After a long silence, Sha Hu seemed to finally digest this information, and proceeded to question Yang Kai in even greater detail.
Pang Zhen relayed everything he knew, one piece at a time.
Sha Hu's expression grew increasingly solemn, and the looks on Qian Mo and Shang Ao's faces shifted back and forth, their eyes meeting as though silently exchanging something.
Just then, a sudden disturbance arose from within the mountain hollow, and immediately after, a figure emerged.
It was none other than Yang Kai!
Shang Ao, Qian Mo, and Pang Zhen all started with surprise and cupped their fists in greeting. Sha Hu smiled faintly and asked, "Any findings?"
Yang Kai returned the courtesy to everyone, then put away the Stone Puppet and Liu Yan before nodding. "A little."
"So does that mean you can also use Star Source power?" Sha Hu asked in surprise.
During the battle with Ming Yue that day, the opponent had suddenly wielded Star Source power and the might of a force field, which had indeed startled Sha Hu. After wracking his brains, Sha Hu could only attribute the cause to the secrets hidden within this mountain hollow.
The depths of that mountain hollow were precisely the place he had previously told Yang Kai about—one even he could not fully explore.
Some secrets were definitely hidden there, perhaps related to why Ming Yue could use Star Source power—Sha Hu just couldn't figure out the details. Now, seeing that Yang Kai appeared to have gained something, he immediately formed a guess.
"Using Star Source power is no problem." Yang Kai nodded calmly, without the excitement Sha Hu had imagined. At the end, he added another sentence: "I also found a way to leave this place."
"What?" Sha Hu blurted out in shock.
Pang Zhen and the other two beside him also blanked out for a moment, then turned to Yang Kai with overwhelming joy and asked eagerly, "Is this true?"
"Naturally." Yang Kai nodded. "That's exactly why I came out—to tell you this news. Whoever wants to leave with me should prepare early. I'll be leaving here in a few days."
"Sect Master Yang..." Pang Zhen looked at Yang Kai hesitantly. "May I ask—how many people can you take out?"
Beside them, Shang Ao heard Pang Zhen's question and immediately realized what was being asked, posing the same question himself.
"Taking everyone out wouldn't be a problem," Yang Kai answered. "However..."
"However what?" Pang Zhen immediately tensed up.
"I can take the people from the Sea Hall and the Sea God Palace out for free. As for the others... well, do me a favor and pass along a message: whoever wants to leave this place should help me find some Boundless Heaven Lotus."
Pang Zhen was stunned for a moment, but quickly caught on, laughing bitterly: "What a brilliant scheme, Sect Master Yang!"
It was easy to imagine. Once this news spread, the martial artists who had been trapped on Phantom Island would surely search high and low for the Boundless Heaven Lotus in order to leave. When that happened, Yang Kai would become the biggest winner.
Yang Kai chuckled. "I'm just collecting a small fee for my troubles."
"What about the timing? When do you plan to leave, Yang Kai?" Sha Hu asked from the side.
"In about a month."
"Good!" Sha Hu responded. "I'll help spread the word. As for our Sea Hall's martial artists—we won't let you go to all this trouble for nothing. Once we leave this place, the Sea Hall will present you with a proper token of gratitude."
"If Elder Sha insists, then I'd be rude to refuse." Yang Kai laughed heartily.
"Our Sea God Palace won't let Sect Master Yang exert himself for nothing either," Shang Ao hastily added from the side.
Yang Kai glanced at him, gave a faint nod, and said nothing more.
The news of being able to leave Phantom Island spread like a sudden gale, sweeping across the entire island in no time.
After hearing this news, ninety-nine percent of the martial artists refused to believe it, thinking it was just some joke someone had made up. After all, if there really were a way to leave Phantom Island, they wouldn't have been trapped here all this time. Over the years, countless martial artists had been stranded on Phantom Island, and among them were no shortage of brilliantly talented individuals. Surely some of them should have been able to discover a method of escape.
But in truth, Phantom Island was nothing more than a cage, trapping everyone here to rot!
Now this news had suddenly popped up, and it was truly hard to believe.
It wasn't until Sha Hu stepped forward to verify the news and vouch for its authenticity that the martial artists of Phantom Island finally believed it.
In an instant, virtually every martial artist on Phantom Island mobilized, setting out in groups toward the surrounding seas in search of the Boundless Heaven Lotus, hoping to secure a spot for departure.
Phantom Island became a deserted island in an incredibly short amount of time.
On the seas tens of thousands of miles from Phantom Island, Yang Kai stood on the Little Dolphin's back, heading forward.
While the martial artists of Phantom Island scattered to search for the Boundless Heaven Lotus, he hadn't been idle either. Such a valuable thing as the Boundless Heaven Lotus—the more the better. So after having Sha Hu spread the news that day, he had taken the Little Dolphin and left Phantom Island, roaming the distant seas and relying on the Little Dolphin's instincts to find the precious Boundless Heaven Lotus.
His haul was considerable.
The deep seas had always been a place difficult for the martial artists of Phantom Island to reach, so naturally there were far more Boundless Heaven Lotus here than in the coastal waters.