After entering the hall, Yang Kai looked around as he walked and found the place was indeed kept quite tidy. He ran his hand across the tabletop and found not a speck of dust. It was clear the two young maidens had been very diligent in their upkeep.
He turned and sat down in a chair, patting the backrest, then looked up. The two young maidens walked in and bowed respectfully once more.
"By the way, wasn't there an elderly person living here too? Where did he go?" Yang Kai asked, looking at them.
He was referring, naturally, to Tian Yan, who had been reborn in a physical body with Yang Kai's help. Back then, Tian Yan had obtained Yang Kai's assistance to reconstruct a mortal body using a Life Creation Pill. Yang Kai had originally hoped to have a Great Emperor as a backer, but that was not to be. Tian Yan was indeed a powerhouse comparable to a Great Emperor within the Myriad Dreams Mirror world, but that was only within that mirror. Even after reconstructing a physical body, he had to start from scratch — practically equivalent to a newborn infant. The Heavenly Dao could not be deceived, and it was impossible for a Great Emperor to simply appear out of thin air in the world.
Yang Kai hadn't fully understood this at the time. It was only after a conversation with Yang Yan that he realized the vessel of heaven and earth could not accommodate Tian Yan's existence, so he had to start his Cultivation over from the beginning.
Wen Zishan had intended to find him a different residence, but Tian Yan chose Spirit Sword Peak as his dwelling.
Later, Yang Kai had gone with Zhu Lie to the Frozen Lands, entered the Samsara World, made a trip to the Western Region, then went to Dragon Island again, returned to the Heng Luo Star Field — and in the blink of an eye, over a decade had passed. Now, upon returning to Spirit Sword Peak, he found no sign of Tian Yan. Besides himself, only these two young maidens remained on the entire peak. Yang Kai couldn't help but feel suspicious.
"The Elder has gone traveling," a clear voice suddenly called from outside.
Yang Kai looked up to see a tall figure striding in — dressed in a pristine white gown, her elegant hair pinned up with a jade hairpin, looking clean and sharp, giving off an air of valiant grace.
Yang Kai rose to his feet and clasped his fists with a smile. "Senior Sister Gao, it's been years, and you're still as radiant as ever."
He wasn't surprised that Gao Xueting had appeared here so quickly. Since these two maidens had been instructed by her to stay here — partly to maintain Spirit Sword Peak and partly, presumably, to keep watch on him — she would naturally have been informed the moment he returned.
A sharp ring echoed through the air as cold light flashed and a long sword cleared its sheath. Gao Xueting strode forward, rested the blade on Yang Kai's shoulder, and sneered coldly: "Speak. How do you want to die!"
The two maidens gasped. They had never imagined that Elder Gao and Elder Yang would be so explosive the moment they met — she'd already drawn her sword on him! Was there some deep enmity between them? They hesitated over whether to send word to the other Elders, but their cultivation was low and their status humble — how would they have any way to contact the other Elders?
Yang Kai's smile froze on his face. He swallowed hard, pinched the blade between two fingers, gently moved it off his shoulder, and said with an apologetic grin: "Senior Sister Gao, what's this for!"
"You still have the nerve to come back!" Gao Xueting snorted coldly, unmoved.
Yang Kai's expression twitched. "This Junior Brother doesn't understand. I hope Senior Sister can enlighten me."
"You want to die knowing why?" Gao Xueting stared at him flatly. "Fine, I'll let you die understanding. Answer me — are you still an Elder of the Azure Sun Divine Temple!"
"Of course I am!" Yang Kai nodded quickly, shocked. "Don't tell me someone had me dismissed?"
"If you're an Elder of the Temple, why haven't you shown your face in over a decade?"
"It's only been a decade or so, not that long..." Yang Kai said weakly, scratching his nose. "Besides, I'm just a Guest Elder. It makes no difference to the Temple whether I'm here or not."
"A Guest Elder is still an Elder! The Temple had barely finished appointing you before you ran off without a word. Do you even care about the Temple at all!"
"Not at all!" Yang Kai shook his head emphatically.
Gao Xueting paused, clearly not expecting that answer. A flicker of disappointment crossed her eyes as she slowly withdrew her sword.
Yang Kai grinned cheerfully. "I keep the Temple in my heart." As he spoke, he patted his chest.
Gao Xueting immediately glared at him. "Quit your glib talk. If you don't give me a reasonable explanation today, I'll petition the Palace Master to dismiss you as Guest Elder. It makes no difference whether you're here or not anyway."
Why are you throwing my own words back at me! Yang Kai's face fell into an expression of speechless resignation, but he could only smile apologetically. "Senior Sister Gao, you know I have the Heavenly Martial Palace in the Northern Territory. There are all sorts of trivial matters keeping me busy there, and it's not exactly convenient to travel back and forth. The Northern and Southern Territories are separated by hundreds of millions of li. A round trip takes several years. Coming back once every decade or so isn't unreasonable, is it?"
Gao Xueting snorted. "I told you ages ago — just forget about that Heavenly Martial Palace in the Northern Territory. Stay here in the Temple in peace. A force like that can't be upheld by one person alone." But her tone had softened considerably.
Yang Kai naturally knew that a faction couldn't be sustained by one person alone. In the past, he might have been able to abandon the Heavenly Martial Palace, but now that he had brought over everyone from the Star Field — over a hundred thousand people gathered together — how could he give up? Since he had brought them here, he had to take responsibility.
He shot a look at the two maidens watching the commotion on the side and sent them a telepathic message. Then he straightened up and said deferentially: "Senior Sister, please calm down. Sit, and let's talk."
Gao Xueting turned and took a seat, her sword no longer gleaming coldly, which allowed Yang Kai to breathe a sigh of relief.
Before long, the two maidens served freshly brewed fragrant tea. Yang Kai gestured and said: "Senior Sister, have some tea. The place is rather spartan, so there isn't much I can offer."
Gao Xueting eyed him sideways. "So you're saying Spirit Sword Peak isn't good enough? You chose this place yourself, you know. If you're not satisfied, you're welcome to stay at my Purple Bamboo Peak. There's plenty of room there."