Another half hour passed before Yang Kai finally put away the Blood Essence Stone and said to that Ancient Demon Clan member, "Try moving it around."
The man hurriedly clenched his fist, and a series of cracking sounds immediately rang out. A look of joyful surprise flashed across his face. "It's really reconnected!"
Li Rong and the others' expressions trembled with shock, none of them able to believe what they were seeing.
Reattaching a severed arm—something that should have been impossible—had happened right before their eyes, making them realize just how extraordinary that Blood Essence Stone was.
"The flesh has reconnected, but the bones haven't fully healed yet. Don't use too much force for the time being, and make sure to rest often," Yang Kai cautioned.
The Ancient Demon Clan member nodded repeatedly, his face overflowing with gratitude. "Thank you, Holy Master! Thank you, Holy Master!"
Though he had acted completely indifferent after losing his arm, now that his body was whole again, he was naturally overjoyed.
"Go on," Yang Kai said with a faint smile.
The man bowed respectfully and ran back in excitement.
Yang Kai idly turned the Blood Essence Stone over in his hand, keenly sensing that the blood essence within it had been considerably depleted.
This was truly an interesting thing. It seemed capable of converting ordinary blood into a wondrous power—one that possessed both restorative and enhancing properties.
A product of the Starfield. Truly extraordinary.
After examining it for a while, Yang Kai casually tossed the Blood Essence Stone to Li Rong and ordered, "Check if there are any other clansmen who need treatment. There's still quite a bit of blood essence stored inside. Don't be stingy—use it freely."
"Yes." Li Rong promptly responded and went to work with the other commanders.
The Ancient Demon Clan numbered fewer than a thousand—every loss reduced their ranks further. Li Rong and the others valued each clansman greatly.
After they departed, Wu Jie slowly approached, gazing at the Ancient Demon Clan members in the distance. He sighed with emotion, "They are a formidable clan."
Yang Kai glanced at him and gave a slight nod.
"Holy Master, do you really intend to bring them along?"
"I do."
Wu Jie couldn't help but frown. "In that case, Holy Master is unwilling to give up this power he's gained?"
"Why would I?"
"Being with them will bring a great deal of trouble—unless Holy Master takes them to the Demon Territory or a neutral domain."
Yang Kai shook his head and said bluntly, "I'm bringing them back to the Nine Heavens Holy Land!"
Wu Jie was startled, as though he could already see the scene of the Nine Heavens Holy Land's people clashing in battle with these demon clan members.
And if they really went to the Nine Heavens Holy Land, they would become neighbors with the Underworld Sect.
"To be honest, I'm starting to not want to have anything to do with Holy Master anymore..." Wu Jie's expression turned solemn, and he smiled bitterly.
Yang Kai looked at him and said leisurely, "I won't force anyone. Given that you were willing to reconcile with me before, you still have the right to choose freely. Of course, I won't settle any scores with you later—you can go wherever you want. Besides, the Underworld Sect hasn't suffered any losses this time."
Wu Jie nodded, then suddenly chuckled and said in a low voice, "I really should stay far away from you, Holy Master. You don't seem like a very peaceful person. But... my instincts tell me that Holy Master is someone who can achieve great things. I'm quite curious to see how far you'll grow—or whether you'll be destroyed along the way!"
Yang Kai's eyes narrowed. "If I'm destroyed, you won't escape death either. But if I do grow stronger, Sect Master Wu will stand to gain quite a lot as well."
"All I ask is that my sect continues to endure."
"I promise you that."
The two locked eyes and shared a knowing smile.
"Holy Master should get some rest. We'll need to set out at dawn. The Nine Heavens Holy Land is quite far from here, and there will likely be many troubles along the way."
Wu Jie said his piece and respectfully took his leave.
...
A thousand zhang above the ground, a mass of dark clouds surged rapidly through the sky. Within those clouds, the shadowy figures of many people stood—no fewer than a thousand upon careful count.
All of them were Ancient Demon Clan members.
Having departed from the snowy mountains, they were heading in the direction of the Nine Heavens Holy Land. They would have to pass through the territories of many human powers, and such a large group of demon clan members traveling together would inevitably attract attention.
Yang Kai had no desire to come into conflict with anyone, and neither did Li Rong and the others. They could only fly high in the sky, trying their best to avoid the eyes of outsiders.
Ahead of the dark clouds, Wu Jie led the Underworld Sect members to scout the way, seeking out uninhabited and desolate areas to travel through.
On Qixiu Peak of the Tianxiao Sect, Cang Yan and the others stood at the summit, looking up at the rolling dark clouds that passed brazenly overhead. They all burst into helpless laughter.
"That kid..." Cang Yan shook his head slowly.
"Let's hope his journey goes smoothly," Fei Yu murmured worriedly.
"That group of demon clan members has experts appearing one after another—what could possibly go wrong?" Li Wan laughed. "I think the ones who should be worried are whoever runs into them. Little martial nephew's temper isn't all that great. If he gets into a conflict with someone, he'll definitely end up killing them."