"Has the Sect Master still not come out of seclusion?" In the Hundred Flowers Residence, Ye Xiyun sat leisurely sipping tea as she posed the question to Wu Yi.
She had returned to High Heaven Sect three months ago. Just as Yang Kai had anticipated, and just as everyone had hoped, upon her return Ye Xiyun had already become a Void King Realm powerhouse.
She had long been the foremost expert of the Dark Star, having stalled at the peak of the Return Void Stage for many years, having glimpsed a thread of the mysteries of Domain. After that, she had voluntarily remained within High Heaven Sect to protect Yang Yan. Had it not been for that, she would have been able to break through together with Qian Tong as soon as Yang Kai had first departed the Dark Star.
Wu Yi had also broken through to the Return Void Stage a month or so ago, and had been receiving instruction from Ye Xiyun during this period. Upon hearing the question, she answered promptly: "Not yet. Ever since the Sect Master returned two months ago, he has been in closed-door cultivation within the Heavenly Harmony Palace. He hasn't even met with either of his wives."
"Mm…" Ye Xiyun gave a soft nod. Just as she was about to examine Wu Yi's cultivation progress from the past few days, she suddenly raised her head and looked in a certain direction, her expression turning grave. "Is that… the direction of the Heavenly Harmony Palace?"
"Has something happened to the Sect Master?" Wu Yi cried out in alarm.
"It doesn't seem like anything bad. Spiritual energy is gathering over there. Could it be that the Sect Master is breaking through?" Even Ye Xiyun, with her characteristically steady temperament, was startled by her own conjecture.
How long had it been? She had heard that the Sect Master had only broken through to the Void King Realm a year or two ago. How could he be on the verge of another breakthrough so soon?
"I'll go take a look." The words had barely left her lips before Ye Xiyun had vanished from sight.
Outside the Heavenly Harmony Palace, a figure wreathed in ghostly energy and shrouded in black mist had already taken up position there. Ye Xiyun eyed him with mild surprise and walked over. "Senior Brother!"
The Ghost Ancestor turned around and replied with a hearty smile: "Junior Sister Ye!"
Though the two had known each other for only a short time, they were both Void King Realm powerhouses and both members of High Heaven Sect, so they addressed each other as senior and junior brother and sister. Furthermore, once Ye Xiyun had ascended to the Void King Realm, her position as Grand Elder had been automatically relinquished. She was now honored as a Supreme Elder on par with the Ghost Ancestor.
Thus, their standing was equal.
"Junior Sister Ye also sensed the situation here and came to see for herself?"
"Yes. Judging by the flow of spiritual energy, it does seem like a breakthrough. But I recall you mentioned before, Senior Brother, that the Sect Master had only broken through to the Void King Realm less than a year ago. How is it that he's about to break through again so soon?"
"Who knows." The Ghost Ancestor spread his hands. "That's something I can't figure out either. This kid… ahem, the Sect Master, he's not someone you can judge by conventional standards."
Ye Xiyun's delicate brows knitted tightly together. "Granted, the Sect Master is a once-in-a-generation prodigy, having broken through to the Void King Realm at such a young age. But if he breaks through too many times in too short a period, I'm afraid his foundation won't be stable enough."
She couldn't help but feel worried on Yang Kai's behalf.
The Void King Realm was no ordinary level of cultivation. Among martial artists, it was perfectly normal for geniuses to achieve consecutive breakthroughs at lower stages. But after reaching the Void King Realm, if a warrior wished to advance further, they had to progress step by step, advancing steadily and solidly, so as to avoid any future problems.
Across the entire Star Domain, there were many Void King Realm experts who spent their entire lives stuck at a single sub-stage, never able to glimpse a higher plane of martial dao in their lifetimes.
And Yang Kai's rate of breakthrough was simply too fast — so fast that it made Ye Xiyun's heart tremble with unease.
The Ghost Ancestor mused thoughtfully: "The Sect Master is not the type to recklessly rush ahead for the sake of quick gains. If he dares to attempt a breakthrough now, he must have his own reasons for confidence. It's no use for you and me to worry here. The matter has come to this — all we can do is wait for him to come out and see for ourselves."
"You're right, Senior Brother." Ye Xiyun drew a deep breath and fixed her gaze on the gates of the Heavenly Harmony Palace.
Massive quantities of heaven and earth spiritual energy were converging into the Heavenly Harmony Palace. Though it was only a minor-stage breakthrough and there would be no baptism of heaven and earth energy, the spectacle was still quite magnificent.
Virtually every disciple of High Heaven Sect had detected the anomaly over at the Heavenly Harmony Palace. Before long, behind Ye Xiyun and the Ghost Ancestor, a crowd of Yang Kai's relatives and friends had gathered, all wearing tense expressions as they stared ahead.
The dense spiritual energy surged into the Heavenly Harmony Palace and swiftly vanished, as though being devoured by something within.
This went on for a full half day. At one point, a long, piercing cry suddenly rang out from inside the Heavenly Harmony Palace, and a wave of aura swept outward — an aura that seemed even more powerful than the Ghost Ancestor's.
Everyone's knees buckled, nearly sending them sprawling to the ground. Fortunately, the aura flashed past in an instant, sparing them from sustained pressure.
The Ghost Ancestor's eyes lit up as he exclaimed in a low voice: "Controlled with ease! Ha! Junior Sister, it looks like our worries were for nothing."
Ye Xiyun finally allowed a look of relief to settle on her features, though she still did not let her guard down entirely. "We should wait for the Sect Master to come out before drawing any firm conclusions."
Right at that moment, the gates of the Heavenly Harmony Palace swung open with a clang, and Yang Kai's figure emerged from within.
Ye Xiyun and the Ghost Ancestor immediately released their spiritual senses, probing toward Yang Kai.
A moment later, the two exchanged a glance and shared a knowing smile.
The energy fluctuation emanating from Yang Kai was perfectly steady and balanced — there was not the slightest sign of an unstable foundation brought on by rushing through breakthroughs. With that, the two of them could finally set their minds completely at ease.
"So many people?" Yang Kai stared at the familiar faces before him in surprise, then cupped his fists with an embarrassed grin. "My apologies — I got a little carried away and broke through without realizing it. Sorry to have disturbed everyone."