"Bold!" The feather-crowned man let out a mild rebuke, but the voice falling upon Wu Heng struck like a thunderbolt — his entire body trembled, his face draining of color.
"Forgive me, My Lord!" Wu Heng bowed his head even lower. "Something urgent has occurred, and I had no choice but to summon you here."
The feather-crowned man said, "You are the Master of this star domain. What matter could there be that you cannot handle yourself?"
Wu Heng raised his hand. "Please look over there, My Lord."
The feather-crowned man followed the direction of his finger and immediately spotted the boundless darkness tens of thousands of li away, along with Yang Kai's visage condensed within it. His eyelids lowered slightly, and in an instant he comprehended the truth of the matter.
Their eyes met, and Yang Kai's mind shook violently. He nearly failed to maintain his projection, secretly startled — the newcomer was indeed a Great Emperor, without question. Otherwise, the pressure from a single glance wouldn't be this immense, enough to even slow the advance and consumption of the darkness, reducing its speed considerably.
Wu Heng spoke mournfully, "My Lord, this person holds some grudge against me and, in his arrogance, seeks to devour the Great Desolation Star Domain, disregarding the lives of billions. I am no match for him. I implore you to adjudicate on my behalf."
The feather-crowned man did not respond. His gaze upon Yang Kai, however, grew increasingly sharp, as though it could pierce the barrier between two star domains and peer into the deepest reaches of Yang Kai's heart. Yang Kai immediately felt a sensation like thorns pressing against his back. He instinctively channeled the power of his star domain, pushing the devouring darkness forward to block that probing gaze.
"Insolent!" The feather-crowned man saw this and gave a light shout, seemingly reprimanding Yang Kai for not knowing his place — for daring to conceal his secrets. As he spoke, he drew the long sword from his waist with one hand and made a gentle forward slash.
Silent. Soundless. An utterly unremarkable stroke of the blade — yet it stirred the entire power of the Great Desolation Star Domain, raising an invisible barrier before the boundless darkness.
Yang Kai felt as though he had slammed headlong into a wall. In an instant, dizziness washed over him. No matter what he did, he could not push the darkness forward by even a fraction, and alarm filled his heart. What manner of person was this? How could he accomplish something like this with nothing more than a casual gesture?
He instinctively sensed that this was not the feather-crowned man's own power. Even if he truly was a Great Emperor, he would surely be subject to the rejection of the Laws of Heaven and Earth within a lower-plane star domain — let alone presume to mobilize the power of the Great Desolation Star Domain.
The master of the Great Desolation Star Domain was Wu Heng — yet even Wu Heng couldn't accomplish what this man had just done so effortlessly.
Now it seemed that not only was the feather-crowned man unaffected by the rejection of the lower-plane's Laws, but he could command the star domain's power even more deftly than Wu Heng himself, making him appear more like a true Star Domain Master than Wu Heng.
This was a serious problem! A character like this had appeared out of nowhere, and rather than being friendly, he seemed positively hostile. How could this situation possibly end well?
Yang Kai didn't even know what relationship existed between this man and Wu Heng, but from the ease with which Wu Heng had summoned him, the two clearly had some deep connection.
After the feather-crowned man's single sword stroke halted the devouring of the Hengluo Star Domain, a barely perceptible look of elation crossed Wu Heng's face. He thought to himself that summoning this lord at the risk of being reprimanded had been the right decision after all — only he could stop his star domain from being consumed further.
But... it wasn't enough.
Wu Heng watched the man's expression carefully and ventured cautiously, "My Lord, this brat is arrogant and ignorant, defiant and insolent. He has consumed vast stretches of my Great Desolation Star Domain's starry skies and destroyed several of its Cultivation Stars, causing untold suffering to countless beings. I implore you to punish him severely—"
The feather-crowned man cast him a cold, detached glance — a look devoid of all emotion — and Wu Heng's expression froze instantly. The carefully prepared words died on his lips. He had hoped to ride the man's authority, to pressure Yang Kai into returning the consumed territory, but now he understood: a tiger's majesty was not so easily borrowed. Even though he had summoned this lord here and the man would, out of duty, stop Yang Kai from continuing his consumption, he would certainly not act as Wu Heng's personal champion. Any further, and Wu Heng himself might face punishment.
After all, as the Master of a star domain, failing to defend one's territory and losing vast swaths of land in a confrontation — such a thing could only be blamed on one's own incompetence.
"Stand down!" The feather-crowned man gazed toward the distant darkness and uttered the command in a mild tone, though his words brooked no argument.
Yang Kai's mind wavered, as though influenced by something, and an overwhelming urge to turn and flee seized him. The devouring darkness, already stalled, churned and roiled with the turbulence of his emotions.
A cool, soothing sensation spread through his sea of consciousness, jolting his spirit awake. The churning darkness stabilized once more — the Seven-Colored Warm Spirit Lotus had intervened at the critical moment. His heart trembled with alarm. For reasons he couldn't fathom, he had the distinct impression that this man was more powerful than every Great Emperor he had ever encountered.
Such a formidable existence should not have gone unnoticed. Why didn't he match any Great Emperor Yang Kai had ever heard of? Then suddenly, a phrase he had once heard flashed through his mind — *The Great Emperors of this world are more than ten in number!*
Enlightenment washed over him.
Steel in his resolve, Yang Kai called out in a clear voice, "May I ask your honorable name, My Lord?"
No matter who this person was, he was far beyond what Yang Kai could contend with right now. Even wielding the full power of a Star Domain Master would not be enough. Perhaps letting the matter end here, unresolved as it was, would actually be an acceptable outcome. Either way, he had already consumed a significant portion of the Great Desolation Star Domain's starry territory. Though he hadn't managed to devour it entirely, the anger in his heart had long since been sated.
Yang Kai was mentally prepared to quit while he was ahead.
He asked the question more out of curiosity than anything else — he wanted to know the name of such a powerful being. Perhaps they would cross paths again someday, and it never hurt to forge a good relationship.
"You're asking me?" The feather-crowned man regarded Yang Kai with a cold, hollow gaze — a look that seemed to hold nothing, as though all things under heaven were unworthy of his regard.