Only after Yang Kai's reminder did Yu Ying snap back to reality. She wasted no time, immediately beginning to strip off her clothes. In short order she had peeled herself bare, leaving only a set of intimate undergarments — and even those were thin as cicada wings, practically transparent.
Yang Kai's face went dark. He couldn't help but say, "Junior Sister Yu, what are you doing?"
Yu Ying replied, "I can't sense where that seal is at all. Hopefully it's on my clothes."
Yang Kai said flatly, "It's on your shoulder. Focus your mind and sense it!"
This Soul-Dispersing Seal was truly well-hidden. If Yang Kai hadn't possessed soul strength far beyond the norm, he probably wouldn't have been able to detect it so easily. Now, with his guidance, Yu Ying quickly gathered her Divine Sense and probed toward her own delicate shoulder.
A moment later, her expression brightened — she had clearly found it.
It was unclear what secret technique she employed, but as the two of them fled, Yang Kai could feel the Soul-Dispersing Seal gradually fading until it vanished entirely.
Only then did Yu Ying let out a breath of relief and retrieve a fresh set of clothes from her Space Ring, dressing herself once more.
With the Soul-Dispersing Seal gone, as long as they ran a little faster and shook off the people from Brahma Heaven Holy Land behind them, they would be safe.
Having put her mind at ease, Yu Ying said, "I should thank Senior Brother Feng for what happened earlier."
Yang Kai replied evenly, "No need for thanks."
Sensing his coldness, Yu Ying's expression dimmed slightly. She wondered whether this Senior Brother Feng might bear a grudge against her because of what had just happened. After all, what she had done was indeed rather extreme — anyone would have been angry.
After fleeing for another half an hour, Yu Ying had gone pale and was gasping for breath. Her secret technique, while effective, carried a considerable cost. The fact that she had held out this long was already remarkable.
Seeing that her speed had slowed considerably, Yang Kai had no choice but to bring out his wooden boat. "Get on. I'll carry you!"
Yu Ying nodded and hopped directly onto the wooden boat, settling into a cross-legged position. She stuffed spirit pills into her mouth to recover while pulling out a Transmission Compass, continuously feeding messages into it — seemingly trying to make contact with the Disciples of the Yellow Springs Sect.
Watching her like this, Yang Kai's heart surged with quiet anticipation. He was practically itching for Yu Ying to reach Yin Lesheng in one go.
The Brahma Heaven Holy Land people seemed to have been shaken off entirely. Yang Kai released his Divine Sense but couldn't detect any trace of their auras.
A day later, Yu Ying's beautiful eyes suddenly lit up, and she called out softly, "Senior Brother Feng, I've found our Sect's people!"
Yang Kai's spirits rose. "Who?"
Yu Ying replied, "It's Senior Brother Zhong Zhenyong. Have you heard of him?"
It wasn't Yin Lesheng. Yang Kai couldn't help but feel a twinge of disappointment, but he answered, "I'm not well-versed in the Eastern Territory's situation. I've never been there either, so I haven't heard of this Senior Brother Zhong."
Yu Ying smiled. "Senior Brother Zhong ranks among the top three in our Sect's Dao Source Realm. With his protection, we won't need to fear the Brahma Heaven Holy Land. Let's go find him now."
"Alright — point me in the right direction!" Yang Kai nodded.
Even though it wasn't Yin Lesheng that Yu Ying had reached, Yang Kai figured he might still be able to get some information about Yin Lesheng from this Zhong Zhenyong. Perhaps the man knew something.
Under Yu Ying's direction, Yang Kai altered course and sped toward a certain location.
An hour later, a figure standing upright in the void came into view. Yang Kai guided the wooden boat up to the person, and before it had even come to a full stop, Yu Ying leaped off with a joyful cry. "Senior Brother Zhong!"
"Junior Sister Yu." Zhong Zhenyong gave Yu Ying a warm smile. His gaze lifted and swept casually over Yang Kai. "This must be the Senior Brother Feng you mentioned?"
He nailed Yang Kai's assumed surname in a single sentence — clearly, Yu Ying had already told him about Yang Kai before arriving.
Yu Ying nodded. "That's right, Senior Brother Zhong. The fact that I arrived here safe and sound is all thanks to Senior Brother Feng."
Zhong Zhenyong was reasonably handsome and carried himself with an amiable air, showing no particular arrogance. He looked Yang Kai up and down and said, "Junior Sister Yu tells me you come from the same Great Desolation Star Domain as Junior Brother Yin, and that you're a Star Lord?"
Yang Kai clasped his fists politely. "Feng indeed hails from the Great Desolation Star Domain, just like Senior Brother Yin, and holds the position of Star Lord. I haven't seen Senior Brother Yin in many years and missed him dearly, which is why I took the liberty of coming here with Junior Sister Yu. I hope Senior Brother Zhong will forgive the presumption."
Zhong Zhenyong laughed heartily. "No matter, no matter! If you intend to join our Yellow Springs Sect, then we may well be fellow brothers in the future. No need for such formalities."
Yu Ying said, "Senior Brother Zhong, this isn't a good place to talk. Senior Brother Feng and I were chased here by Chang Hao and Chang Xian of Brahma Heaven Holy Land. I'm not sure whether they're still pursuing us, so perhaps we can talk as we go?"
"Chang Hao and Chang Xian!" Zhong Zhenyong's gaze turned cold at the mention. His voice dropped. "They dared to chase you? What did they want?"
Yu Ying replied sheepishly, "I... accidentally killed Deng Yong..."
Zhong Zhenyong looked at her with exasperation. "He died of yang depletion, didn't he? How many times have I told you not to boost your strength that way? It destabilizes your foundation, and sooner or later something serious is going to—"
"Alright, alright!" Yu Ying cut him off quickly, not wanting him to air her embarrassing secrets in front of Yang Kai. She coaxed, "Let's just get moving. We owe our safety to Senior Brother Feng earlier — he's my lifesaver, you know."
"Then you really ought to treat him better in the future," Zhong Zhenyong said with a faint smile.