After a brief discussion, the white-robed man immediately slipped into the cavern and stepped onto a teleportation array. He produced several Source Crystals and placed them into the grooves around the array's perimeter, then formed a series of hand seals. The array activated at once.
Accompanied by a low hum and faint ripples of spatial energy, the white-robed man vanished in an instant.
The other Jiang Family cultivator standing guard here watched this, then withdrew his gaze and closed his eyes once more to rest.
About an incense stick's time later, near a small earthen mound roughly three li from the cavern, a small beast suddenly descended from the sky. Close behind it, the figures of Mo Xiaoqi and Yang Kai appeared.
The small beast twitched its nose toward the cavern ahead, then let out a squeak.
Mo Xiaoqi's delicate brows furrowed slightly as she turned to Yang Kai with a worried look. "Brother Yang, Little Bat says Ruoxi's aura vanished inside that cave."
Yang Kai's expression turned solemn. He immediately released his divine sense toward the cavern.
A moment later, he murmured in surprise. "A teleportation array?"
"There's a teleportation array in there?" Mo Xiaoqi asked, her face full of astonishment as she looked at Yang Kai.
Yang Kai nodded. "There is. And it appears to have been used recently — there are lingering traces of spatial energy fluctuations around the area. There's a Void King Realm First Stage cultivator standing guard inside... It seems we've come to the right place."
"Should we break in?" Mo Xiaoqi asked tentatively.
"Of course!" Yang Kai nodded. Then suddenly, his expression changed, and he barked in a low voice, "No good — Ruoxi might be in danger!"
It had just struck him that he had only recently gathered intelligence from the Jiang Family, and now someone had activated a teleportation array here. This could very well be connected to the Jiang Family — perhaps their higher-ups had relayed some order, possibly to silence Zhang Ruoxi by killing her.
At that thought, Yang Kai grew tense. He abandoned any attempt at concealment, and with a flicker of movement, shot toward the cavern at full speed.
Inside the cavern, the Jiang Family cultivator on guard was sharp enough to sense something the instant Yang Kai moved. His eyes snapped open just in time to see a streak of light hurtling toward him. His face drained of color.
Surging his Sacred Energy, he sprang to his feet, his expression dark and hostile as he stared ahead.
But the moment Yang Kai's aura engulfed him, the Jiang Family cultivator's face went deathly pale, and he cried out involuntarily, "Dao Source Realm!"
He was merely a Void King Realm First Stage cultivator. His personal domain had only just begun to coalesce — how could he possibly stand against a Dao Source Realm powerhouse?
Before the words had even left his lips, Yang Kai was already before him, pressing a casual palm against his chest. The man felt an immense force slam into him, sending his body tumbling backward through the air. Blood sprayed from his mouth in mid-flight, and by the time he hit the ground, he had already lost consciousness.
Yang Kai hadn't struck to kill. After all, he still didn't understand the full picture of Zhang Ruoxi's situation or her relationship with the Jiang Family, and he couldn't bring himself to kill indiscriminately.
However, that palm strike would keep the man unconscious for several days at a minimum — more than enough time for Yang Kai to figure everything out.
Landing softly, Yang Kai immediately turned his attention to the teleportation array within the cavern.
Mo Xiaoqi arrived moments later.
After a brief inspection, Yang Kai let out a soft exclamation.
"Brother Yang, did you find something?" Mo Xiaoqi asked.
"This array... wasn't set up by the Jiang Family, and it wasn't placed recently. It looks like it's quite old." Yang Kai frowned.
The teleportation array in the cavern was ancient and weathered, bearing countless marks of passing years. It had clearly been here for a very long time. It had remained hidden inside a cave in this desolate mountain range, so it was unlikely to have been discovered by just anyone.
He had no idea how the Jiang Family had learned of this place, or where they had been using it to teleport to.
"Could there be some secret hidden here?" Mo Xiaoqi's curiosity was immediately piqued, her beautiful eyes gleaming with an unusual light as she studied the array intently.
"We can look into it later." Yang Kai's thoughts were consumed with Zhang Ruoxi's safety, and he had no patience for a careful investigation. He flickered onto the array, and Mo Xiaoqi nodded and stepped on as well.
Yang Kai immediately channeled his own spatial power into the array.
The next instant, the array hummed to life, and with a flash of light, both of them vanished.
Neither knew how many zhang underground they had traveled, but they materialized in a dark, damp environment.
Before they could even survey their surroundings, a voice roared, "Who are you? How dare you trespass upon the Jiang Family's secret grounds!"
The shout was followed by two savage attacks, one from each side, crashing toward them without warning or mercy. Judging from the energy fluctuations of the strikes, both attackers were Void King Realm Third Stage cultivators!
Yang Kai's gaze turned ice-cold. Without even looking, he bellowed a single word: "Freeze!"
The power of spatial law surged outward. The surrounding space obeyed his command, instantly becoming rigid and immovable.
The attacks that had been mere moments from striking Yang Kai and Mo Xiaoqi dissipated in an uncanny fashion, revealing two figures standing on either side.