Outside, Yang Xue and Zhan Wuhen, among others, took out pre-prepared space rings and distributed them to the Golden Antelope Blessed Land disciples who had been blocking their path. Each ring contained a hundred thousand Open Heaven Pills—not a huge amount, just a token of good fortune to set an auspicious tone.
They could have offered more, but this was only the beginning. The Golden Antelope Blessed Land alone had over a hundred people, which had already cost tens of millions of Open Heaven Pills. Who knew how much more would be required going forward? Besides, the other party wasn't relying on this anyway.
Those who received the fortune tokens naturally offered auspicious words, with congratulations flowing nonstop.
A moment later, Yang Kai rushed out of the great hall, carrying Xueyue in his arms—she wore the phoenix crown and rosy wedding veil, her shyness beyond measure.
Yang Xue and the others guided Yang Kai aboard the ornate tower ship. Zhan Wuhen, who was responsible for plotting the course, swept his hand forward and issued the command: "Set out! Next stop!"
Xueyue was settled into a cabin aboard the tower ship, sitting upright and proper with the red bridal veil covering her head.
Yang Kai had barely managed to exchange a few words with her before his little sister dragged him out by force.
"Where are we headed now?" Yang Kai asked, slightly drunk.
Xueyue had been accepted as a personal disciple under Divine Lord Liu Mu, meaning she had formally entered the Golden Antelope Blessed Land. As for the others? Yang Kai didn't know exactly how things had been arranged, but he knew this was a gesture of goodwill from all the Grotto-heavens and Blessed Lands, as well as the preparations made by Lingxiao Pavilion. All he had to do was cooperate.
This wedding had come so suddenly, with no time for mental preparation, yet he welcomed it wholeheartedly.
"You'll know when we get there."
Yang Xue, standing beside him, smiled with pursed lips. Seeing her elder brother get married filled her with joy. The only slight regret was that several of her sisters-in-law were absent, and their parents weren't here either.
But there was nothing to be done about that. Everything had happened so abruptly. Su Yan and the other sisters-in-law were in the Ancestral Lands, and their parents were in the Star World—none of them could be summoned in time. They would have to go through the formalities now and hold a proper celebration later.
Soon, the wedding procession's tower ship arrived at the second blessed land.
Yang Kai swept his gaze across the scene from the tower ship and saw, below, a robust Eighth-Order Supreme Elder leading two neat rows of high-rank Open Heaven cultivators forming a blockade outside the great hall. Though few in number, their presence was as imposing as an army of thousands, and he immediately understood which Grotto-heaven or Blessed Land this was.
Great War Heaven!
Only disciples raised in Great War Heaven could carry themselves with such martial bearing.
Moreover, Yang Kai had taken note of the Eighth-Order Supreme Elder standing at the front. During the battles against the Royal Clan of the Ink, this person had displayed extraordinary ferocity.
Yang Xue whispered beside him: "Divine Lord Pili of Great War Heaven has taken Sister-in-Law Ji Yao as a disciple!"
Although Yang Kai had harbored some guesses after the events at the Golden Antelope Blessed Land, hearing his little sister say it aloud still caught him slightly off guard.
The Grotto-heavens and Blessed Lands had truly opened their doors wide this time. Xueyue had been accepted under Divine Lord Liu Mu of the Golden Antelope Blessed Land, and now Ji Yao had been taken in by Divine Lord Pili of Great War Heaven.
He wondered which other Grotto-heavens and Blessed Lands the remaining women had joined, and under whose tutelage.
This arrangement by the Grotto-heavens and Blessed Lands was clearly meant to elevate the status and standing of his wives—and to send him a message.
Go ahead and seal that Void Corridor without worry. If you can return, so much the better. If you cannot, Lingxiao Pavilion and the Void Territory will be under the protection of the Grotto-heavens and Blessed Lands. You need not have any concerns.
When word of all this spread, it would surely become a celebrated tale.
Yang Kai led his wedding procession and flew down from the tower ship. When he reached Divine Lord Pili, he quickly clasped his fists in salute: "Greetings, Divine Lord!"
Divine Lord Pili looked Yang Kai up and down, gave a slight nod, and said with a stern expression: "Marrying a disciple of my Great War Heaven is no easy feat, boy. Are you ready?"
Having experienced the Golden Antelope Blessed Land's welcome, Yang Kai was well prepared mentally. This wedding procession was bound to be far from smooth—there would be no shortage of tests and hurdles. Of course, they wouldn't go too far or genuinely try to block him; it was all part of the ritual.
He immediately lifted his chin with an air of defiance: "Bring it on, Divine Lord."
Divine Lord Pili looked half-amused: "Brave words!"
With a wave of his hand, seven Open Heaven Realm cultivators immediately sprang forward from behind. The instant they landed, they formed a battle formation—each one wore a cold, murderous expression as they roared in unison: "Kill!"
The aura of the Open Heaven Realm filled the air. Every one of them possessed sixth-order cultivation.
Sixth order was just right. Any lower and there would be no point in the test; any higher and the wedding side wouldn't stand a chance. Lingxiao Pavilion's Open Heaven cultivators were mostly at this level—the only seventh-order one had been dispatched back to the Star World by Yang Kai himself.
Yang Kai immediately cracked his knuckles, eager to try: "I just need to beat them, right?"
His gaze swept over the seven with ill intent, like an ancient predatory beast eyeing its prey. Even though these seven hailed from Great War Heaven and had been raised to fear nothing, they couldn't help feeling a chill under his stare.
They had heard plenty about this man's exploits. Setting aside the distant past, just recently he had survived a hundred years alone in the company of the Royal Clan of the Ink—who else could pull that off?
Yang Xue didn't know whether to laugh or cry. She stepped forward and grabbed her brother's arm: "Big brother, what are you thinking? It's your wedding day—are you really going to fight them yourself?"
She thought to herself that her brother must have drunk too much at the Golden Antelope Blessed Land earlier. At a time like this, he couldn't handle any provocation. She couldn't help but blame Divine Lord Liu Mu again—they had agreed beforehand that things would go one way, but then Divine Lord Liu Mu had changed the plan at the last minute, and there was nothing she could do about it.