Two months passed in the blink of an eye.
On the plaza of Ice Soul City, heads crowded together—no fewer than six hundred thousand warriors had gathered here. Though the number was staggering, they stood in immaculately ordered formations, arrayed into massive rectangular blocks one after another. Not a single voice was raised in clamor; six hundred thousand people stood in silence like a battle-hardened army drilled to perfection.
Yet every pair of eyes among them blazed with excitement and anticipation.
Zi Xiao and Xiao Wu, the two young men, stood within one of the formations. Compared to when they had first arrived in Ice Soul City two months ago, their outward appearance had not changed much, but they had matured considerably—their progress in the Dao of Arrays had been advancing by leaps and bounds.
Xiao Wu transmitted quietly, "No wonder people say we can't cultivate by shutting ourselves away. Sparring and competing with so many fellow practitioners these past two months has pushed my understanding of the Dao of Arrays forward by a huge margin. Looks like I'll need to keep exchanging ideas with others going forward."
Zi Xiao nodded with emotion, "Truly. At the Return Void Realm, there are quite a few people whose mastery of the Dao of Arrays surpasses ours. It's genuinely impressive."
Xiao Wu chuckled. "Still, we got what we wanted in the end. Now we can follow Lord Void to the Outside of the Heavens. I wonder what it's actually like out there."
Over these two months, Ice Soul City had been buzzing with activity—an endless stream of competitions and trials. The two young men had fought their way through wave after wave. Though they had stumbled at times, they had demonstrated truly remarkable talent in the Dao of Arrays. Their current cultivation was still modest and their knowledge somewhat shallow, but their potential was plain for all to see. Nanmen Dajun, presiding over the evaluations, had declared them qualified.
Three months of selection, whittling down tens of millions to five hundred thousand—it was an undertaking of colossal proportions. For this, all of Lingxiao Palace had been mobilized. Not just Lingxiao Palace either; across the Northern Region, Ice Heart Valley, the Azure Dragon Palace, and the Myriad Heavens Pavilion had all poured in incalculable manpower and resources.
Even the major Sects from the Eastern, Southern, and Western Regions had contributed their aid, and only through this combined effort had they managed to screen out the numbers Yang Kai needed in such a short time.
The final tally did not come to five hundred thousand, but rather over six hundred thousand. A slight excess was of no real consequence—Void Land was desperately short-handed.
These six hundred thousand-odd people were not necessarily the strongest cultivators the Star Boundary currently had, but they represented the elite—present and future—of every field and discipline across the realm. Their presence would surely bring flourishing development and vast prospects to Void Land.
"Palace Master, everything is ready." From the other end of the plaza, Hua Qingsi looked toward Yang Kai.
Yang Kai nodded. "Activate the formation."
Hua Qingsi received the order and produced a transmission compass, sending the signal out.
In the next instant, Nanmen Dajun, positioned on the plaza, immediately produced an array disc. Emperor Yuan surged as it flooded into the disc.
A deep rumbling echoed from beneath the ground, like muffled thunder rolling past. Across the entire plaza, bright luminous lines flared to life one after another, enveloping all six hundred thousand people within their glow.
Everyone had already received their instructions. They relaxed their minds, offering no resistance.
The light grew brighter and brighter, and when it reached a certain intensity, it erupted with a thunderous burst. By the time the radiance faded, the six hundred thousand-plus people who had filled the plaza had vanished completely—all of them had been drawn into the Small World.
Yang Kai extended his hand and retrieved the World Jade from the void, then reached toward Nanmen Dajun, pulling him into the Small World as well. Only then did he turn to Hua Qingsi. "The Star Boundary—I entrust everything to you, Chief Steward."
He had originally intended to bring Hua Qingsi along as well. After all, she had managed Lingxiao Palace all these years, and having her at Void Land would allow her to continue playing to her strengths, saving Yang Kai no small amount of effort.
However, Hua Qingsi had declined. With tens of thousands of Disciples still remaining at Lingxiao Palace, her departure would leave the Sect leaderless. She had insisted on staying behind to hold the fort, and Yang Kai had ultimately relented.
Fortunately, Bian Yuqing, the Second Steward, was departing with them. With her to oversee operations at Void Land, things would run just as smoothly.
Hua Qingsi said solemnly, "Rest assured, Palace Master. I will take good care of Lingxiao Palace and the Star Boundary."
Yang Kai smiled gently. "Don't neglect your own Cultivation, either. We'll meet again beyond the Heavens."
Though he was taking a great many people with him, he had left behind ample cultivation resources. The resources he had obtained beyond the Heavens were not well-suited to the warriors of the Star Boundary, but the Star Boundary itself held countless resources that had yet to be discovered.
During these two-plus months of screening warriors, Yang Kai had not been idle either. He had scoured the entire realm, unearthing every usable cultivation resource the Star Boundary had to offer. With these resources to supplement them, and with the World Tree stabilizing the realm's heaven and earth while repairing its natural laws, he was confident that in the near future, powerhouses would emerge across the Star Boundary like bamboo shoots after a spring rain.
The entire Star Boundary would serve as Void Land's rear base, a steady wellspring from which talent could flow ceaselessly to the frontier.
The only drawback was the considerable distance between them.
"I will not disappoint your expectations, Palace Master."
"Let's go!" Yang Kai stepped forward and was already hovering in midair.
Below, Hua Qingsi dipped into a graceful bow. "Farewell, Palace Master!"
Across Ice Soul City, countless voices rose in unison: "Farewell, Lord Void!"
Yang Kai turned back and gave a gentle wave, then took another step forward, his figure vanishing from sight.
This departure from the Star Boundary carried more than just the six hundred thousand elites selected from every field. Numerous Emperors went along as well.
From the Northern Region, the powerhouses of Lingxiao Palace itself went without saying—Yu Rumeng, Su Yan, Xia Ningshang, Xue Yue, Shan Qing Luo, Xiao Xiao, Liu Yan, Qiong Qi, as well as Ghost Ancestor, Chi Yue, Aion, Bian Yuqing, and others. Every one of them was an Emperor.
From Ice Heart Valley, there were Bing Yun, Ji Yao, An Ruoyun, Sun Yunxiu…