Yang Kai didn't like being pushed around by others. His fate would always remain in his own hands.
That was why he'd always shown resistance and displeasure toward inheriting the position of the Nine Heavens Holy Land's master. It wasn't what he wanted, and no matter how friendly the people in the Holy Land were toward him, they all had their own hidden agendas.
But when he learned that Xia Ningshang and Meng Wuya had been here before and had set up certain arrangements at the Moon Reflection Pool, the resistance in Yang Kai's heart inexplicably diminished considerably.
Preserving the Nine Heavens Holy Land's strength meant there was a chance he could reunite with his Senior Sister here in the future!
He'd already found Su Yan, who remained in the Ice Sect diligently cultivating. He wasn't worried about the Earth Demon either—that old devil wasn't someone to be trifled with. But his little Senior Sister's whereabouts were something he constantly worried about.
Now that there was finally a definite hope and prospect, Yang Kai naturally didn't want to see that hope obstructed by an outside invasion.
That was why he'd taken the initiative to suggest it to Xu Hui.
Soon, Xu Hui relayed the response, which was more or less what Yang Kai had guessed. Upon learning that he could properly settle the Holy Land's disciples, the various Elders and Protectors all expressed their willingness to temporarily withdraw, preserve their strength, and wait for the day they could rise again and take their revenge.
However, they kept pressing about the place that could accommodate six or seven thousand disciples. Yang Kai didn't want to answer that right now, and in the end it took An Ling'er's intervention to persuade them to drop the matter.
"Since we've decided on this course of action, then first tell me about that Demon Beast Sovereign," Yang Kai said in the main hall, gazing at the assembled Elders and Protectors with a deep voice. "The more detail, the better."
After arriving on this continent, he'd only dealt with one demon beast before.
The Charm Demon!
That lewd demoness who possessed divine sense toxins capable of awakening the deepest desires within a person's heart. So he didn't know much about demon beasts. Now that he was going to meet a Demon Beast Sovereign, he naturally needed to prepare.
"None of us have actually met the Demon Beast Sovereign, but the old Holy Land Master mentioned him. His true form is an eighth-grade demon beast—a Scarlet Flame Thunder Dragon. He's naturally capable of cultivating two different elemental powers, and his cultivation is quite formidable, with impressive divine abilities."
"An eighth-grade demon beast…" Yang Kai frowned. He calculated silently—a sixth-grade demon beast was equivalent to the Shenyou Realm, a seventh-grade to the Transcendent Realm, and an eighth-grade was indeed the Holy Realm.
Which meant the Demon Beast Sovereign was a powerhouse of the Holy Realm, and at minimum a second-level Holy Realm cultivator, very possibly third-level!
"The Demon Beast Sovereign also has several subordinates who are eighth-grade demon beasts in their true forms, though none as strong as he is. There are also quite a few seventh and sixth-grade ones, though not many have taken human form—probably only around twenty or so."
"All twenty-something of them are Transcendent Realm? That means seventh-grade or above…"
"They're born with an innate instinct for combat. Even though they haven't learned any martial techniques, their fighting power can't be underestimated."
"However, they don't understand formations, so the spiritual energy where they live isn't particularly dense. It relies entirely on natural generation."
Everyone chimed in, pouring out whatever sparse intelligence they had.
Yang Kai listened carefully. After they'd finished, he asked curiously, "The enmity between humans and demon beasts runs deep. How did your old Holy Land Master forge a relationship with that Demon Beast Sovereign?"
Xu Hui chuckled. "The demon beasts don't have many spirit stones, but they're rich in spirit herbs and medicinal plants. Once, when the old Holy Land Master went out, he apparently ran into the Demon Beast Sovereign. The two fought for a while, and somehow ended up developing a sense of mutual respect. So they agreed to trade with each other. Every so often, the old Holy Land Master would bring a large quantity of spirit stones and exchange them for abundant spirit herbs, medicinal plants, and rare Five Elements metals from them. Oh, and they're not very skilled in pill refining or artifact forging either—the secret treasures and pills they use were all brought over by the old Holy Land Master."
"So that's how it was…" Yang Kai nodded slightly. "In that case, if the Demon Beast Sovereign still harbors some sentiment from the past, this trip of mine shouldn't be too dangerous… Actually, he definitely still does!"
"What makes you say that?" Xu Hui asked, surprised.
"The old Holy Land Master fell almost two years ago. The demon beasts must have heard the news long ago, yet they haven't made a move. That's clearly because the Demon Beast Sovereign doesn't want to act against the Nine Heavens Holy Land. Otherwise, your situation right now would be far worse!"
Hearing Yang Kai's reasoning, the others pondered briefly and all nodded in agreement.
"I've heard that the demon beasts have something called a Transformation Pool?" Yang Kai suddenly asked.
"Yes." Xu Hui nodded. "The Transformation Pool is the foundation of the demon beast race. No one knows how it was formed, but wherever there's a Transformation Pool, that's where the demon beasts gather. That's how things are over there—as soon as a demon beast advances to the seventh grade, it becomes eligible to enter the Transformation Pool. If luck and opportunity are on its side, it can take human form. Otherwise, those demon beasts remain in their beast forms forever."
"That's amazing?" Yang Kai's interest was immediately piqued, and he couldn't help but feel a desire to see it for himself.
Xu Hui shook his head. "Not every demon beast that enters succeeds in transforming. I've heard that many fail. And even among those who do transform, many demon beasts prefer their true forms and appear as beasts most of the time. So the demon beasts definitely have more than twenty Transcendent Realm cultivators—that number could easily be doubled."
"That really is an impressive force!" Yang Kai exclaimed in admiration.
The entire Nine Heavens Holy Land had roughly that many Transcendent Realm cultivators. The demon beasts' strength was essentially on par with the Holy Land at its peak.
"Start preparing some spirit stones," Yang Kai instructed. "For a first meeting, it's only proper for a junior to bring gifts. Otherwise, I might not even get to see the Demon Beast Sovereign's face."