Hearing this, Yang Kai's expression relaxed.
Xiao Yuyang said solemnly, "Let me make this clear—I haven't been waiting here to seize your spirit pills. It's simply that a common man commits no crime by himself, but possessing a treasure makes him guilty. With your level of cultivation, if you were to carry Grand Myriad Pills on you, you'd have nothing but trouble ahead."
Yang Kai nodded repeatedly. "Understood. I appreciate Lord Xiao's concern."
He knew that while Xiao Yuyang's words sounded pleasant enough, his real aim was to get Yang Kai's Grand Myriad Pills. Of course, calling it outright robbery wasn't quite right either—he would certainly offer some form of compensation.
Still, Xiao Yuyang wasn't wrong. If Yang Kai really did have extra Grand Myriad Pills on hand, he could forget about ever having peace again. Warriors at the Dao Source Realm didn't bother him, but what about those at the Emperor Realm?
Emperor Realm experts certainly didn't need Grand Myriad Pills anymore, but which Emperor Realm expert didn't have junior disciples or relatives? Grand Myriad Pills would be just as enormously attractive to them.
When that happened, countless Emperor Realm powerhouses would surely descend upon him, hunting him down from every direction.
But now, with this whole affair, the fact that all the Grand Myriad Pills Yang Kai had refined were completely used up had been verified—and confirmed not only by Xiao Yuyang but by five other Emperor Realm powerhouses as well.
Surely no one would bother Yang Kai in the future, trying to squeeze Grand Myriad Pills out of him.
In a certain sense, Yang Kai really should be grateful to Xiao Yuyang.
By this point, Yang Kai's spatial ring had already passed into Gao Xueting's hands. The other five had finished their inspection and found nothing of note. Gao Xueting didn't bother wasting her effort either, returning the spatial ring directly to Yang Kai.
Yang Kai slipped the ring back on, then looked at Xiao Yuyang and said, "If Lord Xiao has no other business… this junior will take his leave."
"Mm." Xiao Yuyang nodded lightly, then looked at him again. "I have a suggestion, if you're willing to hear it."
"Any guidance from Lord Xiao would be an honor," Yang Kai quickly replied, straightening his expression.
Seeing how accommodating he was, Xiao Yuyang's demeanor softened considerably. He said in a deep voice, "Bite off more than you can chew!"
Yang Kai raised an eyebrow, a thoughtful look crossing his face. Cupping his fists, he said, "Thank you for the reminder, my lord. This junior understands."
"That's for the best. You may leave." Xiao Yuyang waved his hand.
Yang Kai then made his way out, arriving at the gathering point of the Azure Sun Divine Temple disciples, where he found a seat.
At that moment, within the nameless valley, numerous warriors had gathered in groups, organized by sects and family clans, taking a brief rest before departure.
But judging by the numbers, at least a third fewer had returned compared to thirty-three days ago. Those warriors who hadn't made it back had obviously met with some misfortune inside the Four Seasons Land.
In this world, any secret realm, any place of trial, comes with its own risks alongside the opportunities—and the path of a warrior's growth has always wandered between life and death.
This was a fate every warrior had to face, one no warrior could avoid!
Warriors cultivating was like the great waves washing over sand—filtering out layer by layer, only the strongest remaining in the end.
While Yang Kai was resting, Bian Yuqing and Kou Wu came over to bid him farewell.
The Jade Feather Sect had only sent the two of them to the Four Seasons Land this time. They'd been reasonably lucky—though they hadn't gained any great fortunes or harvests, they had at least returned safely.
Now that the Four Seasons Land was about to close, the two of them naturally needed to return to the Jade Feather Sect.
Yang Kai chatted with them for a while, then watched them leave.
He didn't waste effort asking Bian Yuqing not to tell Wu Mengshan about him, because he knew she would definitely report every detail of this trip to Wu Mengshan upon her return, and information about him would inevitably reach the old man's ears.
Yang Kai was quite wary of that fellow. He could only silently make up his mind that until he was strong enough, he would absolutely not meet that old man face to face, lest he get schemed against.
About another hour passed, and with a hum that resonated between heaven and earth, the entrance light gate of the nameless valley vanished without a trace. The Four Seasons Land was now completely sealed, and no one knew when it would open again.
By this time, the expedition to the Four Seasons Land was truly over. Warriors from various sects and families began departing one after another. On the far side, Gao Xueting exchanged a few words with Xiao Yuyang, then summoned the tower ship, carrying the Azure Sun Divine Temple disciples on their way back.
The Azure Sun Divine Temple hadn't suffered great losses this time. Besides Yang Kai, who was an outsider, they had come with nineteen disciples, and only four were missing on the return trip.
Such losses fell within Gao Xueting's acceptable range—much smaller than what other sects had endured.
But people had died after all. On the way back, the disciples' spirits were low. They simply meditated in silence, consolidating the gains they had made within the Four Seasons Land.
At some point, Gao Xueting's voice suddenly reached Yang Kai's ears. He hurriedly opened his eyes and looked out to see the Azure Sun Divine Temple's Elder Gao standing with her back to him on the deck of the tower ship, her long hair billowing and her robes fluttering in the wind, as if gazing at the distant scenery. Her graceful silhouette only added to the beauty between heaven and earth.