In the Southern Domain, outside the Wuhua Hall, Yang Kai and Hua Qingsi arrived through a spatial formation. The moment they stepped out, Yang Kai reached back and destroyed the formation — a painstakingly constructed piece of work.
There was no point keeping it; it would need to be set up again inside the Wuhua Hall regardless.
Shortly after, the two entered the Wuhua Hall together. Yang Kai swept the area with his Divine Sense and sensed that quite a few people were moving about inside — at least a thousand or more. They were all personnel Hua Qingsi had sent ahead to assist Nanmen Dajun in surveying the Wuhua Hall's terrain and helping him set up formations.
Nanmen Dajun himself was currently hovering in midair, constantly looking left and right while gesturing with his hands, muttering something under his breath in an almost trance-like state of concentration.
Sensing someone approach, he turned his head and straightened up immediately. "Palace Master. Grand Steward."
Yang Kai nodded, took a position beside him, and looked down at the scenery below. "How are things?"
Nanmen Dajun said, "Which aspect does the Palace Master refer to?"
"How long until the formations can be set up?"
Nanmen Dajun considered for a moment before replying, "The Wuhua Hall's original formations are already quite impressive, so we won't need a complete overhaul. Give me another month, and the grand formation should be able to hold up. After that, we can fine-tune it over time — within half a year, it should be fully complete."
"Mm. This is your area of expertise, so I'm counting on you. Whatever you need, just ask the Grand Steward."
Nanmen Dajun grinned. "Without the Grand Steward's support, I couldn't possibly make such a guarantee." He was now Lingxiao Palace's chief formation master. When it came to setting up formations, Hua Qingsi provided whatever he asked for — personnel, materials, everything. Otherwise, how could the grand formation of a top-tier sect be assembled so readily?
Back in the day, when he had roamed the Northern Domain, his reputation had been considerable, but he was ultimately a lone wanderer. Many things were beyond his reach despite his ambition. Now, however, with the entire Lingxiao Palace backing him, there were only formations he couldn't imagine — none he couldn't build.
He was beginning to feel that this arrangement was quite nice. He could deploy his ambitions freely, and nothing could make him happier than that. After spending so many years at Lingxiao Palace, he had more or less settled down.
Even if Yang Kai were to drive him away now, he would seriously hesitate. Without Lingxiao Palace's support, even a brilliant formation master was like a skilled cook without ingredients. Joining another sect was certainly an option, but which sect could match the level of backing Lingxiao Palace provided?
It wasn't just him — Hou Yu was the same.
When Hou Yu had first been dragged back by Yang Kai, he had tried to escape on multiple occasions.
But as time passed, hadn't his temperament gradually settled? In Lingxiao Palace, everyone treated them with courtesy and respect, granting them ample authority while fully supporting their work in their respective fields. Where else could one find such an employer?
Both he and Hou Yu had already recruited a batch of disciples, intending to cultivate them properly and see who had the potential to inherit their legacies. With that kind of connection, their bond with Lingxiao Palace would only grow tighter.
In the current Lingxiao Palace, three extraordinary spirit peaks — the Alchemy Peak, the Artifact Peak, and the Formation Peak — were producing talent in abundance. Add in the group at Thousand Leaf Peak who studied the way of puppets, and the Palace's disciples had far too many choices. Don't want to cultivate? No problem — alchemy, artifact refining, formations, puppetry — there was bound to be something to one's liking.
After offering Nanmen Dajun a few more words of encouragement, Yang Kai departed on his own.
The Wuhua Hall had many restricted areas, but the most heavily guarded was the location of the Extrastellar Winds. Layer upon layer of formations protected the site, and any unauthorized intruder would meet a fate of death or grievous injury.
However, Nanmen Dajun had dismantled roughly seventy to eighty percent of the formations here the moment he arrived. The restricted area was now completely unobstructed, and as Yang Kai made his way through, he couldn't help clicking his tongue in admiration.
He had long heard of the Extrastellar Winds' reputation, but this was his first time seeing them for himself.
The restricted area was a long, narrow gorge. Looking out, one saw a world shrouded in grey — seemingly endless — while all around, the sound of wind howled. Just hearing it was enough to know the terror it held. The cliff faces on all sides were covered in marks, as though carved by blades and swords. But those marks were not left by any blade — they were the work of the Extrastellar Winds.
Yang Kai narrowed his eyes and studied the scene for a while, then extended his Divine Sense forward. To his surprise, he felt an almost palpable sensation of blades and swords pressing against his body. The omnipresent Extrastellar Winds seemed capable of slicing his Divine Sense to dust.
It was a good thing his Divine Sense was formidable — otherwise he might have been injured.
Without hesitation, he stepped into the gorge.
The instant his foot fell, it was as though he had entered another world. The surrounding air rushed violently, whipping up gust after gust of wind. Those invisible, intangible breezes had transformed into razor-sharp instruments, slicing at Yang Kai's body again and again.
His clothing offered no protection whatsoever. Even his Emperor Yuan defensive barrier was completely ignored — the omnipresent winds passed straight through it and struck directly at his skin and flesh.
This discovery made him click his tongue in wonder. No wonder this wretched place could temper the physical body. Even someone as powerful as himself found his Emperor Yuan useless here, to say nothing of anyone else. To endure, one had to rely solely on the strength of the flesh.