Restrained by a powerhouse like Li Rong, even if Nan Shenggu possessed heaven-reaching abilities, she wouldn't be able to use them. So there was no need to worry about her harming An Ling'er.
As dusk settled, the entire Nine Heavens Holy Land was buzzing with activity.
Thousands of Holy Land disciples had returned from the Holy Mausoleum, and there was plenty to keep them busy.
The Ancient Demon Clan had followed Yang Kai and Xu Hui to that mountain peak, where they began constructing their future dwellings.
This night was destined to be a sleepless one.
…
A full month passed before the clamor of the Holy Land gradually subsided.
The mess left behind by the Demon Beast Clan's departure had been cleaned up, and the Nine Heavens Holy Land was once again on a steady developmental trajectory. On the peak where the Ancient Demon Clan resided, buildings of various sizes had been erected everywhere, connected into a continuous expanse that was remarkably refined.
When the Ancient Demon Clan was building their new home, Xu Hui and the others provided considerable assistance, which Li Rong and her people greatly appreciated.
After more than a month of living together, Xu Hui and the other elders couldn't help but change some of their views and instinctive rejection of the demon people.
They discovered that this group of demon people who followed Yang Kai were fundamentally no different from themselves in most respects—aside from belonging to a different race and possessing different types of energy within their bodies.
They didn't run around causing trouble either. Every single demon person was well-behaved and knew their place.
Gradually, the Holy Land disciples and the demon people were able to coexist in peace.
Yang Kai was quite satisfied with the current situation. Over the past month, he had never once had a moment's rest—tending to the Nine Heavens Holy Land's affairs here, dealing with the Ancient Demon Clan's matters there, rushing from one to the other until he was utterly exhausted. He was stretched so thin he didn't even have time to commune with the Divine Tree.
Now that they finally had a stable foothold, Yang Kai was thinking about bringing the Divine Tree out of the Black Book's space.
But considering the difficulty involved, as well as the constitution of the Ancient Demon Clan, he ultimately decided against it.
The yang-attribute energy released by the Divine Tree was far too dense—even the Ancient Demon Clan would probably struggle to handle it. Moreover, with Yang Kai's current strength, extracting the Divine Tree from the Black Book's space would likely leave him completely drained again.
Only in rare moments of leisure could he slip his consciousness into the Black Book's space, exchange a few words with the Divine Tree, and soothe its lonely feelings.
He also learned from the Divine Tree that those two peculiar pitch-black round stones were still ceaselessly absorbing the essence of rare minerals. The rare minerals Yang Kai had placed inside the Black Book's space had essentially been completely consumed—ground to fine powder, their internal essence entirely depleted.
Over such a long period, the vein-like markings that had formed within those two pitch-black round stones were becoming increasingly distinct and connected.
Yang Kai had a vague sense that they were somehow extraordinary, but he had no idea what purpose these two pitch-black round stones—capable of absorbing mineral essence—actually served.
One day, while Yang Kai was discussing matters with Li Rong and Xu Hui, a Holy Land disciple suddenly came to report: "Holy Lord, someone requests an audience outside the peak."
"Who is it?" Yang Kai frowned.
"The Sect Master of the Youming Sect—Wu Jie!" the disciple reported.
"Wu Jie?!" Xu Hui slammed his palm on the table and shot to his feet, roaring: "The audacity! I haven't settled accounts with him for the last time, and now he dares come to our Holy Land's Nine Peaks? Truly, he refuses the path to heaven and insists on breaking through the gates of hell. How many people did he bring?"
The disciple hastily replied: "Only one person, though it seems he's also captured two individuals of unknown origin. He knocked them unconscious and is carrying them by hand."
Xu Hui snorted coldly: "He dares come alone? Does he really hold our Holy Land in such contempt? Holy Lord, let me go teach him a lesson!"
Yang Kai laughed and shook his head: "There's no need. Wu Jie is not an outsider."
Xu Hui was taken aback, momentarily unable to process this, not understanding why Yang Kai would say such a thing.
That fellow had previously joined Zhang Ao, Cao Guan, and others in striking the Holy Land while it was vulnerable. Xu Hui hated him to the very core—he wanted to flay his skin, devour his flesh, and drink his blood to vent the hatred festering in his heart.
Yang Kai didn't rush to explain, merely saying to the disciple: "Go invite him in."
Once the disciple left to carry out the order, Yang Kai began to slowly explain.
After learning that Wu Jie had made overtures to Yang Kai as early as two or three years ago, and had recently been constantly at Yang Kai's side, Xu Hui said with a peculiar expression: "So that's how it is. I've long heard that Wu Jie is exceptionally skilled at cultivating relationships and reading the times—and it seems that reputation is well-deserved."
"However, that he was able to show goodwill toward the Master several years ago speaks to his remarkably keen eye," Li Rong said with a gentle smile. "Not everyone can perceive the Master's potential. People like Zhang Ao and Cao Guan, for instance, have already reaped what they sowed—they met unfortunate ends."
"Zhang Ao and Cao Guan are dead?" Xu Hui was utterly astonished.
"I forgot to mention that to you," Yang Kai said with a slight nod. "The upper echelons of the Broken Profound Manor and the Battle Soul Hall have been completely wiped out—they're essentially no longer a factor. Wu Jie's visit now likely means he's finished dealing with the affairs of those two powers."
"They brought it upon themselves!" Xu Hui looked somewhat unsatisfied. "I was still considering when to lead men over to settle the score with them. Now it seems there's no need—consider themselves lucky. If they had fallen into my hands, I would have shown them what it means to wish for death!"