Yang Kai shook his head and smiled. "No harm in ignorance. Besides, you weren't wrong."
Ever since becoming the Star Domain's master, he had gone to the Star Boundary — how could he possibly manage all the affairs of the Star Domain? It was admittedly rather irresponsible. Seeing that Mei Jiu'er was about to speak again, Yang Kai waved her off. "I've just completed something major and I'm feeling a bit drained. If you have something to say, go ahead. If not, I'd appreciate it if you could stand guard for me while I recuperate."
Mei Jiu'er's beautiful eyes lit up at his words, her face radiating delight. "It would be this Disciple's honor to stand guard for you, Master." She knew full well that with Yang Kai's abilities, he hardly needed her protection. As the master of the Star Domain, he could create a star from nothing — what in this domain could possibly harm him? He was only saying it to give her face, and she became all the more certain that Yang Kai bore no ill will over what had happened before.
Before she knew that Yang Kai was the Star Domain's master, Mei Jiu'er had been full of complaints about the fellow — thinking he held a grand title but couldn't be bothered with the domain's affairs, practically a useless figurehead. But now that she thought about it, she had been asking too much. The master of the Star Domain was so incredibly powerful that surely more important matters awaited his attention — like, say, creating stars — so why would he bother with trivial affairs?
Important people naturally had important matters to attend to.
While Yang Kai meditated, Mei Jiu'er sneaked a few glances at him and found the Star Domain's master rather imposing. His black hair was threaded with a few strands of silver, lending him an air of weathered gravitas. When she recalled how she had once grabbed him by the collar and dragged him to safety, Mei Jiu'er couldn't help but want to laugh.
She was probably the only person in the entire Star Domain who had ever experienced something like that.
For more than ten consecutive days, Yang Kai remained in meditation, recovering. Only after a dozen or so days did he slowly open his eyes and let out a long breath of turbid air.
Upon seeing this, Mei Jiu'er hurried over, her attitude impeccably deferential — a far cry from her earlier fierce demeanor, her beautiful eyes brimming with admiration. "Master!"
"You've worked hard." Yang Kai had been about to stretch, but catching Mei Jiu'er's worshipful gaze, he couldn't bring himself to undermine his own image. He settled for maintaining the bearing of a master and gave her a slight nod.
Mei Jiu'er ate it up, her face glowing as she replied, "You're too kind, Master. This Disciple hasn't worked hard at all." She was a Void King realm cultivator, after all — never mind standing guard for a dozen days, even a dozen years would be nothing.
Yang Kai smiled. "My business here is done, so I should be going. Thank you!"
Mei Jiu'er's expression faltered, her eyes dimming instantly. "You're leaving already, Master?"
Yang Kai looked at her. "Do you have something else?"
Mei Jiu'er blinked, her long lashes trembling. "If Master still has some time, I'd like to ask you to take a look at something over there. That region of the stars seems... unusual."
"Unusual?" Yang Kai raised an eyebrow. "How so?"
Mei Jiu'er shook her head. "I can't quite put it into words. A few months ago when I passed through that area, I sensed a strange aura. I was searching for you at the time and didn't dare get too close to investigate. Looking back now, something does seem off about that place."
Yang Kai regarded her with a half-smile, and Mei Jiu'er grew anxious, a note of grievance creeping into her voice. "Everything this Disciple has said is absolutely true, Master! Please believe me!"
Yang Kai nodded. "Very well, I'll take a look."
With that, he sank his consciousness inward to examine the star map above his Spiritual Sea. He possessed the Star Domain's Origin, which reflected everything within the domain. If something truly had happened, he only needed to commune with the Origin to investigate — there was no need to go there in person.
In the next instant, Yang Kai's expression changed. He clenched his teeth and snarled, "Damn it!" He hadn't known until he looked, but something had indeed gone wrong — and it was no minor matter.
His fury carried its own authority. Mei Jiu'er thought Yang Kai was scolding her, and her face went white, her eyes rimming with red.
Seeing this, Yang Kai quickly said, "I wasn't talking about you." Even as he spoke, he turned his gaze toward that region of the stars, his eyes deep and piercing as though they could penetrate hundreds of millions of miles. He frowned. "When did you pass through there?"
Mei Jiu'er steadied herself and answered softly, "About seven months ago..."
Yang Kai nodded at this. "Still not too late!" With a sweep of his hand, Devil Energy enveloped Mei Jiu'er, and he took a single step forward.
Even with Yang Kai's protective technique shielding her, Mei Jiu'er still felt the world spin violently. By the time she regained her bearings, they had already materialized in an entirely different region of the stars, unimaginably far from where they had just been. She looked around and immediately recognized the different scenery, confirming that this was indeed the area she had passed through seven months ago.
She couldn't help but click her tongue in amazement. It had taken her several months to travel from here to Yang Kai's meditation spot, yet the Star Domain's master had brought her back with a single step. A small glimpse — but it spoke volumes about just how powerful the master of the Star Domain truly was.
But at this moment, the view ahead was different from what she had seen before. Back then, she had only sensed a dangerous aura and hadn't dared get too close. Now, however, one glance revealed a vast stretch of the starry sky being consumed by a blue hue that was advancing rapidly toward their position, staining everything it touched.
Mei Jiu'er stared, dazed. "What is that..."