Yang Kai realized he had truly underestimated Yu Rumeng's resourcefulness.
Leading the three onto the spatial formation, they vanished the instant the light flashed. When their vision returned, they were already inside the Lingxiao Palace in the Northern Region.
The disciples guarding the formation immediately stepped forward to bow in greeting. Yang Kai waved them off and turned to Zhan Wuhen. "Senior, this is my Lingxiao Palace. What are your plans going forward?"
Zhan Wuhen replied, "I need to pay a visit to Medicine Valley and One-Line Sky."
Medicine Valley was where Emperor Miao Dan secluded himself for cultivation. His purpose in going there was naturally to inform Emperor Miao Dan about the demonic calamity in the Western Region. As for One-Line Sky, the name left Yang Kai somewhat confused. "What kind of place is One-Line Sky?"
Zhan Wuhen glanced at him and said flatly, "Where Bing Yu secluded herself for cultivation."
Emperor Bing Yu!
Yang Kai came to understand. He now knew more or less all ten Great Emperors of the Star Boundary — You Hun, Ming Yue, Tian Shu, Miao Dan, Tie Xue, Hong Chen, Shou Wu, Hua Ying, Bing Yu, and Ye Ying. These ten represented the most powerful existences in the entire Star Boundary, though some had established sects while others remained hidden from the world, and ordinary people had no idea where most of them even were.
This was the first Yang Kai had learned that Emperor Bing Yu was actually in the Northern Region. Though on second thought, it wasn't all that surprising. The Emperor's title was Bing Yu — "Ice Feather" — so she likely cultivated ice-based Laws. And the coldest place in the entire Star Boundary was none other than the Northern Region. It was only natural for her to seclude herself there.
After a moment's thought, Yang Kai said, "Senior may not be aware, but Emperor Miao Dan's fifth disciple serves as the chief alchemist here at my Lingxiao Palace. So I can take care of notifying Emperor Miao Dan on your behalf."
Zhan Wuhen raised an eyebrow slightly, regarding him with surprise. "Miao Dan's fifth disciple is actually working for you?" This was somewhat unexpected. Miao Dan didn't have many disciples, but every single one was an Emperor-tier Alchemist. How could someone of that caliber be working under Yang Kai? What had he done to earn that?
Then again, this was rather convenient for Zhan Wuhen — at the very least, he no longer needed to go to Medicine Valley, saving considerable time. All he had to do was visit One-Line Sky and track down Bing Yu.
He nodded gently. "In that case, you'll handle the matter of notifying Medicine Valley. You should also gather the cultivators of the Northern Region and send them over there as quickly as possible."
"Yes!" Yang Kai nodded.
Zhan Wuhen glanced at Lin Yun'er and gently patted her on the head, smiling. "Yun'er, wait here for a few days. Master will be back soon."
Lin Yun'er nodded obediently. "Got it, Master. Come back soon."
Zhan Wuhen gave a slight smile, then stepped forward. After only a few paces, he suddenly halted and spoke abruptly. "Kid, I once had a good friend. His title was Qing Lian. Have you heard of him?"
Emperor Qing Lian! A figure from tens of thousands of years ago — of course Yang Kai had heard of him. He had died at the hands of Wu Kuang during the Battle of the Emperors, and his natal Emperor Treasure, the Indestructible Green Lotus, had been lost in the Shattered Star Sea, though rumor had it that someone had since obtained it.
Now there was a Green Lotus Palace in the Eastern Region, apparently founded by whoever had acquired the Indestructible Green Lotus. But that person had failed to carry on Emperor Qing Lian's legacy. The Green Lotus Palace's standing in the Eastern Region was roughly on par with the Heavenly Wolf Valley, and as for the Indestructible Green Lotus itself, nobody knew where it currently was.
Zhan Wuhen had brought this up so out of nowhere that Yang Kai had no idea what he was getting at. All he could do was nod. "I've heard of him."
Zhan Wuhen said, "Qing Lian was killed by Wu Kuang. In the battle at the Shattered Star Sea, I thought the debt had been repaid. But only in recent years did I learn that Wu Kuang died and came back to life." He turned his head suddenly, fixing Yang Kai with a hard stare as he enunciated each word. "Wu Kuang is the greatest enemy of my life. One day, either he dies or I do."
Yang Kai looked utterly bewildered, and could only cup his fists. "Then I wish Senior great fortune in battle and swift success!"
Zhan Wuhen gave a slight nod, then shot forward like a bolt, streaking across the sky and vanishing.
After he was gone, Yang Kai furrowed his brow and stared in the direction he had departed.
What was that supposed to mean? The words Zhan Wuhen had thrown out before leaving were so disjointed and cryptic, leaving Yang Kai thoroughly perplexed. But the more he thought about it, the more alarmed he grew. There had been a strong note of warning in Zhan Wuhen's words, as if he suspected some connection between Yang Kai and Wu Kuang — hence the caution.
Yang Kai didn't know whether to laugh or cry. What connection could he possibly have with Wu Kuang? Sure, they had crossed paths a few times, and he had even consulted Wu Kuang on certain matters back in the Ancestral Domain, but if one were to characterize their relationship, it would be more accurate to say Yang Kai desperately wanted to kill him. The problem was that Wu Kuang had since taken possession of Duan Hongchen's body, leaving Yang Kai powerless to do anything about it.
Wait…
A sudden realization struck Yang Kai, and his expression turned grave. He actually might have a connection with Wu Kuang after all — at the very least, his Avatar had cultivated the Devouring Heaven Art! This was a forbidden technique condemned by the entire Star Boundary. Yang Yan had previously warned him never to reveal this secret, lest Emperor Tie Xue refuse to let the matter rest.
Tie Xue regarded Wu Kuang as the greatest enemy of his life — how could he possibly tolerate the existence of the Devouring Heaven Art?
Could it be that Zhan Wuhen knew about the Avatar, and knew that it had cultivated the Devouring Heaven Art?
The moment that thought crossed his mind, a figure sprang to the forefront of Yang Kai's mind.
Cang Mo!
Back when Yang Kai was still in the lower Star Fields, Cang Mo had seen the Avatar. And more recently, in the Eastern Region, Cang Mo had actually fought against it. At the time, the Avatar had indeed activated the Devouring Heaven Domain. Cang Mo was a Pseudo-Emperor after all — even if he hadn't encountered the Devouring Heaven Art before, a moment's reflection might have allowed him to pick up on certain telltale signs. Moreover, he was a member of the Star Court, serving directly under Emperor Tie Xue. If he reported what he had observed to the Emperor…
That son of a bitch! Yang Kai cursed silently. No wonder Zhan Wuhen had said something so baffling — it was because of this. He must have learned that the Avatar cultivated the Devouring Heaven Art, which was why he had gone out of his way to give Yang Kai a veiled warning.
If he had known this would happen, he would have killed that bastard Cang Mo on the spot back then no matter what. Then again, looking back, even if he had wanted to, he wouldn't have had the ability. A Pseudo-Emperor was not so easy to kill.
Still, the fact that Zhan Wuhen had pointed this out rather than acted against him suggested he had no intention of doing so — especially not at a critical juncture like this. Otherwise, he could have simply attacked Yang Kai on the spot and demanded he hand over the Avatar.
"What are you thinking about?" Yu Rumeng asked, noticing the shifting expressions on his face.