While his disguise might be a touch suspicious, it should be manageable as long as he handled things properly. Over the past few days, he had observed that many members of the Demon Heavenly Dao bore traces of altered appearances, and some, like him, had concealed their faces. It seemed that although these people had been ordered to gather here, none of them wished to reveal their origins or identities to one another. His current look, then, should not stand out too much.
Once everything was in order, the two set off immediately, heading straight toward the valley where the entrance to the Four Seasons Land was located.
After flying for a short while, Yang Kai chuckled lightly. "Brother Zhou, our purpose this time is to infiltrate the Demon Heavenly Dao, not to start killing right away. You should rein in that killing intent of yours."
Zhou Quan took several deep breaths to steady his emotions. Once his killing intent had fully subsided, he spoke: "When I think of the disciples of my Sect, I cannot help myself. Please forgive me, Pavilion Master Yang."
Yang Kai said: "I understand. But there will come an opportunity."
They pressed onward, and with the reminder, Zhou Quan no longer let anything slip. Once they entered the valley of the Four Seasons Land, a strand of divine sense immediately probed toward them from nearby.
Yang Kai sensed it clearly. The divine sense was coming from the direction where the formation master was located. Before the big fish lurking behind the scenes showed its face, everything here was being managed by that formation master.
Zhou Quan turned his head toward that direction. Yang Kai's voice transmission reached his ear, and without hesitation, he led the way toward that location.
Before long, the two arrived in front of a cave. Standing before the entrance was a pale, clean-shaven man with an upright bearing, blocking the mouth of the cave. His entire being resembled an unsheathed blade—sword intent surged skyward, giving off an intensely dangerous aura. His cultivation was no less formidable, reaching the third level of the Emperor Sovereign realm. He was the very same powerhouse who had been shadowing the formation master throughout these past days, tasked with ensuring the formation master's safety.
During the days Yang Kai had been observing in secret, this man had been inseparable from the formation master.
Upon seeing Zhou Quan and Yang Kai arrive, the pale-faced man remained utterly unmoved, simply regarding them with a cold stare.
When they drew near, Zhou Quan said nothing, merely producing a jet-black token and tossing it to the man. The man caught it, examined it briefly, confirmed its authenticity, and tossed it back—yet still showed no intention of making way. Instead, he extended a hand toward Yang Kai in a pointed gesture.
Zhou Quan tilted his head to look at Yang Kai.
Yang Kai understood. He surged his demonic power, and in an instant, billowing demonic energy rolled forth, enveloping his body.
He did not reveal his true High-rank Demon Lord cultivation, showing only the aura of a Low-rank Demon Lord instead. He was not worried about anyone seeing through the deception—unless someone's soul cultivation surpassed his own, no one could possibly discern the truth.
The pale-faced man was only at the third level of the Emperor Sovereign realm, so naturally, he could not see through it.
Seeing Yang Kai manifest demonic energy, the wariness on the man's face eased considerably. Every member of the Demon Heavenly Dao carried demonic energy within them, so even among strangers, the mere display of demonic power was enough to signal that one was an ally. The token Zhou Quan had produced earlier had simply served as an additional layer of identity verification.
As Yang Kai was manifesting his demonic energy, Zhou Quan spoke up: "We were ambushed on the way here and sustained some injuries. I'm temporarily unable to channel my powers—please forgive the inconvenience."
The demon blood in his body had already been extracted by Bai Zhuo, so there was no way for him to display any trace of demonic energy no matter what. However, he did genuinely look like someone who had yet to recover from serious injuries, so his excuse was perfectly believable.
Besides, Yang Kai had already revealed his "identity," and after all, in this Star Realm, no sane person would willingly associate with the members of the Demon Heavenly Dao.
The pale-faced man indeed harbored no suspicions. He merely furrowed his brow and asked: "Who did you run into? You didn't leave any loose ends, did you?"
Zhou Quan nodded: "Rest assured, they're all dead. However, most of the men I brought along have perished. Now it's just my junior brother and me."
The pale-faced man gave a slight nod. "That's fine. The two of you will be enough. Come in first, and we'll speak further after you've met Grandmaster Sun."
With that, he turned and led Zhou Quan and Yang Kai inside.
The cave was narrow on the outside but spacious within. Inside, dozens of people had gathered—all of them recent arrivals who had been helping the formation master lay out the formation arrays. That formation master was none other than the "Grandmaster Sun" the pale-faced man had mentioned.
At that moment, Grandmaster Sun was meditating and regulating his breathing. The pale-faced man led Yang Kai and Zhou Quan before him, exchanged a few words, and Grandmaster Sun nodded slightly. "I summoned you here to assist me with the formation arrays. The grand formation is nearly complete now. The two of you may stay here and tend to your injuries for the time being. In three days, there will be occasion for you to lend your strength."
"Understood. We will obey Grandmaster Sun's instructions." Zhou Quan answered, then moved to lead Yang Kai away.
Just as they were turning to leave, Grandmaster Sun suddenly looked at Yang Kai and said, "Your junior brother hides his face like some fugitive. Is he too unsightly to be seen?"
Zhou Quan clasped his fists and replied, "My junior brother was caught in a fire when he was young, which ruined his appearance. It's not convenient for him to show his face." His answer came without the slightest hesitation, making it clear he had already considered this question beforehand.
Grandmaster Sun glanced at Yang Kai once more but couldn't be bothered to dwell on such a trivial matter. In his view, as long as Yang Kai and the others had passed the pale-faced man's vetting, that was sufficient. The question had merely been an offhand remark.
The pale-faced man, however, surged his spiritual sense, seemingly wanting to verify whether Zhou Quan's words were true or false. But how could he see through it? When his spiritual sense swept over, Yang Kai's features appeared entirely blurred. He couldn't help but furrow his brow, assuming it was due to some Artifact Yang Kai was carrying on his person. Since Grandmaster Sun was no longer pressing the matter, he too chose not to create unnecessary complications.
Though there had been some complications, they had ultimately passed the inspection. It may have seemed simple enough, but if Yang Kai hadn't been able to channel Demonic Yuan, there would have been no way for him to reach this place under any circumstances. The people of the Demonic Sky Dao probably never could have imagined that someone like Yang Kai—a variable beyond all calculation—existed in this world.