But Yan Luo's claim that he wanted to travel with Yang Kai to the Ancestral Domain left him puzzled. If the Yan Family truly harbored some scheme or plot, why bother sticking close to Yang Kai?
"Whatever comes, comes!" Even if the Yan Family was playing tricks, what did he have to fear?
That said, he had unlocked a sliver of his cultivation today, and he needed to reseal it as soon as possible. He had already detected a faint, inexplicable hostility in the air between heaven and earth.
Ten days passed in the blink of an eye.
Early in the morning, a sea of heads bustled beneath Twin Peaks. Nearly every prominent figure in the Yan Family had gathered there. The plaza was packed tight, and a pitch-black warship sat moored in the center.
The Family Head was heading to the Ancestral Domain—the news had already spread like wildfire. This was no small matter for the Yan Family. The last time someone from the family had ventured to the Ancestral Domain was five hundred years ago, and nobody even knew whether they had succeeded. Now the Family Head had suddenly announced his intention to step down and follow in the ancestors' footsteps, to explore the deeper reaches of the martial path and vaster horizons. When the word got out, the entire Yan Family was shaken.
Several thousand had converged to see them off.
Only a select few knew what had transpired ten days ago—they understood that the Family Head and the Grand Elder had been thoroughly humiliated, and that the Second Elder had met a violent end. Those people were the pillars of the Yan Family, and naturally none of them would go broadcasting the matter. As a result, the vast majority of those who had come to the send-off knew nothing of the confrontation. When Yan Luo emerged, every last one of them gazed at him with reverence.
If they knew that their Family Head had recently been beaten into begging for mercy, who could say what they would think.
As for the pair walking at the very front—Yang Kai and He Yunxiang—many of the Yan Family disciples regarded them with confusion, unsure of their identities. Yet they couldn't shake the feeling that the Family Head and the Elders treated these two with a peculiar, almost curious deference.
Before long, everyone had boarded the warship. Accompanied by a deep, resonant hum and powerful waves of energy, the vessel slowly lifted off and shot into the vast expanse of the starry sky.
Only when the warship had vanished from sight did the Yan Family members reluctantly disperse.
The former Grand Elder, now acting head of the Yan Family, Yan An, hurriedly issued a few parting instructions before rushing back inside.
He stepped into the secret chamber and immediately spotted a conspicuous lantern. It was clearly ancient, placed here at some unknowable date, yet utterly spotless.
The chamber held nothing else—just that single lantern and an altar table, upon which sat an incense burner.
Yan An's expression was one of utmost solemnity, almost pilgrim-like in its devotion. From his Space Ring, he withdrew a stick of incense. It appeared to be specially crafted—thick as a thumb and roughly a foot long, forged from some unknown material, yet even before it was lit it gave off a strange, exotic fragrance.
Clutching the incense, Yan An recalled the instructions Yan Luo had given him days ago, and a flash of resolve crossed his eyes. He drew a finger across his wrist, and a wound opened immediately, blood trickling steadily forth.
He placed the incense against the wound, and the blood seeped into it at once, gradually turning its body a deep, vivid crimson.
It took a full half-hour before the incense had completely changed color—like a fat leech that had drunk its fill, it was now blood-red throughout, with an almost bewitching brilliance.
Yan An's face had gone somewhat pale, though his spirit burned even brighter. He formed a spirit seal, his Sacred Yuan surging, and pointed a finger at the incense. "Burn!" he commanded in a low voice.
A tiny glow blossomed atop the incense stick, as though it had caught fire—yet the smoke that drifted upward was tinted crimson.
Not daring to delay, Yan An held the incense and bowed to the lantern with deep reverence several times before carefully inserting it into the incense burner on the altar before him.
Silence fell. Yan An's breathing became almost imperceptible. As the incense burned, the red vapor it released seemed to answer some unseen call, flowing toward the lantern without leaving a wisp behind. And as time passed, the ancient lantern began to respond in subtle ways.
When the incense had burned halfway, a terrifying pressure suddenly descended from the heavens. At the same moment, two points of light flared to life within the lantern—like a pair of eyes.
Yan An's whole body shook. He dropped to his knees and bowed to the ground. "Yan An greets the Ancestor!" he called out respectfully.
The two points of light within the lantern flickered several times before slowly steadying. An aged voice spoke from within: "Yan An? Haven't seen you in several centuries. Since when are you running the Yan Family?"
The way he spoke, the owner of that ancient voice clearly knew Yan An.
"Your humble servant confirms—the Yan Family is indeed under my leadership at present."
"Where's Yan Luo? As I recall, when I left, it was Yan Luo who was in charge. A few mere centuries—don't tell me he's dead."
Yan An hastened to reply: "He's not dead, not dead. He has stepped down from his position as Family Head and has already departed for the Ancestral Domain."
"He's come to the Ancestral Domain? It's rare for him to be willing to take that step. Truly cause for celebration." The ancient voice carried a note of pleasure, but then it shifted tone, turning imperious. "However—did you really summon me here just to tell me this?"
If that were all there was to it, this would be a rather disproportionate use of his attention. When he had left the Infinite Star Domain all those years ago, he had made it clear: unless something truly important arose, they were never to disturb him.
Yan An bowed again, his voice heavy with grief. "Ancestor, the Yan Family has suffered a humiliation beyond measure. We implore you to deliver justice on our behalf."
The aura within the lantern shifted abruptly, and a murderous intent exploded outward. The ancient voice turned cold and sharp. "Tell me everything!"
...
Time drifted on. In the blink of an eye, a full month had passed.