Guo Ziyan chuckled. "She's not in the Star City. You know how things are there, My Lord — swords flash and blades gleam every day, with endless fighting. I walk a razor's edge myself, and I might drag her into trouble any day. Her mother died young, so I sent her away long ago to study under a master."
Yang Kai let out an "Oh." That could be considered a narrow escape. If she had stayed in the Star City by Guo Ziyan's side, she would have been dragged into the Great Ruins by now. If that had happened, whether she lived or died would be anyone's guess.
"When we leave the Great Ruins, bring her to me. Whatever she needs, I'll provide."
Guo Ziyan's spirits lifted. "This subordinate thanks My Lord!"
"Take these Open Heaven Pills as well. You'll always need them for your Cultivation." Yang Kai tossed over a space ring.
Guo Ziyan caught it and swept it with his divine sense. "My Lord, this is too much!" Inside, Open Heaven Pills were piled into small mountains — at least ten million of them.
"Take them when I tell you to. If you can't use them all, distribute them to your subordinates." Yang Kai rose and headed toward the inner chambers. "I'll be going into seclusion for a while. If anything comes up, go to Yue He — she'll relay the message to me."
Watching Yang Kai leave, Guo Ziyan was overwhelmed with gratitude. A feeling surged through him — the kind that made a man willing to die for the one who truly understood him. He clasped his fists and spoke in a deep voice. "This subordinate obeys!"
Yang Kai reached his room, and with a flicker of his figure, vanished. When he reappeared, he was deep within a mountain range.
Over the past dozen or so days, while Guo Ziyan and the others had been counting the space rings, Yang Kai hadn't been idle either. Everyone assumed he'd been in his residence, but in truth, he had slipped away long ago.
Now that he knew the Great Ruins were far more dangerous than he had imagined — with even traces of Sacred Spirits appearing — Yang Kai would naturally not leave things to chance.
Over the course of those dozen or so days, he had visited several locations and left behind multiple escape routes, all as a precaution in case some unforeseen event arose and he needed to withdraw in an orderly fashion.
In each of these places, he had left a Space Spirit Bead hidden in an extremely concealed location. As long as his movements weren't sealed by some heaven-locking, earth-restraining formation, no one could restrict his mobility.
The place he had come to now was Crouching Dragon Mountain — the very place where Yang Kai had once obtained the Earth Dragon Pearl.
In the past, the Crimson Flood Dragon had been stationed here, its ferocious aura permeating the area so that no strange beast dared approach. After Yang Kai had taken the Crimson Flood Dragon away, the place had fallen into desolation.
Yang Kai had not come here to search for rare treasures or spiritual herbs.
He had come to cultivate. During his battle with the Mantis Head, that creature's exquisite and seemingly effortless saber technique had left Yang Kai shaken. It had also shown him his own shortcomings. The Azure Dragon Spear, a peerless Artifact, had not displayed much of its true power in his hands. All he relied on was the spear's sharpness and its innate might — he himself had virtually no real attainment in the way of spear techniques.
Last time, he had managed to kill the Mantis Head through a stratagem, which was essentially a stroke of luck. If his opponent had been on guard, Yang Kai might not have succeeded at all.
While condensing the power of Yin, Yang, and the Five Elements was urgent, even the cleverest cook cannot make a meal without rice. Without the proper materials, he was unwilling to condense the power carelessly, lest he regret it for the rest of his life.
Now that he had Red Star as a major ally, he was confident that if Seventh-Order materials or higher truly appeared in the Great Ruins, he would certainly learn of them. So there was no need to personally go searching for anything.
While waiting, he could naturally attend to other matters.
What Guo Ziyan and the others had uncovered from those tens of thousands of space rings was not only a vast fortune but also numerous secret techniques and manuals, many of which were related to the way of the spear. Yang Kai had sorted these out, intending to study them carefully and cultivate systematically. The Azure Dragon Spear was one of his greatest assets at present, and if he wanted to fully unleash its power in the future, this cultivation was indispensable.
However, he was in no hurry to practice spear techniques. Instead, he stood atop a mountain peak, closing his eyes in concentration, carefully perceiving his Dao Seal.
A faint heat radiated from Yang Kai's body, distorting the air with its searing warmth. The void beside him rippled and shifted.
"Golden Crow Forges the Sun!"
Yang Kai's eyes snapped open. A blazing sun suddenly materialized behind him, blazing with the intensity of a furnace, as though a genuine round sun now hung in the sky. Within that sun, a three-legged Golden Crow frolicked and soared.
A powerful force surged ceaselessly from within him. As this Divine Ability manifestation revealed itself, Yang Kai felt as though he had been reborn — an indescribable sensation of wonder.
Now he understood what this was — a Divine Ability manifestation. Yue He had found the time to tell him.
Yang Kai still remembered the complicated look on Yue He's face when she had explained this to him.
Only power of the Seventh-Order or above could condense a Divine Ability manifestation. Throughout all of history, those who had comprehended and possessed a Divine Ability manifestation at the Emperor Realm level were all the most extraordinary prodigies. Without exception, these individuals were now the great powers of the Cave Heavens and Blessed Lands, each dominating a region.
Yang Kai himself did not know how he had achieved this. He had been in seclusion contemplating the Divine Ability, and while he had intended to use life-and-death combat to stimulate his potential, the result had exceeded all expectations. In a flash of inspiration, the Golden Crow True Fire within his Dao Seal had erupted, and he had seemingly witnessed the scene of the Golden Crow forging the great sun. Unconsciously, he had activated the Divine Ability manifestation — perfectly natural and seamless, without the slightest hint of awkwardness.