"Heh heh heh..." Yang Kai forced himself to stand, holding the Soul-Slaying Blade and pointing it at the woman from afar. A subtle arc rose at the corner of his lips. "To receive such praise from Granny is truly an honor for this junior!"
The woman's expression shifted slightly, her voice turning cold. "What did you say?"
Yang Kai shook his head, a mocking look on his face. "Do you still intend to play dumb at this point? Must this junior spell out your identity... Granny You!"
The moment the name Granny You left his lips, the woman's expression froze, turning cold as ice.
Yang Kai continued, "Originally, this junior was a bit puzzled, wondering where exactly I might have seen you. I felt your appearance was somewhat familiar, but I couldn't for the life of me place it..."
"Then when did you remember?" The woman seemed to make no move to deny Yang Kai's guess, asking with apparent interest, completely ignoring the Soul-Devouring Insects swarming around her protective barrier.
"It was simply connecting the dots," Yang Kai grinned. "There are so many people imprisoned in the Celestial Prison, yet you specifically seek out only the martial artists from the Azure Sun Divine Temple? There must be a particular reason. Either you know all of them, or there is something different about them compared to the native cultivators. Everyone here is a spirit body projection, so there isn't much inherent difference. In other words, the reason you only meet with them is because you recognize them and want something from them... Hmm, as for what you're looking for, it's probably the Warm Divine Lotus."
"Furthermore, you mentioned Hall Master Wen's name earlier and put on such an act of having an irreconcilable hatred with him, that instant of ferocious expression..." Yang Kai smiled slightly. "It makes one think of many things."
It was precisely because he had faintly heard her shout Wen Zishan's name that he had suddenly pieced it all together.
The woman before him was none other than Granny You, the guardian of the Divine Wanderer Mirror. That's why he had found her somewhat familiar at first glance. As the long-time guardian of the Mirror, it was only natural she could move freely within it.
However, Granny You had always appeared elderly and decrepit, while the woman before him was beautiful as a flower. At first, Yang Kai hadn't linked the two together.
"So you've recognized this Empress?" she said coldly.
Yang Kai retorted with sarcasm, "An old hag runs over here and transforms into a stunning beauty, and you still have the nerve to refer to yourself as 'this Empress'?"
Granny You sneered repeatedly, "Are you trying to enrage me? If so, your methods are far too childish."
Seeing his ploy seen through, Yang Kai couldn't help but curl his lips.
He knew full well that facing a powerhouse like Granny You, he might have a sliver of a chance to survive in the outside world, but within this Divine Wanderer realm, her strength would be maximally boosted. He had no hope of winning, let alone escaping. His only hope was that she might make a mistake in a fit of rage. That was why he was being so sharp-tongued, yet she had seen through him in an instant.
"You do have some brain," Granny You gave Yang Kai a slight nod, offering praise. "If I'm not mistaken, you used these Soul-Devouring Insects to break the seals within your body, didn't you?"
"And what if I did?" Yang Kai's attitude suddenly became arrogant. He pointed the Soul-Slaying Blade directly at Granny You. "Old hag, you'd better be sensible. Since you recognize the Soul-Devouring Insects, you naturally know their power. Let this great master out quietly. Otherwise, one command from this great master, and they'll devour you until not even bones remain!"
He spoke as if he could truly kill Granny You right here.
"Hmph! If these insects had another few decades or centuries to grow, perhaps I might fear them a little. But these insects of yours?" Granny You scoffed in disdain. Her beautiful body trembled slightly, shaking off the surrounding Soul-Devouring Insects.
Many of the insects were sent spinning dizzily, flying about like headless flies, but they quickly recovered and once again swarmed around Granny You.
"Since we've laid things out so plainly, then this Empress will speak frankly with you." Granny You ignored the insects outside her barrier and addressed Yang Kai. "You will obediently erase the mark on the Warm Divine Lotus and hand this treasure over to me. I will certainly not mistreat you."
"On what grounds?" Yang Kai shouted angrily.
"What do you think?" Granny You sneered coldly.
Yang Kai put on a helpless expression, hesitated for a moment, then said, "Let's set that issue aside for now. Before that, I want to ask a question."
"What?"
"How did you know I possess the Warm Divine Lotus? I've hidden it extremely well; it's never been discovered by anyone."
Granny You's brows furrowed. "I might as well tell you. I have guarded the Divine Wanderer Mirror for over two thousand years. Although I haven't managed to make this extraordinary treasure recognize me as master, I have gained some understanding of it. When your spirit bodies passed through the Mirror and entered this place, I was able to glimpse the condition within your bodies. It was during that moment that I caught a fleeting glimpse and made a discovery..."
"But you weren't certain, were you? So you didn't know if you had seen correctly, nor did you know who carried the Warm Divine Lotus. And you also knew that we would head to the Celestial Demon Mountain for training after entering the Divine Wanderer Mirror. So you ordered Zhou Dian to take people to the mountain and capture the so-called 'Disastrous Star'! Once we were brought back, you could check each of us..." Yang Kai continued her line of reasoning.
"Correct! But I assumed the Warm Divine Lotus was on that boy Xia Sheng. At worst, it would be on Xiao Baiyi. I never expected it to be in your hands, the weakest among them. It was truly a great surprise to me."
Yang Kai nodded, showing he understood.
He finally grasped why, among so many prisoners in the Celestial Prison, only Xia Sheng's group and he had been brought out, and what Granny You had meant by her earlier words about "the final one."