The last time Yang Kai had returned to the Star Boundary, he had taken six hundred thousand people with him. Afterward, he had left his Dharma Body behind in the Demon Realm. Being a Stone Demon's body, it was innately capable of refining all manner of impurities, making it an ideal candidate for practicing the Heaven Devouring Battle Law.
One could say that the Heaven Devouring Battle Law, created by Wu Kuang, was practically tailor-made for the Stone Demon race, and Yang Kai had long since passed this heaven-defying evil technique along to them.
He didn't know how exactly Wu Kuang had managed to counteract the various detrimental effects of cultivating the Heaven Devouring Battle Law. Yang Kai had attempted to practice it himself in the Divine Weapon World — his cultivation advanced at a terrifying speed, true enough, but the higher his realm climbed, the harder it became to control his own temperament. If not for the power of the Dragon Vein suppressing him, he would have long since fallen to madness.
After leaving the Divine Weapon World, he had never dared touch the Heaven Devouring Battle Law again, lest his mind be poisoned by its influence.
The Star Boundary and the Demon Realm — two great worlds nestled side by side — lived in a state of harmonious coexistence.
Looking out over the Demon Realm, not much had changed. But from the Star Boundary, Yang Kai could sense that vibrant, burgeoning vitality, and with a single glance he spotted an enormous crown of leaves atop a towering mountain, so vast it seemed to blot out the sky.
That was the spot where he had once planted a root tendril of the World Tree. Over the years, the tendril had grown considerably, already reaching several hundred zhang in height and taking on a recognizable form.
Yang Kai clicked his tongue in secret amazement. The World Tree he had glimpsed in the Land of No Elders within the Grand Ruins Heaven hadn't seemed this massive. He had no idea how it had grown so large.
While he was lost in thought, a familiar aura rapidly approached. Yang Kai turned to look and saw a streak of black light cleave through the void. In the blink of an eye it halted before him, the light dispersing to reveal the Dharma Body.
Their eyes met, and Yang Kai broke into a grin. "Long time no see!"
"You're back?" The Dharma Body smiled as well, its voice resonant and deep.
"Back!" Yang Kai drew a quiet breath. Having a conversation with his own clone was a truly bizarre sensation.
The Dharma Body scanned him up and down, raising an eyebrow slightly. "The things you've been through these past years have been quite the spectacle."
The Dharma Body had originally been formed when a wisp of Yang Kai's soul had taken residence in a dead Stone Demon's body. It could legitimately be called his clone — as long as they weren't too far apart, their thoughts could flow freely between them. So long as Yang Kai opened his mind, the Dharma Body could glimpse everything he had experienced over the years in an instant.
"The world beyond ours is fraught with danger everywhere. Without a solid foundation, all I could do was fight tooth and nail," Yang Kai replied with a smile.
"Pursuers behind you?" The Dharma Body raised its gaze toward the depths of the void.
Yang Kai nodded. "Not sure yet whether they've entered this domain. Stay vigilant." His expression turned serious. "When did the changes in the Star Boundary begin?"
The Dharma Body said, "See for yourself."
Yang Kai nodded and, without a moment's hesitation, probed the depths of the Dharma Body's Divine Sense. He quickly grasped everything. As the primary body, he could naturally perceive the full range of his clone's experiences.
Although the Dharma Body had remained stationed in the Demon Realm the entire time, the Demon Realm bordered the Star Boundary, so the changes on that side had naturally been under its watchful attention.
The changes in the Star Boundary had been virtually imperceptible at first. After Yang Kai had planted the World Tree's root tendril and confirmed that the two worlds had stabilized and were no longer in danger of destruction, he had departed with his six hundred thousand people.
The World Tree's survival and growth consumed an enormous amount of the Star Boundary's spiritual energy. In the years following Yang Kai's departure, the ambient spiritual energy in the Star Boundary had grown exceedingly thin. Cultivators advanced at a crawl, and for several years running, not a single one had managed to break through their bottleneck to reach the next major realm.
But after a few years, the World Tree began nourishing the Star Boundary in return. The spiritual energy of heaven and earth gradually thickened once more. Damaged laws were repaired and perfected, and the Heavenly Dao stabilized. Under these conditions, cultivation became not only simpler but breakthroughs came more easily than ever before.
As time went on, this effect grew ever more pronounced. When people finally noticed the transformation, the entire Star Boundary was thrown into an uproar.
The World Tree had become the Star Boundary's divine tree. Countless people traversed mountains and crossed rivers solely to visit World Mountain and gaze upon the World Tree's majesty, to worship it, to offer sacrifice to it.
In recent years in particular, cultivators of mediocre talent who had once been unable to advance were now breaking through to the Emperor Realm in droves. Those who had been stuck at the first level of the Emperor Realm were surging to the third, and some had even comprehended their own Grand Daos, crystallizing Dao Seals in the process.
The phenomenon was especially dramatic among newborns. In the past, when the great Sects took in disciples, selecting one suitable candidate out of a hundred — or even a thousand — was considered normal. After all, children truly suited for cultivation were few in number, and those lacking talent, even if admitted, consumed vast resources with little return.
Now, out of every ten newborns, half were suited for cultivation. One in a hundred was a genius. One in a thousand was an extraordinary prodigy!
Heihe had previously mentioned that the major Sects had been recruiting excellent prospects in large numbers. This was why.
All of it — every bit — was thanks to the World Tree's nourishment!
Yang Kai's expression shifted subtly at this. He channeled the full power of his vision and gazed toward the World Tree's location.
The World Tree's nourishment couldn't be without a source. When it had grown all those years ago, it had consumed a staggering amount of the Star Boundary's spiritual energy. Where, then, was the energy it was now pouring back coming from?
He hadn't looked closely before, but now, peering intently, he could make out certain traces — though they remained indistinct.
With a thought, his left eye opened and closed, and a golden vertical pupil materialized within it.
The Demon Eye of Annihilation!