"Are all of Ice Heart Valley's disciples currently in the Bingchen Army?" Yang Kai asked.
"That's right." Fan Xin nodded, then suddenly smiled faintly and said softly, "Senior Sister Ji Yao is currently the General Commander of the Bingchen Army's Third Garrison."
Yang Kai smiled somewhat awkwardly. "That's good, that's good."
Fan Xin continued, "Senior Sister Ji Yao has already reached the third level of the Emperor Realm."
Ji Yao's situation was much the same as Bing Yun's. After Bing Yun had disappeared without explanation all those years ago, Ji Yao had gone out to search for her, only to stray into the Primordial Ruins of the Eastern Domain, where she was struck by that primordial aura and lost her sanity. She had remained in the Primordial Ruins for countless years, and had Yang Kai not happened to find her and bring her out, she would likely still be trapped in mental chaos to this day.
Inside the Primordial Ruins, her mind had been unfocused and she hadn't known how to cultivate, so her cultivation stagnated. But that primordial aura had been tempering her foundation every single moment. Escaping from the ruins and recovering her sanity constituted a spiritual and physical elevation, and through numerous bloody battles afterward, she was naturally able to break through.
Bing Yun and Ji Yao weren't the only ones whose cultivation had advanced.
Fighting on the front lines was the best way to temper one's character, to unleash hidden potential, and to break through barriers between life and death. Those who found survival in desperate situations were everywhere. The war between the two worlds had caused countless casualties among Star Boundary warriors, but through the great sieve of elimination, those with talent and fortune all gained something. The martial dao of this great world, far from declining, flourished even more gloriously than before.
When had Yang Kai's own cultivation ever come from bitter meditation and practice? Since beginning his cultivation, how many times had he narrowly escaped death, how many times had he turned disaster into fortune? Each struggle at the boundary of life and death had been a baptism and a rebirth. If he had truly focused single-mindedly on isolated practice behind closed doors, he probably wouldn't even be able to touch the threshold of the Emperor Realm today.
"How are the armies on the Star Boundary's side organized? Tell me about it." Since they were just traveling anyway and had nothing better to do, Yang Kai naturally wanted to learn more about the current situation on the Star Boundary's side.
Fan Xin naturally told him everything she knew. Others didn't dare open up to Yang Kai, given his prior history of falling to the demonic path and the suspicion that still lingered, but how could Ice Heart Valley's disciples harbor any wariness toward him?
When the Wenqing Sect from the Northern Domain had targeted Ice Heart Valley all those years ago, if not for Yang Kai turning the tide, Ice Heart Valley would likely have been destroyed completely, let alone enjoy today's prosperity.
The armies on the Star Boundary's side were modeled after the Demon Domain's structure, so their organization was naturally quite similar.
There were fifty-four armies in total. Each army had over a million soldiers, and the largest army boasted a scale of five million — nearly five times the size of a standard formation.
Below the Army Commander were Garrisons, each consisting of a hundred thousand soldiers and commanded by a General Commander who was either a third-level or second-level Emperor Realm cultivator. Below the General Commander were Guards, each comprising around ten thousand soldiers, and below the Guard were Squads.
Essentially, anyone who could serve as a Left Guard Commander had to possess Emperor Realm cultivation.
Han Zhengqing was exactly such a case. The group before them was the Bingchen Army's Ninth Garrison, Third Guard, and Han Zhengqing held the position of Left Guard Commander of the Third Guard — with a first-level Emperor Realm cultivation, just sufficient for the role.
Fan Xin, on the other hand, had only a third-level Dao Source Realm cultivation, so she served as Right Guard Commander — essentially Han Zhengqing's deputy, her status within the Bingchen Army equivalent to that Right Guard Liu. As for the Squad Leaders below, those were Dao Source Realm cultivators.
"What about Senior Li Wuyi?" Yang Kai suddenly recalled someone. He remembered that when he had left the Star Boundary, the war effort on the Star Boundary's side had been overseen by Li Wuyi. First, he was universally recognized as the foremost cultivator beneath the Great Emperors, immensely powerful. Second, he was from Spirit Beast Island, with an extraordinary background and sufficient prestige to command everyone's respect.
Fan Xin smiled. "Senior Li is the Commander of the Jiazi Army, but he also oversees the other Army Commanders."
Yang Kai gave an "oh," understanding. Li Wuyi was still the same Li Wuyi — the war on the Star Boundary's side was still being managed by him.
Just then, Yang Kai suddenly raised an eyebrow and reached out to grab the air before him. When he opened his palm, a jade slip had appeared in his hand. He sent a surge of divine sense through it, then smiled at Fan Xin. "Speak of the devil."
A jade slip couldn't just materialize out of thin air. Before it appeared, one of the Void Spirit Pearls on Yang Kai's hand had reacted — it was Li Wuyi using his means to transmit the jade slip across the distance. The jade slip contained only a single message: *Come see me.*
No location was specified, because there was no need. They each carried a Void Spirit Pearl attuned to the other, and as long as the other party was still in the Star Boundary, just a single thought would bring them to the other's side. But since Li Wuyi was tied down with military affairs and couldn't conveniently leave his station, he had asked Yang Kai to come to him instead.
He had only recently returned to the Star Boundary, yet Li Wuyi already knew. Yang Kai looked up thoughtfully at Han Zhengqing up ahead.
Fan Xin seemed to guess what he was thinking and explained, "Every Left Guard Commander carries a Void Spirit Pearl connected to the Seven Fog Sea, bestowed by Lord Li. Oh, the Seven Fog Sea is a rather peculiar place in the Western Domain — it's now the stationed territory of the Jiazi Army."
Yang Kai nodded slightly to indicate his understanding.
Since Han Zhengqing had a Void Spirit Pearl, he could naturally contact Li Wuyi's side. He must have already reported Yang Kai's situation over there; otherwise Li Wuyi wouldn't have sent him a message at this particular time.
"Lord Li... what did he say?" Fan Xin asked somewhat nervously. Although the Ice Heart Valley disciples all believed in Yang Kai's character and nature, the events of the past had been too sensational. The attitude of Han Zhengqing and the others toward Yang Kai made that abundantly clear — even though they had received his life-saving grace, they still harbored their wariness. If even Han Zhengqing was like this, let alone others.