There was no better way to describe Mo Xiaoqi than a hedgehog, for wherever she passed, the martial artists around her writhed in pain and scrambled out of her way.
Before long, a vacuum roughly fifteen meters in radius had formed around her and Yang Kai—not a single soul dared to approach.
"Brother Yang, I finally found you! There are so many people here," Mo Xiaoqi chattered, craning her neck to look around like a country bumpkin who had wandered into a great city, marveling at everything in sight.
Yang Kai watched her with a gentle smile, his voice soft: "Xiaoqi…"
"What is it?" Mo Xiaoqi turned her head. The next instant, her delicate features drained of color. She clapped a small hand over her mouth and pointed at Yang Kai's shoulder. "Ah! Brother Yang, your shoulder is spurting blood! Who ambushed you? How despicable!"
"It's nothing, it's nothing…" Yang Kai wore an expression of perfect composure, as though he had long grown accustomed to such things. A slight channeling of his energy staunched the flow of blood, and he said, "Just try not to touch me so casually next time, or… I could actually bleed to death."
Mo Xiaoqi froze for a moment, then her cheeks flushed crimson. She ducked her head and fidgeted, twisting the hem of her garment between her fingers as though she could wring some extraordinary trick out of it.
"Ha ha ha, Alchemist Yang! So this is where you are!"
Just then, Kang Siran's hearty laughter rang out from the side. Yang Kai turned to see the shopkeeper striding toward him.
"Shopkeeper Kang!" Yang Kai offered a cupped-fist salute.
"Seeing Alchemist Yang looking so confident puts my mind at ease. It seems you've prepared well this time."
"All I ask is to make it back in one piece—that would be enough."
"Alchemist Yang is too modest. Inside the Five-Colored Pagoda, opportunities are boundless. I'm certain you'll return laden with treasures. Oh, and this young lady is…?"
"Oh, Xiaoqi is my friend." Yang Kai introduced Mo Xiaoqi to Kang Siran. Though Mo Xiaoqi was simple-hearted, she wasn't the type to become fast friends with strangers, so she merely inclined her head slightly before standing quietly beside Yang Kai.
"Alchemist Yang," Kang Siran said, a touch of disappointment in his voice, "I managed to get some information from that official at the Commerce Association headquarters. It looks like when we enter the Five-Colored Pagoda, we'll likely be separated—there's no way for us to team up."
Yang Kai's interest was piqued. "You mean our positions after entering aren't fixed?"
He had entered various secret realms and independent spaces to train more than once, so he had considerable experience in this regard. The moment Kang Siran explained, a possibility came to mind.
"Precisely." Kang Siran nodded gravely. "The space inside the Five-Colored Pagoda is an ancient battlefield. The laws of heaven and earth are severely fractured, and there are countless unpredictable factors. Even martial artists who enter together will appear in different locations. I had originally hoped to join forces with Alchemist Yang, but now it seems that was nothing more than wishful thinking."
Yang Kai smiled faintly. "If we can't team up, neither can anyone else. In that case, everyone will be on their own—each relying on their own ability."
"Alchemist Yang is absolutely right. I came to the same conclusion, which is why I specifically came to warn you. Once you're inside, you must proceed with extreme caution. The Five-Colored Pagoda contains any number of natural traps and restrictions born of heaven and earth itself. For Void King Realm cultivators like us, falling into one could easily mean death. The Star God Palace loses countless Disciples in there every single year. You must not let your guard down."
"Thank you for the warning, Shopkeeper Kang. I'll be careful." Yang Kai nodded gently.
The two stood in place and chatted idly for a while.
"Oh, right, Shopkeeper Kang—who are the people sitting up there?" Yang Kai gestured with his eyes toward the elevated platform in front of the City Lord's residence.
Kang Siran gave a sheepish laugh. "To be honest, I only recognize three of them. Counting from the left, the second one is Lord Lou Chi, Vice President of the Purple Source Commerce Association. The third is Lord Zeng Yuan, Vice President of the Seven Luminaries Commerce Association. The one in the center is Lord Xiao Yuyang, Silver Star Envoy of the Star God Palace. As for the rest… I only know where they're from—not their names."
Yang Kai nodded and was about to say something when Mo Xiaoqi's voice came from beside them: "The first on the left is Chen Wenhao from the Heavenly Martial Sacred Land. The first on the right is Feng Ming from the Wuhua Hall. The second on the right is Gao Xueting from the Qingyang Divine Temple."
Yang Kai and Kang Siran both turned to stare at Mo Xiaoqi in astonishment.
"You know all of them?" Yang Kai asked.
Mo Xiaoqi giggled. "I've seen the names and portraits of quite a few Emperor Realm powerhouses, so I know a thing or two. Among these people, only Silver Star Envoy Xiao Yuyang is a second-stage Emperor Realm—everyone else is first-stage."
"Young lady, your knowledge is truly impressive! This old man is filled with admiration!" Kang Siran clasped his fists together with a look of genuine respect.
Mo Xiaoqi waved her hands hurriedly. "It's nothing, really."
Yang Kai's expression shifted subtly, because when Kang Siran had introduced those Emperor Realm powerhouses, he had appended "Lord" to every name—even when no one else could hear—as a mark of respect. But Mo Xiaoqi had addressed them all by name without any honorifics, showing that the girl didn't particularly care about deferring to such powerful figures.
Still… it was remarkable that a tiny city like Maple Forest City had gathered a full six Emperor Realm powerhouses. It seemed every top-tier faction in the Southern Region had sent representatives. This was an event of truly historic proportions.
No wonder even City Lord Duan Yuanshan had to stand off to the side with a forced smile.
The hour had not yet arrived. Though the assembled martial artists were growing anxious, none dared show it. Furthermore, few dared raise their voices in the plaza before the City Lord's residence—with six Emperor Realm powerhouses seated above, who would dare cause a disturbance?