had no idea. He had gone again a few days ago to the sealed chamber where Xia Ningshang was in seclusion, only to find neither Yang Kai nor his disciple. No one knew where the two had gone.
"This is not good," said Chu Lingxiao, Sect Master of the Celestial Firmament Sect, his brows tightly knotted. Things developing in this direction was somewhat beyond his expectations.