Yang Kai stroked his chin and considered for a moment. "Since you're so earnestly suing for peace, I suppose I'll give you a chance."
Wu Hen's teeth itched with fury, but he could only clench his jaw and say, "I'm all ears."
Yang Kai spread his arms wide. "I want half of this Star Domain!" The words tumbled out as casually as if he were asking for half a cake.
The veins on Wu Hen's forehead bulged. He enunciated each word through gritted teeth: "You're delusional!"
Setting aside the fact that Wu Hen's pride and dignity would never allow him to agree to such an outrageous demand, actually handing over half the Star Domain would mean he'd lose all control over the Great Desolation Star Domain. Once that happened, wouldn't he be at Yang Kai's mercy? How could he possibly do something so suicidal?
Yang Kai lowered his lids and spoke in a deep voice. "The opportunity is right in front of you. If you don't grasp it, it'll be gone."
Wu Hen suppressed his rage and shook his head. "This is absolutely out of the question. Friend, perhaps you'd like to propose something else."
Yang Kai shrugged. "Then there's nothing to discuss." He turned to leave once more.
Wu Hen hurriedly called out, "To demonstrate my sincerity, I'm willing to gift you a Cultivation Star as compensation for your losses."
Half the Star Domain was obviously off the table, but a single Cultivation Star wouldn't strike at the root of anything. The Great Desolation Star Domain had quite a number of Cultivation Stars — losing one wouldn't make much difference.
Yang Kai halted mid-step and looked back. "Truly?"
Wu Hen was slightly taken aback but nodded. "Yes."
Yang Kai said, "Then I want the Cultivation Star where the Yellow Spring Sect resides."
Without a moment's hesitation, Wu Hen replied, "Done!" He paused briefly, then added, "From this day forward, the Yellow Spring Star belongs to you." The Yellow Spring Sect had been virtually annihilated. Even if a few survivors remained, they were nothing more than insignificant fighters. As the master of the Great Desolation Star Domain, Wu Hen's decision wouldn't be opposed by anyone.
Besides, could Yang Kai even take it? It was a Cultivation Star, not some lump of dirt. Wu Hen had only tossed the offer out casually — he never expected the other party to actually accept.
Yang Kai smiled. "Then please point me in the right direction, Brother Wu. I'd like to go take a look at my new territory."
As he spoke, he secretly contacted the Dharma Avatar, instructing it to slow its rate of devouring.
Wu Hen obviously noticed something as well, casting a meaningful glance at Yang Kai. He had no idea how the man managed it, but it was clear that Yang Kai could control the Star Source of the Heluo Star Domain even from within the Great Desolation Star Domain.
Truly bizarre. As a fellow Star Domain Master, he had no such ability. If he entered the Heluo Star Domain, forget about controlling the Great Desolation Star Domain's Source — even communicating with it would be a challenge.
The pressure from the other side abruptly eased. An urge surged in Wu Hen's heart to seize this opportunity and kill Yang Kai, but the thought barely flickered before he dismissed it — he had a better plan.
"Please restrain your power a bit more. Otherwise, I won't be able to focus on sending you there," Wu Hen said, eyeing Yang Kai.
Yang Kai nodded and once again reached out to the Dharma Avatar with his mind.
Sure enough, the pressure from the Heluo Star Domain weakened significantly once more.
Suddenly, Yang Kai's expression turned wary. "You're not going to use this chance to attack me, are you?"
Wu Hen's face remained placid. "If you can't trust me, then there's nothing more I can say."
Yang Kai waved his hand dismissively. "Fine, fine. Just send me over first."
"As you wish." Wu Hen gave a faint nod and pointed a finger. Behind Yang Kai, a Void Corridor instantly materialized, leading deep into the distant reaches of that Star Domain.
Yang Kai peered into the corridor and shook his head repeatedly. "A dire omen! The worst of omens!"
The corner of Wu Hen's eye twitched. "So you still don't trust me!" In truth, he'd harbored no good intentions from the start, but he certainly couldn't let that show.
Yang Kai straightened his face. "No, no. You've got it wrong."
"What's wrong?" Wu Hen asked in a low voice.
"I'm saying that you're the one with the dire omen. Look behind you if you don't believe me."
There was no need to look back. The very instant Yang Kai spoke those words, Wu Hen clearly felt the pressure from the Heluo Star Domain surge violently. Panicking, he threw everything he had into resisting it, yet he still couldn't halt the darkness as it continued to spread toward them.
A commotion stirred behind him. He spun around to see that Yang Kai had already stepped into the Void Corridor. The man turned back to flash him a warm grin, calling out cheerfully, "Many thanks for your generosity, Brother Wu! Let's meet again someday!"
"You bastard!" Wu Hen roared. With a flicker of his will, the Void Corridor collapsed, hoping to grind Yang Kai to dust within it — but it was clearly too late.
After waiting a few moments, his expression changed again. "How is this possible?!"
Yang Kai had already traversed the Void Corridor and reached the Yellow Spring Star, untold millions of li away — so why hadn't the pressure from the Heluo Star Domain shown any sign of weakening? He'd previously assumed Yang Kai was simply too close, which was why he could still control the Heluo Star Domain's Source. It was precisely because of this reasoning that he'd decided to send the man far away. Once Yang Kai was deep in the heart of the Great Desolation Star Domain, his connection to the Heluo Star Domain's Source should have weakened — or even severed entirely.