After chatting with Yang Yan for a while to ease the tension, and seeing that she truly wasn't angry, Yang Kai finally felt at ease. He then asked about the current state of affairs in the Star Boundary.
Yang Yan smiled. "The demons' retreat has been cut off, and most of the Demon Saints are unable to come to their aid. With only Can Ye left to hold things together, what kind of waves could he possibly stir up? Besides, you brought back so many helpers from the Demon Realm — even three Demon Saints among them. Heaven's timing, geographical advantage, and the support of the people are all on our side. If Li Wuyi still can't wipe out the invading demons, then he would have lived all these years for nothing. But this sort of thing can't be rushed — if you want everything to settle once and for all, it'll take at least a few years of grinding persistence."
Through her account, Yang Kai learned that while he had been occupied with other matters, the fifty-four armies of the Star Boundary had already assembled in full. Fighting steadily, they had compressed the demons into a small area in the Western Region, and had launched several probing attacks, all of which ended in resounding victory.
On top of that, Chang Tian, Yu Rumeng, and Bei Li Mo had raised a separate army to sow chaos among the demon ranks. Over the past few days, no small number of demons had fled with their families to surrender.
The situation looked exceedingly promising, but as Yang Yan had said, such things could not be rushed — only patient, grinding effort would suffice.
Though the demon army's retreat had been cut off, the number that had initially invaded the Star Boundary was beyond counting. Wiping out or subjugating such a massive force was no simple task. On one hand, they had to guard against the demons growing desperate and lashing out in a frenzy. On the other, they had to watch for stragglers slipping into the interior of the Star Boundary.
The fifty-four legions each held their posts, forming an ironclad encirclement around the demons so tight that not a drop of water could pass through. All that remained was to wait for the right moment — and when it came, it would be a battle that shook the heavens.
The Ji Zi Army was newly formed — no generals, no soldiers, everything still in preparation. Yang Kai wouldn't be able to join in that excitement, but with Yao Si in charge over there, he didn't need to worry too much. Besides, annihilating the demons within the Star Boundary was only the beginning — driving back into the Demon Realm and devouring the demon race entirely was the ultimate goal.
There would come a day when the Ji Zi Army would shine and make its name known.
Having finished discussing the war, Yang Yan changed the subject. "You came looking for me for a reason?"
If there hadn't been something, Yang Kai never would have used the Spirit Communication Pearl to appear beside her — Yang Yan knew that perfectly well. Seeing Yang Kai nod, she smiled. "Then just say it."
They had known each other for years; there was no need for pleasantries.
"Where is Lord Iron Blood? I need to see him," Yang Kai said.
Yang Yan shook her head slowly. "Then I'm afraid you'll be disappointed. Lord Iron Blood and Lord You Hun have been working together recently to track down Can Ye's whereabouts. He specifically instructed beforehand that unless something of the utmost urgency arose, there was to be no contact. If you really have something, tell me — I'll pass it along to him later."
Yang Kai was stunned. "The two of them are tracking Can Ye's whereabouts?" It suddenly made sense why the Spirit Communication Pearl he had given to Zhan Wuhen had ended up in the hands of a Demon King.
With only Can Ye left to command the demons, the principle was simple: capture the ringleader to end the gang, shoot the horse to fell the rider. As long as Can Ye was dealt with, the demon army would collapse on its own, and the Star Boundary's forces could avoid a great deal of loss. But Can Ye held the title Night Shadow and was a master of concealment and ambush — even with Iron Blood and You Hun working together, tracking him down was no easy feat. The slightest disturbance could spook him.
As a precaution, Zhan Wuhen had simply discarded the Spirit Communication Pearl — afraid that Yang Kai might suddenly appear at a critical moment and alert Can Ye.
That had to be it... Yeah, right! Yang Kai had been searching for a reasonable excuse for Zhan Wuhen throwing away his Spirit Communication Pearl, but now it seemed clear that Zhan Wuhen simply had a grudge against him. Otherwise, he could have simply stored the pearl in his space ring — with a space ring shielding it from the outside, Yang Kai wouldn't have been able to connect to that pearl directly!
His attempt at self-consolation failed miserably, and Yang Kai's nose was practically twisted sideways with indignation.
He took a breath and said, "Since the Lord isn't here, finding you will do just as well. I need to make a trip to the lower star domains."
In truth, Yang Kai had also wanted to ask Zhan Wuhen to forge him another Legion Commander's Command Token. His original token still existed, but the Emperor's divine ability sealed within it was gone — he had used it inside the Temple of Years. A command token without an Emperor's divine ability felt like it was missing something...
For this matter, Yang Kai had even slapped himself before setting out, leaving himself looking miserable, all so he could tell Zhan Wuhen about the hardships of the War Wind Army upon seeing him.
But now that he couldn't even meet Zhan Wuhen's face, there was no point in bringing it up.
"If you want to go, then go — you're the Guardian of the Star Domain. That's your territory. If you want to go, who's going to stop you?" Yang Yan laughed.
"How do I get there?" Yang Kai blinked at her.
Yang Yan looked at him quizzically. "Haven't you already refined the Star Domain's origin? Connect with the origin, and it will naturally guide you!"
Yang Kai shook his head. "I know what you're talking about, and I've tried — but the Star Boundary has a barrier between the heavens and earth. Until that barrier opens, I can't enter the Star Domain. Unless I can break through the Star Boundary's barrier."