The remaining Corps Commanders looked at one another, speechless. None could say which one sidled up first, his expression brimming with sincerity: "Lord Yang, I happen to have a Disciple under my command, of marriageable age, beautiful as a flower, virtuous and gentle, who has yet to wed. She has long admired great heroes and champions, and I believe Lord Yang would be a perfect match. I would be delighted to introduce the two of you—what does Lord Yang think?"
The assembled Corps Commanders turned to glare at the speaker, indignation plain on every face, yet the man maintained an air of righteous conviction: "When a man comes of age he should wed; when a woman comes of age she should take a husband. It is the way of heaven, earth, and humanity—what is wrong with that?"
Another Corps Commander stepped forward: "Lord Yang, my clan has sixty-three unmarried women—slender, plump, all with different temperaments. When you have time, come visit my place and I'll summon them for you. Pick whichever you like!"
Yang Kai was thoroughly speechless. He knew the World Pill in his hand had made them covetous—otherwise these two commanders would never have stooped so low. Seeing the others stirring restlessly, clearly poised to play matchmaker as well, Yang Kai hastily shoved every last World Pill into Li Wuyi's hands.
Let him deal with the headache.
Sure enough, the moment this happened, Li Wuyi was swarmed so tightly that not a drop of water could pass through. The Corps Commanders surrounded him—some argued reason, others appealed to emotion—all trying to wheedle a World Pill out of him.
Yang Kai extricated himself from the mess and surveyed the ruined battlefield around him. That uneasy feeling in his heart only grew stronger. The Demon Race had inexplicably gone berserk, suffering massive casualties, which was undoubtedly a boon for this battle—but it was undoubtedly part of a scheme. Until they uncovered exactly what that scheme was, no one could rest easy.
But with all the Great Emperors absent, how could they possibly investigate?
At that moment, a sudden tremor passed through his heart, and Yang Kai's expression changed.
…
Tens of millions of miles away, high above Frostmoon City in the Northern Domain, two figures stood in silent confrontation—one radiating an aura of righteous majesty, the other exuding unmistakable demonic intent. Above this unremarkable little city, the Star Boundary's Iron Blood Great Emperor and the Demon Domain's supreme Demon Saint, Huang Wuji, had both appeared, facing each other without a word.
Days of pursuit, clashing and exchanging blows along the way, shattering mountains and splitting the earth—finally, the two had chased each other all the way here.
And upon arriving, Huang Wuji had simply stopped, a cryptic smile hanging on his face as he gazed silently at Zhan Wuhen.
Zhan Wuhen turned his head, sweeping his spiritual sense outward like a tide, covering everything within tens of thousands of li—nothing could escape his detection.
Huang Wuji stopping here without explanation baffled Zhan Wuhen. Based on everything that had transpired, Huang Wuji appeared to have been heading straight for this location. But what could possibly be special enough to draw a Demon Saint's attention?
Zhan Wuhen was a Great Emperor of the Star Boundary, but he was hardly omniscient. At the very least, he could not see the grand game the Demon Saints were playing—only respond to each move as it came.
Recalling the scene when the Demon Saints first appeared, Zhan Wuhen vaguely sensed that some earth-shattering conspiracy lay in wait for the Star Boundary. Huang Wuji had stopped here—what about the other nine Demon Saints? Had they gone to other locations as well? What exactly were the Demon Saints planning?
He did not know, but one thing was certain: by entering the Star Boundary, the Demon Saints had taken a tremendous risk, yet that very gambit had thrown all the Great Emperors into a reactive position.
The small city below was modest in size, home to perhaps a few hundred thousand people, with barely a handful of warriors above the Void King Realm. Surrounded by barren land scarce in resources, such a city could never attract the strong to linger—especially given that the Star Boundary had been recruiting soldiers and generals across the land for over a decade now. The few Void King Realm cultivators in Frostmoon City had mostly already enlisted.
So even though Huang Wuji and Zhan Wuhen had been here for some time, no one in the city below had detected their presence.
Huang Wuji did not strike, and Zhan Wuhen had no wish to act rashly.
Facing the Demon Domain's foremost Demon Saint, even on home ground within the Star Boundary, Zhan Wuhen dared not let his guard down. If they fought, he would have to go all out—and when the shockwaves of such a battle rippled outward, how many in the small city below would survive?
Unless he could find an opening in Huang Wuji's defenses and deliver a single killing blow.
A silent standoff, a clash of spiritual pressure and intent. Zhan Wuhen's expression remained calm, but Huang Wuji's features had taken on a hint of gravity.
It was not that Huang Wuji was inferior to Zhan Wuhen. In a truly fair environment, the two would likely be evenly matched.
But this was, after all, the Star Boundary—where the laws of heaven and earth differed subtly from those of the Demon Domain. Zhan Wuhen carried the fortune of heaven and earth upon him, a man acknowledged by the will of the world. Huang Wuji, by contrast, was an invading demon, and in the unseen currents of fate, heaven and earth harbored hostility toward him. With one side gaining and the other losing, a subtle hierarchy emerged.
Zhan Wuhen was fully confident that if Huang Wuji did not flee, he could grievously wound this demon—at some cost to himself.
But the hundreds of thousands of lives in the small city below prevented him from acting freely. Great Emperors were acknowledged by heaven and earth as guardians of their realm. Without that protective heart, how could the world have chosen them?
"Shall we talk?" Zhan Wuhen broke the silence first.
Huang Wuji replied coolly: "What wisdom does the Great Emperor wish to impart?"
"Nothing so grand as wisdom. I only wish for peace between our two realms, with no more innocent casualties."
Huang Wuji smiled: "War has already begun. Countless from both realms have died—how could anyone set aside a sea of blood and deep enmity? The Great Emperor flatters himself with such words."
Zhan Wuhen said: "The Demon Race withdraws from the Star Boundary. Seal the passage between the two realms and never step foot in the Star Boundary again. Then the war ends here."