Half a month passed in the blink of an eye, and the day of Purple Star's ancestral worship arrived.
Every year on this day, the upper echelons of Purple Star would gather under their leader's lead to pay respects to their ancestors, honoring the spirits of those who had passed on.
Within the Purple Star Palace stood a massive ancestral hall. Housed inside were not only the ancestral tablets of the Zi family's forebears, but also those of countless individuals surnamed outsiders who had made immense contributions to Purple Star's development over the generations. Every past Elder's tablet had a place of honor within its walls.
This was one of Purple Star's most important occasions, and no one dared treat it carelessly.
The upper echelons had prepared for it well in advance, taking every possible detail into account.
As a result, on this particular day, every senior member of Purple Star would arrive at the palace punctually and converge in the direction of the ancestral hall.
With nearly all eyes and attention focused there, security elsewhere had been considerably relaxed.
Yang Kai chose this moment to arrive at the Purple Star Palace.
At the palace gates, he presented his Venerable token, and a guard respectfully escorted him inside before he had taken more than a few steps.
A figure suddenly materialized ahead, addressing the guard: "You may leave the rest to me."
"Yes, Elder." The guard bowed hastily and withdrew.
Yang Kai regarded the man and offered a cupped-fist salute. "Elder Ji!"
The figure was none other than Ji Jun, who had been perpetually at Zi Wuji's side.
Ji Jun returned the courtesy with a slight smile. "Ji Jun greets Venerable Yang. Please follow me — the Second Young Master has made all the necessary arrangements. All that remains is for the Venerable to arrive."
"You've gone to trouble." Yang Kai nodded casually and followed Ji Jun deeper into the palace.
Ji Jun clearly knew the Purple Star Palace intimately. He led Yang Kai through a winding series of corridors, and after only half an hour they arrived before a sealed chamber at the very heart of the complex. The chamber appeared to be forged from some unknown material, its surroundings covered in layered protective formations and formidable defensive barriers.
Yet at this moment it stood empty — the warriors who normally guarded it had clearly been redeployed elsewhere.
Ji Jun stood before the sealed chamber, his eyes burning with barely concealed fervor. He took a deep breath to steady himself, then spoke: "Venerable Yang, the Second Young Master said this is where the Purple Star Treasury lies. It can be opened with only a specially crafted key and a single drop of essence blood from a direct-line member of the Zi family."
Yang Kai's eyes narrowed. "It also requires a drop of essence blood from the Zi family's direct line? How is it I've never heard of this?"
Neither Zi Donglai nor Zi Wuji had ever mentioned this secret to him. Zi Wuji keeping information from him was something Yang Kai could accept — the two were not yet truly familiar, and while they had an agreement, they had not reached the point of full transparency.
But Zi Donglai withholding this as well? That made Yang Kai genuinely irritated.
Ji Jun chuckled. "Please calm yourself, Venerable. It was never a major matter. Young Master Wuji has already prepared a drop of his own essence blood for you."
As he spoke, he produced a transparent vial containing a single drop of crimson blood. Faint streaks of violet light pulsed within it, as though some profound power slumbered inside, giving it a distinctly unusual appearance as it rolled ceaselessly across the bottom of the vial.
Yang Kai reached out. Before Ji Jun could even process what had happened, the drop of essence blood was already in Yang Kai's hand. Ji Jun's expression changed drastically.
He was, after all, a Void King First Stage cultivator, yet he hadn't even had time to react before Yang Kai had snatched the item from his grasp. The gap in their strength was starkly evident.
"Venerable, this..." Ji Jun stared longingly at the essence blood, his voice trailing off with obvious reluctance.
"Just tell me how to use it, Elder Ji," Yang Kai said calmly, though his tone carried an unmistakable note of command.
Ji Jun's face darkened, but he did not dare disobey. "You need only apply the essence blood to the key."
Yang Kai nodded to show he understood. He flicked the cap open with a casual snap. Holy Origin surged, and the drop of essence blood shot out of the vial, splashing directly onto the key he had produced.
The golden key seemed to come alive, greedily devouring Zi Wuji's essence blood. A sucking sound could even be heard. The next instant, the golden key transformed into a small horned flood dragon, its compact body suffused with a faint violet glow. It circled twice through the air before plunging headfirst into the massive doors of the sealed chamber.
The heavy doors seemed to become intangible, rippling outward like the surface of disturbed water.
"Wait here for a moment, Elder Ji. I'll be right back." Yang Kai tossed out the words over his shoulder and, in a flash, slipped through the doors into the chamber.
"Wait!" Ji Jun had received specific instructions from Zi Wuji and would never have dared let Yang Kai enter the treasury alone. He moved to follow, but the doors had already returned to their solid, impenetrable state. He nearly crashed into them.
"This is bad, this is bad!" Ji Jun stomped his feet in agitation, cursing Yang Kai under his breath.
What lay before him was Purple Star's treasury spanning countless years. While the items stored inside were not numerous, every single one was of extraordinary value — many formed the very foundation of Purple Star's power. Now that Yang Kai had entered alone, who knew whether he would honor his word and take only one?
This was precisely why Zi Wuji had insisted Ji Jun accompany him — partly to prevent Yang Kai from being greedily avaricious, and partly to learn exactly which item Yang Kai intended to take.
But no one had anticipated that Yang Kai would move this quickly. Even a Void King First Stage cultivator like Ji Jun had been completely unable to guard against it.