At the time, Xiao Yuyang had said that the Great Emperor had already set out for Wuhua Hall, but midway through had heard the matter was resolved and turned back.
No one had questioned that explanation, but now it seemed the truth was far from it.
"Back then, Princess Lan Xun had already gone missing. The Great Emperor had been tracking down her whereabouts all along, which is why he knew nothing of what happened at Wuhua Hall." Xiao Yuyang's expression was grave as he explained.
"Princess Lan Xun was already missing back then?" Yang Kai was stunned. No wonder he hadn't seen Lan Xun at the Southern Domain Martial Assembly — such a grand event, and her absence had struck him as odd at the time, though he hadn't thought too deeply of it. Now he understood the reason. He furrowed his brow. "So you're saying that for these past few years, the Great Emperor has not been in the Star God Palace?"
Otherwise, given how long it had been since the Wuhua Hall incident, there was no way the Great Emperor wouldn't have heard about it.
"Precisely." Xiao Yuyang nodded. "Her Highness is the Great Emperor's only family. With her gone missing, he was naturally anxious and has been following every lead. Moreover, this matter could only be conducted in secret — it could not be made public in any way."
Yang Kai nodded in understanding. If the Great Emperor's daughter had been captured and they launched a full-scale search, it could give someone an opening to exploit, or worse, provoke the kidnapper into silencing Lan Xun for good.
"It wasn't until a year ago that the Palace finally received a message from the Great Emperor. However, the message was incomplete — it seemed as though the Great Emperor had sent it in haste, or perhaps it was disrupted somehow. We followed the trail to a suspicious location, but we were unable to enter."
"Why?" Yang Kai asked, puzzled. With the Star God Palace's experts mobilized in full force, what place in this world could keep them out?
"It appears to be an independent realm. Without the proper method of opening it, no one can get in."
A look of realization dawned on Yang Kai's face. "So that's why you came to me."
Xiao Yuyang sighed. "You are well-versed in the Dao of Space. Perhaps you have a way in."
Yang Kai nodded, acknowledging the logic. If the place truly was an independent realm, then he was undoubtedly the best — and perhaps the only — person to ask.
"Where is the Great Emperor now?" Yang Kai asked.
Xiao Yuyang shook his head slowly. "Since sending that message, the Great Emperor has not responded."
Yang Kai felt a chill run through him. Even the Great Emperor had gone silent? Could it be that things had taken a dire turn? But that was impossible — who in this world could pose a threat to a Great Emperor? Unless, of course, they were using Lan Xun to blackmail him…
He shook the thought away silently, uncertain whether the Great Emperor Mingyue would surrender without a fight if his daughter were held hostage. The real question was, who could possibly restrain him?
This matter was getting out of hand.
As if reading his thoughts, Xiao Yuyang said, "The Great Emperor is immensely powerful, so there's no need to worry too much. The lack of a response may simply be due to some delay, or perhaps he has already entered that independent realm. Yang Kai, I've heard that you and Her Highness are on good terms. This time, we must ask you to help her — at the very least, open that realm so that our people from the Star God Palace can go in and search."
Yang Kai inclined his head. "Her Highness once showed me a great kindness. Now that she is in trouble, I naturally cannot stand by and do nothing."
Hearing this, Xiao Yuyang was overjoyed. He had been worried Yang Kai might refuse, but it seemed he was a man of warm heart after all.
"There is one thing I'm curious about, though," Yang Kai said, shifting the topic.
"Go ahead." Perhaps because Yang Kai had agreed so readily, Xiao Yuyang's manner toward him had grown considerably warmer.
"As you yourself said, Elder Xiao, the Princess went missing three years ago, and the Great Emperor began his investigation three years ago. He sent the message a year ago. Why has it taken until now for you to come find me?"
It was no secret that he could set up spatial formations in the Southern Domain. Qingyang Temple and Lingxiao Palace were linked by a formation — travel between them took but an instant. There was no reason to delay an entire year.
Xiao Yuyang let out a sigh. "You may not know this, but that location is extremely far from the Southern Domain. Even at our speed, flying there would take the better part of half a year."
"Half a year!" Yang Kai's expression shifted. "It's in another Domain?"
"The Western Domain!" Xiao Yuyang's voice was heavy.
Yang Kai understood. So the place was in the Western Domain — a round trip would indeed eat up a tremendous amount of time, which explained why it had taken them a full year to come to him. Speaking of the Western Domain brought a twinge of resentment. Years ago, when he had returned from the Samsara World, he had passed through the Western Domain and encountered little Lin Yun'er. Together, they had caused quite a scene inside a major sect there. He had set up a spatial formation intending to bring her back to Lingxiao Palace, but at the critical moment the formation had been destroyed by someone, leaving only him to teleport back while Lin Yun'er was stranded in the Western Domain.
Yang Kai had never seen who did it, but he was fairly certain it was none other than the Iron Blood Great Emperor.
If that hadn't happened, traveling to the Western Domain would have been convenient enough. But now, getting there meant flying, and he had no idea how much time that would waste.
"There's no time to lose. If you have no other matters to attend to, Yang Kai, let's set out immediately," Xiao Yuyang urged. Too much time had already been wasted, and who knew what might have changed over there — he was desperate to bring Yang Kai over and take a look.
Yang Kai nodded. "Very well." As he spoke, he took out a transmission compass and sent a message to Hua Qingsi, informing her that he would be heading out for an indefinite period.
Hua Qingsi was already accustomed to his habit of vanishing without notice, so there was nothing to be said.
The three of them departed at once, using the spatial formation to teleport back to Qingyang Temple.
Immediately afterward, Xiao Yuyang produced a two-story flying vessel and invited Yang Kai aboard. With a surge of power, the vessel shot into the sky, and he showed no intention of wasting even a single moment.