The nameless valley was as desolate as ever, its spiritual energy thoroughly drained. The oval-shaped gate of light stood erect in midair, with warriors filtering out of it one by one — some beaming with joy, clearly having struck it rich inside the Four Seasons Realm, others slumping with dejection, seemingly disappointed by what they'd obtained.
No matter how they'd looked before, the instant they crossed through that exit gate, every single person's expression underwent a dramatic transformation. Their entire bodies went cold, and beads of cold sweat rolled down their foreheads.
It wasn't hard to understand why. At this very moment, six Emperor Realm powerhouses were lined up in a row, their gazes locked on the exit like tigers watching prey. The moment anyone stepped out, six threads of Emperor Realm Divine Sense would sweep over them in unison.
Who could withstand that kind of pressure?
Fortunately, the six Emperor Realm cultivators harbored no ill intent — they were simply conducting thorough inspections. The pressure came fast and left just as quickly, vanishing in the blink of an eye.
Most people had no idea what these six mighty figures were doing. After exiting, they immediately scurried off to the side with their tails between their legs. But those with sharper minds had already deduced why the six had taken up this formation, standing guard at the exit.
And so the six Emperor Realm cultivators stared at the gate, their eyes unblinking, for the better part of a full day.
At some point, a figure flashed out from the long-dormant gate of light.
All six Emperor Realm cultivators immediately turned their gazes toward it.
The figure appeared somewhat caught off guard, though his reaction was remarkably swift. In an instant he channeled his full Source Strength and Divine Sense to resist that crushing pressure. But the next moment, a frown creased his brow, and a look of puzzlement crossed his face — because he realized the pressure bearing down on him actually came from the seniors of the various Great Sects.
"Good, good, good!" Feng Ming of the Wuhua Palace watched Wuchang emerge from the Four Seasons Realm and kept repeating the word "good" under his breath, a smile on his face. "Wuchang, step aside for now."
At these words, a flicker of contemplation passed through Wuchang's eyes, and he moved off to one side to stand and wait.
Hot on his heels were three more figures — none other than Xia Sheng and his two companions from the Green Sun Divine Temple.
The moment they appeared, Xia Sheng's face was drenched in sweat as he stammered, "Lords… what's all this about? Surely you're not… welcoming us? What have we done to deserve—"
"If you don't shut up, I'll toss you right back in!" Xiao Yuyang snorted coldly.
Xia Sheng immediately shrank into his collar and fell silent, hurrying off to the side with Xiao Baiyi and Murong Xiaoxiao in tow.
It took roughly ten breaths after those three emerged before Yang Kai's figure finally appeared at the exit.
Gao Xueting let out a soft, involuntary sigh of relief and murmured, "He's finally out."
"So this is the kid?" Xiao Yuyang turned his head toward Gao Xueting.
She gave a slight nod.
"Good!" Xiao Yuyang threw his head back and laughed. "Making me wait all this time — I want to see if this brat really grew an extra head and arms!"
As he spoke, he thrust out his hand, reaching directly toward Yang Kai.
Before Yang Kai had even found his footing, he felt a tremendous binding force descend upon him. The power was so overwhelming that resistance was utterly beyond him. In an instant he was pinned in place, and then he was wrenched forward and dragged straight in front of Xiao Yuyang.
"What's going on?!" Yang Kai shouted, his expression one of shock.
He'd thought he was being ambushed!
Looking up, he found six Emperor Realm powerhouses all gazing at him with burning intensity — their stares were reminiscent of six wolves ogling a girl who'd just stripped bare.
Even Gao Xueting was no exception.
Yang Kai recognized every last one of them. Gao Xueting and Xiao Yuyang went without saying, and the other four he'd already encountered back in Mapleleaf City.
After a brief moment of thought, Yang Kai more or less understood what was going on here.
Though he'd braced himself for this long ago, now that the moment had actually arrived, he couldn't help but feel a certain helplessness…
"What's going on? What is this?!" Yang Kai bellowed.
"Don't be afraid — no one's going to hurt you," Gao Xueting offered in a reassuring tone.
"Let's talk this out properly, gentlemen! A wise man uses his words, not his fists! Enemies are best made into friends — fortunes shift with the tides! Don't look down on a young man just because he's poor!" Yang Kai chattered on without pause.
"Enough noise, boy!" Xiao Yuyang snorted, and his hand shot out to snatch something from Yang Kai.
Before Yang Kai could even react, the Spatial Ring on his hand had been plucked away.
"Robbery?!" Yang Kai was flabbergasted, staring wide-eyed at Xiao Yuyang. "Bullying the weak with your strength, the old preying on the young — is there even any law around here?!"
"Hmm?" Xiao Yuyang's Divine Sense was already sweeping through Yang Kai's Spatial Ring, though this didn't impair his train of thought in the slightest. He let out a dismissive hum from his nose that made Yang Kai's bravado shrink by half, then sneered: "Law? In this place, I am the law. Got a problem with that?"
"If that's how my lord sees it…" Yang Kai shrugged, thoroughly resigned. "Then there's nothing I can do about it."