The Wind Thunder Divine Spear was a relic left behind by the Questioning Heart Great Emperor in his day, and was naturally no ordinary treasure.
However, Yang Kai now possessed countless extraordinary artifacts, so he wasn't particularly impressed by it. He stored it away, planning to see if there might be an opportunity to gift it to someone later.
"Go help Ice Heart Valley mop up the aftermath." Yang Kai turned his head and addressed the three Demon Kings.
The three Demon Kings said nothing and vanished in a flash.
Within Ice Heart Valley, battle fluctuations of varying intensity erupted from time to time, interspersed with wails of agony—but listening closely, the voices were almost entirely male, presumably the sounds of invading enemies being killed.
Looking around, there were more than thirty corpses of Emperor Sovereign Realm powerhouses scattered across the ground. No one would have thought that just an incense stick's time ago, these thirty-some people had still been alive and well, yet in that brief span, their souls had already departed for the afterlife.
Yang Kai collected their spatial rings one by one.
"Young Master Yang! Young Master Yang!"
At that moment, a voice called out from nearby.
Yang Kai turned his head to look, and said flatly, "What? Grandmaster Nanmen enjoyed a fine show and still hasn't left? Don't tell me you're hoping to remain in Ice Heart Valley as a guest. Ice Heart Valley has never welcomed men—Grandmaster Nanmen would do well to take his leave sooner rather than later."
Nanmen Dajun had been observing from the sidelines the entire time. Neither Ice Heart Valley nor the Questioning Heart Sect had any intention of troubling him, so he had remained unharmed up to this point.
Hearing the warning in Yang Kai's words, he simply chuckled and replied, "Young Master Yang is a man himself, isn't he?"
Yang Kai snorted dismissively. "How can you compare yourself to me?"
Such brazen arrogance didn't faze Nanmen Dajun in the slightest—he showed none of the haughtiness one might expect from a formation grandmaster. After all, from Ice Heart Valley's perspective, he truly couldn't compare to Yang Kai. Ice Heart Valley had been preserved entirely thanks to Yang Kai's efforts, and for a sect, that was nothing short of salvation. He simply rubbed his hands together and said, "Young Master Yang, I was hoping to ask you about something..."
"I have nothing to say to you!" Yang Kai gave a cold snort, showing not the slightest interest in conversing with him.
Though Nanmen Dajun was a renowned formation grandmaster, Yang Kai's own abilities were nothing to scoff at—he was an Emperor Alchemist. There was no need to lower himself and give the man face, especially since this crisis at Ice Heart Valley was largely this man's doing. Not killing him was already a stroke of extraordinary luck; the nerve of him to push further and try to pry for information.
"Don't be so heartless, Young Master Yang." Nanmen Dajun gave an awkward laugh, displaying a will that refused to be broken. "I merely wish to inquire about a few things. If Young Master Yang could provide answers, I would certainly offer a generous thank-you."
Without waiting for Yang Kai to refuse, he suddenly lowered his voice: "Young Master Yang, those three Demon Kings... they're from that place in the Eastern Domain, aren't they?"
The moment these words left his mouth, Yang Kai's gaze turned ice-cold, and a sharp, piercing look bore down on Nanmen Dajun. He said in a frigid tone, "I wouldn't have guessed that at your age, you'd speak so recklessly. Be careful not to bring disaster upon yourself with that tongue."
Xilei and the other two Demon Kings were ones Yang Kai had brought out from the Ancient Wild Lands. Though they were few in number, if word spread that three Demon Kings had left that place, it could very well arouse resentment among human powerhouses—especially considering they hailed from somewhere like the Ancient Wild Lands.
Suspicious minds might wonder whether the demon race within the Ancient Wild Lands had grown restless and ventured out to wreak havoc on human sects. If such a thing happened, it would be a troublesome matter for Yang Kai.
"So they really are from that place?" Nanmen Dajun seemed to take Yang Kai's threat in stride; instead, his eyes lit up. He clasped his fists and said with a serious expression, "Rest assured, Young Master Yang. This matter is known only to heaven, to earth, to you, and to me. I absolutely will not spread it to anyone."
"Hmph!" Yang Kai glared at him with an unpleasant expression, contemplating whether it might be better to silence him permanently.
Nanmen Dajun appeared rash, but his mind was as clear as a mirror. The moment Yang Kai's killing intent emerged, he sensed it immediately. A chill ran through him, and he hastily said, "Please calm your anger, Young Master Yang. I'm simply quite interested in the many ancient restrictions and natural formations hidden in that place. I've entered and exited several times before to study them, but with my meager strength, I didn't dare venture too deep. I wasn't able to discover anything of note, which I found deeply regrettable! It seems that your relationship with those three distinguished individuals is... rather special. Could I trouble Young Master Yang to put in a word..."
"I have no idea what you're talking about. Don't bring this up again!" Yang Kai cut him off bluntly.
By now, Yang Kai had figured out what Nanmen Dajun was after. The man simply wanted to leverage Yang Kai's connections to build a relationship with Xilei and the others, making it convenient for him to enter the Ancient Wild Lands in the future to study those ancient restrictions and formations.
As a formation grandmaster, Nanmen Dajun had little interest in anything else, but anything related to formations drew him like a moth to flame.
Nanmen Dajun opened his mouth, apparently wanting to say something more, but in the end he let out a heavy sigh, consoling himself that there would always be opportunities in the future.
Changing the subject, he spoke up again: "Since Young Master Yang is unwilling to discuss this matter further, I'll consider my words misspoken. However, there is another matter I'd like Young Master Yang's insight on—it concerns the Black Tortoise Seven Severing Array."
"Oh?" Yang Kai couldn't help but show some surprise. "You know about the Black Tortoise Seven Severing Array?"
Bing Yun and the others had formed the Black Tortoise Seven Severing Array right here earlier, and Nanmen Dajun had naturally observed it clearly. Yang Kai hadn't expected the man's eye to be so keen—to be able to recognize a closely guarded secret of the Black Tortoise Sect from tens of thousands of years ago. It seemed the title of formation grandmaster was well-earned, and not merely a case of undeserved reputation.
In other words, if he truly had been nothing but a fraud, he never would have been able to crack Ice Heart Valley's sect-protecting grand array.
"Young Master Yang jests. This is my field of expertise," Nanmen Dajun said with a grin. "When a formation of such renown appears right before my eyes, if I couldn't recognize it, wouldn't my eyes be blind?"
"What about the Black Tortoise Seven Severing Array? Do you want the formation method?" Yang Kai regarded him with interest.
Nanmen Dajun rubbed his hands together and said with an embarrassed air, "If the opportunity arose, naturally I would love to study it..."