When Yang Kai appeared to snatch the bride, every dragon on the island looked on with contempt and disdain.
When Yang Kai transformed into an eighty-zhang dragon body, the assembled dragons cried out in astonishment.
When Yang Kai viciously tore off both of Fu Chi's arms, the dragons were thrown into a rage—their clansman had been tortured and humiliated before their very eyes, and naturally they could not stand idly by.
But the moment these two figures—a man and a woman—stepped through, every dragon's expression changed drastically, as though facing a mortal enemy.
Even the Fourth Elder was no exception, his face grim as he clenched his teeth and growled in a low voice: "Nine Phoenix, Li Wuyi!"
These two powerhouses who had just shattered the void and arrived through a spatial corridor were none other than the Spirit Beast Island's Nine Phoenix and Li Wuyi. Never mind Nine Phoenix for the moment—Li Wuyi was a master of the Laws of Space, renowned as the foremost being under the Great Emperors across the Star Boundary. Shattering the void and bringing a few people along was hardly a difficult task for him.
Judging by the expressions and attitudes of the assembled dragons, it was clear they harbored some grudge against these two—every one of them was gnashing their teeth, looking as if they wanted nothing more than to leap forward and tear the flesh from their bones.
Yang Kai stared at them in surprise. "Senior Li, Senior Nine Phoenix—what are you doing here?"
Li Wuyi cast him an amiable glance, his lips curled into a smile. "You don't forget the man who dug the well after you've had a drink, and yet you've already forgotten my kindness?"
Yang Kai was momentarily baffled, unsure what he meant. But then his eyes lit up as something clicked into place, and he exclaimed in surprise: "That divine consciousness—was it left by Senior?"
Li Wuyi offered a faint smile. "Indeed."
"So that's how it was." Yang Kai's expression cleared with sudden realization. He cupped his fists and said: "Thank you for pointing the way, Senior."
Back when he had first stormed Dragon Island, he and Li Jiao had been trapped in the Void Labyrinth, unable to find an exit. It was there that he had encountered a divine consciousness phantom pointing the way. Without that phantom, he and Li Jiao would likely still be wandering around the labyrinth in a daze.
He had never been able to figure out who had left that divine consciousness behind. Now, hearing Li Wuyi's words, he understood—it had been Li Wuyi's consciousness all along.
No wonder it had felt somewhat familiar at the time.
Li Wuyi waved his hand dismissively. "A trifle. And in truth, I should be thanking you."
"Thanking me?" Yang Kai was puzzled.
But Li Wuyi offered no explanation. Instead, he turned his gaze toward Zhu Kong and said: "It's been over a decade, and the Fourth Elder looks as impressive as ever."
Zhu Kong let out a cold snort. He had shown little reaction to Yang Kai snatching the bride or injuring the dragons, but when facing Li Wuyi, his expression carried an unmistakable note of wariness and vigilance. He answered evasively: "If the two of you are here, does that mean *that person* has come as well?"
Li Wuyi chuckled softly. "Otherwise, why do you think the Grand Elder and the Second Elder both rushed off together?"
Though he had his suspicions, having it confirmed still made the Fourth Elder's face change.
"*That person*?" Yang Kai raised an eyebrow. The exchange between Li Wuyi and Zhu Kong sounded simple enough, but it was packed with enormous implications. Combined with the hurried manner in which the Grand Elder and Second Elder had departed, an incredible thought suddenly surged into his mind, impossible to suppress.
His gaze darted toward the small girl standing before him.
Liu Yan's divine consciousness stirred, sending a silent transmission: "The Beast Martial Great Emperor has arrived!"
Yang Kai's body shuddered, and a look of wild elation crossed his face. At last he understood why Grand Elder Zhu Yan and Second Elder Fu Zhun had been forced to set aside their own concerns—the Beast Martial Great Emperor himself had come to Dragon Island! Facing a Great Emperor of such long-standing renown, neither the Grand Elder nor the Second Elder could claim they could defeat him alone. Only by joining forces could they hope to suppress him.
Yang Kai asked, puzzled: "Why would the Beast Martial Great Emperor come to Dragon Island? And why did he go to the Dragon Tomb?"
Liu Yan replied: "I don't know either. I only know that whatever it is, it matters greatly to him."
Although Liu Yan had been living on Spirit Beast Island for the past two years, she had spent most of her time fusing with the Phoenix True Fire. Even after breaking free from her shell and being reborn, she had been cultivating the secret arts of the Phoenix clan and knew little about the affairs of Spirit Beast Island.
This time she had received sudden news and rushed to Dragon Island alongside several other powerhouses.
"The Beast Martial Great Emperor… the Dragon Tomb… over a decade ago…" Thoughts flashed through Yang Kai's mind one after another, and the situation seemed ever more complex.
But regardless of the details, the balance of power had shifted in his favor.
Originally, his side had only four people against the entire Dragon Island—a struggle where they were clearly outmatched. But with these powerful allies from Spirit Beast Island, the scales had tilted considerably in his direction.
The attitude of Li Wuyi and the others made it plain: they stood on the opposite side of Dragon Island. An enemy's enemy was naturally a friend.
Nine Phoenix had not spoken a single word since appearing. Her beautiful eyes swept the surroundings with a leisurely air, and when her gaze met Yang Kai's, she even gave him a playful wink.
Outwardly composed, inwardly she was struck by the weight of memory.
She still recalled the first time she had laid eyes on Yang Kai. Back then, the boy had barely entered the Dao Source Realm. She had intercepted him on his way to the Azure Sun Divine Temple. In her eyes, he had been nothing more than a junior with a bit of good fortune—like Li Wuyi, he had cultivated a spatial ability, but she could have killed him with a flick of her finger.
But how many years had it been since then? Now, when she looked at him, she could no longer peer down at him from on high. That enormous dragon body harbored power beyond imagination—power that warranted her treating him as an equal.
The speed of his growth was almost too fast. For the first time, Nine Phoenix saw the shadow of a future Great Emperor in a mere first-level Emperor Realm cultivator.