After a full day of busy work, the myriad tasks in the Holy Land were finally nearing their conclusion.
Night descended, not a single star visible in the sky. The dark canopy overhead loomed like the monstrous maw of some beast, blanketing the Holy Land under a heavy, oppressive aura.
The Guardian Elders of the Nine Heavens Holy Land gathered in one place, deliberating on how to handle the crisis that would arrive in half a month.
After all, those people had already issued their ultimatum: in half a month, either hand over the Holy Maiden from the previous generation, or hand over the current one—otherwise, war would be inevitable.
The three forces, which had long been suppressed under the protection of the Nine Heavens Holy Land, dared to act so arrogantly, clearly possessing immense confidence; otherwise, their attitude would not have been so resolute.
The previous generation’s Holy Maiden, Xu Hui, and the others could not be handed over. Saintess Nan’s current whereabouts were unknown—no one knew where she was hiding. The current Holy Maiden could not be handed over either. A great battle would certainly erupt in half a month—this was obvious.
Unclear of their intentions, they had actually asked An Ling'er to bring Yang Kai here to observe.
During their discussion, Yang Kai remained silent. He had no intention of offering his own opinions, nor did he have any thoughts of interfering or giving directions.
Yang Kai was self-aware. Although they had all shown considerable hope that he might inherit the position of Holy Master, in such a critical moment, he had no decision-making authority. In their view, he was still too young.
So, Yang Kai very wisely kept his mouth shut.
After listening for a while, Yang Kai was surprised to discover that not a single one of these people intended to flee. All of them were resolute in staying behind to fight the invaders to the death, to defend the dignity of the Holy Land.
Yang Kai secretly shook his head, making no comment on this.
Although he understood the principle that as long as the green hills remained, one need not fear running out of firewood, he also knew that for such a massive force to flee was not an easy matter. Even if Xu Hui and the others could withdraw safely, the lower-ranking disciples would likely be abandoned as sacrificial pawns.
The most critical issue now was how to persuade the powerful cultivators who had been instigated by the Broken Profound Palace, Battle Soul Hall, and the Nether Sect to withdraw. As long as they could be convinced to leave, the remaining three forces could be handled with ease by the Holy Land’s current lineup.
After a round of discussion with no results, everyone turned their gaze to Yang Kai, who was seated off to the side.
“Why are you all looking at me?” Yang Kai said. “I’m used to coming and going alone. I know nothing about these matters. You keep discussing among yourselves. I’ll just listen.”
“Heh heh…” Xu Hui let out a dry laugh and said gently, “That may be true, but Young Brother surely must have some insights of your own? Why not share them with us? Perhaps we can find a way out from your words.”
Everyone else also looked at him with expectant gazes, clearly eager to hear his opinion.
Yang Kai furrowed his brow. Although somewhat reluctant, he still spoke up: “How many Saint Realm experts do the three leading forces have?”
Xu Hui’s expression turned serious as he promptly replied, “These three forces aren’t actually that formidable. Each only has two Saint Realm powerhouses. Moreover, they are all primarily at the First Stage of the Saint Realm. The only one worth paying attention to is Zhang Ao of the Broken Profound Palace. That old fellow’s cultivation is comparable to mine—both at the Second Stage of the Saint Realm. If it comes to an actual fight, the outcome is hard to predict.”
Yang Kai’s expression shifted slightly. Two from each, making a total of six Saint Realm experts—five at the First Stage and one at the Second Stage.
This number and level of strength happened to be on par with the current Nine Heavens Holy Land.
The Holy Land also had one Second Stage Saint Realm expert and five First Stage experts.
This didn’t even account for the powerful cultivators they had instigated and tempted over—among them, experts would surely be plentiful. For the Holy Land alone, which had just been ravaged by Saintess Nan’s large-scale assault and was riddled with wounds, to handle this would indeed be quite difficult.
Moreover, if a battle truly broke out, the Nine Heavens Holy Land might find it difficult to maintain its standing in the world afterward.
The number of forces involved was simply too large.
Thus, they still did not wish to face so many enemies. Unfortunately, this was trouble stirred up by Saintess Nan, and the blame naturally fell upon the Nine Heavens Holy Land to bear.
“Haven’t you considered seeking aid?” Yang Kai mused for a moment and asked. “The Nine Heavens Holy Land has existed for so many years; you must have some allies. Find those allies, ask for their help, and then repay the favor later.”
The moment these words left his mouth, everyone’s expressions grew somewhat awkward.
Yang Kai observed their expressions and instantly understood—likely, the Nine Heavens Holy Land truly had no allies! When the previous Holy Master was alive, they had been arrogant, believing that few forces under heaven were on equal footing with their Holy Land. Now that the sect was in trouble, no one would come to its aid.
Yang Kai rubbed his forehead, momentarily speechless.
He could, in theory, seek aid from the Heavenly Firmament Sect, asking his four uncles from there to help. But time was certainly insufficient—before he could even return to the Heavenly Firmament Sect, the Nine Heavens Holy Land would likely have been breached.
Suddenly, Yang Kai’s eyes lit up, and he said in a deep voice, “What about the Great Revered One of the Demon Race? Have you considered asking him for help?”
“The Great Revered One of the Demon Race?” Xu Hui’s expression changed.