Yang Kai was well aware of the situation and couldn't be bothered to care about it. He sat there contentedly, drinking by himself at his leisure.
Lu Jing, grateful for Yang Kai's protection back on the Sin Star, came over with the higher-ups of the Juyuan Alliance to offer a toast, but was soon whisked away by his elders.
The grand banquet eventually dispersed, and the guests from Yin-Yang Heaven gradually departed as well.
Before leaving, Lu Jing paid Yang Kai one final visit to inform him that the Sixth-Order Yang-Attribute resources he had previously promised would be delivered to Void Land.
Three days later, Yang Kai followed Qing Kui to the spirit peak where Lord Xu Ling resided.
In the great hall atop that spirit peak, Lord Xu Ling sat with an imposing, wide-legged posture, his sharp gaze fixed on Yang Kai below, carrying an unmistakable air of scrutiny.
After bowing, Yang Kai stood quietly in place, his expression utterly composed. He had no idea why Lord Xu Ling had summoned him, but Qu Huashang was, after all, his disciple. Now that Yang Kai had become Yin-Yang Heaven's son-in-law, the two of them did share a bond closer than that of ordinary acquaintances.
After a good while, Lord Xu Ling finally raised a hand and said, "Sit."
"Thank you, Senior." Yang Kai replied, then turned and walked to a chair nearby. He flicked his robes and settled into his seat.
"Your ability to claim the championship of the Dao Discussion Assembly—it genuinely surprised this Lord." Lord Xu Ling spoke. He truly had been surprised. He had never even considered that Yang Kai could win the top spot. In his view, any of those dozen-odd disciples from the various Paradises and Blessed Lands could have done it, but Yang Kai was the least likely candidate.
Though they were all newly promoted Sixth-Order cultivators, those born into Paradises and Blessed Lands carried a different kind of foundation compared to others. He had heard that Yang Kai had previously attempted to advance directly to the Seventh Order and had long since refined several types of Seventh-Order power.
Yet in truth, Yang Kai had taken first place with a score nearly double that of the runner-up. In terms of performance, only Huangquan Tianjun came close to matching him.
"As long as I haven't disappointed you, Senior." Yang Kai said with a slight bow.
Lord Xu Ling chuckled. "Disappointed? Hardly. For this Lord, it doesn't matter who wins the championship—as long as it isn't some Fifth-Order brat. My, Xu Ling's, disciple will not be humiliated by anyone!" His smile faded as his voice turned grave. "However, the fact that you killed Zhao Xing is still going to be trouble."
The mention of this gave Lord Xu Ling a bit of a headache. Earlier, he had withstood the pressure from Thousand Cranes Paradise to shield Yang Kai because he needed to preserve Yin-Yang Heaven's face and standing. The Dao Discussion Assembly was hosted by Yin-Yang Heaven, and he himself had declared that life and death would not be held accountable. Zhao Xing had been killed by Yang Kai, and if, the very moment the Assembly ended, the killer Yang Kai were to be settled with retroactively by Zuo Quanhui, where would that leave his dignity? Where would that leave Yin-Yang Heaven's dignity?
At that time, he hadn't yet known that Yang Kai would claim the championship.
His thinking then had been simply to protect Yang Kai in front of everyone to preserve Yin-Yang Heaven's face. As for whether Yang Kai could withstand Thousand Cranes Paradise's retaliation afterward—that would be up to his own luck.
Lord Xu Ling couldn't concern himself with that much.
But now things were different. Yang Kai had become Yin-Yang Heaven's son-in-law—the future husband of his own disciple. This matter, whether he wanted to or not, he had to take on. Otherwise, if Yang Kai really were killed by a powerhouse from Thousand Cranes Paradise, wouldn't Qu Huashang be left a widow?
"That was an accident," Yang Kai replied. He hadn't intended to kill Zhao Xing either—his strike had simply been a tiny bit too forceful…
Lord Xu Ling said, "Accident or not, the deed is done. You heard what Zuo Quanhui said when he left."
Yang Kai nodded slightly. "Void Land is not something just anyone can bully." He wondered to himself why Lord Xu Ling was bringing this up with him. Could it be that he thought the trouble was too great, and Yin-Yang Heaven didn't want to bear the responsibility?
If so, he could understand.
Lord Xu Ling snorted coldly. "You think they'll even let you return to Void Land? If all goes as expected, they're already waiting for you along the route you'd have to take back. The moment you show yourself, you won't be able to escape even with wings."
"Senior, you mean…"
Lord Xu Ling said, "Don't be in a hurry to return to Void Land. Stay here for a while. As for Thousand Cranes Paradise… this Lord will go negotiate with them and see if there's any room to maneuver." He glanced at Yang Kai and added, "Don't worry too much. A single Thousand Cranes Paradise—Yin-Yang Heaven can still hold its own against them. Zhao Xing was killed during the Dao Discussion Assembly, and this Lord himself declared that life and death would not be held accountable. If they're willing to let it go, fine. If they're not, I'll show them what true power means—and what despair feels like!"
Yang Kai was visibly moved. Lord Xu Ling's meaning was already crystal clear—he was taking on this trouble himself. In that moment, his opinion of the man improved greatly. He rose and bowed. "Many thanks, Senior!"
Lord Xu Ling nodded indifferently. "Additionally, take the next little while to adjust your condition properly. Yin-Yang Heaven may have an opportunity to offer you."
"An opportunity?" Yang Kai raised his eyebrows. He keenly noticed that both Su Yingxue and Qing Kui, who had been standing behind Lord Xu Ling all this time, showed expressions of astonishment—clearly, this opportunity was no small matter.
"Nothing is certain yet. We'll discuss it when the time comes." Lord Xu Ling offered no further details.
Yang Kai gave a soft nod, then suddenly remembered something. "Oh, one more thing, Senior. This Junior has one more unreasonable request."
Lord Xu Ling looked at him. "You're already Yin-Yang Heaven's son-in-law—practically half a member of Yin-Yang Heaven yourself. So long as the request isn't too excessive, this Lord can approve it on my own authority."
"I'd like to ask Senior for one person!" Yang Kai said.