The reason Yang Kai had brought up the matter the moment they met was that he wanted to use the Spirit Beast Island side to notify the Netherworld Palace. Since he had stumbled upon the incident, even if he couldn't rescue anyone, the least he could do was get word out.
Moreover, that old man had nearly killed Yang Xiao. Yang Kai wanted to know exactly who he was.
Along the way, Yang Kai voiced the doubts in his heart. Li Wuyi pondered for a long while before slowly shaking his head. "With that description of yours, I don't have any particular impression. But if I could actually see the person in the flesh, I might be able to recognize him. Pseudo-Emperors may not be a small number in this world, but they aren't exactly plentiful either."
Hearing this, Yang Kai couldn't help feeling somewhat disappointed. He had originally thought Li Wuyi would know the old man's identity, but it turned out even he couldn't say for certain. Then again, that was hardly surprising—without having seen the person firsthand, who could say whether that old fellow hadn't altered his own appearance?
They traveled on and soon arrived amid a cluster of pavilions and towers. A small bridge arched over flowing water, and the scenery was quite picturesque. A burly man stood at the bridgehead, scattering fish feed onto the surface below, drawing swarms of red carp that jostled one another for the morsels, splashing droplets of water into the air.
Judging from this man's appearance alone, there was nothing extraordinary about him whatsoever. He didn't even carry the bearing of someone in authority—he simply happened to be born broad and powerfully built. But anyone who knew him understood that this was none other than one of the ten Great Emperors renowned throughout the Star Boundary: the Beast Martial Emperor, Mo Huang!
"You're back?" Mo Huang glanced up at Yang Kai, offered a faint smile, and continued scattering the feed in his hands.
Yang Kai cupped his fists solemnly. "Yang Kai greets you, My Lord."
Mo Huang gave a slight nod and asked evenly, "Has Little Seven returned as well?"
"She has. She's speaking with Senior Jiu Feng at the moment."
Mo Huang murmured an acknowledgment, and that was the end of it.
Li Wuyi stepped forward, his expression grave. "My Lord, something has happened."
Mo Huang raised his eyes, lids narrowing slightly. He tossed out the last of the fish feed in one motion, then dusted off his hands. "What happened?" For Li Wuyi to say something like this meant the matter was no small thing. Otherwise his expression wouldn't be so somber. Mo Huang instinctively assumed something had gone wrong on Dragon Island, perhaps something involving Fu Xuan.
Li Wuyi said, "Yao Lin has been captured by an unidentified old man. Her bodyguards were slaughtered to the last."
Mo Huang's brow furrowed upon hearing this. "Yao Lin? Yao Jun's daughter?"
"That's correct."
"How did you find out?" Mo Huang asked, curious.
"Yang Kai saw it on his way back. The Eldest Miss was present as well. The attacker was a Pseudo-Emperor."
Mo Huang was even more startled. "A Pseudo-Emperor!" Pseudo-Emperors were no ordinary figures, but which Pseudo-Emperor would have the audacity to target a Great Emperor's daughter? Anyone who had cultivated to the level of a Pseudo-Emperor would certainly know the offspring of the various Great Emperors. Even if some offense had been committed, they would merely receive a light reprimand. Slaughter the girl's bodyguards and kidnap her outright—that was practically begging for Yao Jun to come down on them with murderous fury.
"Is this confirmed?" Mo Huang asked with a frown.
Li Wuyi turned his gaze toward Yang Kai. Yang Kai replied with a serious expression, "Absolutely confirmed. I recognized Yao Lin, and Little Seven identified her at the time as well."
Hearing Yang Kai refer to his precious daughter by such an intimate nickname—Little Seven—Mo Huang's mouth twitched ever so slightly. He gave Yang Kai a long, searching look, his expression brimming with meaning.
Li Wuyi said, "Should we notify the Netherworld Palace side about this?"
Mo Huang nodded. "We should. If it turns out to be some misunderstanding, so much the better. But if it's true, then now that we know, we ought to let them know."
As he spoke, Mo Huang suddenly produced a jade slip. Divine Sense surged as he poured some manner of information into it, then flicked it with a finger. Under the ripple of spatial laws, the jade slip vanished into thin air.
Watching this, Yang Kai immediately understood that Mo Huang and Yao Jun had established contact with each other using a method similar to Li Wuyi's spatial beacon. It made sense when he thought about it—they were both Great Emperors, both situated in the Eastern Sea, practically neighbors. It would be strange if they had no way to reach each other.
Changing the subject, Mo Huang looked at Yang Kai and asked, "Were there any irregularities on Dragon Island?"
Yang Kai caught the implication behind the question at once and replied, "Everything was perfectly normal. The Third Elder wasn't subjected to any harsh treatment. This time when Little Seven went to visit her, she was very happy."
Mo Huang's expression softened considerably, a hint of a smile playing at the corner of his lips. "That's good to hear, then." He then asked, "They didn't give you too hard a time this trip, did they?" If Fu Xuan and Zhu Qing shared a linked fate, then Yang Kai and Mo Huang could be said to share a similar one as well—both had consummated a relationship with a Dragon Island woman, and neither was welcome on Dragon Island.
Yang Kai scratched his nose. "It was passable. We managed to clear up the misunderstanding with Dragon Island in the end."
Mo Huang was taken aback. "Cleared up? What do you mean?" Even as a Great Emperor, he couldn't help being shocked by that.
Yang Kai blinked. "Exactly what it sounds like."