When he first heard that the Heaven and Earth Spring had fallen into the hands of a Sixth-Order Open Heaven cultivator, Divine Lord Shengyang had been practically ecstatic. A Sixth-Order Open Heaven — what was that to someone of his caliber? He had assumed that taking personal action would be more than sufficient to seize it. Little did he expect Yang Kai to give him such a pleasant surprise.
A Sixth-Order Open Heaven's strength was indeed nothing before him, but unfortunately, the man had mastered the Space Laws and was extraordinarily skilled at fleeing. Try as he might, Shengyang simply could not catch up.
Things only got worse when Yang Kai fled into the Sea of Divine Abilities, leaving Shengyang in an agonizingly awkward position — forced to pursue and ending up battered and bedraggled the whole way.
Had Yang Kai not needed his power to escape the Sea of Divine Abilities, Shengyang suspected he would have simply been abandoned in that shattered space.
If that had happened, even an Eighth-Order Open Heaven like himself would likely have been trapped forever with no chance of escape. He had experienced firsthand just how treacherous that shattered space truly was.
So when Shengyang said he admired Yang Kai, it was not entirely empty flattery — there was genuine respect behind it.
After spending some days in the Ancestral Ground and learning that Yang Kai had deep ties to the Dragon Clan, and that he was now personally escorted by a Phoenix Clan powerhouse, Shengyang knew he could forget about the Heaven and Earth Spring. He simply did not have the nerve to make an enemy of the Phoenix Clan of the Ancestral Ground.
The Phoenix Clan — a force even more formidable than the Kun Clan.
Still, after everything that had transpired, if he could find some way to cooperate with Yang Kai in other areas, it might go some way toward compensating for his losses.
That was why Shengyang had been so warm and enthusiastic after opening the doors to his cave abode.
After a few rounds of wine, he returned to his old topic: "Brother, in this Broken Heaven, I have connections and channels. You have the ability. If the two of us were to join forces, there would be nothing we could not accomplish. Have you given any more thought to it?"
Yang Kai held his wine cup and regarded Shengyang with an amused smile. "What you're referring to, Divine Lord — is that still about the Blessed Lands and Paradises?"
"Of course!" Shengyang nodded. In the Broken Heaven, only the prospect of uncovering ancient treasures left by predecessors could genuinely interest an Eighth-Order Open Heaven cultivator. Who knew what treasures might be found?
Yang Kai was about to decline when he suddenly remembered Xia Linlang. After her Pear Blossom Paradise had been destroyed, she had effectively become homeless. Its destruction was at least partly his doing, and she was unwilling to leave the Broken Heaven. Once he departed, where would she go?
After a brief pause, Yang Kai said, "You mentioned before, Divine Lord, that you had identified five or six locations where a Blessed Land or Paradise might exist?"
Shengyang's eyes brightened the moment he sensed Yang Kai's interest. "More than that. Those five or six are merely the ones with the highest probability. If you count the less likely ones as well, there could be over a dozen. But despite my Eighth-Order cultivation, I cannot find a way in, nor can I confirm whether any of those locations even have an entrance. If Brother were to lend a hand, however, things would be entirely different."
His own cave abode's entrance had been found by Yang Kai with embarrassing ease. If Shengyang hadn't revealed himself in time, it would likely have been forced open. And that was an entrance he had spent years fortifying. The Blessed Lands and Paradises scattered throughout the Broken Heaven were unclaimed and even less capable of resisting the power of the Space Laws.
Yang Kai took a small sip of wine, wearing an expression of deep deliberation.
Shengyang pressed his advantage: "Rest assured, Brother — I would never ask you to work for nothing. Venerable Honghu is here as well; we can ask her to serve as witness."
Yang Kai looked up at him. "You mean…?"
"In every Blessed Land or Paradise that remains undiscovered, there must be a full inheritance of the original owner's wealth. If Brother can help me locate the positions and open the entrances, I am willing to split the spoils — seventy-thirty!"
Yang Kai gazed at him with a smile. "Seventy for me, thirty for you?"
Shengyang adopted a solemn expression. "You jest, Brother. Excavating those Blessed Lands and Paradises requires enormous time and effort, not to mention unpredictable risks. Naturally, I should take the larger share. After all, all you need to do is open the door — you won't have to worry about anything after that. You can simply sit back and collect your share."
Yang Kai shook his head. "Thirty percent is too little. I might as well go back home, gather a team, and do it myself. That way, whatever we uncover would be mine entirely."
Shengyang chuckled. "I don't deny your ability — that's precisely why I came to you. But even with your mastery of the Space Laws, without any leads, how many Blessed Lands or Paradises could you find no matter how long you searched? The Broken Heaven is vast beyond measure. You might spend centuries or even a millennium without finding a single entrance. Working with me is different. I can point you toward several locations and save you all that wasted time and effort."
Yang Kai nodded. "That's a fair point, Divine Lord. But since you're the one seeking my cooperation, you should show some good faith. Let's drop the seventy-thirty split."
Shengyang's face contorted as though it pained him. After a long moment of deliberation, he drained his cup in one gulp, slammed it down on the table, and said in a deep voice, "Sixty-forty. Sixty for me, forty for you! Consider it a gesture of friendship."
Yang Kai still shook his head and held up an open palm. "Fifty-fifty. We split it right down the middle!"
Shengyang's face twisted in a bitter grimace. "Brother, that's highway robbery!"
Yang Kai tapped lightly on the table. "That's my bottom line. If it doesn't work for you, I'm still happy to call you a friend, Divine Lord — but let's not discuss this matter further. I won't hide it from you: I do have business to attend to and need to return home as soon as possible. Venerable Honghu came here precisely for that purpose."
Shengyang glanced at Honghu, seemingly trying to determine whether Yang Kai was telling the truth, but Honghu was busy fiddling with a small spirit fruit in her hands, revealing nothing.
His expression warring with itself for several moments, Shengyang finally spoke. "Fifty-fifty is not entirely out of the question. However, I have two conditions, and I'll need both you and Venerable Honghu to agree to them."