Magna's face had turned an iron shade of grey.
Neither of the two Monster Race experts had expected Yang Kai's mastery over Domains to run so deep. When they recalled the ferocity and terrifying Divine Sense this human had displayed before, they found themselves suddenly reluctant to act rashly.
The innkeeper, on the other hand, had been hanging his head with lowered lids—but his eyes snapped open now, lighting up with a flash of surprise as he fixed Yang Kai with a keen stare.
Then he raised his head and examined the strange phenomenon in the sky above, nostrils flaring slightly as he took in the scent.
Before long, as if he had discovered something, a stunning brilliance erupted from his eyes!
"Cease!" he barked in a low voice. "All of you, hold your positions and stay calm."
Yang Kai glanced at him, a peculiar look crossing his face.
Magna's brow furrowed, a flash of displeasure crossing his features. He was, after all, the City Lord of Radiant Moon City—since when did someone else get to bark orders at him? Especially this old man, who merely ran an inn.
He swept his spiritual sense over the innkeeper and found not the slightest trace of Cultivation, which only deepened his irritation.
"Old man, this is no place for you to speak. Step aside!" Mi Tian let out a cold snort.
"Heh heh…" The innkeeper showed not a shred of fear. He merely chuckled softly and gave Mi Tian a look laden with meaning.
Mi Tian's brow creased. Something felt off. He studied the innkeeper with growing suspicion and said slowly, "Have I met you somewhere before? Why do I feel… your face is familiar?"
"To think you could pick up on even that—worthy of being Young Master Thousand Eyes indeed. Your eye for things is truly extraordinary!" The innkeeper offered his praise in the tone of an elder commending a junior.
This only darkened Mi Tian's expression further. He growled, "Who exactly are you?"
Magna was stunned as well. He had never imagined that the owner of some obscure little inn within his own city could turn out to be someone of such consequence. Who but a person of great standing would dare speak to Mi Tian like that?
Yang Kai looked from one to the other, eyes darting back and forth, and then suddenly broke into a grin.
With the innkeeper stirring things up, every last bit of attention had shifted away from him. That was something he was more than happy to see. Still, he was rather curious—who on earth was this innkeeper? The man showed not a flicker of energy fluctuation, yet he could face Magna and Mi Tian down without so much as a hint of fear. That was not something an ordinary member of the Monster Race could pull off.
The old man continued to smile faintly. Then, before the eyes of everyone present, his body underwent a transformation so staggering it defied belief.
His hunched spine slowly straightened. His diminutive stature grew taller. The dry, wrinkled skin vanished, replaced by a healthy, ruddy complexion. Every line on his face was smoothed away.
In the span of a single heartbeat, he seemed to have regressed by several decades—transforming from a wizened old man into a middle-aged figure of remarkable bearing.
But the change did not stop at his appearance. His aura shifted just as dramatically.
Before, no matter whose spiritual sense swept over him, they would find not the slightest trace of energy and assume he was an untrained member of the Monster Race. Now, however, waves of power surged from within him—and those waves were still growing, climbing steadily until they reached the absolute peak of the Return Void Third Stage!
He was a full measure stronger than both Magna and Mi Tian.
Yang Kai stared at the innkeeper, dumbfounded, scarcely believing his own eyes.
Magna and Mi Tian were equally frozen. Never had they imagined that someone in this world could hide themselves so thoroughly.
Had the innkeeper not chosen to reveal himself, no one present would have been able to discern the true depths of his strength.
"You… you are Lord
After the innkeeper's transformation, Magna had recognized him immediately. His voice trembled, and his expression was one of alarm.
"What? He's actually Lord Ba He?"
"That can't be right—didn't they say Lord Ba He was personally struck down by the Lord? How is he still alive?"
"No, that's definitely Lord Ba He! Two hundred years ago, when the City Lord and I went to the palace to pay respects to the Lord, I caught sight of him. Back then, he was the Lord's foremost general!"
"My, my—so it really is Lord Ba He! Now that's interesting."
All around, exclamations and cries of surprise rang out. Yang Kai listened to them all, his expression growing increasingly odd.
He could tell, in a vague sort of way, that this innkeeper was someone of considerable renown—even Magna treated him with a measure of wariness and respect.
Who on earth was this man? Why did people say he had been the Crimson Moon Lord's top general, yet also say he had been killed by the Crimson Moon Lord? What was going on?
Yang Kai's mind was a fog. No matter how hard he thought, he could not make sense of it.