It took a good while before Tao Yingruo finally emerged from inside.
Yang Kai turned to look, and couldn't help but blink in surprise.
Tao Yingruo's complexion was flushed with color, her face radiating the kind of vitality that came with joyous news.
Yang Kai asked curiously, "What has got the Acting Sect Master so delighted?" He couldn't help but wonder what kind of things Sheng Yuzhu had told her to make her so openly elated.
Tao Yingruo, however, did not answer. Instead, she offered a graceful bow. "Thank you, Elder. Elder Yang is truly a blessing to our Rakshasa Sect."
Yang Kai rubbed his nose, thoroughly puzzled. "Whatever do you mean?"
Tao Yingruo smiled. "The moment you arrived, you brought back our Rakshasa Sect's Grand Ancestor. If that isn't a blessing, what is?"
"Grand… Grand Ancestor?" Yang Kai was startled. Beside him, Ran Yirou and Yu Keren both formed perfect circles with their mouths, which was quite a sight. They had no idea how their sect had suddenly produced a Grand Ancestor — wasn't the founding ancestor of the Rakshasa Sect the previous Sect Master, Yu Luosha?
They didn't understand, but Yang Kai quickly caught on. If his earlier guess was correct, then every cultivation technique practiced throughout the Rakshasa Sect had been passed down by Sheng Yuzhu. She may have only intended to draw someone's attention as a means of rescue, but the lineage that resulted was an undeniable fact. If Yu Luosha counted as her disciple, then every member of the Rakshasa Sect was naturally her descendant in the way of the path.
Only Yu Luosha herself had never known this.
The fact that Sheng Yuzhu had now revealed this to Tao Yingruo likely meant she intended to use this place to gradually recover her strength. The Rakshasa Sect may not have been powerful, but it was still a sect nonetheless. With an entire sect behind her as support, Sheng Yuzhu's recovery would proceed all the faster.
"I have confirmed it myself — the Grand Ancestor is indeed the wellspring of all our Rakshasa Sect's techniques and secret arts. She was only imprisoned in that forbidden land because of treachery by villains. The previous Sect Master received her teachings in their entirety, yet never discovered where she was being held, which led to the Grand Ancestor suffering all these extra years. This time, it was all thanks to Elder Yang's sharp eyes that she was finally rescued. The entire Rakshasa Sect is endlessly grateful."
Within a sect, no bond was more reliable than the master-disciple relationship. Since Tao Yingruo had already confirmed that the previous Sect Master, Yu Luosha, had attained her Emperor Realm cultivation through Sheng Yuzhu's teachings, there could be no question that Sheng Yuzhu was the Rakshasa Sect's Grand Ancestor. So despite this being their very first meeting, and despite Sheng Yuzhu's appearance being nothing short of terrifying, Tao Yingruo immediately acknowledged her status and treated her with the respect due a disciple.
"By a fortunate twist of fate, I must congratulate the Acting Sect Master," Yang Kai said with a mild smile.
"And to you as well, Elder!" Tao Yingruo shot Yang Kai a playful wink. "After all, you're part of the Rakshasa Sect too."
"That's true enough." Yang Kai laughed. After the coronation ceremony, he already bore the mark of the Rakshasa Sect — something no one could deny.
Tao Yingruo's expression grew solemn. "However, I must ask the Elder to keep this matter confidential for now. The Grand Ancestor's cultivation has less than a tenth of what it once was, and she will need a great deal of time to recover."
"Of course." Yang Kai nodded, feeling a measure of relief. He had been worried that placing Sheng Yuzhu within the Rakshasa Sect might meet with objections from Tao Yingruo and the others. He had already decided that if they so much as showed a hint of displeasure, he would send Sheng Yuzhu to High Heaven Palace instead for quiet seclusion. What he hadn't expected was for Sheng Yuzhu to play a card like this — directly cementing her identity as the Grand Ancestor. It seemed she was willing to stay here after all.
And with that settled, how could the Rakshasa Sect possibly refuse to welcome her? Tao Yingruo surely understood full well that this Grand Ancestor, even in her diminished state, had been able to transmit teachings across the distance to produce an Emperor Realm cultivator. Her true strength must have once reached the absolute pinnacle. If the Rakshasa Sect could win even a fraction of her favor, there would be no stopping its rise. Given time, the sect would likely become even more glorious than it had ever been before.
"The two of you — what you have seen and heard today must not leave your lips. If I find out otherwise, there will be no mercy." Tao Yingruo turned her head and fixed Ran Yirou and Yu Keren with a stern, unyielding glare.
"Yes." The two women dared not refuse, hurriedly bowing with anxious expressions. In their hearts, they realized they had probably just been exposed to some closely guarded sect secret.
After exchanging a few more idle words with Yang Kai, Tao Yingruo hurried off, presumably eager to share the good news with the other Dao Source Realm cultivators. While the matter was strictly classified, the Rakshasa Sect now had only five Dao Source Realm cultivators left. Some things could be kept secret, but others simply didn't need to be.
With the Rakshasa Sect's affairs settled, Yang Kai had no reason to linger. Though it was impossible to say how long Sheng Yuzhu would need to make a full recovery, the Rakshasa Sect now had his name to shield it, and no one would dare come looking for trouble.
The following day, he bid farewell to Sheng Yuzhu, Tao Yingruo, and the others.
What astonished Yang Kai was that in just a single day, Sheng Yuzhu's condition had already improved dramatically. She still looked skeletal, her life force still faint and threadbare, but compared to the day before, she was undeniably in better shape. And the relationship now established between Sheng Yuzhu and the Rakshasa Sect meant Yang Kai could depart with peace of mind.
Having acknowledged herself as the Rakshasa Sect's Grand Ancestor, Sheng Yuzhu would harbor no ill intentions toward the sect.
The Northern Region — High Heaven Palace. Yang Kai returned at a leisurely pace.
Atop High Heaven Peak, Yang Kai summoned Hua Qingsi and inquired about sect matters and the recent situation in the Northern Region. He learned that everything within the sect was running smoothly — the hundred thousand disciples were all diligently cultivating. Though he had previously taken a contingent south to provide reinforcements, the number dispatched from High Heaven Palace had not been large, and many still had no idea that the episode had ever taken place.
As for the Northern Region, having witnessed Yang Kai's inconceivable ability to rally others, no one dared cause any further trouble.
Previously, when Yang Kai had allied with the three other supreme sects to sweep through the Northern Region, his overwhelming strength had carried the day through sheer bloody suppression. But there had still been quite a few who harbored resentment. After the events in the Southern Region, however, even those who remained disgruntled no longer dared to show it. The entire Northern Region was outwardly deferential to the point of servility — one could almost say that in the Northern Region, High Heaven Palace held absolute dominion.
Additionally, two more sects had been destroyed.