The Northern Region had been linked by numerous Spatial Arrays that Yang Kai had set up some time ago, making travel between here and there remarkably convenient. Otherwise, how could anyone find help in merely half a day? Within the span of half a shichen, the entire Northern Region was thrown into turmoil by a single order from Ling Xiao Palace. Countless Emperor Realm cultivators grew anxious, none of them understanding what Ling Xiao Palace wanted by summoning them all at once.
Could it be that they intended to cross the bridge and burn it behind them? But what good would that do Ling Xiao Palace? Many naturally considered feigning illness to avoid going, or coming up with some other excuse. But the message relayed from Ling Xiao Palace left them no room for refusal.
Yang Kai had outright threatened to annihilate entire Sects — who would dare to slack off? The Wen Qing Sect had been wiped out by him, and the territory Ling Xiao Palace now occupied was nothing less than the Wen Qing Sect's former grounds. No one wished to become the next Wen Qing Sect. This fellow was not one for idle threats; he had the full capability to destroy other Sects.
One after another, cultivators teleported through the Spatial Arrays to Ling Xiao Palace to assemble. Three people, five, ten, twenty — the great hall gradually filled to capacity. Latecomers who saw so many Emperor Realm cultivators from the Northern Region gathered in one place felt a measure of relief. It seemed that Ling Xiao Palace was not, in fact, planning to burn the bridge after crossing it. There would be no reason to assemble so many Emperor Realm masters in one spot if that were the case.
Some gathered around Bian Yuqing to ask what was going on, but Bian Yuqing had no idea herself. Yang Kai had rushed back, spoken a few hurried words, and then rushed off again. She was completely in the dark about what had happened, just as bewildered as everyone else. She could only ignore the questions directed at her. Fortunately, no one dared to cause trouble here. Seeing her cold expression and receiving no answers, they could only withdraw with awkward smiles, trying to look pleasing.
She couldn't help but feel a quiet sense of wonder. The Emperor Realm masters she once had to look up to were now subject to reading her mood. This was something the Bi Yu Sect could never have given her. She understood better than anyone that these Emperor Realm cultivators were not afraid of her — she was only at the first level of the Emperor Realm, and there were countless people here far more powerful than her. If not for those three words, Ling Xiao Palace, standing behind her, none of this would be happening. A quiet swell of pride rose in her chest.
While Ling Xiao Palace was in an uproar, Yang Kai had already teleported to the Primal Wilderness.
In the small treehouse, Yang Kai appeared and immediately spotted a Stone Puppet craning its head to look his way.
He wasn't sure which Stone Puppet this one was. Yang Kai asked, "Is the Elder in?"
The Stone Puppet raised a hand and pointed toward the treehouse where the Elder resided. Yang Kai flashed over in that direction.
Shortly after, he found the Elder in the treehouse. The Elder looked at him in surprise. "Young friend, why have you returned?"
It hadn't been long since Yang Kai left — at most two months.
Yang Kai cupped his fists solemnly. "I need to ask the Stone Puppet Clan to lend their aid."
The Elder nodded. "No problem."
Yang Kai was taken aback. "You're not even going to ask what for?" He hadn't expected the Elder to agree so readily.
The Elder chuckled. "Judging by the look of you, it seems you've run into some trouble. The Stone Puppet Clan doesn't have many friends. When a friend is in need, how could the Stone Puppet Clan stand by and do nothing?"
Yang Kai bowed deeply. "Thank you for your generosity, Elder. But I must inform you — this matter concerns the Southern Domain!"
"The Southern Domain?" The Elder's brows rose. The Primal Wilderness was in the Eastern Domain, and the Southern Domain was quite a stretch away. But then, thinking of the Spatial Arrays Yang Kai had set up, he suddenly understood.
"This matter also concerns the Demon Race!"
"The Demon Race!" The Elder cried out in alarm.
Yang Kai studied him and asked thoughtfully, "The Elder is familiar with the Demon Race?"
The Elder's expression turned grave. "Aside from the Sacred Spirits, I doubt anyone in this world understands the Demon Race better than my Stone Puppet Clan." The Sacred Spirits possessed ancestral inheritance — not merely power, but also the memories and experiences of their predecessors. So regardless of the Sacred Spirit's lineage, they had all absorbed some measure of their ancestors' memories. Even though the matter of the Demon Race dated back to a distant era, the Sacred Spirits were not entirely ignorant of it.
The Stone Puppets lacked that convenience of inheritance, but their lifespans were extraordinarily long. The Elder himself had lived through several great eras and had personally fought against the Demon Race. How could he not know how terrifying and relentless they were?
"Demons have appeared in the Southern Domain?" the Elder asked, his expression grave.
Yang Kai replied, "More than a decade ago, a Demon Pit opened in the Southern Domain. Someone broke the seal and released tens of thousands of Demonic Thoughts. Those Demonic Thoughts can corrupt cultivators and seize their bodies, making them nearly impossible to guard against. Over the past decade, the Southern Domain has been hunting them down and was said to have purged them all clean. But only last night did I learn the truth — that was merely the surface. Far more Demonic Thoughts were hiding in the shadows, orchestrating a massive conspiracy against the Southern Domain's cultivators. The great Sects of the Southern Domain, hundreds of Emperor Realm masters, tens of thousands of elite disciples — all caught up in it. I was fortunate enough to escape, but I must rush back immediately to save them. If we delay, it will be too late!"
"So that is how it is." The Elder was visibly shaken. Though he had not witnessed it firsthand, hearing Yang Kai describe hundreds of Emperor Realm cultivators and tens of thousands of elite disciples drawn into such a crisis still stunned him. He rose abruptly. "The matter of the Demon Race is not merely the Southern Domain's affair — it is the concern of the entire Star Boundary. My Stone Puppet Clan may dwell in seclusion here in Jiu'an, but how could we remain aloof? There is no time to waste. Let us depart now!"
"Thank you, Elder!" Yang Kai's spirit lifted, and he hurried forward to lead the way.
Descending from the treehouse, the Elder tapped his staff lightly against the ground several times. One by one, Stone Puppets emerged from their treehouses, and a host of Wood Spirits fluttered over as well.
The Elder conveyed Yang Kai's intent in a few brief sentences. A wave of horror passed over the assembled Stone Puppets and Wood Spirits — all of them, it was clear, understood the terror of the Demon Race.