Even now, when Luan Feng and the others recalled it, a chill still ran down their spines. It was said that the power of Heavenly Punishment was extremely suppressive toward Sacred Spirits—its natural nemesis, in fact. They had previously treated this claim with some skepticism, but having personally witnessed Zhang Ruoxi extract Shi Huo's origin with a mere gesture, how could they continue to doubt it?
The current situation in the Star Boundary was dire, and the Blood Gate had shown signs of anomaly once more. For the Monster Race of the Wasteland Ancient Region, it was impossible to say whether this would prove a blessing or a curse.
Although Zhang Ruoxi had once appeared quite intimate with Yang Kai, so many years had passed since then. Moreover, she had undergone a bloodline awakening. Now, if she emerged from the Blood Gate, no one could say for certain what attitude she would hold toward the Sacred Spirits. If she were to follow the ancient precedent and slaughter every Sacred Spirit under heaven, then Luan Feng and her kind would be the first to suffer.
The three Monster Race Sacred Emperors moved with extraordinary speed. Having departed from Phoenix Palace, they arrived at the location where the Blood Gate had vanished in less than two hours.
Before they had even drawn close, Luan Feng's brow furrowed. Gazing down from high above, she could see countless demon beasts galloping through the forests and mountains below, all converging in a single direction. Most of these beasts were not particularly powerful—they had not yet developed sentience and were driven by instinct alone to follow whatever influence called to them.
And the direction they headed was unmistakably toward the Blood Gate.
This confirmed it—something was indeed stirring at the Blood Gate, or why else would the beasts behave this way?
By the time they reached the mountain where the Blood Gate resided, the scene was even more striking. Dense masses of demon beasts had already gathered there, and many more were still on their way.
"Something's definitely happening," Cang Gou muttered, his brow deeply furrowed as he studied the mountain. He could faintly sense a thread of energy seeping out from within it—negligibly faint, yet it was enough to send the gathered beasts into a frenzy. They fought viciously over every wisp, and those too weak to compete were killed, their blood dyeing the entire mountain red.
"However, it doesn't appear to open just yet," Fan Wu mused thoughtfully. The Blood Gate was nowhere to be seen—only thin strands of peculiar energy drifting from what appeared to be another space. These signs indicated that the Blood Gate was merely showing preliminary signs of reopening. As for when it would fully open, no one could say.
"It will open eventually," Luan Feng said, her face lined with worry. "We need to notify Yang Kai."
If there was anyone in this world who could restrain Zhang Ruoxi, it would be Yang Kai. Decades ago, Zhang Ruoxi had slain Shi Huo despite possessing only a fraction of her current strength. After years of secluded cultivation within the Blood Gate, who knew what level of power she would have reached by the time she emerged?
Luan Feng feared that once Zhang Ruoxi came out, she might kill them all without so much as a question. If Yang Kai could be present to keep watch when Zhang Ruoxi emerged, that would be ideal.
"Then let's send someone to Celestial Palace!" Fan Wu nodded. "Word has it that half a month ago, the Demon Race conquered Star God Palace. On the day of the great battle, he had already returned from the Demon Territory."
With spatial arrays now connecting all four regions, exchanging news between them was convenient. Something that had happened over ten days ago—there was no reason for the Eastern Region to remain ignorant of it.
Luan Feng shook her head. "This matter is of utmost importance. I'll go myself. One way or another, I have to get him to come and oversee things here."
Fan Wu considered this for a moment, then nodded in agreement. "That would be best."
Luan Feng set off immediately for Celestial Palace, unable to help but regret her earlier carelessness—why had she destroyed the spatial array in Phoenix Palace? Now, whenever she wanted to travel elsewhere, she had to make for the Stone Puppet Clan's former settlement, the only place with the cross-regional spatial array Yang Kai had set up afterward.
By the time Luan Feng arrived at Celestial Palace, more than half a day had passed. Upon meeting Hua Qingsi and explaining her purpose, she learned that Yang Kai was in seclusion recovering from his injuries and could not be disturbed.
She remained at Celestial Palace for over ten days, but Yang Kai still did not appear. Left with no other option, she could only ask Hua Qingsi to relay the message: the moment he emerged from seclusion, he was to go to the Wasteland Ancient Region immediately.
Hua Qingsi readily agreed.
……
Deep within the Dragon Palace, inside the Dragon Transformation Pool, the roars of Azure Dragon and Ice Dragon had not ceased for a single moment. Even as two mighty Dragon Clan Elders, the agony they had endured over the past month had left their voices completely hoarse.
The Dragon Marrow Liquid in the pool had been reduced to half a foot in depth.
Within the Dragon Palace, Yang Kai's dragon chant had been sustained until now. The intricate patterns and formations carved around the Dragon Transformation Pool flickered with light, radiating strange energy that assisted Zhu Yan and Fu Zhun in absorbing the Dragon Marrow Liquid.
The process had taken far longer than expected.
It was only after a month and a half that Yang Kai suddenly fell silent, a deep exhaustion surfacing on his face. The hundred-zhang dragon body he had maintained for so long dissipated in an instant, reverting to human form.
Inside the Dragon Transformation Pool, everything went silent. Zhu Yan and Fu Zhun lay motionless, as though dead—even their breath was impossibly faint.
Then, at a certain moment, a piercing dragon cry suddenly erupted. The two Elders' feeble auras surged violently. One emerald and one white streak of light shot out from the depths of the pool.
The Azure Dragon's body expanded dramatically upon breaking free, its roughly sixty-zhang frame swelling into a colossal hundred-zhang form.
The White Dragon's body was slightly smaller, but not by much.
Majestic dragon might filled the entire Dragon Palace. The two enormous dragon heads pressed together, intertwining neck to neck, and their dragon cries rang with unbridled joy and elation.
Yang Kai opened his eyes, tossed a restorative spirit pill into his mouth, and allowed a smile to cross his face.