When Yang Kai had annihilated the upper echelons of the Yellow Spring Sect and the Fan Tian Holy Land outside Heavenly Wolf Valley that day, he had told Chi Gui that he wanted half of both sects' assets. He knew full well that with their leadership destroyed, those two great sects had no hope of preserving their foundations. The Ah Han Palace would certainly make its move.
Once that happened, only the Ah Han Palace would remain among the Eastern Domain's three great top-tier sects. Asking for half their assets was not unreasonable.
However, he had gone to Dragon Island afterward, then to the Spirit Beast Island, and had returned directly to the Northern Domain without ever having the chance to visit the Ah Han Palace.
This time, Chi Gui had personally delivered the goods.
In fact, among the Emperor Realm cultivators who had just been seeking Yang Kai's counsel on intelligence about the Demon Race, the Palace Master of the Ah Han Palace had been among them. Yang Kai did not yet know his full name—he had only heard others address him as Palace Master Chen.
This Palace Master Chen had not delivered the items personally. Presumably he could not quite bring himself to do so. After all, these were spoils of war belonging to the Ah Han Palace, and for Yang Kai to claim half with a single word would make it look as though the Palace Master feared him.
But with the two realms at war and many places where they would need to rely on Yang Kai, he could not afford to offend the man lightly. That was why he had sent Chi Gui—who had dealt with Yang Kai several times before—to deliver the assets, which also served as a gesture of goodwill.
Chi Gui grinned broadly, glanced around, and lowered his voice. "The Palace Master says that should future battles arise, he hopes Brother Yang will look after the Ah Han Palace."
Yang Kai cast him a sidelong glance. "The Ah Han Palace has committed its full strength this time, with Palace Master Chen himself overseeing the forces under the Ghost Shadow Palace's command. What need is there for me to look after you?"
Chi Gui answered with a cheeky smile. "I heard that in the great battle a few days ago, Brother Yang used a secret technique that could stimulate a person's blood essence to resist demonic corruption, and linked the life force of a thousand people together to share the damage..."
So that was what they were after.
Yang Kai remained noncommittal. "I'll do my best." He did not overpromise. It was not that he was unwilling to protect cultivators from other domains—it was simply that his ability had its limits.
He was indeed the Witch King, but casting the Bloodlust Art and Life Chains on a hundred thousand people at once was already his absolute ceiling. Beyond that, he was powerless. With the three-domain alliance fielding three hundred thousand troops, if all of them were to deploy at once, he alone could never manage.
"Then I thank you in advance." Chi Gui clasped his fists in salute and departed.
Yang Kai remained standing in place, deep in thought. A rather promising idea had popped into his head, and the more he considered it, the more viable it seemed. The reason he had never considered it before was that the Demon Race had not yet launched a full-scale invasion. But with circumstances forcing his hand, perhaps it was time to plan ahead.
While he was absorbed in thought, a faint fragrance drifted past his side, and a veiled figure with smiling eyes appeared before him. "What are you thinking about?"
Yang Kai was startled. This woman was fine?
How could she be fine? She had just been summoned by Hua Linglong, and Yang Kai had assumed her disguise was about to be exposed. He had been waiting to watch the show—yet here she stood, perfectly unharmed.
"Are you all right?" Yang Kai's thoughts shifted, and he put on a look of concern, secretly transmitting his voice.
Yu Rumeng's eyes curved at the corners. "Are you worried about me?"
Yang Kai rolled his eyes and put on a solemn face while spouting utter nonsense. "Of course I'm worried. She... didn't do anything to you, did she?"
Yu Rumeng smiled faintly. "If she had, would I still be standing here in front of you?"
"That's good, that's good." Yang Kai put on an expression of great relief, though in truth he was utterly baffled. What had happened? Had Hua Linglong not seen through her disguise? Or had she seen through it but had other plans?
"I'll be fine. Don't worry." Yu Rumeng's expression turned serious.
Worry about you—more like worry about a ghost! Yang Kai grumbled inwardly. Ever since he had used the Warm Spirit Lotus to suppress the Heart Seal secret technique, he had been free from its influence. But Yu Rumeng, it seemed, had not yet broken free of the technique's hold, and her attitude toward him remained as affectionate as ever. Come to think of it, it was not so strange. The Heart Seal technique was suppressed by the Warm Spirit Lotus, but it still resided within Yang Kai's spiritual sea. As long as it was not completely destroyed, it would continue to exert its effect on Yu Rumeng.
"Go on inside. The Great Emperors seem to have questions for you." Yu Rumeng gestured with a finger.
Yang Kai nodded. "I'll go and come right back. Don't wander off."
Yu Rumeng's expression was sweet. "Mm."
Yang Kai turned and walked into the great tent.
Inside the tent, seven figures were gathered, their auras restrained to the level of ordinary mortals. At a glance, nothing about them seemed out of the ordinary. Yet these seven stood at the absolute pinnacle of the Star Boundary.
Of the seven, Yang Kai recognized only three: Ghost Shadow, Beast Martial, and Iron Blood. The other four he had never seen before. One was a beautiful woman—presumably the Flower Shadow Great Emperor, Hua Linglong. Another appeared to be no older than his early thirties at most, yet bore a head of snowy white hair and wore robes as white as fresh snow. If he was not mistaken, this was the Ice Feather Great Emperor.
There was also a kindly-faced old man with a perpetual gentle smile that gave one an unfathomable feeling.
The Heavenly Pivot Great Emperor.
The last was also an elder, with a long beard reaching his chest, a ruddy complexion, and an intensely rich medicinal fragrance emanating from his body.
The Wonderful Pill Great Emperor.
Of the ten Great Emperors, apart from the Red Dust Great Emperor trapped in the Ancestral Domain, the Night Shadow Great Emperor who had colluded with the Demon Race, and the Bright Moon Great Emperor who had fallen to the Demon Domain, the remaining seven had now gathered here.