Yang Kai sat cross-legged in midair, perfectly still, releasing his divine sense to merge with his surroundings and feel the power of natural laws in this place.
From Yang Yan, Yang Kai had learned the importance of natural law power.
Only by comprehending the power of natural laws could a warrior surpass the Void King Realm and gain a glimpse into the mysteries of the next, higher realm.
This was also why Yang Yan had said that Star Lords found it easier to grow stronger.
Because a Star Lord was the master of a cultivation star, having merged with its star origin, they could easily perceive the natural laws of that star and subsequently master and comprehend them.
Yang Kai had Xiao Xiao devour the residual origin here precisely with this consideration in mind.
While making himself stronger, he had never neglected helping his two great companions. If Xiao Xiao could one day also comprehend the power of natural laws, its combat strength would surely skyrocket, and it would not only be able to ignore the pressure of a Void King Realm's domain but could even suppress one with ease.
Before long, Yang Kai entered a state of self-forgetfulness, immersing himself entirely in his comprehension.
He could clearly sense a thread of profound, abstruse power flowing around him—a force so deep and esoteric that even he could not fully fathom it.
This was the law!
He harbored no illusions about how much he could comprehend. He simply wanted to expose himself to it as much as possible, preparing for the future.
Time flew by, and a month passed in the blink of an eye.
On this day, Yang Kai opened his eyes, a subtle gleam flickering within them. He gazed around, and everything that had seemed murky and unclear before now appeared considerably more lucid.
He had gained a sliver of insight into the power of natural laws.
"As expected, it's a force far more powerful than a domain. If one could truly comprehend the natural laws of heaven and earth, one could make the world bend to one's word," Yang Kai mused thoughtfully. "What exactly is the next realm, that it allows one to wield such tremendous power?"
Whether it was the momentum field of the Return to Void Stage or the domain of the Void King Realm, both were projected outward from one's own power, using one's own abilities to influence the surroundings.
But the power of natural laws was fundamentally different—it was the manipulation of heaven and earth's might at its very root. Which was stronger and which was weaker was self-evident.
Yang Kai stood there in silence, pondering for a full three days, yet still felt mostly in the dark.
He knew that thinking about these things now was perhaps a bit premature for him.
Rather than forcing it, he turned and flew downward.
Upon returning to the palace, Yang Kai sensed Ao's aura inside—clearly he had already come back from outside. With him were also Xiao Xiao and Liu Yan.
However, Xiao Xiao had apparently fallen into slumber once more, its aura steady with not the slightest fluctuation.
When Yang Kai entered the main hall, he was surprised to find Ao scrutinizing Liu Yan with suspicion, clearly wondering where on earth she had come from. Still, given Ao's keen eye, he could tell that Liu Yan was not a physical being but rather a condensation of pure energy.
At this moment, Liu Yan sat quietly to one side, holding the stone puppet, waiting for Yang Kai's arrival.
"Senior," Yang Kai said, stepping forward and clasping his fists in greeting.
"You're back." Ao nodded.
"Any findings?" Yang Kai asked.
"Collected over two thousand sets of remains. The rest... I simply couldn't locate them. But I did find several still-functional warships and a good amount of extracted minerals. Once we return, I'll send people back here to continue the mining."
"That works well. Since there's nothing else, let's head back."
"Agreed." Ao was not one for unnecessary words. As he spoke, he stepped onto the space formation array of his own accord.
With a wave of his hand, Yang Kai stored both Liu Yan and Xiao Xiao away.
Although he hadn't asked Liu Yan what she had gained, one look at her expression told him she had certainly reaped some benefits—there was still a surge of unrefined blazing heat churning within her body, restless and eager.
Liu Yan had likely found some extraordinary celestial fire within this mining star.
Ao opened his mouth, intending to ask about the origins of Xiao Xiao and Liu Yan, but after a moment's thought, he decided against it.
He had sensed it before—both Xiao Xiao and Liu Yan harbored power within them that even he would be extremely wary of. In other words, in a one-on-one fight, he had no certain confidence in defeating either of them.
This only made Yang Kai seem all the more enigmatic to him.
So young, barely past sixty, yet already at the second level of the Void King Realm. A Void-grade alchemist at that, capable of setting up super space formation arrays, with such formidable combatants under his command...
Was this still something a single person could possess? Could assemble?
Was the Creator not being a bit too biased?
But then he thought of how Xue Yue had managed to capture such a man's heart, and his delight returned in full force!
If someone like this were to become an enemy of the Heng Luo Trade Association, it would be nothing short of a catastrophe for the Association. No wonder that old fool from the Kuangshi Sect had ended up eating humble pie at Yang Kai's hands. No wonder Purple Star had suffered such devastating losses.
The light flickered, and the two of them returned to the hidden chamber beneath Water Sky City.