Outside the Nine Peaks, Yang Kai had one twin tucked under each arm, the two identical beauties pressed against him, while a small senior sister in a veil stood nearby.
The Holy Land disciples responsible for guarding the area had their eyes practically popping out of their heads. Their faces were a mixture of admiration and envy, thinking to themselves that the Holy Master really was the Holy Master — his methods were truly remarkable, having conquered even such a stunning pair of twin flowers. He was a true role model for all men.
"That's enough already. What are you two doing?" Yang Kai could barely catch his breath from being squeezed like that, the extraordinary softness pressing against his chest sending his mind racing. He hurriedly gave both women a grope at the waist.
Only then did the sisters release him, turning to glare at him through gritted teeth.
"What?" Yang Kai said warily. "You threw yourselves on me — it's not like I was trying to take advantage of you."
"It's been so many years and you're still just as infuriating," the more seductively elegant one huffed softly. "Here we were all this time, worrying about your safety, and it turns out you've been here playing Holy Master the whole time. We fretted over you for nothing."
"You were worried about me?" Yang Kai stared at them, genuinely surprised. "Well, I'm truly honored."
"I wasn't... It's Meier who was always going on about you," the woman said, a blush coloring her cheeks as she denied it on instinct.
"Sister, you were too."
"I was not."
"Alright, alright, stop bickering the moment you see each other. Let's go inside first," Xia Ningshang chimed in, having recovered from her own surprise.
Yang Kai broke into a grin and beckoned to the twins. "Follow me. Now that you're here, don't stand on ceremony."
"I wouldn't dream of it," the elder sister snorted, grabbing her sister's hand and heading into the Nine Peaks alongside Xia Ningshang without waiting.
Yang Kai shook his head with a helpless laugh, his gaze lingering on their retreating figures. Gradually, his expression turned serious.
Those two sisters were none other than the Hu family twins from the Blood Battle Gang — Hu Jiao'er and Hu Meier.
Because Yang Kai had been gathering intelligence from Zhongdu lately, when the Grand Elder reported that a pair of twins had come looking for him, the image of the Hu sisters had immediately surfaced in his mind.
And the Grand Elder's subsequent words had confirmed his guess.
Back in the Inheritance Grotto-heaven, Yang Kai and Su Yan had received the final inheritance — the heritage of the Dragon and Phoenix Manor.
But the Hu sisters had their own fortune, obtaining a set of twin-linked divine arts. After cultivating these arts, their life signatures and power fluctuations became perfectly synchronized.
The fact that they were here meant that Zhongdu and the Tongxuan Continent were truly connected now. Perhaps the very things he feared had already come to pass.
"Holy Master... those two young ladies..." Xu Hui stood off to the side, hesitating and hemming, curious about the twins' background and their relationship with Yang Kai, yet feeling it would be too nosy to ask directly.
"It's not what you think!" Yang Kai shot him a sideways glance.
"This subordinate understands," Xu Hui hastily nodded.
Once inside the Nine Peaks, the sisters walked along, scanning their surroundings and letting out continuous exclamations of amazement. The Nine Heavens Holy Land was considered a top-tier force even on the Tongxuan Continent — the scenery within the Nine Peaks was lovely, the spiritual energy rich and dense, something that Zhongdu simply couldn't compare to.
Arriving here gave them a real eye-opening experience. The two sisters looked like village girls who had wandered into a bustling metropolis, their eyes darting everywhere, unable to take it all in.
In the Holy Master's residence, Xia Ningshang arranged for the twins to be seated. Yang Kai personally poured them cups of tea. An Ling'er brought out a platter of rare spirit fruits, attending to them with hospitality.
The Hu sisters seemed to have gone a long time without proper rest. Their delicate faces were etched with fatigue, and their strength had been significantly depleted. The moment they caught the fragrance of the spirit fruits, their appetites stirred.
Hu Jiao'er grabbed two without the slightest hesitation, tossed one to Hu Meier, and began eating in large bites.
Yang Kai and Xia Ningshang sat beside them, waiting for the twins to recover.
After eating several spirit fruits in succession, the two finally seemed to perk up. Only then did Yang Kai ask, "Judging by the dust and grime on you, you've been traveling for quite a while?"
The Hu sisters nodded in unison. "A little over three months."
Yang Kai let out a soft breath. "You've been through a lot."
The two of them were currently at the first level of the Transcendent Realm. Traveling nonstop for three months had consumed a considerable amount of their energy. It was no wonder they were so exhausted.
"Yang Kai, you need to get back to Zhongdu right away. Something may have happened over there," Hu Jiao'er suddenly said, her brow furrowed and her voice low and urgent.
"I know," Yang Kai replied with a slight nod.
"You know?" The twins stared at him in surprise.
"Truthfully, some things have happened on this end recently as well. I've been trying to find a way back, but haven't had any luck. As it happens, you've come to me today — tell me everything. How did you get here?"
The Hu sisters exchanged a glance. Hu Jiao'er spoke: "Do you remember where the Inheritance Grotto-heaven opened? That place was one of the Hu family's mining sites."
"Of course I remember," Yang Kai nodded.
"About three or four months ago, something strange suddenly appeared there."
It was only after hearing Hu Jiao'er's account that Yang Kai understood how the twins had made it to the Tongxuan Continent and why they had traveled thousands of miles to find the Nine Heavens Holy Land.
Three or four months ago, in the area where the Inheritance Grotto-heaven had once manifested, a pitch-black opening had suddenly appeared. When the Hu sisters received word from the disciples stationed below, they went together to investigate.