"There's no need to worry about matters in the lower realm. Zuo Quanhui was wounded by my Divine Ability this time, and recovering won't be easy for him. At best, it'll take three to five months; at worst, a year or two. But once he recovers, he'll definitely come back for us! Against a Seventh-Order Open Heaven cultivator who is dead set on revenge, our Void Land still lacks the decisive power to match him!" From the seat of honor at the top of the hall, Yang Kai gently rubbed his forehead.
Void Land had two Grand Holy Spirits stationed to guard it, which certainly kept both the main headquarters and the Star Exchange secure. But with so many people in Void Land, they couldn't simply hide indoors forever.
Bixi's true form was far too massive — more than adequate for defense, but lacking in offensive capability. In the current situation, it couldn't be of much use. As for Zhu Jiuyin, her anger hadn't subsided yet, so she was even less of a reliable option.
If Void Land had a Seventh-Order Open Heaven cultivator, the situation would improve dramatically.
The Proprietress was currently in seclusion attempting to advance to the Seventh Order, but such things were impossible to predict. It could take three to five years, or it could take dozens or even hundreds of years — too many variables.
Yang Kai lowered his gaze toward Mao Zhe. "Great Mountain Master, if I provided you with sufficient resources, would you have confidence in advancing to the Seventh Order in a short time?"
Among all the Sixth-Order Open Heaven cultivators present, while the numbers weren't small, in terms of depth of cultivation and breadth of foundation, none surpassed Mao Zhe. He was also the person closest to the Seventh Order aside from the Proprietress.
Upon hearing this, Mao Zhe's expression turned troubled, and he slowly shook his head. "My Lord, the difference between the Sixth and Seventh Orders is the difference between the Middle and Upper Grades. This isn't simply a matter of having more or fewer resources. Since following you, I've never lacked cultivation resources, but when it comes to advancing to the Seventh Order, I still feel like something is missing. Even if I went into seclusion and cultivated with all my might right now, it wouldn't make much difference."
Yang Kai nodded. If this was Mao Zhe's situation, the others would be even further from the Seventh Order.
"If we don't have a comparable force to keep Zuo Quanhui in check, our struggle against him will always be a passive one." Yang Kai spoke slowly, his gaze sweeping over those below. "Does anyone have a good solution?"
The assembled cultivators exchanged glances and fell into deep thought.
Gray Bones suggested, "Perhaps we could seek aid from Yin Yang Heaven?"
Yang Kai shook his head. "Zuo Quanhui's faction defected from Thousand Crane Blessed Land in order to avenge Zhao Xing. Although their approach was somewhat transparent — anyone with eyes can see what really happened — this was already the result of pressure from Yin Yang Heaven. If Yin Yang Heaven hadn't intervened, it wouldn't have been just Zuo Quanhui's faction coming after our Void Land. There would have been even more Seventh-Order cultivators!"
Though both Zhao Xing and Zhou Ti were Sixth-Order, their statuses within Thousand Crane Blessed Land were undoubtedly very different. Zhao Xing had advanced directly to the Sixth Order and had the potential to reach the Eighth Order — his importance far exceeded Zhou Ti's.
Core Disciples like Zhao Xing were treasures within every Cave Heaven Blessed Land, not to be lost under any circumstances. Otherwise, the entire Sect would pour its full strength into seeking revenge.
The fact that Thousand Crane Blessed Land hadn't made a massive fuss was entirely due to Yin Yang Heaven's involvement and Elder Xu Ling's mediation.
Setting aside the fact that asking Yin Yang Heaven for help would certainly be useless, Yang Kai didn't want to do it. He was indeed Yin Yang Heaven's son-in-law now, but Void Land was Void Land, and Yin Yang Heaven was Yin Yang Heaven. If they relied on Yin Yang Heaven's power to resolve this crisis, Void Land might end up becoming someone else's subordinate Sect.
That was not something he wished to see.
The great hall fell into a momentary silence. Yin Yang Heaven was off the table, and Void Land itself lacked the power to match Zuo Quanhui's Seventh-Order cultivation. The situation looked increasingly passive no matter how one examined it.
"Sect Master, perhaps we could leverage our numerical advantage." Bian Yuqing looked thoughtful.
Yang Kai turned his gaze toward her. "Explain."
The others also looked her way. In the presence of so many Fifth and Sixth-Order Open Heaven cultivators staring at her, any ordinary Emperor Realm cultivator would have been paralyzed with fear, stammering incoherently. But Bian Yuqing had been Void Land's Second Steward for years, managing all manner of affairs both great and small. She showed no signs of stage fright.
"My strength is lowly, and I don't truly understand what the Open Heaven realm is really like. If any of my humble opinions are inappropriate, I ask the Sect Master not to laugh."
Yang Kai raised a hand. "Speak freely. The very fact that you're an Emperor Realm cultivator means your perspective and angle of approach might differ from ours. You might just find a way forward."
Bian Yuqing said, "Zuo Quanhui is a Seventh-Order Open Heaven cultivator, and we in Void Land truly have no one who can match him one-on-one. But in the Fifth and Sixth-Order tiers, Void Land holds an overwhelming advantage. Since we don't have a Seventh-Order cultivator, and won't have one any time soon, couldn't we consider using Sixth-Order Open Heaven cultivators to besiege Zuo Quanhui? If three aren't enough, use five. If five aren't enough, use ten. If ten aren't enough, use twenty. Twenty Sixth-Order cultivators should surely be enough to defeat Zuo Quanhui, right?"
Gray Bones chuckled. "Twenty would certainly be sufficient. Even ants can bring down an elephant if there are enough of them, let alone Sixth-Order Open Heaven cultivators. Under normal circumstances, a single Seventh-Order can hold their own against ten Sixth-Orders joining forces. But if you added the Master into the mix to pin him down, Zuo Quanhui would definitely be outmatched. Hmm, you might not even need ten."
Yang Kai's strength was there for all to see — far beyond that of an ordinary Sixth-Order. In a solo fight he was no match for Zuo Quanhui, but just a few days ago, with the assistance of Geng Qing and Mao Zhe, he had fought Zuo Quanhui to a standstill. Though he was consistently at a disadvantage, he hadn't been cut down in a short time, and in the end, while Zuo Quanhui was momentarily distracted, Yang Kai had struck him with the Solar Lunar Divine Wheel.