The ceremony lasted only a single day, but it took three full days before the Rakshasa Sect finally quieted down and saw off all its guests. During those three days, Yang Kai had been busy mingling with the various Emperor Realm masters. There was no helping it — having accepted the position of Honorary Elder of the Rakshasa Sect, he had to play the part. Using the ceremony as an occasion and himself as a bridge, he had actually helped the Rakshasa Sect build goodwill with quite a few other Sects.
The outcome left Tao Yingruo and the others absolutely delighted. One could say that the goal of recruiting Yang Kai as an Honorary Elder had been far surpassed. From now on, across the entire Southern Region, no one would dare provoke the Rakshasa Sect on a whim. With Yang Kai as their shining banner, all the Sect had to do was develop at its own pace, and sooner or later there would come an opportunity for them to rise again.
That, of course, was not something Yang Kai needed to worry about. He had his own Ascending Heaven Palace. His protection of the Rakshasa Sect was motivated solely by Yu Zhuo's sake, and he had no intention of settling here permanently.
He had planned to leave as soon as the ceremony ended. After all, he had left behind an inter-domain spatial formation — if the Rakshasa Sect ever ran into real trouble, Tao Yingruo could travel to Ascending Heaven Palace to seek aid. However, because of the matter concerning that forbidden valley, Yang Kai still needed to delay a while longer. He intended to wait for next month's full moon night to investigate the phenomenon before departing.
Atop Rakshasa Peak, Tao Yingruo arrived with several Dao Source Realm junior sisters in tow. After Ran Yirou announced their arrival, Yang Kai received them in the guest hall.
The five Dao Source Realm cultivators lined up below and performed a grand bow in unison. Then Tao Yingruo spoke: "Elder Yang's great kindness is something the Rakshasa Sect will never forget for as long as we exist. In the future, should Elder Yang ever have need of us, the Rakshasa Sect will answer without hesitation."
Yang Kai raised his hand to help them up, waving it dismissively. "Acting Sect Head, you're being too formal. I'm already a member of the Rakshasa Sect — this is simply my duty."
Tao Yingruo said gratefully, "That the Rakshasa Sect was able to obtain Elder Yang's service is truly a blessing from the heavens." As she spoke, she shot a meaningful glance at Qin Pei.
Qin Pei stepped forward and, both hands respectfully extended, presented a spatial ring.
"What's this?" Yang Kai accepted it, glancing at her quizzically.
Qin Pei explained, "These are the congratulatory gifts from the various guests who attended the ceremony. The disciples have compiled a complete inventory on a jade disc — Elder Yang, please have a look and see if anything is missing."
Normally, such gifts could have been kept by the Rakshasa Sect. But Tao Yingruo and the others knew full well that the guests had not offered these gifts for the Sect's sake, but for Yang Kai's. Naturally, they could not keep a single item, and they turned over every last one.
"There really are quite a few good things." Yang Kai glanced over the inventory casually, smiled faintly, and made no refusal — he simply stowed the spatial ring away. These gifts represented a fortune beyond the Rakshasa Sect's wildest imagination, but to him they were nothing extraordinary.
Ascending Heaven Palace now oversaw the entire Northern Region, and its annual income was beyond imagination. What were a few gifts compared to that?
Yang Kai had no intention of splitting these gifts with the Rakshasa Sect, because he knew that even if he offered, Tao Yingruo and the others would never agree to accept. These women were not that thick-skinned. Besides, it was better to teach a man to fish than to give him a fish. If the Rakshasa Sect wished to develop and acquire cultivation resources in the future, it needed to establish a sustainable livelihood of its own.
He already had a plan for that. "If the Acting Sect Head has some free time, she could pay a visit to Ascending Heaven Palace and speak with my Grand Steward. Perhaps the two of them can discuss a path to prosperity for the Rakshasa Sect. The disciples' Cultivation in the future will require no shortage of all manner of resources."
Tao Yingruo's eyes lit up at these words. "Thank you, Elder Yang. I'll set out in a few days."
Yang Kai nodded. "When you go, let her know that I'll be staying here for one more month. I'll return after that."
"Understood."
For Tao Yingruo and the others, Yang Kai was welcome to stay at the Rakshasa Sect for as long as he wished. After all, they had even opened the forbidden valley to him — what else could they possibly deny him? The best outcome, in their eyes, would be for something to develop between Yang Kai and Ran Yirou or Yu Keren.
Unfortunately, that wish ultimately went unfulfilled.
For the following twenty-odd days, Yang Kai remained in his room as before, never stepping outside. Forget about Tao Yingruo and the others — even Ran Yirou and Yu Keren did not see him again.
Time flew, and in the blink of an eye, another month had passed. It was the full moon night once more.
Yang Kai arrived at the forbidden valley early, only to find his brow furrowing involuntarily.
The last time he had come here, the moon had shone bright and the stars had been clear. This time, the heavens were uncooperative — thick clouds stretched across the sky, plunging the entire world into darkness without a sliver of light.
He couldn't help feeling a twinge of worry, uncertain whether this change in weather might affect the forbidden zone. But if his earlier conjecture was correct, the weather likely wouldn't matter much.
He waited in silence. Then, at a certain moment, that familiar sensation rippled through the air once more.
Yang Kai's expression sharpened, further convinced that his earlier guess had been right.
This time, however, he did not bother observing the smooth cliff face. Without moonlight, there was nothing unusual to be seen on it anyway. He flickered directly to the spot he had noticed in the final moments of his last visit.
Before long, another faint wave of energy surged outward.