The Lingxiao Pavilion, once orderly and serene, descended into commotion and clamor at a single word from Yang Kai. Streaks of light shot up from the spirit peaks one after another, all racing toward the same location.
Before the great hall where the spatial array resided, Yang Kai stood grinning broadly. Ye Qinghan stood beside him—her face still tight with worry just moments ago, but the moment she caught sight of his expression, the anxiety in her heart slowly dissolved, and her furrowed brows relaxed.
How could the Palace Master smile so happily? And yet that smile seemed to carry an irresistible contagiousness, pulling her into smiling along without realizing it.
The first to arrive was the Lingxiao Pavilion's chief steward, Hua Qingsi—and she had not come alone. She arrived alongside the second steward, Bian Yuqing.
The fact that they were the first to arrive had nothing to do with superior flying speed. Both women were only at the first-order Emperor Realm, and in the Lingxiao Pavilion, there were those whose cultivation surpassed theirs. The reason they were first was simply that they happened to be patrolling nearby.
Spotting that familiar figure from afar, Hua Qingsi and Bian Yuqing were overjoyed. They touched down from their streaks of light and bowed in unison. "Your subordinates greet the Palace Master! We welcome the Palace Master back to the Pavilion!"
Yang Kai raised a hand in a gentle gesture, his tone warm and amiable. "I've been away for quite some time. The two of you stewards have worked hard."
Hua Qingsi pressed her lips together and smiled. "No hardship at all."
Bian Yuqing added, "It's simply what we're supposed to do." Her gaze lingered on Yang Kai with a hint of complexity, and inevitably her mind drifted back to the first time she had met him. Back then, he and Liu Xianyun had just arrived from a lower star field, only to be captured by her subordinate Kou Wu and brought back to the Emerald Feather Sect. Who could have imagined that in just a few short decades, this young man would rise so high as to become the master of one of the Northern Region's top sects? And she, who once held power over life and death concerning him, now found herself sheltered under his wing—she could even say that her own ascension to the Emperor Realm was thanks to him.
Thinking of those early days inevitably brought back thoughts of Kou Wu, who had fought to the death to protect her… Outside Spirit Lake Palace in Mapleleaf City, Kou Wu had laid down his life defending his mistress, his body scattered beyond recognition. The memory was enough to bring a pang of sorrow.
Close on the heels of Hua Qingsi and Bian Yuqing, a five-colored radiance shot toward them from the distance. As it drew near, the glow dissipated and revealed five figures.
Yang Kai raised an eyebrow and clasped his fists. "Congratulations to the several seniors on their advancement to the Emperor Realm!"
These five who had arrived second were none other than the Ghost Ancestor, Chi Yue, Ai Ou, Gu Cangyun, and Chai Hu. Among them, all except Chai Hu had made the journey from the same lower star field as Yang Kai. After the Starlight Bridge collapsed, everyone had been scattered and only found each other later.
There had once been a sixth—Wu Dao, the most powerful Void King Realm cultivator in the Heng Luo Star Field. Unfortunately, the Heavenly Dao was unpredictable, and Wu Dao failed to endure the baptism of heavenly and earthly energy when attempting to break through to the Dao Source Realm. His body perished and his Dao shattered. The remaining four had struggled through hardship upon first arriving in the Star Boundary, until they fortunately encountered Chai Hu, whose support allowed them to gradually find their footing. The four of them had sworn brotherhood with Chai Hu, and within the Lingxiao Pavilion there now stood the Five Saints Peak, serving as their cultivation dojo.
The last time Yang Kai had seen them, they had still been at the Dao Source Realm. Now they had all advanced to the Emperor Realm—truly cause for celebration.
This was partly due to the surge of heavenly and earthly energy throughout the Star Boundary, but more importantly, all five possessed considerable talent. The Ghost Ancestor and the others went without saying—anyone who could break free from the confines of a lower star field was inherently among the most exceptional, one in ten million. Chai Hu's aptitude was marginally lesser, but still respectable. The Lingxiao Pavilion was rich in cultivation resources, and all these years, with the mountain sealed, everyone had been secluded in cultivation, striving to improve. That these five had made progress was hardly surprising.
Moreover, Yang Kai noticed that the five appeared to have been cultivating some formidable technique together—the five-colored light of their movement art was the clearest sign. Though all five were currently at only the first-order Emperor Realm, their auras were tightly interwoven, functioning almost as a single entity.
An ordinary second-order Emperor Realm cultivator facing them would likely not be their match.
The Ghost Ancestor let out a cackling laugh. "The Palace Master has finally returned! Are we going to charge out? I'm practically growing mold in here." It was hard to blame him. The Ghost Ancestor's temperament was sinister and volatile—Yang Kai had nearly died at his hands back in the lower star field. There, with only Void King Realm cultivation, he had been able to command the wind and summon the rain, answerable to no one.
But ever since arriving in the Star Boundary and discovering that his cultivation placed him at the very bottom—not only lacking in power but forced to work for a living—he had been tempered. After later meeting Yang Kai and coming to the Lingxiao Pavilion, life had stabilized, but he had remained in seclusion, cultivating ceaselessly. Now, having finally attained the foundation of the Emperor Realm, the Ghost Ancestor was already itching for a fight, wishing he could find some clueless fool to sacrifice for blood worship.
Chi Yue immediately shot the Ghost Ancestor a glare. "Charge out? What charge out? Big brother, watch your mouth." She turned to look at Yang Kai. "Is it really okay for you to come back?"
Yang Kai shook his head slowly, about to explain, when he suddenly spotted another group flying toward them.
This time, these were no outsiders. They were old acquaintances from the Lingxiao Sect of the Dark Star—some connections tracing all the way back to the Lingxiao Pavilion of the Central Capital…
Grandmaster Ling Taixu, Meng Wuya, Ancestor Chu Lingxiao, several martial uncles, the Earth Demon, Qiu Yimeng, Dong Qinghan… a dense crowd stretching on and on.
Yang Kai hurried forward to pay his respects. It was a somewhat helpless situation—though he was the Palace Master of the Lingxiao Pavilion, the vast majority of those arriving were his elders. If he didn't bow to them, who would?
He greeted each of his seniors individually, followed by another round of questions and answers.
These were all outstanding figures from their respective worlds, each possessing extraordinary talent. But because they had arrived in the Star Boundary relatively late, their current achievements had not yet caught up with those of the Ghost Ancestor and the others who had come earlier. Still, all of them had reached at least the Dao Source Realm, most at the second or third layer.
Noticing Yang Kai glancing left and right during the exchange, Meng Wuya cast a sidelong look at him. "What are you looking for?"
Yang Kai quickly replied, "Nothing really. It's been so long since I've been back—I'm just feeling sentimental seeing all these familiar things."