Day after day, Yang Kai led his ten thousand subordinates across the various continents, working like a mender patching up the World Gates throughout the Demon Realm. The Demon Saints were all exceedingly enthusiastic about this endeavor, so upon arriving at almost every location, a Half-Saint would step forward to arrange everything on his behalf. He only needed to methodically plan his route and repair the gates continent by continent.
After traveling through several Demon Saints' territories, the Small Divine Realm had devoured nearly twenty vanished continents, expanding its domain to an almost inconceivable degree. Yang Kai had even collected several thousand Myriad Demon Pills—more than enough for the Law Body to advance to Half-Saint. All that remained was a matter of time.
One day, while the ten thousand subordinates were on the move, Yang Kai suddenly halted and lifted his head, staring intently ahead.
The people behind him quickly stopped as well, gazing over in curiosity.
Tu Qialuo observed the surroundings for a moment and, finding nothing out of the ordinary, asked in confusion, "Your Majesty, what's happened?"
Yang Kai ignored him. His brow was tightly knitted as he stared at a particular point in the void, his gaze deep and piercing, as though it could penetrate the barrier of empty space itself.
"Hm? You actually sensed me?" A voice rang out, and at the same instant, a figure materialized out of nowhere a thousand zhang ahead. It was a male, though he looked somewhat different from the other demons Yang Kai had encountered before—there was a horn growing from his forehead, about a finger's length and two fingers thick, curving upward like a rhinoceros horn. He was broad-shouldered and thick-limbed, remarkably imposing in build.
Such an appearance left Yang Kai somewhat surprised. Though the Demon Realm was home to a Hundred Races, each with their own distinctive features, this was the first time he had ever seen someone with a horn on their forehead.
Where had this fellow come from?
No matter his identity, his strength was certainly nothing to scoff at. Earlier, Yang Kai had merely sensed a subtle discordance in the space ahead—he hadn't actually detected the man's presence. Had the fellow not revealed himself voluntarily, Yang Kai would have had to advance a good deal farther before seeing through the concealment.
This was definitely a Half-Saint.
Yang Kai wore a blank expression, but Tu Qialuo, Yin, and the others reacted as though facing a formidable enemy. They immediately circulated their demonic energy, watching him with wary alertness. Bo Ya had her bow drawn and an arrow nocked in an instant, her spiritual sense surging as the ten-foot-long arrow locked onto the Half-Saint ahead. Her expression was grave.
Yang Kai glanced left and right, growing even more puzzled. What was going on with these people? He had seen plenty of Half-Saints these past days, and none of them had ever reacted this tensely. Was there something particularly special about the one standing before him?
Just as this thought crossed his mind, Bo Ya had already sent him a discreet voice transmission: "Be careful. He's from the Hundred Spirits Continent."
The Hundred Spirits Continent? Yang Kai's brow furrowed slightly at the words. After a moment's thought, he recalled having indeed seen that continent marked on the map. He gave a faint nod. "Which Demon Saint's territory is the Hundred Spirits Continent?"
The Hundred Spirits Continent was still some distance from here—at least five World Gates away. The sudden appearance of a Half-Saint from there to intercept him made Yang Kai's thoughts drift in an unflattering direction. Could it be that the Demon Saint of the Hundred Spirits Continent was getting impatient? He would inevitably go there to repair the gate sooner or later, so there was really no need for this.
Bo Ya shot Yang Kai a helpless glance and replied, "The Hundred Spirits Continent doesn't belong to any Demon Saint."
Yang Kai's expression changed, and he turned to look at her. "What do you mean?"
Bo Ya spoke with a grave expression: "Your Star Boundary has Divine Spirits, and the Demon Realm has them too. These Divine Spirits trace their lineage back to ancient times—some were born when the Demon Realm itself first came into being, and every one of them is tremendously powerful, unwilling to bow to anyone. The Holy Sovereigns have claimed ninety-nine percent of the Demon Realm's territory between them, but there remains one continent occupied entirely by these Divine Spirits, beyond the jurisdiction of any Holy Sovereign. That is the Hundred Spirits Continent, and its master is an existence no weaker than the Twelve Holy Sovereigns!"
Yang Kai listened with an expression of genuine astonishment. Within the Demon Realm, there was actually a being on par with the Twelve Demon Saints? But then again, it wasn't all that strange when he thought about it. The Star Boundary had Dragon Island, after all—the Dragon Clan's Grand Elder and Second Elder were each comparable to a Great Emperor. The growth of Divine Spirits was not constrained by the Heaven and Earth's Bottle, for they possessed their own bloodline inheritance and required no recognition from the powers of heaven and earth.
"That fellow must be one of the Divine Spirits. He definitely came for you—the World Gate on the Hundred Spirits Continent must be having problems too."
Yang Kai nodded at this. "Then I'd wager the relationship between the master of the Hundred Spirits Continent and the Holy Sovereigns isn't exactly cordial." If they were on good terms, there would have been no need to send someone here to intercept him. A simple greeting to the other Demon Saints would have sufficed, and he would have gone there on his own.
Bo Ya couldn't help rolling her eyes. "Now of all times, you're in the mood for jokes?"
"Would you prefer I cry for you?" Yang Kai scoffed.
It was only a Half-Saint. Powerful, yes, but there was no reason for him to be overly fearful. The Law Body might still be some distance from the Half-Saint level, but if they joined forces and gave it everything they had, even if they couldn't defeat the opponent, they wouldn't be entirely without the ability to fight back.
Back in the Star Boundary, his clash with Cang Mo had been the perfect example—Cang Mo had also been a Half-Saint-level powerhouse, though in the Star Boundary they referred to such beings as False Emperors.
Bo Ya continued, "The special nature of the Hundred Spirits Continent is hard to explain in a few words, but you're right—its master's relationship with the Holy Sovereigns isn't particularly good. That said, it hasn't deteriorated to the point of open hostility. You are Holy Sovereign Yu Rumeng's man. He may not dare to do anything to you."
Yang Kai glanced at her sidelong, silently cursing his own bad luck. Somehow, in the Demon Realm, he had been reduced to a pretty boy living off a woman's influence, having to rely on Yu Rumeng's prestige everywhere he went.