The Void Territory. Yang Kai closed his eyes and probed carefully with his senses. Although he had not been gone for very long—roughly a year at most—the Void Territory had already undergone earth-shaking changes.
On the surface, nothing seemed amiss, but a closer inspection revealed the formidable barriers hidden within the Void Territory.
Under Grandmaster Wuliang's stewardship, the Nine Heavens Grand Array had been growing more complete by the day, and its power was gradually making itself known.
The entire array had consumed a staggering amount of Yang Kai's resources. Nearly seventy to eighty percent of the various rare treasures and natural materials he had brought back from the Grand Ancient Ruins Plane had been poured into this array. One could only imagine how terrifying its power would be once it fully unleashed itself.
Such an array—even if it couldn't suppress the fortune of those Grotto-heavens and Blessed Lands—was something no second-rate power could ever hope to possess. Those second-rate powers might have inherited traditions stretching back thousands or even tens of thousands of years, with vast fortunes and deep foundations, but they also had no shortage of disciples, all of whom required enormous resources for cultivation. Where would they find the surplus to deploy an array like this?
Had it not been for those circumstances, the Nine Heavens Grand Array would never have ended up in Yang Kai's hands.
Grandmaster Wuliang had set up formations for many powers and had promoted the wonders of this array before the leaders of not a few organizations.
Could those leaders not see the strength of the Nine Heavens Grand Array? On the contrary, they had seen it long ago. They simply lacked the nerve to build it, because their countless disciples were crying out for resources. If the bulk of their assets were funneled into the array, how would their disciples cultivate?
So despite Grandmaster Wuliang's extensive campaigns and persuasion, to this day no place had allowed him to realize his ambitions.
Only someone like Yang Kai—a nouveau riche who had suddenly come into a terrifying trove of resources and inexplicably acquired a Spirit State—could give Grandmaster Wuliang free rein.
The Void Territory had truly blazed a trail. The Nine Heavens Grand Array far surpassed what any second-rate power should have been able to achieve, rivaling the protective formations of even those Grotto-heavens and Blessed Lands.
When Yang Kai had left the Void Territory, the Nine Heavens Grand Array had already been more than half complete. Now upon his return, the array was nearly finished—only a few critical formation eyes remained to be placed. By Grandmaster Wuliang's estimate, it would take no more than two months for the Nine Heavens Grand Array to be fully perfected. And when that time came, it would be the moment the array truly came alive.
Yang Kai looked forward to it immensely.
He slowly opened his eyes and let out a long breath. Turning to look behind him, he saw the six hundred thousand people he had brought from the Star Realm streaming out of the Small World's gateway one after another. Though their numbers were vast, they moved in perfect order.
Arriving suddenly in a new world, anyone would be filled with wonder—and even those Great Emperors were gazing around in curiosity.
Mo Huang said, "Kid, this is the Void Territory you spoke of?"
Yang Kai nodded. "This is indeed the Void Territory."
Duan Hongchen probed carefully with his senses for a moment, then spoke. "It truly is different from the Star Realm. Cultivating here would indeed offer the possibility of reaching greater heights."
The Great Emperors' cultivation in the Star Realm had already reached the absolute limit that world could provide. No matter how they trained, they could advance not a single step further. But here, that faint, barely perceptible restraint had suddenly vanished, giving them an overwhelming sense of vast, open sky.
Even their state of mind had expanded.
This was precisely why many Great Emperors of various worlds, upon reaching the pinnacle of their cultivation, would choose to leave their worlds behind and break free of their constraints.
The only reason the Star Realm had been different was that, before the Great Demon God, it had never had contact with the Opening Heaven Realm and knew nothing of such matters.
Yang Kai smiled. "Cultivation beyond the Emperor Sovereign realm requires enormous amounts of resources. There's no rush—take some time to familiarize yourselves first before you begin cultivating."
As the group conversed, Yue He had been watching quietly from the side. Now she stepped forward and gave a graceful bow. "Yue He greets the venerable seniors. Should any of you have questions about your future cultivation, please do not hesitate to ask this servant. I will hold nothing back."
The Great Emperors all turned to look at her. She had been standing beside Yang Kai the whole time, her aura suppressed, and none of them had paid her much mind at first.
Now, upon hearing her words, they each extended their divine sense to probe her.
To their shock, their divine sense sank into her like stones dropped into the ocean, receiving no response whatsoever. Their expressions turned peculiar in an instant.
Zhan Wuhen quietly tugged at Yang Kai's sleeve and whispered, "This young lady—what is her cultivation level?"
Yang Kai held up six fingers.
Hua Ying asked, "How does she compare to the Great Demon God?"
"Well..." Yang Kai scratched his cheek, unsure how to explain. The Great Emperors had only just arrived beyond their world and still had a vague understanding of the Opening Heaven Realm; it was difficult to elaborate in detail. He thought for a moment and said, "She could probably crush the Great Demon God with a single finger."
When the Great Demon God had ravaged the Star Realm, he had displayed at most the power of a Lower-Grade Opening Heaven cultivator. Now, as a Sixth-Grade Opening Heaven cultivator, Yue He would find dispatching a Lower-Grade trivially easy.
Hua Ying stared at him, her beautiful eyes wide with horror. During the final battle of the Two Worlds War, they had all but exhausted their strength and nearly perished. The Great Demon God's power remained vivid in her memory. Yet even one as formidable as the Great Demon God could not withstand the strength of a single finger from this woman...
Every Great Emperor's expression turned solemn. They clasped their fists in unison, and Zhan Wuhen said, "This lady is too kind. We will surely trouble you in the future. Allow us to offer our thanks in advance."
Yue He covered her lips with a smile. "Senior, you are too modest. I am the Young Master's maidservant. Easing his burdens is simply my duty."
Hearing her refer to herself as a maidservant time and again, Zhan Wuhen hardly knew what to say. He merely cast a meaningful glance at Yang Kai before clasping his hands behind his back and turning to survey his surroundings.
Yu Rumeng and the others fixed their gazes upon Yang Kai like leeches, their eyes sharp with scrutiny.