They had never expected Yang Kai to be so easygoing, actually allowing the Liuli Gate to rebuild in the future. Had they known this earlier, they would have pledged allegiance and joined long ago — why would there have been all those schemes churning in their hearts?
Unfortunately, it was too late for regrets now. Yang Kai may have been easygoing, but he was no fool. After witnessing the treatment the Liuli Gate received, only then deciding to join — how could he possibly accept them?
Many of them wore bitter expressions, but they forced themselves to perk up and stepped forward one after another to offer congratulations to Gong Aofu.
Gong Aofu was now essentially at the level of a Lingxiao Sect Elder, so naturally they needed to curry favor with her.
Gong Aofu herself seemed to glow brilliantly because of Yang Kai's words, radiating with boundless vitality. She smiled as she responded to each person, quite gracefully and with poise — after all, she had long been a Sect Master herself, and handling such occasions was a piece of cake.
Yang Kai surveyed his surroundings, his gaze finally settling on Yan Pei.
Yan Pei's face was naturally as dark as the bottom of a pot, and no one could ever deduce his thoughts from changes in his expression. Seeing Yang Kai look his way, he opened his mouth, but ultimately just sighed. Clasping his fists, he said, "Sect Master Yang, take care. This old man bids farewell."
Yang Kai chuckled. "Where does Elder Yan plan to go?"
Yan Pei's brow furrowed. "I don't know either. I'll take it one step at a time."
Outside, the Corpse Spirit Sect's army was rampaging. Although the Gathering Treasures Tower was no pushover in terms of strength, they couldn't stand against the Corpse Spirit Sect — otherwise, he wouldn't have brought his people to seek refuge in the Lingxiao Sect in the first place. Now that he was about to leave, the future looked bleak, and he still felt somewhat uneasy.
"If Elder Yan doesn't mind, why not stay? The Lingxiao Sect may not be anything particularly impressive, but there's certainly enough space. I'm not worried about not being able to accommodate the people of the Gathering Treasures Tower."
Yan Pei's body trembled. A flush of excitement colored his dark face, and he gazed at Yang Kai with immense gratitude. His lips quivered several times before he lowered his head and said, "This old one is ashamed."
The last time those sect strongmen had caused trouble inside the Lingxiao Sect, the Gathering Treasures Tower's people hadn't participated, but they also hadn't stepped forward to stop it. They had merely tipped off Ye Xiyun in advance. To a benefactor who had taken them in and given them shelter, such behavior was undoubtedly dishonorable. Yet now, Yang Kai bore no grudge and had proactively offered to let them stay — repaying grievance with kindness. It made Yan Pei feel so ashamed he wished the ground would swallow him, and that was why he was deeply mortified.
He also knew that Yang Kai and the Gathering Treasures Tower didn't have much of a personal relationship. The few interactions they'd had had all been tied to matters of profit. Yang Kai's reason for proactively asking them to stay was entirely out of respect for Qian Tong — Yan Pei and Qian Tong had a very good personal friendship.
"Elder Yan, you're being too modest. Once we survive this crisis, the Lingxiao Sect might still need the Gathering Treasures Tower's help. I hope Elder Yan won't decline when the time comes." Yang Kai smiled faintly.
"Sect Master Yang, you're being too formal. In the future, wherever the Lingxiao Sect needs the Gathering Treasures Tower, you need only send word." Yan Pei said with a solemn expression.
Yang Kai smiled with satisfaction, thinking to himself that old dark-face Yan Pei was quite sensible after all.
His offer to keep Yan Pei had indeed been partly because of Qian Tong. But the main reason was that the Gathering Treasures Tower was not to be underestimated. Perhaps their combat strength was negligible in his eyes, but the Gathering Treasures Tower had business spanning the entire Dark Star, possessing many channels that the Lingxiao Sect lacked. If the Lingxiao Sect wanted to grow and prosper, having one more ally like this was certainly not a bad thing.
Besides, the masterminds who had forced Ye Xiyun to withdraw from the Lingxiao Sect had all been executed, and Yang Kai had vented all his anger. He had no intention of pursuing the matter further. If he really slaughtered everyone present, it would be an enormous loss for the Dark Star. Rather than dying at his hands, they might as well fight the Corpse Spirit Sect and put whatever remaining strength they had to good use.
In an instant, the plaza was filled with warmth and harmony, though ninety-nine percent of the strong figures were extremely cautious around Yang Kai, terrified of displeasing him. Only Gong Aofu and the others, who had already essentially joined the Lingxiao Sect, appeared somewhat more at ease.
Having been away from the Lingxiao Sect for so long, Yang Kai was quite concerned about the sect's affairs and was also worried about Ye Xiyun and the others' injuries. He naturally had no intention of continuing to exchange pleasantries with them. After waving them off to return to their quarters, he summoned the people aboard the warship and had them come down as well. These people didn't need Yang Kai to attend to them — Yang Xiuzhu and the others would see to their arrangements.
Yang Kai hurried toward the sixth level of the Flowing Flame Sand Ground. To his surprise, before he had even flown out of the Lingxiao Sect, he spotted a large group of light approaching from the distance. The aura of the leading figure was familiar — and who could it be but Ye Xiyun?
Yang Kai was startled, but quickly figured it out. His clash in the plaza, though brief, had still produced some disturbances. Ye Xiyun had probably sensed them, which was why she had brought the original Lingxiao Sect forces out from the depths of the sixth level.
Since they had already returned, Yang Kai stood in place and waited.
Moments later, a group of over two hundred people, led by Ye Xiyun, landed not far in front of Yang Kai.
Before Yang Kai could even observe Ye Xiyun's condition, he heard the Grand Elder ask, "Has it all been handled?"
Yang Kai was taken aback, then laughed. "The Grand Elder trusts me that much?"
Ye Xiyun said coolly, "You are the Sect Master. If I don't trust you, whom else can I trust?"
Yang Kai sighed and nodded. "It's been handled."
Ye Xiyun gazed into the distance toward the plaza and said softly, "The smell of blood is quite strong. Quite a few people died, didn't they?"