A blinding radiance erupted, forcing everyone standing nearby to shut their eyes.
By the time the light dissipated, the crowd looked over to find the center of the formation completely empty—Yang Kai and the others had long since vanished without a trace.
Distant Dark Star, Lingxiao Sect, on the central plaza.
The Space Formation flickered to life, and four figures appeared simultaneously.
Yang Kai stood calmly in the center, a faint smile on his face as he regarded Ba He and the others.
Such long-distance teleportations always inflicted a degree of physical discomfort on the travelers. The lower one's cultivation, the more pronounced the effect.
Among the three others, Ba He was the strongest at the Void King First Stage, so he was the first to recover—barely five breaths passed before his eyes cleared. After another ten breaths, Shen Tu and Yu Xiong gradually came back to themselves.
All three wore expressions of lingering dread.
The sensation brought on by that kind of extreme-distance teleportation was like plummeting into an abyss with no bottom—an utter helplessness that seemed to stretch on forever. Anyone who had experienced it once would never want to go through it again.
"So this is the Dark Star you spoke of?" Ba He looked around, releasing his Divine Sense. Soon enough, surprise appeared on his face—he had discovered that this place was actually a remarkable treasure of a location, with verdant mountains and clear waters, blessed terrain and outstanding qi. Rolling mountain ranges stretched into the distance, wreathed in rising clouds and mist, and the ambient spiritual energy was extraordinarily dense.
"Lingxiao Sect," Yang Kai confirmed with a slight nod.
Without warning, a Divine Sense that could only belong to a Void King realm expert swept out from one of the nearby peaks. Its intensity was unmistakable—the strength of a Void King Second Stage cultivator.
Ba He and the others' expressions shifted.
But that wasn't the end. The moment that first wave of Divine Sense passed, a second one washed over them. Though it couldn't match the first, it was still powerful enough to belong to a Void King First Stage expert.
The first Divine Sense quickly withdrew.
Yang Kai knew it was the Ghost Ancestor, who had sensed the disturbance and sent out his own Divine Sense to investigate. Once he confirmed Yang Kai's presence, he withdrew without further interference. After all, he was in the midst of his own closed-door cultivation and couldn't afford to be distracted.
The second Divine Sense also dissipated shortly after—it belonged to Ye Xiyun.
"This Lingxiao Sect of yours," Ba He exclaimed, his voice tinged with shock. "Aside from you, you actually have a Void King Second Stage and a Void King First Stage cultivator?"
"Mm." Yang Kai nodded, his gaze drifting toward a nearby location. Ye Xiyun's figure had materialized there and was making her way toward them at great speed.
Ba He let out a soft breath, his face a picture of astonishment.
He had never imagined that this obscure Lingxiao Sect—one he had never even heard of—could possess such a formidable foundation!
Two Void King Second Stage experts plus one Void King First Stage—the numbers alone might not be large, but it was enough to rank among the upper echelons of the entire Star Domain.
Moreover, this place also housed numerous Return Void realm cultivators, and it sat atop a treasure trove of natural resources. Given time, this Lingxiao Sect could very well rival the three great powers of the Star Domain.
Ba He looked at Yang Kai, and from him, he seemed to glimpse a future of boundless possibility.
A graceful figure appeared. After glancing at Ba He and the others, she addressed Yang Kai: "Sect Master, you've returned!"
"Grand Elder, I trust you've been well." Yang Kai smiled.
Ye Xiyun replied, "By the Sect Master's blessing, all is well with me and the Sect. And these people are…?"
"This is Elder Ba He from Crimson Moon Territory on Imperial Star, this is Yu Xiong, and this is Shen Tu, the second young master of the Heng Luo Trading Company. They're all friends of mine," Yang Kai introduced, then presented Ye Xiyun to them in turn.
The two sides exchanged pleasantries.
Ye Xiyun asked, "Sect Master, how long will you stay this visit?"
"I'm leaving almost immediately—I only brought them here to test the formation."
Ye Xiyun nodded gently. "The Sect Master is always busy. Please take care of yourself while you're out."
"I will. Go ahead and get back to your work."
Ye Xiyun nodded again and vanished in a flash.
While Ba He and the others were still taking in their surroundings, Yang Kai released his Divine Sense and checked on the current state of his loved ones. A moment later, a look of satisfaction crossed his face. "The formation test is complete. Let's head back."
"Leaving already?" Shen Tu's face turned pale. "Yang Kai, we've finally made it to your turf—at least show us some hospitality! We should stay for a few days before we go."
Yu Xiong nodded vigorously beside him.
Even Ba He gazed at Yang Kai with a hint of eager expectation.
None of the three had fully recovered from that long-distance teleportation yet.
"Another time, perhaps." Yang Kai grinned. Before anyone could protest, he activated the Super Space Formation beneath their feet. A wash of white light enveloped them, spatial energy surged, and all four figures vanished.
The wailing protests of Yu Xiong and Shen Tu cut off abruptly…
By the time they came back to their senses, they had already returned to Half Moon Mountain.
Li Nuo, Aunt Chun, and the others saw Shen Tu's ashen face and hurried over with concern, fussing over him as though they hadn't seen him in decades.