The next day, Yang Kai arrived at the Qin residence early in the morning.
Qin Zhaoyang had already made his preparations, and seeing Yang Kai arrive as promised, he was naturally delighted. After exchanging pleasantries, he said to Yang Kai, "Brother Yang, before we depart, there is something I must hand over to you."
"What is it?" Yang Kai asked.
Qin Zhaoyang gestured to the side, and Qin Yu, who had been waiting nearby, stepped forward with both hands cradling a wooden case. She walked over at a measured pace, stopped before Yang Kai, and regarded him with a smile.
Yang Kai glanced at the wooden case and noticed it was rectangular, roughly four chi in length. The material of the case was far from ordinary, its surface carved with mysterious and wondrous patterns.
From within the case, an energy fluctuation of a distinctly different nature was emanating.
"Hmm?" Yang Kai's brows furrowed instinctively. He sensed immediately that the item inside was something quite extraordinary.
He looked toward Qin Zhaoyang, who nodded at him to open it and take a look.
Yang Kai didn't hesitate. He reached out and opened the wooden case.
A brilliant sword light unfurled lazily from within, so radiant that Yang Kai squinted. Once he made out what lay inside, he couldn't help but exclaim, "This is..."
As he spoke, he reached in and drew out a long sword from the case, murmuring, "An Emperor Treasure?"
The sword was over three chi long, four fingers wide, with a heavy blade. Both faces of the blade were smooth and bare, with only two tiny characters engraved near the hilt.
"Million!"
"One strike to hold back a million — this is the Million Sword, left behind by an ancestor of my Qin Family!" Qin Zhaoyang's expression was solemn as he explained from the side.
Yang Kai raised an eyebrow. "Million Sword? What a bold name!"
Even as he spoke, the blade surged upward. A surge of Source Power drove into it, and the long sword emitted a resonant hum, its body trembling.
It was as if a warrior spirit that had slumbered for countless ages was being awakened once more. Light flowed across the blade's surface, and the sharp hiss of sword qi filled the air.
Seeing this, Qin Zhaoyang's eyes narrowed slightly. A mixture of disappointment and amazement crossed his face. "Brother Yang's strength truly exceeds what this old man can compare to. You can unleash this sword's power without even having refined it!"
This was an Emperor Treasure after all. Even after slumbering for countless ages, it was absolutely not something a mere Dao Source Realm cultivator could hope to activate. Even if Qin Zhaoyang poured every last drop of his own Source Power into the blade, he probably couldn't produce any reaction at all.
What surprised Qin Zhaoyang even more was that Yang Kai, upon learning this was an Emperor Treasure, showed not the slightest hint of shock or excitement — as though in his eyes, it was nothing more than an ordinary object.
"Brother Qin, what does this mean?" Yang Kai casually flicked the sword through a few flourishes and turned to look at Qin Zhaoyang.
Qin Zhaoyang smiled faintly. "If you want the horse to run, you have to let the horse eat grass..."
Before he could finish, he was met with a reproachful glare from Qin Yu.
"Slip of the tongue, slip of the tongue..." Qin Zhaoyang's face flushed with embarrassment. He straightened up and said earnestly, "Please take this sword for self-defense, Brother Yang. The Four Seasons Land is no safe place."
Yang Kai said, "Brother Qin, aren't you afraid I'll just run off with it?"
Qin Yu spoke up from the side. "If Lord Yang truly did something like that, it would be the sword's honor. This sword has been passed down through my ancestors to our generation, buried and forgotten for countless years. I think... it would also hope to find a better master, to embark on a new journey and display its brilliance."
Yang Kai glanced at her, thinking to himself that this girl was quite clever and had a silver tongue.
But hearing Qin Yu put it that way, even if he had been inclined to keep it, he would have been too embarrassed to do so. Besides, he had never intended to claim it as his own.
Emperor Treasures were rare, but it wasn't as though he didn't already have any in his possession. And not just one, at that...
After a moment's thought, Yang Kai said, "I'll keep the Million Sword for now. Once I return from the Four Seasons Land, I'll return it to the Qin Family."
Qin Yu pressed her lips together in a smile and offered a jade slip. "This is the secret method for refining the Million Sword that was left behind by our ancestor. It may be of help to Lord Yang."
Yang Kai took it with a nod but didn't examine it closely. He placed the jade slip and the Million Sword together into his space ring.
"Then... shall we set off?" Qin Zhaoyang waved his hand.
Yang Kai nodded and headed outward alongside him.
"Lord Yang..." Qin Yu called from behind. "Please put your own safety above all else!"
Yang Kai didn't even turn his head, merely waving a distant hand in farewell...
Once outside Maple Forest City, Yang Kai immediately brought out the tower ship artifact he had obtained from the Flying Saint Palace. After he and Qin Zhaoyang boarded, he activated the artifact's power and they surged forward.
Maple Forest City had once possessed a Spatial Array, but after the Demonic Energy had besieged the city last time, Drunken Old Man had completely destroyed it. It couldn't be rebuilt in the short term. The matter would have to be reported to the Star God Palace or some other great Sect so they could send someone to set it up.
Of course, Yang Kai could have helped with that himself, but he had no desire to do so.
His current strength was still low, and the fewer people who knew about his mastery of Space Power, the better.