The black hole persisted for a full ten breaths before vanishing under the clench of Yang Kai's great hand.
But at this moment, the shock churning in the hearts of the many Demon Kings was still boiling over. First, this newly arrived Great King was genuinely proficient in the Laws of Space, shattering the void with a mere wave of his hand and creating a black hole that led into the chaos of the abyss — clearly, his mastery of the Laws of Space ran exceedingly deep. Second, this Great King was actually a human…
Now that the war between the Human Race and the Demon Race was raging like fire and water, the Sacred Venerable had actually appointed a human as a Prince and given him dominion over Cloud Shadow Continent?
Reading their expressions, Yang Kai let out a soft, cold laugh. "Though this King is of the Human Race, I have already fallen out with the Star Boundary. There is no place for me among humanity, and having been personally recruited and elevated by the Sacred Venerable to come to the Demon Realm, you need not concern yourselves."
The reason he so readily revealed his background was mainly because it couldn't be hidden. After all, he would be staying here permanently, and the moment he exerted even a trace of his power, his identity as a human would inevitably be exposed. Rather than let these fellows grow suspicious and guarded down the road, it was better to lay everything out from the start.
Without giving these fellows a chance to speak again, Yang Kai suddenly barked, "Boya, heed my command!"
Boya was stunned for a moment, but quickly recovered. She stepped forward two paces, turned, and clasped her fists. "Your subordinate is present."
Yang Kai regarded her solemnly. "I appoint you as vice commander of Cloud Shadow City, to assist Laoke in managing all affairs of the city. You must cooperate wholeheartedly."
Boya's beautiful eyes flickered. She replied in a steady voice, "Yes!"
Laoke was that elderly Demon King who had served as commander of Cloud Shadow City before Yang Kai's arrival. This city was the hub of the entire continent, absolutely vital. But until now, Laoke had been the sole authority here. Now, however, there was an additional vice commander — Boya.
She was no fool. Yang Kai had appointed her as vice commander right from the start — clearly he intended to intervene in Cloud Shadow City's affairs. After all, controlling this place meant controlling everything on Cloud Shadow Continent, and it would make all future operations far more convenient.
Laoke and the others were not his people after all. Even with Yu Rumeng's decree, having that extra layer of separation still created inconveniences.
Yang Kai had no choice. He simply had no usable people at his disposal, and Boya was the only option. Fortunately, with that Soul Puppet keeping her in check, Boya wouldn't harbor any rebellious thoughts toward him.
If Boya could truly establish a foothold in Cloud Shadow City, it would benefit him greatly in the future.
This appointment indeed caused those three Peak-rank Demon Kings to furrow their brows. Laoke, being elderly, had lost his fighting spirit and merely hesitated for a moment before settling back into composure. But the female Shadow Demon and the other Peak-rank Demon King both showed signs of worry, fearing that Yang Kai might also interfere in their territories. If that were the case, they certainly wouldn't be pleased.
Fortunately, Yang Kai harbored no such intention. He offered Laoke a few more words of encouragement, merely instructing him to help guide Boya and familiarize her with Cloud Shadow City's affairs as soon as possible.
Laoke responded with great respect, though what he truly thought was anyone's guess.
Having just arrived, Yang Kai didn't plan to say much more. He left Boya to exchange information with Laoke, then led Xiao Wu and Li Shiqing into the inner hall.
The finest rooms had already been prepared for his residence, with wing rooms on either side that he assigned to Xiao Wu and Li Shiqing. He sent Xiao Wu to obtain a detailed map of the entire Cloud Shadow Continent and records of each Demon King's territorial divisions, then retreated alone to his room to study them.
Since Yu Rumeng had given him this opportunity, he naturally had to make the most of it.
The realm gate could be maintained if possible, but it wouldn't matter if it couldn't. What Yang Kai truly hoped to control was Cloud Shadow Continent. Whether for self-preservation or for secretly sabotaging the Demon Race in the future, he would need to leverage the power of this place.
This research consumed two full days, during which Yang Kai came to understand the general layout of Cloud Shadow Continent.
Just as he set aside the various documents, a knock sounded at the door.
Yang Kai raised a hand, and when the door opened, Boya walked in. By now, the woman had shed much of her earlier deference, her demeanor considerably more casual. She looked him up and down and said with a grin, "Should I call you 'My Lord' or 'Your Majesty'?"
"As you please." Yang Kai glanced at her and said flatly, "Something the matter?"
Boya said, "I've come to report some intelligence I've gathered over the past two days. Want to hear it? If not, I'll be on my way."
Yang Kai chuckled, shooting her a sidelong look. "It seems you still don't understand your situation." As he spoke, he produced the Soul Puppet from his spatial ring, curled a finger, and made as though to flick it.
Boya couldn't help but stumble back several steps, her face draining of color. She clapped both hands to her forehead and cried, "Don't be impulsive! Whatever it is, let's talk it out calmly."
"I'm perfectly calm right now. Whether I'll be impulsive or not depends entirely on your performance." Yang Kai regarded her with a half-smile.
Boya couldn't help but scoff, pursing her lips. "Of the four Peak-rank Demon Kings on Cloud Shadow Continent, the three you've met are manageable enough. But that Lie Kuang — you'd better be careful with him."