Fang Tai's spatial ring went without saying. Beyond a handful of specialty items he had brought from his own Qiankun World, there were only a scant dozen Open Heaven Pills — not even worth Yang Kai's attention.
The only thing that caught his interest was a jade token. It was no larger than a palm, crystal clear and utterly flawless in color, with a tiny fish-like shape swimming about inside it, as though it were alive.
This was precisely the token Fang Tai had shown Duan Hai earlier, the keepsake given to him by that senior from the Black River World. Yang Kai had no idea what purpose the token served. He had originally intended to simply discard it, but after a moment's thought, he carefully put it away. He didn't dare place it in his spatial ring, though — instead, he tossed it into his Mysterious Worlds Bead.
With the Mysterious Worlds Bead forming a world unto its own, even a mighty expert from the Black River World shouldn't be able to trace the token's whereabouts.
He glanced left and right. The mountain wilderness was utterly silent. He swept his divine sense in a wide arc but found no trace of that Elder Xu, having no idea where the man had gone. There was no point in thinking about escape, either — if the old man had been willing to leave him here unattended, it was obvious he wasn't worried about Yang Kai running off.
Yang Kai settled cross-legged on the ground and turned his gaze inward, quickly spotting the centipede mark branded upon the Dao Seal along his spine. The mark seemed alive, wrapping around the entire Dao Seal like a living thing. He tried channeling his power and found it caused no obstruction. But when he pushed a little harder against the centipede mark, it immediately constricted the Dao Seal, and in an instant, Yang Kai felt as though his entire body was about to be ground to dust. A cold sweat broke out across his skin and he hastily ceased his efforts.
This much, however, confirmed that the centipede mark was not something he could dispel with his current strength alone. Elder Xu was at minimum a Fourth-Order Open Heaven cultivator, and having used such an unusual artifact to subdue him, the mark wouldn't be so easily removed. He cursed his ill fortune under his breath and resigned himself to recovering his strength.
The centipede's entry into his body had consumed far too much of his energy. Though his life was no longer in danger, he was still terribly weakened.
Three days passed in this manner. While Yang Kai was meditating, he suddenly sensed a presence. He opened his eyes to find Elder Xu standing before him, silently gazing down at him.
Yang Kai scrambled to his feet. "Elder Xu!"
Elder Xu gave a faint nod and said coolly, "At least you've been well-behaved. Had you tried to forcibly break the Flying Black-Backed Centipede's binding, you would have already perished, body and Dao alike."
Yang Kai felt sheepish, not daring to admit that he had in fact tried once and stopped only because he found himself thoroughly powerless. He changed the subject. "Elder Xu, may I ask how exactly I can be of help to you?" After Elder Xu had subdued him that day, the man had vanished, leaving Yang Kai no chance to ask. But someone wouldn't go to all this trouble just to toy with him, and moreover, this Elder Xu clearly had a vendetta against Seven Skills Earth as well — his purpose must be revenge.
"This Lord wants you to take me into Seven Skills Earth."
Yang Kai smiled bitterly. "Elder Xu, I don't even know how to get back myself right now, let alone bring you in." It wasn't that he couldn't find Seven Skills Earth — Ma Liu and Jiang Sheng both carried the wayfinding guides for Seven Skills Earth. And even if Yang Kai couldn't locate it, Elder Xu surely knew where it was. But with Ma Liu and Jiang Sheng both dead, what excuse could he offer upon returning alone?
Elder Xu seemed to read his thoughts and said flatly, "Relax. Once you return, simply say you encountered Void Wandering Beasts and the two of them were accidentally eaten."
Yang Kai was rendered nearly speechless. Could such a flimsy excuse really pass muster? If Seven Skills Earth discovered he was lying, there would be no shortage of consequences. Elder Xu clearly couldn't care less about his safety.
"But Elder Xu, how exactly am I supposed to bring you in?" Yang Kai said with a pained expression. "Seven Skills Earth is surrounded by layer upon layer of grand formations. If I go back alone, there won't be a problem, but bringing another person along would almost certainly be detected."
Elder Xu casually tossed something over. Yang Kai caught it and looked down to find the very pouch that had swallowed him, Ma Liu, and Jiang Sheng whole.
"This Six Harmony Treasure Pouch is an extraordinary artifact. This Lord obtained it through sheer chance. Carry it with you, and this Lord will hide inside — the grand formations of Seven Skills Earth won't detect a thing."
Yang Kai swallowed hard. He had experienced the Six Harmony Treasure Pouch's power firsthand — even Ma Liu and Jiang Sheng, both First-Order Open Heaven cultivators, had been powerless to resist once trapped inside. It was clearly no ordinary treasure. But now Elder Xu was handing it over to him, while the old man himself intended to hide inside it?
Yang Kai's heart couldn't help but pound faster…
Elder Xu sneered, "Since this Lord dares entrust this treasure to you, naturally I have no fear of you turning it against me. If you don't believe it, feel free to try."
Yang Kai hastily said, "I wouldn't dare, I wouldn't dare! Elder Xu has misunderstood — I was merely marveling at this treasure's unfathomable power. It's my first time encountering such a magnificent artifact, so naturally I'm a little excited. I would never harbor any ill intentions toward Elder Xu."
"Elder Xu said coolly, "See that you don't. In a moment, I will pass you a set of refinement techniques. Refine it briefly, and with this Lord's assistance, you'll be able to control it with ease."
"Yes!" Yang Kai replied respectfully. "With this treasure's help, getting into Seven Skills Earth shouldn't be a problem. But Elder Xu — what happens after we're inside? What is it that I need to do?"