The estate of Yang Zhao's mansion fell deathly silent.
Countless eyes were locked on Yang Kai, every face displaying a rather colorful mix of emotions.
The shock Yang Kai's breakthrough had brought to everyone was simply beyond words.
A massive sense of confusion lingered in every heart as they stared at him, expressions blank and dazed.
Advancing to the Shenyou Realm could trigger celestial phenomena on the scale of a natural catastrophe? A warrior who had just broken through to the Shenyou Realm and only just opened his Knowledge Sea could possess such overwhelming, dense-as-solid-matter Divine Sense?
Almost no one who had witnessed all this could comprehend it.
Liu Qingyao, the First Young Master of the Central Capital who had always maintained a composure as calm as an ancient well, finally let out a bitter laugh. He realized that the Yang Kai before him now exuded an enormous, overwhelming pressure that made him feel — for the first time — that resistance was futile. It was as though, with his current strength, he didn't even qualify to touch the hem of Yang Kai's robe.
A bitter expression on his face, Liu Qingyao turned to Yang Wei standing beside him and said softly, "Eldest Brother, you were right. Your family's Ninth Brother has achieved far more than I ever will."
After saying that, he shook his head and muttered, "He really is a monster."
Yang Wei wore a look of pure pride.
The powerful figures of the Eight Great Families had their brows tightly knit, their expressions grave beyond measure.
Had they not known that Yang Kai had just broken through to the first level of the Shenyou Realm, they might not even have been able to gauge his depth. That formidable Divine Sense had blocked every probe from all of them — and this realization sent a chill through their spines.
The fact that he could block their probing meant that Yang Kai's current Divine Sense was no weaker than theirs. At the very least, it was evenly matched — possibly even a notch above.
How had he done it?
How had he cultivated this?
Every one of them was over a hundred years old, having cultivated their Divine Sense for countless decades. Yet in this comparison of spiritual power, they found themselves on par with a youth not yet twenty years old.
Every last one of them couldn't help but feel a flush of shame.
"This kid — human or devil, I imagine Brother Yang can tell, can't he?" Ling Taixu said with a smile, delivering a pointed jab at Yang Liting.
At this moment, Yang Kai's aura was entirely unremarkable. Not a trace of true essence fluctuation leaked from his body, and the dark, sinister energy that had previously shrouded him was gone completely. His eyes were clear, black and white perfectly distinct, perfectly normal — aside from that terribly abnormal power of his.
If anyone still tried to pin the label of Qi Deviation on him, then Yang Liting would truly be blind.
Yang Liting let out a cold humph. "That he's recovered his senses now is probably nothing but luck. One day he won't be able to control his power, and when that day comes, don't blame me for showing no mercy!"
With that, he transformed into a streak of light and shot toward the Divine Sealing Hall.
He had no desire to stay any longer. As the Supreme Elder of the Yang Family, he now felt as though he'd played the part of the villain. He had only been considering the family's honor, not wanting a demonic figure to emerge from the Yang bloodline. But rather than successfully cleansing the family, he had ended up despised by many.
Even with as steady a mindset as Yang Liting's, this imbalance was hard to swallow.
Once Yang Liting departed, the other seven had no reason to remain either. One by one, they left.
Daoist Qiu paused before departing, frowning as he glanced at Yang Kai. "Don't practice any more unorthodox techniques," he said flatly.
The stout elder likewise offered Yang Kai a word of caution. "Listen well. Practicing unorthodox arts does you no good. With your talent, you can cultivate any technique and have a brilliant future ahead of you. There's no need to chase after shortcuts."
The stout elder clearly assumed that Yang Kai's extraordinary power at such a young age was the result of practicing unorthodox cultivation.
Though the truth was otherwise, his intentions were good, and Yang Kai simply offered a slight nod without bothering to explain.
He had never practiced unorthodox cultivation. The sinister energy in his body was solely due to the Proud Bone Golden Body.
Moreover, he had no desire to draw such a hard line between righteous and demonic — those were simply different paths for different people.
Power was always something one cultivated on their own. What truly mattered was how one chose to use that power.
"Yang Kai, congratulations." Qiu Yimeng stepped forward with a bright smile.
The others hurried forward as well, and a chorus of congratulations rang out.
Yang Kai looked at them all with a warm smile and said earnestly, "Thank you."
Even in the midst of his breakthrough, when his consciousness had been unclear, Yang Kai had been able to sense the efforts these people had made on his behalf. In the face of his gratitude, everyone accepted it with a clear conscience.
His gaze passing over the crowd, Yang Kai gave a gentle nod toward the Eight Blood Warriors.
The eight warriors, who had once been so imposing and untouchable, now all wore pale faces with their vital energy floating weakly. This was the price of employing the Tyrant Blood Rage Art! Though they had paid a steep price and ultimately never clashed with Yang Liting and the others, their unhesitating stance — their absolute resolve to defend Yang Kai to the very end — had served its purpose.
Had they not been so forceful in their stance, Yang Liting and the others would never have backed down.
Weak as they were, all eight Blood Warriors were still smiling happily.
Finally, Yang Kai turned to face Ling Taixu and Meng Wuya, and performed a deep, respectful bow. "Grandmaster. Manager Meng."
"Rise, rise." Ling Taixu reached out to support him, stroking his long beard. "As long as you're safe, that's all that matters."