"The Void Land is in quite a dire situation right now," Zhu Yan suddenly remarked with a sigh.
Yang Kai furrowed his brow. "It hasn't reached a life-or-death point yet."
Zhu Yan nodded. "That may be true, but having a High-Rank Open Heaven master targeting you is never a good thing."
Thinking Zhu Yan was worried about the Void Land's future, Yang Kai promptly reassured him, "No need to worry, Grand Elder. I have my own ways of handling this."
"I believe you," Zhu Yan agreed with a nod. "Back when the situation in the Star Boundary was that dire, you led us to carve out a path to survival. No matter how bad things are now, they can't be worse than the crisis we faced back then."
He suddenly shifted the topic. "Still, having more powerhouses on the Void Land's side can only be a good thing, wouldn't you agree?"
"What you say is true, Grand Elder, and we've already begun working on it with promising results." In another two months, Emperor Iron Blood should be able to attempt advancing to Sixth-Order Open Heaven. That was certainly encouraging news.
"The more powerhouses, the better!" Zhu Yan said with pride. "Especially among us Dragon Clan — once they grow up, every single one of them will rival a High-Rank Open Heaven master. When that day comes, what would a mere Zuo Quanhui matter?" His expression was full of Dragon Clan arrogance, but then he turned to Yang Kai with an earnest look. "But you know how slow the growth of the Sacred Spirit races is — the Dragon Clan is no different. Look at how many years have passed since we followed you from the Star Boundary to the Void Land, and only the Fifth Elder has made any progress. The rest of us are essentially stuck where we started. So you'll need to put in more effort here!"
A rather unpleasant feeling began to stir in Yang Kai's chest. He asked hesitantly, "What exactly would you have me do, Grand Elder?"
Zhu Yan cleared his throat with a fist to his lips. "After all, you're part of the Dragon Clan too. You can't play favorites — when there are benefits to be had, they should be shared equally, right? We men and the married women don't expect anything from you, but look over there — there are still a few young maidens of our clan who haven't yet taken husbands."
The corner of Yang Kai's eye twitched. Standing nearby, Fu Xuan's face had already turned crimson to the tips of her ears. She glanced around in panic and blurted out, "Little Qi is waiting for me — I'll go check on her!"
With that, she stamped her foot and shot into the sky.
Zhu Yan had been so blunt that everyone present understood perfectly well. Fu Xuan was far too embarrassed to stay any longer.
Yang Kai was caught between laughter and tears. "Grand Elder, you're pushing me straight into the fire! The number of pure-blooded Dragon Clan women has always been far fewer than men — every single one of them is a treasure beyond measure. If the men heard what you just said, they'd chop me into eighteen pieces!"
Zhu Yan replied solemnly, "Compared to the future of our Dragon Clan, what does personal sacrifice matter? If any of them dare speak up, I'll twist their heads off. And besides, I'm sure the young ladies would be quite willing."
"Absolutely not!" Yang Kai waved his hands frantically. Zhu Yan was essentially asking him to become the Dragon Clan's stud — he would never do such a thing. Even accounting for the few Dragon Clan women, there were still four or five of them.
"Absolutely yes!" Zhu Yan declared with the air of an absolute dictator. "Everything else can be discussed, but when it concerns the Dragon Clan's path forward and our future, you'll do as I say. Your wives are all in closed-door cultivation anyway, and you rarely get to see them. You're a young and vigorous man — the nights are long. Surely you must feel lonely?"
Yang Kai broke into a cold sweat. "You're the Grand Elder of the Dragon Clan — is it really okay to talk like this? If the clan members heard, where would your dignity be?"
Fu Zhun chimed in from the side with a smile, "If it could truly bring a few more Great Dragons to our clan, what would dignity matter?"
Yang Kai stared at her in shock. "Second Elder, how can you say such things too?" He turned to look at Zhu Kong. "Fourth Elder, won't you say something?"
Zhu Kong considered for a moment, then reached out and patted Yang Kai's shoulder with a long, drawn-out sigh. "You've worked hard!"
Yang Kai was left speechless!
He desperately looked to Bi Xi for help. Bi Xi, who had been enjoying the spectacle for quite a while, stroked his beard and said, "Plow diligently, and there will surely be a harvest."
Yang Kai's face turned black as the bottom of a pot, feeling as though he'd been stabbed in the back.
Seeing that Zhu Yan was about to continue, Yang Kai hastily raised his hand to stop him. "Grand Elder, the Dragon Clan's future cannot rest on my shoulders alone. But I promise you this — I will find the Dragon Altar as quickly as possible. If I can locate it, the Dragon Clan will no longer be trapped in this predicament, and the prospects will be boundless."
Zhu Yan blinked. "The Dragon Altar is the Dragon Altar — there's no telling when it will be found. Let's talk about your matter first."
Yang Kai had no desire to continue the conversation. He pretended to take out a transmission bead and glance at it, then raised his eyebrows. "Something's come up at the Star City — I need to go take a look."
He turned to Bi Xi. "Elder, I'll have to trouble you to keep an eye on Qing'er."
Bi Xi nodded. "Rest assured. If there are any changes, I'll notify you immediately."
Yang Kai thanked him, soared into the sky, and headed straight for the Star City.
Zhu Yan watched helplessly as he fled the scene. Fu Zhun frowned. "Perhaps we were a bit too hasty — we may have scared him off."
Zhu Yan chuckled. "A man's heart is always tangled up in flowers and willows — how could such a wonderful thing scare him? He's probably delighted inside, just too proud to say it outright."
Fu Zhun cast him a leisurely glance. "Flowers and willows?"