"Senior Sister Zhu, apologies for the offense. Farewell!" Ti Zheng cupped his fists slightly toward Zhu Jiuyin and withdrew.
Though they had fought tooth and nail, it was merely because they stood on opposing sides. There was no deep-seated enmity between them, and now that matters had been resolved, there was no need to keep staring each other down. Zhu Jiuyin was a Sacred Spirit, after all — she deserved at least that much respect.
The four Open Heaven cultivators transformed into streaks of light and swiftly vanished from Zhu Jiuyin's sight.
They had suffered considerable losses in this battle. Setting aside their own injuries, the subordinates they had brought along — over twenty Mid-Grade Open Heaven cultivators — had been ambushed by the Dark Crow Divine Lord. Only five or six survived; the rest were either killed or captured.
Such losses stung even for the Cave Heavens and Paradises. Fifth-Grade and Sixth-Grade Open Heaven cultivators were not easy to produce — they required time and resources to slowly cultivate.
Yue He and Lao Bai were still searching for the entrance to the Shadowless Cave Heaven, striking it repeatedly to test for weaknesses, but to no avail. Ti Zheng and his people must have possessed the method to open it — otherwise, they couldn't have lured the Madam inside at the right moment. But even if Yue He asked, it would be futile. Ti Zheng would never be generous enough to tell her.
After watching for a while, Zhu Jiuyin sighed. "Stop wasting your effort. This entrance is extraordinarily well hidden — even I can sense no trace of it. You'd only be spinning your wheels."
"Even you can't sense it?" Lao Bai froze.
If even Zhu Jiuyin couldn't detect it, then he and Yue He stood even less of a chance. He let out a heavy sigh, gazing wistfully at the spot where Yang Kai had vanished.
To save the Madam, he had rushed to Void Land to deliver the news. And what had come of it? Yang Kai had been forced to advance to Fifth-Grade Open Heaven, ruining his bright prospects, and now he had entered the Shadowless Cave Heaven alone, his fate entirely uncertain!
Guilt weighed heavily on him.
Yue He slowly lowered her hands, her eyes filled with anxiety and worry.
Qu Huashang walked over and comforted her. "Junior Brother is extraordinarily capable — he can do what others cannot, and he always manages to pull off miracles at the most improbable of times. If he chose to go in alone, he must have his own reasons and plans."
Yue He knew this full well. Just as Ti Zheng had said, for as long as anyone could remember, the Shadowless Cave Heaven allowed entry but never exit. No one knew what conditions truly lay inside. Yang Kai was clearly worried that if everyone went in together and they truly couldn't get out, it would be a catastrophe. That was why he had gone alone.
If even he couldn't find a way out, it wouldn't matter how many others followed.
"Let's go!" Zhu Jiuyin called out. Though she regretted that Yang Kai had been forced to advance to Fifth-Grade here and had ventured deep into the Shadowless Cave Heaven — uncertain whether they would ever meet again — she felt considerably lighter now that the Primordial Oath had been broken. The only difficulty was how she would explain all this to Shan Qingluo once she returned. What if that headstrong girl rushed over here regardless of the consequences?
She did care deeply for this junior who shared the same origin as herself.
"You all go ahead. I'll wait here for the Young Master to come out," Yue He said softly. If she couldn't accompany Yang Kai inside, then at the very least, she would stand guard here until his return.
If he didn't return in a year, she would wait a year. If ten years, she would wait ten.
"What's the point?" Zhu Jiuyin countered. "Before he left, he asked you to return to Void Land and look after his Sect. What good does staying here do? Void Land has only just begun to show signs of rising, yet it lacks strong cultivators to hold the fort. Mo Mei has to handle the Star Market affairs — if you don't go back to Void Land, who can he rely on? If you truly care about that boy, then go back and help him tend to Void Land properly. When the day comes that he returns, handing him a thriving and prosperous Void Land — wouldn't that be better?"
Yue He was silent for a long moment before replying softly, "The senior is right!"
"Let's go!" Seeing that she was willing to heed her words, Zhu Jiuyin nodded with satisfaction.
Moments later, the four of them headed back the way they came. Once they exited Broken Sky, Qu Huashang took her leave. Though she had acted in a personal capacity by following Yang Kai this time, she had still caused trouble and would need to return to the Yin-Yang Cave Heaven to account for her actions. She likely wouldn't be able to leave again for a good while — she might even be locked in confinement for years.
...
Deep within Broken Sky, a figure hurtled through the air, racing toward the Domain Gate. The person's face was deathly pale, coughing intermittently with blood seeping from the corners of his mouth, his aura wildly unstable. It was none other than Ti Zheng, who had departed earlier.
The four High-Grade Open Heaven cultivators had joined forces against Zhu Jiuyin in a brutal clash, and the result was mutual devastation. Zhu Jiuyin had not come away unscathed, and the four of them were in considerable pain as well.
Ti Zheng, in particular, had borne the brunt. Zhu Jiuyin was irritated by his earlier insolence, and during the fight she had directed most of her power at him, several times bringing him to the very brink of death.
Bitterly, he smiled to himself. An adult Sacred Spirit was truly not so easy to deal with. He was a Seventh-Grade Open Heaven cultivator, yet he estimated that in a one-on-one fight, he wouldn't last an hour before Zhu Jiuyin cut him down.
In all his years, he had never sustained such severe injuries. The surface wounds were nothing serious — a few days of rest would see them healed. What was truly concerning was the Small World within his body. The fierce battle had thrown it into violent turmoil, leaving the World Force inside in complete disarray.
He urgently needed to find somewhere to carefully restore his Small World and set the chaotic forces right, or the consequences would be dire.
His current condition was remarkably similar to what Lao Bai had experienced earlier. Lao Bai had taken a Star Luo Heaven and Earth Pill to pull through. If Ti Zheng had one now, it would greatly alleviate his situation.