"Even a Star Market might not have it," Yang Kai said slowly, shaking his head. He had spent some time in a Star Market before and had dealt with the proprietors of many shops, yet he had never heard of any selling the recipe for Open Heaven Pills. This only confirmed that even within a Star Market, the recipe was an exceedingly rare commodity. As he spoke, his eyes suddenly lit up. "I know who to ask."
Yue He smiled. "Sister Lan?"
Yang Kai nodded. "The proprietress is bound to have the recipe."
Moreover, Yang Kai had originally planned to visit the proprietress once the Nine Heavens Grand Array was fully deployed. It was not for any other reason than that his own cultivation had stalled in an awkward predicament—he lacked suitable Gold-element and Yin-Yang resources. Even the cleverest housewife cannot cook without rice.
The proprietress had resided at the First Inn for an immense span of years and controlled a wealth of rare intelligence. Perhaps he could learn from her where to procure the materials he needed.
With the Nine Heavens Grand Array now fully in place and Zhu Jiuyin having recovered a measure of her strength, Void Land possessed robust self-defense capabilities. Even if Yang Kai departed, there was nothing to worry about.
Without delaying, three days after Master Wuliang's departure, Yang Kai made brief arrangements for Void Land's various affairs and set off.
This outing differed from the previous one. Last time, Yang Kai had brought only Lu Xue and Guo Ziyan. This time, he brought a sizeable group. The Lotus that had been extorted from the Flying Flower Barge was a large-scale Artifact, requiring many people working in concert to operate.
Most of the warriors from the Star Boundary were deep in Cultivation, so Yang Kai simply brought along Lang Qingshan's cohort—the batch that had followed him out of the Great Ruins.
Yue He and Guo Ziyan would travel with him as well. With Yue He, a Sixth-Order Open Heaven realm cultivator, standing guard, it was unlikely anyone would dare provoke them.
Within Void Land, Lu Xue, Chen Tianfei, and Bian Yuqing stood in a line and bowed respectfully. "We bid farewell to the True Lord."
Lu Xue and Bian Yuqing were fine enough, but Yang Kai could not fathom why Chen Tianfei wore such a look of resentment, like a spurned lover. The moment Yang Kai had mentioned visiting the proprietress, Chen Tianfei had volunteered himself to serve at Yang Kai's side, attending to his every need.
However, given that someone needed to watch over the gourd vine, Yang Kai had refused.
Chen Tianfei's fat face immediately crumpled into a bitter melon.
Ignoring the man's aggrieved stare, Yang Kai nodded and dove into the enormous lotus. The others followed close behind. Moments later, under Yue He's guidance, the great lotus petals slowly unfurled, and with a graceful spin, the entire structure transformed into a streak of brilliant light and shot outward.
The Grand Array rumbled open, creating a fissure through which the lotus burst into the void beyond, vanishing from sight in an instant.
"Sigh!" Chen Tianfei gazed after it into the emptiness and heaved a heavy breath.
Last time Guo Ziyan and Lu Xue had accompanied Yang Kai on an outing, both had advanced in rank. Afterward, he had pressed them for details on what fortuitous encounters they had experienced, but both had kept their lips sealed, revealing nothing beyond the fact that it was Yang Kai's grace that had made their breakthroughs possible.
Chen Tianfei, a Fourth-Order Open Heaven cultivator, had been stuck at his current level for years. To advance, he would need at least several more decades—perhaps a century—of painstaking accumulation. If a single trip with Yang Kai could bring him a promotion, how could he not seize the opportunity?
Unfortunately, Yang Kai had declined, leaving him with nothing but regret.
Reluctantly tearing his gaze away, Chen Tianfei turned to Bian Yuqing with a broad grin. "Second Manager, now that the True Lord is away and Miss Yue He has departed with him, all affairs of Void Land fall to you. Please do not hesitate to command me."
Bian Yuqing replied politely, "I will need both of you to lend your support."
Chen Tianfei said, "Of course. If the Second Manager has any orders, merely say the word. I, Chen Tianfei, am unswervingly loyal to the True Lord. If it is within my power, I will not refuse."
"Then I thank you in advance."
Chen Tianfei added warmly, "If the Second Manager has any questions about Cultivation, you are welcome to come find old Chen. I will hold nothing back."
Lu Xue shot him a wary glance and said coolly, "Matters of Cultivation—I will explain them to the Second Manager myself." With that, she took Bian Yuqing by the hand and strode toward the central hall.
Chen Tianfei opened his mouth but found no words. He could only sigh heavily again and trudge toward the gourd vine's location. When he arrived, however, the vine had vanished without a trace. All that remained was an enormous crater. His face went pale. "My little ancestors, where have you run off to?"
He searched about in a panic. Fortunately, with the Nine Heavens Grand Array fully deployed and no gaps left open, all of Void Land was a sealed space. Even if the gourd vine had fled, it could not escape Void Land.
…
The Lotus traveled at tremendous speed. In barely a day, it arrived at the Star Market within the Void Domain.
Every Great Domain had its own Star Market, though the scale of a Star Market was directly tied to the Domain's overall strength. A Domain with many powerful factions naturally boasted a bustling market; a weaker one was comparatively quiet.
The Void Domain was not especially powerful. It had only ever harbored a single second-tier faction—the Seven Harmonies—so the Star Market here was modest in size, and the goods traded were not particularly rare.
Nevertheless, Yang Kai had come prepared to purchase Cultivation resources. Beyond seeking the Open Heaven Pill recipe from the proprietress and gathering intelligence, he had always intended to buy supplies. He still had seven or eight hundred million Open Heaven Pills on hand, but for Void Land's current needs, Open Heaven Pills were not the priority. What was urgently required were Cultivation resources of various grades.
The ideal outcome would be to exchange those seven or eight hundred million Open Heaven Pills for resources of every tier.
Now that he was at the Star Market, he naturally intended to take full advantage of the opportunity.