Luo Hai already considered the Void Thought Crystal to be his own possession!
He had every reason to be confident, and every right. After all, as the Star Lord of Cuiwei Star, as long as Yang Kai remained on Cuiwei Star, there was no way he could escape Luo Hai's control.
When the time came, he would simply ask the boy for the Void Thought Crystal, bestow a few rewards upon him, and everyone would be happy.
If the boy was willing, Luo Hai felt he could even take him as a disciple!
That would be an extraordinary honor — an opportunity that others would beg for but never receive.
For years, Luo Hai had not felt this kind of excitement, yet in this moment he could barely contain himself! If not for fear of the other Void King Realm cultivators in the stone pavilion noticing something amiss, he would have burst out laughing long ago.
"Lord Luo Hai, the Blood Prison will be closing in about ten days, won't it?" the elderly woman surnamed Lei suddenly asked.
"Mm." Luo Hai nodded at her words. "That's right — only about ten days remain. When that time comes, the domain's power within the Blood Prison will erupt in full force, and those youngsters will have no choice but to withdraw."
"Heh heh, I wonder what kind of harvest they've made this time. Oh, and that boy at the Return to Void Second Stage — is he still alive and well?"
At the mention of Yang Kai, everyone opened their eyes and looked toward Luo Hai. Clearly, they were all concerned about whether Yang Kai had survived.
"He's perfectly fine. I expect he'll walk out alive. There's no need for anyone to worry about his safety."
"Good, good, good! As long as he can walk out alive, I'll invite him to join the Sword Alliance immediately!" The elderly woman was delighted.
"That boy has a limitless future! Though in the past there have been a few Return to Void Second Stage cultivators who didn't know their own limits and entered the Blood Prison, not a single one of them made it out alive — they couldn't even survive a few days inside. If he can pull this off, his future will surely be bright!"
"I can hardly wait to meet this boy. I really want to know where he came from."
"Indeed. With a performance like his, he's destined to have a place in the Star Field in the future."
The group chattered among themselves, all obviously holding Yang Kai in extremely high regard. Luo Hai smiled and said nothing. Only he understood that Yang Kai was even more remarkable than any of them imagined.
…
Inside the cave on Monster Mountain, Yang Kai was completely absorbed, his body and mind steeped in wondrous comprehension. He was entirely oblivious to the passage of time.
Suddenly, his brow furrowed, and he opened his eyes.
He sensed that the atmosphere within the Blood Prison had undergone a subtle change — a trace of domain power had somehow seeped all the way here to Monster Mountain.
Before coming here, Chi Yue had warned him that the moment the aura of the Blood Prison shifted, he must leave immediately, or he would die without a trace.
When this kind of change occurred, within five days the entire Blood Prison would become a forbidden zone that no one could set foot in, its lands overrun with chaotic domain fields. It would not calm again for another thousand years.
It was time to leave!
He rose slowly and took stock of his gains. A broad smile spread across his face.
He felt that his comprehension of Momentum had deepened considerably — he was now only a single step away from perfection. That step seemed close, yet it was as though a thin membrane stood between him and full mastery.
Still, it was no great matter. Having absorbed the Crazy Crocodile Demon King's soul energy, once he fully comprehended and assimilated it, achieving perfection in his own field of Momentum would not be difficult at all.
Moreover, when he eventually advanced to the Void King Realm, forming his own Domain would come easily as well.
These benefits were ones Yang Kai could not yet enjoy — they would only reveal themselves once his strength reached the Void King Realm.
He walked out of the cave, oriented himself, and his figure blurred into a streak of lightning before vanishing from sight.
Two days later, Yang Kai appeared leisurely in a vast basin.
"So the kid actually made it!" A figure suddenly darted out from the side, landing before Yang Kai with a smile.
"Senior Ba He!" Yang Kai gave him a slight nod.
"I thought you were dead — we hadn't heard a word from you!" Yu Xiong also emerged from some unknown corner, calling out to Yang Kai in his booming voice while scanning him from head to toe, as if checking whether he was missing any limbs.
"Yang Kai!" Shan Qing Luo beamed like a blossoming flower, landing right beside him and hooking her arm through his.
Xue Sun appeared shortly after Shan Qing Luo, offering Yang Kai only a faint nod with no further display of emotion.
"So everyone's here," Yang Kai said with a mild smile.
"Did you get what Mother asked for?" Yu Xiong walked up to within three zhang of Yang Kai and asked in his deep, rumbling voice.
Yang Kai reached out and wiped his finger across his spatial ring, producing a round, crystal-like object, which he casually tossed toward Yu Xiong.
Yu Xiong caught it with visible tension, holding it in his palm and examining it carefully.
In an instant, every gaze in the vicinity was drawn to that seemingly flawless crystal, each pair of eyes blazing with fervor.
"So this is… the Void Thought Crystal?" Ba He swallowed hard, staring at the Void Thought Crystal without blinking. Even the ever-composed Xue Sun's breathing quickened ever so slightly.
"This isn't a fake, is it?" Yu Xiong looked up at Yang Kai.
"What do you think?" Yang Kai scoffed.
"Doesn't look fake!" Yu Xiong shook his huge head as he spoke, then hurriedly produced a jade box from his spatial ring. He placed the Void Thought Crystal inside with utmost care, secured it properly, and only then looked back up at Yang Kai. His expression was complicated as he said, "Kid, you don't beat around the bush. Here's the Half-Volume Demon Transformation Technique that Mother promised you — take good care of it."
As he spoke, he tossed a book-like object toward Yang Kai.