After walking out of the Ice Heart Pavilion, Yang Kai headed straight toward the location of Ling Yinqin and the others' cave abodes, intending to return the repaired Spirit Cleansing Formation.
He had not been walking for long when he suddenly sensed someone staring at him. Yang Kai grew immediately alert and turned his head to look.
Over there, a man was staring wide-eyed in his direction, his expression one of seeing a ghost in broad daylight — utterly comical.
Pang Guang!
Yang Kai was also taken aback. He never expected to run into this City Lord of Gao City here in Heaven Spire City.
Back when the Endless Void Maelstrom had appeared, both he and Yao Changjun had been swallowed into the Endless Void Secret Realm, and Pang Guang — who had been pursuing them — had met the same fate. However, Yao Changjun had been eager to deal with Yang Kai at the time and had feared that Pang Guang's presence might pose a threat to him, so he had blasted Pang Guang away.
Yang Kai had assumed Pang Guang was long dead. Even though the man was a first-level Emperor Realm cultivator, surviving indefinitely in the Endless Void Sea was no small feat.
But it seemed he had been wrong. This man's life was remarkably tenacious — he had actually escaped the Endless Void Sea and, like Yang Kai, made it to Heaven Spire Island. Judging by his travel-worn appearance, he had probably only arrived a few days ago. Yang Kai had no idea how he had managed such a thing.
Yang Kai was shocked that Pang Guang was still alive, but Pang Guang was shocked to a far greater degree!
After all, when he had left, only Yang Kai and Yao Changjun had remained on that muddy island. With Yao Changjun looking as though he was about to devour someone whole, how could Yang Kai possibly have survived? He would surely have been torn to shreds by the enraged Yao Changjun.
Yet here they met again, and Yang Kai was perfectly fine — energetic and thriving!
There was no way Yao Changjun was weaker than Yang Kai. The fact that this kid was still alive had to mean something else was going on — or perhaps Yao Changjun had let him go.
Just as Pang Guang was wondering whether Yao Changjun had also come to Heaven Spire Island, Yang Kai flashed him a fierce grin and drew his thumb across his own throat in a half-circle — a beheading gesture.
Pang Guang's face darkened. Fury surged within him. This brat really was arrogant. If not for the unfamiliarity of this place, he would have taught Yang Kai a lesson long ago.
Though both had spotted each other, neither had any intention of exchanging words. They simply locked eyes for a moment before walking past one another.
Yang Kai wasn't particularly wary of Pang Guang. With the power he currently commanded, a first-level Emperor Realm cultivator simply wasn't enough to pose a serious threat. Moreover, this was the inner city district, where public order was quite well maintained. Yang Kai had been staying here for days and had never once witnessed anyone brawling or causing trouble. The outer district, by contrast, might as well have been an entirely different world.
If Pang Guang dared to make a move here in the inner city, he wouldn't even need to fight back — the law enforcement squad of Heaven Spire City would not let him off easily.
Before long, Yang Kai found the cave abodes where Ling Yinqin and the others resided. The distance from his own abode was indeed quite short. They were all mid-grade cave abodes. Yang Kai handed the repaired Spirit Cleansing Formation back to Ling Yinqin, then stayed at her place as a guest for a while before taking his leave.
Upon returning to his own residence, Liu Xianyun greeted him with an anxious look on her face.
Yang Kai had been gone for an entire day and night, which had her worrying that something might have gone wrong. On the unfamiliar Heaven Spire Island, the only person she knew was Yang Kai. If even he disappeared, she truly would have no idea where to turn.
It felt as though time had reverted to several years ago — the days when the two of them had been forced to join the Emerald Feather Sect.
Back then, she and Yang Kai had been in the same miserable boat, clinging to each other for survival.
Who could have imagined that after several years, they would find themselves in a similar situation once more?
"Senior Brother, I need to leave the city in two days."
"Leave the city? Where are you going?" Liu Xianyun asked, startled.
"I'm not sure where yet. But when I went to that artifact master to have the Spirit Cleansing Formation repaired yesterday, he told me he knows a way to leave the Endless Void Secret Realm, and he needs my help to retrieve something." Yang Kai held nothing back from Liu Xianyun, recounting in full the agreement he had made with Sander.
Hearing this, Liu Xianyun's expression was a mix of joy and worry. She was glad that Yang Kai had already found a way out so quickly, and judging by Sander's tone, the chances of success seemed quite high. But she worried that no one could verify whether Sander's words were true or false, and even if they were, the process was likely fraught with danger.
"Does Senior Brother really have to go?" Liu Xianyun asked, lightly pressing her red lips together.
Yang Kai chuckled. "When hope is right before your eyes, you have to seize it. And don't worry — even if Sander has some scheme or trick up his sleeve, I'm not afraid of him. If the method of escape he claims to know turns out to be false, so be it. If it's real, all the better. But what about you… Will you leave with me, or stay here?"
The reason Yang Kai had told Liu Xianyun all of this was precisely to ask about her plans.
The moment she heard this, Liu Xianyun understood exactly what he meant. If she wanted to leave with Yang Kai, he would certainly take her into that mysterious space and carry her along.