It seemed that this woman's submission to Yun Feibai, becoming his plaything, had not been voluntary at all — she had been forced into it by circumstances beyond her control.
Unfortunately, her strength was too weak to resist. Yang Kai's assault on Xuanyang Mountain and his injury of Yun Feibai had given her a sliver of hope, which was why she had come seeking him out, providing him with this intelligence.
He stored the jade slip away and flickered off into the distance.
His injuries had yet to heal, and he wasn't entirely certain whether the woman's words were truthful. If she had lured a pack of pursuers his way, that would be trouble — better to relocate first.
Shortly after, Yang Kai found himself in another desolate mountain range, hiding inside a cave in the ground, quietly recuperating.
The wound at his neck looked horrifying, but once he dispersed the residual power left behind by Yun Feibai, it was nothing more than a flesh wound — not particularly difficult to recover from. With Yang Kai's formidable physical constitution, three to five days would be more than enough to fully heal.
Several days later, Yang Kai took out the jade slip once more, checked his current position, and compared it against the map information stored within. His figure transformed into a streak of light as he shot off in a specific direction.
After more than half a day's travel, he came to a halt atop an enormous volcanic crater and peered downward. The crater plunged into a seemingly bottomless abyss, with fierce, glowing-red magma churning and surging below — a terrifying sight. Thick black smoke billowed continuously from the crater's rim. Within a thousand li, there were countless such volcanoes, and from time to time, magma erupted and flowed outward like rivers of fire.
The environment here was even more hostile than other areas. According to the jade slip the woman had given him, the Proprietress had brought the Chef and the Accountant to hide in this very place.
In the entire Shadowless Cave Heaven, there were few places capable of withstanding the Shadowless Gale. Beyond the headquarters of the three great factions, this volcanic crater was one such refuge — though its effectiveness was limited. While it could mitigate the Shadowless Gale's influence to some extent, it was far inferior to the protection offered by the headquarters of the three great powers.
Yang Kai rubbed his nose, a faint sting of guilt rising within him. The Proprietress was a Sixth-Grade Open Heaven cultivator — a person of exalted status and delicate constitution. She had entered this Shadowless Cave Heaven in order to find cultivation resources for him, and now she had been driven into hiding in such a wretched place. A wave of self-reproach washed through his heart.
Back then, he had been so single-mindedly determined to achieve Upper-Grade Open Heaven that he had refused to heed anyone's warnings. Had that been too reckless?
He drew a deep breath, and the pungent, acrid air flooded into his lungs like needles pricking inward. Standing at the crater's edge, peering down into the depths, Yang Kai called out: "Anyone home?"
Deep below, where the magma churned, a passage carved into the rock had been fortified with restrictions, creating a pocket of livable space.
The rotund Chef suddenly opened his eyes, cocked his head, and listened for a moment before nudging the Accountant beside him with his elbow. "Did you hear something?" he whispered.
The Accountant cracked open a pair of dead-fish eyes and cast a sidelong glance. "Hear what?"
The Chef scratched his head. "I could've sworn I heard Yang Kai's voice."
The Accountant's eyes darted toward the Proprietress, his dead-fish eyes going even paler as he glared at the Chef. "Don't talk nonsense. That kid's only at the Emperor Realm — there's no way he could get into a place like the Shadowless Cave Heaven. You must have heard wrong."
The Chef nodded. "Fair point… wait, no, listen…"
The Accountant's expression turned peculiar as well. Now that the Chef had pointed it out, he too could hear a familiar shout — faint and muffled by the roar of surging magma, easy to miss if no one had drawn his attention.
Not far away, the Proprietress had also opened her eyes, suspicion and bewilderment swimming in her beautiful gaze.
A moment later, a sharp killing intent flickered through those eyes, and she cursed through gritted teeth: "That brat!"
She rose to her feet, her skirts billowing as she flickered out of the passage.
The Chef and the Accountant exchanged a glance and hurried after her.
Atop the volcanic crater, Yang Kai had called out several times with no response and was beginning to wonder whether the woman had deceived him — perhaps the Proprietress and the others weren't hiding here at all.
But why would she risk her life to play such a trick? How could she be certain he wouldn't kill her? What if he decided to silence her on the spot?
Just as he was about to descend and investigate more carefully, his expression shifted. He raised an eyebrow and fixed his gaze on the magma below.
A moment later, the magma seemed to be stirred by an invisible force, spinning rapidly until it formed a colossal whirlpool. At the very center of that vortex, a figure gracefully soared upward — clad in a pristine white gown that stood out dramatically, even in this nightmarish environment. The pure white was like a lotus blooming atop a snow-capped mountain, untainted and immaculate.
Before she even arrived, a familiar presence swept toward him.
Yang Kai broke into a wide, dopey grin and called out with unrestrained joy: "Proprietress!"
Even as he spoke, he was already rushing forward, throwing open his arms and sweeping her into a firm embrace.
The Proprietress's face had been cold enough to drip frost, and before she could utter a single word, she was suddenly caught in this unexpected hug — going rigid on the spot.
The Chef and the Accountant, who had burst out of the magma vortex right behind her, looked up and froze in utter disbelief.
The Chef's jaw dropped wide enough to stuff a fish in. He stared for a good long while before nudging the Accountant. "Am I seeing things? Did someone just… hug our Proprietress?"
The Accountant was equally stunned, but he snapped back to fury in an instant. He brandished his abacus, the beads clattering furiously as he charged forward, murderous intent radiating from every pore. "Someone's taking advantage of our Proprietress! Let's kill him together!"
The Chef grabbed him. "Easy, easy! The Proprietress isn't someone whose favors can be taken so casually. If she really wanted to deal with him, it wouldn't be our turn."
The Accountant cast him a sidelong look, fell silent for a moment, then nodded. "You make a good point."