Half a day later, a spatial formation had already taken shape.
Yang Kai called out to Ji Yao, "Junior Sister Yao, could you make a trip back to Ice Heart Valley? Tell Nanmen Dajun to repair Ice Heart Valley's sect-protecting formation, then come over here."
As he spoke, he handed a specially crafted token to Ji Yao.
Ji Yao took it and asked with suspicion, "What's this token for?"
She could tell at a glance that it had been newly forged, and by Yang Kai's hand at that—there was still a trace of his aura lingering on it.
Yang Kai smiled. "For any spatial formation I set up, no one can activate it without this token or my own personal intervention."
This was also the reason why the Phoenix Luan had been unable to start the spatial formation when she tested it in Phoenix Palace—she didn't have Yang Kai's restriction token, which led her to believe the formation was defective. She had been hoping to see him humiliated, but in the end she was sorely disappointed.
Upon hearing this, Ji Yao's eyes flickered slightly, but she said nothing more and walked directly onto the spatial formation.
Yang Kai embedded source crystals as he spoke, "There's no rush on this matter. Let him repair Ice Heart Valley's main formation first—that takes priority."
"Understood!" Ji Yao nodded gently. The next instant, her figure was enveloped in white light and vanished without a trace.
After Ji Yao left, Yang Kai glanced around before his form flickered and he disappeared from the spot as well.
Since he intended to put down roots here, Yang Kai naturally wanted to thoroughly survey the property that had once belonged to the Wenqing Sect. Although he had wandered through most of it before, he had been focused on finding the hidden treasury and hadn't really examined it in detail.
Now with free time on his hands, Yang Kai naturally wanted to inspect this stretch of land from the perspective of its new master.
With his mindset changed, everything he saw felt entirely different.
If before he had thought the estate was quite impressive, then now only two words could describe Yang Kai's feelings: completely satisfied.
Within the Wenqing Sect, spiritual energy was dense and rich, the scenery was beautiful, and extraordinary peaks stood tall. All manner of rare and wondrous beasts roamed through the mountains and wilds, and spiritual springs and spirit eyes could be found everywhere—all of it the kind of cultivation paradise that warriors could only dream of.
Such a vast estate could comfortably accommodate a hundred thousand disciples without feeling crowded. His friends and family back on the Dark Star didn't number anywhere near that.
For several days straight, Yang Kai finally finished a thorough inspection of every corner of this stretch of land, leaving no corner unchecked. A rough plan had already begun to form in his mind.
He returned to the mountain gate of the Wenqing Sect.
Previously, a large signboard had stood here bearing the three great characters of "Wenqing Sect," a legacy spanning tens of thousands of years—until Yang Kai had smashed it to pieces.
Returning here now, Yang Kai naturally had his own plans, but when he swept the area with his spiritual sense, he found that quite a few people were lurking nearby.
These people varied widely in strength. Some were sneaking around, hiding in the shadows, while others stood out in the open not far away. All of them were peering toward the Wenqing Sect, whispering amongst themselves from time to time. There were quite a few of them—several thousand at least—and even more were making their way toward this place.
The great battle between the Wenqing Sect and Ice Heart Valley had ended with the total annihilation of the Wenqing Sect, and the allied forces they had recruited had also suffered devastating casualties. This news had caused a sensation, and it hadn't taken long to spread across the entire Northern Region.
These people had appeared outside the Wenqing Sect's mountain gate precisely because they had heard the news and wanted to see if there was anything to be scavenged.
When the Wenqing Sect had been at its peak, they could only look up at it from afar—none of them would have dared approach. But now things were different. The Wenqing Sect was destined for destruction. A top-tier sect with a legacy spanning tens of thousands of years—just how much wealth had it accumulated?
Since ancient times, fortune had moved men's hearts. The moment they thought of the immense wealth hidden within the Wenqing Sect, it was natural that many could no longer sit still. They wanted to come investigate and see if they could pick up scraps.
A behemoth like the Wenqing Sect—even if it leaked just a drop of its oil, that would be enough to sustain them for a lifetime.
But no one knew what the situation inside the Wenqing Sect truly was, so no one dared be the first to step forward. Naturally, they could only stand outside the mountain gate and watch.
This crowd had gathered over the past few days in dribs and drabs—sects of all sizes, family factions, and miscellaneous powers.
After hesitating for several days, they had finally managed to elect a few leaders to deliberate and strategize together. But before they could come up with any real plan, they suddenly saw Yang Kai ambling out of the Wenqing Sect at a leisurely pace.
In an instant, thousands—tens of thousands—of eyes locked onto Yang Kai, and all discussion came to an abrupt halt.
The next moment, the crowd erupted in uproar.
"Someone came out from inside! Could it be a powerhouse from the Wenqing Sect?"
The Wenqing Sect's reputation in the Northern Region was simply too great. Now that someone had suddenly emerged from within, many instinctively assumed this was a surviving member of the Wenqing Sect, and they couldn't help feeling a twinge of fear, worried about being dragged into the fallout.
"Nonsense! Every high-ranking member of the Wenqing Sect, from the Sect Master down, has been wiped out. Even if someone managed to escape, why would they return to the sect? That would be walking right into a trap!"