"Let him go!" the woman barked at Yang Kai.
Yang Kai glanced down at Ji the Third, whom he had been holding up by the collar the entire time, and smiled. "Then you'll have to promise me he won't come looking for trouble again."
The woman gritted her teeth. "Rest assured, he won't bother you again."
Yang Kai lowered his gaze. "Three strikes and you're out. Let's hope he remembers the lesson."
His tone was light, but the meaning was unmistakable. Ji the Third had provoked him twice already, and both times Yang Kai had simply subdued him without leaving a single scratch. However, his patience had its limits. Should there be a third time, he would not hold back.
Killing him was out of the question, but beating him half to death was perfectly feasible. After all, the Dragon Clan possessed formidable recovery abilities—so long as the source foundation and the Dragon Pearl were not damaged, even the most grievous injuries would heal in time.
Given the bizarre abilities Yang Kai had demonstrated, if he truly set his sights on Ji the Third, the latter would stand absolutely no chance of fighting back.
When had a proud scion of the Dragon Clan ever been threatened like this?
The moment Yang Kai's words left his mouth, numerous young dragons and great dragons alike fixed him with furious gazes. The female great dragon standing before him was no exception.
She held her breath for a long while before finally speaking through clenched teeth. "He'll remember."
Yang Kai smiled warmly and tossed Ji the Third toward her. The female great dragon caught him, shot Yang Kai one more venomous glare, then turned and carried Ji the Third away.
Yang Kai turned to face three clearly elder figures and bowed respectfully. "Yang Kai of Dayan greets the three Senior Elders."
He did not know the exact cultivation level of these three, but judging purely by the weight of their dragon aura, they were the most imposing among all the Dragon Clan members present.
Two old men and one old woman—their status within the Dragon Clan was evidently no trifling matter.
The elderly man in the center gave a slight nod. "The Dragon Clan is already aware of your purpose here. However, preparations will take some time. You may stay at Buhui Pass for a while and wait patiently."
Yang Kai thought to himself: I don't even know what my own purpose is—how do you know it? And if you do, why not just tell me?
But the old man clearly had no intention of elaborating. With that, he turned and departed, the other two elders following close behind.
With the elders gone, the remaining dragons dispersed one after another, showing no interest in further conversation with Yang Kai.
Left standing alone, Yang Kai was somewhat at a loss.
The Dragon Clan's aloofness could not have been more obvious.
This trip to Buhui Pass had been thoroughly bewildering. Before setting out, Patriarch Xiao Xiao had offered no detailed explanation, and now the Dragon Clan couldn't be bothered to explain anything either—just telling him to wait.
Wait for what? For how long? Nobody knew.
This feeling of having no control over the situation was deeply unpleasant.
Fortunately, he was no greenhorn fresh out of seclusion. In times like these, the sensible thing was to find someone to gather intelligence.
So he turned briskly and called out to the colorfully dressed young woman who was about to leave. "Miss, might I have a moment?"
The young woman stopped at the sound of his voice and looked back with a grin. "Talking to me?"
Yang Kai strode up to her and inclined his head. "Forgive my earlier crudeness, Miss."
His manner was impeccably polite—a stark contrast to the domineering figure who had subdued Ji the Third moments ago. The young woman regarded him with open curiosity and asked, feigning ignorance, "Is there something you need?"
Yang Kai said with an abashed smile, "I've only just arrived and understand nothing of what's going on. There are indeed a few things I'd like to ask Miss about."
The young woman arched her brows into crescent moons and shot a smug look at the companion beside her, clearly signaling: I told you so.
Her companion remained noncommittal.
Yang Kai pretended not to notice.
"So, what do you want to ask?" the young woman said.
Yang Kai replied, "I was wondering what Miss might be willing to teach me."
The young woman burst out laughing. "You're a strange one. You don't even know what you want to ask, yet you expect me to teach you? How unreasonable can you get?"
Yang Kai smiled ruefully. "Please don't take offense, Miss. The truth is, I've arrived at Buhui Pass completely in the dark, with no idea what's going on."
The young woman asked with interest, "Didn't your patriarch tell you anything?"
"He did not!" Yang Kai shook his head.
"In that case…" The young woman tapped a finger against her red lips. "Fine. I'm in a good mood today. Come with me."
With that, she led the way forward.
Yang Kai followed a few steps behind.
Before long, they arrived beneath the enormous paulownia tree. With a few deft movements, the three of them reached one of the tree's massive branches. The young woman waved her hand forward, and a gateway leading to an unknown space immediately materialized before them.
Yang Kai raised an eyebrow. "Space Laws?"
His reaction mirrored the young woman's own astonishment when she had witnessed his mastery of the Space Laws—virtually identical.
The young woman seemed to have anticipated his surprise and smiled triumphantly. "Come in."
Only after the young woman and her companion had stepped through the gateway did Yang Kai follow. A distinct sensation of spatial turbulence washed over him, and in the next instant, he found himself in a place of rolling green hills and crystal-clear waters.