"Has the matter been settled, Master?" On the way back, Li Rong asked softly.
"Mm, the Great Venerable was quite reasonable, and he's willing to honor the previous agreement." Yang Kai nodded.
"That's good!" Li Rong seemed to breathe a sigh of relief. She followed closely behind Yang Kai, her red lips pursing as though she wanted to say something but held back.
Noticing her odd behavior, Yang Kai smiled. "If you have something to ask, go ahead. No need to hold back."
Ever since leaving the Small Mysterious Realm, he had noticed that the Ancient Demon Race members had changed their attitude toward him—becoming more respectful, more obedient, and more submissive than before.
Their attitude had unconsciously elevated Yang Kai's status within the Ancient Demon Race.
This made Yang Kai a bit uncomfortable.
"I was just thinking that my people must have caused you quite a bit of trouble!" Li Rong smiled apologetically. "The hatred between the human and demon races runs far too deep. By following you, we're bound to attract unnecessary trouble. The human experts who trailed us all the way here are the best proof of that. If a fight had really broken out today, regardless of who won or lost, you would surely be condemned by everyone…"
"This is the price of wielding your power—don't overthink it." Yang Kai shook his head. "Besides, I don't care what others think of me. Those who are useful to me are my friends, and those who dare act against me are my enemies. Simple and clear. What does the grudge between the human and demon races have to do with me?"
Li Rong's beautiful eyes lit up, secretly surprised by how open-minded Yang Kai's thinking was.
Even her own Ancient Demon Race, sealed within the Small Mysterious Realm for thousands of years, harbored deep-seated prejudices against outsiders—"those not of our race must have different hearts"—and they naturally regarded their own kind differently from other races.
But with Yang Kai, racial concepts barely existed.
He had accepted the Ancient Demon Race, even dealt with the Demon Beast race's Great Venerable, and called those powerful demon beasts his brothers… as if he had no reservations whatsoever. This filled Li Rong with endless wonder.
"Please rest assured, Master. Once everything has settled, I and the other commanders will definitely keep our people in check, preventing them from clashing with the original residents of the Nine Heavens Holy Land. We won't do anything that puts you in a difficult position," Li Rong assured him.
"There's no need to go out of your way either. To me, you are my people, and so are the people of the Nine Heavens Holy Land. I'll keep the scales balanced."
"Thank you, Master." Li Rong was visibly grateful.
Yang Kai bore no prejudice against them because of his human origins. Li Rong secretly felt that the Ancient Demon Race had found a good master.
Returning to the temporary encampment of the Ancient Demon Race, Yang Kai informed the commanders that it would be half a month before they could take over the Nine Heavens Holy Land, telling them to have the clan members stay in the area for the time being. Once the deadline arrived, they would prepare to enter the Nine Peaks.
The commanders accepted the orders and went to make arrangements.
Staying here for half a month wasn't a problem. The Ancient Demon Race had only recently reappeared in the world, and every place was fresh and novel to them. This was a perfect opportunity to explore and familiarize themselves with the surrounding environment.
After all, they would likely be living in the Nine Peaks for a long time to come.
Groups of three to five Ancient Demon Race members were dispatched to scout the surrounding area.
Those who stayed behind began constructing simple shelters and gathering provisions, working with tremendous enthusiasm.
A scene of thriving prosperity.
A faint sound of footsteps came from the side. Yang Kai, sitting in the shade of a tree, looked toward the sound and saw Wu Jie, wrapped in a black robe, striding toward him.
When he drew close, Wu Jie gave a slight bow. "Holy Lord!"
"Where are the disciples of your Netherworld Sect?" Yang Kai asked. He hadn't seen any Netherworld Sect members around just now.
"I've already had the Vice Sect Leader take them back ahead of us. Mm, they'll bring over some supplies in a little while."
"That's very kind of you."
"The Holy Lord is too polite." Wu Jie smiled. "We'll be neighbors from now on. A small matter—nothing worth mentioning."
After a pause, Wu Jie asked again, "How does the Holy Lord plan to handle the Poxuan Manor and Battle Soul Hall?"
"What do you think?" Yang Kai countered.
Wu Jie pondered for a moment before speaking seriously. "Although Zhang Ao, Cao Guan, and the others have already perished in those endless snow mountains, and both forces have suffered devastating losses to their Transcendence Realm experts, they still have their disciples. Each sect numbers quite a lot—easily three to four thousand people. These three or four thousand aren't particularly powerful, but they are the very foundation of their respective sects."
"Kill them all…"
Wu Jie was startled, his face turning pale.
Yang Kai continued with a smile, "That's not realistic. Driving them away isn't a good solution either. Who's to say they wouldn't just wander around the area and cause trouble?"
"The Holy Lord speaks truly." Wu Jie nodded in agreement. "Besides, they definitely don't know yet that Zhang Ao, Cao Guan, and the others have all perished. Once they find out, there will inevitably be turmoil within their ranks. If that happens, it'll be a mess that can't be cleaned up."
"Tell me your thoughts." Yang Kai looked at him.
"My suggestion would be to absorb them! Two sects, so many disciples—there are bound to be some with outstanding talent who could become powerful experts in the future. With proper training, they could become pillars of our own strength."