In the time it took to drink a cup of tea, Li Wuyi left and returned.
Accompanying him, naturally, was the Nether Soul Great Emperor.
This was the first time Yang Kai had seen the Nether Soul Great Emperor in person. At first glance, one might mistake him for an unremarkable, middle-aged elder, but wherever his divine sense reached, the space around the Nether Soul was nothing but void — not a trace of any aura could be detected.
Each of the ten Great Emperors possessed their own unique mastery. Mo Huang excelled at taming beasts, Miao Dan Great Emperor was unmatched in the art of alchemy, and the Nether Soul Great Emperor was the most proficient in matters of the soul under heaven.
Of course, there was now also Tian Yan in this world.
However, since Tian Yan had reconstructed his physical body, he had gone off traveling the world, and his current whereabouts were unknown. It was precisely because the Nether Soul Great Emperor was so skilled in soul power that when the Hong Chen Great Emperor first emerged from the Broken Star Sea, he had sought him out immediately, hoping he could help resolve the problem of sharing a body with Wu Kuang through dual souls. Unfortunately, even the Nether Soul Great Emperor had been powerless in that situation.
Yang Kai recalled that Mo Huang had once mentioned the Nether Soul Great Emperor's true name was Yao Jun.
The moment they met, Yao Jun looked at Yang Kai and asked, "Boy, is everything you said the truth?" He had evidently heard Li Wuyi describe the situation in the Western Domain on the way here and had grasped the severity of the problem. His expression was grave.
"Your Excellency can see for yourself whether what this junior said is true or false," Yang Kai replied in a low voice.
Yao Jun gave a slight nod and looked toward Mo Huang.
Mo Huang said, "There's no time to waste. Let's set out now. I'd like to see what tricks Night Shadow is playing."
Yang Kai immediately activated the laws of space, enveloping them all, then connected to the Ethereal Pearl he had previously given to Lin Yun'er. A ripple passed through the air, and the four of them vanished from where they stood.
When they reappeared in the wasteland of the Western Domain, Yang Kai realized they had arrived at a different location — the place they were now was clearly not where they had been before.
"We greet Your Excellencies!" The cultivators of the Star God Palace, seeing that Yang Kai had brought the two Great Emperors so quickly, were overjoyed. They bowed in unison, hands clasped, and the worry that had been weighing on their hearts finally eased.
Before, they had been nearly helpless against the situation. Now, with two Great Emperors as powerful reinforcements, they naturally felt they had someone to rely on.
Mo Huang and Yao Jun nodded gently, opened their eyes, and looked ahead. Both furrowed their brows as they discovered that the situation before them was even worse than what Yang Kai had described — the area shrouded in demonic energy had spread to more than twice its previous extent.
It was precisely because the demonic energy was spreading so rapidly that everyone had been forced to keep retreating rather than staying in place to wait.
When Yao Lin saw her father appear, she burst into tears and threw herself into his arms, pouring out all her grievances as if trying to release every ounce of fear and suffering she had endured.
Yao Jun comforted her repeatedly, and it was clear that he doted on his daughter very much.
"Your Excellencies, the exact center of the demonic energy is where I mentioned the sand funnel before. There exists a void passage there, and the demonic energy is surging out from it. If we can destroy that passage, I believe we can contain the current crisis." Yang Kai pointed ahead as he spoke.
"And you escaped through that passage? The funnel previously connected to an independent minor world?" Mo Huang asked.
"That's right." Yang Kai nodded.
Mo Huang understood, fell silent for a moment, then looked at Yao Jun and said, "Shall we go take a look?"
Yao Jun nodded and said to Yao Lin, "Be a good girl and wait here. Daddy and Uncle Mo have some business to attend to."
"I don't want to." Yao Lin pouted. "Daddy, I want to go back to the Eastern Domain. I want to go back to Nether Soul Palace. Please take me home quickly. I'll never run off on my own again." In the past, she had always run off everywhere, and each time Yao Jun had scolded her for it, but she never learned her lesson — the moment she found an opportunity, she would sneak away again. Only after suffering this terrible ordeal had she finally realized how good home was. She secretly resolved never to leave Nether Soul Palace again. The outside world was far too dangerous.
"Stop making a fuss. Daddy has important business." Yao Jun put on a stern face.
When Yao Lin continued to pester him, Yao Jun suddenly pointed at Yang Kai and said, "If you don't behave, I'll hand you over to him to watch."
Yang Kai couldn't help but roll his eyes — their father-daughter bonding had nothing to do with him — but he cooperated by baring his teeth at Yao Lin in a grin, revealing a set of gleaming white fangs.
Yao Lin's face went pale. She hurriedly waved her hands. "No, no! I'll be good. Just go and come back quickly, Daddy."
Yao Jun nodded, exchanged a glance with Mo Huang, and the two shot into the sky, plunging into the boundless demonic energy before vanishing from sight.
Though the demonic energy possessed extreme corrosive and infectious power, martial artists could still resist it to some degree by channeling their energy. And at the level of a Great Emperor, they were more than capable of disregarding the demonic energy's threat entirely, moving in and out freely without any restriction.
With these two taking action, no one else needed to do anything — they simply had to wait quietly.
Yang Kai looked around, then slowly walked to Yu Rumeng's side and gazed at her. She had been recovering from her injuries the entire time, with Lan Xun tending to her nearby. However, the palm strike Yang Kai had dealt her had caused serious damage — even now, her face was still pale, and the vivid crimson bloodstains on her collar were painfully conspicuous.
"Is she going to be alright?" Yang Kai asked.
Lan Xun shook her head slowly. "It's nothing serious. She'll recover after a few days of rest. Was Senior Sister Li injured by the Night Shadow Great Emperor?"