An indeterminate amount of time passed before the three of them lay sprawled on the cold floor of the great hall, each rubbing their distended bellies with expressions of pure contentment. The black cauldron had been scraped clean—not a drop of broth remained.
Jiu Feng suddenly spoke up. "Kid, the Great Emperors sent you to the Demon Realm precisely because they hoped you would retrieve Lord Mingyue's dharma remains. Lord Tianshu had long foreseen that Lord Mingyue would face mortal peril in the Demon Realm, so you have nothing to blame yourself for. The dead are gone. You've now inherited the fortune that once belonged to Lord Mingyue, which means you cannot afford to be careless. You must press forward with courage—only then will you live up to Lord Mingyue's expectations."
"I will remember your words, Senior."
Jiu Feng laughed and cursed, "Remember my words, my foot! Whether you can let it go is entirely up to you. But since you've obtained that fortune, you absolutely cannot squander it. If you do, the only person you'll be letting down is yourself."
Yang Kai nodded softly, then asked, "How is Junior Sister Xiao Qi?"
Jiu Feng answered, "In these chaotic times, my lord didn't feel at ease letting her roam freely, so she was arranged to enter seclusion on Spirit Beast Island. The girl has fine aptitude—she's just a bit too fond of play. If this seclusion goes well, her strength should improve considerably. You'd better work hard, or you might find yourself falling behind even Xiao Qi."
Yang Kai chuckled. "That won't happen."
As they spoke, he slowly rose to his feet. With a shake of his body, his bones crackled and popped from head to toe, and his eyes shone bright and clear.
Lin Yun'er stood up as well, blinking up at Yang Kai. He reached over and patted her on the head. "Thank you, Yun'er."
His somber mood had lightened considerably after that wild feast. The fog that had been obscuring his thoughts was gradually clearing, and the road ahead was growing sharper and more defined.
Lin Yun'er slowly shook her head. She hadn't done anything special—she had simply treated Yang Kai to a good meal.
"Take care of yourself," Yang Kai told her, then turned to Jiu Feng and added, "And thank you for the counsel, Senior. I'll be taking my leave now."
Jiu Feng half-closed her eyes, too lazy to move, and paid him no heed.
Yang Kai turned and strode toward the hall's entrance. Pushing open the great doors, he found someone waiting beside the threshold.
He was mildly startled and quickly cupped his fists. "Senior."
Li Wuyi smiled faintly, seized Yang Kai's hand, and pressed something into his palm.
Yang Kai looked down, and his eyebrows shot up. "Senior, this is…"
"It's not a gift—it cost me over twenty years of painstaking effort, and it's the first world-constructing treasure I ever refined. I can't bear to part with it. Consider it a loan; play with it for a while, and make sure you return it when you're done. Besides, with that Mystic Boundary Bead of yours, you probably wouldn't even glance at this thing," Li Wuyi said with a smile. "I've already stripped away all the restrictions. You need only refine it briefly, and it will be yours to command."
What Li Wuyi had pressed into his hand was none other than his Boundless Mountain. Had it been anything else, Yang Kai might not have cared so much, but this particular treasure genuinely excited him.
He didn't stand on ceremony. He accepted it and offered his thanks.
Li Wuyi nodded, then pressed a jade slip into his hand as well. Before Yang Kai could say another word, he waved him off. "Military affairs are pressing, so I won't keep you. You've only just returned to the Star Boundary—no doubt there are many matters to attend to. Go handle them."
With a single step, he vanished from sight.
Yang Kai held the jade slip and sent a thread of spiritual sense probing into it. His face lit up with unbridled joy—this was yet another thing he desperately needed. Li Wuyi must have divined his thoughts; otherwise, why else would he have gone out of his way to deliver both of these treasures?
He carefully stowed the jade slip and the Boundless Mountain, then broke into a silent, grinning smile. Raising his head, he gazed at the seven-colored light flowing across the sky above, and a single thought filled his heart.
How wonderful. The Star Boundary is truly wonderful.
Here he had friends who shared his aspirations, kind and gracious seniors, and a family and fellow disciples who worried about him just as much as he worried about them.
The thought of his family made Yang Kai itch to return to Lingxiao Palace immediately. He activated his spatial abilities and triggered the Space Spirit Bead linked to Su Yan.
But the way was blocked—he couldn't get through.
Jiu Feng had risen at some point without him noticing. She leaned against the doorframe with a languid air, eyeing him with disdain. "Are you stupid? Lingxiao Palace sealed itself years ago. The grand formation envelops the entire sect, cutting it off from the outside world. Did you really think the Space Spirit Bead would work?"
Yang Kai felt thoroughly embarrassed. Only then did he understand why the teleportation had failed—the mountain-sealing grand formation rendered the Space Spirit Bead completely useless. He cupped his fists and asked, "Could Senior point me to the nearest spatial formation?"
"There's one in Seven Mist Sea. Go find it yourself." Jiu Feng pointed in a direction, and as she spoke, she tossed something toward him.
Yang Kai caught it and found it to be a dark, matte-black token. On its face was a single large character: "Roam." He didn't know what exactly the character signified, but he could guess that the token served as proof of identity. After all, a spatial formation would undoubtedly be heavily guarded, and without some form of identification, he wouldn't be allowed near it.
He pocketed the token, set off in the direction Jiu Feng had indicated, and soared through the sky.
In that moment, Yang Kai's heart raced homeward like an arrow. His time in the Demon Realm hadn't been all that long—only a few years. In the past, he had been away for a decade, twenty years, even longer, and never felt this way. But never before had the pull of home been so fierce.