Upon hearing this, the Third Prince let out a long breath, though his face quickly turned to shock as he stared at Yang Kai. "Lord Yang, are you saying you can freely enter and leave this world?"
He was not the only one stunned. Several Emperors accompanying him wore equally vacant expressions.
The Reincarnation Realm was a place of peculiar environment that had existed for over a hundred thousand years. In all that time, quite a few outsiders had stumbled into this world by accident, but never had anyone been rumored to have made it back out. There were rumors of an exit near Demon Rage City, but that passage was extraordinarily dangerous and sat right on the demons' doorstep — the Human Race had virtually no chance of passing through it alive.
Now, hearing Yang Kai's words, how could the Third Prince and his companions not be shocked?
Yang Kai said, "I have my own methods."
This was an admission that he could indeed come and go freely. The Third Prince's expression flickered between shadow and light, his thoughts impossible to read. After a moment, he offered a faint smile. "In that case, may I ask what brings Lord Yang to the Human Emperor City?"
Yang Kai smiled with an unfathomable air. "I've come to bestow a great fortune upon you."
The corner of the Third Prince's eye twitched — he clearly did not buy Yang Kai's casual claim, but he endured. "Could you elaborate?"
Yang Kai said, "I will explain the matter to the Human Emperor personally. I would ask the Third Prince to lead the way."
Hearing this, the Third Prince felt a pang of displeasure, understanding all too well that Yang Kai was saying he lacked the standing to discuss such matters. He was unhappy, but not a trace of it showed on his face. Stepping aside and gesturing with his hand, he said, "Very well then. Lord Yang, please follow me!"
With the Third Prince leading the way, the passage was smooth and unobstructed. No one else was foolish enough to cause trouble.
Along the way, the Third Prince casually probed whether Yang Kai could truly leave this world at will. Yang Kai had not intended to say much, but on a sudden whim, he launched into an animated account of the outside world, sparing no praise for its wonders and splendors. The Third Prince smiled politely, responding with distracted courtesy.
Before long, the group arrived at the palace and entered the great hall, where they met the Human Emperor.
Much as he had been the last time, the Human Emperor was virtually unchanged — a plump, middle-aged man with only a Second-Order Emperor cultivation, his vital energy already showing signs of decline. The old man certainly knew how to enjoy life, though; beautiful handmaidens surrounded him, each a stunning beauty in her own right. One had to wonder whether the old fellow would someday perish between their thighs.
The hall was filled with more than just the Human Emperor. Most of the royal family had assembled, apparently having received the Third Prince's message. Every prince and princess turned complex gazes upon Yang Kai.
Yang Kai caught a flash of undisguised loathing in the Human Emperor's cloudy eyes.
Of course Yang Kai knew the old man would not welcome his arrival, but he did not care in the least.
He stepped forward a few paces and cupped his fists. "Greetings to the Human Emperor."
Not fearing him was one thing — Yang Kai was here to ask for a favor, after all, and if things went well, there would be many occasions in the coming war between the two worlds when he would need the Human Race's cooperation. He naturally could not afford to be too brusque.
This display of courtesy clearly caught the Human Emperor and the assembled royals off guard. The last time Yang Kai had visited, he had been supremely arrogant, paying the royal family no respect whatsoever — he had even beaten the Eldest Prince Fu Shu and disciplined the Seventh Princess Fu Yu.
Yet precisely because of this change in demeanor, the Human Emperor's expression softened slightly. He raised his hand. "Lord Yang is too kind. Please, be seated."
A beautiful handmaiden promptly carried over a chair and set it behind Yang Kai.
Yang Kai sat down without ceremony. The Third Prince stepped forward, leaned close to the Human Emperor's ear, and whispered a few words. A faint change flickered across the Human Emperor's face before he quickly composed himself. After the Third Prince withdrew, the Human Emperor turned his gaze to Yang Kai. "Lord Yang, my third son tells me you have only just entered this world from the outside?"
"That's correct." Yang Kai nodded.
The Human Emperor said, "If that is so, then over a decade ago, Lord Yang truly did leave this world?"
Yang Kai said, "I have to thank you all for your guidance back then. That is what led me to Demon Rage City in the first place, and it was through the exit near that city that I was able to leave the Reincarnation Realm."
"Lord Yang is truly remarkable!" The Human Emperor's face was full of admiration. "That exit existed only in rumors, and no one knew whether it was real or not. Yet Lord Yang managed to find it and leave through it. In over a hundred thousand years, you are the first."
Yang Kai smiled faintly. "Last time I left, there were quite a few complications, but familiarity breeds confidence. If I were to do it again, there would be absolutely no problems — the passage would be perfectly smooth." After speaking, he quietly observed their reactions. Seeing that none of the princes and princesses showed anything out of the ordinary, Yang Kai's confidence grew.
The Human Emperor had no intention of commenting on this. Instead, he asked with a genial smile, "My third son says that Lord Yang has come to bestow a great fortune upon us. What exactly might that be?"
Yang Kai fixed him with a burning gaze and spoke in a tone that was almost hypnotic. "I will take you out of here — to the vast, boundless world beyond!"
The Human Emperor smiled mildly, neither affirming nor denying. The princes and princesses also wore indifferent expressions, as though they had not the faintest idea what Yang Kai's words truly implied. Only the Third Prince furrowed his brow, a flicker of worry crossing his eyes.
Yang Kai seemed oblivious to their reactions and raised his voice. "All of you were born in this world, raised in this world, bound by its alternating laws and threatened by the demon tribes of Demon Rage City. You have never known the vastness and splendor of the world beyond. Now that this rare opportunity has come, do you not wish to step outside, to see it with your own eyes, to experience the magnificence of the greater world?"
Fu Yu curled her lip. "What's so great about the outside?"
Yang Kai turned to look at her and grinned. "The Seventh Princess says that only because she has never been. If she had, I doubt she would feel the same way."