In the middle of this desolate wilderness, Yang Kai had suddenly told her to take off her clothes, and in a tone that brooked no argument. Liu Xianyun was naturally both angry and embarrassed, and her thoughts inevitably veered in a somewhat improper direction.
Yang Kai explained, "Yao Changjun marked that jade box, which is how he's been tracking our position. I don't know whether he marked your clothes as well, but it's better to be safe. Change into a different outfit."
Only after hearing this explanation did Liu Xianyun realize what Yang Kai actually meant. Understanding that she had completely misread his intentions, her face flushed a deep shade of embarrassment.
She wasn't the type of timid girl to dither and fuss about it. Once she understood the situation, she immediately began to undress.
Before long, she had changed into a fresh set of clothes and set the old ones ablaze with a single flick of her palm.
Three thousand li away, Yao Changjun's figure suddenly halted, his expression turning an ugly shade of iron-grey. Just moments ago, he had sensed that the tracking mark he had placed had vanished without a trace.
Back in that teahouse, after snatching the jade box from Yang Kai, he had immediately branded it with a mark. It wasn't that he could predict the future — it was simply caution. He had waited two hundred years in Gao City before finally laying eyes on the Divine Beauty Heaven-Mending Lotus. How could he not be careful?
That caution had served him well, allowing him to stay on Yang Kai's trail for the past five days.
But just now, the mark had disappeared.
Yao Changjun immediately understood that Yang Kai must have discovered the mark and erased it. What he could not wrap his head around, however, was how — how could a mere Dao Source Realm Third Stage ant possibly remove a mark that he had placed?
The gap in their strength was not an illusion.
In that instant, Yao Changjun was consumed by both fury and desperation. He threw his head back and howled toward the sky, "Boy! Even if I have to tear the earth apart, I will drag you back!"
Without the mark to guide him, Yao Changjun still refused to give up. The Divine Beauty Heaven-Mending Lotus was not something one encountered every day. This chance encounter had been nothing short of serendipity, and if he let it slip away, he might never see another such opportunity for the rest of his life.
He swore a silent oath. No matter what it took, he would find Yang Kai, tear him to shreds, and reclaim the Heaven-Mending Lotus.
Deep within the Desolate Void Ridge, Yang Kai's expression was grim.
Though he had thrown off Yao Changjun for good, his situation had not improved in the slightest — this cursed place had gotten him lost.
He asked Liu Xianyun, but she shook her head as well. She had only ventured this deep once before, and getting out last time had been pure luck.
The surrounding environment all looked as if it had been stamped from the same mold. Yang Kai had been wandering in circles for the better part of the day and had no idea whether he was going in circles or not. Even his Divine Sense could not extend very far — some kind of mysterious force here was suppressing his spiritual perception.
At one moment, Yang Kai suddenly stopped, his expression grave as he scanned his surroundings.
"Senior Brother, what's wrong?" Liu Xianyun asked nervously.
"Do you feel it?" Yang Kai asked. "The ground — it's moving."
Liu Xianyun broke into a cold sweat. Though Yang Kai's tone was calm, the implications of those words sent a chill crawling up her spine.
"Perhaps it's just my imagination..." Yang Kai murmured to himself.
Liu Xianyun swallowed hard and said softly, "Senior Brother, there's always been a saying about the Desolate Void Ridge..."
"What saying?"
"Some people say that the Desolate Void Ridge... is alive." Liu Xianyun's pretty face had gone white.
"Alive?" Yang Kai raised an eyebrow.
Liu Xianyun nodded. "The terrain of the Desolate Void Ridge is constantly changing, which is why no one has ever been able to produce a reliable map. Sometimes a particular area shifts rapidly, and other times the changes are so gradual that no one even notices. But most people believe that the Desolate Void Ridge is alive."
Yang Kai furrowed his brow in thought for a long moment. Then his eyes suddenly lit up. "That theory may not be entirely accurate, but there's definitely some basis to it."
"What do you mean?" Liu Xianyun looked at him in confusion.
Yang Kai said, "Junior Sister, you've always stayed near the outer regions of the Ridge, haven't you? And you've frequently found useful treasures out there?"
"That's right," Liu Xianyun answered. "And it's not just me — plenty of people in Gao City have had the same experience."
Yang Kai nodded. "If so many people spend years foraging along the outer perimeter, then logically speaking, the outer area should be completely picked clean. Even if there were once good things to be found, someone would have taken them long ago. And yet you keep finding treasures there..."
"That's exactly what's always puzzled me," Liu Xianyun agreed. She had never understood why. She had visited the Desolate Void Ridge many times, and aside from the occasional unlucky trip where she found nothing, she had always managed to turn up something useful for her Cultivation along the outer edges.