Ying Fei and Xi Lei's jaws dropped open, and they stared blankly.
Seeing this scene, there was no way they didn't understand what had happened.
Xie Wuwei really was Yang Kai's soul slave, branded with a soul seal.
But... when had that happened? The three Demon Kings had been together this whole time and hadn't noticed a thing.
Xie Wuwei withdrew the golden light and chuckled lightly. "Ever since Young Master Yang's last trip to the Ancient Land, I had already submitted to him. My life and death are entirely at Young Master Yang's whim — if anything were to happen to him, I would surely die. So my loyalty to Young Master Yang is absolute. How could the two of you possibly compare?"
A supreme Demon King who had become someone else's soul slave, yet Xie Wuwei looked positively proud of it rather than ashamed. If anyone unfamiliar with the truth were to see this, their eyes would probably pop out of their heads.
But when Ying Fei and Xi Lei saw this, all they could do was silently curse to themselves — how absolutely despicable.
With this kind of relationship between Xie Wuwei and Yang Kai, if someone truly had to stay behind to protect his safety, then there was absolutely no question who it should be.
In an instant, both Xi Lei and Ying Fei were filled with unwillingness, and they looked toward Yang Kai with crestfallen expressions.
Yang Kai smiled bitterly. Back in the Ancient Land, at the Tomb of Myriad Spirits, he had been forced to take Xie Wuwei as a soul slave, wanting only to harness his strength. At the time, Xie Wuwei had been extremely reluctant, and after leaving the Tomb of Myriad Spirits, he had kept his distance from Yang Kai, clearly terrified that others would learn of their connection and look down on him.
Yet now, he had voluntarily revealed this information, all to gain even the slightest advantage.
There was no denying that this change in attitude was rather comical. But Yang Kai couldn't exactly fault him for being opportunistic — after all, these Demon Kings had reached the absolute limit of their cultivation. The only hope left in their lives was whatever secrets lay beyond the Blood Gate.
Now that the opportunity was right in front of them, who wouldn't fight for it?
Just as Xie Wuwei was gloating, Yang Kai suddenly waved his hand. A wisp of golden light shot straight from Xie Wuwei's forehead and returned to Yang Kai's body.
Xie Wuwei's smug expression froze instantly. He felt a sensation as though shackles had been removed, but rather than joy, his face crumpled into a look of misery. "Young Master Yang, what are you...?"
The soul seal had been withdrawn. That meant the soul connection between Yang Kai and him had been severed. He was no longer Yang Kai's soul slave — from this moment on, he was a free man.
Xie Wuwei could never have imagined that Yang Kai would do something like this, and with such decisiveness no less.
Any ordinary person would never dream of letting go of such a powerful soul slave. They would most likely keep one close at hand to issue commands. But Yang Kai had simply cast him aside as though it were nothing. That kind of magnanimity and mindset — how could an ordinary person compare?
"Ha ha ha ha!" Ying Fei and Xi Lei burst into hearty laughter, absolutely delighted. Their eyes were bright with understanding — they knew perfectly well what had happened. They were inwardly jubilant. So this is what happens when you show off, Xie Wuwei! Karma sure comes around fast. Serves you right!
"Young Master Yang, you can't do this..." Xie Wuwei was utterly aggrieved, staring at Yang Kai with a look of wounded resentment, making it seem as though Yang Kai had abandoned him after leading him on.
Yang Kai waved his hand impatiently. "Off you go, off you go. All of you, go."
"We actually have to leave?" Xi Lei said with a bitter face, clearly reluctant.
Yang Kai replied, "Don't hold it against me for sending you away after getting what I needed. But you are, after all, Demon Kings of the Ancient Land, with three Sacred Venerables above you. I can't just whisk you away without a word — I wouldn't be able to face the Sacred Venerables. Tell you what, it's easy for me to come and go from the Ancient Land now. If there's anything good next time, I'll call you over whenever."
Hearing this, the three Demon Kings' expressions brightened considerably. They all nodded and said, "Young Master Yang, you must keep your word. When the time comes, call only the three of us — don't bring any of those other fellows."
There were thirty-two Demon Kings and eight Sacred Envoys in the Ancient Land, every one of them a top-tier powerhouse. The competition was rather fierce. They didn't want the other Demon Kings and Sacred Envoys getting too close to Yang Kai, which was precisely why they had been so reluctant to leave.
"Got it!" Yang Kai agreed readily, then kept waving his hand to shoo them along, as though swatting away flies.
Only then did the three Demon Kings slowly make their way onto the spatial formation.
Yang Kai casually set source crystals into the surrounding grooves. After a moment, he glanced at the three of them and said, "You're ready, right?"
The three nodded and clasped their fists in unison. "Take care, Young Master Yang."
Their voices were thick with reluctance, as though they were about to be separated from Yang Kai forever.
Yang Kai responded with a grunt and shouted, "Go!"
With that, he channeled his Emperor Yuan into the spatial formation.
Strangely, the spatial formation showed not the slightest reaction. Yang Kai and the three Demon Kings stared at each other for a long while, all wearing baffled expressions.
"Huh?" Yang Kai was stunned. He scratched his head and tried again, but still failed to activate the formation.
The three Demon Kings exchanged glances, and their hopes sprang to life once more. Ying Fei laughed, "Looks like even the heavens don't want us to leave."
Xie Wuwei immediately chimed in, "Indeed, indeed! Young Master Yang, since the heavens themselves have willed it, don't force the issue."
"What's going on!" Yang Kai was completely baffled. He circled the spatial formation, examining it carefully. Even though he had only just constructed it, there shouldn't have been any mistakes.
After a thorough inspection, he confirmed that the formation was perfectly intact.