Only then did the many powerhouses come to realize how vast and magnificent the boundless cosmos truly was, and that Great Emperor was merely a special title rather than a rank in the martial path. Above the Great Emperors existed the Open Heaven realm—those who could split heaven and open earth, with entire worlds formed within their bodies.
Worlds like the Star Boundary—self-contained Universes—were beyond numbering in this cosmos. Even the individual Great Domains numbered in the thousands, and within each Great Domain lurked dragons and tigers. The Thirty-Six Blessed Cave Heavens and Seventy-Two Blessed Lands stood among the absolute pinnacle of forces, while the second-tier and third-tier powers beneath them were as numerous as ox hairs on a cow…
In this boundless, endless expanse, the Star Boundary was nothing more than a single drop in the ocean.
In the more than ten years since Yang Kai had departed, although he had grown tremendously, he was still merely stumbling along the path to the Open Heaven realm, still far from his breakthrough.
A grand banquet lasted an entire day and night, and Yang Kai spoke for that entire day and night. The many powerhouses were shaken to their cores, their minds unable to settle for a long time afterward.
When they finally took their leave, every last one wore a dazed expression.
The Great Emperors remained behind.
In a sealed chamber, the Great Emperors gathered together, joined by Sheng Yuzhu, Tian Yan, and the two Dragon Clan Elders. Though the latter four were not Great Emperors of the Star Boundary, each possessed the foundation of one, and so they were qualified to participate in such a gathering.
Hua Qingsi led a group in to serve fragrant tea before respectfully withdrawing.
After a few minutes of idle conversation, Yang Kai steered matters toward the point at hand and asked with a grave expression: "Why have your injuries not only failed to recover, but appear to be worsening?"
This was the very thing that had puzzled him most. The Great Emperors were not lacking in strength, and all these years they had been secluded in meditation to heal. There should have been some improvement. Even if one or two of them had been unable to suppress their injuries, it shouldn't have been the case for every Great Emperors.
The group exchanged glances. Duan Hongchen smiled bitterly: "You haven't been a Great Emperor for long, and you left the Star Boundary shortly after receiving the acknowledgment of the heavens, so you wouldn't know."
Yang Kai turned to look at him.
Duan Hongchen sighed: "We received the acknowledgment of the Heavenly Will and became Great Emperors of the Star Boundary. While this allows us to wield power far beyond the Emperor realm, it also binds us to this world—when it suffers, we suffer; when it flourishes, we flourish. After the last great battle, we were gravely wounded, the Star Boundary's laws collapsed, the world was devastated, the realm became unstable, and at times it showed signs of imminent destruction."
Mo Huang continued: "If this world were recovering, we could naturally draw upon its power to heal ourselves. But the world's vitality is nearly exhausted—who would dare recklessly drain it further? All these years of seclusion have done nothing but allow us to desperately suppress our injuries."
Zhan Wuhen added: "For ordinary people, a few spirit pills and medicinal herbs would gradually bring them back to health. But we are not ordinary. Unless the state of this world changes, we will never have hope of full recovery. Unless, that is, we break free of this world's bonds, as you have, and depart beyond this Universe."
Understanding dawned on Yang Kai.
Just as Duan Hongchen had said, the Great Emperors had received the acknowledgment of the Heavenly Will and were bound to this world—suffering when it suffered, thriving when it thrived. With the Star Boundary's condition deteriorating, their own states could not be expected to fare any better.
Yang Kai himself possessed extraordinary recuperative abilities and also had the Wood-attribute power condensed from the Essence of the Tree of Life, so he had no such hidden danger. But the others did not enjoy that luxury.
"So in the end, the crisis of the Star Boundary must be resolved." Chu Tianji looked at Yang Kai. "Xu Kong, now that you've returned, you must have found a way?"
Every gaze converged on him, brimming with earnest hope.
Yang Kai nodded immediately: "I have some leads, but I cannot guarantee success or failure."
Whether or not the World Tree's root would prove useful remained to be seen. If it didn't, then mass migration would be the only option.
"Regardless of the outcome, it must be tried."
Yang Kai rose to his feet: "There's no time to waste. I'll set to work right now. Please, all of you, bear witness."
Every face lit up with renewed vigor.
Yang Kai closed his eyes and extended his senses for a brief moment. His figure blurred, and he vanished from the spot. When he reappeared, he stood atop a distant mountain.
The mountain was countless miles from Ling Xiao Palace, situated at the intersection of the Star Boundary's four great regions. It rose a hundred ren high—an unnamed, barren peak with not a speck of green, nothing but ashen gravel and slabs of rock.
He sank his consciousness into the Small World and carefully extracted the World Tree's root from within.
The Small World trembled slightly.
When he had first obtained the World Tree's root, Yang Kai had casually tossed it into the Small World. To his surprise, upon later inspection, the root had taken root within the Small World, transformed into a small sapling, and begun madly devouring the spiritual energy within, growing rapidly. And as it grew, the Small World's laws were swiftly refined and stabilized.
Had he not discovered this at the time, he would not have connected the root's behavior to Ada's earlier hint. It was precisely this discovery that brought that memory back to mind.
Since he now intended to use the World Tree to repair the Star Boundary, Yang Kai naturally could not allow it to continue developing within the Small World. He had immediately sealed off all the spiritual energy of the Small World to prevent further consumption by the root.
Thus, when he extracted the World Tree's root now, it remained nothing more than a tiny sapling.
Yang Kai carefully dug a small pit before him, planted the sapling within, and covered it with soil. He paused in thought, then waved his hand, drawing a stream of clear water from a considerable distance away to sprinkle over the roots.
With an uneasy heart, he gazed at the little sapling before him and waited in silence.