These hundred-odd human powerhouses hailed from twenty or thirty different factions. Although most of them had never met before, simply mentioning their names was enough for mutual recognition.
Among them, several who had reached the Entering Saint Realm, Second Stage were particularly renowned throughout the land.
Elder Chu was one of them.
Ignoring the clamor of his companions who harbored hatred toward the demonfolk, the man called Elder Chu pondered for a moment, then nodded slightly. "If they have such a desire, there's no harm in talking... I, too, am quite curious about what exactly they're up to and where they're heading. This direction doesn't lead toward the Demon Territories — it points toward the Monster Domain."
As he spoke, his expression was one of puzzlement.
"We can talk. They haven't killed anyone along the way, and it seems they don't want to create too much enmity." Another man, scholarly in appearance, nodded faintly. He looked to be merely middle-aged, but in truth was older than ninety percent of those present — and was also one of the few at the Entering Saint Realm, Second Stage.
With both of them speaking up, no one else dared object. They all expressed their willingness to follow the two men's lead.
The hundred-odd human powerhouses stood in solemn readiness.
After the time it takes to burn a stick of incense, two figures leisurely appeared in the distance, striding toward them.
Once they could make out the newcomers' appearances, everyone was taken aback.
The one leading the group turned out to be a young man of no great age, tall and imposing, dressed in an unremarkable black robe, his steps steady and measured.
Following behind the young man was a dignified, mature beauty.
Her cultivation was at the Entering Saint Realm, Second Stage, and before she even arrived she had already exerted an inexplicable pressure upon the hundred-odd human powerhouses, compelling everyone to take her seriously.
But Elder Chu and the others were astonished to discover that even though this beauty demanded their attention and vigilance, the seemingly ordinary young man possessed an inexplicable bearing that could not be ignored.
Even the beauty's radiance seemed subtly overshadowed by him.
The beauty followed a half-step behind him like a bodyguard, maintaining a distance of exactly half a person's width, never once crossing that boundary.
This was clearly the posture of a servant attending their master.
Elder Chu and several other top-tier powerhouses exchanged glances. They could all read the confusion in each other's eyes — there was simply no way to deduce what the relationship between these two really was.
Before long, the pair of young man and beautiful woman arrived and stopped about a dozen zhang in front of the crowd.
At this close distance, Elder Chu and the others were struck to find that the young man's eyes were bright as stars, brimming with spirit. Even when facing over a hundred human powerhouses, his expression remained composed, without the slightest trace of fear. His gaze swept back and forth over them, as though he were appraising their cultivation levels.
The beautiful woman stood behind him, motionless, waves of formidable power radiating from within her body.
Elder Chu and the others quietly drew in a breath, their expressions turning grave.
The moment Yang Kai halted, he felt countless strands of Divine Sense wash over him, brazenly probing his cultivation. Li Rong's brow furrowed, her lovely face turning cold, and she was about to shout out a rebuke when Yang Kai raised his hand to stop her.
He flashed a grin and cupped his fists. "You've all traveled thousands of miles to follow us here — it must have been exhausting. I have something I'd like to make clear to you all, if you have the time."
Elder Chu and the others furrowed their brows, directing their gazes at Yang Kai. Only now did they become truly certain that the beautiful woman took direction from this young man; otherwise, in a situation this important, it wouldn't be his place to speak.
"Certainly!" The man called Elder Chu composed himself and offered a slight smile. "We, too, were of the same mind."
As he spoke, he stepped forward alongside the scholarly middle-aged man and the red-faced elder who had previously been clamoring to ambush Yang Kai.
Yang Kai nodded inwardly, understanding that these three before him were the strongest among the group, each at the Entering Saint Realm, Second Stage. They came from different factions, and together they could serve as representatives for everyone present.
Elder Chu introduced himself of his own accord. "I am Chu Yi of the Tianmu Prefecture."
He then pointed to the scholarly middle-aged man. "This is Fang Yuebai of Yansuo Tower."
He then pointed to the red-faced elder whose expression remained hostile. "And this is Wu Zheng of the Xiaoyao Divine Religion!"
Yang Kai nodded to each in turn, offering a greeting, his expression warm and friendly.
"Might I ask how to address you, young brother?" Chu Yi's gaze burned intently upon Yang Kai as he inquired.
"You'll find that some among you already know who I am. Senior Chu might simply ask them — I imagine it would be very easy to get an answer." Yang Kai smiled without giving a direct answer, instead directing his gaze toward a certain spot in the crowd.
There stood several familiar faces — they should have been among those who had attacked the Nine Heavens Holy Land alongside Zhang Ao and Cao Guan, and had crossed paths with Yang Kai back then.
However, Yang Kai didn't know their names.
From the moment Yang Kai had appeared, these few had worn expressions of deep wariness, as though remembering the scene two or three years ago when Yang Kai had slaughtered his way through the Nine Peaks.
"Stop playing games — who do you think you are? When Elder Chu asks you a question, you answer!" The red-faced elder Wu Zheng let out a cold snout, clearly having no fondness for Yang Kai. The gaze he directed at the young man was filled with rejection and contempt.
Yang Kai was quite baffled, unable to fathom when he had ever offended this man.