The Landlady stared at him in shock. "You can remove their blood-path restrictions?"
Yang Kai said, "Black Crow Divine Lord obtained the Blood Demon Divine Lord's blood-path inheritance. I struck a deal with him before, and that secret technique came from Black Crow Divine Lord."
The Landlady's expression cleared with understanding, and she nodded at Yang Kai. In truth, all these years, she had never forgotten the people of Dingfeng City. After all, Lan Tingyu had made a promise before his death. With Lan Tingyu gone, she had wanted to fulfill that promise. She had even considered finding someone to enter the Blood Demon Cave Heaven to bring the people of Dingfeng City out. But without removing the blood-path restrictions, bringing them out would be tantamount to sending them to their deaths.
Yet removing the Blood Demon Divine Lord's blood-path restrictions was impossibly difficult, and she had been powerless to do anything about it.
She never expected that today, of all days, this wish would be fulfilled by Yang Kai.
Yang Kai knew they surely had much to talk about — after all, they hadn't seen each other in so many years, and Mo Mei would certainly want to question the Landlady about Lan Tingyu's affairs. So after bringing Mo Mei and the others here, he didn't linger. Leaving them behind, he returned alone to his own chamber.
Returning to Thousand Bird Star City from the Blood Demon Domain would take considerable time, and Yang Kai wasn't idle. His top priority was naturally to fully remove the blood-path restrictions on the people of Dingfeng City. Although he had sealed off Dingfeng City's spiritual continent to ensure the Heaven and Earth force wouldn't dissipate, he couldn't guarantee how long he could maintain it. If he didn't settle the people of Dingfeng City before that protection failed, they would be in mortal danger.
So over the next several days, Yang Kai remained within the Small Source World, continuously performing the blood-path secret technique.
The amount of blood he expended was enormous. Fortunately, his recovery ability was extraordinary, or he truly might not have been able to keep it up.
The people of Dingfeng City were numerous and were temporarily settled within the Small Source World. Once they reached a safe location, further arrangements could be made.
After four or five days had passed in a flash, Yang Kai, who was busy working within the Small Source World, suddenly sensed someone knocking at the door from the outside. He called out to the Dingfeng City warriors waiting in line, told them to wait a moment longer, then flickered back to his chamber.
He pushed open the door to find Mo Mei and the others standing outside.
"Master Yang!" Mo Mei dipped into a graceful curtsy, and Pang Duo and the others cupped their fists in greeting.
"City Lord Mo, Elders — please, come in, come in!" Yang Kai didn't know what had brought them to his door. He stepped aside and invited them in to talk.
After everyone had taken their seats and Yang Kai had served them tea, he asked, "Is there something I can help you with?"
Mo Mei said, "We've come to thank Master Yang. We were all born in the Blood Demon Cave Heaven, raised in the Blood Demon Cave Heaven. Our entire lives, we never once left that place. It is only by the grace of Master's great benevolence that we have been freed from the Blood Demon Cave Heaven's shackles and rid of the blood-path restrictions passed down from our ancestors. Now, at last, we have our freedom."
Yang Kai waved his hand dismissively. "City Lord Mo, you're too kind. For me, it was a small matter."
Without the jade slip he had obtained from Black Crow Divine Lord, bringing them out would have been virtually impossible. But with the secret technique recorded in that jade slip, this was truly no great burden for Yang Kai — just a bit of blood and some time.
Mo Mei said with a solemn expression, "It may be a small matter for Master Yang, but for everyone in Dingfeng City, it is the mercy of life itself. Such an immense kindness, we of Dingfeng City have no way to repay. And so… and so I have one more bold request to make of you."
"Please speak freely, City Lord Mo. If there is anything I can do, I will not refuse," Yang Kai said, looking at her.
Mo Mei said, "It's like this, Master Yang. I heard from Sister Lan that you have a spiritual continent called Void Land in this Three Thousand World — beautiful mountains and rivers, vast in area…" Her expression grew somewhat ashamed, and even Pang Duo and the others looked slightly embarrassed.
Yang Kai nodded. "That's correct."
"The Blood Demon Cave Heaven is destroyed, and we… we have nowhere to go. I was wondering if Master Yang might be willing to take us in at Void Land?" Mo Mei asked cautiously.
Pang Duo and the others straightened in their seats, hands placed on their knees, looking visibly anxious.
Yang Kai was briefly taken aback, then broke into delighted laughter. "City Lord Mo, you're far too polite! Who said anything about taking you in? If you're willing to join Void Land, it would be something I could only dream of."
He had previously felt that recruiting the people of Dingfeng City into Void Land shouldn't be too difficult — after all, they genuinely had nowhere else to go. But he hadn't yet figured out how to broach the subject with them. He hadn't expected Mo Mei to come to him of her own accord.
It suddenly dawned on him — the Landlady must have been pulling strings behind the scenes. She knew Void Land was severely short-handed, and Mo Mei and the others were all seeds of the Open Heaven realm. Having them join Void Land would benefit both parties — a true win-win situation.
Seeing how readily Yang Kai agreed, Mo Mei and the others all breathed a collective sigh of relief. Rising together, they called out in unison, "Greetings, Sect Master!"
Yang Kai raised his hands in a gesture for them to rise, smiling warmly. "No need for formalities, everyone. From now on, we're all family. We can discuss the specifics once we return to Void Land."