Ever since he had inadvertently fallen into the Shadowless Grotto-Heaven all those years ago, Mao Zhe had settled on Xuan Yang Mountain. It had been close to ten thousand years now. Xuan Yang Mountain was not vast in scope—only a dozen or so peaks—but after all this time, he had developed it into the single largest force within the Shadowless Grotto-Heaven. His subordinates were numerous and powerful, and Xuan Yang Mountain itself was his very foundation in this place!
Losing a few warriors here and there was no great matter. It would merely diminish his overall strength. But Xuan Yang Mountain being destroyed—that severed his roots entirely, leaving him with nowhere to shelter in this hostile environment!
And the chief culprit behind all of it was that young man named Yang Kai.
Naturally, meeting him now made his eyes burn red with hatred.
Mao Zhe's gaze blazed with killing intent as he stared viciously at Yang Kai's approaching figure, looking as though he wished he could swallow him whole.
Geng Qing and Zhou Ya were on high alert as well, hastily channeling their own World Great Power and assuming defensive stances.
They had experienced Yang Kai's terror firsthand. Before the battle, they had all believed that their eldest brother Mao Zhe was nearly at the peak of the Sixth Grade Open Heaven realm—apart from a Seventh Grade, no one could possibly be his match.
But the battle at Xuan Yang Mountain had shown them what it meant for there to always be someone beyond the heavens, someone above everyone else.
They could hardly imagine that such a terrifying Sixth Grade Open Heaven cultivator existed. In that fight, the two of them had barely contributed anything before being knocked unconscious. By the time they woke, they had already left Xuan Yang Mountain, and from their brother's lips they heard the devastating news: Xuan Yang Mountain had been completely destroyed, utterly uninhabitable.
After that, under Mao Zhe's lead, they had gone to seek refuge with the Peerless Society.
It had been a choice born of desperation. Within the Shadowless Grotto-Heaven, only the headquarters of the three great factions were truly safe from the Shadowless Gales. If one wished to survive here, one had to join one of those factions.
With Xuan Yang Mountain gone and Twin Islands out of the question, the Peerless Society was the only option left.
Yet the three leaders of the Peerless Society had shown no intention of accepting them. Their words were riddled with barbs and dismissals. The three of them had left in a fury.
With nowhere else to turn, they could only fight with their backs to the wall and search for the possible exit from the Shadowless Grotto-Heaven!
As Mao Zhe had said, rather than slowly being worn down to death by the Shadowless Gales here, it was better to risk everything—at least then there might still be a sliver of hope.
But now they had already come all the way here, and Yang Kai was still in hot pursuit! The three of them were filled with equal parts fury and humiliation.
"What a coincidence—fate brings us together again," Yang Kai said as he arrived a hundred zhang before the three, stopping with a grin on his face.
Mao Zhe's expression was dark. "So you've come to hunt us down to the last? If that's the case, then come and fight. I may not be your match, but I'm not so easy to kill."
Yang Kai tilted his head to look at him. "Does the First Mountain Lord think I'm here to hunt you down?"
Mao Zhe snorted coldly. "Isn't that what you're doing?"
Yang Kai slowly shook his head. "Of course not. That Yun Feibai offended our Landlady and bullied her, so I killed him—he brought it on himself. Destroying Xuan Yang Mountain was done in the heat of the moment as well. As far as I'm concerned, the moment Xuan Yang Mountain was destroyed, our score was settled. Of course, if any of you want revenge, I'm happy to oblige—I just don't know if you have the ability."
Mao Zhe's expression remained grim and he said nothing, clearly not much inclined to believe his words.
Zhou Ya spoke up: "If you're not here to hunt us down, then what are you doing here? Don't tell me you came for the scenery."
Yang Kai smiled faintly. "Whatever brought you three here, it brought me here as well. Our goals should be the same."
Geng Qing started. "You're looking for a way out of the Shadowless Grotto-Heaven too?"
Yang Kai said: "Island Master Hua told me that the First Mountain Lord once theorized that the origin of the Shadowless Gales is likely the passage connecting the Shadowless Grotto-Heaven to the outside world. Traveling upwind, one might find the exit." As he spoke, he glanced toward Mao Zhe.
Mao Zhe snorted. "That's correct—this theory was indeed proposed by this Lord. But as to whether it holds true, no one can verify it."
"Find the source of the Gales, and you'll have your answer!" Yang Kai looked at the three with a smile. "Care to join forces?"
Mao Zhe's expression turned strange. "You want to cooperate with us?"
"Why not?" Yang Kai raised an eyebrow. "When you think about it, we don't really have any deep enmity—unless you want to avenge Yun Feibai."
"Let's set aside my second brother's grudge for now. You destroyed Xuan Yang Mountain and left us with no place to live in this Shadowless Grotto-Heaven. That is an irreconcilable hatred. And you want to cooperate with us? On what grounds?" Mao Zhe sneered.
Yang Kai shrugged. "If the First Mountain Lord puts it that way, then I won't insist. It's just… I hope the First Mountain Lord won't come begging me when the time comes."
As he spoke, he gave Mao Zhe a look laden with meaning.
Mao Zhe let out a cold laugh. "What a joke. When would I ever need to come begging you?"
Yang Kai nodded repeatedly. "The First Mountain Lord must absolutely maintain that spirit. Do be careful not to let anyone look down on you. Farewell for now—we shall meet again!"
With that, he took a single step forward and his figure suddenly dissolved. By the time Mao Zhe and the others regained their senses, he was already far behind them.
Geng Qing's expression turned solemn. "Spatial Divine Ability—truly mysterious!" He hadn't even seen how Yang Kai had vanished. After all, he too was a Sixth Grade cultivator. If Yang Kai were to use his Spatial Divine Ability to launch a sneak attack on him, he might genuinely be unable to defend against it.