Cultivating within the Phoenix Nest, though he had no one to guide him, the primordial and ancient Dao marks served as the finest of teachers. By devouring and refining these marks, reflecting them against himself, he could identify his own shortcomings and distill the essence from the dross.
His mastery of the Dao of Space advanced rapidly.
Several months slipped by in the blink of an eye.
Yang Kai opened his eyes and turned his gaze inward.
His realm had not grown, but his mastery over the Dao of Space had improved noticeably. An advancement in the Dao meant a direct increase in absolute combat power.
With a casual raise of his hand, he seemed able to stir the flow of the void itself.
Yang Kai's expression remained as still as an ancient well. The result was undoubtedly satisfying—several months of cultivation in the Phoenix Nest had far surpassed years of bitter solitary practice.
The only thing he found regrettable was that his mastery of the Space Dao showed no signs of breaking through to the next tier.
In his own classification of the Dao, that final tier was the legendary realm of transcending antiquity—the height that no being, past or present, had ever reached.
Though his gains within the Phoenix Nest were enormous, he had still not managed to take that step. There was nothing to be bitter about, however. He believed that one day he would reach that height.
He chose not to continue cultivating. For one, after months of ravenous devouring and refinement, the Space Dao marks in this Phoenix Nest had thinned considerably—nearly at saturation—and were now comparable to the state of Fourth Madam Phoenix's nest. He could not very well strip the place bare. Su Yan would need to come here to cultivate someday. The more benefits he took now, the fewer she would find later.
The current situation was just right. He had claimed a generous share, and the Imperishable Wutong would slowly replenish it over time. When Su Yan eventually entered to cultivate, she would not be shortchanged.
Beyond that, Yang Kai felt that further cultivation here would serve no purpose. That final step could not be crossed simply by devouring the Space Dao marks of the Phoenix Nest. Borrowing from another's insights would forever leave him trailing behind—only through his own comprehension could he hope to grasp the supreme artistic conception.
There was one more consideration: the Dragon Pool of the Dragon Clan could open at any time. He had already spent several months here. If the Dragon Pool opened while he was absent, the Dragon Clan would hardly wait for him.
So it was time to leave.
He took one final breath of the familiar aura of this place, then stirred his mind and pressed his hand toward a point in the void.
The gateway to the Phoenix Nest opened, and Yang Kai stepped through in a single stride, emerging into the open air.
The scene before him made him freeze. Pairs of eyes, scattered across every branch of the Wutong tree, were fixed squarely on him—some appraising, some suspicious, some openly hostile.
Streams of spiritual pressure bore down on him from all directions, instantly locking his body rigid.
What was going on?
Yang Kai's face went blank. Without even needing to look closely, he could sense that at least thirty or forty gazes were trained on him, and judging by the pressure behind those auras, quite a few of these Phoenix Clan powerhouses were comparable to Eighth-Order human cultivators.
Even a fool could figure out that everyone gathered here belonged to the Phoenix Clan.
Ordinary people might never see a single pure-blooded Phoenix in their entire lives, yet Yang Kai now found himself face to face with dozens of them. He felt no joy about it, however, because many of the Phoenixes wore expressions that were far from friendly—they looked ready to tear him apart at the slightest provocation.
Had the Phoenix Clan cornered him? Was that really necessary? All he'd done was slip into Su Yan's Phoenix Nest to harvest a few benefits. Surely the Phoenix Clan wasn't this petty?
"Everyone's here?" Yang Kai forced a thin smile and let out a dry greeting.
No one responded.
He secretly mobilized his Space Laws, ready to flee at a moment's notice. Phoenixes were themselves masters of the Dao of Space—if it came down to a chase, he might not outrun them. But for the moment, that was the only card he had to play.
Still, short of a truly desperate situation, he would rather not make too undignified an exit.
His gaze found Fourth Madam Phoenix, and he looked at her with a questioning expression. She pretended not to notice.
Yang Kai cursed inwardly. That bird woman had no sense of loyalty whatsoever. If she hadn't invited him, he never would have come to the Imperishable Wutong in the first place. Now that trouble had arrived, she acted as though she didn't know him.
He had some rough idea of what was going on. It amounted to this: he, a human, had intruded into the Phoenix Nest. The response was rather excessive, though.
His head began to ache. The Unreturning Pass had been guarded by Dragons and Phoenixes since time immemorial. While other sacred spirits existed there, the Dragons and Phoenixes held absolute supremacy.
He had already not endeared himself to the Dragon Clan. If he managed to offend the Phoenix Clan as well, he would truly have no path left to walk.
What was he to do?
Just as he was pondering this, a dignified woman spoke: "You carry the Phoenix Clan's Origin?"
Yang Kai turned to look at her. He sensed no overt aura from the woman, yet her deep, fathomless gaze seemed to hold an inexplicable pull, as though it sought to devour his very soul.
Under such a gaze, any lie or deception would be an act of utmost disrespect.
A chill ran through Yang Kai's heart. He knew this woman was not someone to be trifled with. She likely had no intention of influencing his thoughts—when one's power reached a certain level, a simple glance carried mysterious and irresistible force.
He had felt a similar sensation from only a handful of people, and every one of them had been an ancestor-level figure of the human race.
"Senior, you are...?" Though he already had his suspicions, Yang Kai asked cautiously for the sake of certainty.