None of the many powerful demon clan members knew why Yi Quan was laughing so happily.
Finally, Bai Lu stepped forward and asked softly, "My Lord, that elder… who exactly is he?"
She had obviously noticed that the old man was extraordinary, but she simply couldn't recall anyone of such stature in the entire world.
Yi Quan gazed in a certain direction and spoke slowly. "Ten thousand years ago — the Holy War!"
"The Holy War!" Bai Lu's delicate body trembled, her beautiful eyes flashing with a terrifying light as she exclaimed in shock. "Could it be that this elder…?"
Yi Quan nodded slightly. "With this elder stepping in, that little brat Yang will surely be safe and sound." At this point, he furrowed his brows ever so slightly, as if something were troubling him.
……
Shenyou City, inside the royal palace.
Three hundred zhang underground, there existed a heavenly prison, its environment harsh and unbearable to anyone confined within.
Though this heavenly prison was a place for holding prisoners, it was essentially useless most of the time. Within the entire Shenyou Kingdom, no one dared to break the law — and if they did, they were killed on the spot, making this place entirely unnecessary.
So the heavenly prison was merely a symbolic existence. Many people weren't even sure whether it was anything more than a rumor.
And at this moment, Yang Kai and several others were locked inside this prison, separated from one another by iron bars.
All around them, captured warriors from this recent sweep were shouting about their innocence.
No guards paid them any attention.
Seizing the opportunity, Yang Kai and the others quietly exchanged whatever intelligence they each possessed.
In truth, there wasn't much to share. Essentially, Zhou Dian had led forces into the Heavenly Monster Mountain to capture the Calamity Star, and practically every human warrior who had been training inside had been rounded up. Yang Kai and his group were no exception.
Everyone figured they were simply unfortunate bystanders caught in the crossfire.
With things as they were, all their hopes rested on Gao Xueting.
She had led the team into the Shenyou World, but after delivering them to the Heavenly Monster Mountain, she had departed on her own to handle some unknown matter.
If she received word of their capture, she would certainly try to mount a rescue.
But with her strength at only the first level of the Emperor Realm, she likely wouldn't have the power to do much. Yang Kai could only hope she had some way to contact Wen Zishan outside. If Hall Master Wen himself entered the Shenyou World, there might still be a sliver of hope.
Just as these thoughts ran through his mind, a set of footsteps suddenly echoed from outside the prison, accompanied by an Emperor Realm pressure descending from above.
In an instant, everyone fell silent.
The footsteps continued inward until they reached a certain position, where they stopped. A finger was pointed at a warrior locked in one of the cells. "The King's orders — bring him out."
The voice belonged to Vice Commander Yu Man.
"Understood!" A guard who had followed her hurriedly unlocked the cell door.
Yang Kai and the others all changed color at once.
There was no mistaking it — the person Yu Man had pointed to was none other than Xia Sheng, the chief disciple of the Green Sun Temple.
Soon, shouting erupted from Xia Sheng's direction, as though he was struggling, but after the guards gave him a rough lesson, Xia Sheng had no choice but to comply and resigned himself to his fate.
Shortly after, Yu Man took Xia Sheng away.
Though Yang Kai and the others wished to intervene, they were powerless to do anything, and could only silently pray that Xia Sheng's good fortune would see him through.
During their anxious wait — no more than a quarter of an hour had passed — footsteps sounded outside once more.
Yang Kai quickly looked toward the corridor, and what he saw made his expression darken.
Xia Sheng now stared ahead with vacant eyes, his entire body trembling and spasming continuously, as though he had suffered some tremendous harm. Led by the guard, he stumbled back to his cell like a walking corpse.
No one knew what he had endured to end up in such a wretched state, but the sight naturally filled everyone with dread. Murong Xiaoxiao was especially overcome with grief and began to cry softly.
She didn't dare call out to Xia Sheng — she could only weep in silence.
Yu Man returned once more. She stood at a certain spot and looked around, then pointed her finger. "This one!"
Xiao Baiyi's face changed sharply.
Because the person Yu Man had pointed to was him.
The guard opened the cell door again and escorted Xiao Baiyi away.
After they had gone, Yang Kai hurried over to Xia Sheng and called to him in a low voice, but Xia Sheng was utterly unresponsive, as though his very soul had departed his body.
"Junior Brother Yang… will Brother Xia Sheng be all right?" Murong Xiaoxiao asked with worry.
Yang Kai shook his head. "I don't know either. But judging by the way Brother Xia Sheng looks, it seems he hasn't sustained any serious physical injuries. Perhaps his soul is just a bit unstable — some rest should set him right."
What he was truly curious about was what exactly Xia Sheng had gone through to end up like this.
If his power hadn't been sealed, he could have released his spiritual sense for a thorough examination and might have picked up on some clues. Unfortunately, he couldn't muster even a shred of his strength now and could only rely on observation and speculation.
He offered Murong Xiaoxiao a few words of comfort, though inside, anxiety gnawed at him.
Glancing around and confirming that no one was paying attention to him, Yang Kai quickly moved to a dark corner and sat down cross-legged.
He did his best to calm his mind, focusing his spirit inward.