Yang Kai's explanation was reasonable, and it matched the suspicions most people present had been mulling over for the past month.
They nodded one after another, expressing their agreement.
"I understand!" Yang Kai suddenly straightened his expression, looking thoughtful. "I finally understand what the Great Demon God's avatar meant by those words."
"The Great Demon God's avatar?" Chang Yuan was taken aback and quickly asked for details.
Yang Kai didn't hold back. He briefly recounted the events of their previous rescue of Meng Wuya.
"When I was leaving, the Great Demon God's avatar told me that this world had been sealed for too long, and it was time for it to see the light of day again! At the time, I thought he was referring to that strange little Mystic World, but it turns out he meant the Profound Continent. The reason he told me to come to the Demon Capital is because he left a message here."
The seal was lifted, the small Mystic Worlds across the land opened up, and the entire Profound Continent once again appeared among the stars. That was what the Great Demon God meant by "seeing the light of day again"!
Yang Kai suddenly recalled that their Grandmaster, Chu Lingxiao, had once said the current starry sky looked different from before—many stars that were previously invisible could now be detected.
That was also because the Great Demon God's seal had been broken. With the seal lifted, heaven and earth became clearer, and naturally, stars that had been hidden before could now be discovered.
"So that means..." Meng Wuya's expression grew strange, and he hesitated for a moment. "The way the continent is now—is that the responsibility of this old man and Little Yang Kai?"
He exchanged a glance with Yang Kai, both wearing bewildered expressions.
"The lifting of the seal is your responsibility, but the awakening of the Bone Clan has nothing to do with you, even if the timing is somewhat coincidental," said the Earth Demon with a furrowed brow.
"It might be related. The Great Demon God left the seal with his aura covering the continent, so the Bone Clan didn't dare to awaken. But once the seal was lifted, his aura disappeared. The Bone Clan sensed this, and only then did they dare to show themselves." Yang Kai pondered. "This is just my guess, but it's very likely the truth."
The five powerful demon leaders exchanged glances. Chang Yuan said, "If that's truly the case, then Saint Lord Yang bears an irrefutable responsibility for this calamity. Blocking them—you can't shirk that duty either."
"What do you mean by that?" Meng Wuya shot Chang Yuan a sideways glare and sneered. "Are you trying to wash your hands of this? Yang Kai already told you—the Bone Clan has dozens of Saints, and they can use corpses to create new members. If you give them enough time, you'll never be able to wipe them all out."
The Bone Clan was like a spark. The flame was small now, but it could set the whole prairie ablaze.
Chang Yuan laughed awkwardly. "Of course not. The Great Demon God once exhausted his life for the sake of the entire continent. We, the demon race, are his descendants, and naturally we cannot bring him disgrace. Mm, we will also assist Saint Lord Yang."
Though he said this, anyone could see the reluctance in his eyes.
Yang Kai glanced at him, stood up, and said, "I've learned the full story and the truth about this continent. Whether your demon race gets involved—that's your call. If you want your descendants for generations to be enslaved by the Bone Clan forever, you're free to stay put."
With that, he turned and walked straight toward the great hall's entrance.
Meng Wuya and the others quickly followed.
Chang Yuan's expression shifted, and he called out, "Saint Lord Yang, please wait!"
"What else?" Yang Kai turned his head.
"May I ask—when Saint Lord Yang returns, will you take action against the Bone Clan?"
Yang Kai considered for a moment. "The Nine Heavens Holy Land alone can't handle this. The gap in strength is far too great. I need to find allies. I just don't know how many I'll be able to gather."
Chang Yuan furrowed his brow, deep in thought for a long while before speaking. "I don't think anyone in this world understands the Bone Clan's terror better than we do. Just now, I was being overly cautious. How about this—once Saint Lord Yang returns, gather as many allies as you can, and I will immediately take stock of our forces and bring people to the Nine Heavens Holy Land to join you."
Yang Kai let out a scoff. "So you want to help now?"
Chang Yuan said with a bitter smile, "I simply don't want the Great Demon God's spirit in the heavens to be disappointed! As a Demon Lord ruling over the Demon Territory, could I really fail to clean up even the mess he left behind?"
Yang Kai stared at him deeply, then looked past him at the four Demon Generals behind him, finding them all wearing solemn expressions.
He gave a slight nod. "Regardless of what happens, once this matter is settled, the grudges between us will be wiped clean."
"In the future, there will likely be many things I need to consult Saint Lord Yang about—especially regarding the Great Demon God," Chang Yuan said with a hearty laugh.
"We'll see!" Yang Kai nodded. "We're leaving now. No need to see us off."
Only after Yang Kai and his party had departed did Chang Yuan's expression turn grave. He looked at the four Demon Generals and said, "You all know how serious this situation is—I need not elaborate. Return to your respective territories and muster your troops. In half a month, we gather at Barbarian City!"
"Yes!" The four responded in unison and swiftly departed.
Aboard the Star Shuttle, Yang Kai and his group flew onward at full speed.
Meng Wuya remarked with some surprise, "Chang Yuan was surprisingly agreeable this time. Very perceptive of the situation."
"It's not that he's agreeable—it's that he understands the principle that when the lips are gone, the teeth grow cold. If we fight the Bone Clan and we lose, his Demon Territory could be next. If we win, then I'll definitely come to settle scores with him later. No matter who wins or loses, he gains nothing." Yang Kai spoke calmly, as though he had seen right through Chang Yuan's concerns.
At first, his attitude had been deliberately ambiguous, clearly indicating he was reluctant to get involved. After all, once he committed, he had to be prepared to suffer losses.
But when he saw Yang Kai was genuinely about to leave, he had no choice but to compromise.
Perhaps in the beginning, he had even wanted Yang Kai to offer some incentives before he would lend a hand. After all, he had no personal ties with Yang Kai, and Yang Kai possessed far too many things he coveted.