The fact that Yang Kai hadn't been told in advance was also a way to test whether his words were truthful. After all, Yang Kai had spent several years in the Demon Realm, and anything could have happened. What if he had been brainwashed by the Demons and turned against the Star Boundary? Now that what Yang Kai said matched what Yu Rumeng had previously claimed, with no discrepancies, the Great Emperors could finally set their minds at ease.
However, when the Great Emperors had met with Yu Rumeng and the others earlier, they hadn't yet known that the passage between the two worlds had been severed and sealed. Yu Rumeng was no fool—with the Star Boundary's Great Emperors' stance still unclear, how could she have disclosed such a critical secret? She had only learned of it just now from Yang Kai.
"Then Yu Rumeng said they wish to gather up the Demons currently in the Star Boundary, and they guarantee they will no longer be hostile toward the Star Boundary. What are your thoughts on this?" Zhan Wuhen asked from his seat above.
Yang Kai replied: "As this junior mentioned before, the three who came to the Star Boundary with me—whether willingly or unwillingly—were all subject to this junior's will. So I believe this is feasible."
Zhan Wuhen said: "The war between the two worlds has lasted for years. The Demons have slaughtered countless of our human race. Now, with a golden opportunity to annihilate them all right before us, you want to save them?"
Yang Kai slowly shook his head: "Saving the Demons is for the sake of saving the humans! Although the passage between the two worlds has been sealed and severed, the number of Demons still in the Star Boundary remains considerable. Even if the Star Boundary has the opportunity to wipe them all out, the cost would still be enormous. That is why this junior believes it would be best if we could simply call it quits."
Zhan Wuhen lowered his eyelids and said nothing. The other Great Emperors remained noncommittal.
Yang Kai continued: "The reason the Demons invaded the Star Boundary—first, it is simply their nature; second, they were forced by circumstance. The Demon Realm's future is uncertain—over thousands of years, passages between worlds have crumbled and continents have disappeared. With the neighboring Star Boundary as their target, they sought to claim this territory, and so this war between the two worlds came to pass. In a collision between two great worlds like this, there are only two possible outcomes: one side is completely annihilated, or both sides suffer devastating losses. Either way, the Star Boundary will not fare well."
Mo Huang spoke in a deep voice: "If what you say is true, then all the more reason not to let those Demons stranded in the Star Boundary go. You may have sealed the connection between the two worlds, but can you guarantee it will hold forever? The day that seal is broken and the Demon army descends again, who can assure us that the Demons you spared today won't turn against us once more!"
"The might of a Demon Saint is beyond this junior's reckoning. Perhaps in months, perhaps in years, they will have their own means to break the seal, and that seal cannot last forever," Yang Kai spoke with composure. "However, having found the root cause of the Demon invasion, we can now prescribe the right remedy."
"What remedy would that be?" Hua Linglong asked.
Having gradually steered the conversation to this point, Yang Kai finally had the opportunity to state his true purpose: "Since the Demons invaded the Star Boundary for the sake of their own survival and a way out, then this junior will simply provide them with a place to survive. The reason Changtian was persuaded by me was precisely this."
"Your Mysterious Boundary Bead?" Hua Linglong raised an elegant brow.
"Exactly!" Yang Kai nodded. "The Mysterious Boundary Bead has already devoured over a hundred complete continents, and all the continents it has devoured can be merged together. If the Mysterious Boundary Bead could devour the entire Demon Realm, it would inevitably give rise to a second Demon Realm. When that happens, the Demons will naturally have another way out. And when that day comes, why would the Demons need to fight the Star Boundary to the death?"
"Your Mysterious Boundary Bead is truly that miraculous?" Mo Huang looked genuinely astonished.
Yang Kai grinned: "If My Lord is interested, you are welcome to take a look inside."
Mo Huang pondered for a moment, then nodded: "Very well." As he spoke, he rose to his feet. The motion of standing began while he was still seated, and by the time he was fully upright, he had already arrived before Yang Kai.
He was not the only one. Zhan Wuhen, Yao Jun, Hua Linglong—one and all, silently appeared before Yang Kai.
As Great Emperors, they had seen countless rare and wondrous treasures. One could say that apart from a select few legendary existences, very little in this world could still capture their attention. But a Mysterious Boundary Bead capable of devouring and fusing continents was undoubtedly among them.
Before this, they had never imagined that such a miraculous thing could exist.
"Please, My Lords, do not resist!" Yang Kai said as he channeled Demonic Yuan to envelop the four of them. With a thought, he swept them into the Small Mysterious World.
Just as he was about to follow them in, someone suddenly tapped his shoulder. Li Wuyi sighed beside him: "Don't neglect me—I'm here too. I'd like to take a look inside as well."
"My apologies, my apologies!" Yang Kai laughed sheepishly and swept Li Wuyi into the Small Mysterious World as well.
When Yang Kai appeared in the Small Mysterious World, Mo Huang and the others were already surveying their surroundings with expressions of wonder. Zhan Wuhen, however, furrowed his brow: "Where is Hua Ying?"
Hua Linglong was not here, which struck him as peculiar—he couldn't fathom what Yang Kai was playing at.
"I sent Lord Hua to a different location." Yang Kai extended a finger and tapped the void before him. A ripple spread outward, and the void transformed like a mirror, reflecting a scene from somewhere unknown. In the image, outside a stilted house, stood Hua Linglong's graceful figure. Before her, another young woman knelt with her forehead pressed to the ground, tears streaking her face as she looked up.
The Great Emperors recognized at a glance that the kneeling young woman was Hua Linglong's Personal Disciple, Li Shiqing.
"Little Shiqing is here?" Mo Huang raised an eyebrow.