"Master is still alive…" Old Third's body swayed, and a smile of immense relief spread across her face. Then she burst into hearty laughter. "Master… Master, where are you, Master?"
As she spoke, Old Third suddenly broke into tears again, looking for all the world like a pitiful child who had gotten lost and couldn't find the way home.
Yang Kai's expression darkened instantly. He realized Old Third's condition seemed rather unstable, swinging wildly between extremes.
Whoosh—
Old Third's figure flickered, and she suddenly appeared behind Yang Kai, standing perfectly still. The tear tracks still glistened on her face, but she grinned and said, "So you're here, Master! Let me comb your hair for you!"
With that, she actually reached out and grabbed Yang Kai's messy hair, carefully combing it strand by strand.
What was going on? Yang Kai probed Old Third with his Divine Sense and discovered that although her mind was still in considerable disarray, her expression had settled into something serene. She was grooming his hair with meticulous care, working through it one lock at a time.
Had she mistaken him for Senior Ice Cloud?
But his build bore absolutely no resemblance to Ice Cloud's. They weren't even the same gender — anyone in their right mind couldn't possibly make that mistake. It seemed Old Third's mental confusion was truly severe.
An idea struck him, and Yang Kai suddenly put on a stern face. He spoke in a deep, commanding tone: "Rebellious disciple, do you know your fault?!"
The moment these words left his mouth, Old Third — standing right behind him — flinched violently. Terror flooded her face, and she hurriedly moved from behind him to his front, dropping to her knees with her head bowed low. Her voice trembled: "Please enlighten me, Master!"
So she really did mistake him for Senior Ice Cloud.
Suppressing his delight, Yang Kai maintained a solemn and imposing expression. He reprimanded, "I have safely returned to Ice Heart Valley, yet you continue to wander outside. Has the allure of the mortal world disrupted your Dao Heart, leaving you unable to tear yourself away?"
Old Third's voice quavered: "I wouldn't dare, Master. I was outside… I was outside because… "
She trailed off, unable to finish the sentence. It seemed she had forgotten what she had actually been doing out there all this time. A look of dazed confusion gradually crept across her grimy face.
Yang Kai silently cursed. If he let her keep thinking, things could easily spiral out of control again. He barked, "If you wouldn't dare, then follow me back to Ice Heart Valley from now on and serve at my side. You are not to leave without my permission!"
The confusion vanished from Old Third's face at once. She answered respectfully, "Yes! I obey, Master!"
Yang Kai nodded lightly. "Good. Rise."
"Thank you, Master!"
"Stand to the side. I need to circulate my energy to heal my injuries. No one is to approach during this time!" Yang Kai issued another command to test her.
Old Third obediently complied, stepping off to one side. Her beautiful eyes were sharp with vigilance as she scanned left and right, clearly standing guard over him.
Watching her like this, Yang Kai couldn't help but sigh inwardly. He hadn't meant to take advantage of Old Third's confusion, but she was the type to vanish without a trace. If he let her slip away again, who knew whether he'd ever find her? Stabilizing her with this method was actually a blessing in disguise.
He quietly observed Old Third for a while. When he was certain she showed no signs of another episode, he silently activated his cultivation technique to neutralize the medicinal effects of the Phoenix Blood Fruit within his body.
His injuries this time were no trivial matter. Putting aside the flesh wounds, over a dozen bones were fractured. His legs in particular had been shattered by a single blow from the Stone Fire. His internal organs were also riddled with pooling blood — his entire body was in ruin.
Fortunately, his physical constitution was extraordinarily robust, and the regenerative power of his Golden Blood was immense. Otherwise, with injuries like these, an ordinary person would either be dead or clinging to their last breath.
Under the circulation of his Emperor Yuan, the medicinal power of the Phoenix Blood Fruit gradually dissipated. The fractured bones slowly began to mend. His bruised and swollen face also returned to normal.
The Phoenix Blood Fruit truly deserved its reputation as a supreme healing elixir. Before the spirit fruit's medicinal effects were even fully consumed, Yang Kai already felt largely recovered.
The re-fused bones would still need several more days of rest before they returned to their original state.
Half an hour later, Yang Kai opened his eyes and glanced toward Old Third. She was still standing ramrod straight in her guard position.
Ten miles away, led by the three Sacred Masters, countless demon beast kings and Sacred Envoys — along with the Stone Spirit clan — continued to watch in silence from a distance. Each wore a different expression, their thoughts complicated.
Xie Wuwei especially was in turmoil. Earlier, forced by circumstance, he had surrendered his Soul Imprint to Yang Kai and become his Soul Slave. He had been seething with resentment, convinced that Yang Kai was utterly despicable — if the man hadn't kicked him while he was down, how could he have willingly handed over his Soul Imprint?
But now, Xie Wuwei didn't dare think that way anymore.
Hadn't he seen how the three Sacred Masters behaved with utter deference before him? During his healing, not one of the three Sacred Masters had dared to make the slightest disturbance. They had even issued a decree ordering all demon beast kings and Sacred Envoys to memorize Yang Kai's appearance — from now on, seeing him was to be treated as seeing a Sacred Master.
Even the Sacred Masters didn't dare act cocky in front of him — what did that make a mere demon beast king?
Xie Wuwei was convinced. Genuinely convinced. And he was drowning in regret. If he'd known earlier that the girl at Yang Kai's side was a descendant of the Celestial Punishment lineage, he should have cultivated a good relationship with her from the start.
Perhaps when that Celestial Punishment descendant had entered the Blood Gate before, she might have shown some mercy and brought him along too, letting him inherit the power of a Sacred Spirit. Now it was too late. The Celestial Punishment descendant had already entered the Blood Gate — she'd brought a Stone Spirit in to inherit the power of Tai Yue — and all he could do was watch with envy.