His attempt to help someone had backfired spectacularly. Even Yang Kai hadn't expected things to spiral into this kind of mess.
The cultivation techniques of Yin Yang Heaven really were bizarre beyond belief.
If what Yu Xiangdie said was true—if Tao Lingwan's Small World had already been infused with his power—then she would be unable to accept Yang Qi from any other man besides him. Without Yang Kai's assistance, she would never reach the Seventh-Order Open Heaven realm in her lifetime.
Yin Yang Heaven would hardly be pleased with that outcome. A Seventh-Order Open Heaven cultivator was a rare and precious talent for any Cave Heaven or Blessed Land. Tao Lingwan had excellent prospects for advancing to the Seventh Order, and if her future was ruined because of Yang Kai, Yin Yang Heaven would not let the matter rest easily.
Yang Kai's thoughts were a mess, but more than anything, he felt a deep sense of helplessness.
Though this was his first meeting with Tao Lingwan and they had barely exchanged a few words, the idea that his actions might destroy someone's future weighed heavily on his conscience.
Yet if they expected him to cooperate willingly, that was something Yang Kai simply couldn't bring himself to do. He had come here for Qu Huachang. He hadn't even laid eyes on the woman yet, and now he was being entangled with another? What kind of situation was this?
"Chen Xiu!" The name suddenly burst from Yang Kai's lips. If he had been somewhat confused before, Yu Xiangdie's lengthy explanation had made him begin to see the picture clearly. "This was Chen Xiu's doing?"
Tao Lingwan was Chen Xiu's disciple. There was no way he didn't know about her condition. He had most likely even calculated the exact timing of Tao Lingwan's Qi Deviation, which was why he had insisted on having this disciple attend to Yang Kai personally—and why he had kept himself deliberately out of sight for half a month.
And yet Chen Xiu had never breathed a word of any of this to Yang Kai.
He knew that once Tao Lingwan fell into Qi Deviation in front of Yang Kai, Yang Kai would never stand by and do nothing. And once he intervened, he wouldn't be able to walk away.
This might not have been a long-laid scheme. After all, Chen Xiu couldn't have known exactly when Yang Kai would arrive at Yin Yang Heaven. It was most likely a spur-of-the-moment decision. Yang Kai had simply shown up at the worst possible time—right when Tao Lingwan was on the verge of Qi Deviation.
Yu Xiangdie opened her mouth, then let out a resigned sigh. "I knew you wouldn't be fooled."
Yang Kai frowned. "For what purpose?"
No matter how you looked at it, Tao Lingwan was a Sixth-Order Open Heaven cultivator of considerable strength, with stunning beauty to match. If such a woman were to form a union with Yang Kai, outsiders would say he was the one who had gotten the better deal—that he had married above his station.
But Yang Kai genuinely couldn't fathom what Chen Xiu's aim was. It wasn't as though the man didn't know about Yang Kai's existing engagement to Qu Huachang. The title of Star Boundary Emperor and Master of Void Land shouldn't have been enough to warrant sacrificing one of his own Personal Disciples.
"For little Qu!" Yu Xiangdie said.
"How do you figure that?" Yang Kai's confusion only deepened.
Yu Xiangdie explained, "Over a hundred years ago, at the Grand Discussion Assembly, you claimed the top position and entered into an engagement with little Qu. By all rights, you should have come to Yin Yang Heaven years ago."
Yang Kai nodded. "That was the original plan, but some matters came up and I was delayed."
"The Chaos Dead Zone?" Yu Xiangdie asked.
Yang Kai was taken aback. "Auntie knows about that?"
"The Supreme Elder assigned to oversee the Chaos Dead Zone belongs to the Luosheng Heaven. He saw you follow the Giant Spirit God into the Dead Zone, so he made inquiries about your identity. From that, all the Cave Heavens and Blessed Lands learned that you had entered the Chaos Dead Zone."
Yang Kai gave a slight nod. Whether it was the appearance of a Giant Spirit God or someone entering the Chaos Dead Zone, neither was a small matter. Once the Luosheng Heaven's Supreme Elder witnessed it, he naturally spread the word. The Cave Heavens and Blessed Lands all had their own channels of communication with one another, so the fact of Yang Kai charging into the Chaos Dead Zone alongside the Giant Spirit God had quickly ceased to be a secret.
"The Chaos Dead Zone is extraordinarily dangerous. Even the Eighth-Order Supreme Elder of Luosheng Heaven can only linger at its outermost periphery for brief periods, with no way to venture deep inside. You disappeared in there for decades without a single word. What do you think people would assume?" Yu Xiangdie looked at him pointedly.
Yang Kai considered for a moment, then quickly arrived at the obvious answer. "That I had perished!"