When he had first heard that voice, Yang Kai had found it somewhat familiar, but he simply could not place where he had heard it before. However, the moment that pair of enormous eyes appeared in the sky, he remembered at once. He had seen those eyes countless times—only back then they had held more shyness and timidity. Now, after so many years, those beautiful eyes brimmed with confidence and strength.
"Ruo Xi!" Yang Kai murmured.
Yes, there was no mistaking it. That voice, those eyes—now that he thought about it, they were unmistakable. Who else could it be but Zhang Ruoxi? And Zhang Ruoxi was inside the Blood Gate in the Eastern Domain.
Was she finally about to emerge from seclusion? Yang Kai gazed eastward, his eyes blazing with anticipation.
Decades had passed since Zhang Ruoxi had entered the Blood Gate, and it had remained completely still the entire time. It was only a few years ago, when he had last ventured into the Demon Domain, that signs of change had finally appeared on the Blood Gate's side. He had intended to stand watch and wait for the Gate to open again, but plans had changed unexpectedly and he had had no choice but to set off for the Demon Domain.
When he returned, there had been one battle after another, followed by the Contest of the Great Dao. He had been utterly unable to spare himself, let alone investigate the situation at the Blood Gate.
Before leaving, he had told Li Wuyi that the Blood Gate would very likely open again and asked him to keep a constant watch on developments there.
And now, after all this time, Zhang Ruoxi was sending her voice across the void!
Yang Kai did not know exactly what was happening on Zhang Ruoxi's end—whether the Blood Gate had truly opened—but judging from those few brief words she had spoken, it seemed highly likely that she had been awakened by the clash between himself and Mo Sheng.
That was only to be expected. This battle determined the fate of the Star Boundary and had shaken the very foundations of heaven and earth. Although the Blood Gate was the Xingtian Palace, a self-contained realm unto itself, it—like every other minor world—rested upon the greater cosmos of the Star Boundary. The entire Star Boundary was in turmoil, so how could the Blood Gate remain unaffected?
Zhang Ruoxi, who had been inside the Blood Gate all along, was bound to have been disturbed by the upheaval, so it was hardly surprising that she had awakened.
What astonished Yang Kai, however, was that Zhang Ruoxi had recognized Mo Sheng. Just now she had called out his name without hesitation, and Mo Sheng's words had been equally intriguing—he seemed to know Zhang Ruoxi's ancestor, the supreme powerhouse known as Xingtian.
Zhang Ruoxi's ability to recognize Mo Sheng was likely connected to the Xingtian inheritance she had received—the myriad bloodline legacies and memories of her forebear.
But how had Mo Sheng and Xingtian come to know each other? Were these two powerhouses from the same era? Or had they both come from beyond the cosmos?
Suddenly, Yang Kai recalled a tale that Mo Sheng's clone had once told him on the ancient battlefield.
In that story, Mo Sheng had suffered two devastating injuries. The second was connected to the Great Emperor Suiyue, in a battle that ended in the Great Emperor's death—a tragedy. Mo Sheng's physical body had been destroyed, forcing him into prolonged slumber to heal. It was precisely because of this second injury that he had begun to scheme for the Star Boundary's spiritual fortune.
But the person who had inflicted that first injury—Mo Sheng had never named them, saying only that it was a woman.
Now that he thought about it, could that woman have been Xingtian? At the thought, Yang Kai's body jolted. If that were true, then he had been underestimating Xingtian's strength all along. She was a peerless powerhouse who had once gravely wounded the Great Demon God—though she herself had been severely injured in the process, she was at least on the same level.
If his speculation was correct, then after her battle with Mo Sheng, Xingtian had drifted to the Star Boundary, leaving behind a vast legacy and a bloodline that had endured for countless millennia.
The more he considered it, the more plausible it seemed. In the primordial memories of the many Sacred Spirits, Xingtian had appeared out of nowhere. There had been no record of her growth or rise beforehand—she had simply emerged one day and gone on to dominate the cosmos in that remote age, her name resounding in every corner.
If she truly hailed from beyond the cosmos, everything fell into place.
"Ha ha ha!" Mo Sheng roared with laughter, his voice like thunder. "Good, very good! To think I would meet the descendant of an old acquaintance here today—heaven truly has eyes. Little girl, wait a moment. Once I've finished dealing with matters here, I'll come take a look and see whether you still carry the spirit of your ancestor."
As he spoke, his colossal body gave a violent shake. Yang Kai felt a tremendous pressure bearing down on him from every direction at once, so overwhelming that he could barely hold his ground. He could not help but let out a stifled grunt.
Suddenly, a voice reached his ear: "Can you hold on a little longer, sir?"
"Ruo Xi?" Yang Kai asked in surprise.
"Please hold on for just half an hour more, sir. I will be there to help you."
"Take your time—even an extra moment to primp and preen wouldn't hurt!" Yang Kai laughed aloud, his heart soaring with elation. It was not merely because he had heard Zhang Ruoxi's voice again after so many years, but also because his earlier fears had proven unfounded. Despite having received Xingtian's inheritance, Zhang Ruoxi had changed very little.
That familiar address of "sir" brought back memories of the timid young girl who had once trailed along at his side.
Even as he spoke, he called upon the forces of heaven and earth once more to stand against the boundless demonic energy.
Zhang Ruoxi chuckled softly. "Seeing you in such fine spirits, sir, puts my mind at ease."
After that, silence—she was clearly occupied with something and could not spare her attention.
"Half an hour, then..." Yang Kai let out a long breath. Though the two Dragon Clan Elders and numerous Pseudo-Emperors had joined the fight, he had still felt as though he were waging a solitary battle, profoundly alone on this battlefield between heaven and earth.