The two brothers traveled together in high spirits, their rapport easy and their atmosphere harmonious — they might as well have been blood siblings.
Before long, they arrived at the location of the Dragon Transformation Pool.
On the outer perimeter, countless warriors stood guard in heavy formations. In the shadows, even more powerful experts monitored the area closely, their Divine Sense layered over every inch of ground.
Anyone who tried to approach would be obliterated without hesitation — there was no room for negotiation.
A steward from a first-tier family had once come to deliver tribute to the Yang family. After handing over the goods, he'd somehow lost his way and wandered within ten li of the Dragon Transformation Pool. He hadn't even opened his mouth before the Yang family's stationed experts killed him on the spot.
When word got out, the first-tier family didn't dare file a complaint. Instead, they sent someone with double the original tribute as an apology.
This treasure ground of the Yang family had always been a place of tight security.
Even though it sat within Zhongdu City, the area centered on the Dragon Transformation Pool — spanning dozens of li in every direction — remained in its most primitive state. Upon first arriving, one might think they'd wandered into some great wilderness.
Mist and clouds swirled in dense layers, obscuring everything beyond arm's reach. Lush, verdant forests appeared and disappeared within the haze, and here and there, the occasional flicker of a human figure could be glimpsed.
At the very deepest point lay the Dragon Transformation Pool — the place that could scour the meridians and cleanse the marrow.
When Yang Zhao and Yang Kai arrived, they promptly fell silent. Yang Zhao stepped forward and cupped his fists. "Disciple Yang Zhao, here by order to visit the Dragon Transformation Pool. May I ask which senior is stationed here?"
A strange voice drifted out from within the mist: "This old man is Xiao Zhengqing. So it's Young Master Zhao — and there's someone else beside you. Who is that?"
Before Yang Kai could answer, Yang Zhao quickly jumped in with a smile: "This is my brother Kai!"
The voice in the mist fell silent for a moment, apparently mulling over who this "Brother Kai" might be. After a long pause, it said: "Since you're both here, young masters may enter."
As the words were spoken, the swirling mist before them seemed to part under the influence of two invisible hands, rolling away to either side and revealing a clear passage between them.
Only then did Yang Kai and Yang Zhao discover, with a start, that the passage was lined on both sides by numerous Yang family experts standing in formation.
And the closest one stood less than five zhang away.
All these people had been hidden in the mist, and neither brother had detected a single one. They had no idea what kind of strange mechanism lay concealed in that fog.
These Yang family experts were clearly different from the ones outside. Their auras were steady and deep, most of them at the Zhenyuan Realm, their cultivation far more substantial than ordinary cultivators. Scattered among them were a few at the Shenyou Realm, all watching the two brothers with solemn expressions.
Yang Zhao and Yang Kai exchanged a glance, their expressions turning serious. They lifted their heads and strode forward with purpose.
"Welcome, young masters!"
"Young masters, please!"
As they walked, the warriors on either side nodded slightly, offering respectful salutes.
Yang Zhao wore a smile, his stride confident and commanding.
Yang Kai said nothing. He quietly extended his Divine Sense to scan his surroundings, secretly astonished.
Though he was a member of the Yang family — and a direct descendant at that — he had never understood just how vast the Yang family's true capital really was.
But with this brief exploration, he realized with a shock that the warriors around him, at the same cultivation level, were undoubtedly far stronger than ordinary disciples from first- or second-tier sects. Their combat power was in a different league entirely.
Their spirit, the toughness of their flesh, their blood and vitality, their bones and meridians, the quality of their true yuan — everything seemed more refined and more powerful.
Yang Kai estimated that two of these fighters could defeat three enemies of equal cultivation outside.
Of course, this was only a comparison among ordinary disciples.
Even so, it was enough to be startling.
Moreover, the mist surrounding the area was peculiar. When he sent his Divine Sense into it, it was like plunging into stagnant water — there was absolutely no response.
Some kind of array had to be operating here.
They walked for a full incense stick's time before the path suddenly opened up and the mist vanished entirely, giving them a feeling of emerging from darkness into brilliant light.
By the edge of an enormous pool sat three white-haired old men, cross-legged, their eyes bright and keen as they looked toward the pair.
When they saw the two emerge from the mist, the one in the center smiled faintly. "Yang Zhao?"
Yang Zhao's expression turned grave. He immediately cupped his fists. "That is this disciple. Greetings to all three seniors!"
Anyone stationed to guard the Dragon Transformation Pool — whether they bore the Yang surname or not — would hold a position of considerable standing within the Yang family. They could be considered on par with the clan elders.
That was why Yang Zhao was being so formal.
Xiao Zhengqing exchanged a subtle smile with the other two, apparently pleased by Yang Zhao's deference. Then his gaze shifted to Yang Kai, and he asked with a hint of doubt: "The one from the previous generation's fourth son, Yang Yingfeng?"
"That's right. Yang Kai greets the three seniors." Yang Kai nodded slightly.