Once the situation within the Sect had settled, Yang Kai finally began turning his attention to other matters.
The first thing to handle was naturally the injuries of Ye Xiyun and the others. Among the original ranks of Lingxiao Sect, it wasn't just Ye Xiyun who had been wounded—fully ninety percent of the Returning Void Realm experts carried injuries of varying severity.
These wounds had all been sustained during their battles against the Corpse Spirit Sect's experts. Injuries caused by corpse qi infiltration were notoriously difficult to heal; that sinister, yin-attributed corpse qi possessed a bizarre corrosive function that disrupted the circulation of holy energy within the Lingxiao Sect's experts.
Only specialized antidote pills could address the problem.
Previously, their injuries hadn't healed because they had been relying on their powerful cultivation bases to suppress the damage, then gradually dissolving it with holy energy—a process that was exceedingly slow.
But after Yang Kai's return, everything changed.
He joined forces with his Senior Sister Xia Ningshang to refine a specialized pill for neutralizing corpse poison. Each injured person took one, and the scourge of corpse poison was dismantled in an instant.
Without the corpse poison running rampant, healing naturally posed no difficulty given their own cultivation bases—especially with Yang Kai having refined large batches of medicinal pills for them to consume.
Thus, in a mere ten days or so, the problem that had plagued Lingxiao Sect's experts for countless days was resolved. The Sect's high-level combat strength was utterly renewed.
During this entire ordeal, thanks to Ye Xiyun's wise decisions, Lingxiao Sect had suffered no personnel losses. Moreover, before her departure, she had taken all of the Sect's most precious treasures with her—including the Red Candle Fruit, the Ten-Thousand-Year Fragrance, and the Nine-Bend Crystal Jade Tree. In essence, aside from having their headquarters commandeered, Lingxiao Sect had lost nothing of real value.
Upon Ye Xiyun's return, the Red Candle Fruit, the Ten-Thousand-Year Fragrance, and the Nine-Bend Crystal Jade Tree were once again placed in their designated locations.
The former was a critical ingredient for refining Void King Pills, while the latter two served as tremendous boosts for warriors advancing to higher realms—carrying unimaginable significance and utility for the entire Sect.
Ten-odd days later, Lingxiao Sect had stabilized completely.
Within the Great Assembly Hall, Yang Kai summoned all of Lingxiao Sect's senior leadership.
No one knew what he intended, but they all gathered on time to hear him speak.
Yang Kai didn't have much to say, really. He first expressed his gratitude to the various Elders for their years of quiet dedication, then offered a brief vision of Lingxiao Sect's bright future—all rather routine topics.
Finally, Yang Kai smiled mysteriously and looked out at the assembled crowd. "On this trip, I brought back something good for everyone. It may not be able to reach its full potential on the Dark Star, but it will absolutely let you glimpse the barrier to the Void King Realm. I believe that as long as you accumulate enough, once you break free from the Dark Star's Laws of Heaven and Earth, you'll be able to advance to the Void King Realm without issue!"
The moment those words left his mouth, the entire hall fell silent. Everyone stared at Yang Kai with slack jaws, as though unable to process what they had just heard.
Even Ye Xiyun was stunned, gazing at Yang Kai with curiosity, having no idea what he was talking about.
The Void King Realm had always been nothing more than a legend on the Dark Star—a barrier that even Ye Xiyun had been unable to break through. Though she had chosen not to leave the Dark Star with Yang Kai back then, staying behind instead, that didn't mean she had no desire for that realm.
On the contrary, her yearning for the Void King Realm was stronger than anyone's, for she already possessed the qualifications to advance to the Void King level—her Dominance had reached completion.
The only reason she had chosen to stay was to protect Yang Yan, so that no one would be left to watch over the Sect and invite disaster.
Hearing Yang Kai's words now, she naturally paid the closest attention.
"Sect Master, what exactly is this miraculous item?" Gong Aofu asked with a bright smile.
Though she had only recently joined Lingxiao Sect as an Elder, she had integrated swiftly. In truth, her heart wasn't bad at all, and in barely half a month she had already earned the recognition of the Sect's original council of Elders.
In gatherings like this, she therefore had a voice.
Everyone else also looked toward Yang Kai with anticipation, waiting for his answer.
"This!" Yang Kai didn't keep them in suspense. He reached out and made a grabbing motion through the air, producing a crystalline object.
The moment this crystal appeared, a gentle and wondrous force permeated the hall. Every Returning Void Realm expert felt a jolt, their faces showing a mixture of suspicion and confusion. Though they couldn't perceive the true essence of this force, they could all sense that it surpassed Dominance in both depth and mystery—it was, unmistakably, an elevated version of Dominance.
"Domain Stone!" It was Yang Xiuzhu who spoke first, naming the crystal in an instant.
Chu Hanyi and Lin Yurao recognized it as well, exclaiming in unison, delight evident in their eyes.
"What is a Domain Stone?" Ye Xiyun's delicate brows furrowed slightly. Among everyone present, her cultivation was the deepest, and she had naturally sensed the indescribable wonder contained within the crystal. A mere brief perception of it gave her the sensation of having her soul cleansed. She could only imagine what kind of benefits she would reap if she used this crystal for cultivation over a long period.
Yang Kai shot a glance at Yang Xiuzhu, signaling him to explain.
Yang Xiuzhu was more than willing. He proceeded to lay out the origins and functions of the Domain Stone.
Upon hearing that this object was a treasure formed from the condensation of a Domain after the fall of a Void King Realm expert, everyone in the hall had eyes blazing with light.
And when they learned that through sensing the wonders within the Domain Stone, one could glimpse the power of a Domain, the Elders in the hall all drew heavy breaths, their unblinking eyes fixed on the Domain Stone in Yang Kai's hand—like a pack of wolves who had just spotted a beautiful woman stripped bare.
Every pair of eyes burned with undisguised desire.