He wanted to return to the Star Boundary, and the Demon Saints had certainly anticipated as much. With only a single passage between the two realms, they simply needed to station defenses on the other side to completely block his path.
Yang Kai figured that by now, at least one Demon Saint had already headed for the inter-realm passage. Chasing Wind was fast, but not fast enough to outrun a Demon Saint.
If the inter-realm passage was off the table, then there were only two places he could go.
The first was the Hundred Spirits Continent! Charging into the Hundred Spirits Continent to seek Chang Tian's protection might offer a lifeline, but Yang Kai wasn't sure whether Chang Tian could withstand the pressure of so many Demon Saints bearing down on him. Chang Tian did value him considerably — with his own lifespan running short, he had even harbored intentions of grooming Yang Kai as a successor — but if more than a dozen Demon Saints joined forces to pressure him, Chang Tian might not be willing to risk a complete falling-out on Yang Kai's behalf, potentially bringing devastation to the Hundred Spirits Continent.
For all these years, the Hundred Spirits Continent had remained unscathed for two reasons. First, Chang Tian himself was not to be trifled with — he possessed sufficient strength to command the Demon Saints' respect. Second, none of the Demon Saints wanted to push Chang Tian into anyone else's camp. That was how the Hundred Spirits Continent had managed to survive in the cracks between powers.
But now, the qualification of a thirteenth Demon Saint concerned the interests of the entire Demon Domain. The various Demon Saints would likely find unity on this matter.
Moreover, pinning his safety on someone else's protection was hardly a wise course of action. His time with Chang Tian had been brief, and in truth, he didn't know the man all that well.
So the thought merely circled through Yang Kai's mind once before being immediately dismissed.
The second option was Yu Rumeng's territory.
Although Bei Liming and Ming Yue's earlier words had sown a measure of wariness and suspicion toward Yu Rumeng in his heart, her repeated efforts to protect him on the Zhoutian Continent had been unmistakably evident. So going to her domain shouldn't pose any major problem.
The question was whether Yu Rumeng could actually shield him.
After turning the matter over in his mind, Yang Kai decided to go to neither the Hundred Spirits Continent nor Yu Rumeng's territory. Instead, he would find a vanished continent and hide. The Demon Domain had no shortage of lost continents — he just needed to pick one at random, secrete himself inside, and he could evade everyone's detection. With the heat on him at its peak, all he had to do was lie low for three to five years. Once the storm had passed, he could resurface, and by then, finding a way back to the Star Boundary would be the least of his concerns.
Having made up his mind, Yang Kai immediately consulted the map in his hand while recalling all the intelligence he had previously gathered about the various continents of the Demon Domain.
A short while later, he had confirmed his location and identified the nearest vanished continent. It wasn't far — he would only need to pass through two spatial gates to reach it.
He had just put the map away when his expression turned cold, and he reined in Chasing Wind, who had been hurtling through the air at full speed.
Chasing Wind halted with a sharp whinny, stamping in midair as blood-red qi steamed off its body.
Yang Kai's expression was grave beyond measure. He turned his head, scanning in every direction, and spoke in a deep voice: "Which Saint Sovereign is present? If you've come, then show yourself. What is the point of lurking in the shadows?"
After his words rang out, he waited for a moment. There was no response whatsoever.
Yang Kai let out a cold laugh. "A Grand Emperor's fortune lies with this young master. If the Saint Sovereign wishes to take it, then by all means, make your move. Surely you're not afraid of this young master?"
Still no response.
This left Yang Kai frowning. Could he have sensed wrong? That didn't make sense — in that instant just now, he had distinctly felt the sensation of being watched from the shadows, and the feeling had been unmistakable. With his current cultivation and perception, there was absolutely no way he had been mistaken.
And whoever could evade his detection and conceal themselves that well was no ordinary person. It was very likely a Demon Saint.
But if it was a Demon Saint, why not reveal themselves? He was no match for a Demon Saint at this point.
Hearing Yang Kai muttering to himself, Chasing Wind turned its head to give him a puzzled look, its eyes full of suspicion — as though asking, "Are you stupid? There's not a soul around. Who exactly are you talking to?"
At the same moment, Yang Kai suddenly discovered that the sensation of being watched had vanished without a trace, leaving him thoroughly perplexed. What on earth was going on? Had he truly imagined it?
But regardless of whether some Demon Saint had been secretly observing him, the fact that the other party hadn't shown themselves meant they had no intention of making a move. That, at least, was something he could work with.
There was no point dwelling on it. Yang Kai urged Chasing Wind onward toward the vanished continent he had identified, simultaneously cramming a handful of spirit pills into his mouth, crushing and swallowing them.
After passing through two spatial gates in succession, just as he was nearing his destination, Yang Kai's expression couldn't help but darken.
It wasn't anything bad — quite the opposite, in fact.
He could feel the qi within his body stirring, the bottleneck that had persisted for years showing the faintest signs of loosening. He was actually showing signs of a breakthrough at this very moment.
Yang Kai didn't know whether to laugh or cry.
For so long, he had been vexed by his Emperor Realm second-layer cultivation, especially after the war between the two realms erupted and he entered the Demon Domain. He had constantly felt that his strength fell short — every encounter with those Half-Saints left him wanting, powerless to do what he wished. He had been wondering when he might finally break through, yet his cultivation hadn't shown the slightest sign of movement.