Inside the secret chamber,
A shifting luminescence flowed across the fruit's surface, making it look stunningly beautiful.
Without hesitation, Yang Kai took the World Fruit out and bit straight into it. The skin gave way, and a stream of fragrant juice flooded his mouth. His brows rose — he hadn't expected it to taste so pleasant.
In just a few bites he devoured the entire fruit, not even sparing the pit. Only then did he lick his lips with a look of lingering satisfaction. The next instant, his expression turned serious. He hurriedly steadied his breath, focused his mind, and activated his Small Universe.
The World Fruit's medicinal power dissolved within his stomach, transforming into an exquisitely pure stream of World Might that flowed through every limb and every bone. The force wasn't particularly overwhelming — still well within what Yang Kai could endure — but its virtue lay in its ceaseless, unending flow.
His Small Universe opened wide to receive the World Might. There was no need for any effort to refine it; the moment it poured in, it was completely assimilated, becoming part of the Small Universe's foundation, strengthening its roots without the slightest anomaly.
Yang Kai's heart trembled with astonishment. No wonder the World Fruit was so precious and nearly impossible to find — it could truly be called a heaven-defying divine medicine.
Normally, when a cultivator refined Open Heaven Pills or other cultivation resources, a refinement process was always required. But the World Might that surged from the World Fruit demanded no such trouble. The user simply had to open their Small Universe and let it in.
This alone made the World Fruit utterly unique.
Time passed. Yang Kai could clearly feel the foundation of his Small Universe steadily and rapidly growing, advancing step by step toward the Sixth Grade of Open Heaven.
Outside the secret chamber, in the cavern, the Landlady periodically ventured out while the Chef and the Accountant stayed behind to stand guard over Yang Kai, ensuring nothing would disturb his recovery.
The Landlady's excursions were aimed at finding a way out — a method of leaving and an exit. She had been doing this even before Yang Kai's arrival, but unfortunately, she had found no leads.
The Shadowless Heaven wasn't particularly large, nor was it small. Over the years, the three major powers had entrenched themselves here in a three-way standoff. Every suspicious location in the entire Shadowless Heaven had long since been thoroughly searched by them. If there truly was an exit, they would surely have found it.
The Landlady and her companions had been here for less than a year — how could that compare to the thousands or even tens of thousands of years of effort by the three great factions?
Another day passed. The Chef and the Accountant, who were keeping watch in the cavern, suddenly felt the restriction being triggered. Looking up, they saw the Landlady returning from outside, molten rock churning behind her as she used tremendous power to carve a channel, blasting directly in through the mouth of the volcano.
Glancing left and right, the Landlady looked toward the secret chamber where Yang Kai was sequestered and frowned. "Still hasn't come out?"
The Chef shook his head. "Nope. It's been nearly a month now. Looks like whatever injuries he sustained last time were pretty serious, or he wouldn't need this long to recover. Landlady, want me to go check on him?"
The Landlady shook her head. "No need. If he's truly at a critical stage of healing, disturbing him would do more harm than good."
The Accountant said with a worried expression, "Counting the days, the Shadowless Gale will be blowing again in just a few days. Our spot here can weaken its force somewhat, but it can't fully negate the effects of that strange wind. When it hits, Yang Kai is definitely going to be disrupted."
That was indeed a problem. Their chosen shelter could dampen the power of the Shadowless Gale, but it was far inferior to the strongholds of the three great factions. If it weren't for that advantage, the three of them would never have held out this long — they would have been stripped of their cultivation long ago by the repeated gales.
Even so, over the course of nearly a year, all three had suffered considerable losses to their Small Universes. The Landlady fared somewhat better — her cultivation ran deep enough to endure. But the Chef and the Accountant had only recently achieved the Fifth Grade of Open Heaven. Their foundations were still fragile, and after enduring one trial after another, their Small Universes were in constant turmoil.
After each Shadowless Gale, both of them had to refine massive quantities of resources just to recoup their losses.
The Landlady pondered for a moment. "We'll see when the time comes. For now, don't disturb him. On the other hand, we need to keep our guard up against Xuan Yang Mountain. I did a sweep around their territory while I was out this time. It seems like they're mustering troops and preparing their horses. Looks like they're getting ready to make a move against us."
The Chef started. "Then should we relocate?"
Xuan Yang Mountain had no shortage of manpower or strength. If a fight truly broke out, they would be no match. The only reason things had stayed peaceful up to now was the deterrent presence of the Landlady, a Sixth Grade Open Heaven cultivator.
Xuan Yang Mountain had figured that even if they could take down the three of them, the cost would be devastating — so they had held back, allowing them to hide here in peace.
However, after all this time, under the influence of the Shadowless Gale, the Landlady's strength had undoubtedly declined. The Chef and the Accountant, though both Fifth Grade, couldn't tip the balance in any decisive way.
To make matters worse, Yang Kai had recently charged over to Xuan Yang Mountain and stirred up quite a scene, which had probably pushed them past the point of patience. It wouldn't be strange at all if they decided to strike.