The void was silent and empty. The tower ship drifted onward without a sound, and every person aboard was busy consolidating the gains they had made inside the Blood Demon Cave Heaven. Although Yang Kai had lost five or six of the people he had brought along, every survivor who walked out of the Blood Demon Cave Heaven alive had undergone tremendous growth. This experience would surely prove invaluable to their futures.
Inside his cabin, Yang Kai had retreated into the Small Universe to help the cultivators of Dingfeng City dismantle the blood-path restrictions in their bodies.
Time flowed on. It took a full month before Yang Kai finally finished the job. While removing the blood-path restrictions, he had come face to face with every single one of them and exchanged a few casual words.
He discovered that Dingfeng City actually had some promising talents. Besides Pang Duo and the other Elders, more than a dozen had condensed Fifth-Order Open Heaven power. One example was Deacon Fan Wuxin, who had previously captured him and Qu Huashang and brought them back to Dingfeng City.
Their accumulation at the Emperor Heavenly Realm might not be as long or as deep as Pang Duo and the others, but they had more than enough qualifications to advance to the Open Heaven realm.
Beyond that, Fourth-Order and Third-Order cultivators were a dime a dozen.
This delighted Yang Kai to no end. His heart swelled with satisfaction. If he brought all of these people back to the Void Domain, it was only a matter of time before they advanced. He could already imagine that in a very short period, the Void Domain's strength would experience an explosive surge!
However, this meant the number of Heavenly Origin True Seal Pills he needed would be staggering.
He had originally intended to use the time to comprehend his Wood-attribute divine ability, but there was no room for that now. Refining Heavenly Origin True Seal Pills as quickly as possible took absolute priority.
Before departing for the Blood Demon Cave Heaven, Yang Kai had already refined a batch of Heavenly Origin True Seal Pills, but the quantity was far from sufficient. It would not be nearly enough for all the Dingfeng City cultivators.
He estimated that at least five hundred pills would be needed to barely cover the first wave of advancements.
Perhaps for some major powers, spending a single Heavenly Origin True Seal Pill to guarantee the successful advancement of a Third- or Fourth-Order Open Heaven cultivator would be considered a losing deal. After all, the recipe for this pill had long been lost to the world, and anyone who obtained it would treasure it as a priceless artifact, reserving it for their most promising Disciple.
But Yang Kai could refine this pill himself. He held a massive supply of Heaven and Earth Source Liquid in his possession, so he harbored no such concerns. What he needed to consider now was how to strengthen the Void Domain's power in the shortest time possible, giving the Void Domain the means to protect itself among the Three Thousand Worlds.
Sequestered in his cabin, he refilled and refined pill after pill with single-minded devotion. Each completed batch of Heavenly Origin True Seal Pills that emerged meant another Open Heaven realm cultivator who would soon be born for the Void Domain.
He had no idea how long he had been at it. Only when his auxiliary herbs were completely exhausted did he reluctantly call it quits. He checked the final count of Heavenly Origin True Seal Pills — four hundred and thirty-five. It fell slightly short of the five hundred he had targeted, but it should suffice. Not every cultivator needed this pill to advance. Those who were confident in their own breakthrough naturally had no need to waste one.
However, for people like Mo Mei and Pang Duo, no matter how confident they were, Yang Kai insisted they take the pill to add an extra layer of assurance.
He deactivated the cabin's restriction array and stepped out onto the deck. Glancing at the void around him, he suddenly realized something was off. The return trip from the Blood Demon Cave Heaven to the Thousand Bird Domain should not take this long. Removing the blood-path restrictions for the Dingfeng City cultivators had taken a month, and refining pills had consumed another month or more. Two to three months had passed in total — by all rights, they should have already arrived at the Thousand Bird Domain.
A knot of doubt forming in his mind, he produced the Universe Chart to check his current position and was stunned by what he saw.
"Young Master!" Yue He must have sensed that he had emerged from seclusion, for she hurried out of her room.
Yang Kai gave a slight nod and asked, "How did we end up in the Void Domain?"
By comparing the Universe Chart, Yang Kai easily determined that they were now in the Void Domain, not the Thousand Bird Domain.
Yue He explained, "Sister said she would escort us back to the Void Domain first, and then they would make their way back to the Thousand Bird Domain and the First Inn."
Yang Kai understood. The Madam had been worried about him encountering danger on the road, so she had chosen to escort them the entire way. A warm feeling settled in his chest. He turned and headed toward the top-floor cabin. "I should go pay my respects to the Madam."
He had been in seclusion for two or three months. Now that he was out, it was only proper to greet the Madam. After exchanging a few pleasantries, Yang Kai produced a bottle of Heavenly Origin True Seal Pills. "Madam, after we return, the Chef and the Accountant should be ready to advance to the Open Heaven realm, right? These Heavenly Origin True Seal Pills should be useful to them."
He had obtained the recipe for the Heavenly Origin True Seal Pills at the Thousand Bird Star Market's auction, and the Madam had long known from Old Bai that Yang Kai possessed Heaven and Earth Source Liquid. As such, she was not particularly surprised to see him produce the pills now.
There was no need for polite refusal. The pills would indeed be of great help to the Chef and the Accountant. She accepted them without hesitation. "I won't stand on ceremony with you then. Once the Chef and the Accountant have advanced to the Open Heaven realm, I'll have them thank you in person."
Yang Kai waved a hand. "There's no need for thanks. We're not strangers. I just want them to advance smoothly."
The Madam nodded gently, then asked, "What are your plans after we return?"