Yu Rumeng cast him a sidelong glance. "There may not be any risks? Then let me ask you—after you seal the Void Passage, can you still come back?"
Yang Kai was instantly rendered speechless.
Yu Rumeng gritted her teeth. "See? If I'm not mistaken, once you seal the Void Passage, you'll end up in that Ink Battlefield, won't you?"
Yang Kai's voice grew weak. "The other end isn't necessarily the Ink Battlefield either. It's all just speculation."
"And what if it is?"
Yang Kai fell silent.
"There's a very high probability that it is, isn't there?" Yu Rumeng stared at him.
Only then did Yang Kai nod. The Void Passage left behind after the death of the Ink Royal Clan member very likely had some connection to the Ink Battlefield—of that, there was no doubt.
Yu Rumeng let out a cold laugh. "All of us helpless, fragile women have followed you for so many years, without even a proper title. Every time you put yourself in danger and leave us sick with worry—and now, without even so much as a word of explanation, you're going to that Ink Battlefield? What do you take us for?"
Yang Kai's face flushed with shame, and he had no words to offer. This was indeed something he had wronged them over.
For countless years, the women had followed him without complaint or regret, and yet they had never been given a proper status. Though they had never once asked for it, what woman wouldn't have looked forward to that day?
Yu Rumeng rose to her feet and called out, "Ningshang, Xueyue, Ji Yao, Qu girl, Little Wan—pack your things and come with me. We're leaving!"
Yang Kai was dumbfounded. "Leaving for where?"
Yu Rumeng let out a cold snort. "I'm going to be a widow anyway—what do you care where we go? The world is vast and there are plenty of two-legged men around. I'll take the sisters and find anyone at all, and we'll live nice, peaceful lives."
Xia Ningshang was flustered. "Sister Rumeng, there must be some circumstances that leave him no choice."
Tao Lingwan nodded vigorously as well. Of all the women, these two had the most gentle and submissive temperaments, and Yu Rumeng's words had clearly dealt them a considerable shock.
"Circumstances that leave him no choice?" Yu Rumeng scoffed. "Nobody's forcing him—it's something he chose to do himself. What 'no choice' is there!"
As she spoke, she turned to look at Xia Ningshang and the others. "Are you coming or not?"
Xia Ningshang had no choice but to stand. She gave Yang Kai an apologetic nod and walked toward Yu Rumeng.
She didn't want to see Yang Kai go to the Ink Battlefield either. Though Yu Rumeng's behavior was somewhat out of line, if it could make Yang Kai change his mind, she was more than happy to go along with it.
Xueyue rose, her head lowered, refusing to meet anyone's gaze.
Ji Yao stood up as well.
Tao Lingwan looked at Qu Huashang.
Qu Huashang pondered briefly, then also stood. Regardless of what happened, she would be living alongside Yu Rumeng and the others in the future—it was better to stand on the same side at a time like this.
"Hmph!" Yu Rumeng tossed her slender neck in a defiant gesture at Yang Kai, then turned around and led the women out with triumphant strides.
The atmosphere inside the great hall grew incredibly awkward. The Great Emperors and Mao Zhe exchanged glances, unsure of what to say.
This was, after all, a family matter, and anything they said would be inappropriate. Besides, though Yu Rumeng's words had been somewhat harsh, everyone knew she simply didn't want Yang Kai to put himself in danger again. They felt the same way—even if Yu Rumeng hadn't resorted to this kind of coercion, they would have earnestly tried to dissuade him.
The stability of the Three Thousand Worlds was at stake. There was no reason to place that burden on a single Sixth-Order Open Heaven cultivator.
The weight of that burden was too great—the Void Earth of Lingxiao Palace could not bear it, and Yang Kai least of all.
"I'll go check on the sisters-in-law." Yang Xue stood and hurried out. At the threshold of the great hall, she stopped and said with her back to Yang Kai, "Big Brother, whatever you decide, I'll support you—but... I don't agree with you!"
With that, she vanished.
Yang Kai let out a quiet sigh. From the moment he had made that decision, he had already been mentally prepared for this.
This was different from before.
In the past, no matter how dire the situation, as long as he made it through safely, he could always return home.
But this time was different. If he truly entered the Ink Battlefield, it would mean abandoning everything on this side of the Three Thousand Worlds, and he would never be able to return.
Throughout all of history, countless elites from the Blessed Lands and Cave Heavens had crossed the Point of No Return—and not one had ever come back. Naturally, there would be no exception made for him.
Yu Rumeng had keenly perceived this, which was why her reaction had been so extreme.
"Are the rest of you going to try to talk me out of it too?" Yang Kai asked, looking at everyone. Though the home front had erupted in rebellion—Yu Rumeng had put on quite a show of it, no less—he had nothing to be embarrassed about. They were all family, after all, and there was no shame in that.
Zhan Wuhen said, "You've already made up your mind, so I doubt any words of persuasion would help. Besides, when the nest is overturned, no egg remains whole—if that Void Passage isn't sealed and it truly connects to the Ink Battlefield, who in the Three Thousand Worlds could remain untouched? If you want to go, then go. Don't worry about things at home. If anyone dares get close to your wives while you're gone, I'll smash their skull in."
This was, of course, a joke. Even if Yang Kai truly left, Yu Rumeng and the others wouldn't actually do anything. Her earlier words were clearly meant to pressure Yang Kai into changing his mind.
"When do you leave?" Spectral Emperor Yao Jun asked.