Within the Myriad Demon World, the great demon beasts received transmissions of the ancient cultivation method and began to practice one after another, causing the very essence of heaven and earth to resonate throughout the entire realm.
Yang Kai had already found a spiritual peak and begun to set up a Celestial Grand Formation.
In his early years, he had left behind numerous teleportation formations across the new great domain, mainly to方便 Lingxiao Palace's disciples as they explored it. However, there were none near the Myriad Demon World.
Though Hua Qingsi did not know what Yang Kai intended, she refrained from asking too many questions. Her Palace Master always had his reasons for whatever he did—she simply needed to assist, with no need to inquire further.
In the span of half a day, the Celestial Grand Formation had been fully laid out. Yang Kai then worked together with Hua Qingsi to construct a grand hall upon its foundation.
At that moment, from the location of the first great demon beast to practice the ancient method, a sudden surge of demonic aura erupted. Immediately after, a bolt of thunder cracked across the clear sky—a massive bolt of purple lightning materialized from nothing and bombarded down toward where the great demon beast stood. Waves of raging inferno swept across, searing and tearing through the void.
Roars of beasts echoed through the heavens in an instant.
Yang Kai raised his gaze and looked up thoughtfully.
It seemed that for the great demon beasts to break through their shackles, they would need to endure certain trials as well. This was not surprising—even for humanity, advancing to the Open Heaven Realm was never smooth sailing. Merging yin, yang, and the five elements to create heaven and earth within one's own body—though there were no external tribulations, there were inner crises. The slightest misstep could result in death and the destruction of one's Dao.
This lightning-fire tribulation was likely a trial from the Heavenly Dao. Survive it, and the world opened up before you. Fail, and it was all over.
However, these great demon beasts of the Myriad Demon World, bound by the laws of heaven and earth and lacking proper cultivation methods, had honed themselves at the peak for countless years. Surviving this lightning-fire tribulation should not prove too difficult.
Yang Kai had no intention of interfering. Such matters still had to be overcome through one's own strength—outside help was ultimately not the proper path.
The lightning-fire tribulation grew increasingly fierce, and the beast roars grew ever louder. It took a full several hours before everything gradually subsided.
But while things had calmed down here, across the Myriad Demon World, even more great demon beasts were undergoing their own lightning-fire tribulations.
Upon the spiritual peak, the Celestial Hall had already been completed. With two powerful Open Heaven Realm cultivators working together, building a Celestial Hall was no difficult task at all.
Suddenly, an imposing aura approached swiftly from the distance. Hua Qingsi glanced up at Yang Kai, and he smiled. "Let's go meet our new friend."
Stepping out of the hall, he immediately saw, just outside, a massive tiger with a sturdy frame and snow-white fur throughout. The tiger stood a good seven or eight zhang tall, its overwhelming demonic aura billowing outward, its enormous figure exuding an oppressive presence.
Its eyes alone were the size of water vats. However, having just survived the lightning-fire tribulation, its bearing, though formidable, looked somewhat bedraggled.
Upon seeing Yang Kai and Hua Qingsi, a flash of wariness appeared in the giant tiger's eyes, and it instinctively took two steps back.
Yang Kai studied it up and down and gave a slight nod. "Not bad."
Having just survived the lightning-fire tribulation, it already possessed an aura comparable to a human Third-Order Open Heaven cultivator. Given time, this great demon beast's achievements would not be low.
Humanity's Open Heaven method had both advantages and drawbacks. The advantage was that those with exceptional talent could ascend in a single step—those prodigies who jumped directly to the Sixth or Seventh Order, leaping from the Emperor Heaven Realm to Sixth or Seventh Order Open Heaven, saw a leap in power that could truly be called ascending to heaven in a single step.
But the drawback was that advancement in the Open Heaven Realm carried an inherent limitation: the lower one's starting point, the lower one's ultimate achievement. For this reason, every prodigy who jumped directly to the Seventh Order was treasured and nurtured by humanity as though they were living jewels.
But the Sacred Spirits did not have this limitation, nor did the demon race.
The Sacred Spirits advanced through the power of bloodline—the purer the bloodline, the stronger their power.
The demon race's ancient method honed the inner core, using it as a foundation to elevate oneself. The fact that this giant tiger already possessed an aura comparable to a human Third-Order Open Heaven upon its breakthrough did not mean that Fifth Order was its ceiling. As long as it worked hard enough, had sufficient opportunities and aptitude, Sixth Order, Seventh Order, even Eighth or Ninth Order—anything was possible.
In this sense, humanity's Open Heaven method was incomplete. Yang Kai had only recently come to realize this. Yet even having realized it, he was powerless to remedy it. The Open Heaven method had been passed down from the ancient era by Cang and the other nine Martial Ancestors, transmitted through a million years of history. Humanity's strength had always relied upon this cultivation method.
Without the Open Heaven method, the strongest humans would be mere Emperor Heaven cultivators—how could they have risen to what they were today?
"Fear not. I harbor no ill will toward you. I merely have certain matters to discuss with you great demon beasts," Yang Kai said, his expression genial as he regarded the giant tiger.
The tiger let out a low growl, the wariness in its eyes deepening. It was unclear whether it had understood.
Yang Kai suddenly realized. "I forgot—you have never communicated with humans before."
As he spoke, he stepped forward and extended a finger toward the tiger's forehead.
The giant tiger was startled, instinctively trying to dodge, but how could it evade? It watched helplessly as Yang Kai's finger touched its forehead, and every hair on its body bristled upright.
But soon, it sensed that Yang Kai harbored no intention of harming it. Instead, a great many unfamiliar things flooded into its mind in that single instant.
Yang Kai drifted back gracefully, smiling at the giant tiger. "Now we can communicate."
The tiger's eyes widened. In that very moment, it suddenly found that it could understand the other's words. More than that—if it wished, it could even speak in the other's language.
It tried opening its mouth and produced human speech: "You... who?"
Yang Kai smiled. "I am the Palace Master of Lingxiao Palace—Yang Kai."
The giant tiger had no idea what Lingxiao Palace was. It asked further, "Do what?"
Yang Kai said, "I have come to your sacred territory today to impart cultivation methods to you, helping you free yourselves from the suffering of the laws' bondage. In exchange, I will arrange for certain people to come here to cultivate. I hope you will restrain your demon beast subordinates from harming people indiscriminately."
The giant tiger strained to follow along, but it finally grasped Yang Kai's intentions. A hint of anger entered its voice: "Territory... mine!"
The demon race had an extremely strong sense of territory. Upon hearing that Yang Kai intended to bring humans here to cultivate, it was naturally displeased.